To Run or Not to Run

Well, that is the question, isn't it?

Last week was a great week of running.  I ran for 52 miles total and during/after each run I felt strong and confident.  I was hitting the right paces on the faster runs and the easy runs felt east.  My long run on Sunday was a little under pace but I finished the 16 miles feeling like I had really accomplished something.

This week, however, hasn't been as great.  Tuesday, I went out to do some interval work at marathon pace and noticed that my left shin was hurting.  The pain was causing me to limp slightly so I made the decision to skip the run, thinking that maybe I'd try again the next day.  When I got up Wednesday the sharp pain was no longer there but it was feeling a bit tender so I went ahead with the planned rest day.  I ended up doing quite a bit of walking so I didn't feel too bad about skipping the speedwork for the week.

Thursday I did a 7 miler that was OK.  It wasn't a great run but it also wasn't a bad run.  My shin was feeling OK during and after the run; however, when I went down to the gym in the afternoon if started to hurt sharply again.  Uh oh!

So, what do I do?  I decided to get a good night's sleep and see how I felt in the morning.

Today, Friday, I planned to run to work.  Saturday is to be a rest day.  Sunday I have signed up for a 10K in order to judge my current fitness and see if a sub-4 marathon is in sight.  On the one hand, Sunday's race is important from a mental aspect.  It'll be a tremendous boost to run a great time for the 10K and know that my speed is there for the sub-4 attempt in a few months.  However, this isn't a goal race so I am a little nervous about taking another day off during the training cycle.

I woke up convinced I was going to run.  By the time I made it downstairs, I had decided not to run.  I think I'm being smart about a small injury so that it doesn't turn in to a larger injury but that doesn't keep the doubts at bay - What am I doing?  Who do I think I am attempting to run sub-4?  I'm not a fast runner!  Why is a sub-4 time so important?  I'm just not made for running fast.  I should just run Charleston for fun - slow and fun.  I can't do this so why try?

It is hard no to lose sight of the big picture (I was running strong going in to this marathon training cycle, I've been running strong up until now.  One bad week, a few missed runs - not that big a deal) when the immediate view feels so all encompassing (oh my god, I'm injured, when will I ever be able to run again.  Probably never.  Why is this happening to me?).  However, one missed run, one very mild case of shin splints isn't going to make or break me as a runner so I might as well enjoy the extra rest and start focusing on Sunday's PR attempt at the 10K.

Confidence and strength, not fear, that's the lesson I want to learn during this training cycle.

On My Way Back

Ok – Yesterday’s post was just all-kinds of negative energy. Sorry about that! That isn’t normally who I am. Still, I was a bit apprehensive about this morning’s run. The last thing I wanted or needed was a repeat of the day before.

However, from the first step the anxiety melted away. My leg was somewhat tight was definitely better than it has been (yay!), the freshly fallen snow was fun and challenging rather than a tedious, and even though I was going at a much slower pace than normal (12 minute miles compared to 10:30 miles) I felt like I was in the groove.

It feels good to be on my way back.

Daily Dozen:
5.1 miles @ morning run, freshly fallen snow
XT and strength training @ lunch hour

Two Runs - Two Different Outcomes

I had high hopes for this morning’s run: I’m finally back from a self-imposed (injury-imposed) weeklong break from running, yesterday’s running wasn’t terrible and I do enjoy running on snow. The run didn’t go that well but maybe I was expecting too much: I’m just coming back from an injury and haven’t run for a week, yesterday’s run wasn’t very reassuring and running on snow is hard and slow.

Yesterday was my first day back to running. I headed out in the pre-dawn darkness, packed snow and ice crunching underfoot and a lingering tightness in my left quad. I wanted to do a slow 5 miles to test out my leg but maybe that was too much? Despite some dull pain in my leg I kept running and by the end of the run, I was feeling good.

Also, cruising along on the snow was fun: everything seemed so quiet and calm with a thin snow layer. The moon was out and its light reflecting off the snow made the morning brighter than usual. Rather than the normal sound of my footfall, I crunched loudly, packing down snow and breaking up ice that had formed overnight. I felt like I was juggling the snow with my feet as I avoided the icy spots and jumped from packed snow spot to packed snow spot. It really was a tremendous amount of fun.

However, today was a different story. Juggling the snow was physically and mentally exhausting. My leg was stiff and actually hurt today. I was slipping and sliding and just didn’t want to be out there (as much as I really wished that I wanted to be there). Now, my leg is sore today and I’m not sure what to do: see how it goes tomorrow or start getting used to the fact that I need some more time off.

