avondale training journal, starting Dec. 2018 (comments welcome)

[avondale]

Week of Jan. 15 - 21, 2023

This is my second of two weeks off from running after the Harbison 50k. I was so much more wiped out after this race than I think I have ever been from any previous race. I'm sure the cold that I had contributed to that. I have been sleeping a lot and trying not to let myself get to anxious about not exercising. That's actually been a lot easier than in the past.

I usually play some tennis during these sorts of recovery weeks, but I've had a lot of bad luck with that. One time one of the foursome had to drop out at the last minute, so we had to cancel. We had bad weather that canceled a match. Then I hurt my knee (see below in Health) and had to get a sub. So I haven't played any tennis for a month!

I've also been setting my next race plans. Now that I've done a trail 50k, and it took a LOT of training time, I'm aiming for shorter distances for my primary races in 2024. But, I want to have more elevation gain in the races because I need to improve my abilities on hills if I really want to have more trail race options.

Consequently, I've decided that I'm going to do the 27k Tour de Dodge in Dodgeville, WI on April 20. This race has about 2300 ft of elevation gain in the 27k, compared to my 50k race which had a bit over 3000 ft. So this 27k will be more challenging in terms of the vert.

To train for that, I'm going to be alternating weeks with a day of high incline treadmill walking and with what I call "tempo ramps". Tempo ramps are tempo effort on inclines of a few percent. I will continue the hill repeat HIIT workous that I've been doing, because those should help. In addition, my Saturday trail runs will be on hilly trails in particular.

What's difficult to train for is the technicality of the trails. I'm not sure how technical the Dodge course will be, but I'll have to try to find out. There's a big difference between power hiking up a pretty smooth trail versus climbing up bigger rocks and roots.


Monday before dinner: walk on treadmill

• time: 1:33:02
• distance: 3.83 mi
• ave pace: 24:17
• comments: I had hurt my knee the evening before (see below on Health) so I lowered the pace and no incline.

Tuesday

• Before breakfast: foam rolling and stretching (carefully)
• Before dinner: walk on treadmill
  • time: 1:26:03
  • distance: 4.21 mi
  • ave pace: 20:26

Wednesday

• Before breakfast: core workout (revised since I last did it)
  • 60-s plank
  • 20 starfish
  • 20 dead bug
  • 20 bird dog
  • 20 each side flutter kicks
  • 20 bicycle crunch with hold
  • 5 10-s hollow-body holds
  • 2 30-s side planks
  • 20 double leg lift/lower
• After work: walk on treadmill
  • time: 1:32:27
  • distance: 4.64 mi
  • ave pace: 19:55
  • comments: 0 - 7.5% incline

Thursday after work: walk on treadmill

• time: 1:26:02
• distance: 4.3 mi
• ave pace: 20:01
• comments: 1 - 8.5% incline

Friday

• Before breakfast:
  • Core workout
    • 60-s plank
    • 20 starfish
    • 20 dead bug
    • 20 bird dog
    • 20 each side flutter kicks
    • 20 bicycle crunch with hold
    • 5 10-s hollow-body holds
    • 2 30-s side planks
    • 20 double leg lift/lower
  • Knee PT - 2 sets of:
    • 10 VMO activation knee squeezes
    • 10 each side twisted leg raises
    • 10 ball bridges
    • 10 wall squats with ball
• Before dinner: walk on treadmill
  • time: 1:33:04
  • distance: 4.63 mi
  • ave pace: 20:06
  • comments: 2 - 9.5% incline

Saturday

• Before lunch:
  • HIIT workout - warm-up + 3 x [8 x (20s on + 20s rest) + 4min rest], with exercises:
    • high knees
    • crouch to sprawl
    • left/right hop
    • seal jacks
    • fast feet forward/back
    • plank ups
    • forward/back hop
    • fast feet in/out
  • Knee PT - 2 rounds of:
    • 10 each side twisted leg raises
    • 10 ball bridges
    • 10 wall squats with ball
    • 20 each side clams with band
    • 10 each side monster walks with band
• Before dinner: walk on treadmill
  • time: 1:24:44
  • distance: 4.25 mi
  • ave pace: 19:56
  • comments: 3 - 10.5% incline

Sunday before dinner: walk on treadmill

• time: 2:24:42
• distance: 7.17 mi
• ave pace: 20:11
• comments: 10 min 0% incline, then 5-min blocks alternating 0% incline and 4 x 15%, 4 x 10%, 4 x 5%
• comments: Watched Star Wars Episode VIII!

Health

I'm over my cold, but the cough is still hanging on very annoyingly.

Knee: last Sunday night (after I wrote last week's training log entry), I was kneeling in the shower to clean the grout between the tiles, and I somehow really hurt something below and inside my left kneecap - probably a medial tendon or something. I thought I was just feeling the pressure of kneeling on it, but when I stood up, it really hurt. It hurt all night and made finding a position to sleep in nearly impossible.

The next day (Monday), it still hurt like the blazes. I wore my knee sleeve and took ibuprofen, but it really worried me. But then fortunately on Tuesday it was significantly better and by Wednesday I could hardly tell it had happened. As I write this now, that particular sore spot is fine. Go figure - so strange!

At any rate, as I've said before in this log, I know that I have patellofemoral syndrome (kneecap alignment problems) in both knees. Now that I'm done with my big race and we're between semesters at work, I have more time to get started on some PT that will hopefully help this. Now that that weird incident has passed, I have the typical pain in the tendon that goes over the top/front of the kneecap - pretty classic. I can also see that my right kneecap definitely moves to the outside quite a bit more than my left kneecap. I'm hoping that the VMO-focused PT will be helpful.

 

[Scootin'By]

But then fortunately on Tuesday it was significantly better and by Wednesday I could hardly tell it had happened. As I write this now, that particular sore spot is fine. Go figure - so strange!

I'm really glad your knee figured itself out!

I've decided that I'm going to do the 27k Tour de Dodge in Dodgeville, WI on April 20. This race has about 2300 ft of elevation gain in the 27k, compared to my 50k race which had a bit over 3000 ft. So this 27k will be more challenging in terms of the vert.

This seems like a really cool challenge. Definitely worth finding out whether it's power hiking or bouldering. That would be quite the difference.

 

[avondale]

Week of Jan. 22 - 28, 2023
This week I started running again, but taking it easy. It's the first week of my 13-week training plan for the Tour de Dodge 27k.

Monday

• Before breakfast:
  • Knee PT
    • 2 x 10 each side twisted leg raises
    • 2 x 10 ball bridges
    • 2 x 10 wall squats with ball
    • 2 x 20 each side clams with band
    • 2 x 10 each side monster walks with band
  • Foam rolling and stretching
• After work:
  • Walking hills on treadmill
    • time: 1:26:30
    • distance: 4.34 mi
    • ave pace: 19:56
    • For the first hour:
      • 5 min at 0% incline, 3.0 mph
      • 5 min at 15%
      • 5 min at 14%
      • 5 min at 13%
      • 5 min at 12%
      • 5 min at 11%
      • 5 min at 10%
      • 5 min at 9%
      • 5 min at 8%
      • 5 min at 7%
      • 5 min at 6%
      • 5 min at 5%
      • rest of the time at 0% incline

