A rough 10 miles...

I was so pumped this morning to run my first double digit run. 10 miles! While I was excited, I also was terrified of how my body would do going that far. We started at 6:45 this morning, and my trepidation was not entirely about the mileage but the north route we were taking. I knew now from experience the inclines and hills here do a number on my knees. I was worried but hopeful today could be different.

I was reminded in mile 6 that this route was painful. I have no idea why as I run hills and inclines in Redondo Beach but somehow these hills ....they just punish my one tendon.

At mile 8 I was in pain, no longer in hills, but the damage was done and I was struggling. How was I to do the last 2 miles? A mentor told me to drop out but I pushed on (stupid) and finally at mile 9, pulled the trigger and dropped away from the group. I ran/walked the last mile back but with more walking. The pain was now shooting up my leg and it felt like my leg was going to give out underneath me.

I was so disappointed, mostly because I wanted to finish with my group...though I finished about 4-5 minutes behind them. I was mostly bummed that I missed that run that I could feel so good about, and be able to scream I DID IT! ... I feel like I am grumbling the words instead.

Stupid, right? I did it but it did not happen the way I had hoped, so I feel a little robbed of my moment.

I know I need to get over it, I did it...and that is something to be proud of anyway. And I am that much closer to that 13.1 half marathon! 

Another 8 mile run!

This run went better than the first 8 mile run but I am thinking it may have been due to a less hilly course and possibly- the gummy bears.

The snack table was early in the run so I just grabbed some gummy bears and saved them for later. I loaded them in my water belt holster like gummy bullets. And tried them about about mile 4 and was encouraged by the yummy instant sugar bolt to help me keep going on this run.

No major knee or foot pain, so I am chalking that up to the course today. Mostly flat with only one hill. We had another runner fall today, a tall 6 foot 7 inch guy who had a long way to go before he hit the ground but it looked like he was not paying attention to the road changes and just tripped on uneven ground. 

I don't have a clue how I will be able to run 10 miles next week as I was so tired from this run. But I think I said that before when I had to run the 10k and that 8 milers...so here's hoping I can get into double digits injury-free!  6:45 am run next week and 10 miles - omg, I am nearly at the half marathon mileage! 

LA Leggers gather with their pace groups before the run starts! 

Recovery days

So I finally learned the hard way that recovery days are truly important. Last week I stuck to my mid-week training schedule and ran Tuesday and Thursday in preparation for my long run on Saturday. I decided to take a relaxing yoga class on my lunch on Friday, only to get into class and have the instructor ask me "where are your weights?" ....ummm, wait, ....what?!

So it appeared my 'yoga for athletes' class had been turned into a Yoga RIPPED class. Which meant it kicked my ass instead of relaxing me...my legs and arms shook after class...I was dreading my long run on Saturday.

I did the run Saturday, but was feeling pain the last 2 miles in my knee...and oh, by the way, I had a long ago scheduled 5k race on Sunday...looking back now..I should have skipped it and just recovered from the last 3 days but as you know....that is not what I did. I ran the race...or rather I limped and jogged thru the race....

My Sunday afternoon was filled with icing my knee, icing my swelling foot muscle, soaking in Epsom salt, taking Advil and elevating my feet - basically stuck couch bound. I decided not to run or exercise again for the next 3 days- icing, and soaking and stretching instead. It's hard to sit still....But It's really hard not to feel anxious when you are missing training days.

Today was my first run back, and I did an easy 3 miles just slow and steady. No pain, no swelling- so onto more advil and used some preventative ice as I drove into work. My new shoe inserts took some getting used to but I think they will help as I dare to do the long 8 miles again this weekend. Sunday will be all rest until I get on a plane to Vegas for work.

I am not going to take recovery days for granted again...I will listen when my body pushes back and made a pact with running friend that we will not push ourselves to feel obligated to do that monthly race pact if we really should be resting..we both agreed this week "isn't all this running supposed to be making us healthy? Not tearing us up!" ..Yes, We know better now!

Best song today: Run, Baby, Run by Sheryl Crow

Day after long run: a 5k race? Sure... Why not!?

So long ago I agreed to a race a month with a co-worker. So I had signed up for some of these races long before I joined the running group and learned about my training schedule. 

Thus a running weekend with an 8 mile run followed the next day with a 5k race at USC for Prostrate Cancer Research...aargh. My left knee muscle (now learned it is called the popliteus muscle) was already bothering me from the 8 mile run so I was really dreading the race today.

