Monday, October 1, 2012

Week in Review: Sept 24-30

Before I get into last week's statistics, don't forget to add a comment on my last blog post so you'll be entered to win a free DVD of "Barefoot Running: The Movie." Contest is over on October 8.

This was a good solid week of training. Nothing special, but I did finally get in a longer trail run. The walk-jogs I'm doing to recover and simulate the walking I'll do at Umstead 100 are nice changes to my normal routine. I basically have 6 months of training until the 100 miler. I feel ready to progress...with a slight hesitation due to my right arch being a bit sensitive. It's actually above the arch, toward the ankle (but not the ankle itself).  An odd place for pain. I'll keep an eye on it. Otherwise, I feel my basic aerobic fitness is beginning to come back and I have no other nagging injuries. I hope to have about 40 miles for this coming week (Oct 1-7), then the week of Oct 8-14 will see my first fall ultra (Farmdale 30 miler). After that, the real training begins!

Count:6 Activities
Distance:38.04 mi
Max Distance:14.46 mi
Avg Distance:6.34 mi
Time:7:56:20 h:m:s
Avg Speed:4.8 mph
Avg HR:112 bpm
Max HR:162 bpm
Calories:4,375 C

I sure am keeping the average heart rate low!  Guess the extra walking and slow jogging tends to sway the average. Of course, that 162 high heart rate is a bit of an anomaly...think that was when I was trying to catch another runner while running barefoot on Saturday. I caught them with 1/4 mile to go. In general, I'm trying to keep my heart rate below 150 to strengthen my fat burning and reduce the chance of injuries. Maybe one "tempo" run per week to build stamina and keep the leg turnover high.

NOTE: Make sure you enter the drawing for a free copy of "Barefoot Running: The Movie" DVD. Just add a comment on this Sept 29 blog post. 

4 comments:

David said...

I've had the same ankle/arch pain before; might be posterior tibial tendonitis and/or a stone bruise (the latter can irritate the former). Either way, I've found taking it easy for a while can help, but the tendonitis can persist for a couple months.

Chris Ⓥ said...

Thanks David. Would icing, advil, or massage help? Mostly just rest?

David said...

(caveat) I'm not a doctor, so am strictly speaking on personal experience/opinion.

Mostly rest and paying attention to the body. At least cutout the high speed (impact) stuff, if you're doing any. Massage or foam roller on the calf has helped me in the past.

The main thing is of course to not run if your gate is altered, or the pain increases throughout the run. I know I'm on the road to recovery if initial tenderness fades over the course of the run.

I'm not a big believer in ice or advil - they may help symptoms but this could block useful feedback (pain). I have not read anything to indicate either will speed recovery (feel free to refute if you find anything).

Sorry, nothing here you probably don't already know. Patience is all I can suggest.

Chris Ⓥ said...

David,
I think ice can be therapeutic..it naturally helps stem inflammation and increase circulation. NASAIDS not so much. I do foam rolling, but should do more. I'll try some easy jogging with a good walking warm-up and cool-down.