Tuesday

• Before breakfast:
  • Workout 2
    • 3 x 5 each side one-leg squat on bench, with 20-lb vest
    • superset
      • 3 x 5 each side one-arm row on bench, with 25 lb
      • 3 x 5 push-up, with 20-lb vest
    • 3 x 5 assisted glute-ham raise/lower
    • superset
      • 3 x 5 parallel-bar dip
      • 3 x 5 superman with 10-sec hold
  • Knee PT
    • 2 x 10 each side twisted leg raises
    • 2 x 10 ball bridges
    • 2 x 10 wall squats with ball
    • 2 x 20 each side clams with band
    • 2 x 10 each side monster walks with band
• After work:
  • 40 min easy
    • T+D 66, no effect, T 41 F
    • time: 40.01
    • distance: 3.03 mi
    • average pace: 13:13 (GAP ave pace 13:03)
    • splits: 13:01, 13:14, 13:25, 11:52
    • ave HR: 136 BPM - within my target range
    • elevation gain: 227 ft (corrected)
    • route: neighborhood loop 1

Wednesday

• Before breakfast:
  • Core workout
    • 60-s plank
    • 20 starfish
    • 20 dead bug
    • 20 bird dog
    • 20 each side flutter kicks
    • 20 bicycle crunch with hold
    • 5 10-s hollow-body holds
    • 2 30-s side planks
    • 20 double leg lift/lower
  • Knee PT
    • 2 x 10 each side twisted leg raises
    • 2 x 10 ball bridges
    • 2 x 10 wall squats with ball
    • 2 x 20 each side clams with band
    • 2 x 10 each side monster walks with band
• In evening: 2-hr tennis doubles match - my partner and I won 3-6, 6-2, 1-0!

Thursday after work:

• Hill repeat HIIT: 13min easy + 3 x [7 x {20sec sprint uphill + 20sec walk downhill) + 4min walk downhill]
  • T+D 122, 1.5% effect, T 62 F, light rain and mist
  • time: 40:01
  • distance: 2.85 mi
  • repeat splits: 8:53, 9:17, 9:39, 9:09, 8:49, 9:06, 9:53, 8:06, 8:49, 9:21, 9:00, 8:04, 9:01, 9:34, 9:03, 8:59, 9:21, 9:08, 9:39, 10:15, 10:08
  • elevation gain: 198 ft (corrected)
  • route: neighborhood loop 1
  • comments: I take these splits with a huge grain of salt! I think they were too short for the GPS to necessarily track well. The point was to be going all-out. I was sprinting uphill, then turning and walking downhill for about 15 sec before using the last 5 sec of walking to get turned around uphill again. It takes me 7 intervals to get to the top of the hill, and so that's when I have the 4-min walk back down to the bottom.
  • comments: My repeats were so SLOW! Yes, I'm still recovering and haven't run for awhile.

Friday

• Before breakfast:
  • Workout 3
    • 3 x 5 overhead sumo squat, with 20 lb + 20-lb vest
    • superset
      • 3 x 5 suspended rows, with 20-lb vest
      • 3 x 5 overhead pulls, with 25 lb
    • 3 x 5 each side step-ups on bench, with 20-lb vest
    • superset
      • 3 x 5 front raises, with 12 lb each arm
      • 3 x 5 bent over back flyes with 12 lb each arm
  • Knee PT
    • 2 x 10 each side twisted leg raises
    • 2 x 10 ball bridges
    • 2 x 10 tibialis heel raises
    • 2 x 20 each side clams with band
• After work: walk outside
  • time: 51:41
  • distance: 20:08
  • ave pace: 20:08
  • elevation gain: 161 ft (corrected)

Saturday before dinner:

• 50 min easy on trail
  • T+D 99, no effect, T 56 F
  • time: 50:01
  • distance: 3.7 mi
  • average pace: 13:30 (GAP ave pace 13:27)
  • splits: 13:30, 13:44, 13:21, 13:22
  • ave HR: 137 BPM - within my target range
  • elevation gain: 214 ft (corrected)
  • route: Northwest Branch Trail
  • comments: Great running weather! This pace wasn't too bad for the first time back on a trail.

Sunday

• Before lunch:
  • 60 min easy on trail
    • T+D 83, no effect, T 42 F, misty
    • time: 1:00:00
    • distance: 4.42 mi
    • average pace: 13:35 (GAP ave pace 13:17)
    • splits: 13:28, 13:44, 13:04, 14:21, 12:51
    • ave HR: 137 BPM - within my target range
    • elevation gain: 368 ft (corrected)
    • route: Valley Trail and Western Ridge Trail, Rock Creek National Park
    • comments: I did 4 20-sec uphill strides after the run.
    • comments: We got a lot of rain the night before plus snowmelt, so the creek was at 7 ft about normal level. There was some flooding on the trail, so I turned around when the trail was flooded out and then went back and did part of the second trail.
• Before dinner: 2-hr tennis doubles match - my partner and I lost 6-2, 6-3.

Health

My cough is slowly improving.

For my knee, I found a great video that very concisely discusses the main causes of patellofemoral pain:

I had been focusing on the second cause from the video: weak vastus medialis muscles. However, he said that the first thing to look at is having too tight vastus lateralis muscles (or adhesions in the IT band), which pull the kneecaps out laterally. He recommends looking at this first, because if this is the cause you can often loosen up these muscles pretty quickly with foam rolling or self-massage - and if it works, then you know. I used my rumble roller on my vastus lateralis on both legs, and it hurt like the blazes to roll (a sign that they are tight), but you only have to work on them for a few minutes. Sure enough, that made my knee pain so much better almost immediately! So starting Friday, I've been rolling once or twice a day. This doesn't completely clear it up, but it makes a huge difference, so I'll be working on both the strengthening and the rolling.

 

[avondale]

Week of Jan. 29 - Feb. 4, 2023
It's the second week of my 13-week training plan for the Tour de Dodge 27k and my second week back at running.

Monday

• Before breakfast:
  • Core workout:
    • 60-s plank
    • 20 starfish
    • 20 dead bug
    • 20 bird dog
    • 20 each side flutter kicks
    • 20 bicycle crunch with hold
    • 5 10-s hollow-body holds
    • 2 30-s side planks
    • 20 double leg lift/lower
  • Knee PT
    • Two rounds of:
      • 10 each side twisted leg raises
      • 10 ball bridges
      • 10 tibialis heel raises
      • 20 each side clams with band
• After work:
  • Hill repeat HIIT:
  • 13min easy + 3 x [7 x (20sec sprint uphill + 20sec walk downhill) + 4min walk downhill]
    • T+D 83, no effect, T 42 F, WC 36 F
    • time: 40:01
    • distance: 2.88 mi
    • repeat splits: 9:00, 9:15, 9:04, 8:02, 8:19, 8:55, 9:27, 8:08, 8:41, 9:25, 8:45, 8:38, 9:37, 9:42, 8:32, 9:00, 9:21, 8:36, 9:05, 9:54, 10:28
    • elevation gain: 200 ft (corrected)
    • route: neighborhood loop 1
    • comments: I take these splits with a huge grain of salt! I think they were too short for the GPS to necessarily track well. The point was to be going all-out. I was sprinting uphill, then turning and walking downhill for about 15 sec before using the last 5 sec of walking to get turned around uphill again. It takes me 7 intervals to get to the top of the hill, and so that's when I have the 4-min walk back down to the bottom.

Tuesday

• Before breakfast:
  • Workout 1
    • 3 x 5 suitcase squats, with 55 lb + 20-lb vest
    • superset
      • 3 x 5 lat pull-downs, with 49-lb bands
      • 3 x 5 bench presses, with 55 lb
    • 3 x 5 Romanian deadlifts, with 55 lb
    • superset
      • 3 x 5 shoulder presses, with 21.25 lb per arm
      • 3 x 5 pull-aparts, with 13-lb band
  • Knee PT
    • Two rounds of:
      • 10 each side twisted leg raises
      • 10 ball bridges
      • 10 tibialis heel raises
      • 20 each side clams with band
• In evening: 2-hr tennis doubles match - my partner and I lost 4-6, 6-2, 1-0.

