Training of 6/16 through 6/22

Calf problems again... The positive is that this is my partner in crime :-)

M- AM- 3 miles flat- kind of limping, calf raises, Sauna Routine
PM- 1 mi flat- limping bad, had to stop

T- AM- 3 mile hill loop- started out really liming, then warmed up on 2nd, by third it was done..
hurts to walk; Sauna Routine * Woke up, Cant Turn head to LEFT!*

PM- chiropractor for neck- no luck- lifted. Got P

W AM- Got Massage for calf from Kym
PM- lifted, Sauna

TH- Emergency appt with Steve- Calf bad- lifted after, Sauna Routine- still cant turn head
PM- Lifted again/ excercises

F- AM- Sauna, lifted- still cant turn head
PM- Nada

Sa- STeve Worked Calf- Saunar outine
PM- walked 3 miles on tred- 10%incline, 3.5 mph- seemed to loosen calf some

Su- AM- rubbed my calf really hard for awhile, the ran 3 mi flat
PM- calf on fire- 0

Total 13 miles

Training for 6/9 - 6/15

M- AM- 3 miles quick- L calf very strained; Sauna routine- leg really hurting, and making me limp unless i go fast...

PM- 3 miles very quick q/jay- 102 degrees

T- AM- 4 mi easy- limping- Sauna Routine- car accident- wrecked my car AGAIN
PM- 5.5 miles- *WORKOUT*:
12 min warm up ( limping)
12 x 35 sec on w/ 2:30 rest on trail- w/ Jay biking/timing
5 min cool down

W- 3 miles quick
PM- Jay worked my calf hard- then 4 miles

Th- AM- woke up, calf terrible!!!! 3 miles ( BARELY!!!) Sauna Routine
PM- calf raises, lifted, 0 ran

F- AM- 3 miles on hill loop to test calf- felt awful but better on hills than flat
PM- Sauna Routine, 3 mile hill loop

Sa- AM- 3 mi hill loop, calf raises, Sauna routine- STEVE worked calf
PM- 3 miles on NCR w Jay- dying

Su- AM- 3 mi hill loop
PM- 3 mi in Cockesyviille, Sauna Routine, Calf raises

TOtal- 43.5 miles

Progress Pics for June 17, 2008- Second Week of Cutting

My calf is officially shot. No biking, no elliptical, no walking, and no pool because my lower back is also out.

So since I couldnt work out this morning I took some progress pics.... here are a few- starting with me with a mouthful of beef jerky at 6 am : ) I did a TON of lifting while I was injured... mentally it was great, but now its time to get rid of the excess that I dont need to run. So, after my relaxing vacation at the beach, I decided to start my cutting on June 1. Its only 2 weeks in, but I can already tell a difference....

My Sauna Routine

Lately I've had a few people ask me why I like to go in the sauna...

The most important advice that I have for anyone coming back from such a serious and long injury is to remember- You're a RUNNER FIRST. Everything else is secondary. As for the excercises I do in the sauna, they're mandatory for reparing things that I have that are weak. The things you do should be specific for your body and injuries. Why the sauna??? The sauna has so many benefits, besides boosting your immune system by inducing a fever like state to your body, it also helps create that nice loobed up heat that relaxes your muscles, and bowels. Your body pushes out extra toxins, and raises your metaboloism. Although you'll gain back any water weight you've lost, the benefits from the sweating, the deep stretching, and the increased circulation are far worth it.

Oh yeah- Jays cute : )

Training for 6/2- 6/8/2008- hey im not as slow as i thought

This was my second week of rhythm running. Again, the goal isnt speed, just getting a feel for pace and helping my lower back to lock in. My runs are still very short because of my calves. Unfortunately, after the first two track sessioins on a tight asphault track in South Carolina last week, I've got a bad calf strain on my left calf, which is the same one I pulled this spring. Its my weaker, and also a second slower on my runs according to Jay and Audain.

