Weekly Rundown- Hay is in the Barn!
Hellooooo! It was another big week over here with back-to-back long runs. I remember last year when I was getting ready to do my first ever back-to-backs, Kyria said “back-to-back long runs are fun!” You know what- she’s right! This was the last hard effort before my race (on April 26th) and I’m happy with how it went. Thanks as always to Kim and Deborah for hosting the Weekly Rundown. Let’s see how it all went down. Sunday Leg day at the gym, focused on squats. Squats are still scary for me, so I’m proud of myself for continuing to add weight and get down low. I also saw a guy fail a squat in a spectacular manner- he let the bar drop off behind him, and he was just fine. I was inspired by his bravery! Monday 4 mile run! This was uneventful. All I can remember is that it was dark. Tuesday Strength work at home- the Caroline Girvan deadbug workout, hip stability exercises, and work with the pull up bar. In the afternoon I got a massage! Lots of focus on those hips and hamstrings. Wednesday Long run #1! You may remember that I skipped a long run last week because of a nagging pain in my left hamstrings. Well- the pain is still there, but I needed one last long effort before my race. I loaded up my car with everything I needed- including a change of clothes in case I needed to finish this “run” at the gym on the Starimaster- and headed to the park. It was a beautiful day! I couldn’t have hoped for better weather in April. It was in the low 60s when I started and the temps never climbed above 75. My hamstring ached the whole time, but it never turned into anything worse. Overall I felt really good and ended up with… My hand is dirty because I fell on the trail- but luckily no harm done, other than two scraped up elbows. I was really happy with how this went! Thursday Long run #2! Because I had to work, I did this later in the day at the gym. And because of my cranky hamstring, I planned to divide it up- I did one hour on the Stairmaster and then one hour of running on the treadmill. You know what was the hardest part? When I got off the Stairmaster and started running on the treadmill. My legs were like “No. You are insane. We’re not doing this. Stop right now!!!” They really, really didn’t want to move. But after about five minutes I felt pretty good. At the end of an hour I felt like I could have kept going… but I was also VERY happy to stop. Friday In the morning I walked 2 miles. Everything felt pretty good! After work I went to my sports chiropractor and demanded that he repair any and all damage, ha ha. He worked hard on my hamstring and hip, and adjusted my low back. As usual I left there feeling great. Saturday I opted to sleep in till 7:00 am, and went to the gym after work. I ran 4 miles on the treadmill… I could feel a little residual fatigue, and was disappointed that my hamstring still ached. Somehow I was hoping the chiropractor had fixed it (you can tell I’m a wildly optimistic person). But it was fine, and I did some core work as well. Sunday On tap for today- the gym again! Back to leg day and squats (which I’m still scared of, ha ha). Overall- a great week. The hay is officially in the barn. For the next two weeks I’ll be doing shorter runs and sessions on the Stairmaster- just keeping myself in shape but also hopefully letting that hamstring rest as well. How was your week? Did the weather cooperate for you like it did for me?