Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Good News and Speedwork

First things first today. A good friend of mine (ED, who I mentioned in this post) has taken a forced sabbatical from running. She broke her foot last year and spent months in a cast, then a boot, and basically resting from running (on doctor's orders) for over a year.

I don't know how she didn't go crazy. But today I saw on her instagram that she had gone running! I was immediately pumped! *Warning, adult language below ;o)



 Any of us who have been injured and had to take time off know what a big deal a first run back is. This alone was cause for celebration.

I went out for a run this evening, planning to do some speedwork. My mileage has been pretty pathetic lately, but I'm trying not to push myself too hard yet. My knees, hips, and feet really hurt today during work, but I think it was just my muscles aching for a workout.
Archie REALLY wanted to join, but I just don't trust him to stay put during a run. He's got that mischievous "I'll fly away!" look in his eye.
I used the loop at our park for my intervals. My friend CA asked me this week if I do speedwork, and the answer is "not as much as I should." My plan for this summer, set a few months ago, is to work on speed more than distance until it's time to start training for my marathon in November.

I don't follow a specific speedwork plan. I use a .3-mile loop. I do one loop at a normal warmup pace, then alternate sprinting and running every time I turn a corner. Today my sprints were in the 8:20s, which is awesome for me, and my recovery pace was in the 9:30s. I was very pleased. I had no pain at all during the run.

(I've been having pain under my toes, I think it's Morton's Neuroma, but I'm ignoring it and hoping it goes away. It doesn't hurt during a run; just during walking in normal shoes or barefoot.)

Some things I noticed today:

1. Wearing my headphones instead of just listening to my music from my iPhone speakers makes a huge difference. I felt more motivated and focused with the music pumping directly into my brain.

 I wear my head phones through my shirts like this. I pull the excess wire down under my shirt so it lays against my stomach. I love Yurbuds because they NEVER twist, pull, or fall out.
2. Wearing my compression sleeves takes a lot of pressure off my legs and helps control pain in all aspects.

3. Doing my hip and core exercises has really helped my knee pain.

4. Seeing a bunch of runners and walkers on the loop today kept me motivated. I think I scared a couple of them by "commenting" on their Rays shirts...by "commenting" I mean "shouting at them in an uncontrolled, excited manner and then giggling maniacally."

5. A drop in heat and humidity today helped me acclimate and made a huge difference. It was still in the 80s and a little sunny, but the break in humidity allowed my sinuses to rest and helped my breathing. I know summer will be brutal, so this little relief made a huge difference.

A gorgeous evening glow.
I have begun drinking soy milk in place of normal chocolate milk after a run. I wonder if it has the same magical properties?

Do you do speedwork?

Do you prefer morning or evening runs?

What's the longest time you've had to take off from an injury, and how did you deal with it?

Happy Wednesday!

ABK

7 comments:

  1. Fantastic for your friend! I was out for 10 months with plantar fasciitis. I wallowed and complained and cried most of the time, to be honest. Not a good time for me, especially since it was near the beginning of my journey, I had barely worked up to 3 miles when it happened! I just recently started doing speed work. I don't really like it as much as long relaxed runs, but I think it's valuable, so I will keep doing it! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow, 10 months! Did you need injections, or did it heal on its own?

      Speedwork is definitely not as fun, I agree. But it's nice to see it pay off!

      Delete
  2. morning runs for sure! before the babe wakes. I didn't know you had a bird!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep, my husband and I are too travel-oriented to have anything that needs constant care, so we got a bird. The irony is that, although we can leave him alone for a few days at a time, we have trained him to be very cuddly, so now we like to take him with us!

      Delete
  3. What great news for your friend, and what a fabulous run!

    Love speedwork. Well, sort of. I plan it in, and then as it gets closer I get scared, and throughout the whole time I wonder if I'll be able to complete it, and then I feel totally badass when I'm done. Like, for a whole day. I try to do a tempo/speedwork session once a week, with speedwork being about 1/3 of the time.

    Morning, morning, morning! Though I used to love evening/nighttime runs, pre-kids.

    I think the longest I've taken off for an injury has been two months, and I have hated every minute of it every time. Lots of swearing and complaining. I'm trying to be more respectful of warning signs now.

    Archie is adorable!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think if I did speedwork on a real track, I might psych myself out. Doing it "unofficially" always leaves me feeling badass too!

      Being injured has made me a lot more cautious. I try to give myself rest days even when I don't want to. I like the idea of being "respectful" to warning signs.

      Delete
  4. Oh, and I also love Yurbuds (once they started making the women's sizes - in bright orange!)

    ReplyDelete