Way back when, in the dark ages of my broken foot, I went for an aqua jog. It was a day or two after I had broken the darn thing, and I was trying to wrap my mind around the reality of 3 months no running.
Misery loves company, and so do pool-runners. And so, when I saw what appeared to be another runner bobbing about in the "leisure swim and aqua jog lane" I struck up a conversation. Yup, he was a runner (for a local high school) and injured. His coach had told him to do nothing but aqua-jogging.
Of course, I asked the question that applies equally to prison or injury-induced cross-training: "How long are you in here for?"
He glanced back at me, his face full of misery and suffering and agony.
"TWO WEEKS."
***
Of course, I made it through my broken foot. Returned to running, built up, trained hard, and became significantly faster than I had been, pre-broken foot. And that's something I've tried to remember ever since. Layoffs and setbacks aren't exit ramps; they're rest stops on the way to greater things.
And many times, I've been the obliviously chipper one, voluntarily pool-running along a friend, offering up positive talk and experience, while they journey through MRIs and PRP injections and missed races.
I usually say something like "it seems like forever while you're stuck in the pool, but when you look back a year from now, it will seem much shorter in retrospect. Promise."
And it's true. The time off never seems that bad in retrospect. (Nor does race discomfort, come to think of it.) And it also never seems that bad if it's not YOU experiencing it. (Also just like race pain.) It's all about perspective.
But that's the funny thing about perspective - it's context specific. When you're sentenced to three months, two weeks off seems like nothing. When you're in the heat of training, even a day off, or one missed workout, is hard. Especially if it's YOU.
But of course, now I'm there again. Two weeks in the pool, to take care of this stupid yet-to-be-completely-defined heel issue. Several years ago, I was (mentally) very dismissive of the anguish of the kid who had to take two weeks no running. Compared to three months, that was nothing. But now that it's me? Compared to two weeks of training with friends? Two weeks in the pool is everything.
But that's perspective for you. Funny thing. And I know that some day, in the not too far future, I'll look back at this, and note how short this period was. Probably while accompanying a friend serving his or her own aqua-jogging sentence, trying to cheer him or her up.
I just need to get there first. And that point is likely at least two weeks away.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Monday, August 26, 2013
Training log - Week ending 8/25/13
This week was 18 miles of “real running” plus 31 “miles” pool
running, 8 "miles" on the arc-trainer, and 2000 yards of swimming breathing drills -- training log is here.
Argh. Training interrupted yet again. My right foot (heel) got sore after this Tuesday's workout, enough so that I swapped to the water for a few days and went in to see the podiatrist. The diagnosis was sub-calcaneal bursitis - essentially a bursa under my heel has gotten inflamed. The symptoms mimic plantar fascitis but are slightly different (pain goes away with rest, and isn't exactly where the fascia ties into the heel), and my standard tricks of taping and the Strasburg sock just aggravate it.
Podiatrist recommended yet another shoe change (to the Brooks Pure Flow), and so I tried that after a few days rest. The foot felt better than it had before, but was still getting sore after each run. After discussion with Capital Rehab, I decided to go for 2 weeks of no impact exercise. Nothing but pool-running, swimming, and upper body strength work (plus Voltaren). And trying to be on my feet as little as possible.
It's gonna suck, honestly. I'm already in lousy shape, and now I'm taking another 2 weeks off (I'll pool-run and do intervals, but that's not quite the same). But....I figure I can either take this time now, or two weeks from now. Better to get it over with. And if I hadn't run this past weekend, I'd already be half-way through.
And I also keep thinking back to when I broke my foot, and was sentenced to several months of nothing but pool-running. This is honestly just a blip, compared to that.
Plus my hay fever's going crazy right now, so being stuck inside ain't horrible.
Monday: In the morning, 60 minutes of pool-running for "6 miles" followed by upper body, core, and injury prevention strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.
Tuesday: In the morning, 9.5 miles outside, including a track workout of 6x800 (splits were 3:01, 2:58, 2:57, 2:56, 2:55, 2:52), followed with a 40 minute shake out in the pool and injury prevention work. Foam rolling at night.
Wednesday: In the morning, 55 minutes of easy pool-running for "5.5 miles." Foam rolling at night.
Thursday: In the morning, a pool-running workout of 10x3:00 hard, 1:00 easy, followed by lower body, core, and injury prevention strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.
Friday: In the morning, 60 minutes of easy pool-running plus a yoga class. Foam rolling at night.
Saturday: In the morning, 4.5 miles easy, followed by upper body and core strength work plus injury prevention work and then 2000 yards of swimming. Foam rolling at night.
Sunday: In the morning, 4 miles easy (8:02 pace), followed by 60 minutes on the arc-trainer (first 45 easy, last 15 at something between marathon and tempo effort), followed by 30 minutes easy pool-running. Yoga and foam rolling in the afternoon.
Argh. Training interrupted yet again. My right foot (heel) got sore after this Tuesday's workout, enough so that I swapped to the water for a few days and went in to see the podiatrist. The diagnosis was sub-calcaneal bursitis - essentially a bursa under my heel has gotten inflamed. The symptoms mimic plantar fascitis but are slightly different (pain goes away with rest, and isn't exactly where the fascia ties into the heel), and my standard tricks of taping and the Strasburg sock just aggravate it.
Podiatrist recommended yet another shoe change (to the Brooks Pure Flow), and so I tried that after a few days rest. The foot felt better than it had before, but was still getting sore after each run. After discussion with Capital Rehab, I decided to go for 2 weeks of no impact exercise. Nothing but pool-running, swimming, and upper body strength work (plus Voltaren). And trying to be on my feet as little as possible.
It's gonna suck, honestly. I'm already in lousy shape, and now I'm taking another 2 weeks off (I'll pool-run and do intervals, but that's not quite the same). But....I figure I can either take this time now, or two weeks from now. Better to get it over with. And if I hadn't run this past weekend, I'd already be half-way through.
And I also keep thinking back to when I broke my foot, and was sentenced to several months of nothing but pool-running. This is honestly just a blip, compared to that.
Plus my hay fever's going crazy right now, so being stuck inside ain't horrible.
Dailies
Monday: In the morning, 60 minutes of pool-running for "6 miles" followed by upper body, core, and injury prevention strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.
Tuesday: In the morning, 9.5 miles outside, including a track workout of 6x800 (splits were 3:01, 2:58, 2:57, 2:56, 2:55, 2:52), followed with a 40 minute shake out in the pool and injury prevention work. Foam rolling at night.
Wednesday: In the morning, 55 minutes of easy pool-running for "5.5 miles." Foam rolling at night.
Thursday: In the morning, a pool-running workout of 10x3:00 hard, 1:00 easy, followed by lower body, core, and injury prevention strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.
Friday: In the morning, 60 minutes of easy pool-running plus a yoga class. Foam rolling at night.
Saturday: In the morning, 4.5 miles easy, followed by upper body and core strength work plus injury prevention work and then 2000 yards of swimming. Foam rolling at night.
Sunday: In the morning, 4 miles easy (8:02 pace), followed by 60 minutes on the arc-trainer (first 45 easy, last 15 at something between marathon and tempo effort), followed by 30 minutes easy pool-running. Yoga and foam rolling in the afternoon.
Monday, August 19, 2013
Training log - Week ending 8/18/13
This week was 47 miles of “real running” plus 14 “miles” pool
running, and 1000 meters of swimming breathing drills -- training log is here.
