My lateral what? Timeline of an injury

Google tells me:

"Cuneiform fractures are quite rare"

"Nondisplaced fractures with a stable tarsometarsal joint can be treated closed with a short leg walking cast for 6 weeks."

"This bone works to support the body while also playing an important role in movement."


"Cuneiform stress fractures - These injuries seem to occur from a similar manner as do those at the base of the metatarsals. Vertical forces are a potential contributor to this injury and may be caused by too much speedwork, hill running (not as often as the speed work), or running on the ball of your foot."

"The 2 forces responsible for cuneiform stress fractures are bending and compression. Bending forces are applied across the cuneiforms due to their location in the midfoot. The medial cuneiform lies in the axis of the first metatarsal and is susceptible to compression-type stress fractures. Body weight passes through this axis, and muscular insertions on each side of the first cuneiform exert strong opposing forces across a small area. The lateral cuneiform is the keystone of the arch with 6 articulations leading to several force vectors across this bone."

x-ray that shows nothing (of course, the
bone I brokeisn't in focus)

On November 14th after months of no diagnosis, pain and no running I finally learned what was broke. I had to have the nurse reread the report because in my extensive pre-diagnosis googling I never suspected a fractured cuneiform. I fell to the ground and started to cry. My biggest fear was that the MRI would show nothing wrong. I finally had a diagnosis!!! After weeks, months of waiting my doctor wanted me to be seen by the orthopedist ASAP. 

Nondisplaced fracture of the lateral cuneiform tarsal bone with mild patchy bone marrow edema at the second and third tarsometatarsal joints. 


Translating my report, it means I have a fracture-fracture (not a stress fracture) and I have a stress reaction at the metatarsal joints that articulate with the lateral cuneiform. 

Knee scooter is a game-changer

Timeline of an Injury

August 9th--during my weekly tempo run, my foot started to hurt. By the time I finished I couldn't walk without limping. (10 miles total)
August 10--urgent care visit. x-rays show nothing.
September 15--urgent care visit. Repeat x-rays show nothing.
October 2nd--primary care doctor, referral to orthopedics and MRI
November 7--MRI
November 14--MRI results indicate fracture
November 15--ortho appt short leg cast for one month
December 14--ortho appointment (hopefully cast will come off! fingers crossed)

I've spent a lot of time thinking about how my injury occurred; if I could have prevented it. I strength trained, I yoga'd,rolled and stretched. I spent time before every run activating my glutes, core, calves. I warmed up. I took my recovery days like a champ. I had regular massages and still went to physical therapy. I had regular appointments with my sports chiropractor for ART. I felt like I did everything right. I didn't have niggles that I ran through and my right foot didn't start to hurt until that fateful run on August 9th.

I don't think it was the amount of miles or my goal. I think, and this is just a guess, it has to do with using a local high school's hard dirt track for all my tempo runs. Regularly running on that hard track for 10+mile runs was not smart. I also think nutrition issues played a role. I was slightly amenorrheic for the past few years and its only recently that everything has gotten back on track. Last month I had a blood test which showed that I'm deficient in Vitamin D and at-risk for injury. I'm also low in Vitamin B12, DHEAS, ferritin, and iron (though, those levels are only "needs work"; some do play a role in bone health). 

I've made changes to my diet and I have started to take Vitamin D supplements. I'm hoping I get good news on Thursday and my cast comes off. I hope I'm cleared to start physical therapy and cross-training. I hope to be able to start running again in January. I love running and I love running lots of miles. 

I have big goals for 2018 and will work closely with my running coach, my strength coach, my physical therapist, my nutritionist and my doctors to have a healthy year. :)

The curse of the 4th marathon...

When injured, cheer your friend during
 her international debut

It seems every time I train to take my marathon game to the next level, my body decides to hit the brakes and my season ends. This works out to be every 4th marathon. I can run 3 marathons without injury, but it's that 4th one that gets me. 

It happened in 2015 when I was training for CIM with a goal of a sub-4 hour finish. I was feeling strong, feeling like I could actually do it and *boom*, major quad/IT injury.

I came back from that injury with stronger glutes and a stronger determination and trained for and ran two sub-4 marathons. I followed both of those with a third marathon in which I paced a friend for her first marathon finish. 

