Finally some good news

I finally had a pain-free run! Hooray!

I suffered my calf strain two weeks ago on that ill-fated long run on my taper week. I can't deny that the run itself was a lot of fun and the hilly terrain was challenging. Too bad my legs didn't agree!

Since then, I've done a lot to try to recover quickly:

- cut out shifted runs and increased rest days,

- cut mileage,

- cut quality runs (hills/tempo/intervals)

- employed a run-walk technique that involved running to increase blood flow, but not to the point of making it ache or hurt,

- gone to physio,

- applied heat,

- self massage and stretching.

I was starting to get nervous about my goals for the half marathon. While I didn't lose any fitness, I certainly lost some progress on my training plan. I didn't hit my 20K run that I'd planned for myself, but I kept telling myself that if I can do 18, I can do 21.1.

I headed out the door this morning not really knowing what I was going to run, though the schedule called for 20K. As I ran, I kept telling myself that I was loose, strong and that I felt good. When I passed the 5K mark, everything felt great and it didn't change the entire run! I'm so happy to report that I felt good the entire 18K. I ran 6.5K, walked 500m, Ran 6.5, walked 500m, Ran 4K at 10 sec. faster than HM pace. My calf felt fantastic and walk breaks were preventative more than anything else, as I didn't want to overdo it today only to suffer a setback so close to the finish.

Now I feel a lot better heading into my taper. I know I can do this. It's hard to believe that Race Weekend's only two weeks away!

The long run that wasn't

Saturday's long run just wasn't meant to be.

My calf was feeling better, so I went out hoping that I could make it the full 20K. I chose a fairly flat route, warmed up with a walk to the starting point and made sure to start out slow. At 5K in, it was starting to get sore. I decided at 8K to stop and stretch it a bit, then head home... cutting it to 16K. As I ran a bit more, I realized it wasn't feeling better and was only going to get worse. I called hubby to meet me 3K later.

I decided that since I wasn't going to hit mileage goal for the run, then I might improve the quality of the run. I worked on my speed and tried my half marathon race pace (6:45/K) for about 3K and it felt good. At least that's promising!

My 20K long run is important, but really, the half is my goal. Last thing I need right now is a more serious calf strain than the one I already have. My number one goal through this training cycle was/is to get to the start of the half uninjured.

I stretched right away and have spent most of the weekend RICEing it. I've also pushed my runs back this week to give my body an extra day to recover. I'm going to try the 20K again on Sunday before I head into my taper. I'll feel better if I can get it under my belt, but I've already done 18K so I know I can do 21. I plan to use my taper to reduce volume over 2 weeks, but still do some quality tempo/interval workouts. This isn't what I wanted to face 3 prior to the race, but I'll deal.

Friday RunPorn

Enjoy today's edition of RunPorn. Oh and if you're a Twitter user, do a search for #youknowyourearunnerwhen - it was a great chat that started on Wednesday with some good laughs to be had, such as: #youknowyourearunnerwhen you apply bodyglide instead of deodorant. Lots of jokes that only we runners would understand!

As for the calf muscles - they're feeling better. While I had to cut my Tuesday run short due to tightness, physio really helped on Wednesday. I also canned my Thursday mid-long run so that I can hopefully get my full 20K long run in tomorrow. It's just a Grade 1 Calf Strain, but I'm doing lots of stretching to get it back into shape, pronto.

Have great weekend runs, everyone!

Hills by Accident

Yesterday was one of the warmest days so far at 20C, so I thought it would be a good day to work on getting acclimated to the warmer weather in preparation for my goal race. So I headed out on my long run in the sun and heat. Hard to believe 20C is considered hot, but hey, I live in Canada! Plus it was dry... I had to run in that weather given that we had record-setting rainfall in April.

