Training week 7, 8, and 9: Injury

So I’ve been gone for a little bit, and the reason is: my hip. As I mentioned in week 6, I was experiencing some serious pain after my 9.5 miler, and it kept bugging me until I finally saw a doctor this past week.

The good news: No major injury! I was worried that it was something that would sideline me for a long time (like a stress fracture), but that’s not the case. After seeing an orthopedic surgeon, I’ve been diagnosed with an External Rotator/Gluteal strain. Yup. I strained my hip/butt. He prescribed 4 weeks of Physical Therapy, twice a week (I start on Tuesday), and a couple anti-inflammatories before runs. Ibuprofen and I have become fast friends.

The bad news: it knocked my training off course a little, including 2 missed long runs (an 8 and a 10 miler).

BUT, it’s also encouraged me to do a LOT more cross training, including: reacquainting myself with my old friend the erg, some delicious stretching in yoga, lots of getting buff in the gym, and getting to know my new friend the bike!

Here’s a look at my training over the past 3 weeks:

A couple highlights:

Week 7 - Despite a sore hip, I finally got in some actual speed work. Paul and I parked in Westwood, ran a mile warm-up to the track at UCLA, and then knocked out 2.5 miles (no breaks in between!). Mile 1 – 9:36, Mile 2 – 9:28, Mile 2.5 – 4:28 (8:56 pace) – average pace: 9:25. We then jogged the 1 mile cool down back to the car.

Week 8 – (More like lowlights). Only 1 (very painful) day of running, 3 rest days, all in all this week wasn’t pretty. The best part was my triumphant return to the erg. I was pretty proud of maintaining a split under 2:30 for 30 minutes, especially considering I haven’t done a piece that long since freshman year of college.

Week 9 – Bike mania (and intense double-workout Sunday). Yesterday, I biked 23.17 miles. And today, I ran 9 miles and THEN biked 23.17 miles. And now, my lady parts would like to not see another bicycle seat ever again until next weekend.

Oh yeah, and on my run this morning I had a celeb siting. MRB and I passed Arnold Schwarzenegger, out for a morning bike ride with his body guard. I guess he doesn’t have much to do now that he’s not the Gov-uh-nator anymore.

Training Week 6: Womp Womp

So, training this week? Yeah, not so good actually. First of all: I only ran 3 times. I also took 3 rest days. Here’s how it broke down:

Monday was supposed to be a 5.83 miler (my normal loop with My Running Buddy aka MRB), but about a mile in, I was experiencing some unfriendly rumbling in my tummy. 2 bathroom breaks and a shortened route later, I had to call it quits. 4 miles is really not bad (it’s actually what my training plan called for), and on the upside, running for the bathroom made me run faster than normal. But still – not a good run.

Tuesday was Michael and Sarah’s last day in LA before jetting back to Michigan, so Megan and I skipped our yoga class to hang out with them.

Wednesday, MRB and I knocked out an epic 9.5 miler. I was nervous going in, especially after Monday’s debacle, but my stomach issues did not return (thank goodness!) and we had a total runner’s high going. Pace was great, too, very comfortable just under 10:30. Towards the very end (last 2 miles or so), I started feeling a little uncomfortable in my right hip. Nothing major, though. (cue ominous music…. Dunh dunh dunhhhhh).

That night, I took my first ever ice bath:

and iced my hip some more with a bag o’ corn.

…but the next day I was sore. And limping a little. Yikes!

Thursday night it was feeling ok, so I thought, “hmm, maybe I should just go for a run and see how it feels. It probably just needs to get warmed up.” Very. Bad. Idea. Very bad. I did 3.5 miles with MRB, but was in pain, despite the fact that I was trying to take it easy. After we said goodbye at our usual spot, I turned to run the last .5 of a mile home and only made it a couple steps. From there, I slowly hobbled the rest of the way, pain shooting down my whole leg with every step. Paul even came out looking for me because it took me so long to get home.

Friday was a day of rest. I couldn’t have run if I wanted to, anyway. (More limping).

Saturday I went to the gym for some lifting. I’m hoping some strength will help whatever is going on with my hip (a friend suggested it might be IT band, so I’m doing some research). I also got in a good stretch afterwards and some foam rolling on my hip. I need to get one of those suckers to use at home. Definitely one of those things that hurts so good.

Sunday Yep, more rest. My hip is still sore, so I think the more time I can give it, the better.

That being said, I ran tonight, a nice and easy 4 miler. I concentrated a lot on my foot placement, and even spent some time working on changing my stride so I don’t land on my heels and land more on the ball of my foot like I’m supposed to, which felt the best on my hip. So far, so good.

