What a day!
- The weather was amazing.
- Martin went for a run.
- Martin didn't walk during his run.
I think I have been a rush to regain my fitness after my ankle injury and have been piling on more volume than I can adequately recover from. There are so many variables in play when you train like age, fitness base, recovery protocol, training intensity, etc., etc. I kind of pride myself in having a clue when it comes to training smart and so it's a bit embarrassing that I fell into this trap.
My ankle injury has been healing up nicely, no complaints there. I am now running on the streets, on the trails, up hills down hills and over roots and you name it. I have also been able to run for two hours now so feel like I am well and truly on my way to getting over this injury.
As is unfortunately the case with many athletes, you tend to compare yourself to your best or at least to your recent best. I guess I got the unrealistic expectation stuck in my head that I should be able to run at the pace I could just prior to my injury by now. A couple of recent outings that were short but felt good only helped fuel this delusion.
I have also been riding my bike more than usual lately in an attempt to ramp up my fitness (since I can't yet tolerate back-to-back runs) while at the same time ramping up my running. When you add a few Howe Street stair workouts, some pretty aggressive ankle rehab and a few group runs into the mix and suddenly I am not getting enough rest. Last week was the first hint that all was not well and this week seems to be crystalizing that thought.
Take last Tuesday as an example. I totally fell apart during my run and the pace was incredibly pedestrian. So Wednesday was an active recovery day and then today I resolved to run as slow as I needed to in order NOT to walk. As a friend of mine says, "Let the run come to you." Well I did. And what came to me was an 8:00 pace.
Rats.
On the upside I didn't have to walk and the run was actually enjoyable most of the time. Even when I got passed by two guys on the UW Cross Country team. Twice. And really, that should be a take-away for me. The reason I quit racing bicycles is I was no longer motivated to do the structured training required to ride a bike that fast. And the reason I decided to focus on running was that it was fun. I need to keep it fun. And if I am able to complete a few ultras along the way that's a bonus.
Some people just take longer to learn lessons than others. In fact, I'm not even positive I'm right yet. This coming weekend will confirm/deny my theory.
I didn't hurt that the weather was amazing. Shirts off!
When I got back to the IMA and was sitting down cooling off this guy walks past and says, "Nice shorts. I need to get me something shorter." I think he was serious...?
| Sleep | 6 |
| Waking HR | |
| Body Weight | |
| Body Fat | |
| Breakfast | |
| Lunch | |
| Dinner | |
| Workout Food | water |
| Injuries | |
| Therapy | |
| Time of Day | run - 1:30 PM |
| Workout Type | endurance |
| Weather | upper 70s, sunny, dry, light breeze |
| Course | Surprisingly about 90% dirt! Flat with one hill. |
| Results | |
| Time | run - 1:08:22 |
| Distance | run - 8.7 miles |
| Pace | run - 7:50 |
| Equipment | run - Brooks Launch, Garmin Fenix commute - Raleigh Mojave 8.0, Garmin Edge 500 |
| Clothing | run - Brooks 5" Essential Run Short |
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