Pre-race run

Thurs - Off
Fri - 6mi

Todays run was pleasant. Got out of bed early and took my time stretching and waking up before hitting the pavement. The beach has been pretty foggy in the morning, but I kinda like it. It's cool and the moisture just envelops me as my shoes make a slicking noise over the not quite wet not quite dry asphalt. I ran the cliffs and listened to the ocean as I daydreamed about finding that perfect zone for my first Half, now only a bit more than three months away. No Garmin today, just feeling where I wanted to be pacewise. This was one of those days where I wasn't training...I was just running because I love it, not other thoughts in my mind.

Probably a nice relaxed mindset to try and take to the race tomorrow. I have no idea how much this achilles business set me back. I'm kinda hoping it cancels out with the fact that I've been running for a month since my last race so even with the two weeks of crappy training, i've had some solid runs in there.

Regardless it'll be nice to throw on the uniform and strap on the racers.

Fall has arrived.

"When autumn comes, it doesnt ask.
It just walks in, where it left you last.
And you never know, when it starts
Until there's fog inside the glass around your summer heart"
-John Mayer

Sat - 9 miles
Sun - 12 miles w/ the boys (85:45)
Mon - 8 miles (60:43)
Tues - 10 miles (8 x (2 min @ 6-6:15; 3 min @ 7-7:15))
Wed - 8 Miles (easy)
PM - 4 mi + gym

Back to normal mileage, no more achilles pain. I am very happy. Feels so good to get back in my running routine. Really grounds me.

Ran a bit of a workout on Tues. My long runs are feeling fine, but damn is it hard to take it down to six minute pace. My recovery felt fine...I didn't have a hard time transitioning from to a steady pace, it was just a major shock to the system to be rolling around 6 mins...which is a little worrisome since that should be slower than my 5K race pace. Luckily this weekend is an 8K so hopefully the extra mileage in the race will work to my advantage till get I get turnover back.

These last few runs are giving me my first glimpse of Fall...it's still dark as I'm getting the running gear on, and this morning a heavy fog wrapped around me for the entire run. Oddly enough, I'm kinda excited for fall. Some fun trips and visitors, lots of races, Halloween, pumpkin in cooking/baking, and overall goodness.

Ok...back to work. I think my double today is going to be ruined by contract review. booo.

Update: HA! Made it out in time for a late night run and even to throw around some almost heavy objects in the gym. Go me.

Let's get this party started.

Wed - 4mi
Thurs - 5mi

I think it's coming together. Left achilles no longer feels tight...there's this one spot of pain-ish-ness right in the middle/top of my achilles...but very minor and more an annoyance....something that kept me from going 5 on wed but not from rolling out this morning. This morning felt mostly good, except that little spot but overall not bad. Right achilles is TIGHT...kinda feels like I'm wearing a brace or something. When I went to my PT she noticed that so I've been working on getting both sides evenly stretched.

planning on going 6 tomorrow...might move up to 8 if things feel good.

My run this morning was at a snails pace. First of all my hamstrings are so so so so sore from PT that it hurt to walk yesterday. Thus its hard to tell if my stiffness in running is due to worry that my achilles is gonna act up, the fact that I haven't run in almost a week, or the fact that I kinda waddle right now when I walk (probably a happy combo of them all). Usually I take the first mile slow just to wake up...then drop down to a respectable speed...but with the way things have been I figured victory would be in getting through the miles without anything acting up...so i settled in and embraced the jogger within me.

Gettin' amped to get out and log some REAL miles soon...

Injury update

Well, this achilles business is getting a little annoying.

Went to the PT yesterday for some stretching, massage, and general getting my ass kicked. Due to work spilling over to the late hours of the night I didn't get a chance to try things out on a run, though I'm thinking an extra day off probably wasn't a bad thing.

Gonna give it a whirl today after work. 4-5 miles max. Nice and slow. Just testing it out. I think I really screwed things up in SB by running cause this is taking way longer to heal than I thought it would. Luckily no races this weekend so I still have time to pull my shit together for next week's race.

Good Girl

Saturday - 30 miles BIKE
Sunday - 60 min Elliptical and some strength.

Big gold star to me for not running all weekend. Gonna hit up the gym after work and elliptical one more time. Made an appointment to get the tightness rubbed out of the calves tomorrow morning. Yay for taking care of myself and being patient. Let's hope it pays off and I don't end up limping home after my first attempt at running tomorrow night.

I'm in time out.

Thurs - 6.5ish

Fri - OFF

I've decided not to race tomorrow. Was really looking forward to it so I'm kinda bummed to have to pull out. But the achilles isn't better and we wont' have a full team anyways so no use running it and then f'ing things up more when there's no team scoring on the line.

Yesterday's run was okay but I could definitely still feel it and even had a few pangs which really surprised me. Was gonna just add on the extra mileage to even it out for 8 when I got back to my apartment but decided that less running was probably better. Forgot my ice pack at work so finally got some good use out of that bag of frozen peas that has been in my freezer for several months now.


