So the IT was on my mind big time before I went out for my run. The pain is now similar to what it was last summer, so I had a little bit of trepidation as I went outside. I tried to make sure I was a little better hydrated and warm. I took my time getting ready and walked to my starting point.
The pain was almost immediate along the left side of my leg between my knee and ankle. I told myself to stay slow and keep going until the first mile was complete, then I would stretch and walk a bit. I did the same stretch my sports doc told me to do last summer and walked for maybe two blocks before I started again. While I turned off the watch when I was stretching, I did leave it on for the walking so as not to mess up my true time too bad.
The pain did not really diminish, so I just decided I was going to do what I could and hope for the best. The pain stayed solid until around mile 4. I am not sure if I was just getting used to it, or if it subsided a little, but the rest of the run definitely went much better. Found a nice rhythm and was able to stay with it.
By the time I hit the 7 mile mark, I noticed my pace was around 10:06 per mile. I was pretty pleased, and wondered if I could get to my goal pace of 9:40 per mile for the whole run. So I started to push myself to see what I had left. I had more in the tank than I would have thought. I charged up the big .4 mile hill and kept chugging along, picking up speed as the hill started to decline. By the time I hit the stopping traffic light about .7 miles from home, my pace calculated at 9:50 per mile. I had to cross two ways and forgot to stop the watch in between so that jacked my pace back to 9:52. I knew I probably couldn't make the time up, but decided to do what I could. By the time I reached home the pace listed as 9 minutes and 42 seconds. My time was 1 hr 27 minutes 25 seconds....9.00 miles. So if I would have stopped it at the light, I think I would have been solid on my goal pace. The run was not easy...but an amazing confidence booster that I can run with this pain...again. And truthfully...it was a lot of fun. Thanks for reading!
PS - Hey Jon, how is Boston training going?
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Good run, Sean! Nice to periodically check your ability to hit the goal pace (especially when you have to pick it up at the end of a long to get there!), but don't do it too often. I hope that IT loosens up -- it sure would be nice for you to train without worrying about it. Too bad you can't find a route with fewer cars and stoplights -- those are definitely recurring themes in your posts!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for asking -- Boston training is cranked up big time. 20 day running streak of at least 4 miles per day since 12/28. Over 60 miles each of past two weeks, with near 70 planned with a 19 long this week. I'm traveling the next three weeks after this one for work, so I've accelerated the plan a bit anticipating troubles. I'll be in NYC for a week, then Dallas for two. Bummer.