Training Delays

Last week's training started out well.  Monday I ran sprints with Jennifer and we had an awesome workout.  Jennifer killed her usual pace and kept me chasing the rabbit.  Tuesday was an off day.  Wednesday was supposed to be a 6 mile run, and Thursday and hard threshold workout.  I decided to swap them and do the hard workout Wednesday.  I got the workout done, struggled a little to get to the fast pace dictated by my schedule but nothing unusual.

Later on Wednesday night I thought my right knee felt a little weird.  I foam rolled and figured it was just soreness.  Thursday I got up to do the 6 mile run and right away knew something was not right.  I decided to warm up really slowly and see if the tightness in my right knee (on the left side of the right knee) would work itself out.  I walked a little, ran a little.  1 mile in I headed back home.  This is not soreness, this was pain I didn't want to run through.  Not because it hurt a lot, but because it was a sign of something bad.

When I walked in a 6am, John was confused.  "Did you go running?" he asked. "Um, yeah, it didn't go well.  I came home."  John looks at me, wondering how to handle this.   Amanda at 6am without a run is not very pleasant.  "It's fine" I say, "just feeling a little off."

Thursday I iced on and off during the day, which helped a little.  But by the time I came home from work my mood was dark.  John had only to look at my face and he was scared.  "Uh... can I get you anything?  A drink???"  I had a beer and he sent Gwen to give me a big hug and tell me what a great Mommy I am.  I see through his game, but it was very nice.  After the kids were tucked in bed John approached the lion.  "Hey, what's the matter?"  "Well, my knee hurts.  Hurts in a not good way.  I'm not going to run for a few days."  "Uh OH".

So I didn't run Friday or Saturday and really by Friday evening it didn't bother me.  Friday night we went camping and I spent most of the day sitting around.  Saturday we went for a long walk and had no issues.  Sunday morning I met Jennifer for our 18 mile long run.  I felt fine for the first 4-5 miles.  We stopped to stretch a lot, but after about 6 miles I could feel that little pain in my knee again.  It was a warm, windy morning and we slowed down as we went around the lake.  By the time we got off the trail and Jennifer pulled up next to me at mile 17 she said "Your gait is off, you're limping".  Shit.  Double shit.  My feet hurt, my knee hurt.  It was ugly. 

I got home and John went out to get me 2 bags of ice.  I iced in the bath, Maddy chatting away with me for 20 minutes.  I didn't feel too bad Sunday.  I decided not to run Monday and booked a massage on Tuesday.  Monday I was sore and felt the little pain still nagging.  Tuesday's massage was just what I needed.  For about a month I had felt like my hamstrings and glutes were incredibly tight and I could not get a good stretch.  My suspicion is that the tightness in my legs is pulling the muscles around my knees into an uncomfortable position and running is aggravating it further.   The massage therapist worked my legs for almost an hour, and I was right, there were point in my legs she had to beat to release.  At least it felt like a beating.

John told me I would be stupid to run my planned 20 miler this weekend and I looked at him like he spoke another language.  NOT RUN THE LONG RUN?!?!  I sputtered for a moment "but I have a schedule, 20 miles, it's in the plan"  John kindly said "You've done the training, running this long run is only going to set you back.  Would you rather do this 20 miler, or the marathon?"  Humpf.

I didn't run Wednesday or Thursday.  I slept in *till 6:15!*.  I'm eating my way through the candy at my desk.  I'm trying to be rational.  This morning I woke up with a headache. I need to go running.  But no, I know the right thing to do is to rest and recover.  I will come back strong next week.  We are spending Thanksgiving in South Padre so I can do some short 3 mile runs and test myself out.  Since I won't have my regular routes I may feel less compelled to go longer.  I'm going to drink.  Beer, wine, margaritas.  I'm going to have pie.  Pie will heal my little knee.  I might even rub some on my knee.

Workout Recap: August 15-21 and other news

Monday: Recovery Run 4.70 miles, 47:49 min.  Very slow run after Sunday's long run.  Pre-Biggest Loser Weigh in.
Tuesday: Track Workout 6.66 miles, 1:00:17, .5 mile repeats - killer!
Wednesday: Ripped in 30 #2
Thursday: Supposed to be a Threshold, but we mostly just ran fast.  4.88 miles, 45:06 min
Friday: "Rest day".  If by rest you mean get absolutely F-ed up downtown with your sister, then it was a rest day.  If you mean take care of your body so it can recover - no, I did not do that.
Saturday: Recover from night of terrible choices
Sunday: Long run 10.10 miles, 1:39:56.  For not eating anything the day before this run actually felt ok.  Wore my new waist pack/water bottle holder which was annoying but bearable.

