Yesterday morning I did a little over 7 miles at Seneca and Cherokee Parks in Louisville, KY. It was a cold morning but once again, the parks seemed crowded with runners, which is motivational for me in a communal sort of way. In the first mile, I was running next to a guy who started up a conversation with me. Normally, I am a huffer and a puffer and I am not much for chatting, but it was pleasant. He asked how many miles I was going, my route, and how old I was. He mentioned that he was 56, and was going to have a birthday today. (Happy Birthday, whoever you are!)
I started out a little faster than my normal pace, and although I did not have a specific route plan to give me seven miles, I had my Forerunner 305 with me. I felt like I was running strong but maybe a little too strong for my injury. When I got done, I knew maybe I had pushed myself a bit. I was limping noticeably all day yesterday after the run, and just a little this morning. I guess that comes with the territory.
When I reviewed the lap numbers from my watch, especially after uploading them to motionbased, I was able to learn a little something more about my running. Looking at my laps, my average miles per hour stayed fairly consistent, and my pace was consistent in miles one through six. Mile 7 was a lot slower.
I knew I was feeling tired by then, but the pace seemed even more slower than I thought it would be. Looking at the statistics further, I think the long, slow elevation of the seventh mile explains it. There were other elevation jumps prior to that, but they were steeper and didn’t last as long.
Here are my numbers for the run:
| Total Time (h:m:s) |
1:09:28 |
9:32 pace |
| Distance (mi) |
7.28 |
|
| Moving Speed (mph) |
6.3 avg. |
9.5 max. |
| Elevation Gain (ft) |
+537 / -537 |
|
| Temperature (F) |
32 F avg. |
33.8 F high |
| Wind Speed (mph) |
NE 0.9 avg. |
NE 3.5 max. |
| Lap |
Time |
Distance |
M Spd |
Energy |
| (#) |
(m:s) |
(mi ) |
(mph) |
(Cal) |
| 1 |
9:06 |
1 |
7.8 |
177 |
| 2 |
9:08 |
1 |
7.6 |
180 |
| 3 |
9:50 |
1 |
8.1 |
178 |
| 4 |
9:33 |
1 |
7.8 |
177 |
| 5 |
9:32 |
1 |
8.1 |
177 |
| 6 |
9:27 |
1 |
7.4 |
181 |
| 7 |
10:13 |
1 |
7.8 |
179 |
| 8 |
2:37 |
0.27 |
7.2 |
48 |
Continue reading ‘Limping along’
Today was the first day I ran since the Hangover Classic on Jan. 1. I ran a six-mile route between Seneca and Cherokee parks in Louisville, KY. The weather was cold and rainy. I got there around 7:45 a.m. and there were a whole bunch of runners already out and about, more than usual I think. There was a church group running, plus maybe some new runners trying to make good on their own New Year’s Resolutions.
My friends Linda and Laura were there, beginning their increase in mileage training for the Flying Pig marathon on May 4. The Flying Pig also has a half-marathon, and I would make plans to do that race if it did not occur so soon after the Kentucky Derby Festival miniMarathon on April 26, which I am planning to do. Linda and Laura did 12 miles today–double what I did. I would have loved to join them in going that distance, but my hip flexor injury continues, and I am trying to be good to myself. 
Dealing with injury is something all runners do. Every runner I talk with has a pain story. Most of us, more than just one. We all like to complain a bit, but we all keep on running. All during the run, the hip flexor pain was noticeable. I would say about a five out of 10, ten being really bad. I tried to use mental imagery and also let the songs on my iPod distract me, and it worked for the most part. But the pain is definitely there, on the right side.
It’s an odd sensation; it mostly feels like it’s “locked,” like there is a limited range of motion. Kinda strange. I figured my knees would get me a long time before a hip problem. Or plantar fasciitis, which I have dealt with before. But this thing sure is nagging. I will continue to deal with it. I can’t complain too loudly, because I have sort of slipped on doing my exercises over the past week. The last thing I want to do is stop running, but for now, scaling back the mileage somewhat is the right thing to do. [Hopefully I am not sounding like a broken record, but I guess I need to convince myself I am taking the right course of action because I want to run every day!] Even my pace was probably a little bit too fast today, but I was sort of motivated by the cold rain. Makes you want to get it done a little bit faster than usual. Garmin numbers:
| Total Time (h:m:s) |
0:58:40 |
9:41 pace |
| Distance (mi ) |
6.05 |
|
| Moving Speed (mph) |
6.4 avg. |
9.6 max. |
| Elevation Gain (ft) |
+447 / -447 |
|
| Temperature (F) |
38.7 F avg. |
38.7 F high |
This morning I ran again. It was chilly. Motionbased’s weather numbers put it at 24.8 degrees, but my temperature reading was around 21. Either way, it’s chilly but I can’t really call this cold. I remember my brother telling me about his first winter in Edmonton, Canada. He said he left his apartment one morning and he heard a cracking sound near his face. It turned out to be water on his beard left over from his shower, freezing instantly. So, this is not anywhere close to being cold.
I have come so far in running this year, in a short time. I started out at the end of the summer, huffing and puffing, chugging along, taking frequent and long walk breaks, thinking that my knees were just going to break they hurt so bad. I slowly progressed as I lost weight and improved my cardio output. Finally I felt free. I could really do it! I could run! I felt as if I could just run forever and ever. Visions of all kinds of running scenarios flashed in my head. It was going to take me places I have been wanting to go for awhile. I began to feel good about myself again.
All the while, I knew that running and injury go hand-in-hand. Still, it’s a bit depressing going from around 22 miles a week down to nine. But hey, you know what? Nine miles sounds a whole lot better than no miles to me right now.
| Total Time (h:m:s) |
0:32:45 |
10:30 pace |
| Moving Time (h:m:s) |
0:32:46 |
10:30 pace |
| Distance (mi ) |
3.12 |
|
| Moving Speed (mph) |
5.7 avg. |
7.8 max. |
| Elevation Gain (ft) |
+237 / -227 |
|
| Temperature (F) |
24.8F avg. |
24.8F high |
| Wind Speed (mph) |
E 4.6 avg. |
E 4.6 max. |
Today I ran for the first time since Tuesday (five days ago). I saw a Physical Therapist yesterday who examined me, analyzed my running and put me on a stretching program (link to PDF of his recommended stretches here). He also had me do a little bit of Pilates, which I had never done before. While I was doing the Pilates stuff, it didn’t feel like it was working me that much. I am used to breaking a sweat at the Y, and also when I run. I figure if you don’t at least break a sweat, it isn’t worth it. Well, this morning I could definitely feel it. So maybe there is something to it.
Anyway, normally I would do 10 miles on my “long run” day, but he said for me to just do a little, and while I still have pain, it’s tolerable at the moment. While on the run, I could feel some discomfort, but I was not concentrating on it. In fact, I felt elated just to be running again. I grabbed the iPod before I went out the door and put it on shuffle. The song of the run, as hokey as it may sound, was “Dancin’ On The Ceiling.” The sun was out, and I was running again! Oh yeah, baby. For historical and selfish reasons I want to keep track of what I do as I try to heal, so here are my numbers for today:
| Total Time (h:m:s) |
0:29:55 |
10:00 pace |
| Moving Time (h:m:s) |
0:29:56 |
10:00 pace |
| Distance (mi ) |
2.99 |
|
| Moving Speed (mph) |
6.0 avg. |
7.7 max. |
| Elevation Gain (ft) |
+237 / -227 |
|
| Temperature (F) |
32 deg. F avg. |
32 deg. F high |
| Wind Speed (mph) |
E 5.8 avg. |
E 5.8 max. |
