Time: 23:43
I found a good place to park and run on the path in Rock Creek Regional Park when I visit Terrel Hale in Rockville.
The run this morning was not great, as I was stiff and both my right hamstring and left hip flexor got sore very quickly. It was too bad, as the weather was good and it was nice to be on a path in the woods.
Stretching: Terrel helped me with some very active hamstring stretches.
Massage: Massage and ART on hamstrings, adductors, and psoas.
Time: 49:18
Distance: 7.25 mi.
In the minutes, hours and few days following the marathon, my right hamstring was tight and very sore. In fact, I spent most of the race day using a long squeegee as a cane. I wasn't particularly surprised that it hurt, but once I wasn't using it in the last few weeks off, I didn't really feel it. I didn't do anything to try to address whatever was wrong with it though, and after just two days back I can see that it isn't in great shape. Fairly quickly in this run it was very tight and sore again, and I had to take it very easy on every hill along the way. I was clearly compensating for it, as my left hip flexor and right calf got pretty sore as well.
Other than that, it was a decent run on a fairly nice afternoon. I ran up through RCP to Broad Branch, then took Brandywine out to Connecticut near Van Ness. I followed Connecticut (and the Red Line) back to the Zoo and then ran straight home.
Planned day off.
I'm going to try to do some exercises to get my hip, glute and hamstring strength and flexibility back. I want to do these every single day that I take off in the next two weeks, and if I can some of the days that I do run as well. Today I did hamstring curls on the ball, face-up and face-down bridge leg raises, hip flexor raises on my back with weights, and side and back bridge glute extensions (great names I just made up there, huh?).
Time: 74:00
Distance: 11.5 mi.
Target: 4.5 miles (6 laps of the polo fields) a bit over 5:00 pace
Workout: 3 miles (4 laps of the polo fields) in 15:49 (5:17 pace)
Ran in the evening, and it was not a great workout. I warmed up 4 miles to the polo fields in Golden Gate Park which have a dirt track around it that appears to be very close to 3/4 of a mile. I was going to try to run 6 laps (4.5 miles), but I only made it 4 (3 miles) before my hamstring and stomach acted up enough to make me call it. It was slow from the get-go, reflecting the conditions (ground was soft and it was very windy on the long stretch) and my condition, as well as a bit of a guess of the true distance.
On my way out I did help a guy on Fell St. heading out whose car ran out of gas about 100m from the gas station.
Time: 50:00
Distance: 7 mi.
The view from the track over the Austin skyline at night
After a long day of class and work was looking forward to running with and cheering along Hanley in his "Team Terrible" (composed of him, Mark Brissette, and McArdle) workout for the week: 3 x 1k under 3 min with 3 min rest (including some complicated time bonus/handicap scheme). We ran down to the track, I ran around on the grass while he ran the workout (which he aced) and then headed back.
This was the perfect day of running for right now... getting the volume back up with very easy running. Right hamstring still very tight and sore, but somewhat looser.
Time: 50:00
Distance: 7 mi.
Easy morning run with Hanley. Headed down to campus and over to Shoal Creek on 24th. Right hamstring and glute are very very tight, which is annoying... I really can't seem to get it to loosen up. I should probably start doing some strength work on it. This stupid cold is lingering too, and has now lasted a full week.
Time: 38:30
Distance: 5.5 mi.
Beacause this was just two easy short runs, I'll throw them together here. Ran in the morning on the track workout warmup loop and in the afternoon a short loop near campus and finishing on the infield. My right hamstring is still very tight and somewhat sore. Tried to warm it up before the morning run, but it was still tight... I was close to limping on it because it was throwing my stride off a little bit. It was somewhat better in the afternoon, and loosened up over the course of the run. In the morning I did some pretty serious stretching and rolling and hit the ice bath. In the afternoon I stretched some and got some ice and stim. By the evening it was definitely feeling better than it did in the morning. I'm sure in the next two days it will recover... it's not like we've got much more work to do!
Now here is a good nationals week video... Keith Kelly, who I had the pleasure of hanging out with the other night, in the 2000 NCAA meet:
Time: 60:00
Distance: 9 mi.
Easy 60 minutes from the track. I could tell from the moment I got out of bed this morning that my right hamstring was in rough shape. It was a tight after the race and I felt it a little bit yesterday, but running hard on it with spikes and flats definitely aggravated it some. Often this kind of tightness will loosen up after the first 10-15 minutes, but this lingered the whole run. Tried to take care of it this morning stretching, getting stim, rolling it out and hitting the ice bath, but I am still feeling it for sure. Hopefully the massage this afternoon will help. Not worried that it is really injured but I will need to take good care of it the next few days.
Poncho showed me a great video over at the new Floswimming site with the Michigan swim coach that has some great race-week advice.
Time: 90:30
Distance: 13 mi.
Map (approximate)
We've abandoned the Greenbelt on Wednesdays, for the moment at least. Headed out towards Mt. Bonnell, but turned on Balcones... followed it a ways before turning back towards IF and then running through Hyde Park and to the track, where we finished on the grass.
Feeling a bit beat up from yesterday's workout. Most notably, my right hamstring is VERY tight, especially at the upper insertion. Felt this throughout the run, and the hills on Balcones were not ideal. Adductor and glute involved somewhat, but the hammy is really the issue. Luckily I was able to get a massage in the afternoon, but not sure that really flushed it out.
Finally, the ALDS started today, which makes me really know that it's getting to be XC go-time (especially in a climate that doesn't have seasons), as I have many Red Sox memories (2004 much?) that are inexorably linked with cross country. Beckett rocks under pressure.
Time: 90:30
Distance: 13.5 mi.
Map
Bridge on the north side of Town Lake
Easy morning run with Stanley on the 90-minute loop. The pretty serious humidity continues so it almost doesn't matter that the temperature has been down somewhat. Having some soreness in my right leg... hamstring, adducter, glute... that seems similar to what I've had in my left leg for the last few years. Might be related to hip balance, so I'll get that checked out. Stopped twice to stretch. Cold lingers.
