West Coast Running

Week-beginning Thoughts:
Uggggghhh. Insufficient sleep + sick + baby + about to travel to the west coast for a week of 7am-11pm nonstop stuff = ANXIETY. 

Monday

Did: 4.44mi walk

Traveled to California for a conference, and walked around Disneyland to orient myself with food options and potential 10KTuesday routes. I currently have no voice, which does not bode well for a conference (especially one at which I'm a presenter), but hopefully a lot of sleep will help... 

Tuesday

Did: 6.23mi @ 9:51/mi avg

Running solo wasn't too bad this morning. The routes I found recommended by other runners online were as advertised: "well-lit and comfortable, save a few homeless people at bus stops". I felt good for the first 5K, and then my body kind of shut down and I went from running mid-9s to mid-10s almost instantly. 

Wednesday

Did: 3.14mi @ 10:08/mi avg, 1hr dance party

Made a post in our Summit conference app about running, and got enough responses to organize a little structural engineering run club. Wooo!

We did a nice 5K loop, then I sat at conference sessions for 8+ hours... and then enjoyed a fun dance/karaoke party with my structural engineering colleagues.

I don't know if it's the running, dancing, or just all the sitting, but I had a lot of postpartum pubic bone soreness overnight. :( 

Thursday

Did: 3.67mi @ 9:31/mi avg, Big 5

The Run Club has doubled in size! :D Definitely feeling all this high heel-wearing, though. Oof, my calves were tight today. 

We're all Structural Engineers 

Friday

Did: 3.1mi @ 9:25/mi avg, Big 5

My last day in Anaheim had another successful turnout for the 6am Structural Engineering Run Club. If I hadn't had this group, I would not have gotten out of bed to run... but I'm glad I did. I enjoyed a few fun miles of talking with a guy who's running the Atlanta Marathon next year and another one who was training for the Paris Marathon with his wife, until she got pregnant with their first kid. No matter where I go, I love how running can bring me closer to new friends. 

Saturday

Did: 3.12mi with double stroller @ 9:32/mi avg

Considering I'm supposed to run a 5K with the double stroller tomorrow, I decided I could use some practice... today. lol. The first bit was super tough (despite being on flat riverside paths) and I saw my watch say "12:25/mi" for a good bit. Oof. Wound up with a solid pace, though, and enjoyed some precious time with both my little ones. 

Sunday

Did: Atlanta Lab Rescue 5K-- 3.12mi with double stroller @ 8:40/mi avg

see separate entry, forthcoming

Total Weekly Mileage: 22.38

Week-ending Thoughts:

I think I used the words "structural engineer" multiple times throughout this post. Do you know what a structural engineer is? We're responsible for making buildings stand-up. We use statistical models to determine expected forces on structures throughout their lifespan (everything from how many people and what type of "stuff" will go inside to hurricane and earthquake forces), and physics/math to design beams, columns, and floor systems that will support all of these loads. 

Every building, from your house to the MLB park down the street, has a skeleton supporting it from the inside out. An architect determines the size, layout, and look of the building, but it's the structural engineer who makes it stand up. 




Oh, and on the running side of things:

• I'm thrilled that my Achilles issue is finally GONE
• Proud to have run a 5K almost every day this week
• I love running with both my little ones in the double stroller, even if it is FREAKING HARD to push 100lbs of stuff up hills

Postpartum: Week 5

Week-beginning Thoughts:

• well, my Achilles seems 90% healed, but now I've got this small tight spot in my left calf that acts up about a mile into my runs... 

Monday

Did: Stroller Strides class

Fun family class with my husband (and two kiddos in the double)

Tuesday

Did: 6.23mi @ 10:06/mi avg, Big 5, 2x3.5mi double stroller walk

Run felt way harder than it should have for that pace, but I got through it. Added in stretching (calf has been a little tight) and two daycare walks. 

Wednesday

Did: 3.5mi double stroller walk, 3.5mi walk

Was supposed to go hiking today, but ended up just doing a few walks instead. 

Thursday

Did: 2.29mi double stroller run, Stroller Strides class, 3.25mi double stroller walk

Ran/walked to daycare in the morning, Stroller Strides with weights, and then a leisurely walk to pickup oldest one from daycare later in the day. 

jump squats with a wall press

Friday

Did: 2.03mi stroller run @ 9:52/mi avg, Stroller Strides class, 1mi stroller walk

Stroller Strides with resistance bands, and then met a teammate for a stroller run/walk

SquishLife

Saturday

Did: 3.17mi stroller run @ 9:15/mi avg, Big 5

Now, we're talking! THIS is the pace I've been hoping to see, and, oddly enough, I don't know where it came from today. I went to bed around 8:30pm, was up from 11:30pm-1am, and then again from 3:30am-4:00am with the munchkin, and finally up for the day at 5am due to volunteering at our chorus garage sale. So, by the time I got home and ready to run, it was nearly noon, in Atlanta, in early September, and a disgusting high-80s temperature with full sun. OOF.

I ended up on the greenway with my oldest, ran comfortably, and clocked a fantastic pace! :D No Achilles trouble (it was taped), but I had a little issue with my left calf, though it was higher than it had been yesterday. Guess it'll just have to work itself out. 

Sunday

Did: 4.01mi stroller run @ 9:20/mi avg, Big 5

A glorious sunrise run with my potato at the river. Today felt harder than an easy run, but nowhere near a tempo pace. I had a lot of times where I wanted to just cut my run short, but kept going since I was using it to teach the potato about math (2 out + 2 back = 4mi total). Pace was a little faster than I expected, which was nice. Achilles was symptom-free (though taped), but my calf tightened a little on me late in mile 3 (though higher than before). I was diligent about stretching post-run, and think I'm starting to get some recovery... 

