Perseverance

You might say I'm on a bit of a high. Today I completed week 5 of my training plan. I did a 4-mile run in the Berkeley hills with two guys from my running group. I finished strong and with zero pain.

 

My progress has been unbelievably encouraging. A few weeks ago, I was considering giving up on ever running a marathon. I thought it might be time to accept that my body is just not built for that kind of distance.

 

Luckily, I came to my senses a few days ago and resolved to take whatever steps necessary to fulfill my dream of running a marathon. Sure, after 5 weeks I've only built up to a 4-mile run. This gradual increase in mileage does not deter me, however. I'm ready to do whatever it takes, however long it takes, at this point.

 

With that mindset, I've planned out 10 additional weeks of training after I finish the first 10 weeks. In those 10 weeks, I'll build from a 6-mile long run to a 10-mile long run. I'll also transition from running three days per week to running four days per week.Finally, I plan to participate in some races along the way.

 

For now, there are 4 things I'd like to commit to that I believe will improve my training:

1. Attend one yoga class per week for strengthening and flexibility.
2. Complete physical therapy exercises three times per day, five days per week.
3. Take two calcium supplements everyday.
4. Drink one glass of water at each meal (yes, I have problems with hydration).

 So, there it is. There's no doubt about it, I love to run!

 

 

A Lesser-Known Means of Injury Prevention

I'm happy to report that I completed the first run of week 5 of my training program today. I ran a pain-free 3-miler in the beautiful Berkeley hills in perfect weather. I feel energized and excited to continue progressing through my training program.

In an effort to stop my hip injury from returning, I've been doing physical therapy exercises everyday. I think these exercises have been effective in strengthening my hips and core, and the result is that my injury hasn't been reactivated. However, after reading this article at Competitor.com, I learned that there is even more I can be doing for injury prevention. Surprisingly, it has to do with what and when I'm eating.

Getting Back in Shape After a Long Break

Happy 2011! After a long break from running and fitness in general, I’m ready to get back on track. Last week, I went in search of a running plan that would get me back in shape. Since my level of fitness is so poor right now, I steered myself toward novice plans to ensure that I didn’t take on too much too quickly.

Here’s what I found.

Thankful for Today

Happy Thanksgiving! Today, I am thankful for spending a wonderful day with my boyfriend's lovely family and for the opportunity to run!

I'm in southern Utah for the holidays, near Zion National Park. I finally got in a run today with southern Utah's stunning landscape as a backdrop. I did a 4 mile out and back but only ran 3 of those miles until my hips began to hurt too much to continue on. Kind of disappointing, but I'm pretty happy I could run at all!

 

As I said, it was a gorgeous run, temperature in the 30s and a rolling, curving, single-track trail to follow. I hope to get in one more run before I have to leave on Sunday.

Crisis Averted?

My right hip miraculously stopped aching this morning. What a relief! I felt ready to run, but based on my personal experience, I didn't. I've learned that when you think you're recovered, give it more time. The mind can be very good at tricking itself into thinking everything is ok. Plus, another day or two of rest can only help.

Tomorrow, I am planning to make up the 3-mile run that was scheduled for today. I'll run until I feel anything at all in my hip, at which point I'll walk. As anxious as I am to get on with my marathon training, I have to be patient with this latest injury. An ounce of prevention now will be the key to whether I'm able to run in March.

Disaster Strikes

Today was a bad day for my running career. I set off this morning to do the 8-mile run scheduled for today. It rained for the last two days in Berkeley, so I headed for a trail that I knew would be dry. It's a paved trail but has nice gravel shoulders for the most part.

I was only 2 miles into the run when I started feeling something in my hips. This something soon escalated to near-pain, so at mile 4.5, I forced myself to stop running. By that point it was hard to even walk. And because of the route I had selected, I still had 2 miles to go before reaching the parking lot, so I had a nice, long walk to feel the pain and think about everything it would mean for my upcoming half marathon and training schedule.

The pain is now mostly in my right hip, which is interesting because it was my left hip that was injured earlier this year. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised given that my hips were starting to ache on the treadmill just a few days ago. For now, all I can hope is that the pain is just a muscle strain that needs a few days rest.

Rain Rain Go Away

The rain forecasted for this weekend came earlier than I thought it would. I had planned to run 5 miles in the early afternoon, but it started raining much earlier. I contemplated running in the rain so many times but in the end couldn't bring myself to do it. So, I did what I did earlier in the week and headed back to the gym. Ugh. 

I wanted to do 5 miles on the treadmill, in line with my training program, but I didn't have the willpower. Even with "Born To Run" on audiobook (which is really interesting so far), I could only manage to run 2 miles, take a break, and then run another mile. I wasn't feeling it mentally, and my hips were aching a bit. While I'm pretty sure the ache is just a healthy muscle ache from yoga last night, I don't like to play around with hip pain. When it starts, I stop.

So, I didn't get in the 5-mile run my training plan had scheduled for me this week, but I figure the extra 3-mile run I threw in earlier this week will make up for that somewhat. 

For now, I'm waiting for the rain to stop so I can get back on the trails.