I have decided to take a few days off to rest. My left lower leg is just not doing great. I can't tell if it is shin splits, but it feels different than shin splits which makes me nervous. Although I have been taking ibuprofen, icing, rolling, it is still not feeling all that great. Normal walking isn't bad, but stairs are tough and certain movements hurt. So in the interest of staying healthy, I am going to take it easy through the rest of the week. Today and tomorrow no runs, then I will reassess on Friday, when I will most likely hit the elliptical for a few "miles". Next week I have a doctor's appointment and even if I am feeling a ton better I will probably see if I can get an x-ray to rule out a stress fracture. Like I have said, better to be safe than sorry!
So happy resting!! :)
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Big 10 Indoor Track Championship Heather Dorniden's 600m Race
I just love this video. It is such an amazing analogy for life in general! Don't let any setbacks keep you down! Just keep going!
They can't all be superwoman runs!
Run/Workout: 5 miles incl 16th street hill
Location: Astoria Riverwalk-East Side
Run Time (if applicable): 43:15: 8:38 splits
Run Start: Noon
Temperature: 39 degrees
Weather: cloudy and cold
Notes:
I rolled out my legs last night, my shins particularly, which was agony. But, I woke up and my shins felt much, much better! I did the low-squat test and even that panned out well. So I decided to give today's 5-miler a try.
Today's run kind of sucked to be honest. My legs felt heavy and stiff even after a warm-up. I figured they would relax and things would feel good around mile 2 at least, but they didn't. The whole time I felt like I was trudging along, just dragging my body. Sixteenth street hill has never felt harder. I had to walk parts of it and even that felt like hell on my legs. At least I finished fairly strong, still with 8:38 splits somehow. It's funny how even when I feel really slow, my body has a certain comfortable cadence that it tends to keep.
I'm not sure what to do about my shins. It doesn't feel like normal shin splits. It feels like something is tearing a little bit. Not just sore, but tearing. I'm sure they are in the same injury family, so I am just going to do my best with icing and rolling and see if that helps. And I'm pretty sure my husband has compression socks that I am going to steal for my next run. I believe that if I can use compression socks, it will eliminate the swelling in my calves that is causing the shin trouble. Tomorrow is 3 miles and I think I will do it on the elliptical again just to be safe.
Better to be safe than sorry. The fastest path to injury is ignoring the signs and overdoing it. As for Friday's 10-miler, I will play that by ear as well. If I am feeling good I'll get out and do it, but very carefully, taking walking breaks, etc.
What I am excited about is that tomorrow is the last day of February which means a mileage check! Yay!! I will post it right after tomorrow's workout!
Monday, February 27, 2012
Monday...Must. Have. Workout
Mondays stink. Especially after a long restless weekend. But the glorious fact is that around 8:30 I get to go work out. Not "I have to" but "I get to."
Run: 30 minutes elliptical (credit 3 miles) + weights
Location: CCC weight room
Run Time (if applicable): 30 minutes
Run Start: 8:20 am
Temperature: N/A
Weather: N/A but it was cooooold outside today
Notes:
This morning was one of those indecisive...how-to-complete-this-workout-best mornings. I forgot my armband and headphones to start with. So I figured instead of trying to map my run distance I could just run for 30 minutes and give myself credit at a 10:00 minute mile pace. (Easy math) But during warm-ups I noticed my left shin in particular having a weird twinge. I have been feeling it all weekend, especially when I walk down the stairs or squat really deeply. It might not be my shin, it might be my soleus, but either way I decided the best choice for me today was to get a good sweat going on the (low-impact) elliptical, then hit the weights.
Have I mentioned how deathly afraid of injury I am?? I have had to deal with injuries before and it is not fun! So every little thing I can do to prevent them you better believe I am doing. This is precisely why I chose the elliptical today, and why I might start choosing it once a week or so to replace my 3-mile run. It is still just as challenging the way that I do it and works most of the same muscles, but without the impact of running. So...we'll see how that goes! At least the option is there for when I need it.
Run: 30 minutes elliptical (credit 3 miles) + weights
Location: CCC weight room
Run Time (if applicable): 30 minutes
Run Start: 8:20 am
Temperature: N/A
Weather: N/A but it was cooooold outside today
Notes:
This morning was one of those indecisive...how-to-complete-this-workout-best mornings. I forgot my armband and headphones to start with. So I figured instead of trying to map my run distance I could just run for 30 minutes and give myself credit at a 10:00 minute mile pace. (Easy math) But during warm-ups I noticed my left shin in particular having a weird twinge. I have been feeling it all weekend, especially when I walk down the stairs or squat really deeply. It might not be my shin, it might be my soleus, but either way I decided the best choice for me today was to get a good sweat going on the (low-impact) elliptical, then hit the weights.