I started back up with cautious workouts this week. For Tuesday's workout, I showed up planning to do 2x1600 at tempo pace, but ended up doing the full workout, keeping most of it between tempo and interval effort, but indulging in "normal" for the last rep. Friday's run was my first "normal" workout - a four mile tempo. Not super impressive, but I was happy with the workout, given all the time off and the low mileage. Tempos are both the workout I see the best results from and the hardest for me, so I was really happy to check this one off.
My "long run" on the other hand was a bit meh. Long runs are usually my easiest workout of the week by far. But for some reason on Sunday 12 miles at easy pace took a lot out of me. About 15 minutes after finishing, I was fairly tired, as if I had done a progressive 20. Weird. It wasn't that hot out, and I carried water with me and hit every water stop. I ended up deciding that REST was what I needed (big rule of running - if you're in a hole, STOP DIGGING) so I skipped the rest of my normal Sunday routine (yoga, heavy injury prevention work) in lieu of chowing down on my couch watching the Tivo'd World Championships. By Sunday night I was a bit more perky.
I had friends racing Ironmans (is it Ironmans or Ironmen?) this Sunday; maybe it was sympathetic fatigue (more likely humidity+allergies+out of shape). In any event, I did sympathetic refueling.
The shoe adventures continue, unfortunately. I tried running in both the Saucony Ride and the Brooks Ghost this week for my easy runs, but in both shoes my plantar fascia got annoyed in both feet. Which goes against everything I know. One would think that more cushioned, higher heel lift shoes would be easier on my feet, but instead it feels like my heels are torqued slightly with each stride and I'm pushing off a lot harder than I normally do.
I got my feet checked out this morning by ART guy, who told me that I was fine to continue running and doing workouts; he and I also agreed that I'd hold off on experimenting with any more shoes until my feet calm down. I'm still debating whether to do intervals this week, but I guess I'll make that decision in the morning, based on how everything feels. On the one hand, I've got someone I really trust encouraging me to do the workout; on the other hand, I've been bitten badly by PF multiple times before.
Two more rules of running: a) don't be a pussy, b) don't be stupid. The trick is figuring out which rule applies when.
Monday: In the morning, 50 minutes of pool-running for "5 miles" followed by upper body, core, and injury prevention strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.
Tuesday: In the morning, 7.5 miles outside, including a cautious track workout of 2x1600, 2x800 (splits were 6:17, 6:09, 3:02, 2:52 - I did the last one at normal effort), followed with a 30 minute shake out in the pool and injury prevention work. Foam rolling at night.
Wednesday: In the morning, 9 miles easy (8:04 pace) followed by yoga. Sports massage at night.
Thursday: In the morning, 40 minutes of easy pool-running for "4" miles plus 1000 yards swimming breathing drills, followed by upper body, core, and injury prevention strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.
Friday: In the morning, 10 miles outside, including a tempo of 6400m in 26:11, split as 6:42, 6:34, 6:31, 6:24), followed by injury prevention work and 20 minutes shakeout pool-runing. Foam rolling at night.
Saturday: In the morning, 8.5 miles easy (8:24 pace). Upper body and core strength work plus injury prevention work and foam rolling in the afternoon.
Sunday: In the morning, 12 miles (8:00 pace). Foam rolling in the afternoon.
I started back up with cautious workouts this week. For Tuesday's workout, I showed up planning to do 2x1600 at tempo pace, but ended up doing the full workout, keeping most of it between tempo and interval effort, but indulging in "normal" for the last rep. Friday's run was my first "normal" workout - a four mile tempo. Not super impressive, but I was happy with the workout, given all the time off and the low mileage. Tempos are both the workout I see the best results from and the hardest for me, so I was really happy to check this one off.
My "long run" on the other hand was a bit meh. Long runs are usually my easiest workout of the week by far. But for some reason on Sunday 12 miles at easy pace took a lot out of me. About 15 minutes after finishing, I was fairly tired, as if I had done a progressive 20. Weird. It wasn't that hot out, and I carried water with me and hit every water stop. I ended up deciding that REST was what I needed (big rule of running - if you're in a hole, STOP DIGGING) so I skipped the rest of my normal Sunday routine (yoga, heavy injury prevention work) in lieu of chowing down on my couch watching the Tivo'd World Championships. By Sunday night I was a bit more perky.
I had friends racing Ironmans (is it Ironmans or Ironmen?) this Sunday; maybe it was sympathetic fatigue (more likely humidity+allergies+out of shape). In any event, I did sympathetic refueling.
The shoe adventures continue, unfortunately. I tried running in both the Saucony Ride and the Brooks Ghost this week for my easy runs, but in both shoes my plantar fascia got annoyed in both feet. Which goes against everything I know. One would think that more cushioned, higher heel lift shoes would be easier on my feet, but instead it feels like my heels are torqued slightly with each stride and I'm pushing off a lot harder than I normally do.
I got my feet checked out this morning by ART guy, who told me that I was fine to continue running and doing workouts; he and I also agreed that I'd hold off on experimenting with any more shoes until my feet calm down. I'm still debating whether to do intervals this week, but I guess I'll make that decision in the morning, based on how everything feels. On the one hand, I've got someone I really trust encouraging me to do the workout; on the other hand, I've been bitten badly by PF multiple times before.
Two more rules of running: a) don't be a pussy, b) don't be stupid. The trick is figuring out which rule applies when.
Dailies
Monday: In the morning, 50 minutes of pool-running for "5 miles" followed by upper body, core, and injury prevention strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.
Tuesday: In the morning, 7.5 miles outside, including a cautious track workout of 2x1600, 2x800 (splits were 6:17, 6:09, 3:02, 2:52 - I did the last one at normal effort), followed with a 30 minute shake out in the pool and injury prevention work. Foam rolling at night.
Wednesday: In the morning, 9 miles easy (8:04 pace) followed by yoga. Sports massage at night.
Thursday: In the morning, 40 minutes of easy pool-running for "4" miles plus 1000 yards swimming breathing drills, followed by upper body, core, and injury prevention strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.
Friday: In the morning, 10 miles outside, including a tempo of 6400m in 26:11, split as 6:42, 6:34, 6:31, 6:24), followed by injury prevention work and 20 minutes shakeout pool-runing. Foam rolling at night.
Saturday: In the morning, 8.5 miles easy (8:24 pace). Upper body and core strength work plus injury prevention work and foam rolling in the afternoon.
Sunday: In the morning, 12 miles (8:00 pace). Foam rolling in the afternoon.
Monday, August 12, 2013
Training log - Week ending 8/11/2013
This week was 47 miles of “real running” plus 22.5 “miles” pool
running, and 1000 meters of swimming breathing drills -- training log is here.
Ah - good to be running again. I started with a short 3 miles, and then ramped up throughout the week. The left leg feels different, but good, with my gait changed slightly to be more even - while I used to collapse a bit outwardly on my left leg before, now I'm pushing off with both legs evenly. Of course, the left leg isn't used to working that way, and so I've got to build it up, but so far so good.
I guess I'll know 6 months from now whether the shot was a good idea. But two weeks post shot, I'm wishing I had gotten it many years ago.
As part of my ramp up, I kept my outside mileage easy for this week, doing my classic 10x3 minutes hard (1 minute easy) in the pool. The 10x3:00 is miserable when I'm doing it, but it does work. An added benefit of addressing my piriformis/nerve issue is that I'm no longer fighting my tendency to turn in circles when I pool run. Cool.
