I've been a bit silent (at least since Reach the Beach) recently on the running/training/injury topic. I thought I'd back track a bit to exactly how I felt during RTB, then get you up to date on how things are going now and my plans for future racing.

At Reach the Beach I did what I advise all my coaching clients NOT to do: I ran through pain. It was a cursing/stop-to-stretch/pray-a-million-times-it-goes-away kind of pain. I wasn't smart about it. I was in a bit of denial (I felt 100% going in to RTB and my biggest fear wasn't that I would re-injure my calf it was that I wouldn't have the endurance to complete all six of my legs) and I was dead set on finishing what I had started and not watching from the sidelines while other team members had to double up and run my legs.So I ran through the pain. I put it out of my mind and just put one foot in front of the other. I was somewhat distracted by the burning sensation produced by the combination of icy hot and my KT tape. I think something about that "heat activated" adhesive of the KT tape reacted with the icy hot to make the skin behind my knee and at the top of my calf feel like it was on fire! Note to self: don't use this combo again.

I ran a total of 8 miles in pain and three miles in discomfort. Terrible idea and very short sighted. But it's the decision I made and so now I'm dealing with where that landed me...

Which is back in PT and about where I was at six weeks prior to RTB when I decided to attack the tendonitis by following a conservative recovery plan. I basically undid six weeks of PT and healing and am back at phase one again. I can run about three to four miles on flat terrain without any discomfort, but throw in just the slightest down grade and the onset of discomfort comes much sooner and the distance I can run decreases. So the treadmill has been my friend recently.

After RTB I took a whole week off from running, I did some hiking (with no discomfort) and a few cross training sessions with Jillian. Last week I started back up on the treadmill and ran a total of about 12 miles for the week.

Monday: 3 treadmill miles

Tuesday: 3 miles outside on relatively flat terrain

Wednesday: track. One mile warm up. 4x800 on track and one mile cool down. I started to feel discomfort on the cool down, which I ran on the road. 4 miles total.

Thursday: off

Friday: 2.5 double stroller miles.limited by how far I could go by terrain and road safety.

Saturday: Jack Attack KB Workout Fundraiser at Granite State Kettlebell

The only run I felt discomfort during was the track workout, which was due to distance and terrain. With every other run I felt fine during and after, which is about how I was feeling back in the beginning of August.

The Jack-Attack fundraising workout at Granie State Kettlebell in Keene, NH.

I did get my butt kicked on Saturday at Granite State Kettlebells in Keene, NH, which was the highlight of my workouts this week. For the second year in a row our friend and owner of GSKBS, Dan Tiribassi offered to host a fundraising workout to help benefit the my fundraising efforts for the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock. The workout itself was a partner workout and Mark and I paired up to attack it. Here's what we did:

Triplet #1

Run 1 lap around parking lot

10 Burpees

15 Overhead swing

Triplet #2

Run 1 lat around parking lot

5/5 Lunge jumps

8/8 1 arm high pull

Triplet #3

Run 1 lap around

10 Single kettlebell thruster

10 Push ups

We each went through each triplet three times and had a chance to rest while our partner completed the triplet. It took Mark and I just over 28 minutes to get through the workout. We really enjoyed working out together and plan to continue similar workouts on a regular basis at home.

Looking Ahead:

I've decided to bump down from the CHaD HERO Half Marathon and run the 5K instead. Honestly, this option was in the back of my mind during RTB and was part of the reason I decided to just push through. I know I can comfortably race a 5K at the end of October without irritating the tendonitis further. After that, my goal is to get healthy and I may take a few weeks completely off from running in November to do so. I did the same last year and it felt like a great way to regain my desire to run and give my body a break at the same time. I know that sometimes complete rest scares us because we are so afraid of losing fitness. But last year proved me wrong. I took three weeks off in December and came back to have the strongest training cycle leading into big marathon PR. Our bodies need rest and I plan on giving mine some. Plus taking time off from running is a great opportunity to explore other activities that move and challenge our bodies in new ways.

How is your training going? Have you ever taken complete rest? How long? And how did you feel afterwards?

--Sarah

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