Hmm…

After the great week we had last week, this week had a lot to live up to. Unfortunately, it came nowhere near. In fact, it was a pretty poor week overall. Here’s a recap:

Monday:
Skipped a run because we were “sore” and basically lazy… I would regret this after Tuesday.

Tuesday:
Track. This is where it all went wrong. Here was our workout:

Start at L pace. 400-400-400-400 (500)
Then 2 sets: 400-400 (300) at M pace
Then 2 x 400 @ S pace (400)
Then 4 x 200 @ S pace (200)

5 miles (3 fast) (Add in our warm-up and cool down, we ran 6.71 miles.)

Looks easy enough, unless you aren’t sure what your pace is, and totally run too fast…for the whole thing. I was quite sore for the next few days, which I think was in part due to going too fast during the workout, as well as not having a recovery run after our long run.

Wednesday:
1.6 miles (10:44 avg pace)
This was a slow run which I had hoped would effectively work out whatever kinks were left over from Sunday and Tuesday’s runs. It did not work. My lower legs felt almost numb during the run. Maybe it was more of a “tingling”. It was enough to make me have to stop. (We’d only planned on running 2 miles since we were both feeling pretty worn out.) The weird “tingling” pain lingered for a few days. It felt better by Friday, but I didn’t want to chance anything, so we held off running again until Saturday (our planned long run for the week.)

Thursday:
Rest/recovery

Friday:
Rest/recovery

Saturday:
Planned- 11 miles
Actual- 9 miles (including 1.5 miles of walking; at least I was on my feet?!)

For this run, we decided to try out the Banks-Vernonia Trail. I’ve heard such great things about this trail from Jen, and we’ve been wanting to try it out for awhile now. It really is a great trail (regardless of how I felt that day…) We’ll definitely make the trip out there again! We might just try a different trail head (the paved portions were wonderful!) We parked in the empty parking lot of the Tophill trail head (which should have been a clue, I guess) which gives you access to a gravelly trail in both directions. We ran out of water on our 10-miler last weekend, so we were planning on running 3 out-and-back to refill our water bottles at the car, then 2.5 out-and-back in the opposite direction. The gravel only lasts for 1-2 miles in each direction, but I don’t think gravel was the best idea for the condition of my legs yesterday…

It took awhile once we got started, but my legs were somewhat warmed up a few miles into the run. We were sloooooow (11:00+ min/mi avg, more plus than anything…), and I never really felt that great. First, I was nervous about any sensation I felt in my lower legs. They were actually not a problem during the run (thank goodness!!), but I was still paranoid they were headed toward a lingering injury. Next came the hamstring cramp. I’ve noticed my hamstrings becoming more and more tight over the past couple of weeks. I have been stretching them, but I have definitely been giving much more attention to my trouble spots (aka my lower legs). I easily cramp up in this region, and really need to focus more on stretching these guys out (as well as strengthening their neighbors, my quads!) I was able to stretch my hamstrings out, which successful solved that problem (yay!), but another one was just around the corner.

So, as I mentioned above, I learned something this week. The best terrain for sore legs is not gravel. Gravel running is apparently my body’s worst nightmare… especially my hips! As soon as my hamstring problem subsided, a new pain slowly started creeping into my right hip. I tried to see if the pain would diminish if I continued running, but focused on my gait. Unfortunately, it only got worse. The pain became so bad 7.6 miles into the run that I had to stop. I tried stretching it out, which made it feel sooo much better, but only temporarily. As soon as I started running (or walking for that matter) the pain would start up again. It was very frustrating!

Since it was on the way home from our run, we decided to stop for lunch at the Helvetia Tavern. They will be serving the post-race food after our half marathon, so we thought a run-through was appropriate! The tavern is also located along the race course, so we drove the course after our stomachs were satiated. There are definitely some “rolling hills” but nothing I think we need to worry about, hopefully!

Last week was so great, and this week was, well, a bit of a disaster. Next week is our “peak week” (*fingers crossed*). My hip is definitely feeling better today, but it is in no way pain-free. I’ve been taking ibuprofen, icing, and stretching. I’m hopeful that this is just a cramp, and nothing more serious. I haven’t had any previous hip pain, so I can’t see how it could possibly be anything worse. Overall, my legs are a little sore, which I guess is to be expected after a long run (cut short) :’(. So, as long as my hip tolerates some running…. here’s our plan for the upcoming week:

Monday:
4 miles

Tuesday:
Yoga? (Must…get…limber ;)

Wednesday:
6 miles

Thursday:
4 miles

Friday:
Rest Day

Saturday:
12 miles (Total for the week: 26 miles!)

Sunday:
Me = Volunteering at the Rum Run
J = Running the 5k (without me!)

After last Tuesday, I’ve decided to hold off on Track workouts until after our Half. You have to have a good 5k/10k time to pace off of, and I don’t really have an accurate one, at the moment. I know that my current 5k/10k time would be faster than my current PRs, but I don’t want to break my body trying to find the right pace; at least not until we’ve successfully finished (and rocked!) the Half! :) At this point, I think it’s most important for us to get through our scheduled runs. We’re not (and should not) be aiming for a specific time, anyway. Our number 1 goal is to finish, and as long as we do that, we’ll PR! (Isn’t it great to be a newbie?)

I also want to make sure I keep up with my stretching. I can get quite focused on my “trouble spots”, but I wouldn’t have so many if I treated all my “spots” equally, now would I? I know of some free yoga classes nearby that I would like to try out. I’ve done yoga before, and really liked it. It could be a great way to cross train for increased flexibility and strength. Here’s hoping anyway!

And now for some pictures from the weekend:

Gravel…Cure for a lousy run? / Practice run for our post-race fuel! After a lousy run, before beer/food: Beer: Food: After beer/food:

Cheers to next week!