Tuesday

Monday - My legs were fairly sore from Sunday's run so I took it easy and just did 30 min. lifting at the gym. I got lightheaded while working out even though I'd eaten a cup of yogurt + almond butter + farmer's market granola + flax seeds + banana beforehand (and had steadily snacked before that). I think my body was still recovering from the six miles on Sunday (my longest so far) and needed more fuel than usual.

Tuesday - My left thigh has been slightly achy around the IT band off and on for a few weeks so I've been keeping an eye on it. It's still a tad sore today and my back is also sort of achy so I'm going to push my easy 2 miler to tomorrow.

Probably being overly cautious but the last thing I want to do is ignore pre-injury signs and then get an injury right before my last two races of the season. I'm going to err on the side of too much rest over the next few weeks and will probably need to relax my race performance expectations. It's all good, though.

However, I'm still hitting up swim practice tonight!

Garage, meet Dining Room Table.

I bought a gently used bike trainer on Craigslist. It's a CycleOps Mag Trainer plus climbing riser block and training DVD. I haven't gotten it yet but I'm excited about using it and building quads of steel.















Because I live in a small townhouse, my lovely dining room table, which I never use, will be relocating to the garage. That way I can do my riding in view of the TV and annoy D while he's playing video games. Home decor takes one for the team.

I really wanted a Kurt Kinetic Road Machine but those things are crazy! pricey so this will do for now. Maybe it'll be an option one day once I've proven to be a dedicated little triathlete.

It's been 4.5 days since I last exercised (with the exception of some WWS - walking while shopping) due to my back. I've handled it pretty well aside from eating a lot of pizza and dessert. The back is feeling much better now although my right leg still feels a bit off. We'll see how it does tomorrow. I'm not really sure how to ease back into my running training plan after missing one tempo run and one long run? I guess I'll try an easy 2 miles tomorrow and upper body weights at the gym and go from there. Tuesday will be swimming, which shouldn't be a problem.

Hiccup

Ugh, I hit a hiccup in training this week.

It started during lifting on Wednesday morning. My lower back started to ache a little on the right side. I tried to stretch it out as soon as I noticed it and modified the rest of my time at the gym to work around it. Showered, went to work, didn't think anything more of it.

A couple of hours into work I realized the pain was getting worse. I couldn't sit comfortably and getting up from my seat hurt like a b*tch. I tried walking it out, stretching it out, icing it off and on all day. Late in the afternoon my right leg started to get partially numb and a little tingly if I sat in one place for very long. Since I was leaving town the next day with a four-hour drive each way I decided to see the Dr.

She said it's sacroiliac joint inflammation. Not overly serious in the grand scheme of things but it would put me off running for 1-2 weeks. UGH. She said I can basically run once the pain is gone. She's a runner herself so she gets it - said to contact her in a few days if it doesn't improve and she'll get me in to see a physical therapist to get me back in shape for my races. I should be able to swim and bike.

While I was gone on Thursday and Friday (a friend of mine is a PhD student and was going out of town for research; I tagged along for a break from work/routine), I did a good deal of walking. The pain has traveled now. It's less noticeable in my back and now more noticeable in my leg joints - hip, knee, ankle. My gait feels "off" when I walk and sends pain up the side of my ankle as if I'm stepping wrong.

Today I am listening to my husband and resting completely at home. I got plenty of sleep last night, will be icing all day, and sitting on my butt. This sucks. I am so antsy to get back to my training - I've missed two runs so far and I'm not even sure I should be biking or swimming right now - but will hopefully have better news in a day or two.

I came across this article today on Runner's World - a little old but still true - and had to post it because it describes me and my self-inflicted overuse injuries so well. I thought others might also be able to relate. I've highlighted in green what I find particularly relevant. Nutrition-wise I think I do well enough and my lungs and heart feel terrific. However, I definitely push my body and, according to this article (and the tendons in my knees), it is probably too much too often for my age. It's time to start using some self control.

Source: http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-413--12463-0,00.html

Running Through The Ages

RUNNING YOUR BEST IN YOUR 20S

You have a high capacity for work and recovery, but you will also discover that life is demanding and can get in the way of training.