Training Week 5

Another week with visitors in town means another week where I didn’t quite hit my mileage. Well, at least my running mileage. If you count my cross train, I blew it out of the water! I’ll get to that in a sec. First, this:

A little of bit training:

A little of bit having fun:

Paul’s little bro Mike is out in LA this week with his girlfriend Sarah, and we’ve been having a blast showing them around town.

I planned on running Wednesday morning (the day they arrived), but instead we ended up waking up early to deep clean the apartment before I headed off to work, and before our guests arrived. 2 hours later, we had the apartment sparkling, which I guess counts as a mini-workout.

I haven’t completely thrown my training plan out the window, though. I left the whole group (Paul, Michael, Sarah, and Paul and Mike’s sister Megan) behind on Thursday night to tackle an 8.5 miler with MRB. Paul cooked and entertained the group while MRB and I knocked out the mileage at a respectable 10:27 pace.

After that beast, Friday was another rest day, which I spent on my butt at work and then on my butt in the car for 7 hours on my way up to the Bay area. But, on Saturday morning, I woke up naturally at 8am and set out on a lovely little three miler around quant little downtown Los Altos. The whether was perfect, the other pedestrians I met were friendly, and the pace was leisurely. I didn’t even track my mileage.

Then came the epic cross train. After my run, we all showered up and headed into San Francisco via train. From the train station, we walked all. over. the city. From AT&T Park to Pier 39.

From Fisherman’s Wharf

to Lombard Street

to China Town, and everywhere in between.

Later, we tracked our mileage, and all in we walked over 9 miles. If you count untracked mileage (like milling around on Fisherman’s Wharf, or a couple passes through the Ghirardelli store to get free samples), I would guess it was actually closer to 10. And those weren’t flat miles, either!

I was so sore afterwards.

Onto another week!

Night Runner

First things first, let’s assess my awesome outfit for tonight’s run:

Lobster shirt and the mismatched gray capris + black calf sleeves combo? That is a recipe for hotness right there.

Paul had already gotten to the gym today, so when I left for my run at 7:54pm, he was already on the couch, beer in hand, dog in other hand.

Did you catch what time I set out? 7:54pm. Just in time to meet My Running Buddy at our spot by 8. I’ve said it before and I will say it again: I’m not a big fan of morning runs. Night running? That’s where it’s at. Now, if only I could find a race that started in the evening instead of the morning, I’d be a happy camper.

Of course, I do a couple things to stay safe while running at night. Especially since it’s already getting dark earlier. I’ve already mentioned one of them: MRB. Running with a friend definitely makes me feel safer than running alone. Paul also always knows when I leave, what route I’m taking, and what time to expect me back. If he’s not home when I set out, I’ll text him before stepping out the door.

I try to stick to well-lit routes:

and I wear a blinky on my butt so cars can spot me:

(Purchased online from RoadID – same place where I got the ID tag that I wear on my shoe).

And I always stick to the sidewalks, and look both ways before crossing. Especially in the dark, I make double sure that drivers see me before I cross, or I just wait until they pass.

I usually meet up with MRB later, but if I’m running by myself, I set out right when I get home from work when it’s a little lighter and there are more people out and about.

I’m fortunate to live in a nice quiet neighborhood. Still, I live in a city, and it’s important for me to run safe and be aware of my surroundings.

Of course, one of the best parts of night running is that I always sleep like a rock after a good workout. Goodnight!

Training week 4

Another week behind me, and now I'm a third of the way to my third half. Here’s how my training went:

I forgot my iPod for half of my runs this week, so I don’t have times for those, but it’s amazing to me that on Monday I ran a 10:29 pace and on Sunday I ran a 9:22 pace. More than a minute/mile faster, and for a longer distance! Weird. Of course, not noted in the Sunday long run time were stops for 2 bathroom breaks, which gave MRB and I a chance to catch our breath before continuing, but still. I felt like I was dragging big time this morning! Especially at the end. About 3/4 of a mile before the end, we climb this super steep hill, and I was practically walking up it today.

I’ve still been dealing with some shin splints this week, but I’m trying a couple things, and they seem to be helping.

1. Working in a new pair of shoes.

This pair only has about 200 miles on them (I’ve had them since May), but I’m wondering if a little extra cushioning may help, so I’ve started wearing the new shoes on shorter runs, and will eventually switch to them completely.

2. Compression sleeves.

You can see them in the picture above as well. I picked up these compression sleeves from my local running store last weekend and have been wearing them for running and recovery since. They were kind of pricey (thank goodness I had a Groupon!) but if they help me get rid of the shin splints, they’ll be totally worth it.

