Still going.
Month four.
Moving that mileage marker up each day or most days when not sidelined with injuries or ailments!
I couldn't be more excited to have healthy legs back underneath me running. It was 4/4/24 when I really felt pain free on my runs. Almost a month after my injury. Glad to have that injury behind me for now.
I ran in Jamaica. First out-of-country run. I was excited about running internationally. The weather. The views. The overall ambiance. Island time is just a lot different than my daily norm. Stepping out to see what's around the world is something I value. It fuels me. My runs were short but I ran by the ocean. It was a beautiful way to start the day. I ran on vacation. This may be a new normal these days. The pavement was an uneven stone when I ran. My knees didn't like it so much but it's not as bad as running on cobblestones. No matter the terrain, running along side the ocean is blissful. All the shades of blue in the water. The birds flying around you. All of the scenery is beautiful.
Crumbl Cookie 5k mid month. I survived. I also worked extra hard on recovery and stretching to prepare for my CrossFit competition. Happy to say the comp was completed. Still not exactly 100% physically. I guess that comes with aging, but not giving up on competing. Never resting long enough to heal all the aches so just plugging along to see what my body allows.
Now while running I need to shift my cross training mindset a bit. Tennis playoffs is the first week in May. The date is approaching fast. Yes that's right. Paddle sports is also my jam. Tennis includes a different kind of running. Linking hand eye coordination with what your arms and legs do. Many cognitive skill sets firing on all cylinders. Short running spurts. Pivots. Strong legs are needed to plant and avoid injury. This is crazy considering my past several weeks of recuperating. Will my tennis performance lag due to my other training? I'll let you know next month. Stay tuned.
10k prep is underway. Not as many miles of recent or that I had planned out, but I'm going to stay positive. I read to break the race up into 3 segments trying not to go out too hard. Staying consistent and leaving room at the end to finish strong. I've never really had a game plan for a 10k so this is going to be interesting to see how it works out for me. Maybe I'll try this method on this race and intervals on the next 10k for comparison.
I squeezed in the Crumbl cookie 5k as mentioned above. The allure of this race was a Crumbl cookie waiting for me at the end! I wanted to ensure I didn't drop my cookie since last race I dropped my cupcake getting my time verified! No joke the cookie was a big part of signing up with a few pals so not dropping my reward is important. This race was gross. It was full of hills and slanted pavement. Two of my least favorite elements when running. My first mile was slower than usual. In the race I was a little mad about it. Into mile two I found my stride and settled in. That led to a faster mile. I finished strong despite the hill climb to the finish. Fun with friends is always an added benefit to races.
April mileage wasn't noteworthy.
Just over 120 miles logged this year to date thanks to a few setbacks.
1st international run in Jamaica.
1 mile pace now seems irrelevant as I build mileage and do other things. However my best 5k is 36:54 this year which I am excited about. A big improvement from 1 year ago.
I have a little bit of running fever. Am I good at it yet? Nope. Am I learning to enjoy my solo time running? Yes. Am I motivating others along the way? I believe so.
I got the next set of shoes In the rotation. Same Brooks for running, just a different color. Maybe one more pair for the fall. Time will tell. I did find a slight flaw in my last pair. After getting them wet in a puddle the inner big toe piece because an nuisance when running. Good thing for the next pair in rotation. Also second pair of Nike free metcons for in gym runs and short distances when cross training. Sticking with the black theme as well. I also prefer to use feetures brand socks. Not too thick but definitely the ones that cover my heel so I don't get blisters. These socks are worth the premium I pay for them, but they have good sales throughout the year which also helps.
Equipment tidbit: this one has a safety focus. Light up vests for my running group. Many run in the dark at 5am. One runs in the woods when it's dark. Neon lights help pave the way for our group keeping us safe. So excited we all have them. They look cool, too. I had fun lighting up myself for a little night jog this month. Light weight is also key.
Oh the end of month came and I was teeter tottering on getting my knees checked. My left knee was just a bit wonky after my competition. I bit the bullet and went to see the doctor. I needed a cortisone shot in my left knee. Not what I wanted or expected but I rolled with it. A few more forced days off. A few tweaks in the coming months to reduce risk while I heal and still allow for running. Wish me luck. You can see the battle wound that was hidden behind the bandaid for the day. I should mention getting old sucks. Your body needs to be handled with care at times over fifty. Be aware of signs your body gives you. Don't wait until you are 100% out of commission before seeking help. Rehabilitation is part of being an athlete and so is mentally overcoming shortcomings.
Biggest accomplishment so far:
Signing up for a marathon
Biggest fear so far:
Completing the marathon.
Mental mountain: learning to adapt to limitations that appear despite wanting to go the extra 10 miles.
What I want to improve on in next three months:
My distance or time out for a run in one swoop. Can I go for 3 hours or more? How far can I go? Can my legs hold out?
Questions I need to keep asking Is my nutrition dialed in? For now the answer is I've slacked a little as of late. Not off the rails but not dialed in. Need to make this a priority before summer's end to be in peak nutrition state for fall.
Is it better to run one mile or none at all?
My last bit of business for the month was mapping out my next 12 week training plan. The real start to marathon training. Putting running at the top of the priority list to make sure I'm ready on the actual day of the marathon. My first time ever planning this much for a race. Let's see how it goes. To this point I just practiced.
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