Monday, March 31st:
Rest. Hadn't initially planned on the day off today, but I had a rough night of sleep and my quads were a little beat up from the fun pacing duties yesterday. I figured it made more sense to take the rest day today then Wednesday. Plan on being back on the saddle tomorrow. The start of a new month... :)
Tuesday, April 1st:
6:35pm, 58 degrees, 40%, 5mph. Hialeah-CH Blvd. New Balance 1260v2.
5mi (39:12) (7:50/mi)
Ran mostly easy with one .25mi surge up the CH Blvd Hill (:93). Felt kind of out of shape on this one, haha, but it's all good. It will all come back with time.
Wednesday, April 2nd:
5:30pm, 63 degrees, 47%, calm. Maple Shade Loop (S). Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
5mi (40:21) (8:05/mi)
Very lethargic with no real energy tonight. Caught myself even breathing a little during mile 4 (yikes!). This week is a nice dose of reality for me. Just being patient and letting it come back. It will start to feel easy again soon enough.
Thursday, April 3rd:
4:50am, Treadmill, 0.5% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
5mi (39:51) (7:58/mi): including 4x :20 strides after
Much, much smoother than last night. Randomly progressed from 7.0-7.7mph before hitting the strides at 9.0/10.0mph. A world of difference today. Very encouraging.
Friday, April 4th:
6:00am, Treadmill, 1.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
4mi (31:46) (7:57/mi)
My most satisfying run yet of the last two weeks. This one felt super easy. Slightly progressed each mile (8:05, 00, 7:54, 47). Felt like a real runner today.
11:30am, Treadmill, 1.0%-4.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
4mi (31:46) (7:57)
Same exact run as earlier, except I threw in 3x.25mi@4% incline with .25mi@1% incline "recovery." Again I felt very smooth, especially the last mile which was all at 1% incline.
Saturday, April 5th:
7:45am, 46 degrees, 75%, 5-15mph. 5x Neighborhood Loop. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
10mi (1:13:10): with 6mi moderate progressive tempo (7:17 04 6:53 51 46 39) and 4x strides
Great little run in spite of everything. Was working off about 3.5 hours sleep thanks to Penny throwing up all night. As such I couldn't join the group at the store for the early AM easy run, so I improvised on a route that would keep me close to home and where by each time I passed Frankie would give me the thumbs up if I was okay to continue or the thumbs down if Janine needed help. Thankfully I got all thumbs up signals. :)
Felt decent after the first two mile easy loop, so I started running what felt to be a moderate effort. I intuitively knew I was increasing the tempo each mile but I was by no means tracking splits. If I had to guess, I would have ballparked the first mile around 7:15, the middle 4 miles around 6:45-7:00, and the last mile around 6:30. It was nice to see my internal clock is not broken, even if that last mile felt more like threshold pace than marathon pace.
As I said, given the lack of sleep, lack of recent training, and running purely by feel, it was all in all a nice little run.
Sunday, April 6th:
7:00am, Treadmill, 1.0%. New Balance 1260v2.
7mi (57:30) (8:13/mi)
Easy recovery run after yesterday. Slowly progressed down (8:27 27 20 13 06 00 7:57). Smooth and easy.
Weekly Total: 40 miles
Starting to find my rhythm again. Very happy with the progress I am making.
Monday, March 31, 2014
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Broad Street 2014 Training, Week 8
Monday, March 24th:
Sick. Came home from work early. Slept from Monday 8:00pm to Tuesday 6:30am. Woke up feeling like a beaten pinata. Slept intermittently for 5 more hours from 7:00am-2:30pm. Got 4 doses of cough/cold medicine in me each time I woke up. Finally felt better once I ate something and got to moving around. So...
Tuesday, March 25th:
6:05pm, Treadmill, 1.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
3mi (23:48) (7:56/mi): random progression from 7.0-7.8mph.
Felt good to get moving again after the long layoff. Had some terrible 24 hour bug accompanied by chills, lethargy, headache, and sore throat. I think running actually helped clear a good bit of it out of my system. The really great news is I had ZERO symptoms on my run tonight. I actually didn't even THINK about my ankle for the first time in about a month. While I still plan on running Broad Street in 5 weeks, I don't really have any time goals or expectations at this point. I plan on just rebuilding my base, staying healthy, and having fun there. From now until July, my focus is just building fitness in preparation for the Philly Marathon cycle, where a good number of team members are hoping to run fast times. I plan on being one of them. :)
Wednesday, March 26th:
7:35pm, Treadmill, 1.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
3.5mi (27:39) (7:54/mi): random progression from 7.0-8.0mph
Felt silky smooth again. It's like I never even took a break. I am just so happy to be able to run again.
