My goals lately have been simple:
By June 15: Ditch the crutch - Done & done.
By July 1: Run some amount, at some pace, & don't re-injure anything - Check.
By July 15: Running regularly again (1-3 miles at a time) - Done.
My next self-imposed benchmark was August 1, by which time I planned to jump back into my training plan. I figured I would probably still need to cut some runs slightly short & might not be able to hit every pace second-for-second yet (ha!), but I wanted to at least start following the spirit of the plan and attempting every workout (barring yellow-flag pain in the hip flexor, which thankfully, I haven't been having).
So what's on tap for the first week of August?
August 1: 4 miles easy
August 2: 6-7 miles tempo (warm-up, 2 at MP, 1 at HMP, cool down). I'll probably cut the mileage down a bit on this one; how easy the paces are remains to be seen.
August 3: 4 miles easy
August 4: 6-7 mile "long" run. This just looks hilarious to me on the schedule, but if my legs feel alright, I'll probably give it a shot.
August 5: Cross training only
August 6: 3-4 miles speed (warm-up, 5:00 at 5K pace + 3:00 jog, repeat, cool down). Was I really running 10-12 mile track workouts three months ago? Yes; yes I was. Oy.
August 7: Cross training only
Doing the posterior chain stuff is still tough. My fitness is in the hole to begin with, and as critical I know it is to my getting healthy & injury-proof, really working on engaging my glutes & hamstrings takes even more work. Because of that, I'm a little torn on how to proceed training wise. Is it better to do as much as I can with perfect mechanics, knowing that will mean lower mileage for a while, or to try to do my planned mileage & alternate perfect mechanics with less perfect ones a la intervals until I'm better at it? Or maybe I should try 2-3 miles in the morning with perfect mechanics & another 2-3 in the evening? What say you, Internets?
I'm still sorting all that out. Meanwhile I'll probably also try to continue getting in some swimming & cycling, just because it's low-impact & can't hurt cardio-wise.
In other news, DC continues to entertain me.
DC Sculpture Garden
Jack Rose Whisk(e)y Saloon
Blood & Roses at Jack Rose
Union Market
Last run with Monica (this is my hunting-for-the-picture-button-on-the-back-of-my-phone smile)
Loving DC :)
I am glad you had such a great time in DC. Makes me want to go back there. Maybe for a race-cation next year.
ReplyDeleteI think you are being really smart with your training. Baby steps can go along way. Your fitness will be back to where it was in no time.
This sounds like a pretty intense week to me, even though the total mileage isn't crazy... and it's a huge step up from before, right? My feeling is that you should either increase mileage OR intensity but not both. I know you're eager to get out there and that you'll be smart enough to cut back when you need to, but it might be better for now to set achievable goals. I think you're doing great though! Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteSigh...Yes, of course you're right. I definitely pushed it *just* a bit too far on Friday, & now I'm taking extra rest days. My one saving grace is that I am no longer stupid enough to run through yellow-flag pain.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had so much fun in DC! I was going to say a less technical version of what Jen said - about stepping it up gently - but looks like you picked up on that! Hope the rest day helps.
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