Other news of the week was my quest for new running shoes. I've had great luck with the Saucony Kinvara for many years, and so I've been reluctant to change for that reason - if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Unfortunately, Saucony effectively broke the Kinvara for me when they decided to widen it some. It no longer fits my foot as well. So, I've been trying other options. I first tried the Saucony Mirage (a bit too cushy and corrective) and the Saucony Fastwitch (love it, but a bit too light for a trainer). Then, at the recommendation of my coach, I started experimenting with more substantial shoes.
It's been an adventure so far. Candidates rejected in the store include the Nike Pegasus and Asics Cumulus plus some Adidas shoe I can't remember - all bad fits for my foot. We also tried a New Balance for the heck of it, but I didn't even need to stand in it for the shoe salesman to agree it didn't work for me. New Balance designs shoes for the exact opposite of my foot shape, apparently.
I took the Brooks Ghost home to try, but rejected it after one run - it felt like running in clogs, with matching fatigue in my outer shins, hamstrings, and quads, plus some stiffness just inside of my heels. Then I tried the Mizuno Wave Rider this weekend. It felt different but good at first, but I noticed a bit of soreness in both arches a few hours after my Saturday run. On Sunday's run, I could feel some pulling on the outside of my plantar fascia in both feet by the end, which was enough for me to nix the shoe.
So, back to the running store - I've ordered a pair of Saucony Rides that should hopefully be delivered in the next day or two. Cross your fingers that those will do the trick. I'm open to other suggestions - I'm a neutral mid-foot striker with a narrow foot and a small heel. Heavily cushioned shoes tend to aggravate my plantar fascitis issues, and elevated heels give me trouble as well, so moderate shoes are preferred. Kayanos will not work. Trust me.
And don't tell me to try Vibrams or Newtons. Just. Don't.
Monday: In the morning, 3 miles easy (8:15 pace), followed by 35 minutes of pool-running for "3.5 miles" and some upper body, core, and injury prevention strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.
Tuesday: In the morning, 5 miles outside (8:17 pace) followed by a pool workout of 10x3:00 hard, 1:00 easy - total in the pool was "7 miles." Foam rolling at night.
Wednesday: In the morning, 9 miles easy (8:08 pace) followed by yoga. Foam rolling at night.
Thursday: In the morning, 60 minutes of easy pool-running for "6" miles pluspper body, core, and injury prevention strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.
Friday: In the morning, 8 miles (8:28) in the Ghosts followed by a pool workout of 10x3:00 hard, 1:00 easy - total in the pool was "6 miles." Foam rolling at night.
Saturday: In the morning, 10 miles easy (8:15 pace) in the Wave Riders, followed by 1000 meters swimming breathing drills. Upper body and core strength work plus injury prevention work and foam rolling in the afternoon.
Sunday: In the morning, 8 miles very easy (8:50) in the Wave Riders, followed by a yoga class. Later did another 4 miles aerobic (7:18) in my normal shoes to compare. Foam rolling in the afternoon.
Ah - good to be running again. I started with a short 3 miles, and then ramped up throughout the week. The left leg feels different, but good, with my gait changed slightly to be more even - while I used to collapse a bit outwardly on my left leg before, now I'm pushing off with both legs evenly. Of course, the left leg isn't used to working that way, and so I've got to build it up, but so far so good.
I guess I'll know 6 months from now whether the shot was a good idea. But two weeks post shot, I'm wishing I had gotten it many years ago.
As part of my ramp up, I kept my outside mileage easy for this week, doing my classic 10x3 minutes hard (1 minute easy) in the pool. The 10x3:00 is miserable when I'm doing it, but it does work. An added benefit of addressing my piriformis/nerve issue is that I'm no longer fighting my tendency to turn in circles when I pool run. Cool.
Other news of the week was my quest for new running shoes. I've had great luck with the Saucony Kinvara for many years, and so I've been reluctant to change for that reason - if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Unfortunately, Saucony effectively broke the Kinvara for me when they decided to widen it some. It no longer fits my foot as well. So, I've been trying other options. I first tried the Saucony Mirage (a bit too cushy and corrective) and the Saucony Fastwitch (love it, but a bit too light for a trainer). Then, at the recommendation of my coach, I started experimenting with more substantial shoes.
It's been an adventure so far. Candidates rejected in the store include the Nike Pegasus and Asics Cumulus plus some Adidas shoe I can't remember - all bad fits for my foot. We also tried a New Balance for the heck of it, but I didn't even need to stand in it for the shoe salesman to agree it didn't work for me. New Balance designs shoes for the exact opposite of my foot shape, apparently.
I took the Brooks Ghost home to try, but rejected it after one run - it felt like running in clogs, with matching fatigue in my outer shins, hamstrings, and quads, plus some stiffness just inside of my heels. Then I tried the Mizuno Wave Rider this weekend. It felt different but good at first, but I noticed a bit of soreness in both arches a few hours after my Saturday run. On Sunday's run, I could feel some pulling on the outside of my plantar fascia in both feet by the end, which was enough for me to nix the shoe.
So, back to the running store - I've ordered a pair of Saucony Rides that should hopefully be delivered in the next day or two. Cross your fingers that those will do the trick. I'm open to other suggestions - I'm a neutral mid-foot striker with a narrow foot and a small heel. Heavily cushioned shoes tend to aggravate my plantar fascitis issues, and elevated heels give me trouble as well, so moderate shoes are preferred. Kayanos will not work. Trust me.
And don't tell me to try Vibrams or Newtons. Just. Don't.
Dailies
Monday: In the morning, 3 miles easy (8:15 pace), followed by 35 minutes of pool-running for "3.5 miles" and some upper body, core, and injury prevention strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.
Tuesday: In the morning, 5 miles outside (8:17 pace) followed by a pool workout of 10x3:00 hard, 1:00 easy - total in the pool was "7 miles." Foam rolling at night.
Wednesday: In the morning, 9 miles easy (8:08 pace) followed by yoga. Foam rolling at night.
Thursday: In the morning, 60 minutes of easy pool-running for "6" miles pluspper body, core, and injury prevention strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.
Friday: In the morning, 8 miles (8:28) in the Ghosts followed by a pool workout of 10x3:00 hard, 1:00 easy - total in the pool was "6 miles." Foam rolling at night.
Saturday: In the morning, 10 miles easy (8:15 pace) in the Wave Riders, followed by 1000 meters swimming breathing drills. Upper body and core strength work plus injury prevention work and foam rolling in the afternoon.
Sunday: In the morning, 8 miles very easy (8:50) in the Wave Riders, followed by a yoga class. Later did another 4 miles aerobic (7:18) in my normal shoes to compare. Foam rolling in the afternoon.
Monday, August 5, 2013
Training log - Week ending 8/4/13
This week was 9 miles of “real running” plus 30 “miles” pool
running, and 5500 yards of swimming breathing drills -- training log is here.
Yup - that's my lowest mileage total in a LONG time. Since March. But for a good reason.
I've had a slightly weaker and much less flexible left leg for a long time (like decades), and I finally got sick and tired of managing it and the myriad of issues that seem to crop up from it. So I gave a cortisone shot to my rear (piriformis) a try, so as to stop that pesky muscle from pushing on my sciatic nerve.
The cortisone shot came with a few obligations. One was to take 4-7 days no running. Done (and my swimming may have improved a bit. Or not).
