Here I was thinking I was healed and on the upward turn. Despite being well aware that I wasn't invincible and that injury beckons I was hoping that I could finally proceed with my training when I started out on Sunday's Promise Land training run. I had begrudgingly agreed to start at the camp with Todd. To be fair, I never actually voiced my opinion about leaving from the camp, but I wasn't in love with the idea, wasn't 'feeling it'. Most of the group assembled for the run were driving to the location of aid station one to avoid this very climb. Within a half mile my calves, both the generally angry one and the amiable one, started to tighten. I continued to run for a ways before I finally had to succumb to walking.
And walk I did. As the car loads of smarter individuals drove past, Andrew loudly but playfully wondering why someone who loves hills wasn't running while encountering one. Horton inquiring if we knew our way. Sam and Frank passing by like we were standing still, actually maybe we were at that moment. Todd, understandably frustrated at my hike, suggested we call it a day and head back to the car. I wouldn't even entertain the idea, I'm nothing if not entirely stubborn, I wasn't going to turn tail and run back to the car, miserable or not I was moving forward. I encouraged, nearly begged, Todd to just leave me and move forward with his run. Being a dedicated spouse and an all around nice guy he refused to leave me while I was not only the last runner, but now a good twenty minutes behind the group who had started at the top of the hill.
Truth is I was over-brimming with anger and embarrassment. Hating my weak and softened legs and a reputation I don't deserve and bewildered by the sudden flare up in the legs after a solid weak of good runs and the three rest days preceding this run. You should have run this defeating hill before submitting your application, Fool. That's right, you want that silly sweater, crawl on then. It went on like this, the down and out self pep talk that really wasn't, well past the end state maintenance sign when I finally saw a runner up ahead. Once again I encouraged Todd to run on, I wanted to be left to thoroughly wallow in self-pity and degradation.
With the promise that I would survive, he left me shortly after the turn onto single track. I think he thought I would pick up the pace as soon as he left but I just continued to walk, even after the calves had started to quiet down I continued on hiking, not wanting to catch the couple of guys ahead of me in such a funk of disappointment.
I walked, hiked and ran the eighteen plus miles like it was my job, not the hobby that I hold near and dear. The highlight of the entire run was coming upon Bethany Williams on the White Oak Ridge, where were you during Terrapin my dear lady, there is nothing more that I love than a good chase up a hill, but then she was behind me and I was left to my own devices once again, more demeaning self talk but now with sweat in my eyes.
I caught up with Kelly and Nicole at Horton's truck parked at Sunset Fields but I was terrible company I'm sure and when we arrived back at the first aid station I ran on through still having to make my way back down to my car. Knowing that we were behind on time and just wanting to be over with the run I ran this section somewhat hard. Unfortunately, it seemed to take as long running down as it had going up, I was thankful to finally pass the squirrel silhouette edging a driveway, the sign that the run was virtually over. Arriving back at the camp I'm sure I was a ray of sunlight, I hurried Joe and Todd into the car, happy to have this most blah feeling run over with.
And I thought that is where the humility would end, with the run accomplished I thought I could move on, but then I came home to record said training run.
Turns out, last year, the week before Promise Land, we did this very same run. Except it was cold and rainy and yet a full four minutes faster.
You're probably asking yourself: Seriously, Alexis, you're going to sob about four minutes?
Yes. Yes, I am.
At this point I've been running long enough to have a certain expectation that comes from prior accomplishment and performance. I'm of the mindset that I should always be improving, getting better and yet now I'm beginning to wonder if I've been running long enough now (about three years) that I'm plateauing. Wondering if I've gotten as good as I'll get. Despite the fact that I have been injured I still feel as though I should be improving. There are good arguments I've been trying to make, for one I didn't remember or know how long last year's run had taken me, had I known, realized it was a competition with myself, maybe I could have run faster. Instead I'm realizing that my training before Holiday Lake carried me through Terrapin, I'm now feeling those six weeks of injury, the lack of intensity of any kind, the complete absence of road running or quicker leg turnover. The four minutes is just a small thing in the grand scheme, but all the proof I need to suggest I won't PR this year at Promise Land, that I'll be lucky to run what I ran last year. Instead of getting back to real training I am finding myself focusing on my weaknesses, I'm lazy, anxious, pessimistic and doubtful. An all around head case if you will. (This is where you might whisper to yourself, like I sometimes do, poor Todd.)
Really struggling in the confidence and morale department. Wishing I could borrow the opinion some others seem to have of me, borrow a little confidence too.
I think it all stems from the fact that I have never felt good enough.
When I was all of about nine years old I compiled a handful of poems I'd penned, typed them up on our word processor, printed and stapled them together. One afternoon my father who had apparently stumbled across the project titled "Lexi's Limericks" came to me with the booklet in hand and asked me where I had copied the poems from. This was the nature of compliments I remember from my childhood, the praise was present but hidden in the fact that my poems would be good enough to bring my father to think I'd plagiarized them.
Skip ahead a few years, my parents separated and me taking it quite poorly skipped school quite a bit in my eighth grade year. There was a bit of attention seeking in this I'm sure in hindsight. One particular day my gym class ran the mile as part of the presidential fitness requirements while I was out playing in the woods with two other neighborhood kids who had also run from the bus stop. Turns out unlike dissecting a frog, skipping this day of school didn't free me from partaking entirely in the event. I had to go out and run the mile with another student who had been absent with my gym teacher timing us. Unlike previous years, when I had walked in an act of defiance with my friends, I fell in behind the other student making up the mile. I ran right behind her, just watching her feet as we ran our loops around the gravel track. When we were finished I'd run just over eight minutes for the mile, not fast, but surprising for my little rebel self. The gym teacher asked me a series of questions, why did I always goof off, why didn't I try, and suggested that I could even run track if I wanted to, if I cared enough to try. I, taken aback and a tad proud, went to my father as a sounding board and told him the teacher thought I could run track. To which he responded that I couldn't just decide as a high school freshman that I wanted to run track, that it was pretty much too late for me. This was the extent of my running until three years ago.
This isn't to say my parents screwed me up, I mean they did, but I turned out normal enough and heck I'm probably screwing my kids up right now with something I'm doing, not doing, said yesterday, etc. It's what parents do, we screw up our kids, at least it's what we get blamed for. Besides, I'm quite at peace in the knowledge that we are all imperfect and I believe that my dad did the best that he could, he probably thought he was protecting me from disappointment or potential failure. In fact it's this opinion that I'm so imperfect that I believe holds me back, I'm so wrapped up in my imperfections that I fail to see that even though I may never be perfect I can be better than I am.
Lately when I pass runners while I'm driving I wonder Are they running hard? Could they run faster? Are they having fun? And I realized today while I was doing this, that really it's as though I'm asking these questions of myself. On Sunday morning, before the Promise Land run I told Todd that I really want, more than anything, to be sustainable. I want to be running for years and years to come. However, even though that's what I want the most, I still really want to be good, keep improving, to someday feel within, that I'm good enough.
-Alexis
Showing posts with label log. Show all posts
Showing posts with label log. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Time for a little (more) self-reflecting.
Since the pain in my lower right leg intensified four weeks ago I have been on a roller-coaster that simulates the mountains that I long to run pain-free. In a craze to diagnosis, treat and prevent further occurrence I failed to perform the thorough job of self-reflecting. Yes, I conceded stupidity for a number of bad choices but I misfired when I left it at that, further frustration forthcoming when I failed to flip back through the pages of my precise mileage accounts and detailed training logs. Having finally progressed past denial, anger and depression but not arriving at what I would term the upward turn, I was lingering in limbo.
Last night I ran, third time since that painful 5k after Holiday Lake a few weeks back. The leg was feeling fine walking, just the occasionally twinge of weakness and resulting worry, so I was hopeful that a run of true comfort and ease might follow. We arrived early enough to get a warm-up in, I did two loops of the parking lot but in the first few steps I felt the weakness. Hard to describe and even harder to stomach, the stiff ache in that lower leg beckoned for more of my attention. I went to the van and resumed my current addiction to googling all things calf and injury and waited for the rest of the group to arrive.
A poor choice of running shoes coupled with the slushy leftovers of a diminutive snow day and I was instantly urged by my body to heed the advice I'd promised to follow. Dropping pace and slipping to the back of the group my leg commenced tightening. Being alone in the woods and fighting the frequent slip on slush and sludge I focused on the tightening. A mile in I yearned to catch up to the group, I had them in my sights, but the faster I moved the more the leg tightened, not cramping, just tightening. Again, I dropped my pace, decided I could call it quits at any time having faith in my ability to find my way back to the car and settled into the run that was to be.
The group, or at least a portion of them, waited for me at an intersection. Todd inquired about my leg which was at it's tightest but I decided to carry on seeing as the group had waited for me. Fortunately, being among the group afforded conversation and a shift of focus from the leg. Oddly enough over the next mile or so the muscles began to loosen up. The more I ran the more I felt I could run. This is exactly what happened during this past Saturday's run in the mountains. I would imagine if it were a stress fracture this would not be the case.
With the leg warmed up and the pain lessening I strove to continue to take it easy. I realized, over the next few miles, how hard this is for me. I wanted so badly over the later part of the run at several points to speed up, it was an effort not to do so, that is just how deep the crazy runs within. In a way I was happy to see that a few weeks rest and recovery had not lessened the crazy (sometimes it's best to embrace what you are). Suffice it to say it was a struggle to constantly remind myself to keep my hands on the reigns, but the urge was overwhelming at times, I want so badly to be fast. Kevin Correll reminded me in the parking lot after the evening's run that just last week I was just happy to be out there. In other words, don't try and screw it up.
Long is the list of reasons why I love to run with others, but it's this source of outward reflection that I take with me, the insight and advice from fellow runners, that is perhaps the most beneficial. During the course of the run Grattan Garbee remarked that I was learning something, he wasn't sure what, but if I didn't learn it, really learn from it, I would be bound to repeat it.
Home from the evening's run, feeling better than I did at the start, I sat myself back down with my favorite book on running, Tom Noakes "The Lore of Running" (4th ed. 2003) and began to more thoroughly than ever read the chapter on 'Staying Injury Free'. Noakes insists several key points, his "Laws" of running injuries, including that they are not acts of God, seldom need surgery and cannot be cured until the causative factors are eliminated. He goes on to clearly spell out the treatments for most running injuries for which he claims to have a success rate of nearly 75% with injured runners in a 1983 study, and most of the runners who weren't successful, he claims, didn't follow the protocol correctly (Noakes, p 753).