It happened again this past August as I was training for the Chicago Marathon with a goal of a 3h:48m finish time. Similar to 2015, it happened as I was feeling strong, fit and believing that I could actually run 26 x 1 mile @ 8:40 pace. Boom. Stress fracture/reaction in my foot. 

This injury didn't happen because of weak glutes/hips. I believe it happened because I was running all of my tempos and pace work on a hard dirt track (10+miles!). I was deathly scared of the pancake flat Chicago Marathon course and not being able to handle the "boredom" of using the same muscles. It also happened because training that takes me to the next level is also going to take me  to the edge.  

Going forward, I will train hard. I will skate the edge. I will run my pace work on the rolling hills of my town and be stronger for it. And I will be very mindful when I start training for that 4th marathon. 

In the meantime, I've tentatively decided to race LA Marathon in March. I've run it 3 1/2 times. I love the course. I like its hills. I love the crowds. I'm not back to running yet, which is why I haven't committed to it. As a back up, I've registered for Mountains 2 Beach in May. In the fall, I will run the Great North Run (deferred this year's entry) in England and most likely the Chicago Marathon (deferred this year's entry). 

A freak foot injury results in a training intermission

I last ran two weeks ago today. On that day, during my workout (alternating pace progressive tempo, total of 10 miles) the top of my right foot started to hurt. By the time I finished, I couldn't walk. 

Since then, I've been to a medical doctor, my physical therapist and my sports chiropractor. A stress fracture has been mostly ruled out. The theory now is that my shoes--Brooks PureCadence--were too tight and I also tied my shoelaces too tight the morning of my injury. I've learned that the latest PureCadence model has been running about 1/2 too small. I love my Brooks and have worn PureCadence for years. It now seems I will have to give them up. 

I'm working with my coach and we are maintaining my aerobic fitness using the elliptical machine and cycle. And because 90 minutes on an elliptical machine is boring as heck, I'm working on my mental strength. Bonus!

I tried running this past Monday, but stopped less than a minute in because my foot hurt. I'm trying to be positive and not letting go of my goals.
I know I can run a half-marathon (race day=Sept 10) and a marathon (Oct 8) with sub-optimal training and do well. I'm strong, aerobically fit and my mental strength is a lot better than it was last year. Hitting my paces and having awesome workouts that I never believed I could do has helped that. 

This injury seemingly came out of nowhere. I was feeling fine, no nagging pains or niggles before my foot started hurting. To achieve big goals, you have to take risks and sometimes you get too close to the sun. 

We leave for England soon and that has been a magical place for me to come back from injury in the past.  As Kara Goucher says, "Always believe". 

Week 14: Chicago Marathon Training

A quick and dirty low-down on last week's training for the Chicago Marathon. I found out my request to switch to Wave 1 (based on my half-marathon race results) was approved. All that means is an earlier start (by 30 minutes).

I also ran my first 20 miler of this training cycle. This weekend I'm headed for Las Vegas for a Hen Party (bachelorette party, the bride and bridesmaids are flying in from England), I'm curious to see how I do with my training.

Track!

Week 14 (July 31-August 6)

Monday: 5 miles, easy (5.5 miles, 9:21/mi).

Tuesday: 8 miles, easy (8.0 miles, 9:42/mi). 

Wednesday: 2 miles warm-up, 3 x 2 miles @8:15-8:20/mi, 800 meter jog, 1 mile cool-down. Ugh. I blew-up the last set, but overall did okay. Nailed the first two sets. 5th work mile I had to stop. Coach Becki told me that was A-Ok. Last work mile was 7:59/mi though. (Avg pace for 2 miles--8:12/mi, 8:14/mi, 8:09/mi) Total miles=10.5 miles, 8:55/mi.

Thursday: OFF

Friday: 10 miles, easy (10.0 miles, 9:53/mi) + my periodic physical therapy appointment to keep things right.

Saturday: 20 mile long run. Oh boy, running 20 miles the day after running 10 miles really teaches me how to run on tired legs! Friends joined me for the first 10 miles or so. (20.0 miles, 9:56/mi).

I forgot my sunglasses when I started my 20 mi
long run at 4:45 am.

