My Kind of Weekend

After seven weeks on the bench and six weeks starting from scratch on the treadmill I finally had a sort-of-back-to-normal week. I have approached my recovery very cautiously. That means no insane, out of the blue mileage increases, plenty of rest days, and no huge goal races to throw my priorities out of wack.

I spent the first four weeks of recovery running every other day. Weeks 5 and 6 I added two days in a row. Last week, week 7, I finally had a full five day running week and it felt long overdue. For several years I've kept a pretty consistant running schedule of T-W-R-Sa-Su, with the addition of a sixth day here and there. This is my base. My comfort zone. And I knew once I got back on this schedule I would start feeling like myself again. 


Happy happy 5 days per week

Not only did week 7 bring back my old schedule, but I also left the treadmill behind for all but one day and ventured outside. I admit, I was actually starting to like the treadmill after spending six weeks on it, but there is no workout comparable to hitting the pavement or trail for a few hours on foot. I built more muscle on my legs last week than I did with the 100+ miles I have put on the treadmill since New Years. My first two runs outside were really, really difficult. I had gotten so used to the belt on the treadmill pushing me forward that I forgot what it was like to do it of my own volition. By the third run, however, I was starting to feel really comfortable again.

The shining moment of last week was not, however, just the 5 days of running or ditching the treadmill, but getting through my long run on Sunday in spite of both these things. Instead of driving down to the gym to use the treadmill for double digits, I woke up, put on my compression socks, laced up my Kinvaras and ran out the door for 13 glorious miles. I had no idea how my body would react. Not only would it be my longest run since November, but 6 miles further than I had run outside in a single stretch and after 4 days of running that week already.

It would be cruel not to take these pretties out for a run

Fortunately my body responded very well. Sure it was tough, but it felt good. So good, that I found myself pushing the pace and ended up averaging 9 minutes miles. A far cry from my old paces, but considering I've been doing 10 minute miles since I started running again, I'm going to call that a huge win.

I spent the rest of Sunday in my pivot shorts and compression sleeves on the couch doing homework. Maybe not my perfect weekend five years ago, but now it sounds like just about the best thing ever.

Another running weekend bonus? Dessert anything

 

Reflections on Running

Today is a great day. For one, I successfully ran 10 miles yesterday, my first double digit run since November and I spent 4 of those glorious miles outside on the bike path. I won't lie. Running outside after five weeks on the treadmill felt more challenging than I expected. I was surprised how sensitive my body was to the minute changes in elevation and terrain. The best thing about running 10 miles yesterday, however, is how great I feel today. No aches. No pains. No soreness or weird tweaks.

But today is a great day for another reason. Today is my wonderful sister's 22nd birthday! I might be a little biased, but I have the best sister in the entire world and I could easily write 50 posts on how great she is. Last year Caitlin spent several months living in Senegal for school. She stayed with a host family, spoke almost exclusively French, and had the oppotunity to completely immerse herself in the culture (including getting up and close with all the mosquitos). One of the best things about running is all of the places it can take you. You could live in a city for 10 years and never really experience it until you hit the pavement. For me, running and travel go hand in hand. So, I'd like to share a poem that my sister wrote about running in Senegal (complete with some awesome pics). Happy birthday Caitlin!

Reflections on Running

Hello. This is where it begins

The home turf,

Where I learned to love to run.

Monuments streak past,

Photo-bombing a thousand tourists.

 

Ohayo Gozaimas. Black and deep,

The water undulating as a rolling cavern

Dips past me unaware.

Strange buildings loom over the river

As I run silently and alone through thick air.

A tranquil place,

Retaining the spirit of the old country

Amidst the electric modernism that surrounds.

 

 

 

Top o’ the morning! A field of curious cows

Turn their heads to follow us.

Sheep blocking the path,

We find unexpected undergrowth

Emanating from the country road.

We step swiftly over creeks, up mossy banks.

The air is pure, the smell of time slowed down.

 

 

 

Buenos dias. My muscles swiftly climb stone steps,

Rising above the historic city,

Exhaling memories of ancient festivals past.

Tienes frío? And me in my summer shorts—

Pack light.

 

 

 

Kalimera. Feet pound against cobblestone,

A veritable maze intended to ward off pirates,

Now feeding my momentum.

A different winding alley every other step,

Until I exit the puzzled old town,

Welcomed by the open sea.

 

 

 

Asalaam Maleikum. Pollution leeching into my lungs,

Grabbing hold for a future with better air quality.

Excusez-moi, I need to breathe with those.

Yet in another village, breath comes quickly

In the desert heat.

Mangrove forests to my left,

Orange African sun rising to my right.

Giant paw prints guiding my way across the sand.

 

 

 

— No greeting here, anti-social society.

A different home,

Where I learned to love distance,

Hard concrete pressing back against my feet.

My personal peace in the city

That never sleeps.

Climbing Back Up The Ladder

Being injured is a lot like falling off a ladder. You may only fall down a few rungs or your ass might hit the ground. Either way, eventually you find yourself climbing back up agsin to where you were, maybe even hoping to go further this time around.

Being injured and recovering from injury each have their unique challenges. When you're injured you agonize over when you might be better and how you might get there. When you're recovering you fear having a setback. Luckily I'm fully into recovery now. Five full weeks into it. Five weeks that I've been running again. When I fell off the ladder though, I feel all the way to the bottom. I start with one mile, then two, then three, etc, etc. It's terribly slow and it feels like you will never get back to where you were. Patience is of the utmost importance.

Now five weeks after that miraculous one mile test run I'm feeling more comfortable with the miles, but there are some other things I have to deal with. There are certain rungs on the ladder that I have to face up to one at a time.

1) Back-to-back runs

Once upon a time I ran six days a week. While I'd like to get there again, I'm more interested in getting back to base, which would be running on Tue, Wed, Thurs and Sat, Sun. Finally, after 4.5 weeks of running every other day I finally ran two days in a row. It was the most terrifying 4 miles of my life, but it turned out fine. Last spring when I was injured I started running multiple days in a row after only two or three weeks, but this time I felt more hesitant.

2) Getting off the treadmill

Never before in my life have a logged so many treadmill miles. In fact, in the past five weeks I've only logged treadmill miles. 55 of them in January and 35 so far this month to be exact. I think before this the longest consecutive run I'd ever done on the treadmill was 5 miles on vacation when it was too hot to run outside. Last Sunday I peeled through 8. While that might be a little much for my attention span, I've actually started to like the treadmill for shorter runs. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to hit the road again, but I'm terrified of it. The treadmill is my safe haven. My cushy, bouncey, speed-controlled running home. Outside there are pavement, hills, uneven surface. Insanity!

3) Wardrobe diversity

The first week I was running again I wore compression shorts during every run. Whether or not they were really keeping my IT band in line, mentally they made me feel secure. Fast forward to today and I'm still wearing those damn shorts during every run. They are awesome (seriously, you should try them!), and they were a staple of my post-run recovery during JFK training, but I have got to stop relying on them. Just like the treadmill, I don't feel safe without them. Mentally, however, I know I need to let go (not to mention all of my Lululemon clothes are feeling neglected).

It's hard to know when your body is ready to move to the next level, but the lesson is that if you never try, you'll never know. Obviously there was a time when these three things came easy to me. One day they will again.

What have you struggled with during recovery from injury?