Wednesday

• After work: walk on treadmill
  • time: 35:03
  • distance: 1.72 mi
  • ave pace: 20:23
  • incline: 1%
• In evening: 2-hr tennis doubles match - my partner and I won 6-4, 7-5.

Thursday after work:

• 50 min easy
  • T+D 83, no effect, T 47 F
  • time: 50:01
  • distance: 3.96 mi
  • average pace: 12:37 (GAP ave pace 12:31)
  • splits: 12:40, 12:34, 12:38, 12:37
  • ave HR: 134 BPM - within my target range
  • elevation gain: 279 ft (corrected)
  • route: neighborhood loop 1
  • comments: I did 4 20-sec uphill strides after the run.

Friday before breakfast:

• Knee PT
  • Two rounds of:
    • 10 each side twisted leg raises
    • 10 ball bridges
    • 20 each side leg raises
    • 20 each side clams with band
    • 10 each side monster walks with band
• 40 min tempo ramps
  • T+D 83, no effect, T 43 F
  • time: 40:01
  • distance: 3.4 mi
  • average pace: 11:46 (GAP ave pace 11:39)
  • splits: 12:21, 11:41, 11:26, 11:21
  • elevation gain: 270 ft (corrected)
  • route: neighborhood loop 2

Saturday

• Before lunch:
  • HIIT workout - warm-up + 3 x [8 x (20s on + 20s rest) + 4min rest], with exercises:
    • high knees
    • crouch to sprawl
    • left/right hop
    • press jacks
    • fast feet forward/back
    • plank ups
    • forward/back hop
    • fast feet in/out
  • Knee PT
    • Two rounds of:
      • 10 each side twisted leg raises
      • 10 ball bridges
      • 20 each side leg raises
      • 20 each side clams with band
      • 10 each side monster walks with band
• Before dinner:
  • 60 min easy on trail
    • T+D 74, no effect, T 49 F
    • time: 1:00:01
    • distance: 4.51 mi
    • average pace: 13:19 (GAP ave pace 13:09)
    • splits: 13:21, 13:47, 12:58, 13:08, 13:20
    • ave HR: 139 BPM - within my target range
    • elevation gain: 309 ft (corrected)
    • route: Northwest Branch Trail

Sunday

• Before lunch: Knee PT
  • Two rounds of:
    • 10 each side twisted leg raises
    • 10 ball bridges
    • 20 each side leg raises
    • 20 each side clams with band
    • 10 each side monster walks with band
• Before dinner:
  • 60 min easy on trail
    • T+D 74, no effect, T 53 F
    • time: 1:00:00
    • distance: 4.54 mi
    • average pace: 13:13 (GAP ave pace 13:05)
    • splits: 13:27, 13:06, 13:11, 13:28, 12:33
    • ave HR: 135 BPM - within my target range
    • elevation gain: 247 ft (corrected)
    • route: Valley Trail, Rock Creek National Park

Health

The knee PT is helping my patellofemoral syndrome, but not enough to be rid of it, at least not yet. I got some KT tape today (Sunday) and used that on the knees, and that also helps so that I don't "regress" a lot while running. Hopefully the PT will work over time. I'm also foam rolling and stretching the vastus lateralis on both sides a lot.

Unfortunately as I'm paying more attention to my knees, it's clear that I have IT band problems on the left leg. This is something that can be caused by a number of issues that are hard to self-diagnose, so I'll probably have to go to real PT soon. In the meantime, I'm doing some stretches and foam rolling, which is helping a bit.

 

[avondale]

Week of Feb. 5 - 11, 2023

It's the third week of my 13-week training plan for the Tour de Dodge 27k on April 20.

Monday

• Before breakfast: Knee PT - two rounds of:
  • 10 each side twisted leg raises
  • 10 ball bridges
  • 20 each side leg raises
  • 20 each side clams with band
  • 10 each side monster walks with band
• After work:
  • Walking hills on treadmill
    • time: 1:19:51
    • distance: 4.0 mi
    • ave pace: 19:58
    • For the first hour:
      • 5 min at 0% incline, 3.0 mph
      • 10 min at 15%
      • 10 min at 14%
      • 10 min at 13%
      • 10 min at 12%
      • 10 min at 11%
      • 5 min at 10%
      • rest of the time at 1% incline
    • Comments: I did do some segments with a bit of a faster speed, but didn't track this well. That's because my stupid treadmill kept suddenly stopping and resetting! I think it did it 4 times in the first hour. Once I got back to a 1% incline, it didn't do it any more. I am crossing my fingers that this was just a weird event, but unfortunately it's probably some sort of issue when the treadmill bed is at high incline.

Tuesday

• Before breakfast:
  • Core workout
    • 60-s plank
    • 20 starfish
    • 20 dead bug
    • 20 bird dog
    • 20 each side flutter kicks
    • 20 bicycle crunch with hold
    • 5 10-s hollow-body holds
    • 2 30-s side planks
    • 20 double leg lift/lower
  • Knee PT - two rounds of:
    • 10 each side twisted leg raises
    • 10 ball bridges
    • 20 each side leg raises
    • 20 each side clams with band
    • 10 each side monster walks with band
• In evening: 2-hr tennis doubles match - my partner and I lost 6-2, 6-1.

Wednesday evening: 2-hr tennis doubles match - my partner and I lost 6-0, 6-4.
Thursday after work:

• Hill repeat HIIT: 13min easy + 3 x [7 x (20sec sprint uphill + 20sec walk downhill) + 4min walk downhill]
  • T+D 78, no effect, T 48 F
  • time: 40:01
  • distance: 2.98 mi
  • repeat splits: 8:15, 9:01, 8:52, 8:05, 8:51, 9:13, 9:19, 7:46, 8:47, 8:38, 8:17, 9:02, 9:34, 9:48, 8:14, 8:32, 8:54, 8:29, 8:49, 9:19, 9:32
  • elevation gain: 200 ft (corrected)
  • route: neighborhood loop 1
  • comments: I take these splits with a huge grain of salt! I think they were too short for the GPS to necessarily track well. The point was to be going all-out. I was sprinting uphill, then turning and walking downhill for about 15 sec before using the last 5 sec of walking to get turned around uphill again. It takes me 7 intervals to get to the top of the hill, and so that's when I have the 4-min walk back down to the bottom.
  • comments: All that said, I think this set of sprints was finally back to nearly the speed I did before my race.

Friday

• Before breakfast:
  • Workout 2
    • 3 x 5 each side one-leg squat on bench, with 20-lb vest
    • superset
      • 3 x 5 each side one-arm row on bench, with 27.5 lb
      • 3 x 5 push-up, with 20-lb vest
    • 3 x 5 assisted glute-ham raise/lower
    • superset
      • 3 x 5 parallel-bar dip
      • 3 x 5 superman with 10-sec hold
  • Knee PT - two rounds of:
    • 10 each side twisted leg raises
    • 10 ball bridges
    • 20 each side leg raises
    • 20 each side clams with band
    • 10 each side monster walks with band
• Before dinner:
  • 60 min easy on trail
    • T+D 96, no effect, T 62 F
    • time: 1:00:00
    • distance: 4.59 mi
    • average pace: 13:04 (GAP ave pace 12:53)
    • splits: 13:13, 13:23, 12:50, 12:52, 13:02
    • ave HR: 137 BPM - within my target range
    • elevation gain: 332 ft (corrected)
    • route: Northwest Branch Trail
    • comments: The weather was so nice! I got a good pace on this run.

