Women's Training and Recovery and All Purpose BS Thread - 10/17/10

One lonely little post. I'll make it two.

I am still in a world of non-runningdom. I seemed a lot better for a few days last week and then on Friday started to feel something not quite right again in my right glute. It's subtle, but it's there. I know if I tried to run right now, I'd hurt. I didn't feel that way on Thursday.

So I'm waiting to see what happens and finding it quite hard to stay motivated these days. It's also pretty depressing to be in the midst of fall marathon season, a pretty much constant reminder of how my weeks to train for Houston in January are slipping away.

So. Wow. Injury sucks. What an insight.

Good luck with the jury duty. I'm really surprised they want you, since in my own experience with it the lawyers on both sides seemed scared of obviously bright jury candidates.

Well, I'm lucky in that I am able to run my usual 50+ a week. I just don't race any more. I had something happen that was funny the other day though that some of you ladies might appreciate. I was finishing up a run early in evening when the light was most flattering (this is important info, hang with me). A car full of late teens/college age guys drove past hollering at me. My first reaction wsa to get my dander up a bit, but then one yells, "Nice a$$!" I started laughing and just waved. I guess the soft glow of twilight hid my middle age wrinkles. I wonder what they would have thought if they had known that I was closer to their mothers' ages than their own?

i'll join mind runner in lightening up the tone of this week's thread, since my week ended up on an upswing, but first i'll offer my condolences to darkwave and RLaG on injuries and forced time away from what we all love.

last weekend's migraine held on for four nasty days, but finally broke during tuesday's trail run and only threatened but didn't succeed at returning throughout the week. the colors in the national forest were particularly amazing during a couple of get-soaked-in-cold-rain romps, as i progressed through color zones where the trail would change from YELLOW! to RED! to blah to YELLOW! again. a true delight, even with numb hands and feet by that point.

56 miles for the week with a satisfying time at last sunday's 20K trail race and a wednesday workout of hill bounding; no real long runs.

the current week's mileage got a bump yesterday with a hometown 5K in the morning (ran the course for wu and cd, too) and then a short trail run in the afternoon with my husband followed immediately by an unusually fun hash with some great folks, yielding me 17 miles for the day.

19:33 for the 5K win, where i joked with the high school boy who outkicked me that he shouldn't let himself get chicked by a 50-yr-old woman, and half a mile prior one of his soccer friends, acting as a course marshall, said to me "good going, short stuff. go get him!" i did pass him briefly, but i'm the queen of no kick, and he's a high school boy. 'nough said, eh? there was no competition on the women's side, with the next female two and a half minutes back, but i'm happy with how i ran, just three seconds slower than my PR, and i then returned my $50 winnings to the rotary club and relevant memorial fund for which the race was staged. (each year of this race, i've advised the organizer on the how-to-put-on-a-race-from-a-runner's-point-of-view aspects of the event, and i also worked the registration table until it was time to warm up, so i felt as though taking the cash would be poor form.) it was a lovely morning of community spirit, and this race gave me confidence that my legs have some sense of how to turn over as my first xc race approaches in two weeks.

Sorry to be a Debbie Downer. I really shouldn't post on my bad days.

Cool stories from the middle aged contingent!

Also, NLS, I have bad news and good news for you. The bad news is that I lost one of the little rubber earbud protectors on your AquaTune setup. The good news is that I replaced the headphones with an in-ear set that a) actually stay in your ears and b) sound about 50 times better.

Now you need to tell me when you want this setup mailed back to you. At this rate, I am running in the pool for the foreseeable future. I don't want to be an Aqua-Tune hog.

so, RLaG, you're calling me middle aged, too? shame on you ;-) actually, i look around me at an awful lot of other 50-yr-old women and characterize them that way, but, hey, i still feel like i'm in my 20s (other than the hot flashes!).

bummer about losing the earbud protector. that headset was actually a replacement provided by laura from ohio (she hasn't posted here in quite some time, and i forget her screenname) when she was laid up with a stress fracture. i guess it goes to show that you ladies use the thing much more than i ever did (or hopefully will ever have to). while my hope for you, RLaG, is to be back on your feet quick as can be so that you don't need to use the big plastic sack (obviously designed for a sony walkman-style cassette player, not an mp3 player), feel free to keep it as long as you find it useful. don't worry -- if i break something and need it back, you will all be among the first to hear about it.

Wait a minute now, I'm only in my very young 40's!!! So since I plan on living to 110, I guess I'm not middle age yet!

