Ahhhh, it felt so good to be home this week. I felt like I could finally focus on catching up on sleep and make the apartment feel more like a home as opposed to a random place where I’ve slept a few nights this month. I unpacked my office (finally) on Monday and working in my new space each day this past week was refreshing. The apartment is flooded with light in the morning – it makes waking up with my cup of coffee that much easier. 🙂

Because I was less stressed about the new place, I think I was also less stressed about training. The added relief of running my first 20 miler last weekend made me feel like I could really focus on quality workouts. Annnnd the PERFECT weather in Chicago lately was pretty nice too.

The glaring hole in my training lately has been a lack of both core AND strength work. This is a huge red flag to me because this is when I usually tend to break down. I’m committing to both this week and hope to avoid the DOMS waddle as much as I can. On the other hand, I have been foam rolling every day and stretching more than I have in recently weeks.

Monday: [Easy 8.1 mi, 7:45 avg] 

Legs had some pep and ‘pop’ (in a good way) today. It was a grey, gloomy day but a perfect one for an easy run. After about two weeks of running in hot & humid D.C., a cool lakefront felt like a big treat (and contributed to a relatively speedy easy run). It’s amazing what kind of clothing people think they should be wearing when it’s 60 degrees outside – shirtless dude in shorts was followed by a woman with ear warmers, two long sleeve shirts, and leggings on. IT’S NOT WINTER, PEOPLE! But I guess, you’re prepared?

Tuesday: [Speed: 10.07 mi, 4 x 1 mi] 

More progress! I take it as a good sign that I actually had FUN during this workout. My goal was to run the mile repeats at 6:15-6:30, so between target 5k and 10k pace. I think I’ve done 5 x 1 mi at 6:25 average before but that was probably a year ago. (And I knew that 6:15 per mile would have been pretty much ridiculous, so I settled on anything between 6:20-6:30.) I’m really happy with how this went and it was the perfect evening for a workout on the lakefront.

Splits: 6:29, 6:12 (poop break = mid-mile rest = speedy split), 6:19, 6:23 – 3 min recovery (45 min walk, remaining jog)

2.57 up, 2.2 down

Wednesday: [Easy 10, 7:54 avg] 

10 easy on the lakefront tonight. I felt like I had a ‘workout hangover’ this morning after the previous night’s speedwork so I didn’t run in the morning as planned. Longish work day and some relaxing at home before heading out around 6:30 pm, which is really late for me. It’s definitely getting darker earlier these days. Hurumph. It was so dark by the time I finished that I ran down the middle of my quiet street to avoid cracks in the sidewalk. I’m clearly learning since the bursitis fall, people! (This was myirst run in the Saucony Cortana – really like them, probably because they just feel like a heavier, more supportive Kinvara.)

Thursday: [10 mi, 7:17 avg with 3 x 10 min @ HMP-ish]

I guess this went well? I dunno, wasn’t really feeling it. Intervals were all on pace, but I just didn’t feel energetic today. 4 consecutive day of running and almost all 10+ miles, so being tired made sense. I was monitoring minor knee pain and iced it after the workout. Ran 2.5 to the lake, 3 x 10 mi at HMP-ish with 3 min jog recovery, and 1.9 home. Splits: 6:44, 6:41, 6:38. I had to give myself a big pep talk on the first one just to get through the headwind going north. Woof. Tailwind was appreciated on the last one!

Friday: OFF 

Much-appreciated rest day!!! My mom drove up this afternoon before seeing family in the suburbs on Saturday. We got mani-pedis and went out to an Italian restaurant for dinner together. It was a nice, relaxing evening. 🙂

Saturday: [15 mi, 7:41 avg]

Beautiful and relatively cool morning out on the lakefront this morning. Manuel A C. had his 20 miler and he absolutely crushed it with a solid negative split. He sauntered into Starbucks where we planned to meet like he was just out for a stroll. My 15 went well, although I was still monitoring some minor knee pain. It originally started on the inside of my right knee but later in the run it shifted to the outside and felt like IT band tightness. It didn’t get worse really, just noticed it off and on. The planned rest day Friday helped and Sunday is another rest day. Not too worried about it but it’s a little discouraging to feel these little pains pop up. I took an ice bath after the long run and iced my knee several times on both Saturday and Sunday. I felt really good at the end of the run, surprisingly. The last two miles were a fast finish: 6:58 & 6:52. I basically spent the rest of the day on the couch watching movies (post- long run insomnia yo!) , drinking beer, and eating pizza. First lazy Saturday in a long time!

I stopped in Fleet Feet to buy a #RunChi t-shirt finally! And then I sheepishly tucked two magazines into my shopping bag. File this under: “I normally don’t look like this.” See also: “That will never happen again!”