Total Weekly Mileage: 17.73mi run + walking 

Week-ending Thoughts:

• It's really weird not running much. I'm glad that I've got Stroller Strides in the meantime to keep my fitness up, though, and give me some new things to build different muscles. It's a nice workout that I can do as hard or as easy as I want on any given day. 
• Achilles is improved, but still "there". I've actually been running in normal-ish shoes (as opposed to my VFFs) to test that out, and it's been fine. I'm not super concerned, but still irked that it doesn't seem to be completely resolved after two months. I barely feel it unless I'm actually pushing on the spot, though, so that's good?
• Left calf tightens up a little during runs, but the spot of tightness moves around, so I'm not worried. Probably due to all the weird/new exercises I'm doing at Stroller Strides. 
• Maternity Leave Life rocks. I'm basically just working out all day long between walking kiddos to/from daycare, Stroller Strides, and whatever runs I do. 

Postpartum Week 2

Monday
Did: 2.04mi treadmill walk during conference call


Tuesday
Did: 5.5mi run + 3.14mi double stroller walk
10KTuesday happened! I did some run/walk intervals with my training partner at 4:50am, and then finished up during our walk to school. 

Laps	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
1	4:09.4	0.26	15:59
2	2:33.3	0.25	10:18
3	3:48.1	0.24	15:44
4	2:28.8	0.26	9:33
5	3:40.8	0.24	15:22
6	7:08.3	0.75	9:30
7	3:53.7	0.25	15:43
8	2:31.3	0.27	9:26
9	3:27.5	0.23	14:59
10	2:30.8	0.25	10:05
11	3:57.6	0.26	15:02
12	4:43.5	0.49	9:34
13	3:43.8	0.24	15:18
14	4:48.4	0.51	9:30
15	3:55.3	0.25	15:55
16	4:50.6	0.5	9:38
17	3:53.4	0.25	15:41
Summary	1:06:04	5.5	12:01

Wednesday
Did: 3.04mi double stroller walk


Thursday
Did: 3.04mi double stroller walk

Friday
Did: 3.01mi double stroller RUN (~10min/mi pace on the run) plus 3.04mi single stroller walk
It was 68 degrees this morning, and I just couldn't resist my oldest's request to run to school instead of just walking... so I walked the bumpy part of the sidewalk, and let loose on the new, smooth section. 

Running with the double stroller is no joke. One of my running mama friends described hers as "a chariot"-- that's accurate. I was grateful for the handbrake on the downhills, and wished there were an opposite/equivalent for the uphills. :P While it was tough, there's also nothing quite like running with a double stroller to make you feel like a total BAM. 

oh, and I broke my own "aggregate hotness rule" for shirtless running... again
even 68 degrees is too hot for me to run in a shirt these days
thanks, postpartum hormones :P 

Saturday
Did: ~5K of walking plus chorus coaching session
No real intentional "workouts" today, but I did walk a bit downtown to take my oldest to a kids' 50m dash and then do some dancing at SOA. 

Song of Atlanta Saturday Coaching Session

Sunday
Did: 4.37mi run/walk
Today was tough. I'd planned on running with my husband (while he pushed the double stroller) this morning, but I stopped shy of a quarter mile due to some Achilles soreness. I'm super frustrated that this is STILL GOING ON. There's no ambient pain, just some stiffness from time to time when I walk flat-footed and soreness when I push on the insertion point of the tendon at my heel. 

I let my husband go ahead of me and stopped to walk. After about a half mile, the soreness had abated and I decided to try a jog. If I felt any of the soreness come back, I'd stop. I didn't. I ended up running quarter miles with a 1min walk between them for the rest of the distance. 

Laps	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
1	00:36.2	0.03	19:10
2	01:56.8	0.19	10:29
3	05:30.0	0.35	15:38
4	02:19.4	0.25	9:11
5	01:01.1	0.07	14:45
6	02:16.9	0.25	8:58
7	01:02.0	0.07	14:26
8	02:12.7	0.25	8:59
9	01:00.5	0.07	14:52
10	02:14.5	0.25	9:05
11	01:00.4	0.06	16:18
12	02:16.6	0.25	9:03
13	01:05.5	0.06	16:51
14	02:05.5	0.25	8:30
15	01:00.5	0.07	15:05
16	02:18.9	0.25	9:09
17	01:00.6	0.07	14:32
18	02:13.8	0.25	8:53
19	01:00.8	0.07	13:51
20	02:06.1	0.25	8:30
21	01:00.8	0.07	15:00
22	02:12.4	0.25	8:41
23	01:00.8	0.07	14:08
24	02:13.6	0.25	8:48
25	01:01.3	0.06	15:57
26	02:21.7	0.26	8:55
27	00:43.8	0.03	22:02
Summary	46:53:00	4.37	10:43

Total Weekly Mileage: 6.81mi run plus 14.3mi walked


Week-ending Thoughts
I'm still super frustrated that this hasn't cleared up on its own, so I'm starting to do my own PT for it based on:

1. https://runnersconnect.net/achilles-tendonitis-and-insertional-achilles-tendinopathy-in-runners/
2. https://www.physiospot.com/opinion/treating-insertional-achilles-pain-why-weve-been-doing-it-all-wrong/
3. https://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/sport-injuries/ankle-pain/achilles-pain/insertional-achilles-tendonitis

I just can't believe I made it all the way through a pregnancy running with pretty much zero problems only to have this linger postpartum, despite dramatically reducing my running mileage and load on the achilles itself. BLERGH.