Moving on from the laws, he lays out treatment, step two after determining that the injury is running related is 'Diagnose and determine the cause'. First, Noakes says, look at your shoes, have you switched them recently, are they worn out, etc. He is very thorough in his explanation for why you must look very closely at your shoes and how they can cause breakdowns throughout the body from the feet upwards. Then, Noakes says, if you are done looking at your shoes, look at your training to see whether your methods or patterns have changed that might explain the injury, including speed, daily and weekly running distance and number of days per week run (Noakes, p 772).
I stopped right there. I laid the book down, went and collected my training logs from this year and last and sat down with a calculator and a blank piece of paper. I had a good guess that I had increased my mileage in January but I hadn't really sat down and crunched the numbers.
What followed was an inquiry that lead to such an eye opening reveal I just had to share.
Turns out there is an awful lot you can learn from yourself if you keep a log, journal or both and actually go back and read and analyze the data. I had in fact increased my mileage too quickly in January. After a few minutes to figure out with Todd's help the formula to figuring out such increases and percentages I learned that over a five week period I made an increase of over 150%. Talk about stupid.
You see I ran Hellgate. Then I got sick.So I took a few easy weeks. Then I remembered I was training for Holiday Lake, looking towards Western States and now potentially had a sponsor. My intense desire to be good led to a very bad move in my training. In that five week period I jumped 18.5 %, 27%, 29%, 26%, and 1.5%. However, I never got my mileage up as high as I thought I had, my highest Monday to Sunday week was only 68 miles. But when you rearrange those weeks, look at them from say one particular Friday to the next, I had an 81 mile week, my highest ever.
But it wasn't this fact that was the eye opener. It was that on this same list of weekly miles I decided to record, due to Noakes suggestion, the number of days in a week run. In that same five week period I jumped from running three days to six days a week. And in the two weeks that followed the huge percentage increase I stayed at six days per week. The second six day week was when in fact my leg first began to hurt.
I almost never run six days. So I looked back further into the training logs into last year to see number of days per week run. And I learned two more things. First, through all of November and December I ran only 1, 2 or 3 days a week. Seriously, in those two months the most I ran was three days in any given week. Prior to January 6th the last time I had run four days in a week was the week ending October 28th. And from January 6th to January 27th I had jumped to six days. For someone who doesn't feel stupid, I certainly act so.
The second thing I learned was that I had actually run two six day weeks in October training for Masochist. The last day of the second six day week? I got INJURED!!!!! I did something to my left foot, my big toe tendon. An injury that scared the dickens out of me for Masochist, resulted in many trips to my chiropractor, numerous hours of icing, many usages of KT tape, hours rolling out with a tennis ball, took a combined two months to heal while all the while only running 1, 2, or 3 days a week!! When I realized this I didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or scream. If you don't learn you're bound to repeat your mistakes.
Thank goodness I'm too busy doing nothing on Friday's other than the occasional visit to the Aid Station or else it may have been worse, I may have pushed one of these weeks to seven days.
I was blind to this fact, hadn't seen the pattern until last night. Here I was running six days a week and instead of getting better I was having to take weeks and months of less days and mileage, in other words more was actually resulting in less and I was doing loads of backwards peddling. Not that I will never be able to run six days a week. But I can't get there in a few short weeks.
But wait, then there was more. I've done enough googling in these past few weeks that I have a much wider range of knowledge about my lower leg than ever before and yet I still don't know what is wrong with my leg. So I put down the log with all the numbers and I picked up the journal and started to reread my post training notes, the stuff that may not be blog worthy or seem of use to additionally note but still I record for posterity's sake.
And guess what I 'remembered'? After I finally overcame my foot/tendon injury in December, what did I go out and do? I went out and ran my fastest half marathon ever. Not a race, just a tempo run with Todd and Grattan in the snow, but still my fastest by several minutes at the distance. Immediately following the run I had sore, tight calf muscles. The next morning they were incredibly sore waking up, I wanted to cancel my run with Cheyenne and Jennifer but Todd urged me to go. My incredibly tight and painful calves hurt the entire run, I even made those girls walk for me once or twice. I took the next day off because they were that tight and painful. On New Year's Day I suffered through a long, cold run on Terrapin where they never eased up. Finally, after five days, they let up a little. So of course I went out to run a fast 10k that Saturday.
You're calves were bothering you at the beginning of January but you thought nothing of this when they started bothering you at the end of January? I had been running hills a lot the week this new pain emerged, I thought that was the cause. Well, what if the calf damage had started in early January and I just exasperated it with hills and more hills and little recovery by way of six day weeks until it finally said 'enough'?
So I kept reading.
I went far enough back to be reminded of something else by way of notes made about races. The Trail Nut Half Marathon, Carvin's Cove Marathon, the Lynchburg Half Marathon, and Deep Hollow Half Marathon all shared a similar ending in their race reports. At every one of these events I finished with debilitating calf cramps, at Deep Hollow they didn't even go away until a few minutes after the race ended. I have failed to narrow down the cause for the cramps other than possible hydration issues and pushing too hard at the end of races. However, it seems important now that I am seeing all of these other interconnected warning signs about calf pain and too much running with inadequate recovery.
Monday I went to Salem to see Josh Gilbert, chiropractor and race director, for his advice and aid for the pain in my leg. In addition to an adjustment he suggested I use the stick and roll out more frequently, say 100 times in a certain spot. Holding his advice in high esteem and suffering from soreness now in my left leg after Saturday's run in the mountains I spent Tuesday rolling out the legs like it was my part-time job. Several times that day I sat down to roll out the legs, both of them, using my stick, my foam roller and a softball. Yesterday morning the legs felt better, the soreness in my left leg was completely gone upon walking. Yet, I rolled again several times throughout the day. Even though the muscles didn't feel sore to the touch they reacted to the stick. My right leg (the injured one) felt pretty good, almost about as good as the left except in two spots.
The morning of the Liberty Mountain 5k I came home and Todd massaged my legs using the stick and his hands. There were several very painful, tender spots, but they weren't where the focal point of the pain was. They were really only painful when he tried to roll them. Now, nearly four weeks later, the leg is feeling better and better but last night those painful, knotty spots were still present upon using the stick and rolling.
After rolling out I went back to reading Noakes book, this time the chapter had lead into description and specific treatment for injuries. After reading about shin splints and stress fractures we arrived at Chronic Muscle Tears (muscle knots). They are possibly the 'third most common' running injury and 'usually misdiagnosed' can be very debilitating (Noakes, p. 820). The description seems similar to what I've been experiencing. Gradual onset, pain grew worse until it interfered with training, especially speed. According to Noakes there is only one possible treatment, cross-friction. Once last night with Todd's help and then again this morning I am working out the 'knots' with the help of a technique I read about online.
There is certainly more to the leg injury, or at least there was, but I have started to feel better, just maybe not as quickly as I would have liked. There was more to the pain when it began but I'm beginning to believe that what occurred the morning of that 5k was a direct result of my ignorant training, in particular the too quick increase in number of days a week and ignoring the warning signs that my calves needed special attention and care especially when the week the injury appeared I ran six days that included three days of fast, speed workouts on hills. My calves were begging for a break, maybe they decided to incorporate other muscles, tendons and ligaments to help spread their message to me as they alone were unable to reach me.
With a clearer view of how I may have gone wrong I can hopefully go forward better equipped at keeping injury at bay. Still in recovery I am desperately worried about taking any steps backwards at this point, but feel the need to get out and run to maintain some mental strength and physical conditioning. It's a hopeful sign to me that my leg felt no worse at all after yesterday's run and this morning it feels better yet, not strong or tight upon waking which may be due to the rolling I did before bed. I know that the legs seem to do better after they are sufficiently warmed up, which seems to take several miles and they are still in no mood to toy with speed. They still give me that feeling of weakness every so often when I'm walking around the house, but definitely less and less so.
I know one thing, I can almost dance pain free in my kitchen, and that my friends, I'm hoping is a very good sign.
-Alexis
Last night I ran, third time since that painful 5k after Holiday Lake a few weeks back. The leg was feeling fine walking, just the occasionally twinge of weakness and resulting worry, so I was hopeful that a run of true comfort and ease might follow. We arrived early enough to get a warm-up in, I did two loops of the parking lot but in the first few steps I felt the weakness. Hard to describe and even harder to stomach, the stiff ache in that lower leg beckoned for more of my attention. I went to the van and resumed my current addiction to googling all things calf and injury and waited for the rest of the group to arrive.
A poor choice of running shoes coupled with the slushy leftovers of a diminutive snow day and I was instantly urged by my body to heed the advice I'd promised to follow. Dropping pace and slipping to the back of the group my leg commenced tightening. Being alone in the woods and fighting the frequent slip on slush and sludge I focused on the tightening. A mile in I yearned to catch up to the group, I had them in my sights, but the faster I moved the more the leg tightened, not cramping, just tightening. Again, I dropped my pace, decided I could call it quits at any time having faith in my ability to find my way back to the car and settled into the run that was to be.
The group, or at least a portion of them, waited for me at an intersection. Todd inquired about my leg which was at it's tightest but I decided to carry on seeing as the group had waited for me. Fortunately, being among the group afforded conversation and a shift of focus from the leg. Oddly enough over the next mile or so the muscles began to loosen up. The more I ran the more I felt I could run. This is exactly what happened during this past Saturday's run in the mountains. I would imagine if it were a stress fracture this would not be the case.
With the leg warmed up and the pain lessening I strove to continue to take it easy. I realized, over the next few miles, how hard this is for me. I wanted so badly over the later part of the run at several points to speed up, it was an effort not to do so, that is just how deep the crazy runs within. In a way I was happy to see that a few weeks rest and recovery had not lessened the crazy (sometimes it's best to embrace what you are). Suffice it to say it was a struggle to constantly remind myself to keep my hands on the reigns, but the urge was overwhelming at times, I want so badly to be fast. Kevin Correll reminded me in the parking lot after the evening's run that just last week I was just happy to be out there. In other words, don't try and screw it up.
Long is the list of reasons why I love to run with others, but it's this source of outward reflection that I take with me, the insight and advice from fellow runners, that is perhaps the most beneficial. During the course of the run Grattan Garbee remarked that I was learning something, he wasn't sure what, but if I didn't learn it, really learn from it, I would be bound to repeat it.
