Date
|
Workout
|
Miles
|
Avg Pace
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday, 8/18 | Yoga | 0 | -- |
| Tuesday, 8/19 | Rest | 0 | -- |
| Wednesday, 8/20 | Yoga | 0 | -- |
| Thursday, 8/21 | Regular Run | 5 | 9:38 |
| Friday, 8/22 | Rest | 4 | 9:26 |
| Saturday, 8/23 | Long Run/Yoga | 12 | 9:43 |
| Sunday, 8/24 | Yoga in the Park | 0 | -- |
Total Weekly Mileage: 21.5
So, this was my break week. But it doesn't look exactly like a break week. I made it through four days in a row (including the Sunday you don't see) without running (and check out all the yoga!). And then I tried a lower-mileage run on Thursday morning to assess where I was, pain-wise. It wasn't too bad, but my foot still hurt afterward as I was walking around. I'd made an appointment to see a sports massage therapist after work on Thursday, not having very high hopes for treatment--not because I didn't think the guy was good, but because I didn't think massage was an effective treatment for my particular problem (bursitis, or metatarsalgia). So I spent a half hour with Pete Pfannerstill, of UltraSports Massage Therapy, who has a rather impressive resume (if he can work on Olympians, I suppose he can work on me), and I was pretty amazed at what he was able to do in that time. He mostly worked to create space between the metatarsals in my left foot. It was a bit uncomfortable, but I was happy to withstand any unease if it might bring about less pain. When I got up from the massage table and walked around barefoot--which is usually when I feel the pain the most--my foot felt completely normal. I was excited, but also guarded. I know that the relief may not last very long.
I ran a few miles Friday morning to see if the pain would be there right after the run, and while it wasn't completely gone, it wasn't as severe as it had been. I continued to ice my foot and implement the same massage strokes Pete used, though less gracefully. I had already decided I was going to try for my long run of a thankfully reduced 12 miles. I hadn't been to Flatwoods in a while and thought it would be a nice change of venue, and the pavement there is a bit more forgiving than the roads of Davis Islands, and definitely more so than the sidewalk on Bayshore. I ran the first few miles in the dark, solo (while Tim was with his fast friends), but with others in front of and behind me so I didn't feel too alone. I think I heard a couple of wild boars in the woods, which I've heard stories of but have never actually encountered (and that's OK with me). But once the sky started to brighten up ever so slightly, I could see the thin sliver of a moon among a backdrop of a progressively navy-, purple-, and rose-tinted sky, with the treetops protecting my view of the the suburbs and commercialization that lay just outside the park. It's this one spot, about a mile or so into the Bruce B. Downs entrance of the park, that I actually notice the park and think, I could be anywhere.
During the first few miles of my run--always the longest of a long run--I was constantly assessing how my foot felt. I had decided prior to the run to switch shoes. I've been going back and forth between my old and trusty Brooks Ghosts and my newer Asics Gel Cumulus. After getting a recurring blister on one foot from the Asics, I decided to go back to the Brooks. Plus, I had special Spenco inserts with metatarsal support in my Brooks. But my Brooks weren't feeling as supportive as I wanted them to, and I knew the Asics were a bit more cushiony. So I had this very late but obvious revelation to take the inserts out of the Brooks and put them in the Asics. And hope for no blisters. And I think it may have been a good idea (sometimes I have them). I ran 12.5 miles without incident, and only a couple mild instances of foot pain. And while I did get a blister, it was in a new spot. I don't know if that's good or bad, but I was relieved not to have it in the old spot. Small victories.
After the long run, my foot didn't feel too bad--and that's usually the test (how it feels after the run). I iced it and massaged it a bit and spent much of the day finishing up a novel that my mom and sisters were all reading together, Orphan Train, by Christina Baker Kline. I, the English major, was the very last to finish. But it was a worthwhile read, and I was particularly intrigued by this early twentieth-century American practice of taking orphans from the northeast, often immigrants, and basically shipping them out west to find "homes"--but more like people in need of cheap labor. That part of the story was based on fact, and it was shocking and fascinating. The rest of the story was entertaining enough; it takes place both in the past and the present, and my favorite parts are from the past. I love the historical details that were incorporated into the story, with the backdrop of the stock market crash through the onset of World War II. It's been a long time since I've read, let alone finished, a book for pleasure, so this felt like a huge feat, and an enjoyable one. I'm now trying to make a dent in Oryx and Crake so I can go on to the next two novels in that trilogy by Margaret Atwood.