Sunday: 6 miles, easy (6.2 miles, 9:14/mi). Surprisingly, my legs didn't feel as tired. Maybe because I was in San Diego and a new running location. 

Total Weekly Miles: 60.2 miles (9 hours, 37 minutes)
2017 Miles: 928.5 miles 

I've joined the training link up on Eat Pray Run DC. See the link up HERE. Courtney is training for the Berlin Marathon. :)

My first 60+ mile week ever! Chicago Marathon Training

Which goes to say that it is also my highest mileage week since I started running in 2010. And I still have 10 weeks of training (well 8 really, subtracting taper) until I race Chicago Marathon. 

Early in the week I completed a run I would have thought was impossible a month ago. Eight miles at speed with out stopping (in a non-race situation). The first four miles were a little bit faster than goal marathon pace (8:30-8:40/mi) and the second four miles were at half-marathon(ish) pace (8:15-8:25/mi). I figured after completing this run, my hardest on my schedule, the rest of the week is just getting the miles in. I'm glad it was scheduled for Tuesday!

NAILED IT!

Working with Coach Becki Spellman has helped me get comfortable running marathon pace, so after my 2 mile warm-up the first 4 work miles almost felt easy. They were hard and I had to work to maintain pace but I felt okay running them. I've finally learned to ease into pace and not take the first work miles too fast. The second 4 work miles did not feel easy and I definitely had to use mental strength to not give-up. One thought that helped me was knowing how great I would feel once I completed the workout. And I definitely did. This workout pumped me up and made feel like I can run Chicago at the pace I'm training. Splits: 8:32, 8:37, 8:38, 8:39, 8:23, 8:14, 8:16, 7:54. I can't believe I ran a sub-8 mile for my last work mile. I just wanted to get done so I ran it fast. I ran all 8 miles on the track to simulate the "flatness" of Chicago.

Week 13: July 24-30

New shoes for August

Monday:8 miles easy (8.1 miles, 9:27/mi). Jasyoga: Booty Lock Mitigation

Tuesday: 12 miles with tempo-2 miles easy, 4 miles at 8:30-8:40/mi, 4 miles at 8:15-8:25/mi, 2 miles easy.Splits: 8:32, 8:37, 8:38, 8:39, 8:23, 8:14, 8:16, 7:54 (12.1 miles, 8:48/mi). Jasyoga: Quick Hamstring Reset

Wednesday: 6 miles easy (6.1 miles, 9:29/mi).

Thursday: 10 miles-first 4 miles easy, second 4 miles faster (think 20 seconds faster than easy), last 2 miles easy.

Friday: 8 miles easy (8.0 miles, 9:11). New shoes again (same model, new color -Brooks PureCadence). Training for a marathon and 200+mile/months burns a lot of rubber. 

Saturday: 18 mile long run (18.1 miles, 9:48/mi). My legs were super-tired as this was the culmination of 9 days running without a rest day. I was able to push through and run strong to the end. I felt good about this run and this week. Jasyoga: Recovery Boost for Runners.

Long run done! Looking forward to rest day!

Sunday: OFF. 1 hour yoga class at Ritual Brew. Enjoyed my day off!

Total Weekly Miles: 62.4 miles!!! (9 hours, 47 minutes)
2017 Miles: 868.3 miles

I've joined the training link up on Eat Pray Run DC. See the link up HERE. Courtney is training for the Berlin Marathon. :) 

Chicago Marathon Training: Week 12

With a little help from friends, another 50+ mile week is in the books. Slightly cooler temps helped too. 

Feeling stronger and more confident in my ability to race well on October 8. As of today, the Chicago Marathon is in 75 days--subtracting 2 week taper and rest days means 55 days of training left. I can do this!

Week 12 (July 17-July 23)

Monday: 5 miles easy (4.4 miles, 9:57/mi). I like when I have 5 or less miles scheduled for a Monday. It means I get to sleep in and wake up naturally (for me = 6 am). But it also means I have to cut my run a little short to make sure I'm not that late to work. I also did Jasyoga: 5 minute Quad Reset.

