Just over 40 miles this week, still on the easy train.
M: 6 ez
Tu: 6 ez
Wed: 5 ez + massage
Thu: 7 at LR pace with a few mid 6s mixed in
Fri: 5ez
Sat: 0
Sun: 12 ez
The calf is doing much, much better this week than last, although I think I may have jumped the gun a little with a faster run and a 12 miler. There's not really any pain, just some soreness. I didn't even notice it during the long run, but did feel it a bit on Monday morning.
I think I will aim for around 40 this week as well and see how it feels.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Feeling better
So last week wrapped up with an easy 30+ and an easy run over 10. I'm paying very close attention to the calf muscles and trying to stay on top of recovery time and stretching.
Monday and Tuesday have been on the brisk side of easy, 6+ both days. Wednesday I'm back in for some massage work.
Other than that, not too much to report.
Monday and Tuesday have been on the brisk side of easy, 6+ both days. Wednesday I'm back in for some massage work.
Other than that, not too much to report.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
More easy
Got out for an easy untimed 5 on Monday and again on Tuesday. Just nice gentle running, probably mid 8s. Still paying very close attention to any of the squawks coming form my left calf. Feeling some weakness in the soleous, but no real soreness or pain. I started trying to stretch some new calf and hamstring stretches, but I was feeling some soreness from that, so I've backed off a bit and I'm just doing a little more of my normal stretches.
We got out this weekend to Elk Mt which does a nice fall festival with my parents. They open up the ski lift so you can take the lift up and see the leaves. Very cool! The kids liked it, but the little guy did not want to ride back down, so we decided to walk down the slope. Note to self: there is no calf workout like walking down a ski slope with a 35 pound kid on your shoulders! Owee zowee! My knees and ankles are still a little sore from this one, but I don't think they'll be a problem.
Either way, the views were fantastic!
We got out this weekend to Elk Mt which does a nice fall festival with my parents. They open up the ski lift so you can take the lift up and see the leaves. Very cool! The kids liked it, but the little guy did not want to ride back down, so we decided to walk down the slope. Note to self: there is no calf workout like walking down a ski slope with a 35 pound kid on your shoulders! Owee zowee! My knees and ankles are still a little sore from this one, but I don't think they'll be a problem.
Either way, the views were fantastic!
Monday, October 15, 2007
Taking it easy
So I've completed my first week of taking it easy and, heck, it wasn't too bad!
Of course I've wanted to be out running more and going faster, but a few days off and some slow runs have been great for my calf. Got in just under 20 miles last week with 4-5 mile runs of EZ pace. I did 6 on Saturday and dropped it down to normal long run pace and the leg felt great.
I've been paying very close atention to the feelings I get in my left calf while I'm running and I've noticed that on each of these runs I get a weak feeling in the soleus around 2 miles (very minor) then around 4 or so a very clisht soreness in the gastroc. This isn't surprising and confirms my feeling that this started with a soleus strain and everything else has been the other muscles compensating.
This week I'm aiming for maybe about 25 miles, again almost all at EZ pace.
Of course I've wanted to be out running more and going faster, but a few days off and some slow runs have been great for my calf. Got in just under 20 miles last week with 4-5 mile runs of EZ pace. I did 6 on Saturday and dropped it down to normal long run pace and the leg felt great.
I've been paying very close atention to the feelings I get in my left calf while I'm running and I've noticed that on each of these runs I get a weak feeling in the soleus around 2 miles (very minor) then around 4 or so a very clisht soreness in the gastroc. This isn't surprising and confirms my feeling that this started with a soleus strain and everything else has been the other muscles compensating.
This week I'm aiming for maybe about 25 miles, again almost all at EZ pace.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Saying it differently
So I was reading Tuscaloosa and a quote from Frank Shorter that I couldn't find via Google it, so I'll just paraphrase - that the sooner you accept the reality of a situation, the sooner you can make gains.
I was reflecting on that and my left calf this weekend which I have over the past few weeks called "tweaked", "sore", "troublesome", etc. My background in undergrad and grad school is in philosophy, and a big focus of modern philosphy is in the interscetion between language and thought. It should be more than apparent to me then that how I react to a situation has a lot to do with how I name it.
So I am going with a new one "injured". As soon as I accepted this (and I still do think this is a minor injury) planning has become much easier. So I will amend what I wrote last week.
What is hurt: My left calf. Maybe it started as a soleus strain, but now when I run I get sorenes that moves around while I run from the left, to the back into the shin. Lately I have also developed a shinsplint pain in this leg.
When: The first note in my log of it hurting was 8/6 (2 months ago)
How did it happen: Overtraining. What specifically is always hard to say. Maybe too fast of a buildup after 5k season in mileage. Maybe adding a hard Wednesday run in August and keeping a tempo run on Tuesday. Clearly by mid-August this was more than just nagging soreness and I was icing. But still did a tuneup race on 8/18. On 8/20 I knew i was hurt but wanted to make it through the PDR.
Running fast makes it sore the next day. Running slow does not seem to. A week after the PDR with only easy running I had no pain. So I picked back up with my fast Wed night runs, ran a 5k and a weekend with back to back workouts and it got worse.