Second obligation was to take advantage of the next few weeks to retrain myself. Meaning all the injury prevention exercises I do anyway, but really being obsessive about form. I need to get that leg moving absolutely correctly, and unlearn all the little compensation habits I've ingrained over the years. The whole point of getting the shot was not so I could jump back into running training ASAP, but rather to reset my body to neutral, and then do some relearning. Which includes gradually ramping up the easy miles.
The running itself should be fun - my leg feels different. More springy and responsive. It's still slightly weaker than the right, but that makes sense. The muscles are getting the signals full tilt now, but they still need to build up. So I have a lot of stretching, side planks, and single leg squats and deadlifts in my future. Good thing. I was starting to get sick of swimming.
Monday: In the morning, 60 minutes of pool-running for "6 miles" plus 1000 yards of swimming breathing drills and some upper body strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.
Tuesday: In the morning, 9 miles easy outside (8:11 pace) plus yoga. Cortisone butt shot in the afternoon.
Wednesday: 2000 yards swimming in the morning, all with pull buoy.i
Thursday: In the morning, 70 minutes of easy pool-running for "7" miles plus upper body strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.
Friday: In the morning, 70 minutes of easy pool-running for "7" miles plus 1000 yards of swimming. Foam rolling at night.
Saturday: In the morning, lower body strengthwork and injury prevention work plus 1500 yards of swimming; got a massage in the afternoon.
Sunday: In the morning, a yoga class. In the afternoon, "10 miles" in the pool, including a 20 minute stretch at marathon pace effort, plus 10x45 seconds very hard, 15 seconds easy, for the heck of it.
Yup - that's my lowest mileage total in a LONG time. Since March. But for a good reason.
I've had a slightly weaker and much less flexible left leg for a long time (like decades), and I finally got sick and tired of managing it and the myriad of issues that seem to crop up from it. So I gave a cortisone shot to my rear (piriformis) a try, so as to stop that pesky muscle from pushing on my sciatic nerve.
The cortisone shot came with a few obligations. One was to take 4-7 days no running. Done (and my swimming may have improved a bit. Or not).
Second obligation was to take advantage of the next few weeks to retrain myself. Meaning all the injury prevention exercises I do anyway, but really being obsessive about form. I need to get that leg moving absolutely correctly, and unlearn all the little compensation habits I've ingrained over the years. The whole point of getting the shot was not so I could jump back into running training ASAP, but rather to reset my body to neutral, and then do some relearning. Which includes gradually ramping up the easy miles.
The running itself should be fun - my leg feels different. More springy and responsive. It's still slightly weaker than the right, but that makes sense. The muscles are getting the signals full tilt now, but they still need to build up. So I have a lot of stretching, side planks, and single leg squats and deadlifts in my future. Good thing. I was starting to get sick of swimming.
Dailies
Monday: In the morning, 60 minutes of pool-running for "6 miles" plus 1000 yards of swimming breathing drills and some upper body strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.
Tuesday: In the morning, 9 miles easy outside (8:11 pace) plus yoga. Cortisone butt shot in the afternoon.
Wednesday: 2000 yards swimming in the morning, all with pull buoy.i
Thursday: In the morning, 70 minutes of easy pool-running for "7" miles plus upper body strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.
Friday: In the morning, 70 minutes of easy pool-running for "7" miles plus 1000 yards of swimming. Foam rolling at night.
Saturday: In the morning, lower body strengthwork and injury prevention work plus 1500 yards of swimming; got a massage in the afternoon.
Sunday: In the morning, a yoga class. In the afternoon, "10 miles" in the pool, including a 20 minute stretch at marathon pace effort, plus 10x45 seconds very hard, 15 seconds easy, for the heck of it.
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Giving it a shot.
So there I was, lying on my side, shorts hiked up.
"OMG yes. That is exactly the spot!" It hurt some, but also felt really good, like an itch had finally been scratched.....
Um.... let's back up some. And reset the scenario to about an hour beforehand.
***
Or maybe even longer than that. Years even. Even before I became a runner, my left leg's always been a bit odd. No real pain, other than some minor muscle soreness that moves around, but a bit weaker and a lot less flexible.
[Memories surge back of riding horses in my early twenties, and being yelled at because my rides consistently bulged their left shoulders.]
It improves when I run more mileage and/or do more yoga, and goes backwards with rest, throwing my stride a bit off. If I really want to make myself one sided? Just take a week off, and include a long ride in a car to boot. That gets the leg to lock up, plus a fascinating bit of simultaneous cramping in left foot and left butt cheek. Then it's really fun watching me try (and fail) to run straight.
Like I said, my left leg's weird. It's not a disc issue. The cause is an angry piriformis muscle deep in my butt that presses on my sciatic nerve, resulting in a bit of weakness and cramping. Over the years I've tried nearly all the tricks and seen all the experts. Tennis ball or lacrosse ball on the left buttock - daily. Pigeon pose or figure 4 stretch? Got it down. I know all the glute activation exercises, and do them faithfully. And yes, I'm an old hand at deep tissue massage, ART, and those modalities. They all help a little, but the secret sauce has consistently been maintaining a high level of activity. (and trying to avoid long car rides)
[People always ask me: but are you really consistent with your exercises? Seriously? I'm moderately OCD and neurotic: some people can't stop washing their hands; I can't stop side planking. Or Googling.]
So, I've just dealt with it. Heck, I run fairly decently with it - I even ran a marathon with my left leg locked up. And it's not like it ever really hurts. But the fact that it flares with rest creates a weird one-legged chicken and egg situation. Any time I take more than a day or two off, the leg gets weaker and crampy. Then, when I start running again, my gait is off and I end up with some random tweak somewhere that has to be babied. Once I get back up to my normal activity level and hold it for a while, I'm good to go. But getting there is a struggle, as I address one compensatory injury after another.
That's been the cycle I've been in recently. I feel run down or have a tight muscle, so I take a few days off. As soon as the tight muscle feels better, I come back, but the left leg flares and my gait's off, so something else goes.
I had decided just to go for two weeks of easy mileage to break the cycle, and then I stopped in to see my orthopedist for a follow-up on this issue. Who proposed a cortisone shot in my piriformis, followed by 4-7 days no running. I could try this now (as in RIGHT NOW), or I could continue to manage it.
Of course, that meant my planned two weeks no workouts would be extended to three - 4-7 days no running (and I'm erring towards the 7) followed by the easy mileage ramp-up. *sigh*. Plus the whole big needle in the rear thing.
I've also never been a fan of cortisone shots. I think they're often used to hide pain so that someone can get back to running quickly without addressing the underlying issue. Additionally, I've heard a lot of about the risks of them weakening tendons and fascia - I'd always rejected them out of hand for my plantar fascitis issues.
But, I decided this was slightly different. I wasn't getting the shot to kill pain so I could return to workouts and races faster, but rather to knock out an underlying problem (the pressure and damage to the nerve by my piriformis), while accepting that getting the shot would keep me out longer. And I was also getting it in a muscle, rather than slower healing tendon/fascia - hopefully that was a difference too.
Maybe I'm correct, maybe I'm rationalizing. In any event, I hopped up on the table and hiked my shorts like the plaid skirted private girls school student I once was. A bit of numbing spray, and then the big POKE. Which was simultaneously uncomfortable and really satisfying.
Imagine the biggest muscle knot you've ever had. The one that no professional or massage tool has ever quite been able to get. Now imagine it being pierced by a needle and releasing.
Oh yeah, that felt good.
It's quite possible I am the first person ever to enjoy a cortisone shot.
