After a week of no running, I ran Monday and again this morning. Both went very well. Monday was especially nice because it was 8 C and overcast but not raining, so DH and I could run outside. Total run was about 12.4 km - a couple of laps around the park and the hill run twice. I have mapped out a good 15 km run that also involves doing the hill run twice and am just itching to try it one morning. Unfortunately, we are looking at flurries and sub-freezing temps for the next few days, so it won't happen until next week. Next weekend, assuming okay weather, I also have a 17 km route with three hills that I would like to try. One of them would be near the end so it would be especially good training.
The great thing is that the park and/or the school make it fairly easy to add distance if it feels good, without ending up too far away and having to get back to the starting point.
Total run today, on the indoor track, was 14.1 km, at a faster pace than usual, around 4:47. By the end I was feeling rather tired but tried to maintain it, mostly to make up for not doing any hills.
The spring half marathon will be happening the end of this month and between now and then I plan to train pretty intensely (except for the usual taper). Then it's a bit of rest before full-fledged marathon training starts. The first couple of months should be pretty nice. No emphasis on speed, just on building distance, nice time of year to run, etc. Somewhere around July it probably needs to get a little more intense - by that point 30 km should be relatively "easy" - and then the time will just fly until the actual marathon in September. Being superstitious about injury, though, I'm not actually registering until after the half marathon.
In trivial news, last Friday I finally bought a proper runner's watch so now I can track my exact times instead of just approximating them. That will be especially nice during an actual race - maybe provide a little extra motivation if I'm running well enough to be close to a really good time or something.
The big news is that last week I also learned about something called Active Release Therapy (ART) and the possibility that it could help my lingering hip issue. ART is essentially a deep tissue massage aimed at loosening scar tissue and dealing with adhesions. I got the name of a practicioner from someone on an on-line running forum, and went to see her today. And what an amazing difference! She found the spot right away and started manipulating it, and it HURT, A LOT, but in a "good hurt" way. Like when you massage a tight spot on a muscle, but much more intense. But right away I could feel the area loosening up and within just a few minutes the "awareness" in my hip was pretty much gone and it felt fantastic. I have to ice it tonight, and put some heat on before bed, but can still run on Friday. Next Wednesday I have another appointment to see how it's doing and perhaps loosen up a bit more, and after that I may even try back-to-back runs.
It would be so wonderful to resolve this thing. In the big picture, I can't really complain because I am able to run and it really never hurts - it just gets uncomfortable. But I feel it if I try to run two days in a row, I'm paranoid about taking time off after every big run, and it's always a nagging worry. It's been almost two years now, and although as I build to marathon distance of course I've got to be careful about injuries, a reduction in the paranoia/fear department would be a real boost.
The great thing is that the park and/or the school make it fairly easy to add distance if it feels good, without ending up too far away and having to get back to the starting point.
Total run today, on the indoor track, was 14.1 km, at a faster pace than usual, around 4:47. By the end I was feeling rather tired but tried to maintain it, mostly to make up for not doing any hills.
The spring half marathon will be happening the end of this month and between now and then I plan to train pretty intensely (except for the usual taper). Then it's a bit of rest before full-fledged marathon training starts. The first couple of months should be pretty nice. No emphasis on speed, just on building distance, nice time of year to run, etc. Somewhere around July it probably needs to get a little more intense - by that point 30 km should be relatively "easy" - and then the time will just fly until the actual marathon in September. Being superstitious about injury, though, I'm not actually registering until after the half marathon.
In trivial news, last Friday I finally bought a proper runner's watch so now I can track my exact times instead of just approximating them. That will be especially nice during an actual race - maybe provide a little extra motivation if I'm running well enough to be close to a really good time or something.
The big news is that last week I also learned about something called Active Release Therapy (ART) and the possibility that it could help my lingering hip issue. ART is essentially a deep tissue massage aimed at loosening scar tissue and dealing with adhesions. I got the name of a practicioner from someone on an on-line running forum, and went to see her today. And what an amazing difference! She found the spot right away and started manipulating it, and it HURT, A LOT, but in a "good hurt" way. Like when you massage a tight spot on a muscle, but much more intense. But right away I could feel the area loosening up and within just a few minutes the "awareness" in my hip was pretty much gone and it felt fantastic. I have to ice it tonight, and put some heat on before bed, but can still run on Friday. Next Wednesday I have another appointment to see how it's doing and perhaps loosen up a bit more, and after that I may even try back-to-back runs.
It would be so wonderful to resolve this thing. In the big picture, I can't really complain because I am able to run and it really never hurts - it just gets uncomfortable. But I feel it if I try to run two days in a row, I'm paranoid about taking time off after every big run, and it's always a nagging worry. It's been almost two years now, and although as I build to marathon distance of course I've got to be careful about injuries, a reduction in the paranoia/fear department would be a real boost.
posted by Jogger Barbie | 9:55 PM
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