Have I mentioned how deathly afraid of injury I am?? I have had to deal with injuries before and it is not fun! So every little thing I can do to prevent them you better believe I am doing. This is precisely why I chose the elliptical today, and why I might start choosing it once a week or so to replace my 3-mile run. It is still just as challenging the way that I do it and works most of the same muscles, but without the impact of running. So...we'll see how that goes! At least the option is there for when I need it.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Week 5 Marathon Training
The plan for this week!
Monday: 3 miles (before A&P exam)
Tuesday: 5 miles (after A&P lab)
Wednesday: 3 miles plus weights
Thursday:Yoga I have to skip this week. I have to go to Portland for a Dr. Appt
Friday: Long Run-10 miles
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Cross-train. I would really love to swim or bike perhaps. Maybe I will take today to do the yoga I missed.
I have been resting most weekends. With our family's schedule, I usually can't get out for a run. Thank goodness my weekday schedule is different! This week because I have a Dr appt on Thursday, I will just consider it a rest day instead. I have read that a rest day before and after a long run is very beneficial anyway.
Monday: 3 miles (before A&P exam)
Tuesday: 5 miles (after A&P lab)
Wednesday: 3 miles plus weights
Thursday:
Friday: Long Run-10 miles
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Cross-train. I would really love to swim or bike perhaps. Maybe I will take today to do the yoga I missed.
I have been resting most weekends. With our family's schedule, I usually can't get out for a run. Thank goodness my weekday schedule is different! This week because I have a Dr appt on Thursday, I will just consider it a rest day instead. I have read that a rest day before and after a long run is very beneficial anyway.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Nine Miles and a Congratulations From Paula Radcliff!
Run: 9 Miles, Long Run
Location: Astoria Riverwalk (a lot of it!)
Run Time (if applicable): 1:18:03, 8:39 splits
Run Start: 8:05 am
Temperature: 42 degrees
Weather: Cloudy
Notes:
I will admit, all week this run stared back at me in my planner and I was intimidated! "Long Run-9 Miles"...it sounded painful, it sounded hard. It scared me to think I could hurt myself...was I ready? Was it "too much, too fast"?
But all in all, if I want to run a marathon, I have to give this training plan a chance. After all Hal Higdon knows his stuff! So I went into it with Jeff Galloway in my head once more..."go slower, give yourself permission to walk when needed". It was just about finishing the distance, not about speed. Okay.
The sun peaked out this morning and I was afraid to get false hope because the weather called for rain. So I dressed for rain just in case...and I wore a hat. I was not going to let the weather be an excuse for not finishing this important run. I felt blessed that I did not get rained on.
Miles 1-3 were far east on the Riverwalk, past Pier 39, where the trail becomes quite rustic along the old railroad tracks. I enjoy this area. From the beginning my goal was to keep my pace "gentle" and to really be aware of how my joint were feeling so I did not push it too hard.
Around mile 4 I got warm so I had to run with my coat tied around my waist. It wasn't the best, but it wasn't bad either. I kept thinking of this running jacket that I would LOVE from Lulumon... And at mile 4.5 I loved hearing the Nike+ tell me I was at the halfway point!
Then around mile 7 the wind picked up and I started to feel cold so I put my jacket back on (exciting news, right?!?). Only two miles left!
Then the Nike+ notified me when I had 400 meters left, 300 meters left, 200, then 100. That was pretty cool! But the best part was the personal congratulatory message I received upon completion!
"This is Paula Radcliff. Congratulations on your longest workout yet!" That was so awesome! I felt like she was welcoming me into a secret club or something :)
Bummer was that I did not map my course very well and I had parked about 2 miles from my ending point. No, I don't count that part, I will still call this a 9 mile run. But those two miles were just a bit too much. I had started to cool down too much and my legs were just tired (understandably). I made myself stretch along the way to the car.
Hydration: I drank two tall glasses of water before bed, then one right after my morning cup of coffee. I had debated whether I should run with an amphipod bottle. I didn't end up doing it though, they drive me nuts. Apparently I did just fine without it because I did not feel any symptoms of dehydration. I guzzled down a bottle of Propel Zero right off the bat as I cranked the heat in my car. Then I showered, drank my chocolate protein shake (yum!) and went about my day.
