Weekly Rundown- Six Days To Go…
I think the phase I’m in can be summed up by this quote I saw on Julie’s blog: My hamstring is permanently achy, but it doesn’t seem to get any worse. I’m trying to rest it as much as possible, but I also can’t stop running completely. My race is now SIX DAYS AWAY. I’m linking up as always with Kim and Deborah for this Weekly Rundown- thanks, ladies! Let’s see how the week went… Sunday Leg day at the gym! Focused on squats- I’m not doing any more deadlifts until my hamstring calms down. In addition to the squats I did leg curls, leg extensions, glute press… the usual. Monday This was an easy day- a 2 mile walk followed by a Caroline Girvan abs workout. Tuesday Back to the gym! Giving my hamstring one more day to rest up- 45 minutes on the Stairmaster, followed by some core. Wednesday 4 mile run that felt AWFUL! I was tired, my hamstring ached, and my hips were achy as well. What the…??? I preceded this run with hip stability exercises, and I guess my body didn’t like that. Thursday In the morning I did Caroline Girvan’s deadbug workout, and then upper body strength, featuring more work on the pull up bar (ouch). In the afternoon I took a 2 mile walk to try out my new trail shoes, Topo Ultraventure! Why in the world (you might ask) would I be switching shoes NOW? Well- I’ve decided I don’t like my trail shoes. My options would be to run my trail race in road shoes, or try new trail shoes. So I’m trying these! So far, so good. Friday The shoes felt good so I decided to try them on a short run. But first- I did a lengthy mobility routine, hoping to warm up those hips and hamstrings. In the afternoon I made my now-weekly trip to the chiropractor. He worked on my hamstring, both hips, and adjusted my upper and lower back. We agreed that… it is what it is. I’m going to run this race, and then take a rest so my body can calm down and heal. Saturday Unexpected day off! The plan was to go to the gym with my daughter after work, but in the middle of the morning she texted me that she was going earlier with a friend. Oh, really? FINE! I went home after work and took a 90 minute nap instead. I really fell into a deep sleep, and I think it was more rejuvenating than any workout would have been, I did go for another 2 mile walk before dinner, just to keep the blood flowing. No photo, because my walking pictures are boring. Sunday Happy Easter! I will be sleeping AS LATE AS POSSIBLE. Then- waffles, blog reading, and in the afternoon I’ll do some cooking (lasagna for Easter dinner). Later in the afternoon I’m going for a short 4-5 mile trail run in the new shoes. Moving forward- I’m excited about my race THIS SATURDAY! I wish my hamstring didn’t hurt, but I’m going to enjoy myself anyway. This week will be all about resting and more short runs, and then I leave for Ocala on Friday. I’m really looking forward to it! How was your week? Do you have any aches and pains that are just “how you are now?”
My Favorite Day
“What day is it?” asked Pooh. “It’s today,” squeaked Piglet. “My favorite day,” said Pooh. Remember how I took the quiz, Which Winnie the Pooh Character Are You? And I was mildly offended because I got Winnie the Pooh? Well, I’ve decided to embrace my Pooh-ness (overlooking the fact that, ahem, Pooh is described as a “bear of very little brain.”) I like his easygoing attitude towards life. In that spirit- hooray, it’s Friday! My favorite day! I think it’s time to revisit Elisabeth’s FIG Collective and talk about life lately, including figs of the week. 1. I got new trail shoes! I haven’t actually run in them yet, but they feel comfortable walking around. My requirements were a wide toe box but not a zero drop- so far, so good. (FIG- REI will let me return the shoes if I don’t like them, even after I run in them outside!) 2. I had a lot of errands on Wednesday, but I did find an hour to sit in Starbucks and read. My book is so good, but phew, it can be intense at times. Life in the middle ages was hard, and Follett doesn’t shy away from some brutal descriptions. (FIG- I was drinking a delicious London Fog- Earl Grey tea with oat milk and one pump of sugar-free vanilla- a once-in-a-while treat for me.) 3. I’m currently listening to this episode of the Everyday Ultra podcast. Joe recaps his experience running the recent 300 mile Arizona Monster- this is a LONG episode (this guy knows how to talk, and I guess a super long race requires a super long podcast episode.) I’m only listening to it while I work out, which is a great way to get me excited about getting on the Stairmaster. (FIG- podcasts are FREE! So much information and entertainment here without costing a penny.) 4. Speaking of free- I got an email that my hold on Anne Tyler’s Three Days in June is ready for me at the library. I better make my way through the rest of Pillars quickly! (Obvious FIG- public libraries.) 5. Chocolate! This chocolate is vegan and sugar free, sweetened with monk fruit. It is the best sugar free chocolate I have ever tasted. And I’ve tried a lot of them! (Super, super obvious FIG- CHOCOLATE!!!!!) What are your figs of the week? Top photo by Taha on Unsplash
Five Things About My Race…
(As a reminder, my race is not THIS weekend, but next weekend- April 26th). 1. Remember how, in my last 50 mile attempt, I almost froze to death? That won’t be a problem this time! I’ve started tracking the weather in Ocala (obviously) and it looks like the high that day will be around 90. Sigh. 2. I finally booked my hotel for race weekend! I was putting this off because I had a ridiculous notion that it would jinx me somehow. But it was finally time, so my hotel is reserved. If I now step in a hole and break my foot, or come down with a terrible case of norovirus, so be it. 3. I still don’t know what shoes I’m going to wear! I’ve decided that I officially DO NOT LIKE my trail shoes. For my last long run, I wore my road shoes (Altra Experience Flow). I’ve worn these shoes on the trails, but I know part of this race is on the Florida Trail, which is slightly technical. I really should have trail shoes! I’m going shoe shopping today. 4. The taper crazies are real. I ran four miles today and felt awful. Actually it felt like I’ve never run before in my life (how is that even possible???) I have to remind myself that I always think something is drastically wrong with me leading up to a race (before the Dunes 50K I was convinced my foot was broken). All will be well. 5. Last week, 208 runners completed the Arizona Monster, a 300 mile race. I mean… if they could run 300 miles, I can run 50. 50 is short! At least, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. How is your Wednesday going? Tell me what normal people are thinking about today! Top photo by Patrick Mueller on Unsplash
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?