Run #237

Whew, it was humid out there! My IT band felt good today, which was such a relief. :) It's just a tiny, tiny bit sore now, but I think it's 90-95% recovered. I'm glad I've brought my mileage down; it's helped a lot. Feels good to be consistently doing strengthening exercises too. Looking forward to running MORE soon though!

3.1 miles, 30:37 (9:52/mile)

Run #236

Because of my new strategy for getting my IT band healthy again ("Be cautious instead of being stupid"--a good strategy), I decided to forego a long run today. Instead my 5-year-old and I ran/walked to Starbucks together. Lots of distraction & whining (from her!) during the run, but we finally came to an understanding--She's allowed to stop and pick flowers or pick up roly-poly bugs during our 1-min walk breaks if she runs the whole way during our 2-min run intervals. Thanks to this plan, she finished the run strong.

My IT band is actually getting a lot better. I could still feel that it's not 100% during the run today, but when I'm just walking around the house & up and down the stairs it's doing quite well. So I think I'm close to being mended (again.)

2.24 miles, 46:04 (20:33/mile)

Run #235

I had great energy and was making great time, but about 2 1/2 miles in my IT band was getting achy. Why? Because a couple of times lately I've run through the pain, and I SHOULDN'T HAVE. So I've learned my lesson. I walked the rest of the way.

I hate that this is an issue again, but at least I've learned that I have to be willing to stop when it STARTS hurting instead of trying to run through it. Hopefully I'll get past it (again!) soon.

I'm trying to be more consistent with my strength training so that I can get my legs & core stronger, which should help. And of course I'm rollin', rollin', rollin'.

3.1 miles, 35:43 (11:31/mile)

Run #234

Wow, perfect running weather! This was a great run, lots of energy. Great way to start the weekend!

I'm proud of my distance--not because it was far, but because it was shorter than I wanted it to be. I had 2 possibilities of Starbucks locations I could stop at. (Yes, we have LOTS of Starbucks in the 'burbs.) I stopped at the first because my IT band was telling me it's not quite recovered from my too-long run two weeks ago. So I listened, and now my IT band is fine. I'm glad I made myself stop. In another week or so I can probably do a longer run if I want to!

6.38 miles, 1:09:34 (10:54/mile)

Run #233

Heavy legs, tired body, side cramps, humidity. Just reminding myself of my running mantra:

Hard runs build endurance. Easy runs build motivation. Every run builds my body, mind, and soul.

(This was definitely in the hard run category.)

3.1 miles, 31:59 (10:19/mile)

Run #232

What a nice, relaxing run. I was running later in the morning than usual, and by the end it was low 70s and very sunny. Warmer than I like, but it certainly didn't ruin it. I've pushed so much lately, for both distance and speed, that I needed a run like this--slow, with a couple of stops (water & bathroom), with my IT band feeling good again.

Transitioning to summer running is going to be so much easier this year. Most of my runs in the summer will probably be in the low 70s like today. The sun will generally be lower in the sky (since I usually run much earlier) but that will be balanced out by much higher humidity. I really was okay with the weather today--as opposed to last year, when it was getting warmer and I felt like I was going to DIE, before I adjusted to it! But last year as summer approached, I'd only been running for 6 months, and my endurance wasn't near what it is now. It's nice to look summer in the face, and say, "Yeah, I can take you on!" (Early in the morning, anyway! I'm NOT a 100 degree runner!!)

I realized I've had PRs in the 1 mile, 5K, & 10K distances, plus a distance PR of 14 miles, all in the last 3 weeks or so. And as great as that sounds, my legs took a beating--I just pushed too hard. So today it was wonderful to enjoy running for the sake of running, not trying to break any records.

Run #230 (Blue Bell Fun Run 1 Miler)

As a family we took a trip to the Blue Bell Fun Run today (with Blue Bell Ice Cream afterward!) Chickie, my 5-year-old, did the 1-mile race, and I ran it with her. For the full race report with photos, check out my other blog!

1 mile(?), 10:01

Run #231: Blue Bell Fun Run 5K (PR!)

Today was the Blue Bell Fun Run 5K, and I got a PR!

After my 14-miler last weekend my IT band was not happy. I didn't run all week, and it was doing much better today. It was a little sore during my run, but never really cramped up. I'm glad that I did the 5K instead of the 10K though. It'll probably be back to normal in a few days.

For the full race report including photos, check out my other blog.

3.1 miles, 29:06 (9:23/mile)

A "recovery walk"

Headed out this morning with my 5-year-old for a short "recovery run" after yesterday's long run. It ended up being mostly a walk. My IT band is mad at me for pushing so far yesterday. Oops. Looks like some RICE (Rest/Ice/Compression/Elevation) and rolling are in order and I expect I'll be fine in a week or less. I have realized if I'm going to push through discomfort like I did yesterday, I should only do it on race days. Not worth it to lose training this week just because I was stubborn yesterday.

0.67 miles

Run #229

First time ever running 14 miles. 6 miles in, my IT band was cramping up but I tried a new way to deal with it, and it worked. I took an extended walk break (maybe 12 minutes) and then switched to 1 minute fast running/1 minute walking. The fast runs stretched my legs, and the walks gave my muscles a break. After a little while I was able to have longer run segments though I still walked more than usual. Not an easy run but very enjoyable.

I incorporated about 1 or 1.5 miles barefoot in the middle. I'm still finding that running barefoot on concrete & asphalt can lead to me feeling like I have stone bruises in the pads of my feet. Same thing I dealt with last fall when I switched to 100% minimalist shoes, but this isn't nearly as bad as it was then. I'm just going to be really careful about two things: how quickly I rebuild my barefoot mileage, and where I step. (Stepping the balls of my feet on sidewalk cracks makes it worse.)

If I need to do most of my miles minimalist instead of barefoot, even all summer long, that's fine. Being barefoot even for a short time reminds me of what a gentler form feels like, and I think some of that sticks around when I put the Vibrams back on.

13.98 miles, 2:48:36 (12:03/mile)