Sunday: OFF

Complete rest day. Ahhhh. This felt heavenly. I fell asleep on the couch at 9:30 on Saturday (watching The Lorax, no less) and, after dragging myself to bed, woke up at 10 AM. I haven’t slept that long straight through in a long time and I desperately needed it. I felt like I was cracked out on Saturday, but a brand new refreshed person on Sunday morning. 12 hours sleep + donuts ‘n coffee + brunch with the CT and Corey + football & beer with friends = perfect lil’ Sunday.

Because this is such a condensed training cycle, I know my legs are taking more of a beating that they normally would in a longer cycle. I’m really taking it day by day so that I don’t do something stupid and blow up. I’ve had a bit of deja vu lately because this exact week last year was when my left adductor started to cause big problems and resulted in me not running the Grand Rapids marathon. Thanks to TimeHop, I relived the “big breakdown” through tweets of the past. (I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone.) I’m doing my best to put my head down and put in the work so that I can have a great race this fall!

-J

We all know that recovery is important. You have to stress, recover, and repeat to get fit & fast during a training cycle. But I always feel like people talk about recovery as if it’s some kind of sophisticated act of willing your muscles to feel relatively human again. When, in reality, it’s painful, not all that pretty, and usually involves some kind of teeth-baring agony if you’re really working hard. So, I’ve listed several fancy (and not so fancy) recovery methods and their literal “holy shit why does that hurt so much” translations for the long distance runner.

1. Compression socks –> because squeezing both your muscles and your fat into socks that are 3-4x smaller than they should be feels really, really good (and we don’t know why but it kind of makes us feel badass)
2. Foam rollin’ –> because why not roll around on the floor like a sloth for entirely way too long just because it hurts?
3. Roll recovery –> basically, spring-loaded roller blade wheels with handles that inflict an inordinate amount of pain on your tender muscles. AKA meat/muscle tenderizer (and you’re too lazy and/or tired to roll around on the floor anyway)
4. Legs up the wall –> Reverse that blood flow! And because that awkward bum-shaking shimmy that you do to get closer to said wall is actually hilarious after a 20 miler.
5. Chocolate –> antioxidants, yo. (And because some smartass person once said: “Chocolate comes from cocoa, which comes from a tree. That makes it a plant. So, basically chocolate is a vegetable” …and I believe them 173.9%.)
6. Beer –> Liquid carb-loading, because you probably already ate a bowl of pasta or an entire pizza today. Plus, it’s practically the nectar of the gods.
7. Ice bath –> Because going to the edge of frostbite and back is worth it, damn it! If you can’t feel your crotch, you’re doing it right.
8. Recovery boots –> To reach the point at which you discover that, in fact, your sciatic nerve does exist! And shit, you probably could take a blood pressure test from your buttocks. Also, because you’ve always wondered what it would be like to have elephantiasis of the legs.
9. Active Release Technique (ART) –> Because you know you have “soft tissue” in there …. somewhere.
10. Dry needling and/or acupuncture –> Your legs already hurt so what kind of damage could a bajillion tiny little needles do anyway?! Also, you do this because you get some sort of sick satisfaction of seeing your nerves pulsate and you’re really not sure why.
11. Deep tissue massage –> Because you’re one badass chick/dude and a ‘relaxation’ massage with aromatherapy just won’t do. You value a massage therapist like a normal person values his/her best friend foreverrrrr.
12. Trigger Point Massage Ball –> You seriously never thought you’d ever willingly sit on top of a lacrosse ball or tennis ball and call it ‘magic’. You buy the fancy ball anyway.
13. The Stick –> You might as well use your grandmother’s old wooden rolling pin and call it a day. see also: meet tenderizer slash foam roller slash Roll Recovery.
14. Your Couch –> Your most prized possession: you know, before, during, or after you commit to #1-13. It’s like a Choose Your Own Adventure book, really. See alternate: the floor, because it’s never felt so comfortable as it does after a 20 miler in 90 degrees.
15. Chiropractic adjustment –> You’re a sick individual and you love hearing that snap, crackle, and pop. And you’re supposedly ‘aligned’ because of it.

Your ability to recover quickly is directly correlated to your willingness to commit to 1 or 15 of these methods, which usually results in looking like some type of fool to the general population. But you never said you were normal anyway.

What’s your favorite recovery method? And what kind of love/hate relationship do you have with it?

– J

Week 5: the week I started to feel my legs coming back around.

This week wasn’t nearly as stressful as weeks 3 or 4 but I was still traveling for work and then extended my stay in DC through the weekend to spend time with my lovely sisters. I flew out Monday and flew home on Sunday so I was in full “live out of your suitcase” mode — which, is probably a good thing because whatever wasn’t in my suitcase was still packed away in boxes in the new apartment.

