I'm leaving for my long runs before the sun comes up. (The moon is peeking out from behind the street light.)
This is a milestone weekend for me. Not only was it the weekend of the last long training run before Nike (3 weeks to go!), but it marks one year since I broke my foot. I’ll break this post down into three parts to hit the highlights of the week.
Long Runs
Yesterday, I ran a double-digit course along the Iron Horse Trail, taking me from Danville to Walnut Creek. The actual length of the course is a bit of a mystery. It was supposed to be 11 miles, but Runkeeper said 10.3, my Garmin said 10.8, and others’ various devices ranged from 10.2-11.1. I was feeling good about the run — mentally strong, legs doing well and my foot not giving me too much trouble — right up until shortly before mile 8 when I realized that Nuun and GU don’t mix. I am eternally grateful for the existence of Alamo Safeway and its public restroom. I won’t make that mistake twice.
After my — uh, pitstop — I felt drained and flat, but still managed to maintain a consistent pace during my final miles. That’s a good sign as I head into the race, proving that I can weather the unexpected and still keep going.
Hips
I came home from the run feeling tired, but otherwise good. I showered, rested a bit, and then we drove 30 minutes south to San Jose for midday lunch/dinner before the Sharks game. We had a great lunch at Gordon Biersch (a classic post-run lunch where I wasn’t remotely hungry), and after a leisurely hour of sitting and chatting, I stood up… and felt my right hip scream in protest. What? Where did this come from? The only answer I could think of was that my IT band was giving me a hard time for the first time ever.
I limped my way through the afternoon and the game with the aid of ibuprofen, then came home to spend quality time wincing as my foam roller worked its magic, and then forced my husband to put all of his weight behind some assisted stretches that I learned from Mercy, my Pilates instructor/trainer. I popped more ibuprofen (the magical combination of one ibuprofen and one ibuprofen PM) and slept comfortably.
It’s still a bit sore today, but I’ve been rolling and stretching and I’m hoping that the situation will resolve itself with a little bit of time and TLC.
Boot (Camp)
At a friend’s suggestion, I enrolled in the Sexy in Six Weeks virtual boot camp that started on Monday. Through the boot camp you get a daily email with a link to a YouTube video that details each day’s workout. I’ve found that the wi-fi at my gym isn’t as reliable as I’d like, so after some fits and starts on Monday, I’ve learned to preview the workout the evening before and then follow the written list of exercises at the gym the next morning. This also helps me to do the workout at my own pace without having to pause and restart the video if I need an extra minute to set up or complete the sets.
I’ve had to modify the boot camp schedule a bit. Friday is supposed to be a strength workout, but my Team in Training schedule has Friday as a rest day. I’ve opted to skip the Friday boot camp workout, and instead replace it with an intensive stretching session on Sundays (supposed to be a boot camp rest day).
Do I expect to see results from the camp? Not exactly. I’m in decent shape already, so seeing visible results in six weeks seems like a long shot; I tend to believe that results come from a more gradual progress. But I do think it will give me a good bridge to help me ease between my pre-race workouts and the tendency towards post-race slacking. It seems like a good program, though. The workouts are intense enough to give me some good, satisfying muscle soreness for a day or two afterward, which proves that it’s shaking me out of my usual workout rut, and that’s a good thing.
Tags: boot camp, GU, hip, it band, nuun, pain, pilates, running, Safeway, sexy in six, stretching, team in training, tnt, training
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