Saturday

• Before lunch:
  • HIIT workout - warm-up + 3 x [8 x (20s on + 20s rest) + 4min rest], with exercises:
    • high knees
    • crouch to sprawl
    • left/right hop
    • press jacks
    • fast feet forward/back
    • plank ups
    • forward/back hop
    • fast feet in/out
  • Knee PT - two rounds of:
    • 10 each side twisted leg raises
    • 10 ball bridges
    • 20 each side leg raises
    • 20 each side clams with band
    • 10 each side monster walks with band
• Before dinner:
  • 60 min easy on trail
    • T+D 111, 1% effect, T 61 F
    • time: 1:00:00
    • distance: 4.39 mi
    • average pace: 13:39 (GAP ave pace 12:49)
    • splits: 13:37, 14:28, 13:34, 14:07, 12:10
    • ave HR: 134 BPM - within my target range
    • elevation gain: 573 ft (corrected)
    • route: Western Ridge Trail, Rock Creek National Park
    • comments: I did five 20-s uphill strides after the run was over.
    • comments: The weather was so nice! My GAP average pace was just about the same as for the previous run - the actual pace was slower here because it was much hillier.

Sunday before dinner:

• 80 min LR on trail
  • T+D 97, no effect, T 51 F
  • time: 1:20:00
  • distance: 6.42 mi
  • average pace: 12:28 (GAP ave pace 12:16)
  • splits: 12:58, 12:19, 13:06, 12:40, 12:01, 12:11, 11:22
  • ave HR: 144 BPM - just below my target range
  • elevation gain: 419 ft (corrected)
  • route: Valley Trail, Rock Creek National Park
  • comments: I haven't tried to run at Long Run effort for quite a long time, so I was a bit nervous about this. But it turned out quite well! I haven't run so fast on a trail for a long time.

Health

Ok, so I've been working on my knees this week. I used the KT tape to help pull my kneecaps back into alignment. I've had this all week - the tape lasts for quite awhile, so I only replaced the whole set of tape once. It has been making my knees feel much better when going up/down stairs and while running - overall better, it's just that that's when it was worst. So good for that.

At the same time, I've been doing the strengthening exercises listed above as Knee PT. Most mornings, I'm also using a rumble roller to roll my vastus lateralis on both legs and my IT band on both legs, then stretching both. In most evenings, I'm using a massage gun instead and then stretching. Whether it's the taping, massaging, stretching, or everything, my left IT band has also been doing a lot better.

When my current set of taping starts to get worn, I think I'll take off the tape and then see how everything feels for a couple of days without the tape to see if there's any improvement from the other efforts, or if it's just the tape making things better. But hopefully overall this is all positive.

The third thing with the knee that I think I wrote about a couple of weeks ago is some discomfort behind my left knee (my left knee is apparently all messed up, LOL). After a lot of Googling and paying attention to it, I suspect that I'm feeling the effects of some hyperextension of that knee. Not something that was a one-time accident or misstep, but an overall overuse sort of problem. It can be caused by things like landing firmly after a jump or pivoting suddenly. I've been noticing that downhill running tends to bother it, so I am wondering if that is the cause. But at the moment, I haven't found a good remedy for this - not even really PT sort of exercises - just rest. For the moment it's not horrible, so I'm going to wait and see.

Completely unrelated, but note for myself: This week I started taking HMB as a supplement. This is beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate. I read about it several months ago as being useful for trail runners, but I'm annoyed that I can't find my source. Now when I Google it, I only get what seem to be supplement manufacturers who are pushing it. At any rate, I do have to wonder if it's helped my extra-good runs this weekend.

 

[avondale]

Week of Feb. 12 - 18, 2023

This was the fourth week of my 13-week training plan for the Tour de Dodge 27k on April 20. It was a cut-back week for my longer runs.

I've been getting some faster paces on my runs for the same effort levels, which has been really gratifying. I was hoping to work on pace and hills in this training cycle.

Monday

• Before breakfast:
  • Core workout
    • • 60-s plank
      • 20 starfish
      • 20 dead bug
      • 20 bird dog
      • 20 each side flutter kicks
      • 20 bicycle crunch with hold
      • 5 10-s hollow-body holds
      • 2 30-s side planks
      • 20 double leg lift/lower
  • Knee PT - two rounds of:
    • 10 each side twisted leg raises
    • 10 ball bridges
    • 20 each side leg raises
    • 20 each side clams with band
    • 10 each side monster walks with band
• In evening: 2-hr tennis doubles match - my partner and I lost 6-4, 6-1.

Tuesday after work:

• Hill repeat HIIT:
• 13min easy + 3 x [7 x (20sec sprint uphill + 20sec walk downhill) + 4min walk downhill]
  • T+D 71, no effect, T 42 F, WC 36 F
  • time: 40:01
  • distance: 2.97 mi
  • repeat splits: 9:14, 9:10, 9:04, 8:29, 8:31, 9:02, 9:17, 7:37, 8:42, 8:36, 8:32, 8:37, 9:45, 9:44, 8:03, 9:07, 8:42, 8:35, 8:28, 9:21, 9:36
  • elevation gain: 201 ft (corrected)
  • route: neighborhood loop 1
  • comments: I take these splits with a huge grain of salt! I think they were too short for the GPS to necessarily track well. The point was to be going all-out. I was sprinting uphill, then turning and walking downhill for about 15 sec before using the last 5 sec of walking to get turned around uphill again. It takes me 7 intervals to get to the top of the hill, and so that's when I have the 4-min walk back down to the bottom.

Wednesday

• Before breakfast:
  • Workout 3
    • 3 x 5 overhead sumo squats, with 20-lb vest + 20 lb
    • superset
      • 3 x 5 suspended rows, with 20-lb vest
      • 3 x 5 overhead pulls, with 27.5 lb
    • 3 x 5 each side step-ups on bench, with 20-lb vest
    • superset
      • 3 x 5 front raises, with 12 lb each arm
      • 3 x 5 bent-over back flyes, with 12 lb each arm
  • Knee PT - two rounds of:
    • 10 each side twisted leg raises
    • 10 ball bridges
    • 20 each side leg raises
    • 20 each side clams with band
    • 10 each side monster walks with band
• In evening: 2-hr tennis doubles round-robin

Thursday after work:

• 60 min easy
  • T+D 76, no effect, T 45 F
  • time: 1:00:00
  • distance: 4.89 mi
  • average pace: 12:16 (GAP ave pace 12:10)
  • splits: 12:18, 12:20, 12:23, 12:03, 12:18
  • ave HR: 134 BPM - within my target range
  • elevation gain: 317 ft (corrected)
  • route: neighborhood loop 1
  • comments: This is the fastest I've done this route in a long time (at an easy effort level).

Friday before breakfast:

• 50 min tempo ramps
  • T+D 59, no effect, T 37 F, WC 31 F
  • time: 50:00
  • distance: 4.32 mi
  • average pace: 1134 (GAP ave pace 11:30)
  • splits: 12:08, 11:24, 11:27, 11:25, 11:14
  • elevation gain: 323 ft (corrected)
  • route: neighborhood loop 2

Saturday

• Before lunch:
  • HIIT workout - warm-up + 3 x [8 x (20s on + 20s rest) + 4min rest], with exercises:
    • high knees
    • plyo push-ups
    • left/right hop
    • press jacks
    • fast feet forward/back
    • plank ups
    • forward/back hop
    • fast feet in/out
  • Knee PT - two rounds of:
    • 10 each side twisted leg raises
    • 10 ball bridges
    • 20 each side leg raises
    • 20 each side clams with band
    • 10 each side monster walks with band
• Before dinner:
  • 50 min easy on trail
    • T+D 48, no effect, T 36 F, WC 27 F
    • time: 50:00
    • distance: 3.94 mi
    • average pace: 12:42 (GAP ave pace 12:46)
    • splits: 12:31, 12:56, 12:43, 12:39
    • ave HR: 137 BPM - within my target range
    • elevation gain: 222 ft (corrected)
    • route: Northwest Branch Trail
    • comments: I haven't done this trail so fast in a long time!