By Dimity McDowell

Image by Roger Erickson

PUBLISHED 02/08/2008

Inherently stronger and faster than a teenager, you likely run because you love it--and you're good at it. Not because one of your teammates is cute, which is why Nick Symmonds, 24, a world-class 800-speedster in Eugene, Oregon, got started. "People typically race their best from their early 20s to their early 30s, when they have a high capacity for work and for recovery," says coach Greg McMillan. Still, challenges can emerge: Graduation can send athletes into a tailspin, as former Harvard steeplechase star Rosalinda Castaneda discovered. She moved to San Francisco and started working as a blood-transfusion specialist to prepare for med school. "My hours were all over the place, and I couldn't train consistently," says the 24-year-old. "It was a shock to my body, which was used to running on a set schedule for eight years."

Your Strengths

You're on top of the physiological world. Around age 24, not only are your bones as dense as they'll get, but you're as muscular as you'll ever be (having attained the maximum number of fibers per muscle). Enjoy it--and shed your shirt during workouts without a second thought--because in your 30s, you'll start to lose muscle mass (about four percent per decade). "Age-related muscle loss is obligatory and can't be stopped with exercise, but it can be slowed," says exercise scientist Steven Hawkins, Ph.D. "Runners also start with a higher level of muscle quality than sedentary people, so there's a much longer way to fall." You can impress competitors with a killer kick at the end of a 5-K--even if you haven't been doing speedwork. Your fast-twitch muscle fibers, used for quick bursts, are most plentiful in your 20s, and yourVO2 max is also at its peak. Even though both will decline, runners have a massive advantage because our baselines are so much higher than the average person's. "A fit 70-year-old has the same capacity to move oxygen around the body as an unfit 40-year-old," says internist and longevity expert Walter Bortz, M.D.

Your Weaknesses

You may start to feel twinges in your knees toward the end of your 20s. Cartilage, the gel-like, shock-absorbing substance that lines the ends of your bones, can become frayed as your 30th birthday looms. Adding insult to injury, chondrocytes, the cartilage cells in charge of repair, also decrease in number with age. You'll likely do some self-inflicted damage before you figure out how to balance the demands of real life with running. "Young, unsupervised athletes usually don't get enough sleep, hydration, or adequate nutrition," says Bradley Young, Ph.D., sports psychologist in the school of human kinetics at the University of Ottawa. "At some point, usually the fourth or fifth year out of college, you realize that you can't stay up until 2 a.m. and belt out an eight-mile tempo run the next morning. You eventually learn to self-regulate--or you become a post-university running casualty."

Exercise Rx

Your most important training tool this decade? Self-control. Cardiovascularly, you're a rock star, but your musculoskeletal system can't always keep up with your heart and your lungs. "The demands and impact of running are too intense on your joints and muscles to complete tough workout after tough workout without getting injured," says McMillan, who recommends you take at least one easy day between hard runs and incorporate no-impact cross-training activities into your routine.

Nutrition Rx

"Runners in their 20s tend to either eat poorly or eat just to get by; they don't make the connection between food and performance," says Lisa Dorfman, R.D., a sports nutritionist in Miami. When you're running, you want your body to tap into easily accessible carbs for fuel, not drain your protein stores. "Not only does protein aid in muscle repair, it also contributes to your immune system, the upkeep of your hair and skin, managing your hormones and water balance." So what you eat before, during, and after a run should all be part of your training plan. Before any run that's going to exceed an hour, eat about 40 grams of carbs (one cup of sports drink and half a banana or energy bar). If you're going longer than 90 minutes, restock your carbs every hour with 16 ounces of energy drink or with a gel and water. And within 60 minutes of finishing your run, jump-start your recovery with a carb-and-protein snack (chocolate milk and a bagel, or a smoothie).

The runner pictured above is Nick Symmonds 24 Eugene, Oregon
Running since: age 13
Résumé: Seven-time NCAA Division III champion, 800 and 1500 meters; 800 meters in 1:44.54 (at 23); indoor mile in 3:56 (at 23)
What I've learned: "Last year, I traveled and raced too much. I was exhausted and couldn't perform well. It showed me what is too much for my body. This year, my season will be less ambitious so I can be my best when it counts."
What works for me: "I never lost an 800-meter race in college. After graduation, I dropped my PR by almost three seconds. I attribute it to better competition. If somebody is in front of me, I can easily find an extra gear."

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