Last week I decided I wanted to use this blog as a training log for myself. I could write more on how I was feeling on training, nutrition, injuries, etc. (and hopefully see a lot of progress over time!)
So feel free to read and follow along 🙂
Monday Easy Run
- Easy Run – no HR data
- 5 Miles
- 10:51 Average Mile Pace
- Splits: 11:37 (warm up, walking up a big hill), 11:01, 10:40, 10:36, 10:19
Today was my tried-and-true five mile route, one I’ve done countless times. It’s been nearly two weeks since I’ve taken it so it felt good to come back “home” 🙂 My watch was dead as soon as I walked out the door, so I ended up tracking the run on Strava. However, that meant I had no heart rate to check in on and couldn’t check my pace constantly. It was tough, but I made it through 😀
I’ve been plagued by peroneal tendonitis since probably around the Phillies 5k back on March 23rdish). but for the most part pretending it wasn’t there, icing it back to health, hoping it would heal on its own.
Well, it’s not…so now I have to let it heal and recover.
Because after my 15-miler last week, it was really bad. So I didn’t run at all for approximately 100 years (okay it was only three days but it felt like a lifetime).
Then I ran 3 miles on Thursday evening and it felt great. A little tight, but no “real pain”. I realized running on flat roads is much better on it, so I told myself I’d try a long run on the Delaware Canal Towpath this weekend since it’s super flat.
So I did 16 miles with nearly NO pain. It felt amazing (albeit hot, running at noon on a 70 degree day). But my ankle felt really good. Just a little tightness, but nothing that changed my gait or seemed to cause further harm.
And now the tightness is still there. So I’m doing #allthethings you’re “supposed” to do to get me back to health without having to stop running completely.
I have to remind myself that running by feel, not pushing myself through an injury, and working on my ego will help me in the long run. Since my ankle is not at 100% and tendonitis is flaring up (especially on hills) I need to be more careful. Plus, I ran 16 miles on Saturday and my body might not be fully recovered from that.
The beauty of focusing on being a runner for life is that one “bad” or “slow” run doesn’t matter. It’s about getting out there, focusing on the long-term goal, and realizing it’s not all going to be perfect in between. Because if it were, life would be pretty boring anyway. So I’ll take this 11-min average mile today, and some day I’ll look back and realize it actually helped me reach my goals.
Tuesday – Bike Trainer & Strength Circuit
- NO STATS
I have zero data on my training today. This is kind of a scary thought. I’m getting deep in to Ragnar Training and have Broad Street coming up and did a workout without knowing time, distance, HR, calories burned, steps taken, ANYTHING. My watch died yesterday and my charger was at work.
This would have killed me years ago. I would have wanted / needed to know as much as possible about how hard I worked. I would have felt the need to prove it to others on Strava, to myself. I would have needed the statistics on calories burned to know how many calories to eat for the day.
Why didn’t I trust my body? It’s the best fitness tracker in the world. It knows how hard it’s working. It knows how much food it needs and what macronutrient breakdown is optimal.
Why do we trust an app with general data more than just letting our bodies do what they do? Move. Eat. Sleep. Train. Recover. They were built for this.
I am 100% sure (even without my Garmin) that my cycling workout this morning was a more productive, harder workout than it has been in the past. I didn’t need a watch to tell me that. I felt it. I pushed myself harder. I enjoyed not staring at my wrist for an hour. I didn’t even know how long I was on the bike. My phone was across the room. I just rode. I also was able to get some strength training in afterwards. It was a great morning.
My ankle felt great during the workout. It’s tight when I wake up typically and it feels a little sore walking on it today. I notice when I do some strength moves (lunges/one legged deadlifts) I’m working those stabilizer muscles that are probably inflamed. It’s not painful, but I definitely feel it. I’m hoping that working them a little is helping to strengthen them and not just breaking them down. We shall see…
Wednesday Easy Run
- Easy Run – Average HR 148
- 6.25 Miles
- 10:03 Average Mile Pace
- Splits: WU 10:35, 9:59, 10:00, 9:38, 10:01, 10:11, 9:43
Ankle felt SO good! I taped it up and wore compression socks and it felt 100% during the whole run. Up and down hills were perfectly fine. I felt back to normal again and it was an absolutely beautiful morning. All the positive feels!
As soon as I took off the tape and put on shoes, my ankle soreness started to come back. Which sucks. So I might start taping it during non-activity times too. I’m also trying to be barefoot as much as possible since that will strengthen the muscles surrounding it and it honestly feels the best. I’ll need a pedicure ASAP though 😀
Despite this setback, I’ve been feeling so confident and sure about working towards my running goals, as well as creating new ones. I’ve been cross-training like a champion, working in more yoga and recovery practices, and have felt so balanced and healthful with my nutrition. All the pieces are falling in to place ( especially once this ankle heals!)
I’m beyond excited about where my training will take me and I have so many options ahead of me. I know I want to BQ, but what else? Ultras? Ironman? Hiring a coach? Me taking on coaching clients? The possibilities are endless.
Thursday -BODYPUMP Class & NAP
In the morning I went to a 40 minute bodypump class. It’s a great way for me to be dedicated to strength work! It’s my second week going and I’ve been loving the change in my routine on Thursday mornings.
I even got to try a new breakfast spot, Animo Juice, for a blue majik smoothie! It had greens, berries, chaga mushroom, banana, coconut milk, and gluten free granola blended and was delicious. However…my smoothies are better 🙂
I was supposed to do 5 miles on Thursday night, but I got home and was BEAT. So I slept from around 7-10:30pm. Then fell back asleep around 11:30pm-4:30AM.
No run, no workout at all. My body apparently wanted a rest day so that’s what I gave it.
Friday Fartlek
- Fartlek – Average HR 161
- 5 Miles
- 9:33 Average Mile Pace
- Splits: WU 10:37, 9:11, 8:52, 9:18, 9:48
I was going to keep this easy to keep my ankle happy…but I decided since I postponed this run for a day, I had the energy to go for it. So I did a little speed play for the first time in weeks and it felt so good.
I could have pushed harder and gone faster, but I didn’t want to overdo it before Broad Street. I also ran fasted (I ate nothing pre-run) so I didn’t want to push my body too hard without any fuel in the tank.
Saturday Easy Run
- Easy Run – Average HR 147
- 5 Miles
- 9:55 Average Mile Pace
- Splits: WU 10:14, 9:58, 8:35, 9:52, 9:55
I wanted to keep this super easy since I was doing Broad Street on Sunday. It was a gorgeous day to be outside for a run and I just enjoyed every second of it.
Then we spent more time walking around at the Broad Street Expo! We parked pretty far away since traffic in Philadelphia can be crazy and made it to the Expo. We didn’t stay long…just picked up our bibs and shirts and headed out. It seemed smaller this year, but very well-organized. Kyle and I ate an early dinner, watched a movie, and went to bed early to prepare for our long race day ahead of us. I’ll have a Broad Street recap soon!
Namaste Real - Wellness & Running - Train With Ally 