(sorry for the lack of pictures--didn't have time to upload any this week!)
Week 8:
Monday--AM: Planned on meeting Jess at her house for 5@5, but her kids got in the way of that, so when I saw the message at 4:15 AM, I decided to meet my friends at PowerTrain instead. I haven't been to boot camp in about 4 weeks, and it was great to be back! The workout didn't seem too hard, but my glutes and core were definitely sore for the next few days!
PM: Hit the treadmill at the gym. Decided to keep the option of 6 miles (what was on my original plan) open, based on how I felt. And I felt great. I didn't tape my calf for the first time on a run in awhile, and I felt much more relaxed while I ran. I did 4 miles at a 9:13 pace, then did two faster (8:57 and 8:41), then back to 9:13 for the final mile. Overall pace: 9:09.
Tuesday: woke up at 4:40 and hopped on the bike for a short fast ride. 5 minute warm-up, followed by an intense reverse ladder set (4 minutes at 85% effort, 3 minutes at 90%, 2 minutes at 95%, 1 minute at 100%, and then back up again), with a 5 minute cool-down. I love how I can totally get in an amazing workout in such a short period of time on the trainer! Finished up with 10 minutes of glute strengthening work.
Wednesday: super-early 6 miles in Lewis Center with Erin and Steph. I don't get out to LC much anymore, but it was great to meet these two and get in a good solid run. Calf felt good! Overall pace: 8:59.
Thursday: Met Tamara and Allison S. for 4 early miles followed by a quick Starbucks date. Kept the miles super-duper easy as planned. Overall pace: 9:37. After work I did 20 minutes of glute and calf strength work.
Friday: I was off from work today, and I considered a) hopping on the trainer before starting on a day of busy-ness, or b) fitting in a short swim at the rec center between appointments. Ended up choosing neither and letting this be my rest day. I celebrated with a pedicure :)
Saturday: The plan was 10-12 miles. I haven't done more than 7 since my latest injury, but I felt 12 was reasonable. I wanted to keep it at around a 9:15 overall pace. Started with a big group, then we got a bit smaller, then we met up with a huge group for the monthly MRTT run for the final part. My new coach (see below) had recommended that I do some short 30-second strides/speed bursts during my long runs, to "wake up" my legs after they got into the same pattern for miles and miles. My chiropractor has mentioned this very thing, so I figured I'd give it a shot today. I liked how they felt, for sure! I had about a half-mile to go and was about .2 miles from the shelter house where the group was meeting, so I knew I'd need some parking lot loops to finish up. At that point, my left calf twinged a bit more strongly than I liked to feel. I immediately stopped and told my friend Megan (she was the only one left with me by then) that I wanted to walk for the rest. I just didn't see the point in pushing it at all today, especially after the run had gone so well. I am happy to report that I'm in no pain at all--calf feels perfectly fine right now. Oh, I did try out the Hammer Endurolyte capsules today after 6 miles, when I fueled. I have/had high hopes for these. Unfortunately, I don't think my calf issues are due to anything metabolic, which is what I assume this capsules are for.
Sunday: Rest day for personal reasons
Other miscellaneous notes:
As I referenced above, I now have a coach! I finally decided that I just don't know enough to figure out what I should be doing, and I'm giving the power to someone who does. My friend Paige (I've talked about her before--she's a local elite runner who I have ran with several times) is a certified running coach, and she's agreed to write me a new plan for February and see how things go. We met on Friday for lunch and discussed her thoughts and I am super excited to start working with her! She sent me February's plan on Sunday evening. The biggest change: slow the *!?% down! Nothing faster than 9:15-9:30 for now--and slower than that is even better. Speedwork will be added in gradually later on this month. I already feel relieved that I am not in charge anymore... it's one area of my life that I don't have to stress about anymore!
As for me, I have felt good this week. Other than the bit of tightness I felt at the end of my long run, my runs have gone well. My legs were tired by Friday, but with a busy work week and the increase in miles, that's to be expected.
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