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July 25, 2005
Playing catch up again
Last week ended up being so busy in the evenings that I didn't get a chance to update my blog, and after getting only 4-5 hours of sleep a couple times, I simply crashed on the weekend. Ahhhh, and it was nice. I rarely get to sleep in until 8am on a Saturday.
Hmm, so where do I begin? Well, I racked up 59 miles last week, which is the most I’ve run in 3 1/2 years due to miscellaneous injuries, illnesses, and a deployment overseas. The great thing is that I'm (mostly) pain-free and have no dead legs (like last winter). So, even though I'm not running as fast I'd like, I'm definitely healthier. I hope to keep it that way by exercising some self-discipline and sticking to my training plan, despite the fact that I desperately want to add more speed work. I was brooding when I started writing this entry, but I decided to have a "glass is half full" attitude when I thought about the big picture and where I was last summer (injured).
I was feeling sorry for myself because I ran a slow half marathon on Sunday. I won't say "race" because it wasn't something I had planned for, as I was expecting my best friend in town, but I still hoped to run faster since the weather was cooler. The run was in Potomac, Maryland, a rural part of the DC Metro area with massive, gorgeous estate homes and horse farms and finished on the C&O Canal. It was a hilly course and my hips were still tight from lifting legs on Thursday, especially my right piriformis. I had to walk and stop to stretch a couple times because the pain was so sharp, just as I had experienced at Austin Marathon. It was frustrating because I didn't run most of last summer due to this injury and here it reared its ugly head again. It gets torqued from hills and faster paces. I've got a appointment with a new chiropractor who does ART in a couple weeks, so maybe she can help me figure this out.
I'll run through the rest of last week, quick-like so I can do some school work before bedtime.
Wednesday, July 20
11 miles med-long: I've started taking a couple of weekday runs indoors with the justification that I'd get a better workout on the treadmill than slogging in the 100% humidity. I felt decent but got very hungry at mile 8. I kept orange smoothie gummy snacks with me, which was a real lifesaver.
Thursday, July 21
8 miles general aerobic, lift legs, abs/push ups/pull ups: My calves felt stiff until I warmed up on the treadmill. I got bored, so I mixed up the incline (up to 3%) and gradually picked up the pace after mile 4. I did step ups afterward, which I haven't done in a while, and were likely the culprit of a bad run on Sunday.
Friday, July 22
off: R. and I had planned to swim but we decided to finish watching War of the Worlds instead. It's too easy to forego a workout when I work the late shift on Friday.
Saturday, July 23
5 miles recovery & swim with C.: It was warm and sunny but not as humid. Whoo hoo! My hamstrings and hips were extremely tight from lifting on Thursday, which forced me to go real easy. It's been a while since I swam with C., and she offered up some things for me to work on - head position, flat elbow, and my skewed left hand. I only plan to do one more tri this season since fall marathon is my focus, but I want to keep working on my form with her. She's an awesome coach.
Sunday, July 24
13.1 miles & 2 miles warm up, 2 miles cool down on the C&O Canal
Monday, July 25
11 treadmill miles & lift legs: My legs stiffened up real nice as the day went on, just in time for my run. I warmed up for 3 miles, and the plan was to do 6 miles faster, but I had to break it up into three-2 mile chunks with a half mile easy because my legs were too pooped. But I figured it best to stack the hard runs and leg lifting session together, since the lactic acid is typically worse in the 48 hours after a race, at least for me.
Gosh, this entry was all over the place, which pretty much summed up the week. I do feel more organized and I can finally seek my desk again, so I'm making progess!
Posted by Leilani at July 25, 2005 11:10 PM
Comments
Hey, congrats simply for surviving that race! I've never run it, but I hear it is not a very nice and easy one. Definitely don't take that race as any sort of reliable report on how your running is doing, just this heat is unberable!
How did you guys like the rest of the movie?
Posted by: Nanda at July 26, 2005 12:12 PM
L-your mileage is so high I am not surprised you had a rough race. I am surprised you even COULD "race" a half! I am sure you are probably doing well-and it may be hard to tell until a cut-back week or taper or such. I can't wait to see what results that leads too. Stay cool!!!
Posted by: Audrey at July 26, 2005 06:17 PM