Hills Be Damned!

So I survived the 10mi run on Saturday morning, but just barely...  Ugh, it was one of those runs that makes you question whether or not you can actually successfully complete the marathon no matter how long or hard you train for.  Those runs just plain suck.  Since I've been having trouble with my hip, I decided to try incorporating more trail running so that I'm not pounding the pavement all the time.  However, I think the trail at Winnekenni is just FAR, far too hilly.  Also, I started getting this sharp shooting pain occasionally in my right heel during the second loop.  Ugh, it's like my body is just looking for ways to fail me...Trying not to get myself too worked up about it (perhaps plantar fasciitis?) and just put it down to that I really, really need new running shoes...

Check out that elevation profile...

Considering the Chicago Marathon is supposed to be very flat, and that I found the super hilly run on Saturday too much to bare, perhaps it would make more sense to run the long runs on routes that are more similar to what the actual marathon will be like.

Yup, I'd say that's pretty flat!

Ok, now I get why so many people say that the Chicago Marathon is a great choice for first-timers.  That is seriously one flat course!!  That's pretty freaking awesome.  Well, I know that I can walk faster than a 15min/mile pace (I practiced on the treadmill the other day), so at worst, provided I am injury-free enough to at least walk, I WILL complete this marathon!!

St. Peter's Fiesta 5k - Gloucester, MA

So much fun!  It's been YEARS since I ran in a 5k race.  And it was just really fun to meet up with friends and also have my cuties on the sidelines cheering us all on.  They made me smile so big.
UPDATE: Results!  Time: 31:40  Not too shabby!

Just spotted my boys!

Fisher, Erin, Becky, Micah, Phoebe & Me

The route

After the race we hit up the Cape Ann Brewery (of course!) and had some delicious brews, good food, and great company.  My big guy recently announced that he wants to be a drummer in a rock band when he grows up, and the band that was setting up was awesome enough to let my guys play around on the drums.

The big guy living the rockstar dream!

Gotta be just like big brother!!

I said it's been forever since I ran a 5k, but I did do the Warrior Dash last summer.  That was about getting as muddy as possible and the fun obstacles (and beer)...so I don't really consider that a "running" race (although the BEST running races always involve beer somehow!)  I definitely didn't care about my time.  I just wanted to have fun, actually do all the obstacles and get some cool photos.

Stuck in the mud!

FIRE!

(This was pure photo op - the fire wasn't even that high, so it wasn't even a real 'obstacle', but still awesome!)

Another muddy photo op.

FINISHED!

(That giant hill in the back was SUPER fun to slide down in the mud!)

I definitely want to do more obstacle/mud races, but yesterday reminded me that I also enjoy just the simple challenge of a straight up 5k.  I'm kind of looking forward to when marathon training is over, just so I don't have to be so concerned with getting an(other) injury and can sign up for more of the fun stuff!  I don't think it would be wise to attempt the Warrior Dash or Spartan Sprint or any of the rest prior to the marathon because I got pretty pretty banged up doing the Dash last year (also got a nasty case of "Dash Rash" all over my legs that was NOT pleasant!!)

But hopefully I'll get a chance to run another 5k or other race as part of marathon training because it definitely adds an element of fun to training.  And maybe I'll sign up for the Rebel Race since it's a month after the marathon and only 10 minutes from my house!  Or maybe the Spartan Time Trial at Fenway!  That just sounds so fun!  And there's an event my 4yo can do AND just to have access inside Fenway Park is awesome!  Hmmmm, decisions decisions!

The hip is angry

Well, I rested my hip over the weekend.  I felt like crap missing my long run.  It's hard to shake the voices in my head yelling "slacker!!" even when I know it's the smart thing to do.  Looking back over my training log I realized that because I missed a run when I went to CA to visit my sister a couple weeks ago (again, slacker!) I went from running a total of 10.7mi in week 3 to a total of 15.5mi the next week - an increase of almost 50% from one week to the next.  And by week 5 is when I started noticing a twinge in my hip.  Everything I read about training strongly suggests not increasing mileage more than 10% from week to week, so I suppose that wasn't very smart on my part.

I've been trying to think of everything I could have done to make my hip angry again.  It's probably as simple as coming back from an injury and pushing it too hard too fast.  I just had been feeling so good the past month with training, I was totally on a high.  It felt really good, and I finally felt like I was starting to get stronger and running better.

