This training block started with a crushing blow to my streak of running healthy. On October 11 I ran 11 miles with four 30 second sprints in a large parking lot near my home. This turned out to be a bad idea and I had to take almost a full week with no running because I tweaked my left glute and IT Band.
I was able to start running again because of how proactive I was in treating the pain. With some help from my trusty Foam Roller
Since then my running has been fine but my training is not spectacular. With mileage in the low – mid 60’s, I’m just going through the motions right now. I’m running two races this November just for fun so I’ll report back on those soon.
I’ve made a commitment to run a late winter or early spring half-marathon. My ideal race date is mid-March to take advantage of cool weather and a solid 3 months of preparation. My PR is 1:13:39 from three years ago and I hope I’ll be able to run faster than that. My confidence level is high.
Here’s the training:
October 11-17: 21 miles in 3 runs – I took the majority of this week to heal my glute and IT Band. While it was definitely a setback, I’m lucky it wasn’t a major injury.
October 18-24: 50 miles. I ran every day this week with a 13 mile long run and 4×20″ hard during one of my runs. The tightness in my left glute responded very well to self-massage with a foam roller and a tennis ball. Who says you need a physical therapist?
October 25 – 31: 61 miles with a 15 mile long run. I ran two workouts this week: a 1-2-3-2-1 fartlek workout on the trails and a 5k tempo on the track. I hadn’t been on the track in awhile and decided it would do me some good. I split 5:35, 5:35, 5:33, :40 for 17:25.
That’s all for October – these training updates are going to follow actual calendar months now. I’m ecstatic to be running well again and glad that my aggressive treatment of my ITB pain worked.
Lesson learned: Don’t take a backseat to an injury or pain. Figure out what’s wrong and take every measure to heal yourself.
My Current Shoe Predicament
I’m sad to report that I just don’t like the newer version of the ASICS Speedstars. I have been running in these shoes for about 5 years and their fourth iteration of the Speedstar has gone downhill. It’s nearly a half ounce heavier and the upper feels bulkier, thicker, and warmer (yes, they make my feet warm). There’s also a Speedstar 5 which looks like a spaceship rather than a running shoe.
What happened to the simple Speedstars that I fell in love with years ago? After Nike did away with their Pegasus Racer about 6-7 years ago, I thought I had found the perfect training shoe. Now I have to hunt for a new trainer all over again!
I think most runners out there can feel my pain.