Thursday, March 27th:
6:30pm, 41 degrees, 38%, 10mph. 2x Neighborhood Loop. New Balance 1260v2.
4mi (30:36) (7:39/mi)
Put just a bit more effort into tonight's run, most of it in the last mile (7:24). Felt my breathing laboring just a little at the end, haha, but it felt good. Little tight in my left soleus afterward, but it dissipated within minutes after some solid stretching and lacrosse-ball rolling.
Friday, March 28th:
4:35am, 41 degrees, 57%, 5-10mph. Maple Shade Loop (S). Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
5mi (40:14) (8:03/mi)
Woke up wide awake early this morning and figured I might as well get my run in for the day early before the forecasted rain moves in. Ran very, very easy which was a nice change of pace after yesterday. Didn't check my splits until afterward (8:23 05 05 04 7:37) but it was nice to see I kept a pretty steady pace until the last quarter mile which I ended with a little surge. I feel like I am building a little more momentum with each day... :)
Saturday, March 29th:
6:30am, 46 degrees, 78%, 0-5mph. Moorestown. Mizuno Wave Runner 17.
6mi (47:36) (7:56/mi)
Nice to run with the group again. Warmed up with Colleen for her workout, and ran the first 5.5mi with Rich and Jamie. The pace naturally progressed from 8:31-7:32/mi and I felt very comfortable the entire run.
Sunday, March 30th:
9:00am, 51 degrees, 90%, 5-10mph. Cape May - Wildwood. Adidas Supernova Glide 5.
10mi (1:25:11) (8:31/mi)
Acted as the pacer for Jimmy at the Ocean Drive 10 miler. Turned out to be a great day for running. The rain stopped late overnight, and while there was tons of fog, the temps and winds were very comfortable. Jimmy ran a monster PR, which was great to see. For me, it felt great to run so easy and be part of an awesome experience. Lots of positive energy to carryover into training after today.
Weekly Total: 31.5 miles
Solid first week back. I don't think I have lost quite as much fitness as I had initially expected, but I will continue to take things easy and build over the next few weeks back to regular mileage. One more week of easy running before re-introducing light workouts.
Sick. Came home from work early. Slept from Monday 8:00pm to Tuesday 6:30am. Woke up feeling like a beaten pinata. Slept intermittently for 5 more hours from 7:00am-2:30pm. Got 4 doses of cough/cold medicine in me each time I woke up. Finally felt better once I ate something and got to moving around. So...
Tuesday, March 25th:
6:05pm, Treadmill, 1.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
3mi (23:48) (7:56/mi): random progression from 7.0-7.8mph.
Felt good to get moving again after the long layoff. Had some terrible 24 hour bug accompanied by chills, lethargy, headache, and sore throat. I think running actually helped clear a good bit of it out of my system. The really great news is I had ZERO symptoms on my run tonight. I actually didn't even THINK about my ankle for the first time in about a month. While I still plan on running Broad Street in 5 weeks, I don't really have any time goals or expectations at this point. I plan on just rebuilding my base, staying healthy, and having fun there. From now until July, my focus is just building fitness in preparation for the Philly Marathon cycle, where a good number of team members are hoping to run fast times. I plan on being one of them. :)
Wednesday, March 26th:
7:35pm, Treadmill, 1.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
3.5mi (27:39) (7:54/mi): random progression from 7.0-8.0mph
Felt silky smooth again. It's like I never even took a break. I am just so happy to be able to run again.
Thursday, March 27th:
6:30pm, 41 degrees, 38%, 10mph. 2x Neighborhood Loop. New Balance 1260v2.
4mi (30:36) (7:39/mi)
Put just a bit more effort into tonight's run, most of it in the last mile (7:24). Felt my breathing laboring just a little at the end, haha, but it felt good. Little tight in my left soleus afterward, but it dissipated within minutes after some solid stretching and lacrosse-ball rolling.
Friday, March 28th:
4:35am, 41 degrees, 57%, 5-10mph. Maple Shade Loop (S). Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
5mi (40:14) (8:03/mi)
Woke up wide awake early this morning and figured I might as well get my run in for the day early before the forecasted rain moves in. Ran very, very easy which was a nice change of pace after yesterday. Didn't check my splits until afterward (8:23 05 05 04 7:37) but it was nice to see I kept a pretty steady pace until the last quarter mile which I ended with a little surge. I feel like I am building a little more momentum with each day... :)
Saturday, March 29th:
6:30am, 46 degrees, 78%, 0-5mph. Moorestown. Mizuno Wave Runner 17.