My running partner and I laughed this morning when we were walking to the race, we said, "At least it's only 3 miles!", a sentence we both could not believe. We agreed we had already come a long ways to be able to say that now. But he was still feeling stiff in his calves from his hill sprints on Thursday and the 8 miler yesterday. So we both walked to the race limping and moaning about how much we did not want to do this but knowing neither of us could back out without the other giving such grief, it would not be worth it.

He was still going for a good run time, and  I told him to go for it. I was going to run/walk it to save my knee. We split up at the start line, me hanging back and him moving to the front but we agreed to meet at the water fountain afterwards. As anticipated, the race was painful...I was feeling my knee scream before I even hit the mile 1 marker. I was walking before I passed the marker and by 1.5 miles, I was thinking of dropping out completely. I realized though that either way I had to get back to where we started so I figured I might as well complete the race and just walk as much as I needed. I walked a lot! Though I did not walk for minutes at a time, I stopped again and again when my knee was telling me too- I was miserable. The pain is gone when walking and appears during the run...so I walked and ran and walked and ran some more...somewhere I missed the mile 2 sign and was feeling unhappy that quitting was no longer an option. I was too damn stubborn to give up. 

Nearing the end, I went for it, trying to gain some time back from all the walking. After I got to the home stretch I could not feel my knee, only hear my friend screaming for me- and the crowd cheering. I finished in 31:41. Not bad for all the walking, but I was really happy that I finished what I set out to do.

We celebrated our week run efforts with a great breakfast. I treated my feet to an Epsom salt soak and am icing my knee up. I feel pretty good, and see my body is recovering quicker and quicker each week. I feel like I am on my way!

Aaaaah! 

8 miles - whew!

Today my running group ran 8 miles...yikes, that felt really far!

I was good up until my running partner (remember the two x two running line) somehow hit her foot perfectly into a small hole in the road and went down fast & hard into the street. All those running behind us nearly ran into her and I stopped for a moment to help her only to hear the leaders order "KEEP RUNNING! Dave has her!",  so I resumed running trying to both run and look behind to see if she was ok. As explained, one of the leaders in the back of the running line was taking care of her and I was left to run alone til the guy behind me, who was on my heels most of the first half, ran up to run with me. He was annoying but I tuned into the music and tried to ignore him.

At mile 4.5 they had a water station and snack table for us plus lots of water to refill our water bottles and lots of different offerings of food fuel to try- they told us to experiment and see how the different items made you feel. They had potato pieces, bagel pieces, orange slices, grapes, pretzel pieces and much more. I grabbed a few grapes and refilled my water bottle which was nearly empty from the heat. We were then back running and off to finish the miles. My running partner returned here too and finished the run, bloodied knees and all.

At mile 6, my IT band near my left knee starting screaming at me..and every walk break afterwards was a blessing. I was unsure if I might need to stop before the 8 mile mark but I was determined that if I came that far I was not going to let go without a fight. Thank god for the run/walk training…today, there was no other way to have completed my longest run yet!  I was so happy when it was over, my legs hurt and I was done.

I felt great pretty quick afterwards and am thankful that next week is only another 8 mile run...now to research fixing this IT band issue! 

My weekend is not quite over yet- With a 5k run tomorrow with friends still to be done- my monthly race commitment - I am thinking I may not race it and just jog it thru....but we shall see how I feel. Wish me luck! 

My pace group with the LA Leggers taken after our 8 mile run today!

6 mile training run

I was worried about this training run this morning:  6 miles, new pace group, and the heat. 

Running slower than you typically run was really the first chance I have ever had to know how that big dog feels pulling on the leash trying to go faster. The first few miles were frustratingly slow and it felt like we stopped a lot. We ran 10 minutes and walked 1 minute for the whole six miles, up some great inclines, through the neighborhoods of Santa Monica running down the streets with 70 people two by two. 

The girl next to me was frustrated too, and twice, her and I devised a plan to sprint into the gaps up the chain closer to the front of the line. I loved it! 

What is interesting so far, is you hardly need music running with a group. You are so busy passing signals and screaming warnings down the line, (car up! car down! walker right! car door! footing!) I was grateful to have have set my running app to notify of every two miles so I had a better idea where we were in the run and know as the heat increased that we were 2/3 done with the run. The view of some amazing houses in Santa Monica is not bad either - really beautiful. 

To celebrate the 6 mile run, I went to the sporting goods store and bought me some new gear for next week!  New visor, new drinking bottles & waistband, new socks and some new under armor undies- because panty lines are never acceptable! 

Next week -  8 miles!!!! I have never run that far yet, I am a little nervous.... But given my performance today I am feeling strong.