3. RICE

After my runs I’ve been trying to take some time to elevate, keep my compression sleeves on, and ice my shins to reduce any possible swelling.

 

With these three things, I’ve seen some definite improvement, especially on my left leg. Right one is still giving me some trouble, so I’m being especially careful. I know that part of the problem is that I increased my mileage too quickly, but I’m in the swing of training and can’t really back down now. Also, it would be better to run on asphalt instead of the concrete sidewalk, but since most of my running is done at night, I think it’s safer to stay off the street. I’d rather have shin splints than get hit by a car.

That’s it for this week. Hope you all have a great Sunday!

Training Week 3 and a Fun Run

Sunday I wrapped up week 3 of training for the Long Beach Half. I’m a quarter of the way there – I can’t believe how fast it’s going!

Let’s take a look at my training throughout the week:

After that run on Sunday, my legs were really feeling the previous day’s lifting session! My quads were mega sore.

To end the week, Paul and I participated in the OC Fair 5k Fun Run. It was… fun! The course started at the entrance to the fair grounds, took us out and around the parking lot, and then through the fair itself. Along the way, there were a couple “detours” you could take to play some of the fair games or go down the giant slide, but we decided to keep running past and save the games for after the finish line.

Overall, it was a good run, but a little disorganized. The packet pick-up beforehand was pretty confusing, which was causing some people to freak out, and as a result, the race started pretty late. I didn’t have a watch on, but it was at least a half hour after the scheduled start time.

Also, they could have used some more organization at the start line. It was a pretty narrow start for such a large crowd (I think they had over 1000 runners), and we got pretty bottle-necked. Some pace-group markings at the start line would have been nice as well. Because it was a Fun Run/Walk/Skip, there were a lot of kids, walkers, and first-time runners, which is great! It was so cool to see entire families lined up at the start together. But, a lot of these groups weren’t aware of race etiquette, and didn’t line up at the start line accordingly. The first mile pretty much became an obstacle course and we spent a lot of time dodging walkers, large groups blocking the entire course, and strollers. Not a big deal (it is just a fun run, after all!) but a little guidance at the start line could have prevented a lot of this confusion, and made for a better race for everyone. I do think that we lost quite a bit of time off our own pace in this first mile, because we were hauling at a good clip for the final two miles! Overall, we came in at almost exactly a ten minute pace, finishing in 31:01.

One fun thing about this race: Paul and I ran it together. As in, side by side. In all our years together (10!), we’ve never done that. We both ran cross country in high school, and we regularly complete the Turkey Trot Thanksgiving 5K, as well as Paul’s family’s own 4^th of July 5K, but we never actually run with each other. It was fun to spend that time together, and when we came across the finish line, the MC who was announcing the finishers’ names called us “Team Hoban”! Very cute.

Afterwards, we got free entry to the fair so we wandered around while all the booths were still opening up for the day.

First, we rewarded ourselves for a run well done with some Dippin’ Dots.

We also took a ride down the giant slide. It was one of the detours that we didn’t take during the race.

After contemplating some true fair food, we decided it didn’t really sound appealing and headed home for a nap in front of the TV.

Now I’m almost done with week 4! More updates coming soon!

I'm a sucker

Having subscribed to a couple half marathon newsletters, active.com, and the like, I get a lot of emails about running. But, I'm particularly susceptible to ones like this:

That popped up in my email today. Registration for next year's OC Marathon and Half Marathon just opened, and if you register before midnight on Friday, you can get your entry fees for the super low prices of $70 (full marathon) and $55 (half marathon), The race takes place on May 6, 2012.

Having spent more than I would like to think about on race entry fees over the past few years, I'm definitely tempted. But there's so much that could happen in the next 7 months! Not to mention the fact that I'm already registered for 3 upcoming half marathons (Long Beach on Oct 9, 13.1 Los Angeles on January 15, and Surf City on February 5). What if I get injured? Decide I don't want to run half marathons anymore? Move up to full marathons? All my budgeted Allie Fun Money for August has already gone to fitness-related things like yoga classes, other race entry fees, and Groupons to my favorite running store! But it's such a good deal...

I've already fallen prey to one such email. This appeared in my inbox on February 15 - a full eleven months before the race:

And the very next day, I signed up. Seriously, though, $58 for a half marathon (including the Active.com fee)?? So cheap.

What's a bargain hunter to do?

(P.S. I'm super late with my week 3 training update. It'll be up soon!)