Musing of a tapering runner

Well, since every time I run my knee seems to ache a bit at the end of the day I've decided to quit running.  Just kidding!  But, I have decided to not run until race day.  I'll keep up with the stationary bike and walking a bit, but I really really need my knee to be solid next week.  Thirty one miles is a long way to go and I need to start off with as little inflammation as possible.  I'm feeling like a giant lump because of the lack of mileage, but I think that happens during taper anyway.  Now it's just exacerbated a by my lack of miles.  Best not to dwell on it and hope I'm making the right decision.

I suppose I'll worry about larger things, like the fact that I'm (TMI coming) supposed to start my period on race day.  Oh, the horror!  I can't even explain to you how mortified I am by this thought.  A bum knee and a menstrual period.  I guess we'll find out how tough I really am!  Forget Badwater, try a 50k with runner's knee while on the rag!

That and the fact that I may be five pounds heavier come race day.  My body is not  happy with me for continuing the caloric intake of an ultrarunner while sitting on the couch watching reruns of Parks and Recreation (great show by the way). I only have a week left.  Let's hope I survive!

Cross Training

Considering that on Wednesday I couldn't even walk up and down the stairs, the fact that today I'm 95% pain free is miraculous!  This morning I went to the gym and rode the stationary bike (can you say boring?).  I rode for 45 minutes and was thrilled to actually break a sweat for the first time all week!  I also did pull ups and some glute and hamstring work.  As long as my knee continues to feel better all day today, I'm going to do a test run tomorrow.  Feeling massively relieved at the moment.  I will continue to do my healing routine and work on strengthening.  Let's hope that my knee doesn't flare back up again!

Yoga, Food and the Final Fourteen

Yoga was awesome today!  So many push ups and yoga push ups my arm pits and shoulders are sore.  I'm feeling really good getting into the gym while I'm impatiently waiting for my knee to quit hurting.  It's better than it was and I actually walked (only slightly painfully) down the stairs in my house like a normal person this morning!  Two more days off running and then Monday I'll reevaluate and decide if I can get in a small run or two next week.  

One of my biggest challenges this week has been to not overeat.  I can't risk weight gain right now.  The last thing I need is a few extra pounds in addition to a bum knee on race day.  I've done fairly well, however, I have eaten more than my fair share of marshmallows.  What can I say?  Marshmallows are good.

Did I mention that in fourteen days I'll be running my second ever ultramarathon?  I'm starting to get really excited!  Now that the panic of bum knee-dom is subsiding, the realization is hitting me!  I'm doing this thing again!  Antelope Island 50k, here I come! WAAAHOOOOO!!!!!

Light at the end of the Tunnel

This morning I woke up feeling better than I have all week!  My knee is feeling drastically better today.  I can walk with zero pain.  Stairs still make me wince, but not nearly as bad as earlier this week.  This simple switch was enough to take me from thoughts of a DNS (did not start) or DNF (did not finish) to visualizations of myself at the finish line of my second 50k!  

All week I've been resting my leg as much as possible, foam rolling, icing, using arnica, stretching and resting more, still.  Feeling so much better this morning I hopped over to the gym for a bit of a workout.  I felt so much better after getting a workout in!  I did:

Bench press

Lat pull downs

Dumbell overhead press

Hip adductors & abductors

Leg raises (very light weight)

Anti-inflammatory line up

Hello hip workout.  Help me out here, okay?

Plus, I went to the chiropractor, whom I love!  Seriously, if you are a runner in the Salt Lake area, look up Dr. Mark.  He has helped me though so many minor running injuries!  Plus, I did a little bit of walking today and am still feeling good!  Hooray!

1.5 miles 

Overuse Injuries

I really dislike telling non-runners when I have a running injury, because they automatically assume running is bad for me.  Yes, runners often get injured, but as this article points out, runners are often pushing their limits.  I'm much more likely to be injured than someone who is sitting on their rump all day.  Not unlike the hip problems I've had, this sore knee is a result of pushing myself.  The question is, will sixteen days of rest be enough to get over it?  Will I race anyway (probably)?  Will I finish (I hope so)?  Have you had overuse injuries?  How did you get over them?  How long did it take?

Panic. No. Don't Panic!

