when your body shouts "on your left"
a somewhat stressful week but in a positive way. began a new gig along with a new schedule and new demands on my body. the schedule isn't so bad. really awesome, actually but kind of intense. four 10 hour days beginning at 6:30 am and ending at 5:00 pm. which means it's already dark when i get to the trail head. that in itself isn't so bad. i've got good lights and i actually enjoy night trail running but i'm realizing i need to take a few minutes to stretch and clear my head between work and the trailhead. the new gig is only a bout 1/4 mile from the trail.
the new gig isn't so hard but it's very detailed oriented and requires a lot of focus. also a lot of standing and machine work so my body has been really tense for several hours. i was told during orientation to drink a lot of water and do some yoga stretches from time to time but i've kind of blown it off. turns out that was a stupid decision.
it was week 1 of 3 of my final training block headed into the Hagg Lake 25k. my miles were about right but everything kind of random. i took monday and tuesday off but ran 8 right after work wednesday and 2 going into work thursday. friday was my big day and ran a 20 miler. for the most part it was pretty solid but around 4 hours you just get tired of running and i was going pretty slow so after awhile i was just done. i had intended to get on the foam roller that night but just kept putting it off. another stupid decision.
had intended saturday to go for a bike ride but was feeling kind of depleted and decided to spend the day taking care of life shit. good call, finally. still though, didn't stretch, didn't drink any water. deeper and deeper into jackass territory everyday. i AM eating better though. lots of kale juice, broccoli, celery, etc..
sunday. headed into the hills for a 10-12 miler. was running with a friend and intending on keeping it slow and easy (and it was) but something felt just a little "off" as we headed out. maybe some time constraints or something, i don't know. just not as free and easy as it should've been. we get on the trail and it's fucking FULL of families. seemed like every ten yards we were shouting "on your left" and of course no one ever hears, they're so caught up in their conversations and such so it just makes it that much more irritating. shouldn't bitch about it. it's awesome that so many people are taking their families outdoors on superbowl sunday as an option. but still....just irritating. but even as stiff and depleted as i was feeling, i was having a decent run when at about 7-8 miles, BAM! my left calf just draws up into a ball. can barely take a step. i hobble along a bit and then stop to massage it a little but didn't really help. coulda freaked out but knowing how important walking/hiking is in ultras and how it's my weak point, i decided to make the best of it and power hike/limp back home. not like i had any other choice.
so i get home, down a protein drink, eat a salad with lots of tuna and hit the foam roller. i've got two weeks until Hagg Lake and i've got all the intentions in the world of "showing up." i had one more week of strong training planned but other than this little setback, my shit is pretty tight. probably more important to focus on the peripherals like diet, rest, hydration and stretching. at the very worst, even if i can't run, my friend i've been coaching is and i'll be there to support them however i can. these little setbacks are usually just an abrupt reminder to shift some focus. i don't need two pulled calf muscles to remind me of that
the new gig isn't so hard but it's very detailed oriented and requires a lot of focus. also a lot of standing and machine work so my body has been really tense for several hours. i was told during orientation to drink a lot of water and do some yoga stretches from time to time but i've kind of blown it off. turns out that was a stupid decision.
it was week 1 of 3 of my final training block headed into the Hagg Lake 25k. my miles were about right but everything kind of random. i took monday and tuesday off but ran 8 right after work wednesday and 2 going into work thursday. friday was my big day and ran a 20 miler. for the most part it was pretty solid but around 4 hours you just get tired of running and i was going pretty slow so after awhile i was just done. i had intended to get on the foam roller that night but just kept putting it off. another stupid decision.had intended saturday to go for a bike ride but was feeling kind of depleted and decided to spend the day taking care of life shit. good call, finally. still though, didn't stretch, didn't drink any water. deeper and deeper into jackass territory everyday. i AM eating better though. lots of kale juice, broccoli, celery, etc..
sunday. headed into the hills for a 10-12 miler. was running with a friend and intending on keeping it slow and easy (and it was) but something felt just a little "off" as we headed out. maybe some time constraints or something, i don't know. just not as free and easy as it should've been. we get on the trail and it's fucking FULL of families. seemed like every ten yards we were shouting "on your left" and of course no one ever hears, they're so caught up in their conversations and such so it just makes it that much more irritating. shouldn't bitch about it. it's awesome that so many people are taking their families outdoors on superbowl sunday as an option. but still....just irritating. but even as stiff and depleted as i was feeling, i was having a decent run when at about 7-8 miles, BAM! my left calf just draws up into a ball. can barely take a step. i hobble along a bit and then stop to massage it a little but didn't really help. coulda freaked out but knowing how important walking/hiking is in ultras and how it's my weak point, i decided to make the best of it and power hike/limp back home. not like i had any other choice.
so i get home, down a protein drink, eat a salad with lots of tuna and hit the foam roller. i've got two weeks until Hagg Lake and i've got all the intentions in the world of "showing up." i had one more week of strong training planned but other than this little setback, my shit is pretty tight. probably more important to focus on the peripherals like diet, rest, hydration and stretching. at the very worst, even if i can't run, my friend i've been coaching is and i'll be there to support them however i can. these little setbacks are usually just an abrupt reminder to shift some focus. i don't need two pulled calf muscles to remind me of that