One bad run isn’t the be all, end all of my running but it sure isn’t helping right now.

Daily Dozen:
4 miles – slow but not really easy!

The Run that was Not To Be

A rare treat: temperature nearly 60 degrees and rainy in the middle of January. I actually didn’t believe the Weather Channel when I checked the temperature before picking out my running clothes this morning. I thought the website was glitchy and hadn’t updated properly so I went to the kitchen window to check the thermometer outside. Sure enough, it read nearly sixty degrees.

I grabbed a pair of shorts from the neglected stack. I haven’t worn shorts on a run since November. Shorts are so much easier than tights; easier to put on, easier to pull off. The thought that was literally running through my head was, “YAY!” (Confession: I may have quietly squealed “YAY!” as I got ready for my run this morning.)

I still braced myself for the cold as I stepped out on to the deck. Could it really be nearly 60 degrees outside? Impossible. However, my body and mind clenched for not reason. It felt wonderful outside with the steady rain coming down. Well, this should be fun I thought to myself as I walked around to the front of the house and as soon as I hit the sidewalk, I took off for the bike path ready for a good time in the rain.

I made it to the end of the block.

My left quad / inside thigh started to hurt immediately. My rule of thumb of pain while running is if it doesn’t affect my running gait, I can keep going but if it does, I stop immediately. I was definitely limping and the pain wasn’t going away. Images of my fun, rainy run disappeared; I turned around, shut off my GPS and walked back to the house.

Damn! I am able to (mostly) walk without pain so that is a good sign. I think it is simply a muscle strain and a few rest days will do the trick but I’ve had such a strong few weeks of running I am disappointed to have that much momentum coming to a whimpering stop in the rain.

When I got back to the house, I kicked off my shoes and decided to curl up on the couch for an hour and read. I also decided I would do some strength exercises (pushups, sit-ups, pull-ups, etc.) before jumping in the shower and getting read for the rest of my day. Even if I couldn’t run, I could still do something productive.

However, I wasn’t ready for the sheer exhaustion that would overcome me when I sat on the couch. I simply couldn’t keep my eyes open. Even after that extra hour and a half of sleep, I have been exhausted for the rest of the day. My body just feels run down. I’m not sure what message it is trying to send me; I was so pumped for the run this morning and not five minutes later, I felt utterly drained. My stomach and head are also feeling a little unsettled so maybe I am fighting something and didn’t realize it.

My plan is to taking today and tomorrow off completely and go to bed early both nights. (Sleep does wonderful, healing things. It is truly a miracle.) I’ll reassess how my leg feels but hopefully be up for the planned easy four-miler on Wednesday. Fingers crossed!

Daily Dozen:
Attempted 5 mile run and strength training – thwarted! Unscheduled rest day.

Pride versus Frustration

Alternately, I feel both pride and frustration.

I decided to skip my run this morning despite having woken up early, gotten dressed, packed my backpack, eaten breakfast and been ready to walk out the door. Yesterday the outside part of my left foot started to ache – I think it is a sore tendon or something along those lines – and it didn’t feel right when I was getting ready. I did a quick jog around the living room and I could have made it in to work, I know I could have made it, but I decided the right thing to do was skipped today’s run.

Immediately after making the decision, the right decision, I felt good. I knew it was the right call. My ultimate goal is to be a runner for life and in order to earn that title I need to actually be able to run. In the grand scheme of things, the 7-9 miles I would have run this morning don’t even make a dent.

My foot is feel better as the day goes on – still a bit tender but I should be fine by Sunday (the next scheduled run day). It was the right call to make and I take it as one sign I’m becoming a better runner. I know enough to know I can’t run through pain. Just run, even when that means skipping a run, just run.

Still, I know I could have finished the run.

Daily Dozen:
Rest Day

Tennis Ball Miracle

I continue to recover from the marathon. All of the soreness and muscle pain has been gone for a week now but I am still having some stiffness and pain in my hip/butt/lower back (left side). I have self-diagnosed myself with piriformis syndrome, basically I pulled a muscle in my butt and that has aggravated my lower back and hip. This makes it occassionally painful during walking and running when my left leg makes the swing from front to back and also certain twisting/bending positions will tweak the area.