So, hopped off the table, thanked the good doctor for ramming a big metal thing up my rear, and drove home on a numb left leg. That was Tuesday afternoon. It stayed numb for another 24 hours, and then eased up. Now I just have a lingering mild soreness from the shot, plus a lingering chlorine spell from the pool, where I'm sentenced to pool-running and swimming for the next few days.
It's still too early to tell how much good the shot did, though I'm already noting a nice bit of increased mobility in that hip. I guess the next days and weeks and months will tell. If it didn't work, then I'll just return to the way I've always managed it. But, if I was going to give this a try, now was the time. It's late summer, and my goal races are still far away.
Heck, it was worth a shot.
"OMG yes. That is exactly the spot!" It hurt some, but also felt really good, like an itch had finally been scratched.....
Um.... let's back up some. And reset the scenario to about an hour beforehand.
***
Or maybe even longer than that. Years even. Even before I became a runner, my left leg's always been a bit odd. No real pain, other than some minor muscle soreness that moves around, but a bit weaker and a lot less flexible.
[Memories surge back of riding horses in my early twenties, and being yelled at because my rides consistently bulged their left shoulders.]
It improves when I run more mileage and/or do more yoga, and goes backwards with rest, throwing my stride a bit off. If I really want to make myself one sided? Just take a week off, and include a long ride in a car to boot. That gets the leg to lock up, plus a fascinating bit of simultaneous cramping in left foot and left butt cheek. Then it's really fun watching me try (and fail) to run straight.
Like I said, my left leg's weird. It's not a disc issue. The cause is an angry piriformis muscle deep in my butt that presses on my sciatic nerve, resulting in a bit of weakness and cramping. Over the years I've tried nearly all the tricks and seen all the experts. Tennis ball or lacrosse ball on the left buttock - daily. Pigeon pose or figure 4 stretch? Got it down. I know all the glute activation exercises, and do them faithfully. And yes, I'm an old hand at deep tissue massage, ART, and those modalities. They all help a little, but the secret sauce has consistently been maintaining a high level of activity. (and trying to avoid long car rides)
[People always ask me: but are you really consistent with your exercises? Seriously? I'm moderately OCD and neurotic: some people can't stop washing their hands; I can't stop side planking. Or Googling.]
So, I've just dealt with it. Heck, I run fairly decently with it - I even ran a marathon with my left leg locked up. And it's not like it ever really hurts. But the fact that it flares with rest creates a weird one-legged chicken and egg situation. Any time I take more than a day or two off, the leg gets weaker and crampy. Then, when I start running again, my gait is off and I end up with some random tweak somewhere that has to be babied. Once I get back up to my normal activity level and hold it for a while, I'm good to go. But getting there is a struggle, as I address one compensatory injury after another.
That's been the cycle I've been in recently. I feel run down or have a tight muscle, so I take a few days off. As soon as the tight muscle feels better, I come back, but the left leg flares and my gait's off, so something else goes.
I had decided just to go for two weeks of easy mileage to break the cycle, and then I stopped in to see my orthopedist for a follow-up on this issue. Who proposed a cortisone shot in my piriformis, followed by 4-7 days no running. I could try this now (as in RIGHT NOW), or I could continue to manage it.
Of course, that meant my planned two weeks no workouts would be extended to three - 4-7 days no running (and I'm erring towards the 7) followed by the easy mileage ramp-up. *sigh*. Plus the whole big needle in the rear thing.
I've also never been a fan of cortisone shots. I think they're often used to hide pain so that someone can get back to running quickly without addressing the underlying issue. Additionally, I've heard a lot of about the risks of them weakening tendons and fascia - I'd always rejected them out of hand for my plantar fascitis issues.
But, I decided this was slightly different. I wasn't getting the shot to kill pain so I could return to workouts and races faster, but rather to knock out an underlying problem (the pressure and damage to the nerve by my piriformis), while accepting that getting the shot would keep me out longer. And I was also getting it in a muscle, rather than slower healing tendon/fascia - hopefully that was a difference too.
Maybe I'm correct, maybe I'm rationalizing. In any event, I hopped up on the table and hiked my shorts like the plaid skirted private girls school student I once was. A bit of numbing spray, and then the big POKE. Which was simultaneously uncomfortable and really satisfying.
Imagine the biggest muscle knot you've ever had. The one that no professional or massage tool has ever quite been able to get. Now imagine it being pierced by a needle and releasing.
Oh yeah, that felt good.
It's quite possible I am the first person ever to enjoy a cortisone shot.
So, hopped off the table, thanked the good doctor for ramming a big metal thing up my rear, and drove home on a numb left leg. That was Tuesday afternoon. It stayed numb for another 24 hours, and then eased up. Now I just have a lingering mild soreness from the shot, plus a lingering chlorine spell from the pool, where I'm sentenced to pool-running and swimming for the next few days.
It's still too early to tell how much good the shot did, though I'm already noting a nice bit of increased mobility in that hip. I guess the next days and weeks and months will tell. If it didn't work, then I'll just return to the way I've always managed it. But, if I was going to give this a try, now was the time. It's late summer, and my goal races are still far away.
Heck, it was worth a shot.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Training log - Week ending 7/28/13
This week was 33 miles of “real running” plus 13 “miles” pool
running, "6 miles" on the arc-trainer, and 3000 yards of swimming breathing drills -- training log is here.
Heh - and the mileage keeps falling. I'll was feeling good this week, so I went ahead and raced a track mile on Wednesday night, following it by sleepwalking through a 5K tempo on Friday morning (36 hours later). I was exhausted on Friday morning, thanks to a stretch of insomnia, but went ahead and did the tempo anyway (despite my coach's stern reminder of "if you feel like you are not recovered, skip this workout" - mea culpa).
And then I was sore everywhere. Not one huge OMG I've injured this, but about 5 different muscles etc that demanded a day off, lest they become injuries. Saturday, usually an easy 10, became an easy hour in the pool.
Again, mea culpa. But I realized that I made not one but two mistakes. The first was the obvious, doing the mile race, followed by the tempo. The second is a bit more subtle.
I've know for some time that I'm pretty durable and can handle a lot of work if a) I build up to it carefully, and b) my speedwork is a relatively small proportion of my overall mileage. But, when I take more than a day or two off, I need to ramp up carefully.
That's not what I've done the past few weeks. Instead, I felt run down, with low iron, so I took several days down. Then as soon as I felt good, I jumped back into workouts. Soon after that, I got a tight calf, so I took a few more non-running days. And then I jumped right back into it again. And I ended up tweaking a bunch of stuff again.
As of Monday, I feel good, but if I rush right back into workouts, I'm just going to tweak something else (again). It's a bad cycle that will end up in a string of sub-par races and finally injury (likely in mid-September or early October) that will knock me out for the rest of the season.
So the plan for the near future is to do what I should have done two weeks ago. Carefully ramp my mileage back up, skipping the intensity and the speed work. And then come back to workouts, carefully, after I have quite a few easy runs under my belt.
It's going to really suck to miss tomorrow's workout, especially since I feel fine right now. But I can either discipline myself now, or suffer later. And hey, if I had been slower to come back a few weeks ago, I wouldn't be missing workouts now :)
Monday: In the morning, 1500 yards of swimming breathing drills plus some upper body strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.
Tuesday: In the morning, 10 miles easy outside (8:09 pace) plus drills and strides. Foamrolling at night.