Sunday before dinner:

• 60 min LR on trail
  • T+D 59, no effect, T 48 F
  • time: 1:00:00
  • distance: 4.6 mi
  • average pace: 13:02 (GAP ave pace 12:12)
  • splits: 13:02, 13:56, 12:26, 13:29, 11:49
  • ave HR: 144 BPM - just below my target range
  • elevation gain: 598 ft (corrected)
  • route: Western Ridge Trail, Rock Creek National Park
  • comments: I did five 20-s uphill strides after the run was over.
  • comments: This was also a fast run for me on this trail, since it's so hilly.

Health

The knees are still my focus. The taping has been helping with the patellofemoral pain in both knees, but it seems that I still haven't resolved that with PT yet. Oddly, however, my IT band pain in my left leg/knee has gone away - I've been doing a lot of foam rolling, massaging, and stretching along the IT band, and so maybe that has helped?

The left knee possible hyperextension issue: still going on intermittently. In my tennis match on Monday, I had a bad stop and turn on the left leg and got the bad feeling from it, and the lack of confidence in that leg really ruined the rest of the match for me - I had to play too tentatively. I got a leg brace with metal hinges to try to keep accidental slight hyperextension. I'm not sure if it will even be effective for this, but it seemed worth a try. I've only worn it for two runs so far - it's been annoying because it's hard to keep it from slipping down my leg even when I have it pretty snug. So we'll see.

 

[avondale]

Week of Feb. 19 - 25, 2023

This was the fifth week of my 13-week training plan for the Tour de Dodge 27k on April 20.

Monday

• Before breakfast:
  • Core workout
    • 60-s plank
    • 20 starfish
    • 20 dead bug
    • 20 bird dog
    • 20 each side flutter kicks
    • 20 bicycle crunch with hold
    • 5 10-s hollow-body holds
    • 2 30-s side planks
    • 20 double leg lift/lower
  • Knee PT - two rounds of:
    • 15 each side twisted leg raises, with 1 lb
    • 15 ball bridges, with 1 lb
    • 20 each side leg raises
    • 20 each side clams with band
    • 10 each side monster walks with band
• After work: walk on treadmill
  • time: 1:26:18
  • distance: 4.48 mi
  • ave pace: 19:16
  • incline: 2%

Tuesday

• Before breakfast:
  • Workout 1
    • 3 x 5 suitcase squats, with 60 lb + 20-lb vest
    • superset
      • 3 x 5 lat pull-downs, with 49-lb bands
      • 3 x 5 bench presses, with 60 lb
    • 3 x 5 Romanian deadlifts, with 60 lb
    • superset
      • 3 x 5 shoulder presses, with 22.5 lb per arm
      • 3 x 5 pull-aparts, with 13-lb band
  • Knee PT - two rounds of:
    • 15 each side twisted leg raises, with 1 lb
    • 15 ball bridges
    • 20 each side leg raises, with 1 lb
    • 20 each side clams with band
    • 10 each side monster walks with band
• After work:
  • Hill repeat HIIT:
    • 13min easy + 3 x [7 x (20sec sprint uphill + 20sec walk downhill) + 4min walk downhill]
      • T+D 69, no effect, T 43 F, WC 40 F
      • time: 40:01
      • distance: 2.97 mi
      • repeat splits: 8:19, 9:08, 8:50, 8:34, 8:34, 9:09, 9:04, 7:52, 8:36, 8:41, 8:37, 8:44, 9:31, 9:13, 7:56, 8:42, 8:53, 8:27, 8:55, 9:20, 9:05
      • elevation gain: 217 ft (corrected)
      • route: neighborhood loop 1
      • comments: I take these splits with a huge grain of salt! I think they were too short for the GPS to necessarily track well. The point was to be going all-out. I was sprinting uphill, then turning and walking downhill for about 15 sec before using the last 5 sec of walking to get turned around uphill again. It takes me 7 intervals to get to the top of the hill, and so that's when I have the 4-min walk back down to the bottom.

Wednesday

• Before breakfast:
  • Core workout
    • 60-s plank
    • 20 starfish
    • 20 dead bug
    • 20 bird dog
    • 20 each side flutter kicks
    • 20 bicycle crunch with hold
    • 5 10-s hollow-body holds
    • 2 30-s side planks
    • 20 double leg lift/lower
  • Knee PT - two rounds of:
    • 15 each side twisted leg raises, with 1 lb
    • 15 ball bridges
    • 20 each side leg raises, with 1 lb
    • 20 each side clams with band
    • 10 each side monster walks with band
• After work:
  • Walking hills on treadmill
    • time: 1:27:23
    • distance: 4.28 mi
    • ave pace: 20:25
    • For the first 70 min:
      • 5 min at 2% incline, 3.0 mph
      • 15 min at 15%
      • 15 min at 14%
      • 15 min at 13%
      • 10 min at 12%
    • rest of the time at 2% incline
    • Comments: The last time I used high incline like this, my treadmill kept stopping and resetting. Fortunately it didn't do that this time, but I don't know why!

Thursday

• Before breakfast:
  • Workout 2
    • 3 x 5 each side one-leg squat on bench, with 20-lb vest
    • superset
      • 3 x 5 each side one-arm row on bench, with 30 lb
      • 3 x 5 push-up, with 20-lb vest
    • 3 x 5 assisted glute-ham raise/lower
    • superset
      • 3 x 5 parallel-bar dip
      • 3 x 5 superman with 10-sec hold
  • Knee PT - two rounds of:
    • 15 each side twisted leg raises
    • 15 ball bridges
    • 20 each side leg raises
    • 20 each side clams with band
    • 10 each side monster walks with band
• After work:
  • 60 min easy
    • T+D 85, no effect, T 46 F, windy and rained in second half
    • time: 1:00:00
    • distance: 4.87 mi
    • average pace: 12:19 (GAP ave pace 12:13)
    • splits: 12:17, 12:20, 12:31, 12:00, 12:28
    • ave HR: 136 BPM - within my target range
    • elevation gain: 341 ft (corrected)
    • route: neighborhood loop 1

Friday

• Before work: Knee PT - two rounds of:
  • 15 each side twisted leg raises, with 1 lb
  • 15 ball bridges
  • 20 each side leg raises, with 1 lb
  • 20 each side clams with band
  • 10 each side monster walks with band
• After dinner: walking on treadmill
  • time: 1:26:18
  • distance: 4.69 mi
  • ave pace: 18:24
  • incline: 4%