Tuesday: 10 miles easy or really 6 miles easy + 2 miles with 30 seconds stride/2 minute jog + 2 miles easy (10.2 miles, 9:39/mi). First 6 miles with friends; last 4 by myself. This workout really wiped me out. I don't know if it was the running six miles before the reps or just training load fatigue. The reps themselves were no problem. It was the 2 miles easy after the reps. They were a slog fest.

Wednesday: 8 miles easy (8.1 miles, 9:21/mi). Run felt a lot better then the day before. Jasyoga: Pre-Run Warm Up

Track: We each do our own workout

Thursday: 9 miles with progressive tempo. 2 miles easy + 3 miles at 8:30-8:40/mi + 3 miles at 8:10-8:20/mi + 1 mile easy (9.0 miles, 8:45/mi). I was nervous about this run because picking up speed in the 2nd half is hard for me and I tend to mentally give-up. I went into the run knowing I would really have to work hard the 2nd half. I've been running my marathon-pace and tempo runs on the track to simulate the flatness of Chicago. I live and train in rolling hills. Running a lot of miles without stopping on the track can get a bit boring, but every mile or so I change direction to mix it up. SPLITS: 8:39, 8:30, 8:38, 8:12, 8:12, 8:08. I'm very pleased with my results. Jasyoga: Pre-Run Warm Up


Friday: OFF. I loved this rest day. I didn't do any work. My next scheduled rest day is 9 days from this one. I enjoyed it. :)

Saturday: 16 miles long run (16.2 miles, 9:15/mi). First 4 miles by myself + 12 miles with friends. I had to go to the mall to shop for clothes for a wedding and bachelorette party (e.g. non-running clothes). So for me, this 16 mile run was the easiest part of the day!

Hot & sweaty long run

Sunday: 6 miles easy (6.1 miles, 9:12/mi). My husband had a soccer tournament in Orange County so it was a change of scenery for me and a lot cooler temps than inland. 

Total Weekly Miles: 54.1 miles (8 hours + 24 minutes)

2017 Miles: 805.9 Miles

I've joined the training link up on Eat Pray Run DC. See the link up HERE. Courtney is training for the Berlin Marathon. :) 

First 50+ Mile Week of this cycle! Chicago 26.2 Training: Week 11

Hot summer running leads to huge fall racing PRs, right? Lately, it seems that all my long runs have been slogs no matter how early I start. At least at this point in training I don't have to worry about pace during my long runs. It's just about time on my feet. I'll enjoy it now because it won't last long. 

I've completed my base-building phase. I've completed my strength building phase. Now sh*t's getting real. I've just completed my first 50+ mile week for the Chicago Marathon. I'm now embarking on my marathon-specific training which means fast finishes at the end of long runs when I'm tired or starting slow and building speed in workouts. This is a weakness of mine and I'm looking forward to improving. 

Week 11 (July 10-16)

Monday: 6 miles easy (6.2 miles, 9:21/mi) Jasyoga: 5-min Hamstring Reset +core

Tuesday: 6 miles easy (6.0 miles, 9:29/mi). 

Wednesday: 2 miles warm-up, 2 x 1 mile @8:15-8:20/mi, 2 x 800m in 4:00 min, 2 x 1 mile @8:05-8:10/mi. 2 minute recovery between each rep. Rep times: 8:16, 8:14, 3:55, 3:53, 7:50, 7:45. I loved this workout. It was tough, it was hard but I pushed through and hit my paces. (9.2 miles, 8:48/mi).

Thursday: OFF. Jasyoga: 5-min Hamstring Reset 

Friday: 8 miles easy (8.0 miles, 9:30/mi). 30 minute Tabata class pre-run and Jasyoga: Power Your Push Off. 

Saturday: 5 miles easy (5.2 miles, 8:56/mi). Paul ran the first two miles with me. :) Jasyoga: Flexible Running Hamstrings


Sunday: 18 mile long run (18.0 miles, 9:54). Oh boy, was this a slog. It was 73F when we started at 5:30 am. I also probably started the run dehydrated because of drinking beer and not water the night before. My running group and I have had previous discussions. 2 beers the night before a long run = okay. 3 beers the night before a long run = not okay. I will now add this: 3 beers before a long HOT run = super not okay. 

