I had an over-ambitious week , a week ago. I felt the twinges of over training last week and when my area was hit with its first seasonal North-Eastern storm I took advantage of it and did a strength workout rather than my long run. I'm aiming for this week to be better but I know my time demands are big for the next two weeks so I'll try not to beat myself up about any missed runs, if I can help it. I also need to remember to use my treadmill if I can't get outside.
My knee has been giving twinges of pain lately, especially in the mornings. I've gone back to using BioFreeze which helps a lot. Usually by the end of the work day my legs feel good enough to run when I throw that on in the early morning. I still don't see early morning runs happening though when its still the my most painful part of my day. I can handle strength workouts with no issue but to run-well, that still sounds pretty cray-cray.
At this moment though I'm debating. Do I re-do last week's training plan since I didn't finish it with my long run, or bag it and move on to this week where it is a scale back week and even the long run isn't as long. Hmmmm. The type-A part of me wants to check-off last week when I've actually completed all of it, but the more play-it-safe side of me says to move on. Oh my, runner problems ;-)
Monday, November 28, 2016
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Happy Days
The Fat Ass 50k schedule I've been following has been working out really well. I've managed to get my average kilometers per week back up to 40+ so I've been very happy about that. On top of that I managed to get my pace per km down into the 6:30-7 minute range, which, if you had asked me a year ago, I wouldn't have thought possible with knee OA.
Has every run been a joy? No, and yes, sometimes I feel the bone slamming on bone feeling in my knee and other times it feels like someone is filling up a balloon on top of my knee. Neither is so painful to make me stop running and usually if I adjust my gait the pain or sensation goes away. So I progress forward.
I've also amped up my protein intake a lot so I think that's helping. I am tracking calories, fat, etc. and that's also going well. I had a few cheat days/meals but I try hard to stay on track. My husband even commented last night that I seem to have lost some weight (yay!).
So I'm feeling very positive about a 50-60km comeback next spring. My husband seems to think I'm crazy but I think I'll get him to come around in a few months, especially if I can manage to stay injury free. I complain much, much less now about my knee simply because it has stopped hurting as much.
Funny how activity, while it hurt for a long while, has actually helped stop much of the constant pain I was feeling. I still can't run in the morning, my worst time of day for pain, and I still can tell you a few days out if its going to rain, but I have my beloved activity back and slowly I'm feeling more and more like my pre OA diagnosis self.
As Buzz lightyear would say, onward and upward!
Has every run been a joy? No, and yes, sometimes I feel the bone slamming on bone feeling in my knee and other times it feels like someone is filling up a balloon on top of my knee. Neither is so painful to make me stop running and usually if I adjust my gait the pain or sensation goes away. So I progress forward.
I've also amped up my protein intake a lot so I think that's helping. I am tracking calories, fat, etc. and that's also going well. I had a few cheat days/meals but I try hard to stay on track. My husband even commented last night that I seem to have lost some weight (yay!).
So I'm feeling very positive about a 50-60km comeback next spring. My husband seems to think I'm crazy but I think I'll get him to come around in a few months, especially if I can manage to stay injury free. I complain much, much less now about my knee simply because it has stopped hurting as much.
Funny how activity, while it hurt for a long while, has actually helped stop much of the constant pain I was feeling. I still can't run in the morning, my worst time of day for pain, and I still can tell you a few days out if its going to rain, but I have my beloved activity back and slowly I'm feeling more and more like my pre OA diagnosis self.
As Buzz lightyear would say, onward and upward!
Monday, November 7, 2016
I take 2 days off from running...!#@$%!@!
Knee OA is a cruel, cruel bitch. I had a fantastic week of training last week but because my husband had to work and my daughter had a full roster of dance activities I couldn't squeeze in a run all weekend. I did do over an hour of strength training but apparently my leg would prefer if I kept up the running since this morning I woke up to stabbing and burning pain in my knee.
I'd blame the chocolate cake or the Halloween candy but that's too easy. Yeah, I'm pretty sure excessive sugar consumption isn't good for my knee but I doubt it is solely responsible for me whining and slow breathing through pain in bed at 5am. I wasn't even sure I could walk, it was that bad.
Even now, after a hot shower and 2 extra strength liquid Advil and some light walking, my knee is still burning and getting the odd stabbing pain.
But, despite that, I brought my running gear because by 3pm this could feel fine. To be totally honest though, right now I just want to crawl back to bed. Today's plan calls for at least 4 miles. Here's hoping by 3pm I feel totally different.
I'd blame the chocolate cake or the Halloween candy but that's too easy. Yeah, I'm pretty sure excessive sugar consumption isn't good for my knee but I doubt it is solely responsible for me whining and slow breathing through pain in bed at 5am. I wasn't even sure I could walk, it was that bad.
Even now, after a hot shower and 2 extra strength liquid Advil and some light walking, my knee is still burning and getting the odd stabbing pain.