Wednesday: In the morning, 1 miles very easy (testing different shoes), plus 500 yards very easy swimming. In the evening, 6 miles, including a mile on the track in 5:39, followed by an ice bath.
Thursday: In the morning, 50 minutes of easy pool-running for "5" miles plus 1000 yards of swimming breathing drills. Foam rolling at night.
Friday: In the morning, 10 miles, including a sleepwalking tempo 5K in 20:15 (split as 6:37, 6:30, 6:22, 0:46). Followed with injury prevention work and 20 minutes shakeout pool-running. Foam rolling at night.
Saturday: In the morning, upper body strengthwork and injury prevention work plus 60 minutes easy pool-running for "6 miles"; foam rolling in the afternoon.
Sunday: In the morning, a split long run - first did 6 miles easy outside (8:26 pace), followed by another 45 minutes on the arc-trainer at a moderately hard intensity (I'd say equivalent to another "6 miles" in effort). Followed with injury prevention work. Yoga and foam rolling at night.
Heh - and the mileage keeps falling. I'll was feeling good this week, so I went ahead and raced a track mile on Wednesday night, following it by sleepwalking through a 5K tempo on Friday morning (36 hours later). I was exhausted on Friday morning, thanks to a stretch of insomnia, but went ahead and did the tempo anyway (despite my coach's stern reminder of "if you feel like you are not recovered, skip this workout" - mea culpa).
And then I was sore everywhere. Not one huge OMG I've injured this, but about 5 different muscles etc that demanded a day off, lest they become injuries. Saturday, usually an easy 10, became an easy hour in the pool.
Again, mea culpa. But I realized that I made not one but two mistakes. The first was the obvious, doing the mile race, followed by the tempo. The second is a bit more subtle.
I've know for some time that I'm pretty durable and can handle a lot of work if a) I build up to it carefully, and b) my speedwork is a relatively small proportion of my overall mileage. But, when I take more than a day or two off, I need to ramp up carefully.
That's not what I've done the past few weeks. Instead, I felt run down, with low iron, so I took several days down. Then as soon as I felt good, I jumped back into workouts. Soon after that, I got a tight calf, so I took a few more non-running days. And then I jumped right back into it again. And I ended up tweaking a bunch of stuff again.
As of Monday, I feel good, but if I rush right back into workouts, I'm just going to tweak something else (again). It's a bad cycle that will end up in a string of sub-par races and finally injury (likely in mid-September or early October) that will knock me out for the rest of the season.
So the plan for the near future is to do what I should have done two weeks ago. Carefully ramp my mileage back up, skipping the intensity and the speed work. And then come back to workouts, carefully, after I have quite a few easy runs under my belt.
It's going to really suck to miss tomorrow's workout, especially since I feel fine right now. But I can either discipline myself now, or suffer later. And hey, if I had been slower to come back a few weeks ago, I wouldn't be missing workouts now :)
Dailies
Monday: In the morning, 1500 yards of swimming breathing drills plus some upper body strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.
Tuesday: In the morning, 10 miles easy outside (8:09 pace) plus drills and strides. Foamrolling at night.
Wednesday: In the morning, 1 miles very easy (testing different shoes), plus 500 yards very easy swimming. In the evening, 6 miles, including a mile on the track in 5:39, followed by an ice bath.
Thursday: In the morning, 50 minutes of easy pool-running for "5" miles plus 1000 yards of swimming breathing drills. Foam rolling at night.
Friday: In the morning, 10 miles, including a sleepwalking tempo 5K in 20:15 (split as 6:37, 6:30, 6:22, 0:46). Followed with injury prevention work and 20 minutes shakeout pool-running. Foam rolling at night.
Saturday: In the morning, upper body strengthwork and injury prevention work plus 60 minutes easy pool-running for "6 miles"; foam rolling in the afternoon.
Sunday: In the morning, a split long run - first did 6 miles easy outside (8:26 pace), followed by another 45 minutes on the arc-trainer at a moderately hard intensity (I'd say equivalent to another "6 miles" in effort). Followed with injury prevention work. Yoga and foam rolling at night.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Race report: DC Road Runners mile, July 24, 2013
I raced the mile today at the DC Road Runners Track Meet, finishing in 5:39. Surprisingly fun, in that weird mile race way (I also enjoy stabbing myself with a pen recreationally).
I went back and forth on whether to race this or not. Why not? Well....
a) I hate evening races;
b) for a variety of reasons, I've cut my running significantly back the past few weeks, including cutting back the mileage, missing my team's last few hill rep sessions, and holding off on my gym plyometrics - I'm not exactly speedy right now;
c) we have a tempo workout scheduled for Friday morning, and I wasn't sure that Wednesday night to Friday morning was enough time for me to recover;
d) one of the reasons I've been cutting back is to work through some issues with tight calves and feet - I wasn't sure racing a mile was a good idea, given the last few weeks.
But, my coach really wanted us to do this race (plus, my ART guy told me this morning I was totally fine to race, so I didn't have that excuse), so I pulled on my big girl panties. Who knows, maybe I was in better shape than I thought. I also pride myself on being someone who's not afraid to race when I'm out of shape. Things are never perfect - go with what you have and learn how to deal.
And if nothing else, this would be a chance to practice a different race strategy. In my last few track miles, I've ended up leading a pack, and then getting outkicked by others. I thought this time I'd try to play that same game, and see how it worked for me. Run patient, hold back until way close to the end, and then GO. I decided that I really didn't care about the overall time or placing - I just wanted to see if I could run a spectacular last 200m.
So we started, and I tried to tuck in behind a pack. Of course, we went out a bit fast, but then a group settled down slightly, and I tucked in behind them. And just let others set the pace. I was comfortable. Perhaps too comfortable, but this was what I wanted to play with this week. I was going to sit and sit, and then finally kick, and see how that worked.
800 m to go, and I was still settled. Usually I get impatient soon after that, and start extending my stride with about 600m to go. This time, I waited, and waited, and waited. 400m to go, I sat behind someone, and waited some more. Finally, a bit after the 200m to go point, feeling good, I tried to kick. Thought positive speedy thoughts, relaxed forward, pumped my arms, fired my glutes. I "envision[ed my] legs pushing off the ground and exploding with each stride." And I believed.... And...
Nothing really happened. Hah!
I just cruised to the finish. Not horribly - I held a good solid pace. But the explosive kick I had been saving up to deliver was a limp sparkler fizzling in the sand.
So maybe my tendency to pick up the pace a lot earlier and do a sustained push is the right strategy for me. Or maybe my lack of kick is because I haven't done fast running or much in the way of drills, strides, etc) the last few weeks. Who knows. Either way, I'm happy to have tried something different. You never know until you try. And it's not like I had a horrible race, especially given my slight lack of fitness.
Splits were: 85, 85, 83, 86. Again, I don't take these manually, but just set my garmin to autolap from the start point. The Garmin GPS isn't perfect, so these are just approximations, but still. What's interesting here is that, if the splits are more or less correct, then the last lap that I saved up and tried to kick on was my slowest, while the lap I really felt like I was holding back on was my fastest.
Which matches a common theme - when I try too hard, I run slower. 90% effort for me is much faster than 100%. Good to know. Something to experiment with more in my next race.
