NYCM 2013 Training: Week 9 Recap

Recovery days are important, folks. Don't skip them. Your body needs time to heal after workouts and there is a reason they exist in every plan. It's amazing how rejuvenated I felt after this week's day off. Of course, new shoes also help. Be sure you're replacing those frequently to keep your legs feeling healthy.

Total Weekly Mileage: 58 Miles

Monday: 7 miles at 8:10 pace
I fit in four miles before practice and 3 during XC practice, but my body was tired from Sunday's 10K.

Tuesday: 8 miles at 7:37 pace
Woke up early to get in some miles before In Service and was sad to see how dark it is at 5:30. I will not be liking my new wake up time this week when school starts. I didn't do the track workout because of Sunday's race and because I was still feeling tearing in my hamstring. Not full-on tears, but what feels like a little tiny bit is ripping. The same thing has happened all year and I know that it eventually goes away, but I did not want to make it worse with a speed workout.

Wednesday: Day off
Hallelujah! My body had been waiting for this for too long.

Tempo Thursday: 10.2 miles at 7:26 pace: 8 miles tempo w/ 1 mile warm up & cool down
I wasn't able to make it out the door until 3:00 pm and it definitely reminded me of one of those late-August summer days: The ones I had when I was a kid and knew that summer was ending and school was right around the corner. I would play out in our field filled with mixed emotions. I was super excited to start school but nervous, and of course, knew that I would miss the freedom of summer nights.

I didn't plan on running a tempo because of the hamstring, but somewhere after the first mile I picked up the pace and went for it. 8 Miles were done pretty quickly. I didn't keep track of my time or mile splits (except last mile was 7:08) but do know I was able to push it.

And that hammy? It felt so much better after the run. The faster I run on it, the better it feels.Maybe I should have done the track workout after all....

PM: Core workout and legs
Did a little core-work with an athlete at practice and got in some squat jumps. I have determined that lunges and squats help prevent my hamstring pain.

Friday: 8 miles at 7:52 pace 
No practice today meant that I could go the pace I wanted, when I wanted. I had to run in the afternoon again due to some meetings at work. Just as I was going up a hill thinking about how strong I felt, nature reminded me of how unimportant I am in this world. A bee/wasp/something got stuck between my ankle and tongue of my shoe and stung me. Talk about painful! I couldn't run for a few minutes as the venom made its way into my foot and throbbed. I kept thinking how thankful I was to not be allergic to bees and that I could continue my run without worry.

Saturday: 8 miles at 7:56 pace
My energy levels have been much higher this week compared to last week thanks to the day off and the lack of double runs (no second run in the afternoon during XC). For the first time ever I ran into some XC kiddos while on my run. I get so in the zone down here, never expecting to see someone I know, and probably would have ignored them completely if they didn't say something!

Sunday: 15 miles at 7:58 pace 
The "long" runs of this program have started. It was already in the mid 80s when I left in the morning, making for one hot run. I knew that I needed to run slow. Very slow. But I could not make myself run slower than what I did. I had to keep asking myself, "Would I be able to hold a conversation at this pace?" And the answer was always yes. I have a feeling that when I run another long run in two weeks (after two weeks of teaching) I won't have much trouble keeping a slower pace.

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Not only did I get my energy back this week, but I also tried the Saucony Progrid Guide 6 for the first time. I won a pair of Sauconys last week at a DC Cross Country Coaches meeting and picked up my shoes on Thursday. I was a little hesitant to try another brand since I've worn Asics since 2005 and didn't like the Mizunos I tried last year. Yet, I was actually thrilled to try a new brand, especially after hearing the Saucony rep talk about them. I have to admit, they would probably be one of the last shoe brands I'd try prior to owning this pair. Nike would be my last choice - if you were wondering...

I immediately noticed that the Sauconys allowed the top of my ankle to move more and that my heels did not have as much pressure as the Asics (no blisters?). They have unique laces and I am a little worried about how those will work after a month of running in them. Once I actually got to run in the Sauconys, the tendon pain in my right ankle was gone and my hamstring started to feel better (this was also the day of my tempo). I've run in the shoes since Thursday and am still enjoying them without the leg/foot/ankle pain I've had all summer. There's a chance that I may convert to Saucony after this pair. We'll just have to wait a few more weeks to find out!