Home from the evening's run, feeling better than I did at the start, I sat myself back down with my favorite book on running, Tom Noakes "The Lore of Running" (4th ed. 2003) and began to more thoroughly than ever read the chapter on 'Staying Injury Free'. Noakes insists several key points, his "Laws" of running injuries, including that they are not acts of God, seldom need surgery and cannot be cured until the causative factors are eliminated. He goes on to clearly spell out the treatments for most running injuries for which he claims to have a success rate of nearly 75% with injured runners in a 1983 study, and most of the runners who weren't successful, he claims, didn't follow the protocol correctly (Noakes, p 753).
Moving on from the laws, he lays out treatment, step two after determining that the injury is running related is 'Diagnose and determine the cause'. First, Noakes says, look at your shoes, have you switched them recently, are they worn out, etc. He is very thorough in his explanation for why you must look very closely at your shoes and how they can cause breakdowns throughout the body from the feet upwards. Then, Noakes says, if you are done looking at your shoes, look at your training to see whether your methods or patterns have changed that might explain the injury, including speed, daily and weekly running distance and number of days per week run (Noakes, p 772).
I stopped right there. I laid the book down, went and collected my training logs from this year and last and sat down with a calculator and a blank piece of paper. I had a good guess that I had increased my mileage in January but I hadn't really sat down and crunched the numbers.
What followed was an inquiry that lead to such an eye opening reveal I just had to share.
Turns out there is an awful lot you can learn from yourself if you keep a log, journal or both and actually go back and read and analyze the data. I had in fact increased my mileage too quickly in January. After a few minutes to figure out with Todd's help the formula to figuring out such increases and percentages I learned that over a five week period I made an increase of over 150%. Talk about stupid.
You see I ran Hellgate. Then I got sick.So I took a few easy weeks. Then I remembered I was training for Holiday Lake, looking towards Western States and now potentially had a sponsor. My intense desire to be good led to a very bad move in my training. In that five week period I jumped 18.5 %, 27%, 29%, 26%, and 1.5%. However, I never got my mileage up as high as I thought I had, my highest Monday to Sunday week was only 68 miles. But when you rearrange those weeks, look at them from say one particular Friday to the next, I had an 81 mile week, my highest ever.
But it wasn't this fact that was the eye opener. It was that on this same list of weekly miles I decided to record, due to Noakes suggestion, the number of days in a week run. In that same five week period I jumped from running three days to six days a week. And in the two weeks that followed the huge percentage increase I stayed at six days per week. The second six day week was when in fact my leg first began to hurt.
I almost never run six days. So I looked back further into the training logs into last year to see number of days per week run. And I learned two more things. First, through all of November and December I ran only 1, 2 or 3 days a week. Seriously, in those two months the most I ran was three days in any given week. Prior to January 6th the last time I had run four days in a week was the week ending October 28th. And from January 6th to January 27th I had jumped to six days. For someone who doesn't feel stupid, I certainly act so.
The second thing I learned was that I had actually run two six day weeks in October training for Masochist. The last day of the second six day week? I got INJURED!!!!! I did something to my left foot, my big toe tendon. An injury that scared the dickens out of me for Masochist, resulted in many trips to my chiropractor, numerous hours of icing, many usages of KT tape, hours rolling out with a tennis ball, took a combined two months to heal while all the while only running 1, 2, or 3 days a week!! When I realized this I didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or scream. If you don't learn you're bound to repeat your mistakes.
Thank goodness I'm too busy doing nothing on Friday's other than the occasional visit to the Aid Station or else it may have been worse, I may have pushed one of these weeks to seven days.
I was blind to this fact, hadn't seen the pattern until last night. Here I was running six days a week and instead of getting better I was having to take weeks and months of less days and mileage, in other words more was actually resulting in less and I was doing loads of backwards peddling. Not that I will never be able to run six days a week. But I can't get there in a few short weeks.
But wait, then there was more. I've done enough googling in these past few weeks that I have a much wider range of knowledge about my lower leg than ever before and yet I still don't know what is wrong with my leg. So I put down the log with all the numbers and I picked up the journal and started to reread my post training notes, the stuff that may not be blog worthy or seem of use to additionally note but still I record for posterity's sake.
And guess what I 'remembered'? After I finally overcame my foot/tendon injury in December, what did I go out and do? I went out and ran my fastest half marathon ever. Not a race, just a tempo run with Todd and Grattan in the snow, but still my fastest by several minutes at the distance. Immediately following the run I had sore, tight calf muscles. The next morning they were incredibly sore waking up, I wanted to cancel my run with Cheyenne and Jennifer but Todd urged me to go. My incredibly tight and painful calves hurt the entire run, I even made those girls walk for me once or twice. I took the next day off because they were that tight and painful. On New Year's Day I suffered through a long, cold run on Terrapin where they never eased up. Finally, after five days, they let up a little. So of course I went out to run a fast 10k that Saturday.
You're calves were bothering you at the beginning of January but you thought nothing of this when they started bothering you at the end of January? I had been running hills a lot the week this new pain emerged, I thought that was the cause. Well, what if the calf damage had started in early January and I just exasperated it with hills and more hills and little recovery by way of six day weeks until it finally said 'enough'?
So I kept reading.
I went far enough back to be reminded of something else by way of notes made about races. The Trail Nut Half Marathon, Carvin's Cove Marathon, the Lynchburg Half Marathon, and Deep Hollow Half Marathon all shared a similar ending in their race reports. At every one of these events I finished with debilitating calf cramps, at Deep Hollow they didn't even go away until a few minutes after the race ended. I have failed to narrow down the cause for the cramps other than possible hydration issues and pushing too hard at the end of races. However, it seems important now that I am seeing all of these other interconnected warning signs about calf pain and too much running with inadequate recovery.
Monday I went to Salem to see Josh Gilbert, chiropractor and race director, for his advice and aid for the pain in my leg. In addition to an adjustment he suggested I use the stick and roll out more frequently, say 100 times in a certain spot. Holding his advice in high esteem and suffering from soreness now in my left leg after Saturday's run in the mountains I spent Tuesday rolling out the legs like it was my part-time job. Several times that day I sat down to roll out the legs, both of them, using my stick, my foam roller and a softball. Yesterday morning the legs felt better, the soreness in my left leg was completely gone upon walking. Yet, I rolled again several times throughout the day. Even though the muscles didn't feel sore to the touch they reacted to the stick. My right leg (the injured one) felt pretty good, almost about as good as the left except in two spots.
The morning of the Liberty Mountain 5k I came home and Todd massaged my legs using the stick and his hands. There were several very painful, tender spots, but they weren't where the focal point of the pain was. They were really only painful when he tried to roll them. Now, nearly four weeks later, the leg is feeling better and better but last night those painful, knotty spots were still present upon using the stick and rolling.
After rolling out I went back to reading Noakes book, this time the chapter had lead into description and specific treatment for injuries. After reading about shin splints and stress fractures we arrived at Chronic Muscle Tears (muscle knots). They are possibly the 'third most common' running injury and 'usually misdiagnosed' can be very debilitating (Noakes, p. 820). The description seems similar to what I've been experiencing. Gradual onset, pain grew worse until it interfered with training, especially speed. According to Noakes there is only one possible treatment, cross-friction. Once last night with Todd's help and then again this morning I am working out the 'knots' with the help of a technique I read about online.
There is certainly more to the leg injury, or at least there was, but I have started to feel better, just maybe not as quickly as I would have liked. There was more to the pain when it began but I'm beginning to believe that what occurred the morning of that 5k was a direct result of my ignorant training, in particular the too quick increase in number of days a week and ignoring the warning signs that my calves needed special attention and care especially when the week the injury appeared I ran six days that included three days of fast, speed workouts on hills. My calves were begging for a break, maybe they decided to incorporate other muscles, tendons and ligaments to help spread their message to me as they alone were unable to reach me.
With a clearer view of how I may have gone wrong I can hopefully go forward better equipped at keeping injury at bay. Still in recovery I am desperately worried about taking any steps backwards at this point, but feel the need to get out and run to maintain some mental strength and physical conditioning. It's a hopeful sign to me that my leg felt no worse at all after yesterday's run and this morning it feels better yet, not strong or tight upon waking which may be due to the rolling I did before bed. I know that the legs seem to do better after they are sufficiently warmed up, which seems to take several miles and they are still in no mood to toy with speed. They still give me that feeling of weakness every so often when I'm walking around the house, but definitely less and less so.
I know one thing, I can almost dance pain free in my kitchen, and that my friends, I'm hoping is a very good sign.
-Alexis
Monday, January 7, 2013
Race Report: Frozen Toe 10k (Alexis)
Isn't there some saying, 'Third time's the charm' or something to that effect? I am great at butchering idioms, so perhaps there isn't. This past weekend was my third attempt at the Mountain Junkies Frozen Toe 10k held the first weekend of January in Roanoke on the Chestnut Ridge Loop. In 2011 I ran it for the first time, the course was snow covered and I started out fast, possibly too fast, and fell apart shortly after the halfway point. The race, in the simplest terms, went something like this: I started out too fast, even ahead of Todd, I met a hill halfway, I admitted defeat, I began walking, Todd passed me, I groveled for a few more hundred feet, I started running again, realized it wasn't so bad, picked up the pace even more but too late, finished third overall female. I returned to the Chestnut Ridge Loop in 2012 when I ran the 10k just two months postpartum, I settled on walk breaks before the start and knowing I was still recovering and returning to fitness, ran it conservatively. It was a pretty good day, I didn't fall apart like in 2011, but it was decidedly slower than the year before. This year I knew I could and rather should be able to run it faster, but I was considerably unsure of how fast.
In the week or two before the event I analyzed the data; course records and registrants, previous finishing times and similar events. It is my goal to focus less on these details as the year unfolds, but I take pleasure in the specifics. I love numbers and statistics, graphs and grids. Where as I look to better myself by focusing more on my own training this year, I would be lying to say I will leave Ultra Signup or race result pages alone, I just enjoy it too much. I want to be better but I don't expect to change the very core of my being. I'll sum it up by saying I knew Courtney and Lauren would be there and that they'd both won it previously including the setting of a course record last year by Courtney. I wholeheartedly thought I stood no chance, I decided a sub 50 would be all it would take to make it a good day and found peace in this goal. With a babysitter lined up, a clean pair of Zensah sleeves and a rereading of past years journal recaps I was ready for the first event of the year.