Rest is the only true cure. The muscle just needs the opportunity heal itself. However, I have been doing deep-tissue massage (read: sitting on a tennis ball) and it has allowed me to walk without pain for the past several hours. Ta-da!

I've also tried to stretch thoroughly with special attention on the area and I think that is helping as well.

My goal and hope is to be back to running by Monday.

In the mean time, I've been enjoying the hours and hours of sleep I've been getting in each night. I've been sleeping consistently over 8 hours, sometimes even over 9 hours, since the marathon. It's been wonderful! Sleep is the secret weapon toward recovery.

I don't understand how other runners can jump right in to their running schedule after a marathon. I cherish this downtime. It feels good. It makes me crave running. Also, I know my body needs the break!

And so, until Monday I raise my glass and salute my lazy side (and the stray tennis ball I found in the back of the hall closet - you're a miracle worker).

Recovery

Recovery from last Sunday’s marathon is going very well. Monday and Tuesday were the worst days in terms of stiffness and pain. My quads were sore but my hamstrings felt tender and my calves were very tight. By Wednesday, my hamstrings were feeling much better. When I woke up Thursday, the soreness was greatly reduced and my calves felt much looser. Today, Friday, five days after running 26.2 miles my legs are pain free, I’m feeling good and I can finally walk down stairs.

Thursday was my first day back in the gym. I decided to concentrate on core exercises since I stopped all strength training during the final month of marathon training. It felt good to get the muscles moving and to work specific core muscles. I went back to the gym again today but focused on stretching. It felt good to just sit in some of the positions and breathe deep.

I’m having some pain in my left piriformis muscle (read: a pain in the butt) so I’m a little hesitant to get back to running. I’ll be at the beach on Saturday morning and I’m hoping I’ll feel up for a short 2 or 3 mile run in the sand. Perhaps the softer surface will be exactly what my legs need.

Today’s Daily Dozen:
45 minutes of stretching w/ an easy warm-up and cool down

Live to Run Another Day

Some runs are worth fighting for.

Some runs are hard because my legs are tired and every step is effort of will but I know that pushing through is worth it because I need to conquer that little voice that tells me I should to just give up because it is too hard.

Some runs are just not meant to be. Today I had one of these runs.

My left quadriceps has been giving me a little trouble for the past week. It feels like a muscle strain and after a few miles of running it is sufficiently warmed up and I don't have an pain. This morning, however, it just didn't feel right and was taking too long to warm up.

I also haven't been getting the number of hours of sleep that I should for the past two or three nights. Its not that I have been sleeping poorly just that I have been staying for one reason or another and getting an hour less sleep than normal. As a result, my heart rate jumped up this morning during the first hill and stayed up. An elevated heart rate is an indication that my body hasn't been able to fully recovery and I need to listen up.

On top of these things, every step seemed to be a tremendous effort. It felt like I was running through quicksand toward the end.

This wasn't the run to show my courage and push through to the finish. I listened to my body - quad, heart and legs - and it was telling me to take a break. I need to live to run another day, not crash and burn on a training run.

And so I stopped. Without regret or guilt, I let myself cut short a run that I could have completed. It just wasn't worth tempting injury. It was a smart move and the right call, I'm proud of myself for listening to my body.

I am sacrificing the remaining 5.5 miles to the running gods in the knowledge that they have blessed me with some effortless runs, helped push me through some tough runs and will provide a great day for the upcoming marathon.

Today's Daily Dozen:
3.5 mile morning run

Hesitation

I’ve been hesitant to write about my running. It’s been going so well lately but I feel like I am teetering on the edge of overtraining/injury and if I pay too much attention to it, I’ll fall in to that pit of despair.

My foot has felt fine for the past week, not a twinge since it flared up two weeks ago. My right shin has been giving me some trouble (just your normal, run-of-the-mill shin splints, I’m sure) but once I warm up it no longer hurts and it has been noticeably less irritate each day.

I’m so afraid of jinxing myself that each morning I run, I think about what I want to write about that day but I don’t end up doing it for fear of saying out loud, “Wow, things are awesome!,” which is exactly how I was feeling before my foot started hurting last fall and I was out of commission for two months. Fear does funny things.

This morning I had a scheduled 8 mile run that went so spectacularly well and I’ve felt so great all day, I can’t help writing about it. I’m so proud of my run this morning.