Saturday

• Before lunch:
  • 70 min easy on trail
    • T+D 79, no effect, T 47 F
    • time: 1:10:00
    • distance: 5.23 mi
    • average pace: 13:23 (GAP ave pace 12:36)
    • splits: 13:18, 14:14, 13:23, 13:01, 13:22, 11:48
    • ave HR: 138 BPM - within my target range
    • elevation gain: 699 ft (corrected)
    • route: Western Ridge Trail, Rock Creek National Park
    • comments: I did six 20-sec uphill strides after the run was complete. This route is good for that, since it immediately goes uphill from the trailhead!
    • comments: Happy with this, since I got a good pace with a lot of elevation even at easy effort.
• Before dinner:
  • HIIT workout - warm-up + 3 x [8 x (20s on + 20s rest) + 4min rest], with exercises:
    • high knees
    • plyo push-ups
    • left/right hop
    • press jacks
    • fast feet forward/back
    • plank ups
    • forward/back hop
    • fast feet in/out
  • Knee PT - two rounds of:
    • 15 each side twisted leg raises, with 1 lb
    • 15 ball bridges
    • 20 each side leg raises, with 1 lb
    • 20 each side clams with band
    • 10 each side monster walks with band

Sunday before lunch:

• 100 min LR on trail
  • At start: T+D 51, no effect, T 36 F. At end: T+D 58, no effect, T 42 F.
  • time: 1:40:00
  • distance: 7.6 mi
  • average pace: 13:09 (GAP ave pace 12:47)
  • splits: 12:08, 11:52, 13:16, 15:25, 14:54, 12:32, 12:41, 11:56
  • ave HR: 146 BPM - within my target range
  • elevation gain: 510 ft (corrected)
  • route: Valley Trail, Rock Creek National Park
  • comments: I took 1.5 L water + Nuun and one Honey Stinger waffle.
  • comments: Happy with this. The part of the trail out near my turn-around point is much more technical and hilly than the rest of the trail.

Health

The patellofemoral pain is still annoying, but the taping still helps. After the longer runs (Saturday and Sunday), they really stiffen up. I'm not sure yet if the PT routine is doing much.

I've been wearing the knee brace for all runs. So far, I've not been having many instances of the hyperextension-type back-of-knee pain. So maybe it is helping? The brace is definitely annoying for running because I really have to strap it on tight on my upper thigh to keep it from sliding down.

The IT band pain is still gone, so yay.

 

[disneygpa]

The IT band pain is still gone, so yay.

Can you share what you did for your IT band pain? I'm definitely in the market for an IT band fix!

 

[avondale]

Can you share what you did for your IT band pain? I'm definitely in the market for an IT band fix!

Well, I'm sorry to say that it wasn't much. I'm wondering if some of the exercises that I'm doing for the knees have incidentally helped.

But here's what I've been doing that is specifically for the IT band:

• foam roll the IT band area approx. 4x per week with a rumble roller (that's a foam roller with the knobs on it)
• exercises about 4x per week:
  • leg raises: 2 x 20 per leg, slow
  • monster walks: 20 per leg with band (these are where you get into a half squat and walk laterally - I put the band just above my knees)
• each evening before bed: use massage gun on the IT band area
• 1 - 2x per day: stretch the IT band, each side 2 x 20 sec (I have a really hard time stretching my IT band area because my hamstrings are tight enough that any stretch usually gets to them first and not the IT band. The stretch I use is the "wall stretch" from Bob and Brad's video
  at 9:37). Basically I stretch after I foam roll or after I use the massage gun.

Possibly my IT band issues really were just from adhesions in the IT band fascia that were causing problems. I've been working both IT bands, but I only had the pain on the left side.

Good luck!

 

[disneygpa]

Well, I'm sorry to say that it wasn't much. I'm wondering if some of the exercises that I'm doing for the knees have incidentally helped.

But here's what I've been doing that is specifically for the IT band:

• foam roll the IT band area approx. 4x per week with a rumble roller (that's a foam roller with the knobs on it)
• exercises about 4x per week:
  • leg raises: 2 x 20 per leg, slow
  • monster walks: 20 per leg with band (these are where you get into a half squat and walk laterally - I put the band just above my knees)
• each evening before bed: use massage gun on the IT band area
• 1 - 2x per day: stretch the IT band, each side 2 x 20 sec (I have a really hard time stretching my IT band area because my hamstrings are tight enough that any stretch usually gets to them first and not the IT band. The stretch I use is the "wall stretch" from Bob and Brad's video
  at 9:37). Basically I stretch after I foam roll or after I use the massage gun.

Possibly my IT band issues really were just from adhesions in the IT band fascia that were causing problems. I've been working both IT bands, but I only had the pain on the left side.

Good luck!

Thank you! I'm going to give this a try for a few weeks and see what happens!

 

[Scootin'By]

The last time I used high incline like this, my treadmill kept stopping and resetting. Fortunately it didn't do that this time, but I don't know why!

My treadmill is pretty old and will sometimes pause on me like this too. Very frustrating when all you want to do is run.

 

[avondale]

Week of Feb. 26 - Mar. 3, 2024

This was the sixth week of my 13-week training plan for the Tour de Dodge 27k on April 20.

Monday

• Before breakfast:
  • Core workout
    • 60-s plank
    • 20 starfish
    • 20 dead bug
    • 20 bird dog
    • 20 each side flutter kicks
    • 20 bicycle crunch with hold
    • 5 10-s hollow-body holds
    • 2 30-s side planks
    • 20 double leg lift/lower
  • Knee PT - 2 rounds of:
    • 15 each side twisted leg raises, with 1 lb
    • 15 ball bridges
    • 20 each side leg raises, with 1 lb
    • 20 each side clams with band
• After work:
  • Hill repeat HIIT: 13min easy + 3 x [7 x (20sec sprint uphill + 20sec walk downhill) + 4min walk downhill]
    • T+D 99, no effect, T 62 F
    • time: 40:01
    • distance: 3.02 mi
    • repeat splits: 8:46, 8:47, 8:48, 8:20, 8:02, 8:53, 9:29, 8:17, 7:50, 8:38, 8:31, 8:23, 9:02, 9:32, 8:26, 8:40, 9:02, 8:00, 8:16, 8:55, 9:19
    • elevation gain: 211 ft (corrected)
    • route: neighborhood loop 1
    • comments: I take these splits with a huge grain of salt! I think they were too short for the GPS to necessarily track well. The point was to be going all-out. I was sprinting uphill, then turning and walking downhill for about 15 sec before using the last 5 sec of walking to get turned around uphill again. It takes me 7 intervals to get to the top of the hill, and so that's when I have the 4-min walk back down to the bottom.

Tuesday

• Before breakfast: knee PT
  • 4 x 10 - half-squats
  • 2 x 15 each side with 5-s hold - side leg raises
  • 2 x 15 each side with 5-s hold - fire hydrants
  • 2 x 15 each side with 5-s hold - banded clamshells
• After work:
  • 60 min easy
    • T+D 111, 1% effect, T 58 F
    • time: 1:00:01
    • distance: 4.86 mi
    • average pace: 12:20 (GAP ave pace 12:13)
    • splits: 12:21, 12:23, 12:07, 12:20, 12:34
    • ave HR: 136 BPM - within my target range
    • elevation gain: 310 ft (corrected)
    • route: neighborhood loop 1

Wednesday evening: 2-hr tennis doubles match - my partner and I won 6-2, 4-6, 1-0!