On Sunday, I realized I had only been home for 3 days this entire month — but I genuinely enjoyed training in DC! I felt like I had quality workouts and my legs didn’t struggle through workouts kicking and screaming (well, maybe a little whining here and there).

Monday: OFF 

I had a run planned today but I was exhausted and had to tidy up a few things before flying out that afternoon. A rest day after 13 mi at GMP (and 18 mi total) the day before was probably wise anyway. Worked out for the best.

Tuesday: [9.24 mi total: 10 x 600 workout] 

This was the BEST workout I’ve had probably since before Boston. I haven’t really felt like myself lately – but that’s probably because I only have 4-5 weeks of consistent running logged since the bursitis healed. Consistency is beginning to pay off.

I’m sure the cooler temps in DC had something to do with it – it was a beautiful morning for a workout. I ran through the mall to Potomac Park and ran around Hains Point. I wish I had done my research the week before because I would have done workouts in the same place. It’s flat, fairly shaded, and a large portion of it is actually closed to vehicles. I saw plenty of cyclists whiz by and some speedy runners. I think it was also a bit cooler right on the water. This was my first 600m repeat workout ever – it’s interesting because my body knows how to run 400m, but extending it 200m was challenging. The goal was between 6:10-6:20 pace with 1:30 recovery jog between (30 sec walk, 1 min jog)

Splits: 2:16, 2:18, 2:17, 2:17, 2:20, 2:20, 2:21, 2:12 (woah nelly), 2:16, 2:22.

Confidence boost!

Wednesday: [Easy 5 with client + Easy 5 solo]

AM 5 easy, 8:24 avg: Took a client for a run around the tidal basin and down the national mall this morning. Another beautiful rave run in DC! Legs were tired yesterday and a bit fatigued this morning but the shakeout helped.

View of the tidal basin, with Washington Monument to the left

PM 5 easy, 7:37 avg: Another easy 5 after a long day of work. Stopped at the Jefferson Memorial and the steps of the Lincoln Memorial just to people watch. Observation: there were groups or pairs of people that were obviously traveling together, yet they all chose to take selfies of themselves with each monument. I wanted to turn and yell “why don’t you just take each others’ picture?!”

Thursday: [9 miles, 7:40 avg – 6 mi steady state]

I slept through my workout this morning and had a full day of work. I was really looking forward to a solid 10-12 miles to start the day. Storms were expected later this afternoon so I wasn’t sure if I would be able to run at all. Luckily, my sister was planning on going to her gym today anyway and had a guest pass I could use. We had dinner plans so I shortened the steady state from 8 to 6 miles. It was stupid hot and humid in the gym and I never really found a rhythm. It’s been awhile since I ran on a treadmill in general so I’m assuming that’s why I felt a little crazed. Still, happy to be able to get in a short workout. 2 up, 6 at 7:13-7:19, 1 down.

Friday: [Recovery 4.13, 7:47 avg]

Recovery 4 from my sister’s apartment mid-morning. Ran down Capitol Hill and then back up it! A homeless dude chirped “4 min miles, 4 min miles,…” as I jogged by.

Saturday: [20 mi LSD, 8:24 avg]

First 20 done! Fueled by pizza, chocolate brownies and ice cream. My sisters and I all had long runs to do this morning. Lindsey T. was a wonderful tour guide for the first 6 miles. We ran from her apartment down Capitol Hill to the mall, then over the bridge to the Mount Vernon Trail, where we split off to finish our own distances. I ran past DCA and then back to the Mall before doing a loop at Hains Point. I really started to miss frequent water fountains between miles 4.5 and 13.5. It wasn’t terribly hot or humid (and there was plenty of cloud cover) but I stopped for several minutes at mile 13-14 just to make sure to get enough water and not bonk. The first 6 mi were 10 min/mi just chatting with my sisters and the last 14 were 7:30-7:50. The last time all three of us ran together was probably middle school. We talked the entire time and I couldn’t believe that we’d already run 6 miles by the time we had to split off.

Loved this route!

3 sisters, 42 collective running miles before 11 AM.

20 miles followed by a beer festival. It’s practically routine now: run 20 and drink beer for 4 hrs. Related: if you ever thought Korean BBQ tacos taste yummy, try running 20 miles beforehand. I practically went weak at the knees.

Sunday: OFF – back to Chi 

I’m really happy with how this week’s training went. I may not be hitting paces or feeling quite as strong as I have in past cycles, but I know my legs and motivation are starting to come around. I feel like after being 157% stressed last week, that this week was a big ‘refresh button’. 7 weeks to go!

– J