Sunday, September 22, 2013

Weekly Wrap-up and 9 miles

 No, I'm not nuts. It as 9 miles total for the week, not a 9 mile run.   My heel bursitis is a lot better, more each day, and running does not seem to make it worse!  Yay! I'm taking it VERY easy though, I do not want to be sidelined like that again and it's not 100% better yet.  I've also modified my half marathon training schedule.  I really need to learn from my mistakes and listen to my body.  Finishing The Princess is the goal right now, so I need to focus on that.  

Here's what I have, I would love some of my running friends to tell me what they think.  I took off the 4th day a week I was running, I think it was just too much for my body.  I also shortened Monday's run to just 30 minutes, which will translate to around 3 miles or a little less.   Long runs on Fridays.  I have a 10K the first weekend of November that I am working back up to.  After that I up my mileage and decided that bouncing around a ton does NOT work for me and I need to gradually add the miles so I don't injure myself again.  I did put a week that was less between 10 and 11 just to give myself a little break.  I'm also not going to do 13 until race day, I want the first time I go that far to be the same day I run down Main Street. 
 How does it look? 



When I look at it, it feels like "not enough" but I am also realizing that I tend to push myself just too far and too fast and that is how I end up injured.  I have plenty of time after the half to add a 4th day and run more...IF I don't injure myself.  I'm not going to stop running and there's no rush, so I need to keep that in mind and stop trying to run every single day and push my body beyond its limits. 

I have also been trying to figure out what CAUSED the injury, as I want to prevent it.  I believe my minimal shoes just were not enough support for longer runs, the pain started after my longest run of 8 miles.  The low drop was putting strain on my achilles and the heel bursitis was a result of that.  I have heel inserts right now in my shoes to lift my heel a bit and take some of the strain off my achilles, but these pretties will be making a debut this upcoming week.  More on that after I run in them and see how it goes!! 
 

All in all, I was happy with my week, especially since last week I didn't run at all.  I'm still nervous and cautious, which doesn't translate to really letting go and enjoying my runs as much as I would like.  I find myself worrying, focusing on if anything hurts, and stressing a little when running, but I'm OH SO HAPPY to be moving again!

Most of the time I see quotes and words of wisdom to runners to push themselves MORE.  Have you ever found that you actually have to push LESS?

12 comments:

  1. I've done the same thing to my training schedule. OK, I'll be honest, I threw my training schedule out and reverted to the basic Wine & Dine Galloway training schedule. That 4th day of running a week is what hurt my Achilles too, I am convinced of it! I wish wish wish I could run 6x a week, but my body just won't put up with it. So yes, I often find that I have to try hard to push less, especially with running. I'm just so stinking competitive with both myself and others.

    When I was training for Princess last year, I only got to 12.5 in training and I was fine during the race. Your schedule looks great! Glad to hear your heel is improving!

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    1. Thanks April! Yep, I just get so competitive with myself and want to do more and more and more...but I think a little PATIENCE is in order. Training doesn't happen overnight, and I need to remember that.

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  2. I think you made really smart choices on your training plan, and good luck testing out the new shoes! I hope they do the trick :) Get better SOON!!

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  3. I think you made the right choice! This looks great. Can't wait to hear how your runs go this week!! My last run before princess was only 12 miles, 2 weeks before the half.

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    1. Oh good. I might just do 12, we'll see. I wish I could run every single day but I think I need to build up to that. Sometimes I need to reign myself back a bit!

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  4. I like your schedule...when overcoming an injury and training for a race, it's a matter of finding what works for you and rolling with it. I am glad your heel is feeling better! :0)

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  5. I think you made a good choice. I originally had 4 days of running on my plan (with shorter distances than you) and it was too much. I felt like I wasn't getting in a good run because I was so tired and exhausted from so much running. Haha. Sometimes quality outweighs quantity. :) So glad your heel is getting better!

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    1. It FEELS like I'm not doing enough, but my body is happy with me, so I guess I have to stick with what my body wants for now.

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  6. I am so thrilled to hear your injury is getting better and not bothering you to run!!!! I am not a doctor, but I really do believe it was the minimal shoes, especially since with no additional medical treatment, changing the shoes has done the trick! Happy training my friend!!!

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    1. Thanks Kristy! Yep, I'm afraid it was the shoes or at least pushing too far in the shoes. I hope you can get back to it soon as well!

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