This last week I’ve found myself asking, when do I begin to train with purpose? When do I consider myself recovered enough to even considering myself training? When can I stop telling people I’m recovering and am “just training”? I still don’t really have an answer for that honestly.
I desperately want to say I’m “just” running and “just” training. I don’t want explain I’m recovering from injuries. That being said this week has been a pretty good week for running. I’ve felt decent the entire during each run.
During the day my foot has felt slightly achy in both the point of fracture and all over. The thought of running fast (right now) makes me cringe. I tried to visualize myself racing and I just had the thought of my bone breaking into one million pieces (That probably isn’t the best visualization to have).
That being said my runs are ticking off at a decent progression. I’m still not concerned with pace. I’m concerned with keeping it consistent and time on my feet. I have talked to several people and professionals about the possibilities of the ache in my foot. There are many possibilities such as a dull ache of a bone break, my bone reforming or even tendonitis. It hasn’t changed my gait and it sounds like it’s normal “running post fracture ache”.
The advice I was given was keep it consistent and if your foot pain changes, we will reevaluate you. All in all I was very happy with my week of training. I think I’m more paranoid than anything else honestly.
| Monday: 4.25 miles |
| Tuesday: 4.25 miles |
| Wednesday: 6.42 miles (1 hour of running) |
| Thursday: Rest |
| Friday: 4.25 miles |
| Saturday: 5 miles |
| Sunday: 7.2 miles (65 mins of running) |
| Total: 31 miles |
Goals for next week:
It’s hard for me to believe next week it will be mid November. I had hoped to have a “test” race sometime soon but I think I’m going to continue to keep my training relaxed. I am recovering a lot slower than I would liked or predicted but that is how some injuries go. I’m not upset and I’m starting to feel strong and confident as a runner.
Next week I hope I’ll be around 35 miles (around being key). I am hoping for a 70-75 minute long run next week as well. I’m going to integrate cross training as well as strength work back into my running. I’m also getting a deep tissue massage tomorrow which I look forward too.
Questions for you:
Are you running for mileage or time?
What was your best workout of the week?
Oh Hollie, I hear you! I am struggling right now without any set plan (other than London in April) to shoot towards, I also decided I would test my hamstring this week, and it wasnt ready, so had to take a few steps back, and I only ran a few 6:30s! Argh! I hear you! But lets do this together, stay patient, listen to our gut feelings, and believe that when it is time, we will be able to get back out there!
I know that paranoid feeling when returning from injury! I don’t think I’ve ever really completely shaken that feeling. I’m tapering now, and, I don’t know what my training focus will be after this marathon. Hopefully relax and stop feeling the pressure. That deep tissue massage should be awesome!
I think you are being really smart – around this sort of mileage is when I would start to think about training again, but you know when you are ready and to take it slow! Progress is moving! My best workout was also my hardest – 34 miles yesterday!
34 miles in one run…so I guess you could get all my running done next week with just one run 😉
I think it’s totally normal to be very, very aware of the area that was injured when you’re coming back from an injury. It sounds like you’re being incredibly smart and cautious and I really respect that about you – some people come back and want to immediately start doing speed work, or just run too fast in general. I’m so happy that you’re up to 30+ miles per week with no real pain!
I kind of do a mix between running for mileage and running for time. I think time-based training really helps me keep easy runs easy. It takes away the incentive to run a little too fast because there is no way you can get done sooner!
I love long runs for time. I never did that before until I started running this time and doing everything in minutes but it’s so much easier to know how long I’ll be out from the start!
It still sounds as though you’re making good progress. With any kind of fracture there are inevitably phantom aches and pains that can really make you question your recovery, but I’m sure you’re still doing well. I definitely found it hard to push myself (before my latest round of injury) in the time between all of my pelvic stress fractures and when I was racing again. Every now and then I still get weird twinges and panic about them! Mental recovery is definitely as hard as physical recovery when it comes to bone-related injuries in particular.
I’ve never been able to run for time…I just see myself speeding up or slowing down beyond the pace I should be running just to finish within a certain time limit. I can see how it works well for others though – I’ll just always be a mileage girl at heart 😉
xxx
I think I’ve bounced back from feeling confident and not mentally this go around. It’s been the hardest (for sure) to come back that way.
I run by distance, not time. It would bug me way too much not knowing how far I ran!
All of my runs this weeks were pretty bad. I have to see a physical therapist this week, but I’m pretty sure I have compartment syndrome in my right leg. It feels exactly how my left leg did this summer. But I have made some good “friends” at the gym.
Hollie – I think you are doing great … and think that the tentative return is really smart.
For me, foremost in my mind is always that I am running for the love and joy of running. Pace and distance are just constructs we put out there. They are not essential things, merely subservient to our love of running.
We love running, so we run far; we love the wind in our face and feeling of effort, so we push ourselves harder and faster.
Keep running smart … and everything else will fall in place.
Since I am not training right now for any runs, I am doing a little bit of both mileage and time…Kind of just depends on how I feel that day. Best workout of the week was one that I’m posting Wednesday…So flipping sore, but in a good way! 😉
Sounds like you are getting the miles up there! and safely! I hope the foot keeps up.
My best workout of the week was yesterday. I ran an impromptu half marathon (ok, 13.1 mile training run alone) and PRed it. This is what happens when you never run half marathon races, lol. You PR training runs.
I was so paranoid coming back from injury. I almost think it’s worse than being injured because you always have this thought at the back of your mind that you have re-injured yourself or hurt something else. One Monday, my shins hurt after a tempo run and I was freaking out. It wasn’t bad, just a slight pain. I thought it was a stress fracture. Then I thought back and I ran the connector that Saturday and realized it was probably the downhill and impact, but the thought that I had stress fractured something was on my mind all night. It’s hard because the sport of running, especially racing, can be uncomfortable and hurt… and you have to re-learn how to tell hurt from possible injury :(. My foot’s healed from the stress reaction, but my mental state still has its moments… even 6 months later.
I agree that I sometimes think the injury comeback is just as bad (if not worse). That’s awesome about your training run Amy!
Really hope you can get rid of that discomfort and get back into having girls in your rear view in races!
This past Friday my city had our first snow. I had planned a run with a friend at 11AM (we thought it would be the best time of day). That time ended up being the heaviest part of the snow. It was AWESOME! A great way to welcome the season. That was my best workout of the week 🙂 Good to hear about your running. Soon you’ll be racking up marathons like a boss
I also have no answer for that… it’s a tough reply sometimes. I hear you. On one side it would be nice to say you are “just training”. On the other side, you are recovering from x. It might be a slow recovery from the injury buuuuut you are progressing forward which in the long outlook it what matters!!!! I’m glad you are feeling better and stronger/more confident as a runner 🙂
I definitely think that you have the right approach. Right now, you should just focus on being careful with your body–not treating it as delicate or whatever, but just really listening to it and working it to get stronger. And in my mind, that means that flexibility should be the basis of what you are doing. Once you are happy with your foundation, then you can start to stipulate things, but until then, just build up while staying healthy!
I’m running between 25 and 30-ish miles per week now (like last week, I did 27 and change), and my coach has me doing a mix of running for mileage and time. And does cross training mean swimming? 🙂
That looks like a nice week. I hope your aches turn out to be nothing other then healing!
I’ve actually gotten more and more interested in running for tomatoes it might be something fun to play around with this winter.