Getting Back on Track

Alright, here it is in writing, I am planning on running the Manitoba Full Marathon again. The last time I ran it I won in 3:04. I suspect I will have to run much faster than that if I am trying to win again.

So far training has been going fairly well, although marathon training hasn't been going quite as smoothly as previous years. In November, December and the beginning of January I was playing soccer 2-3 days a week, doing 2 treadmill workouts a week and a long run. I also was running 6-7 days a week. My workouts were doing great, I was going faster than I have gone before for tempos and interval work. Sure enough, something had to give. While playing a soccer game on January 18th, I all of a sudden felt something tweak in my right calf, I couldn't take another step. I assumed it was dehydration or something so of course I tried to play soccer on it again the next night, but it felt exactly the same way. I went for a massage the next day, and it started to feel good. I took a week off running (and soccer) to give it time to recover. A week later I ran on it and it felt fine. I ran on it easy for a week, before getting back to workouts and it felt pretty normal. Two weeks later I tried to play soccer again. NOPE. It cramped up the exact same way again. I ended up doing the same thing again, taking days off, running and then playing soccer and then it acting up again. I gave up trying to play soccer. I love playing soccer and I feel like I let my teams down, but I couldn't make it through a half of the game without it cramping up again. So that was it, I had to quit soccer for good. I figured that it wasn't worth messing up my running to play soccer.

I ran about 3 weeks, doing workouts, easy runs, long runs, averaging between 50-60 miles a week, feeling good and then the next thing came. I was in a meeting at school and I started feeling a stabbing pain in my side. I went to the doctor the next day and he said that it was probably an ulcer (again) so I started to take antacids and it started feeling better. This was extremely frustrating, I wanted to train, but my stomach was not feeling it, so I had to take another few days off.

Now I've been training for a solid 3 weeks again and am starting to feel good again. Most of my workouts have been between 6:40-6:45 pace and I have been doing some long runs with my friend Gina. I would not have made it through this rough patch without the recovery benefits of chocolate milk, Mike Booth and the awesome people at Massage Athletica, my long run buddy Gina and my husband-to-be (in 6 days!) for his patience and workout wisdom.

I have continued to listen to podcasts on my easy runs, pretty serious rap mixes on Google Play Music during workouts and this on my long runs when I'm on my own: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqPLipRthHo&list=PLpLuJZm-j6BpOiD53Fd6BMsWzUGA7u4EG

It is a great new musical that my friend Megan and I listened to for a weekend at the lake and now I am completely addicted.

Next week I am off to Jamaica for our Wedding! I am for sure bringing my runners! I can't wait!

Until next time, adventure on!