Week 6 - Taking it Easy....

     So the weird soreness or ache in my quads just aren't going away, particularly in my right quad. Taking advice from other runners, I've taken the last 3 days off from running. 
Monday I had a massage appointment that I desperately needed, and of course it was painful and she pretty much spent the entire 90 minute session on my legs. 
Tuesday I got up and went to the gym for Back Day. 

Later that afternoon, before I had to pick Dorian up from school I got out of the shop early enough and picked Jetta up from the house. We got in an easy 4.3 miles that felt very sore still.

Wednesday I took off, I think I did some decline push-ups but I honestly can't remember. 

Thursday I can't remember why I wasn't able to get up that morning, something or another but I do remember waking up sore as fuck in my quads again. I was able to leave the shop early enough to go and pick Jetta up and get in a quick but easy run before Dorian got out of school. And yes, my quads were still sore and aching.

At this point I decided that a few days off from running would be good for me, at least better safe than sorry. 

Friday I didn't get up, I wanted to but I think Dorian had a rough night so I decided it was best not to. Later that day I did do some decline push-ups, 5 sets of 20 on my stability ball. I also remember doing the plank 2 or 3 times that week, 2 minutes and 3 minutes.

Saturday I got my ass up and headed to the gym, got in a good shoulder workout that had my left elbow sore but not hurting.

Then I decided to hit the sauna for 10 minutes, didn't have an extra pair of clothes dang it but oh well. I need to get back to using the sauna after my workouts, it will help prepare me for summer running and especially the Honest Abe Trail Marathon that is in September as chances are it will be either hot or muggy or both.

Later that morning I decided the weather was nice enough and it hadn't started storming yet so I took my three animals out to Lincoln State park for an easy hike, ended up only being 2.75 miles. I almost decided on us doing another loop around the lake but I'm glad we didn't.... about 5-10 minutes after we left the park and were headed home, the thunder and lightning started and so did the hard rain. Anyways, got some nice pics of my little crazy circus. This was just as we were starting, he is so adorable. I absolutely love this little guy, he'll be 7 in April and I am so excited to see what his future holds. He's my little trail buddy, and hopefully he'll love joining me on the trails even when he reaches his teens.

I love watching Dorian run, he's such a natural and just really enjoys it. He's not competitive or in it for time or anything like that, he just runs when it seems right to do so.

 Getting this 3 to look at me at the same time is so difficult, but sometimes I get a really good pic of them all.

 

It's crazy to think that Rocky will be 10 years old this October, where has one decade gone because it sure doesn't feel like a decade. Jetta is now 4 years old, no signs of maturing yet but hopefully she will grow into a great, noble friend.

That's pretty much how last week went, I've purchased some CBD oil from Aethics and I got it in Monday (week 7). I also purchased some Probiotic Plus from Gu Energy and Magnesium Plus so I can keep up on my vitamins that I am sure I am lacking in. Bought some CBD topical muscle rubs and stuff from Runners High Herbals, that was February 20th so a week ago and I still have received tracking info though they responded to an email and said it should hopefully ship Monday (Week 7).... 

Base Building Week 5 - Aches and Pains and Paranoia

   Let me just start with saying week 4 was perfect, I had nearly reached 35 miles for the week and got in a 13.1 mile long run. Unfortunately the following week didn't go too well, my legs were tight and sore and my sciatic nerve was bothering me something awful. I got in 24.7 miles of running and 8.9 miles of hiking just to get over 30 miles for the week. 
Monday was a rest day, after that 13.1 mile long run that had a lot of struggle at the end, I needed a rest day.
Tuesday I got up late and headed to the gym for Back day and then headed out from the gym for a run that ended up being 5.3 miles.

Wednesday I got up and headed out for a run, it was really cold and I was still feeling achy and sore so I figured on just getting in 6 miles or so. Jetta and I ended up running 9.1 miles for that morning, it was a struggle and I was sore.

Thursday I wasn't able to make it to the gym but I had decided I was going to get a workout in one way or another. At the shop I got in a quick booty workout with my booty bands.

Then after picking Dorian up from school I decided it was nice enough out (in the high 30's) to go out for a hike, we went up to Lincoln State Park with the dogs and did some of the Honest Abe Trail marathon course. It hurt like a motherfucker, I was sore and my quads really hated me.

Later that evening I got in a workout on the shoulders and some arms, it was a good workout even though the weights were light.

