But, if I'm being honest, it normally would have just plummeted to the bottom, but I'm officially injured, and I somehow decided blogging about it would make it real. (As if sitting on my couch not running doesn't...injured brain is almost as bad as taper brain!)
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| My brain is Peeta. |
Looking back, it's obvious I had overtraining syndrome this summer when I tried Hanson's, but even then I wasn't injured, just exhausted. Now I'm running at realistic paces at a weekly amount of mileage I know from experience I can handle. My tendonitis has bothered me before but never flared up this bad. I can only assume it has something to do with the intensity, but I'm not sure what pushed me over the edge.
I am happy to report that after less than one week of rest, the inflammation has already greatly abated. My chiro has treated someone else with this problem, who had it much worse, and he said it only took two weeks to clear up. Right now my plan is to take a total of 12 days off running, so I'm hoping I can dive back in.
While it is a bummer to replace running with cross-training, it's especially hard over the holidays when I'm traveling. I love swimming and don't mind spinning, but there have been days when I haven't had access to a pool or bike. It's really hard, but I'm trying not to beat myself over this since it's basically out of my control.
In the end, I hope the rest does my body good, even beyond my problem tendons and preps me for the last six weeks of training. While losing two weeks of training mid-cycle is tough, I'd rather have it happen now than four weeks out. But I'd still appreciate any tips for getting through a moderate injury!
Monday, December 15
800 yd swim
The goal was to swim and kick 25 minutes continuously, and it felt easier than when I first swam 20 minutes straight. It was good to see some improvement in the water.
Tuesday, December 16
lunch - lift
PM - 1.2 mi easy
This run was the first hammer of the nail in the coffin of my injury. (Wow, that metaphor got a little awkward.) The warm-up felt fine, but the pain was too bad to get up to speed to do repeats. My stomach was also upset because I was nervous to see the last Hobbit. (Nerd alert, heyoo.)
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| Still not 100% sure how I feel about the movie, thanks for asking. |
850 yd swim
Same workout as Monday, but I managed to go an extra 50 yards. Maybe the residual adrenaline from the Hobbit pushed me through. Or, you know, the pool was empty instead of packed.
Thursday, December 18
lunch - lift
PM - 2 mi WU, 3 mi @ 9:06, 1 mi CD - 6 mi total
My leg actually felt pretty good on this run. The discomfort went away at the start of the second mile, and it didn't bother me during the tempo portion.
Friday, December 19
rest
Saturday, December 20
12.1 mi long @ 10:42
I cut this run short because my capris got wet from my fuel belt, it was cold enough I didn't notice, and I got a tiny patch of frostbite on my hip. I tried changing and going back out, but I went right back in. I thought it was all mental at the time, but my legs felt tender the whole run, so I think it was partially my body trying to make me stop damaging myself any further.
Sunday, December 21
Slow Flow Yoga
I did a much better job staying with my breath during class, and the extra hip openers we did felt great. Since my run was much shorter the day before, I also was stronger and enjoyed the practice a bit more.
Run Miles: 19.2
Swim Miles: .9
Lifting Time: 50 mins
Yoga Time: 60 mins
Total Time: 5:55
Monday, December 22
lunch - lift
PM - 5.3 mi easy
The easy run felt slow, heavy, and awkward. I think I saw the writing on the wall after this one, even though I didn't want to admit it to myself.
Tuesday, December 23
1100 yd swim
This swim was almost all sets of 50's. Each set felt long, but overall the workout went fairly quickly.
Wednesday, December 24
3.6 mi easy
I had grand plans to do a 20 mile long run, but I couldn't even make it through one four mile loop before crying uncle. I just couldn't make my legs get up to speed, and the pain was pretty bad. I called it quits and made the very hard decision I needed to rest.
Thursday, December 25
Do Yoga With Me - Nourish Your Soul
I selected a intermediate flow class to at least get something in on Christmas. It was challenging, and I had to take child's pose a couple times just to recover. My injury did feel much better after the practice.
Friday, December 26
30 minute circuit @ Planet Fitness
Do Yoga With Me - Mindful Yin Yoga
My mom had a guest pass for Planet Fitness, and I had plans to spin, but all three bikes were taken, so I opted to try the 30 minute workout instead. It did a great job getting my heart rate up, and it was fun to shake up my weight routine.
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| No one was doing this, but I still hated them. |
rest
Michael and I drove five hours to Illinois and then spent almost 10 hours at the family party. Needless to say, I had no energy for yoga when we were finally released. I gloated as we watched Nebraska lose and then promptly passed out.
Sunday, December 28
rest
Michael and I then drove five hours back to Michigan, and I still had no energy for anything, especially after unpacking and grocery shopping.
Run Miles: 8.9
Swim Miles: .6
Lifting Time: 50 mins
Yoga Time: 2 hrs, 16 mins
Total Time: 5:22
I was feeling pretty bad about last week, but typing it out has helped me see I did a pretty good job. I got in both my swims, both my gym sessions, and did some extra yoga. Yes, it would have been great if I were home and could've spun too, but I wasn't and couldn't. I'm only spending one night away from home this week, so I will probably swap my rest day to get in all my workouts - just replacing the runs with cross-training.
Cross your fingers that I will have good news to report after another week of rest! Today (day five) was the first day I felt marked improvement in the pain, so I'm hoping a few more days will really make a difference.
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| A motivational quote to balance out all the snark. |
Have you ever had a running injury?
Any tips on mentally coping with a layoff?
Oh no!! I hope your tendonitis heals up real fast! I've dealt with tendonitis multiple times so I feel your pain. It's great that you can at least cross train for the time being so you don't lose all your progress. Hopefully you'll be good to go in a couple of weeks. Have a great New Year's!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sam! It feels even better today, so I think I'm finally on the mend.
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