Thursday

• Before breakfast: knee PT
  • 4 x 10 - half-squats
  • 2 x 15 each side with 5-s hold - side leg raises
  • 2 x 15 each side with 5-s hold - fire hydrants
  • 2 x 15 each side with 5-s hold - banded clamshells
• After work:
  • 60 min tempo ramps
    • T+D 58, no effect, T 44 F
    • time: 1:00:00
    • distance: 5.41 mi
    • average pace: 11:06 (GAP ave pace 11:01)
    • splits: 11:35, 10:50, 11:07, 10:58, 11:03, 10:54
    • ave HR: 143 BPM
    • elevation gain: 399 ft (corrected)
    • route: neighborhood loop 2

Friday

• Before breakfast: knee PT - cut short for time
  • 4 x 10 - half-squats
  • 2 x 15 each side with 5-s hold - side leg raises
  • 1 x 15 each side with 5-s hold - fire hydrants
• After dinner: HIIT workout - warm-up + 3 x [8 x (20s on + 20s rest) + 4min rest], with exercises:
  • high knees
  • plank shoulder taps
  • left/right hop
  • press jacks
  • fast feet forward/back
  • plank ups
  • forward/back hop
  • fast feet in/out

Saturday before dinner:

• 80 min easy on trail
  • T+D 98, no effect, T 50 F
  • time: 1:20:00
  • distance: 5.82 mi
  • average pace: 13:44 (GAP ave pace 12:53)
  • splits: 13:32, 14:38, 13:44, 13:39, 13:55, 12:47
  • ave HR: 137 BPM - within my target range
  • elevation gain: 781 ft (corrected)
  • route: Western Ridge Trail, Rock Creek National Park
  • comments: I did six 20-sec uphill strides after the run was complete. This route is good for that, since it immediately goes uphill from the trailhead!

Sunday before dinner:

• 120 min LR on trail
  • T+D 110, 0.5% effect, T 65 F
  • time: 2:00:03
  • distance: 8.87 mi
  • average pace: 13:32 (GAP ave pace 13:08)
  • splits: 12:29, 12:06, 13:05, 15:30, 15:45, 15:43, 12:41, 12:38, 11:38
  • ave HR: 142 BPM - below my target range
  • elevation gain: 663 ft (corrected)
  • route: Valley Trail, Rock Creek National Park
  • comments: The mile before/after my turn-around point is hilly and very technical, so it always slows me way down.
  • comments: I took 1.5 L water + Nuun and ate one Honey Stinger waffle and one serving of M&Ms.

Health

I did not feel like I've been getting results from the knee PT exercises I had been doing, so I ramped up to a more intense program. The problem is that it takes quite a bit more time and crowds out the strength training that I'd like to be doing. Boo. This is PT for the patellofemoral syndrome pain; still ok with the IT band pain and continuing to wear the brace for the possible hyperextension issue.

 

[avondale]

Week of Mar. 4 - 10, 2024

This was the seventh week of my 13-week training plan for the Tour de Dodge 27k on April 20. This week was busy at work with a lot of morning meetings.

I registered for the race. As I write this, there are 35 people registered for the 27k. There are 51 registered for the 50k. There is still time for more to register, of course.

Monday evening: 2-hr tennis doubles match - my partner and I lost 6-3, 6-3.

Tuesday after work:

• Hill repeat HIIT: 13min easy + 3 x [7 x (20sec sprint uphill + 20sec walk downhill) + 4min walk downhill]
  • T+D 111, 1% effect, T 55 F
  • time: 40:01
  • distance: 2.94 mi
  • repeat splits: 8:19, 8:19, 9:10, 8:41, 8:38, 9:35, 9:57, 8:24, 9:03, 9:07, 9:16, 9:23, 9:31, 9:33, 8:29, 9:06, 9:34, 8:52, 9:00, 9:25, 9:22
  • elevation gain: 191 ft (corrected)
  • route: neighborhood loop 1
  • comments: I take these splits with a huge grain of salt! I think they were too short for the GPS to necessarily track well. The point was to be going all-out. I was sprinting uphill, then turning and walking downhill for about 15 sec before using the last 5 sec of walking to get turned around uphill again. It takes me 7 intervals to get to the top of the hill, and so that's when I have the 4-min walk back down to the bottom.

Wednesday after work:

• Walking hills on treadmill
  • time: 1:27:33
  • distance: 4.35 mi
  • ave pace: 20:08
  • For the first 70 min:
    • 5 min at 4% incline, 3.0 mph
    • 20 min at 15%, 3.1 mph
    • 20 min at 14%
    • 20 min at 13%
    • 5 min at 12%
  • rest of the time at 4% incline

Thursday

• Before breakfast: Knee PT
  • 4 x 10 - half-squats
  • 2 x 15 each side with 5-s hold - side leg raises
  • 2 x 15 each side with 5-s hold - fire hydrants
  • 2 x 15 each side with 5-s hold - banded clamshells
  • 2 x 15 ball bridges with 3-s hold
• After work:
  • 60 min easy
    • T+D 105, 0.5% effect, T 59 F
    • time: 1:00:00
    • distance: 4.97 mi
    • average pace: 12:05 (GAP ave pace 12:01)
    • splits: 11:59, 12:07, 12:00, 12:01, 12:20
    • ave HR: 133 BPM - within my target range
    • elevation gain: 309 ft (corrected)
    • route: neighborhood loop 1

Friday

• Before breakfast: Knee PT
  • 4 x 10 - half-squats
  • 2 x 15 each side with 5-s hold - side leg raises
  • 2 x 15 each side with 5-s hold - fire hydrants
  • 2 x 15 each side with 5-s hold - banded clamshells
  • 2 x 15 ball bridges with 3-s hold
• After dinner: walk on treadmill
  • time: 43:53
  • distance: 2.45 mi
  • ave pace: 17:55
  • incline: 2%

Saturday before dinner:

• 90 min easy on trail
  • T+D 95, no effect, T 49 F, rained the whole time
  • time: 1:30:01
  • distance: 6.49 mi
  • average pace: 13:52 (GAP ave pace 13:05)
  • splits: 13:51, 14:20, 13:53, 14:00, 13:17, 14:09, 13:12
  • ave HR: 138 BPM - within my target range
  • elevation gain: 837 ft (corrected)
  • route: Western Ridge Trail, Rock Creek National Park
  • comments: I did seven 20-sec uphill strides after the run was complete. This route is good for that, since it immediately goes uphill from the trailhead!
  • comments: The trail was very muddy. The stepping stones through the small creek were all submerged, so got my feet soaked out and back from that. The rain soaked the rest of me. It was an adventure.
  • Photos:
    
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Sunday before dinner:

• 150 min LR on trail
  • T+D 69, no effect, T 45 F. WC 36 F - very windy! A bit of snow in the last few minutes
  • time: 2:30:00
  • distance: 11.53 mi
  • average pace: 13:01 (GAP ave pace 12:40)
  • splits: 13:07, 13:06, 12:40, 12:54, 12:02, 12:43, 12:24, 13:08, 12:50, 13:42, 13:46, 14:33
  • ave HR: 143 BPM - below my target range
  • elevation gain: 858 ft (corrected)
  • route: Seneca Greenway Trail
  • comments: This is a really great average pace for me on this trail! It was still quite muddy, which made for a lot of slipping and sliding.
  • comments: I took 1.5 L water + Nuun and ate two Honey Stinger waffles and one serving of M&Ms.

Health

Still have the patellofemoral knee pain. Still taping. Still doing PT, but because of busyness with work, I didn't do it as much this week as I would've liked.

On the plus side, I haven't had many issues this week with back-of-knee pain that I suspect is due to past hyperextension. Wearing the knee brace during running and tennis seems to be helping with that, apparently.

 

[superchime]

Looks like a beautiful place to run, but ooh that mud!

 

[Scootin'By]

comments: The trail was very muddy. The stepping stones through the small creek were all submerged, so got my feet soaked out and back from that. The rain soaked the rest of me. It was an adventure.

It almost looks like you were running in fall as opposed to late winter. Saturday was a super wet day! Yuck.

 

[azrivest]

Good job on running through those creeks in the rain! At 49F brrr it can get cold...

