Blah week + Bridge to Brews Photos

This week has been a really “blah week” after our awesome 10K last weekend. Monday, I was unable to run due to a stomach ulcer flair up, which was probably for the best, because my legs have been really heavy this week. Here’s a recap of the week, thus far:

Monday:
MD visit :)

Tuesday:
Rest Day

Wednesday:
4 miles (10:55 pace)

Thursday:
3 miles (10:57 pace)

No, those paces are not typos (although they are consistent! :). My legs have been heavy as lead. I haven’t experienced any “bad” pain, and I have been able to complete the runs. But I’ve certainly felt better before! I am hoping my legs have recovered by this weekend for our next long run. We have 7 miles on the agenda. Here’s our weekend plans:

Friday:
Rest Day

Saturday:
Volunteer at the bag check for the Earth Day Run.
7 miles (may move it to Sunday)

Sunday:
Rest Day/7 miles (we’ll see)

That’s right! We’re volunteering again! It should be a good time, and I think we’re gonna be working with the same people. (And we might even get hooked up with some free “beverages” at the end! :) I’ll try to recap the race (from the volunteer perspective) at the end of the weekend.

I’ll leave you with some pictures from the Bridge to Brews 10K last Sunday.

Running over the bridge:

The bridge:

The other bridge (Why do I run with my thumbs up?):

The stupid little itty bitty hill, right before the end:

Some brews and our cute matching hats!

Hesitant return

Well (knock on wood!) I think I am easing back into the running game. Friday we started with an EASY run along the grass at the waterfront. We went 1.79 miles at a whopping 13:03 pace. It was slow, but my shins felt ok during the run, and more importantly, ok the day after the run. They didn't exactly feel great or even pain-free, but they do appear to be much better than they were before the hiatus.

We ran again today (Monday) with similar results, at a slightly quicker pace (1.84 miles, 11:21 pace). Again, not quite pain-free but pretty close, and we did a lot of walking afterward without any increase in pain, so I'm hopeful this will keep up! (*fingers crossed*)

I've formulated a new post-run ritual: 1) rub out my inner shin muscles (which always seem to bunch up terribly, but may actually be getting better...wishful thinking?) 2) ice! Thus far this has helped immensely, hopefully the results continue!

In other news, we had a 25% off coupon at a local running store (Fit Right NW), and we made good use out of it. (Well I did at least...) First, I got some new capri pants (Adidas Supernova Glide 3/4 Tights). I have a pair of running pants (they're probably more yoga pants, really) that I've used up until this point, but I wanted something tighter that would stop dragging along the ground behind me. I tried on some full running tights, but they seemed a bit too warm for the weather at this point, so I held off on purchasing them for now.



I also got 2 new pairs of shorts (Nike Tempo Track Shorts and Puma shorts in Kelly Green that I can't find anywhere online). I didn't previously own any "running" shorts, so I was wanting to stock up in preparation for warmer weather.

I tried to find a top to buy, too, but I couldn't find anything that drew my interest, so that will have to wait for another day.

I'm really looking forward to trying out my new gear on Wednesday, and I'm very hopeful that my shins will continue to hold out. I'm going to continue at this distance and pace through Friday, and if my shins continue to be symptoms free, we'll start increasing the distance next week. Here's hoping my plans work out!