6mi (47:36) (7:56/mi)
Nice to run with the group again. Warmed up with Colleen for her workout, and ran the first 5.5mi with Rich and Jamie. The pace naturally progressed from 8:31-7:32/mi and I felt very comfortable the entire run.
Sunday, March 30th:
9:00am, 51 degrees, 90%, 5-10mph. Cape May - Wildwood. Adidas Supernova Glide 5.
10mi (1:25:11) (8:31/mi)
Acted as the pacer for Jimmy at the Ocean Drive 10 miler. Turned out to be a great day for running. The rain stopped late overnight, and while there was tons of fog, the temps and winds were very comfortable. Jimmy ran a monster PR, which was great to see. For me, it felt great to run so easy and be part of an awesome experience. Lots of positive energy to carryover into training after today.
Weekly Total: 31.5 miles
Solid first week back. I don't think I have lost quite as much fitness as I had initially expected, but I will continue to take things easy and build over the next few weeks back to regular mileage. One more week of easy running before re-introducing light workouts.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
The Road Back
I think I am finally in the clear with this setback! I found a great website on Friday (Athletes Treating Athletes) which detailed some great stretching/rolling/wrapping/icing/strengthening techniques and excercises for peroneal tendonitis. After a solid 45 minutes of body work Friday, I felt absolutely awesome. I went for a 3rd massage session with Holli on Saturday morning, where she confirmed that everything looked and felt significantly improved with only the slightest traces of swelling, all muscular (i.e., no longer in the tendons).
I ran 2x .5mi yesterday with some stretching in between with no pain. I followed that up with another solid 30 minutes of stretching. This morning I did a full 2.5mi easy run around my neighborhood, progressively picking up the pace with no traces of symptoms.
I am optimistic that I can ease back into my regular routine over the next couple weeks. Surprisingly, I don't feel like I have lost much fitness, but I know that whatever I did lose I will gain back in no time. I am just happy to be running again. It felt like 20 minutes of empowering freedom today. :)
I ran 2x .5mi yesterday with some stretching in between with no pain. I followed that up with another solid 30 minutes of stretching. This morning I did a full 2.5mi easy run around my neighborhood, progressively picking up the pace with no traces of symptoms.
I am optimistic that I can ease back into my regular routine over the next couple weeks. Surprisingly, I don't feel like I have lost much fitness, but I know that whatever I did lose I will gain back in no time. I am just happy to be running again. It felt like 20 minutes of empowering freedom today. :)
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Injury Update
Two good pieces of news.
1) After the first week off, I am definitely progressing with my ankle symptoms. In fact, for ~95% of my day, I am not even really aware of an injury. I usually feel a little stiffness in the morning when I first wake up, and sometimes if I am on my feet for a really long-time or do a lot of walking or stair-climbing. So I know I am making progress.
2) Since the symptoms are finally reduced to just one area, I finally have a diagnosis - peroneal tendonitis in my left leg. I am scheduled to see my massage therapist 4 to 5 times for short (~15 minutes) appointments over the next 2 to 3 weeks to help break up the scar tissue and expedite the healing. After this very up-and-down winter, I will be so happy when I finally feel 100% again and am able to resume light training. By then, the weather should be much improved also.
I can feel the momentum building...
1) After the first week off, I am definitely progressing with my ankle symptoms. In fact, for ~95% of my day, I am not even really aware of an injury. I usually feel a little stiffness in the morning when I first wake up, and sometimes if I am on my feet for a really long-time or do a lot of walking or stair-climbing. So I know I am making progress.
2) Since the symptoms are finally reduced to just one area, I finally have a diagnosis - peroneal tendonitis in my left leg. I am scheduled to see my massage therapist 4 to 5 times for short (~15 minutes) appointments over the next 2 to 3 weeks to help break up the scar tissue and expedite the healing. After this very up-and-down winter, I will be so happy when I finally feel 100% again and am able to resume light training. By then, the weather should be much improved also.
I can feel the momentum building...
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Taking a Break from Training
After having some on-again/off-again issues with my left achilles/calf/soleus/ankle the last couple weeks, I am deciding to pull the plug on training for a bit and giving myself at least a two week hiatus to get back to normal and re-set my training.
