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I hope your week is starting off well! Although I miss Colorado Springs, the weather here in Chicago is making it much easier to be back!
Sunday was my sister-in-law, Lauren’s, birthday!
Lauren always says her birthday is in a gloomy month, but not this year! And isn’t Molly adorable? She was also enjoying the weather. And she loved celebrating her first Saint Patrick’s Day:
Hahahahaha this photo made me die laughing when I saw it. I wanted to plaster it everywhere for everyone to see! How adorable is she? Love her.
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Monday morning I decided that I wouldn’t do my first workout for Phase 2 of Best Body Bootcamp, but that I’d take a rest day. I realized I hadn’t taken a real rest day in almost 2 weeks and after my long and painful 12 mile run Sunday, I needed a day off. My morning classes were cancelled (okay, okay, I skipped one) so I decided to enjoy the weather and go on a long walk!
Check out my new water resistant jacket my mom got me! I was also wearing my purple compression socks… lookin’ good.
I recently got the Instagram app on my phone because I was so curious! Here are my pictures from my walk:
After my walk, I showered up, ate breakfast and headed to class. Can we please note what I’m NOT wearing. Any guesses?
A COAT! I am not wearing a giant fluffy coat and I am not even wearing a jacket! It felt so weird to go to school without even a jacket, but that’s how nice it was! High of 78! Craziness. (We could also note the frizzy hair and squinty eyes, the not so great effects of sun and heat).
I even got an ICED green tea (unsweetened) at Starbucks!
So I mentioned earlier in this post that I had a rough run on Sunday. That’s the nicest way to put it… I was really ready for this run. I’d had a lot of bad runs but I woke up Sunday with my legs feeling good and the anticipation that a week at almost 7,000ft altitude would make the run easier.
Unfortunately, several things went wrong. First of all, I didn’t realize how much the heat would affect me. It was about 63 when I set out and 72 when I finished. I had my camelbak, wore sunscreen and wore a hat, but I wasn’t hydrated enough, especially after flying and getting home at 10pm the night before. The heat was a lot and I felt pretty exhausted.
Also, at about mile 5, my knee started to really hurt. It gave me some trouble on my long run in Newberry last week, but it was much worse this week. It’s not the joint, but it’s the spot behind my knee on the inner side, where a muscle connects. Bending it makes it 10 times worse. I thought about turning around and going home, but at that point I was almost at my turnaround and I had no way to get home but my own two feet.
I pushed through and finished the run in just under 2 hours, for a pace of about 9:56 min/mile. Although not bad, that was my BEST effort, not just taking it easy. I was so frustrated and exhausted when I finished that I just wanted to cry. Unfortunately there was a huge crowd from a Shamrock run, so I had to walk back to my apartment tear-free.
My knee actually kept hurting all day Sunday, kept me awake at night, and still hurt Monday. It improved with my walk and stretching out a bit, but I really hope it doesn’t become a big issue. I texted my cousin, Allie, and she made me feel SO MUCH BETTER.
She reminded me that bad long runs are totally normal and that at this point, I’ve gotten through the toughest part of my training. She also told me I should start tapering now. I’d planned on following my schedule and completing another 12 miler next week, but now I realize that’s just crazy. My body is burnt out and I need to start my taper now so I’m prepared for race day! She also said eating well and extra sleep is key. I’m all about extra sleep!
For the next week and a half I’m going to focus on Best Body Bootcamp, getting rest, and doing some shorter runs for my tapering, around 3-6 miles. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders! Hopefully I’ll be pumped for the race, rather than dreading it!
Have you ever experienced training burnout? What did you do?
Ideas for my knee pain?