Well, what do ya know?  My knee is still sore today.  Not as bad as yesterday, but still pretty bad.  I've been trying to remind myself that all of my training is done.  Nothing I do in the next two weeks will make or break race day.  I've trained hard. I've put in my time.  Now, I am forced to rest.  Sitting all day is not my idea of a good time, nor is an easy thing to do with three kids and a menagerie in the house.  So, I figure that today, on uber-rest day I'll make a list of things I can do each day.  I like lists.

1. Ice
2. Foam Roll
3. Stretch
4. Core Strengthening
5. Pull Ups
6. Push Ups
(if I can't run, I may as well...)
7. Blog about running

I'm also going to head to the chiropractor later this week.  Then, once my knee isn't sore any more I'll hit the gym for some weight lifting and bleedin' elliptical (can you sense my enthusiasm?)  Then once I'm feeling confident I'm not going to mess it up again, I'll resume running.  I really hope that day will be before race day.  But, if it's not, c'est la vie.

I'll just sit here and stare at my race medals with this bag of frozen cranberries on my knee.  Frozen peas or cranberries make the best ice packs.  

Do I seem calm?  I'm trying to remain calm.  I really am panicking, but only a little.

Daily Mile, Race Week Style

Let race week begin!  Only four days left until race day!  Can you believe it?  It seems like just the other day I was sitting down to make out a training plan for this race.  Now I sit here with only two runs left until the race is underway!  The past couple of days have been pretty emotionally intense as race day gets closer and closer.  I've been feeling excited and a bit nervous going over and over things in my head.  I've packed and unpacked my Nathan pack multiple times and set out a variety of race day attire.  Plus, I'm pretty sure I'm over thinking race day nutrition, but c'est la vie! What's a girl to do?  I'm sure I'll go over it all at least a dozen more times before Saturday.

Now on to business.  I ran this afternoon.  Three miles was nice and quick and since it's a beautiful day I really enjoyed myself.  I ran without my Garmin *gasp* so I wouldn't feel pressure to run quickly, and what do ya know?  I ran quickly anyway!

I ran in my new shorts that my wonderful running buddy, Katherine got me!  They're awesome and oh so very Renee!

3 miles

32 min

10:40 pace

That reminds me, I need to buy sunblock.

16 & 17

How on earth I forgot training week 16 is beyond me. So here we go!


Training Week 16
4.5
5
7.61
17.75
Weekly Total: 34.86

Previous Total: 379.18
Training Grand Total: 414.04


Training Week 17
4.26
walk
2.75
walk
3.25
10
Weekly Total: 20.26

Training Grand Total: 434.3

Next week will include a few short runs and then, of course, the BIG day!  Exactly one week from right now, 12:55pm, I will have been running for nearly five hours.  I will be starting to feel the pain.  I am beyond excited.  I'm getting butterflies in my stomach as I type this!  I'd better get some sleep the next few days because I have a feeling I won't be sleeping much come the end of the week!

let the tapering begin!

Ten miles hardly seems like a long run any more! I started off in the dark, which is always fun in a spooky kind of way. I ran a few miles and then meet up with Meghan, which was good times, then headed back up the hill towards home. I was just starting to feel really good when I got home. I'm pretty sure that is a good sign!

Ready to go!  

Oh Dark Thirty

Ten miles by 8am.  Not too shabby.

10 miles

2 hrs

12:00 pace

I must be Dreaming!

Today I realized there are only 18 days left until race day!  AHHHHHH!  I am so excited!  I had butterflies in my stomach for a couple hours this afternoon just thinking about it!  Let the race dreams begin.  I've had a few very bizarre dreams already.  In one dream I found myself at the starting line of the race talking to the race director, Wilhelmina Slater who took all my laundry (that was strangely at the starting line) and dumped it on top of a pile of liverwurst.  Then I realized that Lila and Clarissa were with me and had no one to supervise them while I ran the race.

In another dream I went from the start of the race to the finish with no recollection of actually running the race.  I desperately asked everyone around me if I finished and no one had the answer.  When I looked online to find my race results I realized that I didn't know my bib number and couldn't look myself up!

I'm sure I'll have plenty more crazy race dreams in the next eighteen days.  And I'm sure I'll have plenty more butterflies.  I wonder if I'll have the post marathon blues again.  For now I'll just enjoy this pre-race high and hope the taper doesn't kill me!