So what's next:
No racing - no racing for at least a month
Cut the fast running - no track work, no Wed night group run, no LT runs (at least a month)
New shoes - done
Start massage therapy - first session was Monday 10/8
Better stretching - got some new stretches from the massage therapist. Need to work on these.
Keep with the EZ running. But with reduced volume.
Right now, I think the shinsplint pain is the bigger worry. I think the muscle strain will respond to rest fairly quickly.
Last night was an easy 3.5 on a soft cinder track with lightning flasing in the clouds. Very little pain.
I was reflecting on that and my left calf this weekend which I have over the past few weeks called "tweaked", "sore", "troublesome", etc. My background in undergrad and grad school is in philosophy, and a big focus of modern philosphy is in the interscetion between language and thought. It should be more than apparent to me then that how I react to a situation has a lot to do with how I name it.
So I am going with a new one "injured". As soon as I accepted this (and I still do think this is a minor injury) planning has become much easier. So I will amend what I wrote last week.
What is hurt: My left calf. Maybe it started as a soleus strain, but now when I run I get sorenes that moves around while I run from the left, to the back into the shin. Lately I have also developed a shinsplint pain in this leg.
When: The first note in my log of it hurting was 8/6 (2 months ago)
How did it happen: Overtraining. What specifically is always hard to say. Maybe too fast of a buildup after 5k season in mileage. Maybe adding a hard Wednesday run in August and keeping a tempo run on Tuesday. Clearly by mid-August this was more than just nagging soreness and I was icing. But still did a tuneup race on 8/18. On 8/20 I knew i was hurt but wanted to make it through the PDR.
Running fast makes it sore the next day. Running slow does not seem to. A week after the PDR with only easy running I had no pain. So I picked back up with my fast Wed night runs, ran a 5k and a weekend with back to back workouts and it got worse.
So what's next:
No racing - no racing for at least a month
Cut the fast running - no track work, no Wed night group run, no LT runs (at least a month)
New shoes - done
Start massage therapy - first session was Monday 10/8
Better stretching - got some new stretches from the massage therapist. Need to work on these.
Keep with the EZ running. But with reduced volume.
Right now, I think the shinsplint pain is the bigger worry. I think the muscle strain will respond to rest fairly quickly.
Last night was an easy 3.5 on a soft cinder track with lightning flasing in the clouds. Very little pain.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Utterly craptastic
Just one of those runs last night. On the way up the street I ran into a running buddy, but he was heading home and I was heading out. 7 ez miles and my left calf/shin balked on and off and a knot in my right quad never loosened up. Blech. That is all.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
10-4 Good buddy
Got a nice 10 or so with the running store team last night in about 65 minutes. It was icky humid, but I felt surprisingly strong. My left calf was bugging me again. I have decided that I need to get a little more serious about trying to clear this up before it takes a turn for the worse.
For now, my plan is to:
- Continue with icing after fast runs. EZ runs don't seem to irritate it, so I'll take those by feel
- Try a few sports massage sessions
- Continue daily stretching
If 2-3 weeks from now I'm still in the same boat I'll have to think about some other ideas. I did 2 weeks of low volume and little fast running, which were pain free, but as soon as I brought the fast work back the pain returned. That said, the pain comes and goes, but does not seem to get substantially better or worse.
I'll wait and see.
For now, my plan is to:
- Continue with icing after fast runs. EZ runs don't seem to irritate it, so I'll take those by feel
- Try a few sports massage sessions
- Continue daily stretching
If 2-3 weeks from now I'm still in the same boat I'll have to think about some other ideas. I did 2 weeks of low volume and little fast running, which were pain free, but as soon as I brought the fast work back the pain returned. That said, the pain comes and goes, but does not seem to get substantially better or worse.
I'll wait and see.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
10/2/07
Monday was a planned 0. Last night I ran a nice quiet, easy 9. Just mid-8s or so. I was surprising sore from running hard Sat and Sun.
I saw that the Jenkintown running team took the top 3 spots at the Parkway Run this weekend. Outstanding. As I've gotten faster I've started paying a little more attention to the top of the leaderboard and the depth in the Philly area is just amazing. You have to be ready to run mid-15s just to compete for the top, even in smaller 5ks. I've got work to do. :)
Last week was about 53 miles.
Mon: 5 ez
Tue: 6+ez
Wed: 9.5 group run moderately fast
Thu: 6 ez
Fri: planned 0
Sat: 13.1 progression 90 mins, out in low 7s back in high 6s
Sun: 13 miles with a low key 5k (2nd oa in 17:35)
I saw that the Jenkintown running team took the top 3 spots at the Parkway Run this weekend. Outstanding. As I've gotten faster I've started paying a little more attention to the top of the leaderboard and the depth in the Philly area is just amazing. You have to be ready to run mid-15s just to compete for the top, even in smaller 5ks. I've got work to do. :)
Last week was about 53 miles.
Mon: 5 ez
Tue: 6+ez
Wed: 9.5 group run moderately fast
Thu: 6 ez
Fri: planned 0
Sat: 13.1 progression 90 mins, out in low 7s back in high 6s
Sun: 13 miles with a low key 5k (2nd oa in 17:35)
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