Once again, this is probably something that could have gone away if I just had accepted the fact that something was wrong and took a solid few days off from running. But I keep trying to run and guess what? yea, each time just screwed it up again. Sooooo this morning when I tested it out and could feel it still I just decided that this was it...I'm not running again until there is not even a twinge of pain. Biking, elliptical, gym...whatever. No running.

So stupid for me to complain about a few days off when only months ago I couldn't run at all.

Beware the Splash Zone.

Elliptical Workout
15 min warm up
2 min at L12, 4 min at L11, 6 min at L10, 6 min at L10, 4 min at L11, 2 min @ L11 with one minute recover @ L8 between each
15 min cool down

Weekly Summary (a little late again...this is for last week)
Miles - 37
Cross Training - 90 mins on Elliptical (total)

Mileage got rocked this week due to a) slacking off on Monday cuz tired from traveling from Portland b) Elliptical instead of running due to stupid achilles on Friday c) Day off on Saturday due to aforementioned achilles d) Long run essentially halved..again due to achilles.

no biggie. stuff happens.

Ellipticaled (is that a word?) today for 60 mins. Which was a miracle because after beers at En Fuego followed by the unwise decision to stay up after the bar and watch TrueBlood, my new addiction, I ended up not crashing until about midnight. But once I was up and about I was itchin' to sweat and stuck with my plan of taking a day off of running to heal that pesky achilles. Decided to attempt a workout on the elliptical since technically today was supposed to be my workout day. I discovered two interesting things.

a) Most people do not breathe very hard on the elliptical. I definitely stuck out as I panted through the intervals, sweat flying off every which way (I should have painted a blue zone around the elliptical to indicate the Splash Zone, like in Sea World) while all the rest of the morning exercisers calmly swished back and forth on their machines watching CNN and the Morning news, eyeing the crazy girl on the end machine warily.

b) One of my pigtails is necessarily larger than the other, due to my side part. Thus, when doing something like ellipticalling or running, the heavier one tends to stay put while the lighter one bounces all over the place. This bugged me for most of the workout as I stared into a blank TV that essentially acted as a mirror. Just thought I'd share.

Ok - that's all I got for now. Tomorrow I'm hitting the roads again. Achilles, please behave.

Being smart is so hard.

Sunday - 8 mi (avg. ___)

Monday - 12 mi (avg. 7:30)

Tuesday - 8 mi (avg. 7:22)

So, looking at the mileage one would say wow...sweet...your leg must be all better. Good job with the patience, Julie. WRONG.

On sunday I stepped out the door a little jittery and nervous. I was in Santa Barbara and damnit I wanted to run along the coast (I know please don't point out the irony that I live on the coast...it's different. And I'm a brat and wanted to run). Then entire run was one where I felt so good, except for my achilles. There wasn't any sharp pain, but it was still strained and any step could be the one that resulted in a hopping step on the other leg and inappropriate cursing. I got super nervous around 3.5 so flipped around but when I go to the hotel I decided to add on another mile to make it an even 8. I'm a slave to the Garmin and to hitting certain distances on runs to feel like I really got something out of it.

Walking around there was on and off pain, though it did seem to subside by the evening. If I wasn't on vacation and had just been at work or chilling at home things probably would have healed faster. But I was on vacation and I'd be damned if I was going to sit in the hotel and ruin a fantastic weekend.

Monday was probably where I screwed up. It was feeling better...not healed but to the point where I could run on it and I'd anticipate with every run it would get a bit better. And I was itchin' to go long. dumb dumd dumb dumb. But I felt so good and the miles were just flying by...so I kept going. Twelve miles later things were actually feeling ok. Like I said, still strained but runnable. But then I was on a train for 9 hours (due to massive delays) and I'm pretty sure the thing just totally tightened up cuz today's run was no good. It was tight/strained/hurt...not as bad as when it first snagged...barely runable...so I've been icing all day at work and tomorrow morning its teh elliptical or the bike for me.

BUT, on a positive note! Things are feeling really great. This whole running faster on my runs plan is making me feel so much stronger. I think it's really going to improve my strength and endurance. I thought taking my pace down would be harder and make runs less enjoyable...but not at all! I've found a zone and I just go into cruise mode and that cruise mode just keeps getting faster and faster.

Ok, that's it for now.

Greetings from Santa Barbara!

Thursday -
8 mi (AM) 59:30
3 mi + gym (PM)

Friday -
Began running...achilles issues....ended up on the elliptical for an hour

Saturday - Off

I"m currently chilling in a hotel room in Santa Barbara for a weekend away with my Mom for her b'day, which is great. The not so great part is that my left achilles is presently on ice. On my double thursday night I felt a bit of a twinge in the achilles, but kinda just blew it off and hit up the gym, focusing on core and trying to lay off anything that might tweak the achilles. Unfortunately friday I got the sharp pains that I had a couple weeks before. The one thing I learned from THAT wonderful experience was that if things in that area hurt the only thing to do is take time off till the pain goes away. I think it's just a mild strain, possibly as a result of tight calves from H2C or any number of things I did over the week, but regardless it's one of those things that, unlike tendonitis which you can kinda grin and bear if need be, its a sharp pain that makes me suck in a deep breath and it just FEELS like something is getting worse with every step.