I'm pleased with how my body handled the run. I expected a lot of aches and pains. My left lower leg was feeling some shin pain but overall not too bad. At about mile 8 I started to feel the strain in my knees. But after I stopped any discomfort did as well. I will do plenty of stretching and rolling tonight, as well as re-hydrating and maybe I will reward myself with a killer bubble bath :)
And one last interesting thought...the marathon will be today's run times roughly 3!!
Location: Astoria Riverwalk (a lot of it!)
Run Time (if applicable): 1:18:03, 8:39 splits
Run Start: 8:05 am
Temperature: 42 degrees
Weather: Cloudy
Notes:
I will admit, all week this run stared back at me in my planner and I was intimidated! "Long Run-9 Miles"...it sounded painful, it sounded hard. It scared me to think I could hurt myself...was I ready? Was it "too much, too fast"?
But all in all, if I want to run a marathon, I have to give this training plan a chance. After all Hal Higdon knows his stuff! So I went into it with Jeff Galloway in my head once more..."go slower, give yourself permission to walk when needed". It was just about finishing the distance, not about speed. Okay.
The sun peaked out this morning and I was afraid to get false hope because the weather called for rain. So I dressed for rain just in case...and I wore a hat. I was not going to let the weather be an excuse for not finishing this important run. I felt blessed that I did not get rained on.
Miles 1-3 were far east on the Riverwalk, past Pier 39, where the trail becomes quite rustic along the old railroad tracks. I enjoy this area. From the beginning my goal was to keep my pace "gentle" and to really be aware of how my joint were feeling so I did not push it too hard.
Around mile 4 I got warm so I had to run with my coat tied around my waist. It wasn't the best, but it wasn't bad either. I kept thinking of this running jacket that I would LOVE from Lulumon... And at mile 4.5 I loved hearing the Nike+ tell me I was at the halfway point!
Then around mile 7 the wind picked up and I started to feel cold so I put my jacket back on (exciting news, right?!?). Only two miles left!
Then the Nike+ notified me when I had 400 meters left, 300 meters left, 200, then 100. That was pretty cool! But the best part was the personal congratulatory message I received upon completion!
"This is Paula Radcliff. Congratulations on your longest workout yet!" That was so awesome! I felt like she was welcoming me into a secret club or something :)
Bummer was that I did not map my course very well and I had parked about 2 miles from my ending point. No, I don't count that part, I will still call this a 9 mile run. But those two miles were just a bit too much. I had started to cool down too much and my legs were just tired (understandably). I made myself stretch along the way to the car.
Hydration: I drank two tall glasses of water before bed, then one right after my morning cup of coffee. I had debated whether I should run with an amphipod bottle. I didn't end up doing it though, they drive me nuts. Apparently I did just fine without it because I did not feel any symptoms of dehydration. I guzzled down a bottle of Propel Zero right off the bat as I cranked the heat in my car. Then I showered, drank my chocolate protein shake (yum!) and went about my day.
I'm pleased with how my body handled the run. I expected a lot of aches and pains. My left lower leg was feeling some shin pain but overall not too bad. At about mile 8 I started to feel the strain in my knees. But after I stopped any discomfort did as well. I will do plenty of stretching and rolling tonight, as well as re-hydrating and maybe I will reward myself with a killer bubble bath :)
And one last interesting thought...the marathon will be today's run times roughly 3!!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Smelly Gym Clothes
Over a month ago, I asked some ladies that I know to give me their best tips on getting the "gym stink" out of your workout clothes. I thought these tips could be helpful so here they are!
Adding baking soda (yes, this has worked for me!)
Adding a T of Clorox 2 (also has worked for me!)
Oxyclean Free and Clear
Tide Sport
Always wash gym clothes separately(especially if they are synthetic material)
Pet urine remover
Combination of: ALL or Method Free and Clear, a scoop of baking soda, a tsp of Clorox 2 and fabric softener
Adding baking soda (yes, this has worked for me!)
Adding a T of Clorox 2 (also has worked for me!)
Oxyclean Free and Clear
Tide Sport
Always wash gym clothes separately(especially if they are synthetic material)
Pet urine remover
Combination of: ALL or Method Free and Clear, a scoop of baking soda, a tsp of Clorox 2 and fabric softener
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