With the same amount of effort, running solo in the hot MD heat- my 400's stayed between 76 and 78 this week, while my 200's stayed between 33 and 35. Both paces felt very comfortable, and susatainable. I jogged all my rests and felt good throughout except for my pesky calf. In fact, its been so irritated that we ran them all backwards on the track to switch my inside leg.

M- AM- 3 miles - L calf v. irritated; Sauna Routine
PM- 3 miles- " "

T- AM- 3 miles- L calf hurting--> soaked in the river for 20 minutes---> Sauna Routine
PM- TRACK WORKOUT
10 x 200's w/2 min rest; 12 min w/up, No cool down ( I was late to show property!)

W- AM- 3 mi- L Calf same
PM- 0- worked very late- iced instead

Th- AM- 6 mi easy, Sauna Routine
PM- 4 mi easy, ACUPUNCTURE

F- AM- 3 mi easy- L calf still really hurting, Sauna Routine
PM- TRACK WORKOUT- 5 pm 96 degrees
12 min w/up
5 x 400's- 2:30 rest- ( The plan was to do 10 of these, but from the start I was only using my right leg... i thought maybe the left would warm up and start to help out, but by number 5 I was having bad IT pain on the rt, and new it was time to salvage what I had)
No C/down

Sa- AM- 4 mi- fast!
STEVE AUDAIN- add knee to chest 2 min reps; calf raises to routine
PM- 3 mi w/Jay- hard on both of us to get through- 99 degrees, heat index of 110- we definitly went tubing down the Gunpowder River for 2 hours afterwards!

SU- AM- 6 Miles- ( the goal was to run 8, but i started out feeling nauseous and dehydrated, most likely from Saturday, I paused at mile 5, then ran to mile 6 where some kid thought I was dying, biked back to her parents and trucked me up water. hehe- After that I had to do the WALK OF SHAME 2 miles back to my car.

PM- 3 miles- I needed redemption from the morning- ran VERY fast at 9 30 pm along the railroad tracks- very scary, felt like I was in an episode of Unsolved Mysteries or Americas Most wanted- take your pick...

TOTAL- 50 miles, with the L calf becomming a real problem

Working Together

This week marks a transitional period in my training. I'm about 50% recovered, and starting to work on the track, with an upcoming 2 mile race that we'll use as a time trial, and a goal of a timed mile in August. It will take the rest of '08 to slowly keep coming back, but the first part of slugging out 20 min "runs" is behind me, and now some fun can begin.

At this point, Jay Lavalley- http://www.jaysonjo.com/ , is taking over my coaching. Jay and I have a long history together, and every year we seem to grow a little closer, and a little stronger. Jay stuck it out with me while I went through a really hard couple of years recently. Although we've never been afraid of testing one another, the dynamic of our realtionship has never taken on the one of coach and athlete. The last ten years of my injuries have been frusterating enough for us both... I wasnt able to utilize his running advice even though I wanted to.

Its funny, but everything seems to be naturally falling into place. Having Jay take over my training, discussing which races we want to run, and when and why we do certain workouts is not only exciting and extremely motivating for me, but also just feels right. Jay has always supported me, but this new territory is already bringing us closer. It requires trust, faith, honesty and commitment from both of us. I'm humbled and honored that he would spend the time to use his own knowledge, expiereince in the sport, and innate training skills to help me.

Theres so much more to say, but I j ust wanted to break from my usual format to aknwledge the beginning of what I can already tell is going to be an intense, not always easy, but most certainly rewarding venture for Jay and Myself.