So normally, not a huge deal...a day or more off and then things are back to normal. I can even bike or hit up the elliptical and things tend to be fine. UNFORTUNATELY I had just sent out an email to my team the night before saying that I can totally run in the race this weekend so we'd be able to field a full team. I felt like such an idiot emailing only 12 hours later to be like, just kidding! Achilles is jacked up. I felt uber guilty about it all morning...but then as my mom and I were walking to lunch and the sharp pain resurfaced I knew that there was no way I could have even tried to race, especially given the hilly terrain of the course. And while the logical part of me knows that I physically could not have competed, the teammate in me is so frustrated that I wasn't able to be there for my team when they needed me to race.

Sorry. Massive vent session right there. Hoping to be able to give it a go tomorrow. Haven't had any sharp pains since early this afternoon, and it possibly could have been from the 5 hour train ride followed by walking around. Hopefully icing tonight + IB proferin + some sleep tonight will have me up in the morning and good to go for a joggy jog. Probably not going to be able to do my full long run...which pisses me off, but if I could at least get through 8 pain free it'd be a move in the right direction. The good thing is I know exactly what this is and I know its not a big deal...but it's a little scary that it can just strike at any time and incapacitate me. Hopefully it's just from a lack of stretching after H2C. Either that or drills in the sand. That's a possibility. I'll probably avoid the drills for awhile or at least find some grass or harder sand. Ok...massive rambling now. Off to bed. Wish me luck in the a.m.

OH! And good luck to everyone running the Disney Half tomorrow! :-D And good job to everyone that ran the Balboa 4-miler today. Wish I could have been there!

Feelin' recovered.

Happy to report that last night I managed to both get in my second run and hit up the gym. Score one for Julie's motivation.

This morning I almost didn't make it out for my run. I lounged in bed a little too long and musta dozed without realizing because all of a sudden it was 7 which is far too late but I wanted the afternoon off so I rushed out the door for a little Fartlek action.

2 mi warm up
Goal: 2 min "on" (6 min pace) 3 min "off" (steady - 7-7:15 pace) x6
2 mi cool down + quick soak in the ocean.
Total Miles - 8.04

Kinda made this workout up on my own just trying to get some practice at not going from hard to "pitter pat" as my HS coach used to call it. Really tried to keep the pace honest between intervals and mostly succeeded. I'd peg my current distance pace at between 7:30-7:45s so the goal was to come down to a speed that was still quicker than a regular run. My watch got screwy on the first "off" so the pace was a little skewed cuz I stopped for about 20-30 seconds. Overally ran about where I wanted to be...some were a little slow due to my amazing timing of going completely uphill the entire interval.

I worry that when I workout alone sometimes its hard to really push myself. So it felt good to have the stomach roll as opposed to just fighting fatigue. Super pumped at how well my legs are recovering from H2C. Really glad I was able to be smart and stay comfortable for my relay legs. I may be stepping in for an injured teammate this weekend and I'm feeling pretty confident that even though it'll only have been a week since H2C that my legs will be good to go.

Oh, and on a MORE IMPORTANT note, today is my wonderful Mother's birthday! Happy Birthday Mom :-D

Weekly Summary - a bit late

Got so excited about Hood to Coast forgot to sum up the rest of last week:

Wednesday - 8mi (didn't bother with the workout cuz zonked from work the day before and only 48 hours till H2C. Massive foot cramp had me almost limping in the last mile)

Thursday - 8 mi (ish) with Mer. Great running with Mer, though we got off to a rocky start. My foot cramp was back so I ended up running without the orthotics (shhhhh) and Mer had similar problems with her new orthotics. But once we were just in the shoes we managed a nice run.

Friday - 2.5 (AM) We both needed to shake things out since we were having foot issues so we went for a quick jog to test things out. I ran with the orthotic this time but could feel things cramping up near the end.

8.5 (PM) First leg + warmup. No cool down.

Saturday - 8.0 (AM) Second leg + shorter warmup. No cool down.
5.0 (PM) Third Leg + shorter warmup. No cool down. Calves super tight as a result. oops.

Sunday - Off

Total Miles for the Week: 51 (due to days off ended up with a lower mileage week)

Monday - Off (Woke up in the morning and there was no way a run was happening. Still beat after work so decided to bag it and hope I can make it through the rest of the week without an off day.)

Tuesday - 8 mi (AM) Ran with my NEW TOYS (i.e. replacement ipod nano since I somehow lost the last one AND my Timex watch I won at Movin Shoes that connects up with the ipod. Super sweet). I'm not huge on running with music, but after making my way out listening to a less then inspiring playlist, then coming back much harder with a playlist comprised of mostly Linkin Park, I see how it can be a good motivating factor when tired. Don't think it'll be a regular thing for me, especially in the mornings when I prefer the quiet calm, but on early evening doubles might be nice to have a little motivation.

On Tap: 5 miles and gym. Leaving work in a few so no reason my lazy ass can't make it to the gym. Must not get sucked in by couch and plethora of new books bought in at Powells in Oregon (FYI - Powell's = Best bookstore EVER).