Week-beginning Thoughts:
I'm ready to train for something, but it's hard to plan when you have no idea what the next few months will bring, and can't really afford to put your whole life on hold to truly commit to something.
I've volunteered (or more been "volun-told", since I'm supposedly the most qualified/available) to lead a pretty big project, but it's start date isn't solid. It could start next month or it could start next year, but whenever it starts, I'm pretty much locked into it for at least a year, which means no major training efforts during that time.
So, I've narrowed down my options to:
- The Grand Prix mile at All-Comers on May 8 (three weeks from today)
- Peachtree on July 4
The mile gives me a short burn, and less "risk" of training getting interrupted by project duties.... but the race is at 7:30pm (not ideal for me) on a weekday, and I only have three weeks for a short mini-training cycle. Peachtree is a longer cycle, but, huge project could potentially start up in the three months between now and then. But, if the project is still on hold in July and I don't train for it, I'll be kicking myself.
Ugh.
So, I've decided to do a few good workouts this week that could apply to either program, including an indicator run on Thursday to get a good, solid measure of where I'm at right now. And then we'll go from there.
Monday
Planned: 2mi, bootcamp
DId: 2mi @ 9:44/mi avg in 20mph headwinds, Big 5, bootcamp
It's April in Atlanta, and today's "feels like" was 31... with 20mph winds. Oof. Slow run, but got it done.
Bootcamp was a toughie. I found myself struggling to keep form without resting during the work period on a lot of these, and made a few modifications.
Tuesday
Planned: 10KTuesday, ONB
Did: 6.32mi @ 9:06/mi avg, more like a pseudo-tempo run, Big 5
Of course it would be freezing two days AFTER I put all my winter running clothes away for the season.
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| feels like 29 degrees?!?! |
Ugh. Nixed today's ONB plan when I saw the weather, but ended up doing a pretty quick pace anyways. We had a 9:45/mi to start, a 9:10 for Mile 2, and then dropped into the 8s for the rest of the run. Not the ONB I'd planned, but I'll consider this a win. 10 of my last 14 runs have been around or under a 9min/mi, which is pretty out of the ordinary for me. I'm usually a 9:15-45 runner at best, so all of these runs that have been in the 8s is pretty exciting.
Within the first mile of our run, I stepped on something in the sidewalk. I don't remember what it was, maybe a rock? Maybe some random stick or other debris? My foot just kind of bent on/around/over it, and I kept on running without incident. I didn't think about it again until we were a bit quite on the back half of the run and then I felt a little strain. Probably nothing?
...
Nope. Definitely something. It's felt a little funky all day, so I'm resting and trying to massage out whatever weird cramp is there. Blergh.
Wednesday
Planned: rest day
Did: rest day
This was the hardest day I've had in awhile. I'm irritable, cranky, and a total terror when I'm not running... and this is only day 1. Ugh. Tomorrow is NOT going to be a good time to do the indicator run.
It's really hard to text your training buddies and say "I'm out for tomorrow", but I did it anyways. I hate missing a run. I hate missing my social hour. I hate not being there for my teammates. I hate acknowledging and admitting there's something wrong with me. I hate that I know it's wrong to say "it's just a bruise" or "it's just a mild strain", I ran through 10KT so surely I can run on it again tomorrow, even if it's uncomfortable. I hate that running isn't always "mind over matter". I hate that, sometimes, the best (and the right) choice is to take a day off from running.
I realized that if I can only do one run in the next seven days, I don't want it to be the indicator run. I want it to be my Saturday stroller long run. I haven't gotten to do that with my kiddo since September due to weather and injury. My best chance of making that happen requires me to take, at the very least, tomorrow off from running too, so that's what I'll do, and I'll hope for the best.
Google says this is probably a "stone bruise"-- a deep bruise from stepping on something-- or a mild strain. I can identify a specific spot that it "hurts" to push on, so that tells me it's a bruise. I can dorsal flex and plantar flex and pronate/supinate my foot without problems, so that tells me it's not serious. I can bear weight, which also tells me it's not serious. The only thing that causes "pain" is "rolling through" on my foot when bearing weight. I really wish I had the right type of medical professional to ask what this was, without making an appointment for a week+ from now that'll cost me $120 and 2-3 hours of my time. Like, really, why can't I pay someone $20 for 10min of their time via videochat? :P
Thursday
Planned: indicator run
Did: Chair Cardio, 20min Weights, 13.2mi bike @ 14.8mph
Woke up feeling like my foot was fine... until I started walking. It's not hurt, but I still notice it when I go to push off. Ugh. Enter Caroline Jordan and her Hurt Foot Workout videos. I swear, these things have been a lifesaver.