I guess it's kind of appropriate to make this decision given how the cycle has gone. My initial plan back in December was to train for a spring marathon. An unpredictably awful winter made that goal nearly impossible. When I got the treadmill as a birthday gift, I thought I might salvage the cycle by re-focusing on Broad Street and setting a big PR there. Then, out of nowhere, I run a big 5K PR off little 5K-specific training. From there, I got kind of greedy and pushed the envelope, thinking I hadn't been training that hard as of yet and what could I do with some bigger workouts? It didn't take that long to find out the answer - I pushed the envelope too far, which is why I am typing this now.
I can't say I am too disappointed, though. Sure, it would have been great to run a really fast Broad Street time, but that wasn't the big goal for this year. The big goal was, and still is, to run a big marathon PR in the fall. I could try to fight through this ankle issue, manage the symptoms, and see how I fare in Broad Street but at what cost? The big picture is the marathon so that is what I am (re)making the priority. By taking the break now, I can also get healthy enough to still compete at Broad Street and maybe help out a teammate or two in the process. Running 61:00-65:00 and helping somebody else set a PR is much more satisfying than running 58:XX-59:XX but setting my training back and jeopardizing my fall plans.
The nice thing about this cycle is that I learned a lot about how I personally respond to training, and how I can get faster without doing overly taxing workouts. I will take with me the lessons I learned from this cycle into the next one: about how to improve, how NOT to get injured, and how to have fun - but when I am actually healthy enough to do so.
The goal now for this cycle is to get healthy, be able to compete and have fun at Broad Street, and then resume training safely and smartly for the bigger goal next cycle - kicking butt in Philly in November!
Happy running.
I guess it's kind of appropriate to make this decision given how the cycle has gone. My initial plan back in December was to train for a spring marathon. An unpredictably awful winter made that goal nearly impossible. When I got the treadmill as a birthday gift, I thought I might salvage the cycle by re-focusing on Broad Street and setting a big PR there. Then, out of nowhere, I run a big 5K PR off little 5K-specific training. From there, I got kind of greedy and pushed the envelope, thinking I hadn't been training that hard as of yet and what could I do with some bigger workouts? It didn't take that long to find out the answer - I pushed the envelope too far, which is why I am typing this now.
I can't say I am too disappointed, though. Sure, it would have been great to run a really fast Broad Street time, but that wasn't the big goal for this year. The big goal was, and still is, to run a big marathon PR in the fall. I could try to fight through this ankle issue, manage the symptoms, and see how I fare in Broad Street but at what cost? The big picture is the marathon so that is what I am (re)making the priority. By taking the break now, I can also get healthy enough to still compete at Broad Street and maybe help out a teammate or two in the process. Running 61:00-65:00 and helping somebody else set a PR is much more satisfying than running 58:XX-59:XX but setting my training back and jeopardizing my fall plans.
The nice thing about this cycle is that I learned a lot about how I personally respond to training, and how I can get faster without doing overly taxing workouts. I will take with me the lessons I learned from this cycle into the next one: about how to improve, how NOT to get injured, and how to have fun - but when I am actually healthy enough to do so.
The goal now for this cycle is to get healthy, be able to compete and have fun at Broad Street, and then resume training safely and smartly for the bigger goal next cycle - kicking butt in Philly in November!
Happy running.
Monday, March 3, 2014
Broad Street 2014 Training, Week 5
Monday, March 3rd:
3:15pm, Treadmill, 1.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
6.5mi (50:40) (7:48/mi)
Finally feels like I have turned the corner with the achilles (knock wood). Felt absolutely 100% today. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if my treadmill was incorrectly calibrated too slow because today felt way too easy - but I'll take it. Did a random progression from 7.0-8.0mph up until the last mile, which was a fartlek of 8.0/9.0/10.0mph at 1:30/:15/:15 increments. Threw in one :15 increment at 11.0mph just to really open up. Felt like I could have raced today if I wanted - just felt so good. Tomorrow will be my 6th easy day back, and then maybe Wednesday I'll start off with a light, moderate 30 minute fartlek to re-introduce quality training again.
Tuesday, March 4th:
7:45pm, Treadmill, 1.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
5.5mi (43:51) (7:59/mi): including 4x strides (9.0/10.0mph)
A little bit of tightness in my upper soleus/lower calf tonight, but nothing serious. Got some good stretching and strengthening exercises in afterward. Looks like the weather should take a turn for the better by the end of the week - I think getting back outside on a more regular basis will do my body some good.
