Where to begin?
I suppose I could rattle off all the runs I've done over the last week along with their splits. But that would be pretty dang boring. I'll just share the two "most interesting" runs I've had lately.
Friday I took the day off from work in order to get in my last long run prior to TCM. With a 10K scheuduled for Labor Day, I figured running long on Friday would give me 2 days to recover. Then I could pop a solid 10K and gain some confidence heading into the final 5 weeks.
Since I had Friday off, I decided to head back to the TCM course and run the same workout as a few weeks ago; start at the Cathedral, run 11 miles to The Falls and then turn around and head back for a total of 22 miles. The problem with out-and-back courses like these is that if things don't go well, you're screwed because there's no shortcut home.
Well about 17 miles into the run my right calf got really tight on me. If you're familiar with the TCM course, you know this is right where the hills are. I struggled up Summit and hoped things would be a little easier once I got passed Snelling and the road leveled out. Luckily it did get a little better, but I still had 3 more miles to run on it. I made it, but Friday afternoon I was limping all over the place.
Icing and rolling it out with The Stick and a foam roller have done wonders. I biked for 45 minutes on Saturday and then jogged an easy 5 miles on Sunday. It felt a lot better this morning. And in an effort to "play it smart" - or at least so I thought - I decided to run my 10K at marathon pace. Things seemed to be going okay through about 2.5 miles at 6:50 pace, but all the sudden my calf seized up and I stepped off the course. Let's just say, 2.5 miles is a long ways when you hobbling along.
So that's where I'm at - lots of thoughts running around in my head right now. I'll save those for later in the week. For now it looks like I'll be back on the bike for awhile.
I guess I'm not alone, I was upnorth fishing last week went out for a 8 mile run on gravel roads and ended up twisting my ankle, city of lakes is next Sunday and the ankle is not cooperating yet, I had high hopes for COL and will see what happens, if you would like to hang around after the race, breakfast on me, this will give me an opprtunity to meet you in person.
ReplyDeleteBe well,
Imran
Chad, make sure your drinking tons of water. Everytime I seem to strain my calf its a hydration issue. You picked a good race to drop out of. It was a death march for us cool weather runners.
ReplyDeleteBill
You have angered the marathon gods!
ReplyDeleteKeep moving, stay loose, hot and cold, light or no stretching, pool running, vitamin I, massage, rest, and sacrifice a small goat or several chickens.
Five weeks out is a crucial time. After a few days of light activity see if running will loosen it up. The tread mill may be a good way to start.
Get yourself back on the straight & narrow path and don't deviate from the good book (Daniel's Running Formula) again!
Take care,
Mark
Chad--
ReplyDeleteI screwed up my calf 5 weeks out last week and it bugged me for about 10 days before it magically disappeared. And I do mean magically. One day it was there and the next it was (poof) gone...
Good luck with healing.
Chad:
ReplyDeleteI have done that two times in the past 4 years with the last time being last month. Like Bill commented, for me it most likely was a hydration issue. Both times I did it was a hot and humid day and I pushed myself to hard. This last time I did it I did a hilly long run on Friday and came back Saturday morning for a long slow run. I thought I had replaced all the fluids, but I guess you can never get enough.
Like Jeff O would say at EC - ICE IT.
You already know the dixie cup program! And take it easy. It always seems like for me it feels good one day and the next it hurts like hell. So be careful. Depending on how bad it is, biking may cause some problems. In my case I had to hit the pool.
Anyways take care of yourself.
Bear
Sorry to hear about your injury. Interesting that it came on going up hills.
ReplyDeleteMy anecdotal impression is that my running friends here in Wellington (hilly) suffer calf injuries more frequently.
Take it easy, you'll be back soon.
Chad
ReplyDeleteSame thing happened to me up at the north shore on a Friday. I limped around Gooseberry all day Saturday. When we got home Sunday I was able to go fourteen with no pain. Hopefully you have similiar luck. Good luck at TCM
Scott R
Thanks for the thoughts everyone. I saw the Dr. today and have been icing. The good news is that I was no worse off this morning than yesterday morning - the "race" didn't make it any worse.
ReplyDelete