Last week

Sunday- 15 miles

Monday- am-2.5 miles pm-8.5 miles and 10x100s

Tuesday- 1 mile warm up 7 mile threshold run at 5:55-6:10 pace 2 mile cooldown

Wednesay- 11 miles

Thursday- 8 miles w/ 6x30second surges through out. 6x75 meter sprints.

Friday- 2 mile warm up 3x1 mile 5:23 5:25 5:16 and 3x300s in 50, 51, 51, 1 mile cooldown

Saturday- 7 miles

This week:

Sunday- 15 miles

Monday- am-3 miles pm-7 miles and 10x100s

Today- 1.5 mile warm up 3x300 warm up strides in 54-56sec 5x1000s 3:17, 3:16, 3:17, 3:14, 3:12 2 mile cooldown

I'll post the rest after completed. I am hoping to qualify for the NCAA national cross country meet, and olympic trials in the half marathon so I need as much support as possible. I will be sure to support each and everyone of you also.

RLAG: agreed on the injury sux.

One thing I will mention: I don't believe that resting until you're 100% is always the best choice. My own experience has been that my healing seems to stall after a certain point, and that I NEED to run to push my body to heal all the way.

With both my PF and my posterior tib issues, they healed partially with cross-training, and then stalled, before making notable progress again once I started running on them (I'd run until the pain was enough to force a limp, then stop, rest a day, and run the day after to the same point -- taking reassurance from the fact that it took longer and longer before I limped each time). I'm not ENCOURAGING you to run (you know what's right for you), but I am suggesting that you be open to the possibility that rest ain't best.

Heh - Mindrunner. On a similar note, I've had people cat call me when I'm bundled up in long pants, heavy coat, and hat -- I just want to reply "why? You have no idea what I even look like under all this stuff"

NLS: excellent on the race. I was wondering where you were last week, and am glad you're back!

Very nice week as always, runner girl! I love reading how someone at your level trains!

As for me, this week was just under 70 miles running, plus 2:00 on the bike.

As you can see, the damn leg isn't keeping me from running, so I probably don't deserve much sympathy. It is slowing me down, though -- the right leg is notably weaker (both when running and when strength training) and I feel like I've got a flat tire when I run.

I did “dry needling” on Monday, and that seems to be what helped with the pain (which is mostly gone). Coordination and strength on that side is still off, though some manipulation of my spine in the lumbar region has helped. This is pretty clearly some sort of nerve thing, and I've got a neurologist appointment this coming Monday (assuming the judge lets me out to go to it). I also got blood work done on Monday (CBC plus lyme disease)

The other annoyance of the week was picking up some sort of stomach bug on top of the fatigue I’ve been dealing with. Sunday was supposed to be a moderate day -- 15 miles with 8 at aerobic pace, but even that was too much. I shut it down pretty early and took a cab home so I could guzzle Maalox.

Week breakdown:

Monday: 75 minutes easy on the bike plus upper body strength training.

Tuesday: In the morning, 15 miles easy outside on a hilly route (8:36 pace).

In the evening, 30 minutes easy cycling plus yoga.

Wednesday: In the morning, 8 miles easy (8:40 pace) outside including 10 hill sprints of 13-14 seconds each up hill of 17% slope.

Thursday: 15 miles on treadmill, including 3 intervals of 3 miles each at 6:39 pace (equals 6:49 outside). 3 minute jogging recovery between first and second interval; full recovery between second and third. Followed with leg strength work.

In the evening, 15 minutes easy cycling plus yoga.

Friday: 9 miles very easy (8:59 pace).

Saturday: 8.5 miles easy outside (8:46) plus upper body strength training

Sunday: 13 miles outside, including 5 miles at aerobic pace (around 7:30).

Darkwave, I had some guys hollering at me when I was pregnant with my first child. Ha, guys are so dumb and predictable.

another thought on middle-agedness, which will hopefully serve as a mood booster for RLaG and the still-youthful darkwave. last year i was feeling fragile and old(ish), leading me to join the 50+ thread half a year before i was officially qualified. this year, though, i'm back in PR range, running happy, and, well, just feeling happy. indeed, injuries suck. big time. but if you can give the affected part(s) enough rest, figure out the source of the problem and address it, and stay fit in the meantime (as you both very much do), you'll come out of it all performing well and hopefully having learned something (or at least listened to a bunch of interesting podcasts or enjoyable music while in the pool).

runner girl, your workout times just amaze me -- so completely out of my league that i find them confusing to read ;-) we're all here rooting for you and your ambitions. when do you race?