Wednesday, March 5th:
5:40pm/6:30pm, Treadmill, 1.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
2mi warmup (16:20) (8:10/mi), 2mi cooldown (15:53) (7:57/mi)
6:00pm, Treadmill, 0.5% incline. Adidas Adios Boost.
4mi (25:26) (6:21/mi): Fartlek workout as 1:00 each at 8.0/9.0/10.0/11.0mph repeated 6+ times. Corresponding paces of (7:30/6:40/6:00/5:27) equate to roughly easy/moderate/threshold/interval paces.
I think I have a new favorite workout! I loved the constant changing of pace. The average tempo pace overall was roughly marathon pace, but getting to work in the 4 zones on a continuous loop was actually a lot fun, made the workout go by quickly, and actually started making ALL of the paces feel easier as the workout went on. This style of workout is a great way to get some turnover going without running yourself into the ground. Might have to use it more often for indoor days in the future (although hopefully there won't be many of those left!).
Thursday, March 6th:
5:30pm, Treadmill, 1.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
7mi (55:59) (8:00/mi): random progression from 7.0-7.9mph
I woke up with a little bit of a stiff ankle but everything seemed to loosen up tonight once I got moving, and I got stronger and stronger as the run progressed. Scheduled another short massage session for tomorrow morning to see if that will help shake things once and for all so it is completely out of my consciousness. I feel fine when running now, but I am still thinking about my ankle during the day. No matter what, I definitely know I am moving in the right direction.
Friday, March 7th:
5:55am, Treadmill, 1.0%. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
4.5mi (37:00) (8:13/mi): with 6x :20 strides (9.0/10.0/11.0mph)
Felt great to run at a very easy recovery pace this morning. Most of the running was done around 8:20-:30mi pace, with the increasingly faster strides bringing the overall average down.
Saturday, March 8th:
5:55am, 33 degrees, 80%, 0-5mph. Moorestown. Saucony Cortana 3.
13mi total (1:36:12): 9mi easy (7:48/mi) followed by 4x 3:00 "on"/3:00 "off"
"on" segment paces: 6:08 5:58 6:01 5:46
"off" segment paces: 7:08 7:01 6:58 7:04
Kind of another up and down day with the ankle. Had a great massage session yesterday where I left the office feeling like a million dollars. No pain or limitations with range of motion whatsoever. It was a little stiff when I woke up this morning but then it seemed to loosen up the first 3-4 easy miles. Had one patch around 5.5mi where it felt like it might flare up but it then passed. Was aware of it but didn't get worse during the fartlek portion of the workout. Really seemed to stiffen up about 90 minutes after the workout. What seems to help it most are eccentric stretching (calf stretches on a stair, for example) and aggressively using the lacrosse ball on my plantar fascia. What's crazy is it doesn't seem to be affecting my running too much - in fact, I was really shocked I could run those fartlek paces at the effort level I did.
I feel like I am doing just about everything possible I can to manage it, but just when I think it's completely gone, it comes back again. The good news is it doesn't seem to be getting worse. If I can continue to manage the symptoms while training and I feel like I am moving in the right direction, I will keep moving forward as planned. But if I feel it is getting worse and I am risking a bigger injury, I will pull the plug again and give it some extra time to heal. Ironically, it feels the best when I seem to give it blood flow, so I think running is actually doing it more good than harm. Time will tell, I just wish it would pass already.
5:40pm, 53 degrees, 40%, 10mph. Neighborhood. New Balance 1260v2.
2.5mi (21:10) (8:28/mi)
Easy progressive shakeout run to try to loosen things up. Tight for the first 1/2mi, felt really good after that. As I said earlier, right now running doesn't seem to be making things worse. It actually feels the best about 1 or 2mi into each run. Will continue to massage and roll.
Sunday, March 8th:
Off. More explanation to follow.
Weekly Total: 47 miles
3:15pm, Treadmill, 1.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
6.5mi (50:40) (7:48/mi)
Finally feels like I have turned the corner with the achilles (knock wood). Felt absolutely 100% today. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if my treadmill was incorrectly calibrated too slow because today felt way too easy - but I'll take it. Did a random progression from 7.0-8.0mph up until the last mile, which was a fartlek of 8.0/9.0/10.0mph at 1:30/:15/:15 increments. Threw in one :15 increment at 11.0mph just to really open up. Felt like I could have raced today if I wanted - just felt so good. Tomorrow will be my 6th easy day back, and then maybe Wednesday I'll start off with a light, moderate 30 minute fartlek to re-introduce quality training again.