Total miles: 26.34

Good thing this week was the Biggest Loser Challenge ending.  I did lose 5% of my weight, about 7 pounds, which was a goal I thought was going to be really hard.  It was hard, but counting calories and adding in the extra workouts for cross training really helped.  I was also able to do 15 boy style pushups to win an additional 1% for my total.

Bad thing this week was being a complete idiot and getting sloppy drunk on Friday night with Jenna and Amy. I don't know how 3 educated women go out and NO ONE says "Hey girls, lets have some water this round."  Or "you know, maybe let's not RUN to the next bar and order shots ok?"  We paid the price.  As Jenna said, Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night" has taken on a whole new sinister meaning.

What is this week looking like for training?  Not so good.  Besides being a stupid drinker, I also caught some kind of infectious mutant virus, probably before Friday.  I've felt the beginnings of a cold for a few days but it came on full force Sunday afternoon.  I officially do not have Strep throat, but the doctor was nice enough to load me up on drugs anyway.  So I will be taking a few days off from running to let my body truly rest and get back to it at the end of the week.

And in HUGE MILLS FAMILY NEWS: Gwendolyn starts kindergarten tomorrow!  I am so excited for her!  I'll post pictures and a first week recap next week. 

Know that "Oh Shit" Feeling?

I had it today, major "Oh Shit!"  I took the kids outside this morning, determined to spend time outdoors and wear them out before it got too hot.  We started off with breakfast, then drug out all the Play Dough stuff, then turned on the hose and let them fill up buckets and spray each other.  After Play Dough Jack was bored and wandered into the house.  I was about to turn on the TV for him, cause then I knew he would mostly stay put, when he closed the door.  He closed the door and locked it.  I realized it pretty quick, he was still standing there with Mickey in hand looking at me through the glass. 

I knew the front door was locked.  I knew the garage door was locked - dead bolted.  I was pretty sure every window downstairs was locked.  So I tried convincing Jack to unlock the door.  I very calmly asked him "unlock" the door, but he just swung off the handle.  I finally asked him to turn the "KEY" and he knew what I meant.  That's when I figured out he had managed to deadbolt the door too.  FUUUCK!  He could not turn the top lock, so I got him to drag a chair over so he would have better leverage.  I am starting to panic now imagining him falling off the chair and cracking open his skull while I watch.  I am also pretty sure the 5 Mexicans building a patio next door can hear me getting more shrill (and I'm not being racist, they really are Mexican and barely speak English).  (What IS racist is that I wondered if they knew how to jimmy a lock).

Jack still can't turn the lock.  I know Tina doesn't have a key anymore, she had our old key and I never gave her a new one.  I was pretty sure the Selfish Mommy had a key, but didn't know if she had returned from her day out on the lake yesterday.  Maybe J Sr has one hidden in the garage, but he's in Taiwan so F me.  I am seriously considering dialing 911 at this point.  One last try.  The front door is locked, but it is easier to turn.  I know Gwen can turn that lock.  I ask Jack to go to the front and turn the big key.  Maddy and Gwen follow me to the front door, both chattering on about Jack locking us out and what is he doing in there, and is he touching my stuff, and how will we get in?, and we miss Daddy - all very helpful. 

Luckily, Jack quickly opens the door and gets an attack style hug from Mommy.  The girls march right back to the backyard after I attempt a lesson in unlocking doors for future reference.  Gwen can't work the top lock at all without a lot of effort, so I don't know how Jack managed it. 

So, Monday I will be making some extra copies of our key to be left with our neighbors.  I will also be much more careful about that Jack.  I swear he can be the sweetest little guy in the world - cuddly, giving kisses to his sister, helping clean up.  And then he turns into a devious master mind hell bent on terror.  "Pow-Pow!" says Jack. 

Monday Workout: Fail

I really like getting a workout in on Monday, it sets a good tone for the rest of the week.  This week is not starting out well.  Last night I was up later than I intended reading (The Girl Who Played with Fire).  I had too much coffee in the afternoon, so was wired.  The kids are all sort of sick, not sick enough for medicine but crabby and feeling yucky.  About 10:15 Jack started making noise, crying softly and whimpering.  I went in a few times to console him and finally gave him pain reliever at about midnight and slept with him for a bit.  By this point I knew I wasn't going to get up to run.  I definitely needed the extra hour of sleep, but I miss my morning run. 

What was more fun was Gwen crying about her waffles this morning and Jack using his new favorite phrases, "I don't want to" and "Why?" all morning.  Meh to Monday.  I wish I could say I would work out this evening, but I have 2 conference calls.  Maybe I'll do sit ups and push ups while working with my peers in Taipei and Penang?