This week was a cut-back week for me, and should have been super easy. Buuuuut notsomuch. It was more of a freak out week. And those fun little emails from the BAA saying “only 42 more days until Boston!” didn’t do my already anxious little heart any favors. I’m at the stage where I’m not excited about the race, so much as I am scared out of my pants that something is going to go wrong and all I’ll be left with is “ooooh….almost!” and a purple jacket I hate for a race I didn’t run.
I’m also pretending that I love hills right now, even though my hurty hip HATES them and is doing everything in it’s power to freak me the freak out that I won’t be able to start or finish, let alone run fast. My PT actual suspects a labral tear, but we agreed to pretend that’s not true (i.e. no MRI) until after Boston. So in addition to pretending to love hills, I’m pretending to love clamshells and single leg wall squats.
I know this is probably crazy of me to say, but I’m also hoping (in my solo mind game of would-you-rather) that Boston will be too cold vs. too warm. I’m not even remotely acclimated to heat and will melt into a red hot mess. But the cold? BRING IT ON, BEETCHES!
Anyway, enough about my premature pre-race jitters. Let’s talk about training this week. I spent the latter half of the week in Portland, OR vacationing with my family. The downside was that it was hard to keep up with the ART and PT stuff while traveling. The upside was that I got a 13 mile tour of some gorgeous trails with the lovely Oregano. The (literal) downside? I fell flat on my face in the last half of our run.
![My first (longish) trail run ever! Thanks to my gracious host Oregano, who slowed down so I could tag along on her favorite trail.]()
My first (longish) trail run ever! Thanks to my gracious host Oregano, who slowed down so I could tag along on her favorite trail.
Oregano said she was impressed by the sound I made when I fell. I’m sure it was all kinds of lovely. But here’s the upside–in my family, you get doughnuts when you get boo-boos. Extra doughnuts if there’s blood. (There wasn’t actually blood, but I milked it for an extra fritter anyway.)
All in all (even with the worry and jitters and hip issues), it was a good week:
Monday – 5 miles (9:00 avg) – Ran outside with my friend. There was LOTS of slip back and icy spots so we took it slow. Hip was hurting too and felt very tight. Had and ART appointment after the run. Still getting to the root of things, but this time there wasn’t as much relief. Hip was still bothering me hours after. Glad it’s a cut back week!
Tuesday- 7 miles (9:00 avg) – Super slippery out there. Hip was bothering me a little again (inside more than outside). Ran into a friend who was running on the same trail and joined her for 3 of the miles. It was a fun distraction. We even did a few hills and it wasn’t too bad (other than the slipping). Had another PT appointment as well.
Wednesday – 5 miles (8:40 avg) – My hip (abductor/ inside) was hurting again for this run. I decided to cut the run short because it didn’t feel like it was subsiding and there seemed no point in pushing it. It was more discomfort than I’ve had for past runs, and it would be very limiting if this sort of pain continued. I stretched and foam rolled quite a bit afterward and that definitely helped. Before the run, I had pain just walking around. Sad face…
Thursday – off – traveled to Portland
Friday – off
Saturday – 13 miles on trails. First 3 miles were uphill, then rolling for the rest of the out and back, then last 3 miles were a blessed downhill. Hip wasn’t bothering me much during the run (unlike past few runs). Downhill was tricky at times because it put more stress on the stabilizers. Face planted once and got nice and bruisey. Loved meeting Oregano and enjoying the beautiful Portland trails!
Sunday – Off
Total – 30 miles
Posted by Basil. Check out more at Salty Running.
