Week Twenty-Nine

So, I realize now in hindsight that I shouldn't have run my 16 miler in the shoes I had because they were just too old. I started this week with a lot of pain in my shins and ankles. I wasn't worried that it was an injury, but they were annoying little sharp pains that told me it was time to buy new shoes.

On Tuesday I was supposed to spin for 60 minutes and run for 30. I spun for about 20 minutes and my shins were really killing me. I got off the bike, stretched and used the foam roller, and tried spinning again. I spun for another 20 minutes until the pain was really bad again, and then I decided that it wasn't worth it. I stopped spinning and never did run, and just stretched and did some yoga that night.

In the middle of the night on Tuesday night, I woke up because my shins were still hurting so badly. I got ice packs and wrapped them around my shins and ankles, took some aleve, and eventually fell back to sleep. I was really glad that we got to swim on Wednesday, because I don't think I could have done anything else.

On Thursday, the "plan" was to take my dog to Fall Creek and run 70 minutes there, but my legs were still "tweaky" and I hiked instead. I found a perfect bridge to sit on and soaked my legs in the cold San Lorenzo River for a good 20 minutes during the middle of the hike.

This weekend was great, though! I biked farther than I had ever biked before: 104 miles! Coach Mike and I did (mostly) the two loops of the Vineman course in Sonoma. The weather was perfect, and the course is amazingly beautiful. The first loop only took 3:15, which is about a 16 mph average. The second loop took a bit longer, but I was excited that I felt good for the entire ride. The nutrition worked well (lots of water, an enduralyte every 20 minutes or so, perpetuem every 20 minutes or so as well). I didn't need any gels or bars. I got a little bit of a headache in the last 10 miles, but I think I curbed it by drinking more water.

On Sunday, we swam about 2600 (?) meters. I definitely felt more tired than usual after the big day before, but I took a gel and that helped quite a bit. After the swim, it was time to run. I was running with my friend Christina D. who ultimately needed to walk because she had goose bumps and felt cold even though it was very hot out. I wanted to stay with her and make sure she was okay (because I so appreciated it when teammate Dan did that for me at practice weekend). I also just love to hang out with Christina (she tells the best stories). So, for 90 minutes, Christina and I walked together. At that point, we checked in with Coach Mike who encouraged me to start running. I was supposed to run 17 miles that day, but he said it wasn't a good idea to walk 90 minutes and then try to complete the 17 mile total. He suggested I run, but not to go past three hours total time.

So, I ran back towards the high school with Afi and Christina (K.). By this point, my body was a little confused, having just walked for so long. (You want me to do what?!?) It was really hard to find a good pace. I wasn't sure if I was bonking or just being a wuss. When we got to the point that was about 10 minutes away from the school, there were still about 35 minutes left in my run. (The rest of the team was only going out for 2.5 hours because their races are later than mine.) So, Afi and Christina headed back to the school. I thought I might run back on the path for 15 minutes and then turn around, but I was under a highway overpass and the shade was soooo welcoming. So, I did something I can't say I've done before: I ran back and forth under the overpass (about maybe a 200 foot stretch) for 25 minutes to get in the rest of my time running. I must have repeated it about 25 times, this tiny little stretch. I was getting very funny looks from walkers on the path who noticed me never going beyond that short section. Anyway, at least I was able to finish my run! With 10 minutes left, I ran back to the school.

The team was still there, and I hopped back in the pool to cool off. Aahh... the best way to end a long weekend.

I can't believe there are only 4 weeks until taper.

THIS WEEK'S SUMMARY:
Tuesday: Spin 40, stretch and roll a lot
Wednesday: Swim 3100
Thursday: hike (with a little bit of run thrown in) 100 minutes
Friday: rest
Saturday: bike 104 miles!
Sunday: swim 2600 meters, walk/run about 13 miles.

BODY CHECK: My "tweaky" calves and ankles are feeling much better than the beginning of the week. I have new shoes now, so that should help. My lower back (the herniated disc) is starting to feel a bit tighter, and it's getting a little hard to bend forward, but it really isn't painful - just tight. My physiatrist said it's reasonable to do another set of cortisone injections like the kind I had in the fall as we get closer to the race to make it as comfortable as possible, but the injections require recovery time, and I don't know if it's worth the time I'd have to take off from training.

NUTRITION: So far, the bike plan has been working well. I'd like to try a long run where I use a lot of gels to see what my stomach can tolerate.