I took it slow to warm up over the first mile and then I let myself run faster. I was looking for a comfortable but fast pace that I could hold over 7 miles (as opposed to last Wednesday’s 8-miler that I ran two miles to fatigue, 2 miles to recover and 2 miles to fatigue again, in the middle of a one mile warm-up and one mile cool down). Last week’s hard 2 mile intervals were in the 8:30 pace range and I was looking to get in the 10:00 pace this morning.

To my surprise, I was close to 9:30 on the first fast mile and I kept hitting this range over and over again as I ticked off the miles. I felt so solid at this pace. It was wonderful. I was cruising up hills and flying down the other side. I was stealthily gliding along the dark morning as the sun came up slowly over the horizon and I was there to challenge it to a foot race.

Consistently hitting under 10 minute miles is quite an achievement for me. When I started running, I could barely reach 12 minute miles when I was on the treadmill and I was hitting a consistent 12:00 pace throughout training for my first marathon two years ago. Now look at me; I’m in the single digit pace range!

Just like the final mile of the half marathon I ran over the weekend, I wanted to see how much I really had left in my legs after so many miles at a fast pace and gave it everything I had for mile 8. Approximately halfway through that final mile, I began struggling to maintain focus and started repeating, “Just keep it going. Just keep it going.,” to myself, over and over again. I completed that final mile in 8 minutes 40 seconds. Woooh, I’m so relieved!

I finished off the run with a slow half mile cool down.

I’m still hoping I haven’t jinxed myself or my running but for now I’m shouting it from every proverbial mountaintop – BECKI LOVES TO RUN (and running appears to love Becki *fingers crossed*).

Today's Daily Dozen

8.5 miles - 7 at Marathon Pace (or faster)

Uh-Oh!

I’m trying hard not to overact…but my foot started to hurt while I was running this morning. Yes, my right foot. Yes, the foot that was injured a few months ago.

Around Mile 1 of the run, my right foot started to hurt; a sharp pain that came on suddenly. However, it quickly turned in to a dull ache that lasted through the start of Mile 2. Over the next mile or two, the dull ache slowly dissipated and my foot felt weak but all I could think about was my foot and being injured and not being able to run the marathon, let alone all the races I have planned along the way…and then, my foot no longer hurt.

I finished my 7 miler without any more pain in my foot (but did have a weird pain in my left hamstring…I swear, sometimes pain migrates, when it doesn’t feel like it is getting my attention in one spot, it’ll move to another). However, the thought of being injured again left me a bit (hopefully, irrationally) freaked and I taped my foot to provide extra support in my work shoes. I also plan on getting back in the habit of wearing my sneakers while I’m home because walking around barefoot doesn’t do my foot any favors.

That being said, my pace was great this morning and I couldn’t be happier about that aspect of the run. The last couple miles of the run felt great; very, very easy.

So fingers crossed everyone….I might take tomorrow off….just in case.

Today’s Daily Dozen
7 mile run

Recovery Complete

Early on Saturday morning I set out for the final run of my rebuilding phase, recovering from a (assumed) stress fracture in my right foot. It was a perfect winter morning: the air was crisp but pleasant, the sky a bright cloudless blue, and the sun was shining down. It felt great to end my recovery on such a beautiful morning.

The workout was 30 minutes running followed by 1 minute walking repeated twice and as I began the run I told myself to just take it easy and enjoy the run. I had successfully rebuilt my running after not running a step for two months and I wanted to savor run. However, the idea to “just take it easy” was not to be and I ended up pushing the pace during the run. It was beautiful day and I was excited to end it well. I felt good and I wanted to end it on a run I could be proud of.

I am thankful to be back to running and grateful that my body is healthy again. I was in such a good mood as I ran along the bike trails, waving and saying “Good Morning” to all the runners and walkers I passed. I wanted to stop each one of them and shout, “I’m back…I’m back!” I was tempted to skip and jump up and down and laugh with joy. But I didn’t do any of those things. However, all those people I passed may have been wondering what that short little runner who passed by them was smirking about and I’m sure everyone could see the twinkle in my eye.

I polished off the 5-week long rebuilding phase with a 6.13 mile run in a time of 1:02. As my Garmin beeped off the final seconds, my legs felt tired but strong. They felt like runner’s legs once again.

This morning, Monday morning, I begin the next phase of building up to a marathon with my goal being the Vermont City Marathon in Burlington, VT at the end of May. I’ll be following Hal Higdon’s Novice 1 training program, which is the program I used, quite successfully, for my first marathon nearly two years ago. However, I’ll have to wait to actually start running because the very first day of the training program…is a cross-training day. Tomorrow, tomorrow!

