To say the past few weeks have been anything short of hectic, would be an understatement. I've been hosting company, training, working towards completing my sports nutrition certification, and somewhere in between a trip to the doctor for an x-ray to rule out my biggest fear—a stress fracture in my left foot, was added to the mix. Yikes! Mental note: If you ever Google your symptoms—which I bet you do—your foot is most definitely broken, damaged beyond repair, and you are possibly dying, until the doctor tells you your are...completely fine! Thank goodness for me, Dr. Google is NOT a real doctor! Spoiler alert! My foot is not broken...
I'm learning to listen to my body; It's my most valuable teacher.
Thank goodness all that foot pain turned out to be just that, pain! No fracture or other injuries found...hooray! Then in true runner fashion, I ran 15 miles to double check the integrity of my foot the day after the doctor said she saw no sign of injury, and my foot held up! I've been rolling out my arches on a foot roller and so far it's been working. In my previous weekly post, I mentioned how I should listen to my body more and not push so hard while I increase my distance. This week's mantra is, running too fast + increasing my mileage = a very tight me. Then again, at least I'm learning. The good news is since I've been using a roller to get deep into my arches, I've had virtually no pain. It really messes with your head when you think you are injured. I feel lucky.
These last two weeks have been about more than just listening to my body. They have been about trusting my training and allowing my body to safely adapt to a higher mileage load. It seems obvious to slow down and let my body adapt to longer and longer distances, but that isn't always an easy thing to do. I tend to push harder when I see other runners. I tend to push harder when I feel full of energy. I tend to push harder...well—according to my body—a lot! I've never been much of a showoff, but when I see other runners, I like to run fast, even though it's not always a race...So, I'm working on staying in the moment. It's hard to keep myself mentally grounded and in the now, but if I ran every run like a PR attempt, I would probably crash...and...burn. Running would no longer be fun, and isn't running supposed to be fun? That's why I run because it makes me feel accomplished and it's FUN!
A side note:
Valentine's Day treated me very well! I got a new Garmin Forerunner 45s from the hubby and a fresh pair of shoes! This is my second pair of New Balance Fresh Foam v1080s—I also run in Nike Zoom Winflo, but I've deemed this New Balance model my MAGIC shoes. I had noticed my previous Garmin was loosing battery life too fast for long runs, and I was starting to feel the trail gravel under my old shoes a little too much for comfort. I took them for a test run right away. Score! I am still learning the features on the new Garmin, and the shoes are so cushy!
I noticed a big difference in my stride right away.
My training run down from two weeks ago:
The week of January 31st-February 6th.
Sunday- Walked 1.7 miles, but because I had some foot pain, I decided to get off my foot and get on the spin bike for 10 miles.
Monday- Rest day. I need a day off every now and then.
Tuesday-11 miles on the spin bike. I really enjoy the Studio Sweat on Demand classes on YouTube.
Wednesday- 6.8 mile run at my favorite trail. I also used the FitOn app to do the Booty Builder video and did a Caroline Girvan Abs video. My foot held up and felt better than it did a couple weeks ago.
Thursday-7.2 miles on the trusty spin bike and FitOn arms.
Friday- 10-mile spin bike ride followed by Caroline Girvan's EPIC leg day.
Total weekly miles biked and ran = 36.7. Not too bad for worrying I had a foot injury.
My training run down for last week:
The week of February 7th-13th.
Sunday- Started the week with a 5-mile run.
Monday- Rest day number 1. I took a lot of extra rest days this week.
Tuesday- 6-mile spin bike class with Studio Sweat on Demand. FitOn app arm workout. Then I decided to get to the root of my foot pain. I visited the doctor's office for an x-ray.
Wednesday- Rest day.
Thursday- Rest day.
Friday- 15-mile test run at my favorite trail. I just had to see if my foot would hold up to a long run. I am still hoping to make the starting line for my first 50k. So far, so good!
Saturday- Rest day. I wanted to also make sure my foot continued recovering. Rolling out any tightness, but still feels good.
Sunday- FitOn upper body workout and 3-mile run around my local park.
Total weekly miles biked and ran = 29.
Last week was my lowest mileage week in a while, but I needed the opportunity to recover, and the peace of mind I got from going to the doctor was necessary in order to determine if I could continue with my 50k training. With a little luck and a lot of self-care, I'll hopefully make it to the starting line. Yesterday I ran 8 miles with no issues, (and I met a roadrunner and a peacock). Last night I did a leg workout before bed. I'm just so grateful I was able to get out there and run! I must work in slowing down, enjoying the trail and letting my body tell me what it can do.
My goal for this week is to continue working on my mileage build-up and my strength training. I hope to get another 20-mile run in on the trail, and I'll plan to focus on foam rolling and yoga. I also recently discovered the concept of 80/20 running, where you run a slower pace for the bulk of your runs. 20% of your runs are done at a harder pace. I think this could work for me because it would allow my musculoskeletal system to adapt, and I'll need to adapt if I'm going to run and ultra marathon.
What are your training plans for the week? Let me know what works to keep you feeling fresh and injury free on the run. Have a great week and thanks for reading.
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