Other notes:
I went back and forth on whether to race this or not. Why not? Well....
a) I hate evening races;
b) for a variety of reasons, I've cut my running significantly back the past few weeks, including cutting back the mileage, missing my team's last few hill rep sessions, and holding off on my gym plyometrics - I'm not exactly speedy right now;
c) we have a tempo workout scheduled for Friday morning, and I wasn't sure that Wednesday night to Friday morning was enough time for me to recover;
d) one of the reasons I've been cutting back is to work through some issues with tight calves and feet - I wasn't sure racing a mile was a good idea, given the last few weeks.
But, my coach really wanted us to do this race (plus, my ART guy told me this morning I was totally fine to race, so I didn't have that excuse), so I pulled on my big girl panties. Who knows, maybe I was in better shape than I thought. I also pride myself on being someone who's not afraid to race when I'm out of shape. Things are never perfect - go with what you have and learn how to deal.
And if nothing else, this would be a chance to practice a different race strategy. In my last few track miles, I've ended up leading a pack, and then getting outkicked by others. I thought this time I'd try to play that same game, and see how it worked for me. Run patient, hold back until way close to the end, and then GO. I decided that I really didn't care about the overall time or placing - I just wanted to see if I could run a spectacular last 200m.
So we started, and I tried to tuck in behind a pack. Of course, we went out a bit fast, but then a group settled down slightly, and I tucked in behind them. And just let others set the pace. I was comfortable. Perhaps too comfortable, but this was what I wanted to play with this week. I was going to sit and sit, and then finally kick, and see how that worked.
800 m to go, and I was still settled. Usually I get impatient soon after that, and start extending my stride with about 600m to go. This time, I waited, and waited, and waited. 400m to go, I sat behind someone, and waited some more. Finally, a bit after the 200m to go point, feeling good, I tried to kick. Thought positive speedy thoughts, relaxed forward, pumped my arms, fired my glutes. I "envision[ed my] legs pushing off the ground and exploding with each stride." And I believed.... And...
Nothing really happened. Hah!
I just cruised to the finish. Not horribly - I held a good solid pace. But the explosive kick I had been saving up to deliver was a limp sparkler fizzling in the sand.
So maybe my tendency to pick up the pace a lot earlier and do a sustained push is the right strategy for me. Or maybe my lack of kick is because I haven't done fast running or much in the way of drills, strides, etc) the last few weeks. Who knows. Either way, I'm happy to have tried something different. You never know until you try. And it's not like I had a horrible race, especially given my slight lack of fitness.
Splits were: 85, 85, 83, 86. Again, I don't take these manually, but just set my garmin to autolap from the start point. The Garmin GPS isn't perfect, so these are just approximations, but still. What's interesting here is that, if the splits are more or less correct, then the last lap that I saved up and tried to kick on was my slowest, while the lap I really felt like I was holding back on was my fastest.
Which matches a common theme - when I try too hard, I run slower. 90% effort for me is much faster than 100%. Good to know. Something to experiment with more in my next race.
Other notes:
- Beautiful weather. And my team did really well!
- Horrible insomnia the night after the race. Yup - night races are not for me.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Training log - Week ending 7/21/13
This week was 48 miles of “real running” plus 17 “miles” pool
running, "9 miles" on the arc-trainer, and 1000 yards of swimming breathing drills -- training log is here.
The first part of the week was dedicated to playing it safe as I babied my tight left calf. Though I probably could have gotten away with the hill workout on Tuesday, it wasn't worth the risk, so I kept Tuesday's activities to 2 miles of easy jogging plus my old friend, the arc-trainer.
I'll say it again, you really can get a very good tempo workout on the arc-trainer.
By Wednesday, everything felt fine, so I resumed my normal running plan, though I still played it very cautious for the first half of Friday's workout, to make sure everything was kosher. Everything held up well, so out of the woods on the left calf.
I do have some lingering concerns though - I've felt the last few weeks like my form isn't quite where it should be - especially my glutes (especially the left), which don't seem to be firing quite right, causing imbalances all over the place. The result is that I seem to have all sorts of intermittent shifting aches that go away with rest, and return with running. So, focus for the next few weeks is on glute activation stuff and drills (which I've slacked off on the last 2 weeks) to get myself back into good form.
Monday: In the morning, 55 minutes of easy pool-running for “5.5 miles," plus some upper body strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.
Tuesday: In the morning, 2 miles very easy outside, and then an arc-trainer workout of "20 minutes, 15 minutes, 10 minutes" - all at tempo effort, with 2:30 recovery between each. I counted this workout, plus warm-up and cooldown, as equivalent to "9 miles." Followed with injury prevention work and 20 minutes of shakeout pool-running. Foamrolling at night.
Wednesday: In the morning, 7.5 miles (8:15 pace), followed by yoga. Later did another 5 miles at 8:00 pace. Sports massage at night.
Thursday: In the morning, 35 minutes of easy pool-running for "3.5" miles plus 1000 yards of swimming breathing drills, followed by some injury prevention work and upper body strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.
Friday: In the morning, 9.5 miles, including a modified tempo workout (weather was pretty bad) 4x1600 at tempo effort. Split these at 6:30, 6:22, 6:17, 6:12. Followed with injury prevention work and 40 minutes shakeout pool-running. Yoga and foam rolling at night.
Saturday: 10 miles easy in the morning (8:03 pace); upper body strengthwork and injury prevention work plus foam rolling in the afternoon.
Sunday: In the morning, 14 miles as a moderate progression - split as 8:40 pace for first 5.5, 7:47 next 4.5, 7:13 last 4. Followed with injury prevention work and 20 minutes shakeout pool-running. Yoga and foam rolling at night.
The first part of the week was dedicated to playing it safe as I babied my tight left calf. Though I probably could have gotten away with the hill workout on Tuesday, it wasn't worth the risk, so I kept Tuesday's activities to 2 miles of easy jogging plus my old friend, the arc-trainer.
I'll say it again, you really can get a very good tempo workout on the arc-trainer.
By Wednesday, everything felt fine, so I resumed my normal running plan, though I still played it very cautious for the first half of Friday's workout, to make sure everything was kosher. Everything held up well, so out of the woods on the left calf.
I do have some lingering concerns though - I've felt the last few weeks like my form isn't quite where it should be - especially my glutes (especially the left), which don't seem to be firing quite right, causing imbalances all over the place. The result is that I seem to have all sorts of intermittent shifting aches that go away with rest, and return with running. So, focus for the next few weeks is on glute activation stuff and drills (which I've slacked off on the last 2 weeks) to get myself back into good form.
Dailies
Monday: In the morning, 55 minutes of easy pool-running for “5.5 miles," plus some upper body strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.
Tuesday: In the morning, 2 miles very easy outside, and then an arc-trainer workout of "20 minutes, 15 minutes, 10 minutes" - all at tempo effort, with 2:30 recovery between each. I counted this workout, plus warm-up and cooldown, as equivalent to "9 miles." Followed with injury prevention work and 20 minutes of shakeout pool-running. Foamrolling at night.
Wednesday: In the morning, 7.5 miles (8:15 pace), followed by yoga. Later did another 5 miles at 8:00 pace. Sports massage at night.
 |
| My right leg (not the one that was tight) a few days after Wednesday's massage. "Deep tissue" is right. |
Thursday: In the morning, 35 minutes of easy pool-running for "3.5" miles plus 1000 yards of swimming breathing drills, followed by some injury prevention work and upper body strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.
Friday: In the morning, 9.5 miles, including a modified tempo workout (weather was pretty bad) 4x1600 at tempo effort. Split these at 6:30, 6:22, 6:17, 6:12. Followed with injury prevention work and 40 minutes shakeout pool-running. Yoga and foam rolling at night.