Total Weekly Miles: 52.6 miles (8 hours 16 minutes)
2017 Miles: 752 miles

I've joined the training link up on Eat Pray Run DC. See the link up HERE. Courtney is training for the Berlin Marathon. :) 

Ten!

Steamy tempo run on July 4th

I can't believe it's been 10 weeks since I started training for the Chicago Marathon and I can't believe I had the audacity to ask my coach 3 weeks ago if I was going to be getting more miles and more mid-week longer runs. Thank you, Coach Becki! I'm feeling strong and fit and I now know that this is when the grind begins. I may have said the same thing last week. 

Week 10 (July 3-9)

Monday: Plan said OFF, but I skipped Sunday's run because of travel ( & maybe wine the night before). 4 miles easy (4.0 miles, 9:27/mi). I also had an appointment with my physical therapist--just for a mid-cycle tune up. Oh boy, he worked me. My glutes were sore for days. I also had a one hour massage and did a Jasyoga video (Low-Back Love). A vacation day from work made this all possible.

Tuesday: Happy 4th of July! I also I had my longest mid-week run of this cycle. It also happened to be an alternating tempo. 11 miles with 2 miles warm-up, 8 miles alternating between goal marathon pace and a moderate-effort pace, 1 mile cool-down. Paul ran the first two miles with me. He walked back with water for me. Because it was a tempo and I didn't want to stop, he handed off the bottle to me. I felt like an elite! ;) Tempo miles: 8:24 (too fast), 8:59 (too fast), 8:39, 9:08, 8:39, 9:33, 8:34, 9:22. The last two miles were ROUGH. (11 miles, 9:02/mi). 

The other direction isn't easier.

Wednesday: 6 miles easy (6.1 miles, 9:51/mi). Nothing spectacular about this run, but it felt like a super Monday after 5 days of no work and a 5 am alarm. 

Thursday: 8 miles easy (8.2, 9:53/mi). Hilly run with my early morning running group. We ran the same route last week, but in reverse. We soon figured out both directions are hard with lots of climbing. 

Friday: 4 miles easy. I didn't run. 30 minute Tabata class (Burpees). 

Saturday: 16 miles long run. I joined the Runegades for their weekly group run for my middle miles. It was a brutal run with lots of heat and hills. When I started the run at 5 am it was 77F. When I finished almost 3 hours later it was in the low-90s. We start and finish these group runs at Panera. When I finished I walked straight into the restaurant and ordered a frozen lemonade. I've never done that before. It was good, but gone in 10 seconds. (16.0 miles, 9:54/mi).

Sunday: OFF. I was a lazy bum all day and enjoyed it!

Total Weekly Miles: 45.3 miles (7 hours, 17 minutes)
2017 Miles: 698.8 Miles

Next week my planned miles reach 50 for the first time in this training cycle! 

I've joined the training link up on Eat Pray Run DC. See the link up HERE. Courtney is training for the Berlin Marathon. :) 

Chicago Marathon Training: Weeks 8 and 9

Summer has officially arrived! And with it comes heat. As an early morning runner (usual weekday start times =  5 am), summer heat doesn't bother me. It makes things easier. I just throw on a tank (or not, summer is sports bra season) and shorts and I'm good to go. I don't have to think about layering or becoming too warm because I wore a long sleeve. I don't have to worry about my fingers freezing because I forgot gloves. 

However, the last couple of weeks have been scorchers. We have had multiple days of triple digit heat where the temperature would rise to 90F before 9 am. That's hot. 

The day I realized training got REAL

Just like the weather, my training has become intense. I'm now firmly entrenched in the strength building phase. And I love it.  

Week 8 (June 19-June 25)

Monday: 5 miles easy (5.0 miles, 9:34/mi)

Tuesday: 4 miles easy (4.2 miles, 9:15/mi). Jasyoga: 5 min Hip Flexor and 5 min Hip Reset.

Wednesday: Mile Repeats. 2 miles warm-up, 6 x 1 mile @ 8:15-8:20/mi, 1 min rest, 1 mile cool-down.  (work splits: 8:10, 8:14, 8:11, 8:15, 8:15, 8:16) This is where the sh@t got real. Oh boy, tough work out. (9.5 miles, 8:58/mi). Jasyoga: Work-out Day Warm-up and Quick Post-L/R Reset

Thursday: OFF. Easy walk with Paul and Nani to coffee.

