Week #4 Roundup

This week my knee was killing me. It would hurt the day before my run, I would ice it the night before and on my training day my knee wouldn’t hurt. Then next day was a different story though. There would be a throbbing feeling and it was hard to walk. 

Looking for my Doctor’s recommendation for a physo, I can across my old physo’s cheat sheet he gave to me when I first started to have knee problems years ago. Then it all came back to me, how I was so happy with the taping experience. So for my long run on Sunday, I taped my knee. It didn’t hurt when I ran and it hasn’t hurt afterwards. Seems I am back to taping.

I also did the stretching he suggested and I have bought the toe spacers. I will starting using them on my first run of the week. Can’t tell you how happy I am that I am running without pain.

Also great news I have officially signed up for the Banque Scotia 21k on April 28^th, 2013. So this it, it’s confirmed my first race in ages!

This week’s workout:

Day 1: Easy Run: 4 mi

Day 2: Tempo Run: 4 mi inc. warm & cool, 2 mi @8:42 (killed it)

Day 3: Long Run: 5 mi

Week #3 Roundup

This was a great week. It was my easy week, so I didn’t do anything too stressful. My knee did hurt a bit through out the week but I think it’s because I started Crossfit again and wasn’t stretching after the work out, will correct that for the next week.

Exciting news was that I purchased a new pair of shoes. I stuck to my usual Asics. I tried the Brooks, they were OK but I guess because I have been using the Asics for years without injury I just went with what I know. Like the Sales Guy said if you haven’t had a problem with your previous shoes, why change. Totally agree. I also like them because, God they are a flashy. Love the hot pink!

This week’s workout:

Day 1: Easy Run: 3 mi

Day 2: Easy Run: 3 mi

Day 3: Easy Run: 4 mi

Week #2 Roundup

This week started off ok. Then my knee started to hurt. Saw my chiro on Thursday and was hoping that it would be better when he cracked my body but somehow it hasn’t. I stopped exercising for Friday and Saturday and iced it. It felt good to run on Sunday for my long run. Did my stretches, including two new ones my chiro showed me to stretch my IT band. When I ran it felt stiff but ok. After a few hours it started to hurt again.

I am hoping that it will get better and thank God, it’s my rest week next week.

This week’s workout:

Day 1: Easy Run: 3 mi

Day 2: Tempo Run: 4mi, 2 mi @ 8:44/mi (killed it)

Day 3: Long run: 5 mi

Week #1 of Training Round Up

So I have completed my first week of training for my ½ marathon. Very proud of myself! I can say that, right? I can blow my own horn, right? Why not?

This time around my goals are to run injury free and get the nutrition part down as well. Why nutrition? The past races that I have trained for I noticed that I was always tired after my long runs, obviously I wasn’t getting the right food in my system to finish the workout and make me last throughout the day. Also, I have changed how I eat. I have decided to embrace the Paleo lifestyle and now I have to learn how to train and eat within the Paleo lifestyle. Noticed I didn’t say diet. I hate that word. For me it’s a life style change, something I am doing to make me feel better. I can preach how I have felt after I stopped eating gluten and diary but I am not a priest. It’s something I found that works for me if you want to try, you can do so. I learnt everything I know so far about Paleo from Robb Wolf .

Though Robb has explained Paleo well he doesn’t know how to make Paleo work for the endurance runner and that is why I am now reading: The Paleo Diet For Atheletes by Loren Cordian and Joe Friel. I am hoping that reading this I will be able to recover quickly and have the energy I need to complete my workouts. I will keep you posted.

This week’s workout:
Day 1: Easy Run Dist.: 3 mi
Day 2: Speedwork Dist.: 4 mi, 2x 1600 in 8:22 w/800 jogs (only did 1 ½ of the 2)
Day 3: Long Run Dist.: 4 mi 

Overall this week went well, hoping next speedwork I will be able to do all of it.

Kat

New Year, New Commitment

So it’s been a while since I have written on this blog. My running has suffered quite some misses. I had a stress fracture on my right foot that kept reappearing for 3 years. Every time I got intense with my running the injury would reappear. I have found a solution (I hope) and I have started to train for my first ½ marathon in a long while. What is my solution, you ask. I will tell you. I have been seeing a Chiropractor. He cracks me every month and so far it has been working. I have started training like I said for a ½ and this will be the true test if it has worked or not. Through out my training plan (which I got on Runner’s World) I will see my Chiropractor once a month or as needed. Here’s hoping that I will be able to compete this year. From my title, you are wondering what I am talking about. Well here is the thing; I should have been keeping up with this blog even if I wasn’t running. One of my resolutions for 2013 is to write. So I am committing myself to writing this blog every week and some times more if I can. Here is to seeing you more this year.

Back on the horse....

It's been a while since I wrote and a lot has happen since.
After my third race I had to stop for a while because my knee was killing me. I then went to see my friend's physo who suggested taping my knee and my gosh that worked wonders. With my discovery of taping I decided to take on another 1/2 marathon with just 12 weeks to train for it and being off running for almost two months. I didn't see it as impossible, I thought I could do it. The taping worked, their was pain but it wasn't as much pain as I having before, I could walk on it after a run. Two weeks before the race the taping stop helping and I was in pain again. So I decided not to run on it for the next two weeks.
That was a wise decision. The unwise thing was to play an Ultimate tournament the weekend before the race. Big mistake. I had four matches that day that I ran for one hour each match. My knee was killing me. I could barely walk. Icing it helped but not that much.
Race day came up quickly and my knee wasn't any better. It was a rainy Sunday morning and the race organizer said this was the first time it rained on race day in eight years. I think the weather was just reflecting my mood. Despite common sense I decided to run on my bad knee. Happy to say that I completed my 4th 1/2 but not in stellar time. This race I can honestly say that I did it to complete it and not for time. I most definitely didn't get a PR.
For two months I have been building up my leg muscles and strengthening my knee. I am happy to announce that I have been running for three weeks now without any pain. I am taking it easy on my runs. Not over doing it. Stretching after my runs and icing it if I feel the slightest pain in my knee.
Here is to running for many years to come.
Kat

3rd 1/2 completed...still bad knee

So I finished my 3rd 1/2. I didn't do it in the time I wanted but I did miss two weeks of training because of my bad knee.

I actually finished at: 1:53:54.2. It was less than a minute from my previous finish time. I was disappointed at first but then I cramped up and couldn't walk for a good five minutes. I was crying like a little girl on the ground.  It was pretty embarrassing I am sure you saw me if you were at Bank Scotia 1/2 marathon in Montreal. I guess I am just happy that I finished that race because my knee was hurting  like" h-e-double hockey sticks".

The thing is that I haven't been running seen that race. It's been a month. My knee has been killing me. I tried to do a two mile yesterday to test it and my knee was killing me today. 

I am truly sad that I am unable to run so far and I am afraid that it might be a long time 'til I run again. I know that I should rest the knee because if I run on it and it's not heal I might not be able to run ever again and that thought really saddens me. I love to run and I would miss it dearly if I couldn't run. I would feel that a part of me have been taking away.

So you see why I haven't written in awhile.

Kat