Saturday morning went smoothly. I was happy to be sharing this event with my sister Erin who has recently committed to running a marathon this year. She rode to Roanoke with us, along with Blake, a past participant of the RNUTS but a newbie to this event as well. We weren't as early as I had hoped but we did make it to New Hope Christian Church, the event headquarters, in time to get a one mile warm-up in.
Mountain Junkies events are fundamental on my race calendar because of what they mean to me as a trail runner. The presenters of the second trail event I ever participated in, they are what addicted me to trails. Their events have come to feel more like family reunions perhaps than races, attendants feeling more like distant cousins than competitors, an 'I haven't seen you in a while, how have you been?' feeling permeates the air. Such an awesome, inspiring group of people. They offer a competitive series of races but with a friendly, caring overtone that is welcoming and supportive of all ability levels.
But then there were those jackets. This year overall top male and female winners would be receiving a Mountain Hardware jacket from event sponsor The Aid Station. Courtney, upon seeing me, inquired whether or not I had 'touched' the jacket. Gina did too. I touched the jacket, figuring it would be the closest to the jacket I would come. In retrospect, I don't think I really went into the Frozen Toe hungry enough. I had my time goal, I assumed defeat beforehand. Honestly, I don't think I can interpret my training or fitness level enough to know how I should be able to perform. And I don't really know how to 'race' although I enjoy the opportunity to learn. As much as I race you would think I had it all figured out, but I don't, not yet.
And to top it off I think my expectations exceed my abilities and so even when I aim to remain calm, keeping the nerves in check, it is almost impossible when the clock starts ticking towards the start of any event. Standing there, listening to the race briefing minutes before the start, Todd looked over at me and asked about the location of my bib. I looked down to find I had neglected that important step. I sprinted to the car to find it, this jaunt convinced me for some reason to also leave behind my hat, gloves and water bottle. I did suck down a GU. I reached the starting line and instantly regretted the leaving behind of my gloves. I pulled my sleeves down over my hands and hoped my body would warm up once we started moving.
The race began and I aimed to stay in sight of Todd and Courtney. They flew on the road section that led to the trail entrance and I slowed just a bit. I suffer from a fear of burning out. I don't know how to exert enough energy to run the best possible for a certain distance yet not hard enough to bonk, this is particularly true for everything under a half marathon distance. Jeremy Ramsey suggested this comes from running Ultras. I let Todd and Courtney pull slightly ahead but picked up the effort on that initial climb, I stayed behind Courtney but Todd began to pull away. I ran right behind Courtney for the first mile or so with Todd's green Masochist finishers shirt still vaguely in sight on long open stretches of trail.
I had vowed at the start not to look at my Garmin watch, but rather run by feeling in the hopes that would include running a sub 50. Yet I also wanted to stay with Todd or Courtney, especially after the race began and neither pulled away instantly. I was running hard to stay with Courtney but I also knew I could run even harder. With Todd no longer visible I decided, rather hesitantly, to pass Courtney.
The first half of this course, or rather the first 2.75, always seems fast and somewhat easy. In the past it has been the second half that breaks me. When I came to the downhill that leads to the water stop I braced myself, let words of encouragement flow through my mind and body. It was a lesser goal of mine to not succumb to walking as I had done both previous years. When the hill that always does me in appeared I was ready, slow down if need be, shorten your stride but don't walk I told myself. I appeared to be gaining on Todd. At one particularly sharp switchback he was close enough to shout words of encouragement at me. However, I think I was close enough to make him pick up the pace as well because it wasn't too long after he seemed to be building the gap. There seemed to be more climbing then I remembered but I was also feeling pretty good. I hadn't seen Lauren in a long while, I knew she had it won, but I also couldn't see Courtney behind me in the switchbacks. I may have slowed down here. My Garmin suggests it, Todd's lead suggests it, the kick I had at the finish line suggests it. I had a runner right in front of me whom I could have passed but I didn't. I forgot how quick 10k's are, that like 5k's there really isn't any room to make up time lost.
When we emerged from the trail just a few hundred feet from the finish line I knew I had not given it all that I had in me. With the event clock in sight I sprinted towards and past the finishing line, beyond pleased with my time (47:47) but knowing I had too much left to say it was my best effort.
When Courtney crossed the finish moments later we prepared ourselves to hit the loop a second time, a matter we'd arranged in the prior week. Todd, Blake and Lauren accompanied us. It was perhaps my high of the day, to run those trails a second time with the other top females, my spouse and my friend. Call it a cool down, it was a welcome affair to run with these strong runners with the competitive air completely absent, to enjoy our sport together. The second loop further suggested I could have run the race faster, I find solace in this, that I've still room to improve, still growth left to occur.
-Alexis
In the week or two before the event I analyzed the data; course records and registrants, previous finishing times and similar events. It is my goal to focus less on these details as the year unfolds, but I take pleasure in the specifics. I love numbers and statistics, graphs and grids. Where as I look to better myself by focusing more on my own training this year, I would be lying to say I will leave Ultra Signup or race result pages alone, I just enjoy it too much. I want to be better but I don't expect to change the very core of my being. I'll sum it up by saying I knew Courtney and Lauren would be there and that they'd both won it previously including the setting of a course record last year by Courtney. I wholeheartedly thought I stood no chance, I decided a sub 50 would be all it would take to make it a good day and found peace in this goal. With a babysitter lined up, a clean pair of Zensah sleeves and a rereading of past years journal recaps I was ready for the first event of the year.
Saturday morning went smoothly. I was happy to be sharing this event with my sister Erin who has recently committed to running a marathon this year. She rode to Roanoke with us, along with Blake, a past participant of the RNUTS but a newbie to this event as well. We weren't as early as I had hoped but we did make it to New Hope Christian Church, the event headquarters, in time to get a one mile warm-up in.
Mountain Junkies events are fundamental on my race calendar because of what they mean to me as a trail runner. The presenters of the second trail event I ever participated in, they are what addicted me to trails. Their events have come to feel more like family reunions perhaps than races, attendants feeling more like distant cousins than competitors, an 'I haven't seen you in a while, how have you been?' feeling permeates the air. Such an awesome, inspiring group of people. They offer a competitive series of races but with a friendly, caring overtone that is welcoming and supportive of all ability levels.
But then there were those jackets. This year overall top male and female winners would be receiving a Mountain Hardware jacket from event sponsor The Aid Station. Courtney, upon seeing me, inquired whether or not I had 'touched' the jacket. Gina did too. I touched the jacket, figuring it would be the closest to the jacket I would come. In retrospect, I don't think I really went into the Frozen Toe hungry enough. I had my time goal, I assumed defeat beforehand. Honestly, I don't think I can interpret my training or fitness level enough to know how I should be able to perform. And I don't really know how to 'race' although I enjoy the opportunity to learn. As much as I race you would think I had it all figured out, but I don't, not yet.
And to top it off I think my expectations exceed my abilities and so even when I aim to remain calm, keeping the nerves in check, it is almost impossible when the clock starts ticking towards the start of any event. Standing there, listening to the race briefing minutes before the start, Todd looked over at me and asked about the location of my bib. I looked down to find I had neglected that important step. I sprinted to the car to find it, this jaunt convinced me for some reason to also leave behind my hat, gloves and water bottle. I did suck down a GU. I reached the starting line and instantly regretted the leaving behind of my gloves. I pulled my sleeves down over my hands and hoped my body would warm up once we started moving.
The race began and I aimed to stay in sight of Todd and Courtney. They flew on the road section that led to the trail entrance and I slowed just a bit. I suffer from a fear of burning out. I don't know how to exert enough energy to run the best possible for a certain distance yet not hard enough to bonk, this is particularly true for everything under a half marathon distance. Jeremy Ramsey suggested this comes from running Ultras. I let Todd and Courtney pull slightly ahead but picked up the effort on that initial climb, I stayed behind Courtney but Todd began to pull away. I ran right behind Courtney for the first mile or so with Todd's green Masochist finishers shirt still vaguely in sight on long open stretches of trail.
I had vowed at the start not to look at my Garmin watch, but rather run by feeling in the hopes that would include running a sub 50. Yet I also wanted to stay with Todd or Courtney, especially after the race began and neither pulled away instantly. I was running hard to stay with Courtney but I also knew I could run even harder. With Todd no longer visible I decided, rather hesitantly, to pass Courtney.
The first half of this course, or rather the first 2.75, always seems fast and somewhat easy. In the past it has been the second half that breaks me. When I came to the downhill that leads to the water stop I braced myself, let words of encouragement flow through my mind and body. It was a lesser goal of mine to not succumb to walking as I had done both previous years. When the hill that always does me in appeared I was ready, slow down if need be, shorten your stride but don't walk I told myself. I appeared to be gaining on Todd. At one particularly sharp switchback he was close enough to shout words of encouragement at me. However, I think I was close enough to make him pick up the pace as well because it wasn't too long after he seemed to be building the gap. There seemed to be more climbing then I remembered but I was also feeling pretty good. I hadn't seen Lauren in a long while, I knew she had it won, but I also couldn't see Courtney behind me in the switchbacks. I may have slowed down here. My Garmin suggests it, Todd's lead suggests it, the kick I had at the finish line suggests it. I had a runner right in front of me whom I could have passed but I didn't. I forgot how quick 10k's are, that like 5k's there really isn't any room to make up time lost.
When we emerged from the trail just a few hundred feet from the finish line I knew I had not given it all that I had in me. With the event clock in sight I sprinted towards and past the finishing line, beyond pleased with my time (47:47) but knowing I had too much left to say it was my best effort.
When Courtney crossed the finish moments later we prepared ourselves to hit the loop a second time, a matter we'd arranged in the prior week. Todd, Blake and Lauren accompanied us. It was perhaps my high of the day, to run those trails a second time with the other top females, my spouse and my friend. Call it a cool down, it was a welcome affair to run with these strong runners with the competitive air completely absent, to enjoy our sport together. The second loop further suggested I could have run the race faster, I find solace in this, that I've still room to improve, still growth left to occur.
-Alexis
Monday, April 16, 2012
2012: Week 15
Monday: Ran 4 miles alone in Wyndhurst. Knee gave me some trouble, think shoes have seen better days. Biked 35 minutes on machine.
Tuesday: Knee ached all day, ice, ibuprofen. Ran an easy 6 in different shoes.
