It's been awhile, and a number of things have contributed to that, but none more so than a computer failure at the start of finals week...Now that I have the computer back I should be catching up on the finals that still remain, but I thought a quick recap post was necessary since tomorrow is somewhat significant: Week 7's 12 mile LSD run!
Week 6 was going great for days 2, 3, & 4, and day 5, the rest day, was going well, right up until the point a leg cramp nailed my left calf as I was sitting there, per Higdon's instructions, resting. I had just watched a movie and was sitting reclined in a chair when leviathan arose from the depths of torpid sea creating a maelstrom of malevolence in his wakeful wake. He sunk his demon teeth into my calf muscle and tried with all the might in his monstrous jowls to separate the muscle from around my bones. This was a debilitating pain that had me nearly teary eyed (or was it the movie I had been watching?) for about a minute or two there was nothing I could do but ride out the brutal contraction, and silently pray for the beast to return from whence it came. Like George Harrison once said, all things must pass, and this did, but the ripples left by leviathan had me limping to the kitchen to grab a banana and as much water as I could gulp down my gullet. Up until this moment I thought I had been being cautious enough with my nutrient intake, so when I eventually had computer access I checked the main reasons Mr. Charley Horse stops by unannounced and crashes the party.
1) muscle fatigue 2) heavy exercise 3) dehydration 4) electrolyte imbalance
Well heck, 1 & 2 are basically twins, and 3 & 4 are cousins, once removed. I made the decision to heed the warnings of my Aunt and not to run the 7 mile tapper LSD the following day. I could barely walk for the rest of the weekend, so Sunday's cross training was limited to a brief half hour stroll through the cold dark streets of Oreland at night while listening to Thee Oh Sees. To make all of this a little bit worse, my foot pain has yet to relinquish its stake in my right foot. This, I have found through my amateur deductions, could be one of three culprits as well: 1) plantar fasciitis 2) heel spurs 3) stress fracture. Each one is progressively worse than the last. I guess we'll see what happens after this weekend's 12 mile LSD. Let's hope for the best.
week 7, other than the foot pain, has been relatively uneventful. I've been eating a banana daily, drinking gatorade and coconut water (great source of natural electrolytes), as well as being conscious of taking in more water as I run, something I've pretty much ignored by and large in training thus far, because it's kind of a hassle. Treadmill runs make that feat a whole hell of a lot easier, but tomorrow's 12 miler is formed into a perfect 4 mile loop around my neighborhood. I've tried to avoid as many hills as possible, though there's still one unavoidable large one, and I'll be stashing water on the front seat of my car for easy access. The cold cold wind is surely not going to make this a fun day, but it must be done. I had to skip Thursday's 3 miler, but since I was in NYC for the day and walking so much, I can at least count it as a cross training session. Well, there was also the sprinting for the Bolt bus home, that we made with barely 5 minutes to spare, that could count towards speed work. Here I will admit that I was almost put to shame by a non-runner, who was driven by the pure fear sparked adrenaline of being stuck at night in the freezing cold of Manhattan and having to seek shelter in Central Park's Belvedere Castle, as she almost dusted me down west 33rd street. In practicality, I think I was just laughing to hard to keep a good pace. (SIDE NOTE: If ever in NYC, I highly recommend Teany's and the Candle Cafe to meet and exceed all your vegan needs. At the Candle Cafe, the decadent chocolate cake is pretty much the awesomest thing you will ever put in your mouth.)
Anyway, back to finals. I'll try to check in with you kids after the 12 miler tomorrow. Be well...
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