But, despite that, I brought my running gear because by 3pm this could feel fine. To be totally honest though, right now I just want to crawl back to bed. Today's plan calls for at least 4 miles. Here's hoping by 3pm I feel totally different.
Thursday, November 3, 2016
Should I be more afraid then I am?
My training for the Wasskally Wrabbit Ultra next year is going pretty well. I've incorporated a good strength routine, upped my protein intake and am logging more miles than the past two years. Some injury weight has come off, but there's still a long way to go. My long run is also getting longer so I've been caught running with a flashlight to finish up a run at 7pm and running out and backs to make sure I make it out of the trails before dark, because, you know, Big Foot.
So I was online the other day, reading through running posts when I saw one that caught my eye. One of the local runners asked if anyone ran alone out on my favorite trail system. I said I did and that often I never see another living soul out there. Then came to barrage of posts from other runners (all women) who said how unsafe that was, that they never run alone, that they wouldn't go out into the trails by themselves and (gasp) close to nightfall. When I read that I questioned myself. Am I being too lax with my safety? Am I taking huge risks by running alone as a woman?
I thought about what I do to "protect" myself. I always carry my phone (not really for safety but because it has my music, my running app and my camera on it, but sure I can call someone or 911 if I needed to). I usually carry my car keys with me (which, with the amount of crap I have on that key ring I'm pretty sure it qualifies as a weapon). And on top of that I've taken judo (blue belt) and self defense workshops. I feel confident I can defend myself.
I also thought about where I run. It seems to me any attacks on women runners in my area have happened within the city. I run a good distance outside of the main city core and it is inaccessible to anyone without a vehicle. Then there's also the distance I'm usually out. I'm not hugging the entrance, I'm usually a good 5km from where anyone would walk up to or park.
To be honest, the only time I have been harassed out on a run, either physically (pushed) or verbally (usually idiots screaming from cars) has been in urban areas. If I run within the city I stick to the main roads. If a venture through a green belt trail then I do it before dark and usually when I know other people are likely to be around walking their kids from school or walking a pet. I realized I actually take more precautions when I run on the road.
So are these other women runners wimps? Do they come from upbringings where women were sheltered and feared for their safety so they feel they have to run with someone else or not at all? My own mother is the mother of risk takers. From a young age I watched her travelling the world, to places like Columbia, Bosnia and northern Africa BY HERSELF. She had amazing adventures and at the age of 60 is currently planning a solo trip to Romania. So I'm pretty sure that's where my attitude about venturing out on my own comes from. Thanks Mom. Thanks for not making me fearful of everyone and everything around me. Thank you for giving me the confidence to go for a solo run on the trails by myself without batting an eye. I can't imagine achieving what I have in running without the confidence to go and get my goals for myself, by myself.
So I was online the other day, reading through running posts when I saw one that caught my eye. One of the local runners asked if anyone ran alone out on my favorite trail system. I said I did and that often I never see another living soul out there. Then came to barrage of posts from other runners (all women) who said how unsafe that was, that they never run alone, that they wouldn't go out into the trails by themselves and (gasp) close to nightfall. When I read that I questioned myself. Am I being too lax with my safety? Am I taking huge risks by running alone as a woman?
I thought about what I do to "protect" myself. I always carry my phone (not really for safety but because it has my music, my running app and my camera on it, but sure I can call someone or 911 if I needed to). I usually carry my car keys with me (which, with the amount of crap I have on that key ring I'm pretty sure it qualifies as a weapon). And on top of that I've taken judo (blue belt) and self defense workshops. I feel confident I can defend myself.
I also thought about where I run. It seems to me any attacks on women runners in my area have happened within the city. I run a good distance outside of the main city core and it is inaccessible to anyone without a vehicle. Then there's also the distance I'm usually out. I'm not hugging the entrance, I'm usually a good 5km from where anyone would walk up to or park.
To be honest, the only time I have been harassed out on a run, either physically (pushed) or verbally (usually idiots screaming from cars) has been in urban areas. If I run within the city I stick to the main roads. If a venture through a green belt trail then I do it before dark and usually when I know other people are likely to be around walking their kids from school or walking a pet. I realized I actually take more precautions when I run on the road.
So are these other women runners wimps? Do they come from upbringings where women were sheltered and feared for their safety so they feel they have to run with someone else or not at all? My own mother is the mother of risk takers. From a young age I watched her travelling the world, to places like Columbia, Bosnia and northern Africa BY HERSELF. She had amazing adventures and at the age of 60 is currently planning a solo trip to Romania. So I'm pretty sure that's where my attitude about venturing out on my own comes from. Thanks Mom. Thanks for not making me fearful of everyone and everything around me. Thank you for giving me the confidence to go for a solo run on the trails by myself without batting an eye. I can't imagine achieving what I have in running without the confidence to go and get my goals for myself, by myself.
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