Wednesday: Trail run Montrail Rogue Racers having toe/foot pain cut run short at 8 miles though 12 planned.
Thursday: Rest. Bought new shoes.
Friday: 2 miles in new shoes, felt good.
Saturday: Mill Mountain Mayhem 10k in new shoes, felt pretty good. 8 miles.
Sunday: Promise Land training run. Got blisters with new shoes about 2 miles in, Todd tied my shoes really tight at two miles and I was able to finish the loop of about 16 miles. Bad blisters on little toe and side of big toe on my left foot. Other wise a good training run.
Miles ~ 44
Having some trouble finding shoes. I have been in a series of Brooks Defyance for the last year that I loved but when I tried the 5 I did not like them as I had liked the 3 and 4 series. I got a pair of Ghost 4 but still the jury is still out on them after getting blisters in them yesterday. Need to find a shoe I can run Promise Land in, less than two weeks from now!
Tuesday: Knee ached all day, ice, ibuprofen. Ran an easy 6 in different shoes.
Wednesday: Trail run Montrail Rogue Racers having toe/foot pain cut run short at 8 miles though 12 planned.
Thursday: Rest. Bought new shoes.
Friday: 2 miles in new shoes, felt good.
Saturday: Mill Mountain Mayhem 10k in new shoes, felt pretty good. 8 miles.
Sunday: Promise Land training run. Got blisters with new shoes about 2 miles in, Todd tied my shoes really tight at two miles and I was able to finish the loop of about 16 miles. Bad blisters on little toe and side of big toe on my left foot. Other wise a good training run.
Miles ~ 44
Having some trouble finding shoes. I have been in a series of Brooks Defyance for the last year that I loved but when I tried the 5 I did not like them as I had liked the 3 and 4 series. I got a pair of Ghost 4 but still the jury is still out on them after getting blisters in them yesterday. Need to find a shoe I can run Promise Land in, less than two weeks from now!
Monday, April 9, 2012
2012: Week 14
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Track/speed work, 6 miles
Wednesday: Trail run, loads of hills, 12 miles
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 4 miles warm-up, 5k race, 3 mile cool down
Sunday: 10 miles of hills...man I am tired...
Miles~ 38
I decided when I was drawing up the weeks plan to make Wednesday a little longer of a run because with Easter and a race on the weekend I wasn't sure I would get a long run in. Glad I did because 12 ended up being the long run. Really need to focus on getting in those long runs as I head towards a 50k and marathon in the next three months. I don't feel as though I am on target for those races because my long runs are lacking in length.
Tuesday: Track/speed work, 6 miles
Wednesday: Trail run, loads of hills, 12 miles
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 4 miles warm-up, 5k race, 3 mile cool down
Sunday: 10 miles of hills...man I am tired...
Miles~ 38
I decided when I was drawing up the weeks plan to make Wednesday a little longer of a run because with Easter and a race on the weekend I wasn't sure I would get a long run in. Glad I did because 12 ended up being the long run. Really need to focus on getting in those long runs as I head towards a 50k and marathon in the next three months. I don't feel as though I am on target for those races because my long runs are lacking in length.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Race Report: Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10k (Alexis)
A.K.A. Now I Know Why the Hare Needs that Nap.
In January when all of my running friends were training for Holiday Lake 50k (or so it seemed) I decided to choose a goal race. I decided, having never really raced a road 10k, to focus on the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10k in Richmond at the end of March. It was my first ever 10k in 2010 when Todd paced me to run it in 51:13, almost five minutes faster than I thought possible at the time. Last year I registered in the 48 minute wave, hoping to run it in sub 47 when I found out I was pregnant. Morning sickness overcame me in the weeks leading up to the race and laziness had me pouting on the couch instead of running but I still managed to run it in 53:01 last April.
This year I started out just wanting to run it in under 50 minutes. I had not raced in a road race yet this year and was not sure what kind of time to expect at the 10k distance. I ran a trail 10k in January in 54 minutes but I knew that I had improved and gotten stronger since then. This race on my calendar was the reason I started looking for a group to do speed work with each week. However, other than speed work I wasn't really doing anything to prepare me for this flat (by my standards) road race. A few weeks ago a fellow runner told me I should try out Tempo runs. I managed two tempo runs into my schedule over the last few weeks, the first run at an 8 minute pace and the second at a sub 8 for six miles. I began to think I could run Ukrop's even faster than anticipated, maybe even somewhere between 45:30-46:30.
So I concocted a plan, I would aim to run a sub 23:30 5k split, or as close to 7:30 as possible and then get progressively faster over the second 5k getting a negative split, hoping to work my overall pace down to 7:20 by the end of the race. That was my plan. Why I decided at the starting line to throw it out and just throw caution to the wind? I have NO idea. I've been asking myself what happened every half hour I've been awake since the race commenced.
I mean Felix warned against going out too fast minutes before the race started. I, myself, am always warning Todd about going out too fast. I NEVER go out too fast (Ok, there was that ONE time at the Bedford Christmas Classic 5k but even then I swore I would never do that again!). I am the Turtle. I pride myself on being the Turtle, slow and steady. And yet I'm standing there in my wave at the start line and my iPod won't work, I stuff the silly thing down my bra and begin to get so worked up about not having Cat Stevens and Conor Oberst to help me through any trials and tribulations that might arise during the run that my race plan apparently got buried. I mean they let my wave go and the next thing I know I'm running and passing people and thinking to myself, "This seems fast Self, too fast, what is this pace?"
A quick glance at my watch to verify what I already know, I'm running faster than planned. I wasn't sprinting but I was keeping a 7:02 overall pace at this point. "That's too fast!!!" One side of my brain said to the other. "You can do this at this pace, just see how long you can keep this up, it doesn't feel that bad" said the other side in defense. So I trucked along, passing others and running hard for just about two miles when I started to get exhausted. Both sides of my brain tried to console me and told me just to slow and recover. And that's what I did, but it was mental anguish. I hadn't hit the halfway point and I was feeling as though I'd ruined my race with a rookie mistake. The thoughts that I'd ruined my race, that I was too cocky, that I knew better than to race this poorly overwhelmed me as I crossed over the 5k marker. I was pretty sure that I wasn't going to have a negative split and was wondering just how badly I had effected my race. I felt awful and slow as dozens of people flew by me looking stronger and smarter. It was possibly the worst race experience I've ever had, I wouldn't give myself a break and I just couldn't push any harder during miles three and four. At four miles I started wondering if I should just call it and walk. I ran my slowest mile here, but did slow for some Gatorade at an aid station. At the five mile marker I tried to convince myself that it was just over a mile and I began to pick the pace up, but just a little. I would run a little harder for a minute and then worry that I was going to pass out. At the last aid station I grabbed a cup of water and poured it on my head, it felt warm, You just poured that over your iPod, do you really have no sense left in you? I further berated myself. I wanted so badly to quit. I wanted so badly to start over. It's something terrible to be in something and know how badly you failed it and yet have to continue on or risk further failure.
And finally I knew we were coming in to the finish and I managed to run, according to my Garmin, the fastest quarter mile split of the entire race. And just like that the race was over. However, my mental torment was just beginning. Despite the knowledge of a PR I just couldn't get over the feeling that I'd not raced smart. I want to be fast and I am at somewhat of a loss as to really make that happen, and that is frustrating, and yet it is even more frustrating to know I could have run better if only I had run smarter.
I finished in 46:52 which I should be ecstatic about, I was originally hoping for anything sub 50. It isn't my time that I'm unhappy about but rather the fact that I took the time to devise a race plan and then go all Willy-nilly at the starting line. I don't know how much faster I could have been if I'd started slower or even if I would have been any faster had I started more reserved, but I know that personally I do not like to slow down during a race unless I'm running up a hill.
I downloaded the splits from my Garmin and I didn't race as poorly as I felt at the time, the first eight quarter mile splits were between 1:44-1:47, the next four miles were mostly 1:54-1:56 with a few 1:58, 2:00. 2:04 was the slowest when I slowed for Gatorade. The last quarter was 1:38. On a graph, it doesn't look so bad. If only I could get a reprieve from the voices in my head. I am my biggest critic.
At least my shoes didn't come untied.
-Alexis
In January when all of my running friends were training for Holiday Lake 50k (or so it seemed) I decided to choose a goal race. I decided, having never really raced a road 10k, to focus on the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10k in Richmond at the end of March. It was my first ever 10k in 2010 when Todd paced me to run it in 51:13, almost five minutes faster than I thought possible at the time. Last year I registered in the 48 minute wave, hoping to run it in sub 47 when I found out I was pregnant. Morning sickness overcame me in the weeks leading up to the race and laziness had me pouting on the couch instead of running but I still managed to run it in 53:01 last April.
This year I started out just wanting to run it in under 50 minutes. I had not raced in a road race yet this year and was not sure what kind of time to expect at the 10k distance. I ran a trail 10k in January in 54 minutes but I knew that I had improved and gotten stronger since then. This race on my calendar was the reason I started looking for a group to do speed work with each week. However, other than speed work I wasn't really doing anything to prepare me for this flat (by my standards) road race. A few weeks ago a fellow runner told me I should try out Tempo runs. I managed two tempo runs into my schedule over the last few weeks, the first run at an 8 minute pace and the second at a sub 8 for six miles. I began to think I could run Ukrop's even faster than anticipated, maybe even somewhere between 45:30-46:30.
So I concocted a plan, I would aim to run a sub 23:30 5k split, or as close to 7:30 as possible and then get progressively faster over the second 5k getting a negative split, hoping to work my overall pace down to 7:20 by the end of the race. That was my plan. Why I decided at the starting line to throw it out and just throw caution to the wind? I have NO idea. I've been asking myself what happened every half hour I've been awake since the race commenced.
I mean Felix warned against going out too fast minutes before the race started. I, myself, am always warning Todd about going out too fast. I NEVER go out too fast (Ok, there was that ONE time at the Bedford Christmas Classic 5k but even then I swore I would never do that again!). I am the Turtle. I pride myself on being the Turtle, slow and steady. And yet I'm standing there in my wave at the start line and my iPod won't work, I stuff the silly thing down my bra and begin to get so worked up about not having Cat Stevens and Conor Oberst to help me through any trials and tribulations that might arise during the run that my race plan apparently got buried. I mean they let my wave go and the next thing I know I'm running and passing people and thinking to myself, "This seems fast Self, too fast, what is this pace?"
