This week of training was a mental challenge (hey, aren’t they all). What I learned over the course of the week can be summed up into one phrase “bend, don’t break.”
A few hiccups occurred this week which caused me to edit and switch around days of my training program. On Wednesday I noticed that my left hamstring was feeling a bit tight, and I immediately became nervous. Pain in general is a warning, but for me left hamstring pain usually is an indicator that the chronic tendonitis in my left ankle is getting worse. I met with my massage therapist on Thursday morning and it took her no time at all to find the big knot in my hamstring. She gave it a quick treatment and suggested that I not run my scheduled 4.5 miles that day, and instead put heat on it & give it some rest.
I was so disheartened. I didn’t want to deviate from my training program [I had already done so much of that while traveling] and I was certain that this was a preview of coming attractions…. and it didn’t look good. I took her advice, though, and it made such a difference on my next run. I was very nervous that by the end of the 4.5 miles, I’d be even more sore and in pain but I wasn’t. Its amazing what a day of rest and a good warmup will do!
No sooner was I back on track than Hurricane Irene reared her ugly head this past weekend. Sunday was my day to hit the street for 7 miles, but there was no way that was gonna happen with all the rain and wind going on. I could’ve braved it into work and done my 7 miles on the treadmill but I was stubborn and didn’t want to log that many miles inside. I, once again, decided to “bend” with my program and pushed my long run back to Monday (today). Again, a little extra rest and a great warmup paid off. I also tried the Powerbar Energy Gel (vanilla flavor) when I made my brief water stop at mile 4.5. This stuff really works- my body had the energy to finish up the run and I could’ve even gone a few more miles at the end. It was the BEST run I’ve had yet in this training, hands DOWN!
Both of the hiccups this past week reminded me that I need to Bend, not break. The training program is a guide and it can be changed, edited, switched up. Making sure I’m running with a healthy, injury free body is my FIRST priority and as long as that happens I’m gonna have a GREAT half marathon!
A few hiccups occurred this week which caused me to edit and switch around days of my training program. On Wednesday I noticed that my left hamstring was feeling a bit tight, and I immediately became nervous. Pain in general is a warning, but for me left hamstring pain usually is an indicator that the chronic tendonitis in my left ankle is getting worse. I met with my massage therapist on Thursday morning and it took her no time at all to find the big knot in my hamstring. She gave it a quick treatment and suggested that I not run my scheduled 4.5 miles that day, and instead put heat on it & give it some rest.
I was so disheartened. I didn’t want to deviate from my training program [I had already done so much of that while traveling] and I was certain that this was a preview of coming attractions…. and it didn’t look good. I took her advice, though, and it made such a difference on my next run. I was very nervous that by the end of the 4.5 miles, I’d be even more sore and in pain but I wasn’t. Its amazing what a day of rest and a good warmup will do!
No sooner was I back on track than Hurricane Irene reared her ugly head this past weekend. Sunday was my day to hit the street for 7 miles, but there was no way that was gonna happen with all the rain and wind going on. I could’ve braved it into work and done my 7 miles on the treadmill but I was stubborn and didn’t want to log that many miles inside. I, once again, decided to “bend” with my program and pushed my long run back to Monday (today). Again, a little extra rest and a great warmup paid off. I also tried the Powerbar Energy Gel (vanilla flavor) when I made my brief water stop at mile 4.5. This stuff really works- my body had the energy to finish up the run and I could’ve even gone a few more miles at the end. It was the BEST run I’ve had yet in this training, hands DOWN!
Both of the hiccups this past week reminded me that I need to Bend, not break. The training program is a guide and it can be changed, edited, switched up. Making sure I’m running with a healthy, injury free body is my FIRST priority and as long as that happens I’m gonna have a GREAT half marathon!
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