Training Log (7/2-7/8)

Current status: On the shelf with a lower back/butt injury which has been nagging since after last Saturday's tempo but flared up like a California forest fire this past weekend. I could barely walk Saturday afternoon but foolishly attempted to run anyway on Sunday morning at West Hill with A-Ten. An 'attempt' was all I could muster, as I didn't even last a half-mile at a pathetic 9-minute-per-mile pace before having to hobble back to the car. First thing Monday morning I called my chiropractor, Dr. Sjogren, and luckily he was able to get me right in. After 30 minutes of testing this and that, he surmised that my SI joint was jammed worse than Boston traffic on a Friday afternoon, thus throwing off my overall alignment and causing any attempt at forward mobility to resemble that of a cripple. A few awkward contortions and a couple of well-placed 'pops' later I was standing straight again and walking without a hitch. Unfortunately, my ass feels like its being stabbed with a machete anytime I attempt anything remotely resembling running, so I'm not completely out of the water just yet. Dr. Sjogren thinks I likely pulled a muscle in my glute by overcompensating on my right side and should rest it for at least a few days, so that's what I've been doing. He's fixed my biomechanically-challenged ass three times now so it's probably in my best interest to listen to him. Hopefully this is only a small bump in the road and I'll be back to the grind sooner than later. With that out of the way, here's how last week looked:

SUN - AM: 93 minutes, 13 miles. On the trails in Hudson with Ryan, Christy, Hodge, Driscoll and about 500 deer flys. PM: 34:10, 5 miles. Quick run before work, finishing with 6 Driscoll strides once I was able to shake-off the post-nap/pre-work sluggishness around mile 3 or so.

MON - AM: 62:30, 8 miles. Easy does it with Hodgie at the Rail Trail. Slow but sluggish. PM: 27:20, 4 miles. Some more of that pre-work sluggishness thing going on.

TUES - AM: 8 miles. John Carson 2-Mile in Chelmsford. Ugly. You can read about it here. PM: 65:45, 10 miles. Rail Trail solo after spending the afternoon lounging in the Carrara's pool. Got pissed at this morning's case of pussyitis and started hammering on my way back down the trail. Clocked a 5:13 last mile on the trail before wisely pulling the rip cord. Very tired, need to get some good sleep tonight.

WEDS - AM: 60 minutes, 8 miles. Solo and slow at West Hill. Not feeling too peppy this morning. PM: 28:30, 4 miles. Legs are flatlining.

THURS - AM: 2:09, 20 miles. Solo from the Stone Church, started off with an easy mile on the roads (7:39), then Rail Trail 10 (64:14 - 6:52, 6:36, 6:23, 5:58, 5:47, 6:09 on the marked miles), right into 8-mile loop (50:17 - hilly), then slowed it down and finished with the same road mile I started off with (6:50). Fastest I've run either of these loops in almost two years, nevermind both on a single run. Felt like a million bucks after about a week of Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It's amazing what a couple good nights of sleep and under 70% humidity can do for your body.

FRI - AM: 46:25, 7 miles. Solo on the roads from home, finishing with 5 Driscoll strides. Legs feeling a bit heavy 1/2-way through. Right hip a bit out of whack. Stupid roads. PM: 60 minutes, 9 miles. Ran with Old Man Willy on the bike path/roads in humid Hudson. Finished up with 4 strides; hip/back still annoying.

SAT - AM: 40:25, 6 miles. Sterling Rail Trail; first 4 miles easy with Hodge, last 2 miles solo progressing down to 5:20-30 pace. Felt flat, couldn't open up my stride. AM: 53:30, 8 miles. First 1-1/2 miles real easy on the roads, next 5 progression on the trail (6:37, 6:14, 6:00, 5:48, 5:12), last 1-1/2 miles real easy back to the car. Felt quite good considering the quick turnaround, not to mention breakfast, between runs. Hip/back flared up pretty bad the last mile, forcing me to shorten my stride and crawl back to the car. Not good. Limped around all afternoon and almost called into work but sucked it up and went in anyway. Really hope this isn't anything serious.

WEEK TOTALS: 110 miles, 13 runs. In all honesty, this wasn't a good week. On one hand, the volume was where I wanted it to be but on the other I...1. raced like a chump, 2. didn't get nearly enough rest and to top it off 3. injured myself to an unknown extent. I'm not sure the direct catalyst of said injury but I'm willing to bet that it has more than a little something to do with my own stupidity (Tuesday-Saturday, failing to recover properly, etc.) than anything else. I was due for a down week heading into Stowe this coming weekend but as of right now it's probably gonna be a lot lower than originally planned. The race itself is still very much up in the air right now depending on how the next couple days play out. That's it for now. Take it easy (perhaps I should learn to take my own advice sometime).

Quote of the day:

Man, when you hurt yourself, you don't mess around.
- Hodgie