Friday I didn't do anything, I woke up sore as hell from the hike and took it easy that day. Saturday there was also no running or working out but it was nice enough out that I took Dorian and the dogs back up to Lincoln State Park to go for another on other trails and part of the other Honest Abe Trail marathon course. 

I was still pretty sore but not nearly as bad. Saturday night was a late one and we didn't go to bed until about 11, I got up Sunday around 7 or 8 and fixed my husband breakfast then Jetta and I headed out the door for some sort of run. The first mile had me in fear and panic and disheartened, the tingling tightness that I dealt with last year came back at the tops of my feet and spread to my shins making it difficult and stiff. After mile 1 I stopped and readjusted where I was tying my laces to the outside of my feet and it seemed to help. But overall the run was full of aches and soreness and I was constantly stopping to stretch, I had massage appointment the next morning and was looking forward to it. By mile 5 I decided we'd go ahead and get in 10 miles, why not you know? We ended the run at mile 10.3 so overall I got 24.7 running miles and 8.9 hiking miles which gave me a total of 33.6 miles for the week. 

Some Dreams Don't Die - Ultras

   A couple weeks ago I had blogged about my desire to attempt the 2020 Land Between the Lakes 60K, but the last few days a dream I had to bury back in 2016 started to resurface. Back in 2016 when my running was going great and I had just finished two trail marathons that Spring, I started training for a 50 mile trail race that was in Missouri I believe. Things were going really good until later in the year when things at the shop became more stressful, our old CPA was pretty much allowing us to drown in IRS debt that we didn't owe, and things had just become a bit more than my husband could handle all while dealing with our son while I was out on my morning long runs. He finally said enough and told me it couldn't happen, sadly I had to forget that dream and then 2017-2018 I was dealing with leg issues and had turned my focus on to weight lifting. 
   And of course last November I injured my left arm and had to turn my focus back to running, and rediscover my love of running and the feeling and freedom it gives me. Now, a dream I thought had died was apparently just asleep. 
   If this year continues to go smoothly enough and I constantly find ways to get a run in without it effecting my husband, I'm going to start base building and training with the intent to complete the 2020 Land Between the Lakes 50 Miler.
   Yep, that is my intentions..... I want to complete at least one 50 miler in my life just for the experience and to have others call me crazy. I've no idea if I'll be able to train and get the 25-30 mile long runs in, I only really need two of those and could do one in January 2020 on the Honest Abe Trail Marathon course and the 2nd on the same course in February. I'm going to use September's Honest Abe Trail Marathon as a long run, and the Indy Monumental Marathon as a long run in preparation. I've only ran one road marathon and that was my first one, the IMM back in 2014 and recovery was tough, road marathons are so much tougher than the trail marathons. In 2016 I completed the Land Between the Lakes marathon that March then 2 months later I completed the Harmonie Trail Marathon. 
  I'm putting this out in public in hopes it will keep me from losing sight of this crazy dream... 

Base Building - Week 4

   This week started out terrible, Monday I tried to take Dorian in the stroller along with Jetta but we only got .94 miles done before I gave up. Jetta had really messed up my stroller, and I seriously thought it was done for which would make training this summer really difficult..... next to impossible.
I took it to the shop and let my husband look it over, and we're pretty certain he fixed it or at least got it close to tracking straight instead of to the left or right. Won't know until I take it out again. 
Did I mention that at this point my teeth and head was still killing me, especially in the morning? They were, it was so bad that waking up I wanted to cry and just say fuck this shit. I was able to leave the shop Tuesday afternoon but I only had enough time for a short run.

I went to bed Tuesday night determined to get up Wednesday and get a good run in, I got up with pain but got myself ready with the intention to run 8 miles. It was something like 60 degrees and windy, early on I saw some heat lightning but thought nothing of it as the forecast didn't say anything about a storm, just rain. We were 3.5 miles from home when shit hit the fan, the rain picked up and so did the lightning. By the time we were back on Fuquay and headed for home, lighting was striking across the sky, thunder was following it and the rain had become a monsoon. I think I spent that last 2 miles begging God not to strike me down. We didn't get the 8 miles I wanted, instead, we ended up with 6.3 miles.  

Thursday wasn't really any different and I knew it would be so I didn't bother to get out of bed, I took this as an easy day. It rained all day and the winds were insane. Other than Monday's short run that involved messing and fighting with that stroller, I hadn't had an easy day since last Friday.