Two years ago I ran the 10K at Race Weekend. We had no warm weather leading up to the event, so the 20C+ plus weather on race day was a shock to the system! I wanted to take advantage of yesterday's weather to experiment with my hydration needs and clothing. I was also lucky that it was my cutback week, so it was a long run on the shorter side of things at 12K.

I ran on the bike path along the Western Parkway to Island Park. This is the middle of the half marathon route, though it'll be run on the road and not on the path. When I reached Island Park, I was 5K in, so I figured it was an opportunity to finally try the path on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River. I ran across the Champlain Bridge... man, that sidewalk is narrow! But it wasn't crowded, so I was able to enjoy the views of the rushing water, the vistas of downtown Ottawa and the noise of the rapids with the birds flying overhead.

I turned right onto the bike path on the Quebec side and ran right along the water. I followed the cyclists in their team gear, figuring they'd lead me back towards Hull. All was flat for another KM or so... but the last 3K? Rolling freaking hills. And steep ones to boot. I hadn't meant to do a hill workout, let alone such a challenging and aggressive one. It was pretty much up-down-up-down, complete with hairpin turns, until I hit Terrasses de la Chaudière. Oye. At least I know where to go if I want a killer hill workout now instead of doing hill repeats in front of the tourists at the locks by the Bytown Museum.

As a result of the accidental hills workout, my left calf is NOT happy today. By the looks of things, it's just a calf strain. I'm icing/stretching as much as I can in an effort to get it back to normal ASAP. My mileage peaks these next two weeks at 37K, with long runs of 20K before I taper. I can cutback the mileage if I need to, but obviously I'd rather not do it unless I absolutely have to.

Boo.

My left foot is sore. Really sore. It's always the d&^% left side. It's the outside of my left foot and it hurts more to wear shoes. The good news is: it's not plantar fasciitis. The bad news is: it's a totally different and new kind of pain.

I didn't realize how bad it was until I had to be on my feet today. I've been a good little runner and started icing it after the pain appeared on Saturday, iced it more yesterday and today. And I started taking ibuprofen.

I've been surfing running sites and injury diagnosis websites. I have no idea what's wrong and I've seen some possibilities and some of them are scary: Sinus Tarsi Syndrome, Tendinitis, Muscle strains, stress fractures. I stopped reading.

Thankfully I have a doctor's appointment on Thursday. In the meantime, I've booked a massage for Wednesday to see if it'll help, as I suspect my calf muscles are a big part of the problem. They always are.

Needless to say I'm not running tonight. Probably not tomorrow, either. Boo.

Ouch!

The pain in my heels is not going away.

I've done lots of reading on the handy interwebs and I think the problem has to do with my calves (no, not cows!). My calves and achilles tendons have always been my weak point—no pun intended—so any strain on them means that other problems will likely follow. Anytime I go for a sports massage, the RMT tells me that I have tight calves. I stretch them as much as I can, but nothing really seems to help to prevent the build-up of tension.

I've scheduled a massage for Monday and reduced my mileage from 19K this week to 11K. I'm stretching my calves and heels at least three times a day, icing it as often as I can and taking anti-inflammatories. I am going to head out shortly to pick up a massage stick to help as well.

Hopefully this one week of setbacks will help to prevent a long-term injury

Heading off injuries at the pass

Playing ultimate on Saturday, a 3K on Sunday and another 3K on Monday was a bad idea. Oh and flip-flops on top of that. Whoops.

I probably would've been okay with one of those runs, but both runs combined with the added stress of flip-flops yesterday put my heels over the edge. My achilles tendons are not happy with me right now. The left one is especially angry.

I'm wearing really awesome running shoes and my flip-flops and flats have been banished to the back of the closet. I've started the gamut of achilles tendon, calf and plantar fasciitis stretches three times a day. And my ice pack is getting a good work out.

Thankfully the pain is not as bad as the first time I had achilles tendonitis back in 2007. My legs were so cramped that I could hardly walk without wincing in pain.

Here's to hoping that it all works and I have speedy recovery.