Boston Training: Week One

By Carissa

I wrapped up my first week of training and wanted to share the highlights (a few) and lowlights (more than a few) with you my sole sisters:

Monday:

I woke up bright and early to make it to spin at 5:30.  I enjoy spin class.  Now that I’m ramping up for training I probably won't be able to squeeze it in weekly.

For lunch I had the pleasure of hosting Holly, Devon and Kristen for a little Boston training kick-off lunch.  I’m kicking myself for not taking any pictures.  Everyone arrived looking so cute: showered, make-up, street clothes.  Pretty much the opposite of the I just rolled out of bed look I usually sport when meeting a friend for a run.  We had fun getting to know each other better and talking running over a leisurely lunch.  

Tuesday:

My workout called for an eight mile run with four miles at half marathon or 10k pace.  This was a workout I could pull off without trouble prior to injuring my plantar fascia.  I was just getting going on the treadmill with the faster pace portion of the run (7 min. mile) when the medicine ball that my boys were playing with entered my space and started bouncing between the wall and me.  I had just enough time to holler at them “Get the ball out of here!” when the unexpected happened.  The treadmill sucked that big ball under lifting the treadmill up and at the same time collapsing it.  The boys stood there with jaws dropped. Queue mom’s lecture: THIS is why I always tell you to keep the ball away from the treadmill!!!  We did some heavy lifting, got the ball out and the treadmill back to it’s original position.  Thank God it wasn’t broken and no one was hurt!

Now I needed to get my workout done.  It wasn’t pretty ladies.  I stopped three times for water/to catch my breath.  I kept telling myself, "You are NOT running mile repeats Carissa stop pausing the treadmill!"  I knew I’d just had a few weeks off for injury so I had some catching up to do but it was a bummer to struggle so much through the workout.  Thankfully my plantar fascia felt fine for my speed session.  However, the outside of my ankle started to feel sore as the day progressed.  This was the same spot that gave me trouble for a few months this spring.

Wednesday:

This day I had intended to swim and do weights.  I ran out of motivation and only swam.  To be honest it was a low point in my week.  For whatever reason I hadn’t felt like myself over the past several days.  I felt a lack of energy and motivation that usually comes naturally for me. In addition to how I was feeling on the inside my face broke out really bad, I had a rash on my eyelids that left them red and peeling (thank you harsh pool chemicals), and my mouth was (I think) experiencing some sort of allergic reaction to something I ate.  I just wanted to put a bag over my face!

Thursday:

I ran an easy five miles with my friend Becky.  I had hoped to squeeze in some weight lifting this day too but the funk I was in got in the way of it happening.

Friday:

Brooks Glycerin 10

I woke up with optimism Friday morning.  My ankle was still sore but I had a physical therapy appointment so I was hopeful I could get a good assessment of what was going on.  I was starting to question my Mizunos.  When tendonitis struck this spring it was five or six weeks after changing shoes.  I was wearing my Mizunos to do speed work on Tuesday when my ankle had gotten tender.  Additionally, my physical therapist had previously suggested trying a neutral shoe instead of one for pronators.

I went directly from my PT appointment to Portland Running Company.  The sales associate put me in several neutral shoes and noticed both that I had a neutral foot strike on my left foot (the side that kept getting injured) and that I pronate on my right.  She also noticed that when I tested out a pair of Mizunos my ankle wobbled.  Hmmm.  I decided to get a pair of Brooks Glycerin 10. From the store I headed out on my nine mile training run.

The run was great.  My ankle was sore but felt protected in the Brooks.  I thought repeatedly about how thankful I was to be outside and not on a treadmill. As I returned to my car an associate poked their head out of the running store offering me some water and asking what I thought of the shoes.  What service!

Saturday:

My ankle was feeling pretty sore on Saturday.  The day before the physical therapist had used some tools on me that were helpful overall but I suspect I had next day muscle soreness from it.  I took the day as a complete rest day and hoped and prayed I’d be ready for my long run on Sunday.

Sunday:

Post run and feeling good.

On Sunday morning my ankle felt good.  I headed out on my twelve mile run with a playlist full of David Crowder Band songs and the intention of taking it easy.  My route from home drops down for several miles before leveling out.  I knew the return would be tough but it created a great Boston training route.  The weather was in the mid 30s but I layered up and enjoyed the peace of a quiet winter morning.

That wraps up week one for me.  My ankle seems to be on the mend.  My mood funk has passed and my skin and mouth ailments are almost gone. I’m hopeful that from a health perspective things will only get better.  A big thank you for the encouragement and prayers you showered on me during my plantar fascia scare.  Stay tuned as I've got a long journey ahead of me.