A quick glance at my watch to verify what I already know, I'm running faster than planned. I wasn't sprinting but I was keeping a 7:02 overall pace at this point. "That's too fast!!!" One side of my brain said to the other. "You can do this at this pace, just see how long you can keep this up, it doesn't feel that bad" said the other side in defense. So I trucked along, passing others and running hard for just about two miles when I started to get exhausted. Both sides of my brain tried to console me and told me just to slow and recover. And that's what I did, but it was mental anguish. I hadn't hit the halfway point and I was feeling as though I'd ruined my race with a rookie mistake. The thoughts that I'd ruined my race, that I was too cocky, that I knew better than to race this poorly overwhelmed me as I crossed over the 5k marker. I was pretty sure that I wasn't going to have a negative split and was wondering just how badly I had effected my race. I felt awful and slow as dozens of people flew by me looking stronger and smarter. It was possibly the worst race experience I've ever had, I wouldn't give myself a break and I just couldn't push any harder during miles three and four. At four miles I started wondering if I should just call it and walk. I ran my slowest mile here, but did slow for some Gatorade at an aid station. At the five mile marker I tried to convince myself that it was just over a mile and I began to pick the pace up, but just a little. I would run a little harder for a minute and then worry that I was going to pass out. At the last aid station I grabbed a cup of water and poured it on my head, it felt warm, You just poured that over your iPod, do you really have no sense left in you? I further berated myself. I wanted so badly to quit. I wanted so badly to start over. It's something terrible to be in something and know how badly you failed it and yet have to continue on or risk further failure.
And finally I knew we were coming in to the finish and I managed to run, according to my Garmin, the fastest quarter mile split of the entire race. And just like that the race was over. However, my mental torment was just beginning. Despite the knowledge of a PR I just couldn't get over the feeling that I'd not raced smart. I want to be fast and I am at somewhat of a loss as to really make that happen, and that is frustrating, and yet it is even more frustrating to know I could have run better if only I had run smarter.
I finished in 46:52 which I should be ecstatic about, I was originally hoping for anything sub 50. It isn't my time that I'm unhappy about but rather the fact that I took the time to devise a race plan and then go all Willy-nilly at the starting line. I don't know how much faster I could have been if I'd started slower or even if I would have been any faster had I started more reserved, but I know that personally I do not like to slow down during a race unless I'm running up a hill.
I downloaded the splits from my Garmin and I didn't race as poorly as I felt at the time, the first eight quarter mile splits were between 1:44-1:47, the next four miles were mostly 1:54-1:56 with a few 1:58, 2:00. 2:04 was the slowest when I slowed for Gatorade. The last quarter was 1:38. On a graph, it doesn't look so bad. If only I could get a reprieve from the voices in my head. I am my biggest critic.
At least my shoes didn't come untied.
-Alexis
Monday, April 2, 2012
2012: Week 13
Monday: 5.6 running the Point of Honor race course with Brodie in the stroller.
Tuesday: Track session sort of cancelled due to lack of access to a track, ran with the group and then got in some stairs and hill repeats at Wyndhurst, 6 miles.
Wednesday: Trail run, good amount of climbs, felt good and strong. 10 miles.
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Ukrops' 10k in Richmond, 8 miles.
Sunday: Rest
Miles~ 29.6
Tuesday: Track session sort of cancelled due to lack of access to a track, ran with the group and then got in some stairs and hill repeats at Wyndhurst, 6 miles.
Wednesday: Trail run, good amount of climbs, felt good and strong. 10 miles.
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Ukrops' 10k in Richmond, 8 miles.
Sunday: Rest
Miles~ 29.6
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
2012: Week 12
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Track session, 3.5 miles with a friend. Total of 10.5 for the day.
Wednesday: Easy trail run, 6.4 miles.
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Warm-up, race, ran Todd in at Terrapin, 17 miles for the day.
Sunday: 2 shake out miles at Candler's, Todd was too sore to run and I wasn't prepared to run alone.
Miles ~ 35.9
Tuesday: Track session, 3.5 miles with a friend. Total of 10.5 for the day.
Wednesday: Easy trail run, 6.4 miles.
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Warm-up, race, ran Todd in at Terrapin, 17 miles for the day.
Sunday: 2 shake out miles at Candler's, Todd was too sore to run and I wasn't prepared to run alone.
Miles ~ 35.9
Monday, March 19, 2012
2012: Week 11
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Track session, arrived a little late, didn't get in as long a warm-up in as I'd planned. Did a ladder workout of 400, 600, 800, 1200, 800, 600, 400. The whole work out was a little bit of a struggle and it was warm out. 6 miles
Wednesday: Trail run, great run. Ran 13 miles on Candler's in just over 2 hours. Pushed it several times and then almost crashed twice but was able to recover while running both times.
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Ran ~5.5 with a friend, a comfortable pace.
Saturday: Did not want to get up and out of bed for this morning's run. Brodie was up three time the night before and I was just wanting to go back to bed. Ended up going out to Blackwater and ran an awesome tempo 10k training run faster than my current goal for the race. Track work is paying off. 7 miles.
Sunday: Long run on Candler's 15 miles.
Miles for the week~ 46.5
Didn't do any cross training or strength this week and my long run was shorter than I had planned (supposed to be 16). However, the tempo run on Saturday has me pumped for the upcoming 10k at the end of the month. But first, Montvale 10 miler this upcoming week. Aiming for ~9 minute overall pace. Hoping that all that running on Candler's will pay off.
-Alexis
Tuesday: Track session, arrived a little late, didn't get in as long a warm-up in as I'd planned. Did a ladder workout of 400, 600, 800, 1200, 800, 600, 400. The whole work out was a little bit of a struggle and it was warm out. 6 miles
Wednesday: Trail run, great run. Ran 13 miles on Candler's in just over 2 hours. Pushed it several times and then almost crashed twice but was able to recover while running both times.
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Ran ~5.5 with a friend, a comfortable pace.
Saturday: Did not want to get up and out of bed for this morning's run. Brodie was up three time the night before and I was just wanting to go back to bed. Ended up going out to Blackwater and ran an awesome tempo 10k training run faster than my current goal for the race. Track work is paying off. 7 miles.
Sunday: Long run on Candler's 15 miles.
Miles for the week~ 46.5
Didn't do any cross training or strength this week and my long run was shorter than I had planned (supposed to be 16). However, the tempo run on Saturday has me pumped for the upcoming 10k at the end of the month. But first, Montvale 10 miler this upcoming week. Aiming for ~9 minute overall pace. Hoping that all that running on Candler's will pay off.
-Alexis
Monday, March 12, 2012
2012: Week 10
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Track Tuesday and then the Leesville Loop with Todd and Chelsie. 11.5 miles
Wednesday: Trail run, 10 miles.
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Rest
Saturday: First tempo run...maybe ever? Ran a mile warm-up and then 5 miles tempo keeping track of quarter splits. Wonderful run, came away feeling great.
Sunday: Long run. Ran 8 miles on the trails at Blackwater Creek which felt fun and easy and continued on to pavement where I realized I was getting a blister. Pushed out the whole 15 miles but my feet were not happy. Good starting point for a long run as now we start building for the marathon...
Miles ~ 42.5
Alexis
Surprised how difficult the long run felt, quite possibly pushed the pace too hard, maybe should have run even slower. The tempo run however had me feeling good about my goals for Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10k in a few short weeks.
Tuesday: Track Tuesday and then the Leesville Loop with Todd and Chelsie. 11.5 miles
Wednesday: Trail run, 10 miles.
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Rest
Saturday: First tempo run...maybe ever? Ran a mile warm-up and then 5 miles tempo keeping track of quarter splits. Wonderful run, came away feeling great.
Sunday: Long run. Ran 8 miles on the trails at Blackwater Creek which felt fun and easy and continued on to pavement where I realized I was getting a blister. Pushed out the whole 15 miles but my feet were not happy. Good starting point for a long run as now we start building for the marathon...
Miles ~ 42.5
Alexis
Surprised how difficult the long run felt, quite possibly pushed the pace too hard, maybe should have run even slower. The tempo run however had me feeling good about my goals for Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10k in a few short weeks.
Monday, March 5, 2012
2012: Week 9
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Track Tuesday. ~1 mile warm-up, ~ 6 100 yd strides, 1x800, 4x600, 4x400. I really do love these sessions...afterwards. Tough but worth it. Cycling and strength at the YMCA.
Wednesday: Trail run, 8.5 miles.
Thursday: Zumba class at the Y and a comfortable 4.2 mile run afterwards.
Friday: Rest Intended to run an easy 3 but never got it in...
Saturday: Explore Your Limits 5k. ~ 2 mile warm-up, 5k race. ~5.25
Sunday: Trail run. Supposed to be our 'long run' and was gunning for 15 miles. Ended up with 12 in 2 hours and called it a day.
Miles ~ 35
Alexis
Had a pretty good week, still some swelling in the foot but less pain. Trying to ice it but because it isn't as painful I tend to only think of it at the end of the day. With spring approaching there are going to be a lot of races on Saturday mornings. Wondering what this means for Sunday long runs as my legs weren't really up for going the full 15 yesterday.
Tuesday: Track Tuesday. ~1 mile warm-up, ~ 6 100 yd strides, 1x800, 4x600, 4x400. I really do love these sessions...afterwards. Tough but worth it. Cycling and strength at the YMCA.
Wednesday: Trail run, 8.5 miles.
Thursday: Zumba class at the Y and a comfortable 4.2 mile run afterwards.
Friday: Rest Intended to run an easy 3 but never got it in...
Saturday: Explore Your Limits 5k. ~ 2 mile warm-up, 5k race. ~5.25
Sunday: Trail run. Supposed to be our 'long run' and was gunning for 15 miles. Ended up with 12 in 2 hours and called it a day.
Miles ~ 35
Alexis
Had a pretty good week, still some swelling in the foot but less pain. Trying to ice it but because it isn't as painful I tend to only think of it at the end of the day. With spring approaching there are going to be a lot of races on Saturday mornings. Wondering what this means for Sunday long runs as my legs weren't really up for going the full 15 yesterday.
Monday, February 27, 2012
2012: Week 8
Monday: Due to the LRRC meeting Tuesday night we moved our track workout to Monday. We did a variation of the ladder workout with six intervals between 600 and 1200. These sessions are hard but I feel great afterwards. ~5+ miles.
Tuesday: Ran 3 easy.