Friday: 7 miles easy (7.0 miles, 9:29/mi)

Saturday: 14 miles long run (14.0 miles, 10:01/mi). A very hilly, challenging run route. Jasyoga: Recovery Boost for Runners.

14 mile, very hilly & challenging run
on Global #SportsBraSquad Day!

Sunday: 4 miles easy (3.3 miles, 10:23). Slept in and dawdled. Very hot. Cut run short. 

Week 9 (June 26-July 2)

Monday: 4 miles easy (4.1 miles, 9:55/mi)

Tuesday: 6 miles easy (6.0 miles, 9:44/mi)

Wednesday: 8 miles easy (8.2 miles, 9:28/mi). Hilly route. Jasyoga: How to Activate Your Glutes and Quad Reset

Thursday: Marathon Goal Pace. 2 miles warm-up, 6 miles @ 8:35-8:45/mi. (work splits: 8:43, 8:36, 8:37, 8:17, 8:14, 8:21). My average pace for the 6 work miles was 8:28 /mi! I ran the work out on the track because I live/train in rolling hills and I want to learn how my goal marathon pace feels on flat terrain because Chicago Marathon is 26 miles of flat. This is the first time I ran 6 miles straight (w/o rests or recovery) on a track! It's a mental game, for sure. I felt like a superwoman after crushing this workout.
 

Wore my new singlet to harness superpowers
for my goal marathon pace workout

Friday: 4 miles easy (4.1 miles, 9:22/mi). 30 minute Tabata class. Jasyoga: Quick Unstick for Stiff Sides

Saturday: 12 miles long run. Woke up at 4am on a Saturday to get this run in before my parents picked me up for a 5 hour drive to attend a 50th wedding anniversary party (12.0 miles, 9:25/mi). Jasyoga: Quick Post-Run Reset

Sunday: 4 miles easy. Skipped this run. Drank wine and had fun at the party night before. Did not feel like waking up early before we started the long drive back nor did I feel like running when I got home. Jasyoga: 5-min Quad Reset.

Total Weekly Miles (Week 8-9): 86.6 (43.0+43.6) miles, 13 hours, 41 minutes
2017 Miles: 658 miles, 106 hours, 27 minutes

Now that I'm back to training, I've rejoined the training link up on Eat Pray Run DC. See the link up HERE. Courtney is training for the Berlin Marathon. :) 

Quick No-Frills Catch Up Post

River of No Return Endurance Run 25k

Time flies when you're having fun...It's been two weeks of flying around the country and running. These week (June 19) marks the official 16 Weeks out from the Chicago Marathon.

A quick recap of the past two weeks...

Week 6

Monday: OFF. Upper Body weights (30 minutes) and Yoga Abs (10 minutes)

Tuesday: 3 miles easy (3.0 miles, 9:18/mi) and Take 10 Yoga AM (10 minutes)

Wednesday: 6 miles easy (6.0 miles, 9:33/mi) and Jasyoga: How to Warm-Up (12 minutes)

Thursday: OFF. Early morning flight to Pittsburgh, PA with Paul for a quick 2-night stay to see Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in concert. No exercise other than walking around airports and Pittsburgh. Switched Thursday's scheduled workout to Friday because of travel day.

Pittsburgh running

Friday: Fartleks 2 miles easy, 2 miles with 30 seconds stride, 1 minute jog, 1 mile easy. It took me 11 intervals of 30 seconds on/1 minute off to reach 2 miles but I did 12 to get an even number. This was a tough run. I had a bit too much fun the night before and didn't start my run until about 10 am. It was hot. I was hungover. In spite of the circumstances, I love running in Pittsburgh. It's a fun town! (5.2 miles, 9:02/mi). 

Tom Petty concert!

Saturday: 12 miles long run (12.1 miles, 9:49/mi) in Pittsburgh. Flew back to California

Sunday: OFF (flaked on a scheduled 4 mile run. I was tired).

