[Runners] Week 6 - Bad Runs

I had a tough run just yesterday - it wasn't bad per se, I finished my workout a couple seconds off pace, it just felt hard. Taking today off since I think it's a sign that I need some extra rest - just need to survive my long run tomorrow and then I'm taking a cutback next week.

  • My most recent horrific awful runs were at the end of January. I went out for my midweek 8 miler from work on a Thursday, started feeling unexpected IT band-related knee twinges around mile 3. Stopped and stretched a bit a few times, made it to 4.8 miles before I had to give up and walk to the nearest bus stop - fortunately I had my student ID on me, otherwise I'd have been walking the 2+ miles back. I was dressed for a run, not for waiting in the cold, so by the time I got back to the lab I was so cold I was shaking on top of being mentally defeated. Gave my leg a few days off, did some stretching and foam rolling, all was fine while walking so I went out to run a few days later thinking it would be fine. At mile 2.7 the pain was so abrupt and awful that I couldn't move forward anymore. The shortest way home was still another 2 miles and it was 17 degrees out. I walked down the street sobbing for a minute, ended up alternating fast running (mid-low 7:00 pace) with walking recoveries to get home as quickly as possible without freezing since going fast for short bursts hurt way less than trying to move at my usual easy pace.

  • Got home and cried for a few minutes, got mad, called to set up an appointment with a PT to get myself fixed and back on track with HM training, and emailed my coach to let him know what was going on. Being proactive instead of denying that I had an injury or taking a wait-and-see approach definitely helped me feel less defeated by my stupid body.

  • I learned that a good PT is worth their weight in gold, and just keeping up with a few really simple strength exercises/activating the glutes is all I have to do to keep the IT bands happy. I love lifting heavy, but jumping back into that too quickly on top of my running schedule was more than my legs could handle this time around.

/r/90daysgoal Thread