Monday night. 7:30 and it’s still 90 degrees, I’d better run. If it’s going to be like this on race day, I’d better have an idea of how I’m going to respond. My run in the heat last week wasn’t good. So I find my HR monitor and head out the door for a 6-10 mile run. The first 5K goes by fairly easily, as it’s slightly downhill much of the time. I get there in 25 minutes. This is also the point at which I realize that because I didn’t bring anything to drink with me, we are looking at a 10K and no further.
So the way back is slightly uphill most of the time. This is where the HR monitor is going to come into play. I want to make sure that I stay in the low 170s (my HR max is 200). This required me to hold back often, I kept catching myself getting my arms into it and pushing the pace. Then halfway back, I nearly wiped out. On the way out I noticed there was a small “tumbleweed” of thin wire near the sidewalk. On the way back it was dusk and I was really searching for it so I didn’t get caught up in it. Well I found it the hard way. Fortunately not with both feet, otherwise I would have been down. (very exciting, I know). I finish the 2nd 5K in 26 minutes. I’m drenched. Quads feel like they are 200 degrees. Chug some Gatorade, then decide to hit the shower to get myself cooled off. An ice bath sounds like an awesome idea at the moment.
Monday morning. Jim told me a year or so ago that doing this exercise stuff requires quite a bit of injury management. I feel like I’ve done my best to prove him right. My right knee no longer seems to have a problem with me going running. Which is fantastic. Sadly now my left foot seems to have some plantar fasciitis or similar tendonitis. By some, I mean that the morning after I run when I first try to walk, there is a spot near my heel that is so in disagreement with this that I gasp in pain. I massage it for 2 or 3 minutes and it’s pretty much good to go.
I think that I need to consider putting in one of those Sole supports into my running shoe. The other idea is to change to a different running shoe. I suppose most people would suggest I give my feet a break. That’s a possibility too, but not yet.
Off to the pool. I’ve got a lesson tonight so I don’t want to go too crazy with my workout. So I warm up, then go right to the metronome. I had a tough time getting in sync with it today. 50m wasn’t a problem but after that it kept feeling fast (which it isn’t). Well actually I don’t know what pace I’m swimming while trying to keep up with the metronome. So I start doing 100’s and I’m finishing them on 1:40-1:45. OK actually this is 5-10 seconds faster than my normal relaxed swim. The difference here is that sometimes I’m incredibly relaxed at this pace because it feels slow. I’m willing to bet I’m 2 stroke counts lower per 25 using the metronome but I’m not able to concentrate on that right now. Because other times I’m feeling out of sync and then I don’t breathe properly and it all goes downhill from there.
Let’s try 200’s. These I finish in 3:30. Very cool. I realize that my feet are in a much better position to kick so I decided I’d better do some kick work.
100m with the zoomers and off with the zoomers. Left hip flexor was not thrilled with this idea. So I switched to 100m kick on my back, no fins. 25’s in 60 seconds haha! Nothing new here of course other than the fact I actually bothered to look at the clock. Good chance I’ll mention my horrible kick at my lesson tonight. I just have to remember. I see many kick drills in my future, but that will be after Timberman.
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