Today’s Daily Dozen:
2.3 mile walk w/ inclines (treadmill), stopped every ten minutes for a set of 15 push-ups
Core workout on stability ball @ lunch hour

Confessions of a Runner

I admit it. I may have over done it...a bit... this morning. I've been feeling good about my running lately and rather than follow the just over 4-mile loop I should have taken for a planned 42-minute run (13 min. run/1 min. walk x 3 intervals), I chose to take a five-mile loop.

I thought to myself, "I'm feeling good. Just go for it. What's the worst that can happen?" Don't answer that...I know that answer and I should know better but good running feels so good. It’s like a drug; I'm constantly looking for ways to extend the high or new ways to reach the high. I rationalized the longer loop thinking that if I wasn't feeling it, I could just walk the last mile and at least it would guarantee more exercise. If I am honest, even as formed the rationalization in my head I knew there was no way I would be walking that last mile, I had zero intention of ever walking that last mile.

As I walked to warm-up/wake up in the chilly morning, I was thankful that the rain had paused and that the temperature wasn't colder (mid-30s). The wind wasn't blowing so once I got started it was a surprisingly comfortable run temperature-wise. I took off running and got into the groove, working out the little aches and pains that pop up but go away just as quickly, assessing my body as it woke up and I found my stride, and I completely ignored the turn I should have taken to make a four-mile loop, stubbornly, sticking to the idea that I needed to go for five. Five miles was my usual easy run before I was injured.

I felt great, my running felt effortless and the intervals were now long enough that I could forget the clock and get lost in my run, which is what I did and almost ran right through the first walking break. By the end of the third interval, I will also admit that my legs were feeling a little tired, in a good way, in the way legs are supposed to feel after a great run. If I had ended the run there, as prescribed by my schedule, it would have been a successful run; nothing to be ashamed of in the distance or pace. I should have felt satisfied...

Then I had to face the reality that I was still a mile from home and I probably shouldn't have been. After a final walk break, my legs were feeling better so I took off running but gave myself permission to walk if I needed to. Long story, short, I made it back to the apartment running the entire rest of the way and I felt good.

In fact, I still feel good about the run a few hours later. My legs are feeling strong and powerful and I'm enthusiastic about the upcoming months and training. I feel like I'm back! Finally! Of course, I could do an extra mile, no big deal. What's five miles when I was going to run just over 4 anyway?

However, this is exactly the line of thinking that got me an overuse injury. I've got to learn from those training mistakes and not make them again. Testing out my abilities and stretching my limits is fine as long as it doesn't become my training norm. Now that I had my ill-disciplined fun this morning, I've got to be extra vigilant that I don't let myself get too carried away with how things are progressing. Friday, I promise, will be the scheduled 3 miles, nice and easy...that's it.

An Injured Runner

I am currently recovering from an injury that has prevented me from running. I *believe* I have a stress fracture in one of the outside bones on my right foot due to overtraining for a marathon and this injury has stopped me from running (with the exception of one foolish incident) for over a month.

The reason I say "believe" is because I have not had this confirmed by a doctor, mostly because rest has relieved the pain and it is my understanding that there really isn't much a doctor can do for a stress fracture other than prescribe rest.

I felt a sharp pain in my right foot while running the Army Ten Miler (ATM) in early October, still finished the race but ended up hobbling and limping for the next three days. I wasn't sure what had happened but I knew that resting it was the only thing that was alleviating the pain - drugs and ice had no effect. At first, I told myself that I would be up and running in no time, after all, I had another ten mile race and a marathon planned. As the days went by, it became evident that I would have to nix the marathon plans but I still foolishly attempted the ten mile race (family bragging rights were at stake so I had to give it shot). I only made it 4 miles through that race before the pain became sharp and I dropped out (my only DNF so far - bummer). I keep telling myself that I planned it smart but the DNF still stings.

However, three weeks from the race and I've had zero pain, ache or discomfort in my foot for three straight days now. I am very much encouraged by this improvement but I have publicly vowed that I will not be running for the entire month of November. Yet, my outlook on running has certainly improved and I'm starting to come up with a running plan/schedule for building my running back up so I can run the National Half Marathon in March.

If I can just hold myself to the self-imposed running ban, I know I'll be back to running and happy to be doing something I love. In the mean time, the treadmill incline button and the free weights have become the best friends I am using the make my formal best friend, running, jealous. Think its working?