That evening, Tim and I met with two friends to try out a newish restaurant in Seminole Heights, the Rooster and the Till. We were all excited and hungry. The fact that we were hungry was unfortunate, because we soon learned that the portions of food were miniscule. Very good, but tiny. And I had to request vegetarian options on their main menu items. So I guess if you're not very hungry and you like meat--small portions of meat--you might enjoy this restaurant. My glass of wine was very good. And the company was the best part, but they aren't on the menu.
So far this week I've been able to (mostly) run my mileage--although the nine-miler I did was laughable. More about that and my upcoming 18-miler in next week's post. Stay tuned!
I ran a few miles Friday morning to see if the pain would be there right after the run, and while it wasn't completely gone, it wasn't as severe as it had been. I continued to ice my foot and implement the same massage strokes Pete used, though less gracefully. I had already decided I was going to try for my long run of a thankfully reduced 12 miles. I hadn't been to Flatwoods in a while and thought it would be a nice change of venue, and the pavement there is a bit more forgiving than the roads of Davis Islands, and definitely more so than the sidewalk on Bayshore. I ran the first few miles in the dark, solo (while Tim was with his fast friends), but with others in front of and behind me so I didn't feel too alone. I think I heard a couple of wild boars in the woods, which I've heard stories of but have never actually encountered (and that's OK with me). But once the sky started to brighten up ever so slightly, I could see the thin sliver of a moon among a backdrop of a progressively navy-, purple-, and rose-tinted sky, with the treetops protecting my view of the the suburbs and commercialization that lay just outside the park. It's this one spot, about a mile or so into the Bruce B. Downs entrance of the park, that I actually notice the park and think, I could be anywhere.
During the first few miles of my run--always the longest of a long run--I was constantly assessing how my foot felt. I had decided prior to the run to switch shoes. I've been going back and forth between my old and trusty Brooks Ghosts and my newer Asics Gel Cumulus. After getting a recurring blister on one foot from the Asics, I decided to go back to the Brooks. Plus, I had special Spenco inserts with metatarsal support in my Brooks. But my Brooks weren't feeling as supportive as I wanted them to, and I knew the Asics were a bit more cushiony. So I had this very late but obvious revelation to take the inserts out of the Brooks and put them in the Asics. And hope for no blisters. And I think it may have been a good idea (sometimes I have them). I ran 12.5 miles without incident, and only a couple mild instances of foot pain. And while I did get a blister, it was in a new spot. I don't know if that's good or bad, but I was relieved not to have it in the old spot. Small victories.
After the long run, my foot didn't feel too bad--and that's usually the test (how it feels after the run). I iced it and massaged it a bit and spent much of the day finishing up a novel that my mom and sisters were all reading together, Orphan Train, by Christina Baker Kline. I, the English major, was the very last to finish. But it was a worthwhile read, and I was particularly intrigued by this early twentieth-century American practice of taking orphans from the northeast, often immigrants, and basically shipping them out west to find "homes"--but more like people in need of cheap labor. That part of the story was based on fact, and it was shocking and fascinating. The rest of the story was entertaining enough; it takes place both in the past and the present, and my favorite parts are from the past. I love the historical details that were incorporated into the story, with the backdrop of the stock market crash through the onset of World War II. It's been a long time since I've read, let alone finished, a book for pleasure, so this felt like a huge feat, and an enjoyable one. I'm now trying to make a dent in Oryx and Crake so I can go on to the next two novels in that trilogy by Margaret Atwood.
That evening, Tim and I met with two friends to try out a newish restaurant in Seminole Heights, the Rooster and the Till. We were all excited and hungry. The fact that we were hungry was unfortunate, because we soon learned that the portions of food were miniscule. Very good, but tiny. And I had to request vegetarian options on their main menu items. So I guess if you're not very hungry and you like meat--small portions of meat--you might enjoy this restaurant. My glass of wine was very good. And the company was the best part, but they aren't on the menu.
 |
| Pre-disappointing food orders. |
So far this week I've been able to (mostly) run my mileage--although the nine-miler I did was laughable. More about that and my upcoming 18-miler in next week's post. Stay tuned!
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