Category: Injury

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Week 20 Recap

This is the second recovery week since I started training. What a strange week this has been.

As a recovery week, the mileage during this week was really low and I took a few more days off due to knee pain. I think I figured out what happened with my knee: the fall, over use, stress and putting on too many miles. I’m following a plan that has gradual mileage increases but it still wrecked my body. I think, too, that I stopped weight training and that didn’t help. I did everything right this week, well, maybe not everything right but I iced, rested, elevated and got my legs stronger. Since I had pain in the adductors weeks leading up to the knee injury, I think that part of the knee pain was coming from the weak adductors.

Now, I will get back to weight training and do my core exercises every day. I remember reading that the most important think about ultra running is arriving to the start healthy and injury free. The miles have been a struggle on my aging body and now I understand that I have to do everything I knew I had to do to stay healthy and injury free.

Lesson Learned.

I will do yoga a few times a week and weight training. I will hike and run at night.

Next week is Week 19 – the biggest week yet.

I’m excited for the week and to be strong and healthy.

132 days to Leadville.

Average Weight: [I don’t want to talk about it]

Average Resting Heart Rate: 44

Total Vert: 2,273

Miles: 23.9 (includes hiking)

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Mid-Week Training update

This week so far, unfortunately has been all about knee pain. I had extreme left knee pain after a four mile run on Wednesday. I purposely took Monday and Tuesday off to give my knee a break but it still hurt to run 4 miles. Then, post-run my knee hurt when walking on even ground and gradual downhills. Climbing stairs and going uphill doesn’t cause any pain. I went to my doctor and she referred me to an ortho doc. Who knows when that appointment will happen. However, today, Thursday after 30 minutes on the elliptical, 750 stairs and weight training the knee seems better; not so much pain. The big test will be Friday, tomorrow.

Jaybird – X4 Wireless Headphones

Jaybird headphone review – I love the headphones and the wireless technology. I particularly liked them while on the stair master and walking around the weight room while listening to music.

Garmin Connect app – yesterday’s stats

Forerunner 35 – I have hooked it up with my phone and all my stats appear in the app. I know steps, heart rate all day long, how long I slept, average resting heart rate and the best thing – the watch vibrates with a message – MOVE – and forces me to get up and walk around when I’m still for an hour. I know it’s trendy to track steps and I’ve never been into it, but now see how addictive getting a lot of steps each day and reaching goals can be. I have a 50,000 step goal each day.

I’m hoping the next few days will be good training days. The weather has been cold and windy but at least no snow. Just hoping ice on the trails melts soon – I need vertical!

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Epsom Salt baths are magical

After tweaking my calf this past weekend and knowing that I had to take care of it right so that I don’t miss anymore training I followed the advice of the massage therapist: RICE + Epsom Salt bath.

Two nights in a row of ice, stretching, foam rolling and then a hot, Epsom salt bath has cured my muscle strain. It is 100% back to normal; no pain, no more hobbling around.

Lesson learned.

While there is no scientific evidence that that epsom salt really works, it may just be the relaxing hot bath that did the trick. I’m not sure. But one thing for sure, as I get older I need to do more work to stay injury free and that includes foam rolling, stretching, weights and core work. It takes more time but I willing to do what it takes to prepare for 100 miles. 157 days until race day.

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Injury: calf strain

My left calf is still pretty sore. I think I must’ve injured it slipping on ice prior to getting on the trails on Sunday. I iced it most of Sunday and Monday. I took an epsom salt bath Monday night. The only exercise on Monday was a mile hike in the morning and a few dog walks during the day.

Today, Tuesday, the calf feels better and I am going to foam roll and then go to the Y for some elliptical and stair climbing. I can’t take the day completely off because I know me and two days off will be detrimental to training and the momentum I’ve been building.

The hope is by taking a few days off from running it will heal and I can run by Thursday.

Some exercises today:

  • Stairs
  • Rowing machine
  • Treadmill – hills
  • Upper body weights
  • Elliptical