Total Weekly Miles: 26.8 miles (4 hours, 11 minutes)
Total Cross-Training/Prehab: 1 hour, 2 minutes (not a good week for this!)
2017 Miles: 527.8 miles 

Week 7

Idaho Bird Camp - the Sequel

Monday: 6 miles easy (6.2 miles, 9:43/mi) and Jasyoga: Pre-Run Warm-Up (5 minutes)

Tuesday: Tempo Run--2 miles warm-up, 4 miles at 8:35/mi (goal marathon pace), 1 mile cool-down. I asked Coach Becki if she wanted me to run the 4 miles with an average of 8:35/mi for all 4 miles or if she wanted me to hit 8:35/mi for each mile. I asked because of the rolling hills on my usual routes around home. I can get pretty fast on the downhills and slow on the uphills. She told me that average is good, but I really should try to hit the pace for each mile to get used to how they feel. With that information, I decided to run the tempo miles on the track. Tempo miles: 8:34, 8:33, 8:32, 8:07 (7.1 miles, 9:15/mi). In the afternoon I flew to Salt Lake City to begin my Idaho Bird Camp adventure (the sequel-2017). 

Wednesday: It was supposed to be an off day, but I ran 3 easy miles with Tina before we started our drive to Challis, ID (3.0, 10:22/mi).

Oiselle sweep of the
Overall Women Masters--I got 3rd!

Thursday: Juliet Creek Trail Run. Very technical trail run with multiple "creek" crossings. We couldn't get to the top this year because of snow and the creek was deeper and had a stronger current compared to last year. 4.6 miles total.

Friday: 4 mile shake out run (4.0 miles, 9:28/mi) and 1 hour Bird Camp Yoga.

Saturday: River of No Return Endurance Run 25k. My longest trail run/race ever. Very hot and very steep (3500 feet elevation gain in 4 miles) and my lungs aren't used to running at elevation. It was a tough run. Official time: 3:05:33 (11:57/mi). 3rd place female, overall masters. 

Sunday: OFF. Lots of walking in airports as I traveled home. 

Total Weekly Miles: 39.1 miles (7 hours, 42 minutes)
Total Cross-Training/Prehab: 1 hour, 5 minutes (I need to get back in the habit!)
2017 Miles: 567 Miles

Until next year!

Now that I'm back to training, I've rejoined the training link up on Eat Pray Run DC. See the link up HERE. Courtney just started training for the Berlin Marathon. :) 

123 Days until Chicago Marathon!

This coming week marks the start of my strength building phase in my training for the Chicago Marathon. And, oh boy, do I need to build strength. On Sunday, I raced the San Diego Rock n Roll Half-Marathon. I knew I wasn't in PR shape. I only had a month of training under my belt and my longest run was 10 miles. My original plan was to treat the race as a large group long run. As the date of the race drew closer and as I started feeling that I was back in running shape, I started believing that maybe I could run the half in 1:49ish (my PR is 1:47). Working with my coach, the plan was for me to start conservatively (8:45/mi or so) and run by instinct the first 10 miles and build into a 8:20-8:30/mile overall pace and race to the finish the last 3 miles. 

I started the race feeling strong. At 2 miles I could tell this was going to be a warm race.  At the 5k split my average pace was 8:45/mi and then I pretty much kept that the rest of the race. I could not kick it into gear and go fast the last 3 miles. Those miles were tough. I finished under 1:55 (barely, official time 1:54:55 with an overall pace of 8:46/mi). Although initially I was disappointed with my result, I pretty much ran my goal marathon pace for 13.1 miles with only a month of training. My coach said: "This is great fitness going into some more stringent training! You'll get stronger!".
Half-Marathon #18 in the books!

Oiselle Volee Pre-Race Dinner

Base-Building Week 5

Monday: 4 miles easy with strides/drills (4.4 miles, 9:34/mi); 30 minutes Yoga and 30 minutes Insanity Fit Test (Yikes).

Tuesday: 3 miles easy (3.1 miles, 9:48/mi); 1 hour personal training + 30 minutes Yoga.

Wednesday: 2 miles easy, 6 x 2 minutes at goal Half effort, 2 minutes jog, 1 mile easy (6.1 miles, 9:24/mi). Jasyoga: Workout Day Warm Up + 30 minutes Yoga. 

Thursday: Off. 30 minutes Pilates + 30 minutes Yoga.

Friday: 5 miles easy (5.0 miles, 9:38/mi). 30 minutes Tabata + 20 minutes Yoga. 1 hour massage.

