Wednesday, May 15, 2013

The Little Runner Who Almost Could


two little runners ~Kristen 

For the last two weeks, this has been a regular scene in my office. 

Professional, no?
Even though our firm’s San Diego office is very California casual, the foot up on desk with frozen pea ice pack on the ankle was probably taking it a step too far. So I invested in a little Velcro ice pack doohickey. Now I’m icing like the consummate professional that I am.


Why yes, that is a foam roller under my desk. 
After two weeks of NO RUNNING – I was itching to get back on with marathon training. I checked Hanson’s, and after taking two weeks off, one is advised to ease back into training slowly, as a lot of fitness gains and neuromuscular adaptations are lost with this much time off. This advice was especially applicable, as my ankle, while having improved immensely, was not back at 100%.       

Sat. 5/4
Easy run in Balboa – 3 @ 8:30. Ankle felt mangled.

Sun. 5/5
Easy run in Balboa – 4 @ 8:30. Ankle improved from mangled to sore.

From my weekend easy runs, it was apparent that I would not be able to transition back to the Hanson training plan’s tough runs – longs, tempos, intervals – before the marathon. My best chance at running it would be to continue aerobic training primarily with cardio machines, supplementing with running when I felt up to it.

Mon. 5/6
Stair climber 60” (365 floors/7.8 miles)
Easy run on treadmill – 3 @ 8:30. Ankle okay.

Tue. 5/7
Rest

After a rest day, I ventured out for another easy run, and felt surprisingly good, so I upgraded to a tempo run.

Wed. 5/8
Tempo run in Balboa – 7.5 w/ 6 @ 7:15

And there were no consequences! I continued to feel great. Maybe I could pull off this marathon after all . . . So staying conservative, I trained on the stair climber again, followed by a few miles with tired legs on the treadmill.

Thu. 5/9
Stair climber 60” (350 floors/7.5 miles)
Easy on treadmill – 4 w/ last 10” @ 7:30

Fri. 5/10
Rest

Success! Still feeling good. Soooo, time for a real test. An attempted long-ish run. I set out on Sat. morning, tentatively planning 10 miles. I headed for the trails near my house, thinking the ankle would appreciate a soft surface. But the trail, normally smooth, flat, and lovely, had been torn up in places by construction trucks. It looked like it had been plowed, and by mile 5, my ankle was back to feeling mangled. Then it was 3 more miles back to my house.

Sat. 5/11
Easy run in San Dieguito Lagoon (trail) – 8 @ 8:00

Nail in the coffin – no marathon.  In fact, the ankle continues to feel unstable and sore. Sat.’s trail run set me back in my recovery by at least a week. Without a looming marathon, hopefully, I’ll exercise self-restraint and stay off the damn thing until it's all better!


two little runners ~Kristen 

9 comments:

  1. Uh oh. Oh no-sorry about your injury :( I would have done the same thing about the long run on Sat if it makes you feel any better. Nice that you work in a casual office, I guess? Actually, I love the foam roller under the desk idea! I would say I would steal that idea except I will not be in my office for the whole summer.

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    1. Thanks Amy! Your making me jealous about being off for the whole summer! ;) Have lots of fun on your vaca!! :)

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  2. I'm sorry. What a disappointment. I hope you can replace it with another, later marathon that turns out to be a million times better! Get well.

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    1. Thanks Gracie, very disappointing indeed. But as in running and as in love - timing is every thing.

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  3. New follower here (found the blog through Penny's NJ Marathon write-up)...but it doesn't matter. As a runner, I know that injuries suck. Especially when they make you pull from a race you've been training/working/dreaming for. Sorry to hear. But high five for making an ultimately smart decision. Sounds like you'll just need a revenge marathon, now. :-)

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    1. Hi Holly, we just discovered your blog through your comments! Love it!! :) Revenge marathon, yes!!!! :)

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  4. Damn you little ankle!! Look out marathons of the West.... TLR#2 is on the path to an epic comeback. ~ P

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  5. Ugh, that sucks. I'm impressed with how well you're taking it. I generally go through a number of unpleasant and unattractive phases when I get injured - denial, whining, pouting, attempts to bargain with the devil, and then usually drowning my sorrows with chocolate. :) Hope you heal up quickly!

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    1. Hahaha! I definitely had those moments too! ;) Thanks Dana!!

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