Friday I woke up with a slightly duller headache and gum pain, but I managed to get up. The temps had dropped like 30 degrees, Thursday was like near or in the 60's and now it was 19 degrees with a feels like 5, it was windy. I dressed pretty warmly, the only things suffering from the cold air were my gums. The plan was for 5 miles but by mile 8 I had decided that since I was already out there freezing my ass off I might as well make up for Wednesday's sabotage. Jetta and I ran 7.4 miles. 

Saturday I woke up and realized that the pain was nearly gone, as were the headaches. Still felt a little out of it but better than I had felt in the past 2 weeks. It was 16 degrees with a feels like 5, and it felt much colder than Friday did. I had planned to just get in an easy 3 but that went out the window and we ran 4 instead.

I was excited, I was currently sitting at 21.8 miles for the week and the long run was all I needed. I could just do 9 and reach 30 for the week, but I didn't want just 9. The forecast was predicting freezing rain that didn't look like it would really start until later in the morning, I was confident that I could get my long run in.

I woke up Sunday to 30 degrees and cloudy, I felt a little out of it since I had woken up half an hour before my alarm and laid there for another half hour after it went off. I dressed appropriately and we headed out the door, by mile 1.6 the sprinkles had started as I headed down the road. I had changed up my route and headed out into Newburgh and toward the gym. I was dealing with hunger pain, gas pain and my legs were feeling a bit tight, I was constantly stopping to stretch. By the time we were up behind Walmart the freezing rain had begun, I had decided to avoid most of the highway where it goes past the front of Castle high school and instead went on the road behind Castle South Middle School and the high school. Going down a hill behind there, I nearly busted my ass on ice. I realized that the freezing rain was freezing the road, oh what fun. From mile 8 to mile 10.9 was pretty uneventful, I was hungry and still feeling tight but the gas pressure was gone. I was happily thinking to myself how close we were to being done as we turned on to Jenner Rd at mile 10.9 and hit the black ice. The next half a mile involved a lot of walking as it was really no slower than my run on this ice, I looked like a cartoon running in place. I was a bit pissed off, whatever fight I had left in me at that point was nearly destroyed. We got onto Fuquay at mile 11.7 and there was some relief from the ice thankfully, but I did have to deal with some dogs and the really big hill.

Jetta and I got home soaking wet and cold, we ran 13.1 miles and earned it. 

About an hour or 2 later I was sitting on the couch and when I went to stretch out my left leg, my adductor ceased up on me... hadn't had that kind of a cramp in a long time.

Other than that, I finished the week with 34.9 miles. Next week is going to be an easy week, and then the following will have the Bound the Trail Half Marathon as my long run.

Base Building Week 3

 Week three was a bit of a bust, thanks to freezing near sub temps with windchills below zero and of course my sinus congestion and constant headaches and gum pains. It started out well on Monday, got up and headed to the gym for back and shoulders.

Afterward, I went home because my little man still wasn't feeling great and I wanted to cuddle with him. Later that day I managed to leave the shop and get a run in.

That night it all went to hell from there, my head started feeling stuffed and each morning I was waking up feeling like my skull was going to both explode and implode at the same time. My gums were killing me too, this went on all week along with the freezing temps and Dorian have school closed Wednesday and Friday, so even as I felt better later in the day I couldn't go out and run because it was too cold to take Dorian.

By Thursday morning things were a tiny bit better, but still too awful for me to go work out or run. Friday was a bit better but I took it off as well, for whatever reason my gums are killing me first thing in the morning.

Saturday I almost stayed in bed but said F*@k it and get up, took some pain killers for my headache and some orajel on my gums to numb the pain. About 45 minutes later Jetta and I were out the door and I quickly realized I wasn't dressed warm enough. I expected it to be 35 degrees but it was like 27 instead, first 25 minutes was freezing, then I felt pretty okay for 45 minutes or so until the final 15 minutes I was freezing again. Three miles into the run I had pretty much decided we would do our long run. Ended up doing 11.3 miles that morning.

Later that afternoon I took Dorian and the dogs out to Lincoln State Park for a hike, tried to find the Honest Abe Trail Marathon course, not quite sure we found it but we hiked 3 muddy miles, it was warm and sunny. 

Today I slept in, still dealing with gum pain and headaches but took Dorian and Jetta out on the greenway for an easy but warm and sweaty run.

In total, I got in 24 miles for week 3 of base building. I also finished January out with 87.8 miles, hoping to get to 100 for February and for the next weeks to have more mileage and workouts