Saturday: 10 miles easy in the morning (8:03 pace); upper body strengthwork and injury prevention work plus foam rolling in the afternoon.
Sunday: In the morning, 14 miles as a moderate progression - split as 8:40 pace for first 5.5, 7:47 next 4.5, 7:13 last 4. Followed with injury prevention work and 20 minutes shakeout pool-running. Yoga and foam rolling at night.
Monday, July 15, 2013
Training log - Week ending 7/14/13
This week was 53 miles of “real running” plus 24 “miles” pool
running and 1000 yards of swimming breathing drills -- training log is here.
A rebuilding week for me, plus a bit of workoutus interuptus. My rest week last week did a ton of good for me. By the beginning of this week, I felt bouncy and fresh again. Of course, the trick then was not to dig myself right back into a hole, meaning don't blast your workouts just because you feel perky. I was pretty good about running my workouts under control - especially Friday's tempo, where I took special care to keep the workout aerobic.
Of course, despite all this care, I ended up getting a tight calf on Saturday. Nothing horrible, but definitely one of those things where I could either take a few days off now, or risk it developing into something longer term that I'd be battling for months. I've gone down this road before, and I've learned that when a calf is tight, I can take 2-3 days off and fix it. If I keep pushing it? Then I get plantar fascia/achilles tendonitis issues that take a lot longer (connective tissue heals slower than muscle). So, I ended up doing my Sunday long run in the pool.
In connection with this, I had a revelation of sorts. Essentially, I tend to be a bit type A, with a tendency to compulsively do workout X or mileage Y NO MATTER what.
[my type A-ness is NOT the revelation, BTW]
Sometimes, I'm worse about this, at other times, I tend to be more relaxed and chill and willing to back off on a workout or cut it short or skip a day. So, why am I able to back off or take a few days off sometimes, and not others?
Deceptively simple. Overtraining/reaching has many symptoms, including emotional. I think that, for me, one early warning sign that I'm pushing too hard is that I start getting OCD about my workouts. When I'm not cooked, it's a lot easier to chill about only doing 3 repeats instead of 4, etc. When I'm in a hole, I get tunnel vision, and an unwillingness to pull the plug. If I'm really fried, then being told that I need to shut the workout down infuriates me, while a more rested me is better able to accept guidance and patience.
So simple, and also so evil. Because it's a bad cycle. The more I overreach, the harder it is for me to back off, and so I push even harder, which then results in....a deeper hole.
So, big lesson here is: the more emotionally important it is to me to do a certain workout/mileage/etc (and the harder it is for me to listen to others), the more I need to give serious thought to backing off (and to heed the advice of others).
Monday: In the morning, 50 minutes of easy pool-running for “5 miles," plus some upper body strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.
Tuesday: In the morning, 12.5 miles, including 6 hill repeats - nonstop circuit of up a hill for about 2 minutes, a 90 second easy jog, a stride, and then some more easy jogging to the bottom (whole circuit takes ~5 minutes). Followed with injury prevention work and 20 minutes of shakeout pool-running. Foamrolling at night.
Wednesday: In the morning, 11.5 miles (8:15 pace), followed by yoga. Foam rolling at night.
Thursday: In the morning, 6 miles very easy (9:01 pace) plus drills, followed by some injury prevention work and upper body strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.
Friday: In the morning, 12 miles, including a tempo workout of 2x3200 plus 1600 (split as 13:11 (6:42/6:29), 12:59 (6:33/6:26) and then 6:07). Followed with injury prevention work and 30 minutes shakeout pool-running. Foam rolling at night.
Saturday: 11 miles easy in the morning (8:10 pace); upper body strengthwork and injury prevention work plus foam rolling in the afternoon.
Sunday: In the morning, "14 miles" in the pool - 2 hours of pool-running, including 2x20minutes at marathon pace effort, plus a sequence of 12x45 seconds very hard, 30 seconds easy. Followed this with 1000m of swimming breathing drills, and then my fingers and toes were completely shriveled. Yoga and foam rolling at night.
A rebuilding week for me, plus a bit of workoutus interuptus. My rest week last week did a ton of good for me. By the beginning of this week, I felt bouncy and fresh again. Of course, the trick then was not to dig myself right back into a hole, meaning don't blast your workouts just because you feel perky. I was pretty good about running my workouts under control - especially Friday's tempo, where I took special care to keep the workout aerobic.
Of course, despite all this care, I ended up getting a tight calf on Saturday. Nothing horrible, but definitely one of those things where I could either take a few days off now, or risk it developing into something longer term that I'd be battling for months. I've gone down this road before, and I've learned that when a calf is tight, I can take 2-3 days off and fix it. If I keep pushing it? Then I get plantar fascia/achilles tendonitis issues that take a lot longer (connective tissue heals slower than muscle). So, I ended up doing my Sunday long run in the pool.
In connection with this, I had a revelation of sorts. Essentially, I tend to be a bit type A, with a tendency to compulsively do workout X or mileage Y NO MATTER what.
[my type A-ness is NOT the revelation, BTW]
Sometimes, I'm worse about this, at other times, I tend to be more relaxed and chill and willing to back off on a workout or cut it short or skip a day. So, why am I able to back off or take a few days off sometimes, and not others?
Deceptively simple. Overtraining/reaching has many symptoms, including emotional. I think that, for me, one early warning sign that I'm pushing too hard is that I start getting OCD about my workouts. When I'm not cooked, it's a lot easier to chill about only doing 3 repeats instead of 4, etc. When I'm in a hole, I get tunnel vision, and an unwillingness to pull the plug. If I'm really fried, then being told that I need to shut the workout down infuriates me, while a more rested me is better able to accept guidance and patience.
So simple, and also so evil. Because it's a bad cycle. The more I overreach, the harder it is for me to back off, and so I push even harder, which then results in....a deeper hole.
So, big lesson here is: the more emotionally important it is to me to do a certain workout/mileage/etc (and the harder it is for me to listen to others), the more I need to give serious thought to backing off (and to heed the advice of others).
Dailies
Monday: In the morning, 50 minutes of easy pool-running for “5 miles," plus some upper body strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.
Tuesday: In the morning, 12.5 miles, including 6 hill repeats - nonstop circuit of up a hill for about 2 minutes, a 90 second easy jog, a stride, and then some more easy jogging to the bottom (whole circuit takes ~5 minutes). Followed with injury prevention work and 20 minutes of shakeout pool-running. Foamrolling at night.
Wednesday: In the morning, 11.5 miles (8:15 pace), followed by yoga. Foam rolling at night.
Thursday: In the morning, 6 miles very easy (9:01 pace) plus drills, followed by some injury prevention work and upper body strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.
Friday: In the morning, 12 miles, including a tempo workout of 2x3200 plus 1600 (split as 13:11 (6:42/6:29), 12:59 (6:33/6:26) and then 6:07). Followed with injury prevention work and 30 minutes shakeout pool-running. Foam rolling at night.
Saturday: 11 miles easy in the morning (8:10 pace); upper body strengthwork and injury prevention work plus foam rolling in the afternoon.
Sunday: In the morning, "14 miles" in the pool - 2 hours of pool-running, including 2x20minutes at marathon pace effort, plus a sequence of 12x45 seconds very hard, 30 seconds easy. Followed this with 1000m of swimming breathing drills, and then my fingers and toes were completely shriveled. Yoga and foam rolling at night.
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