Saturday: Easy 2 miles with strides (2.0 miles, 9:01/mi) + 30 minutes Yoga.

Sunday: San Diego RNR Half-Marathon. 1 mile warm-up jog (10:43/mi) + race. I didn't run the tangents well, so I actually ran 13.2 miles (8:39/mi). Jasyoga: Optimal Hip Reset. 

Total Weekly Miles: 34.9 miles (5 hours, 22 minutes)
Total Cross-Training/Pre-Hab: 6 hours, 45 minutes
2017 Miles: 501 miles

Post-Race Beer Festival

Now that I'm back to training, I've rejoined the training link up on Eat Pray Run DC. See the link up HERE. Courtney just started training for the Berlin Marathon. :) 

Patience: Chicago Marathon Training

I'm now at the point in my training where I am antsy to do more. I feel like I am back in running shape and I want to run ALL the miles. Instead I remind myself of a mantra I read about a few weeks ago: Preparation, Patience, Perseverance. Although the mantra came from one of the greatest soccer managers and was about strategy for soccer games, I believe it also works for running. 

I've been focused on preparing myself for the rigors of marathon training--the strengthening, the pre-hab, good nutrition, sleep. Now I have to work on patience. The miles will come--I'm building up to 55 miles per week. I don't need to add more than what my coach plans for me. Perseverance will come into play when I am at peak mileage and oh-so-tired and not in the mood to run more. I know those days will come, BTDT. 

My brain was screaming at me to stop during the
 last mile of this week's tempo run (Spoiler: I didn't!)

The mantra also works for racing. Preparation is important. Not only training, but know the course and developing a race plan. Patience is not going out to fast or making a move too soon. Perseverance is sticking with it even when your feet and legs hurt, when your brain is screaming at you to stop. 

Base-Building Week 4

Monday: Easy 4 miles (4.7 miles, 9:29/mi). Post run I did Jasyoga's Quick 5-min Calf Reset because my calves were feeling tight. After work, I did a minute Yoga: Core video and Beachbody's Upper Fix Extreme video.

Tuesday: Oh, gosh. Progressive Tempo today. 2 miles easy, 1 mile at 8:20, 1 mile at 8:15, 1 mile at 8:10, 1 mile easy. Before my run I did Jasyoga's Workout Day Warm-Up. I hit my paces despite hills (8:18/mi, 8:14/mi, 8:10/mi). That last mile was HARD. The first half was uphill until it flattened out. I slowed down going up the hill and spent the second half "catching up" to hit my pace. OMG. Afterwards I asked my coach if this was the right thing to do and she said: "You did the right thing playing catch up.  I know it is tough, but you are stronger for it!" (6.0 miles, 9:10/mi). After work, I did a 10-min Ab Fix video and a Yoga: Stretch video.

Wednesday: Off/XT. 30 min Abs, Butt and Cardio video (Beachbody's ABC Extreme) and Yoga: Balance. In the afternoon, I took the train to Los Angeles for a work event.

Thursday: Downtown LA running! Easy 4 miles+strides/drills (4.2 miles, 9:13/mi). Jasyoga: Pre-Run Warm Up. Long day. Train ride back home.

Friday: Easy 5 miles (5.1 miles, 9:28/mi). 30 minute Tabata class before run. After my run, I did 50 minutes of Yoga: Flow and Beachbody's Dirty 30 Extreme video.

Saturday: Long run, 8-10 miles (10.1 miles, 9:24/mi). Before my run, I did Jasyoga's How to Warm-Up and after my run the Comprehensive Hip/Hamstring Reset. Later that night I did the Yoga: Relax video.

Sunday: Off. 30 minutes of yoga and 30 minutes of body weight exercises. 

Total Weekly Miles: 30.1 miles (4 hours, 41 minutes)
Total Cross-Training/Pre-hab: 6 hours, 26 minutes* 
2017 Miles: 466.4 miles

*I never explained. I'm keeping track of these activities because I heard that it's good to aim for the same amount of time spent running.

Now that I'm back to training, I've rejoined the training link up on Eat Pray Run DC. See the link up HERE. Courtney just started training for the Berlin Marathon. :)