Tuesday, March 4th:
7:45pm, Treadmill, 1.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
5.5mi (43:51) (7:59/mi): including 4x strides (9.0/10.0mph)
A little bit of tightness in my upper soleus/lower calf tonight, but nothing serious. Got some good stretching and strengthening exercises in afterward. Looks like the weather should take a turn for the better by the end of the week - I think getting back outside on a more regular basis will do my body some good.
Wednesday, March 5th:
5:40pm/6:30pm, Treadmill, 1.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
2mi warmup (16:20) (8:10/mi), 2mi cooldown (15:53) (7:57/mi)
6:00pm, Treadmill, 0.5% incline. Adidas Adios Boost.
4mi (25:26) (6:21/mi): Fartlek workout as 1:00 each at 8.0/9.0/10.0/11.0mph repeated 6+ times. Corresponding paces of (7:30/6:40/6:00/5:27) equate to roughly easy/moderate/threshold/interval paces.
I think I have a new favorite workout! I loved the constant changing of pace. The average tempo pace overall was roughly marathon pace, but getting to work in the 4 zones on a continuous loop was actually a lot fun, made the workout go by quickly, and actually started making ALL of the paces feel easier as the workout went on. This style of workout is a great way to get some turnover going without running yourself into the ground. Might have to use it more often for indoor days in the future (although hopefully there won't be many of those left!).
Thursday, March 6th:
5:30pm, Treadmill, 1.0% incline. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
7mi (55:59) (8:00/mi): random progression from 7.0-7.9mph
I woke up with a little bit of a stiff ankle but everything seemed to loosen up tonight once I got moving, and I got stronger and stronger as the run progressed. Scheduled another short massage session for tomorrow morning to see if that will help shake things once and for all so it is completely out of my consciousness. I feel fine when running now, but I am still thinking about my ankle during the day. No matter what, I definitely know I am moving in the right direction.
Friday, March 7th:
5:55am, Treadmill, 1.0%. Mizuno Wave Rider 17.
4.5mi (37:00) (8:13/mi): with 6x :20 strides (9.0/10.0/11.0mph)
Felt great to run at a very easy recovery pace this morning. Most of the running was done around 8:20-:30mi pace, with the increasingly faster strides bringing the overall average down.
Saturday, March 8th:
5:55am, 33 degrees, 80%, 0-5mph. Moorestown. Saucony Cortana 3.
13mi total (1:36:12): 9mi easy (7:48/mi) followed by 4x 3:00 "on"/3:00 "off"
"on" segment paces: 6:08 5:58 6:01 5:46
"off" segment paces: 7:08 7:01 6:58 7:04
Kind of another up and down day with the ankle. Had a great massage session yesterday where I left the office feeling like a million dollars. No pain or limitations with range of motion whatsoever. It was a little stiff when I woke up this morning but then it seemed to loosen up the first 3-4 easy miles. Had one patch around 5.5mi where it felt like it might flare up but it then passed. Was aware of it but didn't get worse during the fartlek portion of the workout. Really seemed to stiffen up about 90 minutes after the workout. What seems to help it most are eccentric stretching (calf stretches on a stair, for example) and aggressively using the lacrosse ball on my plantar fascia. What's crazy is it doesn't seem to be affecting my running too much - in fact, I was really shocked I could run those fartlek paces at the effort level I did.
I feel like I am doing just about everything possible I can to manage it, but just when I think it's completely gone, it comes back again. The good news is it doesn't seem to be getting worse. If I can continue to manage the symptoms while training and I feel like I am moving in the right direction, I will keep moving forward as planned. But if I feel it is getting worse and I am risking a bigger injury, I will pull the plug again and give it some extra time to heal. Ironically, it feels the best when I seem to give it blood flow, so I think running is actually doing it more good than harm. Time will tell, I just wish it would pass already.
5:40pm, 53 degrees, 40%, 10mph. Neighborhood. New Balance 1260v2.
2.5mi (21:10) (8:28/mi)
Easy progressive shakeout run to try to loosen things up. Tight for the first 1/2mi, felt really good after that. As I said earlier, right now running doesn't seem to be making things worse. It actually feels the best about 1 or 2mi into each run. Will continue to massage and roll.
Sunday, March 8th:
Off. More explanation to follow.
Weekly Total: 47 miles
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)