Could it have been switching out my orthotics?  Did that change my gait enough while running that it bothered my hip?  I somehow doubt it, but it was also these orthotics that I was wearing when I injured myself last time too (hmmm, my bad luck orthotics?)

Could it have been increasing my running interval time?  Maybe 3:2 is my magic interval.  It seems unlikely to me, but I had just tried 4:2 for the first time right before my hip really started to bother me.  Perhaps the extra minute per interval of high impact on my hip was just too much.  I hope not because I actually preferred the 4:2 intervals.

Did I do something wrong during spinning?  This also seems doubtful to me because I was definitely feeling a bit of a twinge even before spinning, but I did have a bit of a problem with my left pedal strap.  My first choice bike (decided after having it for all of 2 classes) was already taken when I got to the spinning studio.  It's a bike way in the back and directly next to a fan.  I'm actually surprised I was able to get it the first 2 times!  Anyway, the left strap on the foot pedal of the bike I had on Friday was super loose and I couldn't figure out how to tighten it.  I didn't think it was that big a deal until I realized well into the class that because my left foot was perpetually about to fall off the pedal, I definitely had a slightly uneven pedal stroke, but after I realized it I concentrated on pedaling evenly and didn't think it was that big a deal.

E suggested it's the crazy humidity that was bothering my hip.  Well, with these thunderstorms we've been having the last few days...maybe it's just another example of me already being a crazy old person whose arthritis acting up means I can predict the weather.

Ok, well, that's my slightly neurotic over-analysis of my hip not being happy with me at the moment.  Hopefully the rest I allowed myself, continuing to take it a little more easy than I have been (I'm thinking elliptical tomorrow instead of pounding pavement), and possibly scaling back a wee bit will allow me to ease right back into training and not affect me big picture.

Argh!

Went to spinning again this morning (3rd time) and I'm loving this class for how it fits into my marathon training schedule:

Monday- Cross-train

Tuesday- Short run

Wednesday- Weights

Thursday- Short run

Friday- Cross-train

Saturday- Long run

Sunday- REST

I've been swimming on Mondays, so spinning on Fridays makes for a nice, totally different type of cross-training to change it up.  My hip has been feeling slightly funny this week, but not painful.  Well, right toward the end of class today I started to feel a bit of a twinge.  I honestly couldn't determine if I'd possibly just gotten a slight pull in my upper quad or if it was my hip or what.  But it wasn't really that painful and we were just a moment or two from the end of class, so I didn't really think about it too much.  After class I did a ton of extra stretching, way more than I usually do, and then hit up the locker room for a shower.  It really still didn't even bother me that much, but once I got the boys home for some lunch I definitely started to notice it getting more painful to walk around the house.  I've now iced my hip and inner thigh at least 5 separate times.  I've tried massaging all around my hip and upper leg.  I've used my foam roller.  I've taken ibuprofen, and it's still quite painful.

<Sigh>So, now I'm sitting here the night before I'm supposed to run my long run of the week (9mi), and I'm having to seriously consider having a rest instead.  Logically I know it's the safe/smart thing to do because I don't want to further injure myself, but I find it SO HARD to stray off my plan.  And if I do stray off my plan, where do I jump back in?  Do I alter it so I still fit in my 9mi and then do my 10mi less than a week later? (guess that doesn't sound like the best idea), do I just skip my 9mi and do 10mi next week?  Or do I make my long run next week 9mi and alter mileage later on?  Should I do some light elliptical tomorrow or totally rest?  How long should I wait before I try running again?  Ugh, I HATE when my body doesn't behave the way I want it to.  WAH!

Maybe, just maybe, I'll ice a couple more times tonight and when I wake up tomorrow I'll magically feel better!  (Wishful thinking...)

A milestone day!

So my total logged training miles today entered the triple digits!  Woo-hoo!  I actually thought today's run kinda sucked, but now that I realized that I'm pretty psyched.  Although I just checked out B's, E's, & M's miles and they're lightyears ahead of me in mileage.  I guess they were pretty busy during those 3mos when I was injured!

Speaking of injury, my right hip has been bothering me a teensy tiny bit since my 8mile run.   It's not so much pain as it is just funny twitches all throughout my groin and especially my inner thigh.  My PT told me that when the hip is unstable the inner thigh muscles feel like they have to go into overdrive to help maintain stability.  Maybe I need to concentrate a little more on building the strength in my hips with some simple daily exercises.  Mental note: let's get on that Kate.