5/26- 6/1- FIRST WEEK OF TRACK WORK

Saturday I drove 13 hours to the beach, and this week of vacation also marked my first week running on a track since the Spring of 2003. The puprose of this weeks workouts werent to see how fast I could go, or to begin developing speed. Instead, Audain wanted me to start learning a rhythm, and to utilize 200 repeats, and 400 repeats to begin to do this. He wanted them run "easy, like a walk," he said. He suggested I run the 400s at 90 seconds, and the 200's at 45 seconds. Even though I did NOT want to run these slower times, I decided to be a good patient and follow his instructions. This proved to be harder than I thought. Jay came to time me and tape me, and over and over as I would come through my half way markers I would hear " SLOW DOWN"... It was also frusterating considering I had an audience of sorts, and another female, late 20's doing the SAME 200 workout as me... I hated to think that they were sizing me up, and imagining this to be my best effort... but, I knew I had to run my own workout and not race.

Mon- AM- feeling stiff 6 am- 12 min warm up jog- no drills or stretching
8 x 400's- avg. 86 sec
12 min cool down

PM- 4 mi run w/ Jay biking next to me- felt really full all day

Tue AM 3 mi, abs
PM- 3 mi run w Jay biking next to me

Wed AM- at the track early- 12 min warm up
10 x 200's- jogged 200 rest - avg. 37
10 min cool down- L calf really hurting

Thu AM- 3 mi- L Shin really hurting, ABS
PM- 4 mi w Jay on the bike :-)

Fri AM- 3 mi- Sore- ABS
PM- drove 13 hours home

SAt- AM- 6 mi easy
*STEVE*- jay came and we played him our video- and I've posted the new shots ( me in blue shorts)
PM- 5 mi- Sauna Routine- SO GREATFUL for STEVE AUDAIN

Sun- AM- 8 mile ALD- this was disasterous!- my leg was awful- I stoped at 6 miles to stretch calf, and again at 7- ran like a lug...

TOTAL- 47 miles

Week of 5/19- 5/25 more catch up

The goal of this week was to "focus on bounce." According to Audain, my lower back is about 60% healed, and we're still waiting for the calves to come in. So the goal was to do two hill workouts this week, "start pushing my long run out to an hour, and run as quickly as possible but only with BOUNCE," and to really focus on using my calves and feet on every run.

Mon AM- 3 mile- focus on bounce! Sauna routine
PM- very tired- stop and napped at Jays,
LIFTED 1 hour- Extremely tired, napped again til late- Off from running

Tue AM- 6 mi- good bounce- Sauna routine
PM- stomach problems- rested

Wed AM- 6 mi- good bounce
PM- HILL WORKOUT- 1.5 mi warm up, 11 x hill repeats ( 30 sec) 1.5 mi cool down
Sauna Routine

Thu AM- 6 mi- good bounce
PM-Sams graduation- 0

Fri- AM- HILL WORKOUT- 1.5 mi w.up, 10 x hill repeats 1.5 C.D.
* STEVE*
Sauna Routine
PM- *ACUPUNCTURE*, 6 miles easy

Sat AM- 8 mi ALD( aerobic long distance) sore bicep
PM- drove 13 hours to the beach!!!!! w/ jay :-D

Sun- AM- 3 miles easy- Abs on deck
PM- 4 miles w/ Jay- kind of sore, feeling full

TOTAL- 49 miles

Week of 5/12-5/18 catch up

Mon AM- 3 mi, sauna routine
PM- 3 mi of hills

Tue AM- 4 mi flat, sauna routine
PM- 3 mi flat

Wed AM- 3 mi HILL WORKOUT- 1.5 hilly warm up, then 6 x hills ( 30-34sec) 1.5 hilly cool down
PM- 3 mi flat

Thu AM- 3 mi Flat- Quicker run with Bikers!!!, Sauna routine
PM- 3 mi hilly in dark

Fri AM- 3 mi hilly- MONSOON
PM- 3 mile TEMPO on tredmill- mile 1- 6:00, mile 2, 6:00, mile 3:-6:50- haha :-), Sauna routin, * ACUPUNCTURE*

Sat AM- 3 mile warm up flat
* STEVE*
PM- 3 mi flat, Sauna routine

Su AM- 4 miles easy- flat, Sauna routine
PM- 3 mi- VERY FAST

TOTAL: 44 miles