Wednesday: Wild Wednesday trail run. Ran the 5k course with a friend and then continued on for our old Wednesday loop. Felt good pushing up the pace for a few miles in the middle with a few guys who are a lot faster than I am, got in a total of 10 miles. Finished on the Power Line hill.
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Went out to try out my new watch and make sure that it was set up properly for the race Saturday morning. Started my run just as a thunderstorm came in. Ran 1.5 miles and was drenched by the time I got back to my car.
Saturday: Ran a 2 mile warm-up, a couple striders and then my 5k. Relatively happy with my 5k experience, race report to follow.
Sunday: Ran the Terrapin half course with a great group of people in the afternoon. The first half was very casual, picture taking, fueling breaks to view the scenery. Second half I pushed myself and felt awesome. Finished the course over 35 minutes faster than I did last March on race day.
Miles ~ 38
Didn't do a lot of cross training this week. Need to get back to the Y this week. Also suffering from some Extensor Tendonitis and Shin Splints in my left leg. Using a routine of ice, ibuprofen and KT tape to help quell the pain. Taking a few rest days possibly this week if need be to help as well.
Alexis
Tuesday: Ran 3 easy.
Wednesday: Wild Wednesday trail run. Ran the 5k course with a friend and then continued on for our old Wednesday loop. Felt good pushing up the pace for a few miles in the middle with a few guys who are a lot faster than I am, got in a total of 10 miles. Finished on the Power Line hill.
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Went out to try out my new watch and make sure that it was set up properly for the race Saturday morning. Started my run just as a thunderstorm came in. Ran 1.5 miles and was drenched by the time I got back to my car.
Saturday: Ran a 2 mile warm-up, a couple striders and then my 5k. Relatively happy with my 5k experience, race report to follow.
Sunday: Ran the Terrapin half course with a great group of people in the afternoon. The first half was very casual, picture taking, fueling breaks to view the scenery. Second half I pushed myself and felt awesome. Finished the course over 35 minutes faster than I did last March on race day.
Miles ~ 38
Didn't do a lot of cross training this week. Need to get back to the Y this week. Also suffering from some Extensor Tendonitis and Shin Splints in my left leg. Using a routine of ice, ibuprofen and KT tape to help quell the pain. Taking a few rest days possibly this week if need be to help as well.
Alexis
Thursday, February 23, 2012
2012: Week 7
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Track Tuesday, 6x 800's, hit the goal time each 800. Ran again with two friends for a cool down, social run. 9.5 miles.
Wednesday: Pilates at the Y. Wild Wednesday trail run, 9.2 miles.
Thursday: Easy 3 miles
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Beautiful Candler's run in shorts and a t-shirt, 7.4 miles.
Sunday: Beautiful Candler's run in gloves, hat and snow, 11 miles.
Miles: ~ 40
Good week. Didn't get in the whole 15 miles I had planned on Sunday due to snow but had an overall good week, 5 days running and one class at the Y. Stretching and squats at home. Need to keep consistent with strength training.
Coming up...The Liberty Mountain 5k. Getting nervous.
Alexis
Tuesday: Track Tuesday, 6x 800's, hit the goal time each 800. Ran again with two friends for a cool down, social run. 9.5 miles.
Wednesday: Pilates at the Y. Wild Wednesday trail run, 9.2 miles.
Thursday: Easy 3 miles
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Beautiful Candler's run in shorts and a t-shirt, 7.4 miles.
Sunday: Beautiful Candler's run in gloves, hat and snow, 11 miles.
Miles: ~ 40
Good week. Didn't get in the whole 15 miles I had planned on Sunday due to snow but had an overall good week, 5 days running and one class at the Y. Stretching and squats at home. Need to keep consistent with strength training.
Coming up...The Liberty Mountain 5k. Getting nervous.
Alexis
Monday, February 13, 2012
2012: Week 6
Monday: Rest Almost a given at this point, it's worse than pulling teeth to get me to run on a Monday...
Tuesday: Track Tuesday, ran 6 miles including some 6 X 800's. Didn't quite pull off the pace I was hoping for but still felt like I did well. Than headed to two classes at the YMCA followed by another 3 miles with a friend. By the time I had gotten home I had been exercising for over four hours and these legs were beat.
Wednesday: Did Pilates in the AM with my sister at the Y, followed by 10 minutes on the stair climber and some all over strength training. Wild Wednesday. The 'boys' were tapering for Holiday Lake so we only ran six. However, we ran single track the whole way which is the first time we've steered clear of at least some fire roads since last Fall. Felt great afterwards.
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Just plain Lazy...Rest...and I did go out to 'watch' the finish at Holiday Lake 50k.
Sunday: After a three day hiatus from any exercise I got in a good long trail run in. I am not proud of my three day rest streak but the legs did feel well going out Sunday and we did a solid 15 trail miles in less than 3 hours, on Candler's Mountain no less. Not sure how much under 3 hours as we kept stopping through the parking lot to pick up or leave other trail runners who ran part of the run with us. I'm beginning to downright love training on that mountain. Quite the opposite of what I was preaching a year ago.
Miles ~ 30
Had planned 35 miles over 5 days of running, ended up with 30 for 3 days of running. I know I'm not getting in enough days of running whatever my mileage. I know that rest days are inherently good but I'm just taking far too many of them. I have a plan to run five days this week...and it's colder this week than last but I am at present committed...of course today is one of the planned rest days after yesterday's tough trail run. Thinking about running an easy 3 though just to break that No Running Monday streak I seem to have going on.
Alexis
Tuesday: Track Tuesday, ran 6 miles including some 6 X 800's. Didn't quite pull off the pace I was hoping for but still felt like I did well. Than headed to two classes at the YMCA followed by another 3 miles with a friend. By the time I had gotten home I had been exercising for over four hours and these legs were beat.
Wednesday: Did Pilates in the AM with my sister at the Y, followed by 10 minutes on the stair climber and some all over strength training. Wild Wednesday. The 'boys' were tapering for Holiday Lake so we only ran six. However, we ran single track the whole way which is the first time we've steered clear of at least some fire roads since last Fall. Felt great afterwards.
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Just plain Lazy...Rest...and I did go out to 'watch' the finish at Holiday Lake 50k.
Sunday: After a three day hiatus from any exercise I got in a good long trail run in. I am not proud of my three day rest streak but the legs did feel well going out Sunday and we did a solid 15 trail miles in less than 3 hours, on Candler's Mountain no less. Not sure how much under 3 hours as we kept stopping through the parking lot to pick up or leave other trail runners who ran part of the run with us. I'm beginning to downright love training on that mountain. Quite the opposite of what I was preaching a year ago.
Miles ~ 30
Had planned 35 miles over 5 days of running, ended up with 30 for 3 days of running. I know I'm not getting in enough days of running whatever my mileage. I know that rest days are inherently good but I'm just taking far too many of them. I have a plan to run five days this week...and it's colder this week than last but I am at present committed...of course today is one of the planned rest days after yesterday's tough trail run. Thinking about running an easy 3 though just to break that No Running Monday streak I seem to have going on.
Alexis
Monday, February 6, 2012
2012: Week 5
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Speedwork!!! Finally! I finally found someone to go do speedwork with. We did a warm-up, four 100 striders to warm up and then 4x 1 mile repeats. The guy I ran with and who planned the workout had chosen a pace I wasn't sure I would hit and I am thrilled to say that all four miles were in that range. And he finished two miles two steps ahead of me and I finished two miles two steps ahead of him so he was a perfect speedwork partner. Cross training class at the Y.
Wednesday: Wild Wednesday Trail run, 10 miles at Candler's Mountain
Thursday: Easy 3 mile run, Zumba with a friend at the Y.
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 12.6 miles on Candler's Mountain
Sunday: 9 miles on Candler's Mountain
Miles: ~40.2 miles
This week was good. Thrilled to have finally added some speedwork to my routine but have struggled to get a good 'long' run in, would like to maintain a 15+ mile run at least every two weeks and now it's going on three weeks since I've had a run of that distance. Getting in a few classes at the Y but would still like to round out my cross training with more strength and maybe add in a day of biking/cycling. Three good trail days have me even more pumped for several approaching trail races.
Tuesday: Speedwork!!! Finally! I finally found someone to go do speedwork with. We did a warm-up, four 100 striders to warm up and then 4x 1 mile repeats. The guy I ran with and who planned the workout had chosen a pace I wasn't sure I would hit and I am thrilled to say that all four miles were in that range. And he finished two miles two steps ahead of me and I finished two miles two steps ahead of him so he was a perfect speedwork partner. Cross training class at the Y.
Wednesday: Wild Wednesday Trail run, 10 miles at Candler's Mountain
Thursday: Easy 3 mile run, Zumba with a friend at the Y.
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 12.6 miles on Candler's Mountain
Sunday: 9 miles on Candler's Mountain
Miles: ~40.2 miles
This week was good. Thrilled to have finally added some speedwork to my routine but have struggled to get a good 'long' run in, would like to maintain a 15+ mile run at least every two weeks and now it's going on three weeks since I've had a run of that distance. Getting in a few classes at the Y but would still like to round out my cross training with more strength and maybe add in a day of biking/cycling. Three good trail days have me even more pumped for several approaching trail races.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Arctic 5k Trail Race Report
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| Photo Credit: Alicia Roberts |
Flash forward to Sunday a week ago Todd and I went out intending to preview the course twice. We planned to run it once just to get ourselves acquainted with the course and then a second time to get ourselves a little seasoned on the course. It was a day following a long run so I wasn't aiming for any kind of tempo run, just running a nice, easy recovery pace. We started out and almost right away became a little confused as to which way the race would begin. It was clear from the terrain we did cover that the race was going to be hill laden, not something I was particularly excited about as I am still coming back to hill running after a hiatus that lasted the duration of my pregnancy with Brodie. One of the hills we covered was entirely new to me and it was a what I call a 'heater', a hill that pledges fatigue no matter how fresh the legs. When we found ourselves back at the Snowflex parking lot my knees were begging to call it quits for the day and my Garmin had us at only 2.5 miles. Crestfallen I walked to the car.
A short conversation with the race director a day later confirmed my suspicions, we had only covered fragments of the course and had, unbeknownst to us, bypassed difficult sections entirely.
For the rest of the week I did the opposite of what I would normally do on a race week. I pushed that trail 5k as far back in my mind as it would go and then I covered it with thoughts of laundry and bills. And there I left it until Friday evening. Friday I made my pre-race checklist and gave myself a pep talk. You're still coming back, I told myself. So pick a time goal, Alexis. Focus on that and forget about everything and everyone else.