 

[avondale]

Week of Mar. 11 - 17, 2024

This was the eighth week of my 13-week training plan for the Tour de Dodge 27k on April 20. This was a cut-back week, well-scheduled because I knew it would be very busy at work and also that I was going to be traveling for spring break. Also, we're up to 38 runners registered for the 27k!

So...this was a pretty horrible week. I've already posted about stress and lovely hormones making things extra bad. Then on Friday morning I got my first shingles vaccination. By evening, I was feeling a bit off. Saturday morning, I definitely felt sick. Three of the students in my class had recently caught covid, so I suspected it was that, but I tested negative. Then my husband helpfully researched that my symptoms were all in line with a "grade 3" reaction to the shingles vaccination: swelling/pain at the injection site, headache, fatigue, nasal congestion, muscle soreness - basically like a cold or mild covid except the swelling.

The good news about that is that it meant I could still drive to visit my mother, sister, and her son in PA for a few days over spring break, as planned. The bad news is that I felt like crap. (To be clear: better than getting shingles!)

But fortunately I had planned for this to be a cut-back week, so that helped a bit.

Monday

• Before breakfast: Knee PT
  • 4 x 10 - half-squats
  • 2 x 15 each side with 5-s hold - side leg raises
  • 2 x 15 each side with 5-s hold - fire hydrants
  • 2 x 15 each side with 5-s hold - banded clamshells
  • 2 x 15 ball bridges with 3-s hold
• After work:
  • Hill repeat HIIT: 13min easy + 3 x [7 x (20sec sprint uphill + 20sec walk downhill) + 4min walk downhill]
    • T+D 75, no effect, T 53 F
    • time: 40:01
    • distance: 2.97 mi
    • repeat splits: 8:35, 9:10, 9:26, 8:52, 8:47, 9:19, 9:30, 8:14, 8:50, 8:44, 8:33, 8:49, 9:09, 9:12, 7:52, 8:36, 8:34, 8:31, 8:41, 9:16, 9:32
    • elevation gain: 197 ft (corrected)
    • route: neighborhood loop 1
    • comments: I take these splits with a huge grain of salt! I think they were too short for the GPS to necessarily track well. The point was to be going all-out. I was sprinting uphill, then turning and walking downhill for about 15 sec before using the last 5 sec of walking to get turned around uphill again. It takes me 7 intervals to get to the top of the hill, and so that's when I have the 4-min walk back down to the bottom.

Tuesday

• Before breakfast: Knee PT
  • 4 x 10 - half-squats
  • 2 x 15 each side with 5-s hold - side leg raises
  • 2 x 15 each side with 5-s hold - fire hydrants
  • 2 x 15 each side with 5-s hold - banded clamshells
  • 2 x 15 ball bridges with 3-s hold
• After work:
  • 50 min easy on trail
    • T+D 106, 0.5% effect, T 73 F
    • time: 50:01
    • distance: 3.95 mi
    • average pace: 12:40 (GAP ave pace 12:28)
    • splits: 12:48, 12:24, 13:12 12:14
    • ave HR: 138 BPM - within my target range
    • elevation gain: 228 ft (corrected)
    • route: Valley Trail, Rock Creek National Park

Wednesday

• Before breakfast: Knee PT
  • 4 x 10 - half-squats
  • 2 x 15 each side with 5-s hold - side leg raises
  • 2 x 15 each side with 5-s hold - fire hydrants
  • 2 x 15 each side with 5-s hold - banded clamshells
  • 2 x 15 ball bridges with 3-s hold
• In evening: 2-hr tennis doubles round-robin

Thursday after work:

• 50 min tempo intervals on trail: 11 min easy + 4 x (6 min tempo effort + 1 min walk) + 11 min easy
  • T+D 111, 1% effect, T 75 F
  • time: 50:01
  • distance: 4.39 mi
  • tempo splits: 9:57, 10:34, 9:58, 9:21
  • elevation gain: 294 ft (corrected)
  • route: Northwest Branch Trail
  • comments: I was really happy with the tempo intervals on this run - I haven't done tempo effort on a trail in a long time.
  • comments: But I "cheated" a bit because one of my TAs messaged me a bunch of questions, so I had a bunch of extra rest breaks.

Friday after dinner: walking on treadmill

• time: 44:28
• distance: 2.46 mi
• ave pace: 18:04
• incline: 3%

Saturday before breakfast:

• 70 min easy on trail
  • T+D 84, no effect, T 47 F
  • time: 1:10:00
  • distance: 4.88 mi
  • average pace: 14:21 (GAP ave pace 13:30)
  • splits: 14:17, 15:12, 14:29, 14:28, 13:11
  • ave HR: 135 BPM - within my target range
  • elevation gain: 688 ft (corrected)
  • route: Western Ridge Trail, Rock Creek National Park
  • comments: I had already cut back this run a bit so that I could do it without eating before so that I could get started on my drive to family early. But then when I woke up feeling crappy, I was glad I had cut it back and I took it REALLY easy.

Sunday before lunch:

• 90 min easy
  • At start, T+D 71, no effect, T 38 F, WC 32 F. At end, T+D 74, no effect, T 45 F, WC 39 F.
  • time: 1:30:00
  • distance: 7.66 mi
  • average pace: 11:45 (GAP ave pace 11:50)
  • splits: 12:013, 11:47, 11:49, 11:30, 11:44, 11:43, 11:37, 11;53
  • ave HR: 129 BPM - within my target range
  • elevation gain: 99 ft (not corrected)
  • route: Allegheny River Trail
  • comments: It had been raining in the morning, which turned to light snow. The snow ended literally 5 minutes before I started my run. Then the clouds broke up and it turned mostly sunny for most of my run. The weather turned out to be pretty great!
  • comments: I cut this back from 110 min to 90 min and from long run effort to easy effort because I was still feeling really crappy. This was a good idea because the run ended up feeling really, really good. At least during the run I didn't feel quite so crappy! And since the weather turned out to be perfect, that was a bonus.
  • comments: I took 1.5L of water + Nuun.
  • comments: The Allegheny River trail (that I ran on) intersects the Sandy Creek Trail at the Belmar Bridge. I stopped by the bridge to climb up (67 stairs) and enjoy the views. The trails used to be railroad tracks. The Belmar Bridge was built in 1907 and trains used it until the 1980s.
  • comments: My VO2max went up a point! I've been thinking that it should, but kind of funny that it happened while I've got this stupid vaccine reaction going on.

Health

So...obviously I'm dealing with the side effects of the shingles vaccination. Apparently I'm going to be someone who is super sensitive to all vaccinations. What a pain in the neck.

Still working on the knee PT, but no real improvement. But not worse.

 

[jmasgat]

I feel you on the shingles. When I had mine, it was the sorest my arm ever felt with a vaccination (well, except the old version of Tetanus, which apparently I could not tolerate at all) It took a longer while to feel better. And oh joy, you get to do it twice!

But definitely better than shingles, which at least 2 of my sisters have had,

 

[Scootin'By]

Oof. That doesn't sound very fun. I had a mild reaction to my COVID vax, but like you said, better than catching actual COVID.

I hope you feel better soon!

 

[avondale]

except the old version of Tetanus

Thank you for saying that! I remember years ago (but when I was out of school) that I got a Tetanus update that just KILLED my arm - I could barely lift it! So much so that I really planned it out when I eventually needed the next one...and it was so much easier. I thought that somehow I just had a different reaction to it, but I bet it was different vaccine types and I didn't realize it.

I had a mild reaction to my COVID vax

I've had a pretty strong reaction to every COVID vaccination (both Pfizer and Moderna) except the very, very first one. Apparently I am going to be lucky with vaccines that way, it seems.

Thanks both of you for the good wishes!