Monday- No running; 40 minutes of hip and glute strengthening on my own
Tuesday- 2:45 of low zone 2 running (~27 miles); 2.5 mile shakeout in the evening
Wednesday- 5x10 minutes at tempo (high zone 3, roughly 5:10 pace) with 3 mins rest between each
Thursday- 8.5 miles easy
Friday- 8.5 miles zone 1/zone2 early AM; 3x5:00 @ zone 4-5 (4:45-5:00 pace) at noon; 5 miles easy in evening
Saturday- 5 mile tempo time trial on track at 167-169bpm followed by long cooldown totaling 16 miles. 26:32 for 5 miles
Sunday- Easy 1:30 on trails
Total mileage = 103 (6 days)
Holy moly. That two day stretch with a 27 mile long run followed by 50 total minutes of tempo the next morning felt borderline suicidal at the time, but I did it and kept myself in one piece for the most part. It was an empowering two day stretch-- I knew I was pushing myself in a way I never had before. Sometimes risks need to be taken to find that next level, and I was very aware of my body's desperation as I pushed through the 10 minute repeats.
With the addition of more up tempo stuff this week, especially the 3x5:00 in zone 4-5, I'm feeling stronger and notably faster. Interestingly, too, and probably related, I am finding it easier than usual to push myself to a high heart rate zone and hold it there. Last year I remember finding it hard to hold a heart rate of, say, 172+ for an extended time. I was surprised and happy that 5 minutes with my heart rate north of 175 didn't feel particularly hard.
Little aches and pains continue to be ever present in my life. There's always something new that pops up. Managing these issues, even when they're small, has to be one of the hardest things for me to deal with. As gratifying as highly competitive training and racing can be if things go well, worrying about and dealing with injury dominates the overall timeline. The end goal usually justifies these hardships, but they are ever present in the daily grind. As an example, on Tuesday and Wednesday I felt like my training thus far had come to a mini peak. I was feeling tired but undeniably strong. My long run had gone supremely well and I finished it with more energy and vigor than my previous long runs. Even when it seemed impossible to dig down and run tempo pace the next day, I did. I felt accomplished and ready to take anything on. Then on Saturday (following the 5 mile tempo run on the track), the soreness I'd felt at times on the top of my right foot felt more painful than usual. I dragged myself through that 16 mile run, soaked in the cold, driving rain with very noticeable pain on my foot at times. It varied, but there's no doubt it was a scary pain. Pains like that, even if they last an instant, can rip confidence away from you pretty quickly. As well as things had been going, and as insignificant as that pain will likely end up being, it was there. It reminds me of The Matrix when Morpheus says something about a "splinter in your mind," ie something that you can't help but obsess about a little more than you should. I try as hard as I can to not let it get me down, but it's easier said than done. Staying even-keeled is the key. I find myself wondering how truly elite level people who run for a living handle problems like this and if it's just a part of the gig.
Coming off a semi-dark 24 hour period where I was wondering how serious the foot problem was, the trail run I did this morning at Stratham Hill Park was rejuvenating. The pain wasn't sharp and was a total non-issue most of the time. I ran slowly and reveled in it. And even though I still feel some pain there, just like that, I feel like I've figured it out and am on the other side of it. At least from a mental standpoint I am, which is sometimes the most important one.
AH
PS- Ali and I got a Christmas tree today! The cat is clearly excited
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