Saturday morning I made it to the mountain with time for a decent warm-up. I ran the last section of the race backwards with a friend's father and that boosted my confidence a little, I at least knew where I would be coming out for the finish. I found the start line and focused hard on not biting my nails. Next thing I knew there was the sound of the starting bell and off we went.
I ran as strong as I thought I should through this first section, but nowhere near as fast as I could. I knew I needed to get ahead of some of the runners who would ultimately be slower than my pace and yet I knew that within the first mile we had the hike up the back of the Monogram which I knew would result in my first walk break. Sure enough I walked it, even parts that I told myself I wasn't going to walk I walked because there were just so many people on the single track trail ahead of me who were walking. I figured I would expend too much energy at this point to get around them so I just waited until the top to pick up my pace.
The next section which included running down to Monogram hill and then back up and then running down Psycho-Pathe I ran powerfully. I knew that I would be hiking the next section so I tried to cover that ground as quickly as I could. All too quickly though came the hill I knew I had to hike. And hike I did. I didn't stop but I slowed to a snail's pace and was passed by many stronger legs. I focused on my own race and vowed to not let being passed bother me.
I continued on, running when the course was rolling or downhill, hiking the steep climbs. I felt good. In retrospect, too good. Racing in a 5k shouldn't be about feeling good. This is where not knowing the course did hurt my race, I knew the course was tough, but I didn't know how tough because I had only previewed bits and pieces and not in the correct order. I kept some in reserve for the unknown parts, fearing that otherwise I would bonk. On the last hill I hiked my way to the top, not bothered by the several people who passed me, I thought we had further to go and I would catch them elsewhere. However, when I found myself back on single track trail I realized my Garmin was off and we were nearer the finish than I had expected. I quickened the pace but I knew I didn't have the distance left to recover from the long hike uphill.
I finished in 34:00, a minute faster than my goal. I even came in first in the 20-29 age group. And I know that I shouldn't really complain, but I will. I had a lot left in me after the race. I came home and worked out for an hour. I went back out for another six mile run on Liberty Mountain that night. I feel as though I had a lot of unused fuel left in me, that I played it too safe. I followed through with not letting people passing me get to me, and now I wish I had let it bother me. That I'd let myself compete with the group a little more than just compete for an arbitrary finishing time I had chosen for myself.
Fortunately, this was not a goal race but rather a stepping stone race. I know I am not a particularly strong hill runner at this point but I think I may be a stronger runner than I gave myself credit for going into the race. It isn't a matter that I think I could have been faster, I'm just a little discouraged that I may have pulled the reins too far in on those hills.
Next up, the Liberty Mountain 5k, on February 25th. That race last year gave me my first inkling that something was going on in my body. That something turned out to be a someone who currently resides nestled in my lap as I type.
Alexis
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
2012: Week 4
Monday: Hill Repeats. Planned to run the "Runner Stone Hill" in our neighborhood six times. Ran a two mile warm up, then the six hill repeats and then a short cool down. 4 miles.
Tuesday: Ran a 3.5 mile tempo from the house. Met some girls at the Y where I did another 2 on the treadmill and took a Cross Training class. 5.5 for the day.
Wednesday: Wild Wednesday trail run. Started down Lake Trail which is kind of like 'my' trail as I ran it and only it when running trails the last five months of my pregnancy. 9.5 miles.
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Rest (though it was an Easy 3 day I never made it out for the easy 3...must get better about this!)
Saturday: 1.5 warm-up. Ran Arctic 5k race. Went back out at 8p.m. and ran our usual 6 mile course with a few girls. ~10.5 for the day
Sunday: Another trail run! Ran with a group for 8 on Candler's including a hike up Lone Jack Mountain.
Miles for the week ~ 37.5
Much better week which included four trail runs. I would rather run trails than ANYWHERE else. Took an extra rest day that I wasn't planning on so I clearly still have commitment issues with my training log. Ran the Arctic 5k. Whether or not it was a job well done is still being mulled over in my brain...race report to follow...soon, I think.
Alexis
Tuesday: Ran a 3.5 mile tempo from the house. Met some girls at the Y where I did another 2 on the treadmill and took a Cross Training class. 5.5 for the day.
Wednesday: Wild Wednesday trail run. Started down Lake Trail which is kind of like 'my' trail as I ran it and only it when running trails the last five months of my pregnancy. 9.5 miles.
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Rest (though it was an Easy 3 day I never made it out for the easy 3...must get better about this!)
Saturday: 1.5 warm-up. Ran Arctic 5k race. Went back out at 8p.m. and ran our usual 6 mile course with a few girls. ~10.5 for the day
Sunday: Another trail run! Ran with a group for 8 on Candler's including a hike up Lone Jack Mountain.
Miles for the week ~ 37.5
Much better week which included four trail runs. I would rather run trails than ANYWHERE else. Took an extra rest day that I wasn't planning on so I clearly still have commitment issues with my training log. Ran the Arctic 5k. Whether or not it was a job well done is still being mulled over in my brain...race report to follow...soon, I think.
Alexis
Monday, January 23, 2012
2012: Week 3
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Cross-training class at Y
Wednesday: Ran our Wild Wednesday run but made a 'rookie' mistake of eating dinner right before heading out, so we called it quits after 6.7 miles though we'd planned to run a solid ten.
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Long run, 15.5 miles. Was downright dreading this long run in the rain even though we were going running with a group. However, it was a great run. Ended up running a sub-8 pace from miles 11-14 which made it an even more fulfilling run.
Sunday: Planned to preview a new 5k course for which I have a race on this upcoming Saturday. Ended up only getting in 3 miles.
Miles for the week: ~25.2
This was a rough week. I'd planned to bring my mileage back in, but then I got lazy and took several extra, unplanned rest days. Sunday's course (which for those of you familiar with the Terrapin Half, imagine if you may, it being a 5k) was brutal and it left me wondering where I was headed, because I felt ultimately aimless. After some reflection I realize I need to schedule my training better, making it more about areas of improvement than just mileage and work on getting my but out of the door when I am running alone.
Alexis
Tuesday: Cross-training class at Y
Wednesday: Ran our Wild Wednesday run but made a 'rookie' mistake of eating dinner right before heading out, so we called it quits after 6.7 miles though we'd planned to run a solid ten.
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Long run, 15.5 miles. Was downright dreading this long run in the rain even though we were going running with a group. However, it was a great run. Ended up running a sub-8 pace from miles 11-14 which made it an even more fulfilling run.
Sunday: Planned to preview a new 5k course for which I have a race on this upcoming Saturday. Ended up only getting in 3 miles.
Miles for the week: ~25.2
This was a rough week. I'd planned to bring my mileage back in, but then I got lazy and took several extra, unplanned rest days. Sunday's course (which for those of you familiar with the Terrapin Half, imagine if you may, it being a 5k) was brutal and it left me wondering where I was headed, because I felt ultimately aimless. After some reflection I realize I need to schedule my training better, making it more about areas of improvement than just mileage and work on getting my but out of the door when I am running alone.
Alexis
Monday, January 16, 2012
2012: Week 2
Monday: Finally ended my many-months-long YMCA hiatus and did a good 40-45 minutes of strength training.
Tuesday: Took a Cross-training class at the Y with some friends. Was supposed to run 4 but I got lazy, decided to add it to Wednesday's run.
Wednesday: Ran our usual 6 in cold, rainy weather at Candler's Mountain. Continued on with a few of the guys for another 4.5 where it poured rain on us. Definitely a good mental workout. Days total: 10.5
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Ran at 8:30 a.m. with a group at Candler's Mountain. Got in 9.5 on hilly roads, fire roads and some trails. Decided to meet some girls at 8 p.m. for another 6 miles. All of these miles felt great. Days total: 15.5
Sunday: Joined a group to run the 'loop' at Holiday lake. Felt really good and averaged a 9:30 pace until the last part which is hilly single track. Went back out with Todd and another guy for another almost 6 miles for a total for the day of 21.6.
Weekly total: ~46.7
I did get in some cross training at the beginning of the week but still need to work on a more well-rounded training regimen. Must be careful not to overtrain!
Tuesday: Took a Cross-training class at the Y with some friends. Was supposed to run 4 but I got lazy, decided to add it to Wednesday's run.
Wednesday: Ran our usual 6 in cold, rainy weather at Candler's Mountain. Continued on with a few of the guys for another 4.5 where it poured rain on us. Definitely a good mental workout. Days total: 10.5
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Ran at 8:30 a.m. with a group at Candler's Mountain. Got in 9.5 on hilly roads, fire roads and some trails. Decided to meet some girls at 8 p.m. for another 6 miles. All of these miles felt great. Days total: 15.5
Sunday: Joined a group to run the 'loop' at Holiday lake. Felt really good and averaged a 9:30 pace until the last part which is hilly single track. Went back out with Todd and another guy for another almost 6 miles for a total for the day of 21.6.
Weekly total: ~46.7
I did get in some cross training at the beginning of the week but still need to work on a more well-rounded training regimen. Must be careful not to overtrain!
Monday, January 9, 2012
2012: Week 1
Monday: Ran from home with Max (our Golden Retriever) following along, 4 miles.
Tuesday: Planned on 3 but took a rest day because Seaner was sick.
Wednesday: Ran 6.25 with our usual group on Candler's Mountain then another 6 with my sister.
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Ran our neighborhood with Todd, 4 hilly, easy miles.
Saturday: Warm-up mile and then first race of the year, Frozen Toe 10k.
Sunday: Planned a 2 1/2 hour run on Candler's but only got in 10.25 miles due to Todd having some hydration needs.
Total miles: ~37
Goals for the upcoming week: Cross-train! Get in some strength training with a somewhat focus on core.
alexis
Tuesday: Planned on 3 but took a rest day because Seaner was sick.
Wednesday: Ran 6.25 with our usual group on Candler's Mountain then another 6 with my sister.
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Ran our neighborhood with Todd, 4 hilly, easy miles.
Saturday: Warm-up mile and then first race of the year, Frozen Toe 10k.
Sunday: Planned a 2 1/2 hour run on Candler's but only got in 10.25 miles due to Todd having some hydration needs.
Total miles: ~37
Goals for the upcoming week: Cross-train! Get in some strength training with a somewhat focus on core.
alexis
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