I wanted some cardio, because I'm still on a calorie-counting diet and feel like, without burning extra calories, I'm INCREDIBLY limited on the quantity of food I can eat. So, I did her "chair cardio" workout: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz0_ws7cjbI
It was... interesting. The exercises were kind of ridiculous, but did get my heartrate up, and, more than anything, I appreciated her constant mantra of "good for you, you can't do your activity of choice, but, instead of moping in the corner, you're moving the way you CAN today"... and her "refuse to quit" tank.
Instead of doing bootcamp, which might have had activities that stressed my foot, I did some weight lifting and core work at home.
3x10x15lb: chest press, chest fly
3x10x10lb: bicep curls, tricep extension, shoulder press, rows and bent-over rows
3x20: kimura sit-ups each side, crunches, penguins
...and then I spent my lunch break riding my bike, because I can do that without any issue in my foot. I don't mind riding, but really wanted to be running instead. Oh well, at least i got something in.
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| but, hey, at least I have all the supplies and know-how to make driving my bike somewhere feasible these days |
Friday
Planned: easy 2 + bootcamp 30min elliptical
Did: 30min yoga
Got a brief yoga session in in the morning, and then proceeded to get sick or something during the day and couldn't bear the thought of going to the gym. Just wanted to go home and pass out in bed.
Saturday
Planned: 12mi stroller run 12mi rollerblade with stroller Xmi bike ride with trailer
Did: 15.3mi bike @ 14.5mph (oof, them hills), 1mi walk with family
Foot is STILL feeling wonky. I don't know whether it's getting worse, getting better, or spreading because it's a muscle thing and it's moving around, or if the sensation is because I've been babying it for a few days and now it just feels weird to use it at all, or what. SO frustrating.
Wanted to push the stroller on rollerblades while B&B ran alongside me this morning... but couldn't find my rollerblades last night. Thought about biking with the trailer alongside them, but woke up feeling blurgh still and opted to not stress my body out. This "listen to your body" BS is harder than you'd think.
I don't feel sick anymore, but definitely have a cramp in my foot still. I'm pretty cranky about it. :/
Ended up doing a bike ride solo, just to get some sort of activity in. NOTHING I could do on the bike aggravated my foot, so that was promising. I'm really glad to have biking on the super-close-to-home greenway as an option for activity when I can't run, but it'll never be as much joy as running for me.
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| ...and watch that pace drop on the climb out of the greenway :P |
Did a short walk (~mile) with the family before dinner, and ended up with a very crampy foot when we got home. I took a chance and rolled the heck out of it with a lacrosse ball and my stick... and, much to my pleasure, it felt a TON better afterwards. Now I'm back to just having a slightly tight spot. Still can't run on it, but I'm able to feel confident that it's improving.
Sunday
Planned 4-5mi with stroller
Did: 3.5mi stroller walk
It wasn't what I wanted, but I'm grateful that i was at least able to get a walk in with the kiddo this morning. Over the course of the hour, I went from feeling a tightness in my entire medial arch to just a spot near my heel, then just a spot on the top of my foot, then just a spot in the middle, then up near the ball... Basically, it was enough to convince me this isn't a break or anything "serious", but it is some sort of internal muscle issue. Yippeeskippy... these are the things that take FOREVER get over, with no set protocol for healing them or definite path back to health. :P
On the bright side, I had a good reason to wear my "not running sucks" shirt?
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and, really, this view wasn't so bad... especially when accompanied by warm coffee
can't drink coffee while running, so it's a "perk" of being injured? :P
I'm seriously trying to look on the bright side. Like, a lot. |
Total Miles: 8.38mi run (so sad), ~30mi biked, 5mi walked... and let's not forget that chair cardio
Week-ending Thoughts:
