They Don't Call Me Lucky for Nothing

My past few days have consisted of little more than this…

…and this…

Let’s backtrack, shall we?

I had a 13-miler scheduled for this past Saturday.  Seeing how a friend has just about talked me into doing the Hairy Gorilla Half Marathon, I decided that I needed to get some trail runs in.  So, I got up before 6AM, ate, and headed down to Green Lakes for a 13-mile trail run. 

Everything was great at first.  I watched the sun rise as I ran through the cool woods and dew-covered fields.  I felt at peace and happy to be alive and running.  As I ran into a thick grove of trees about three miles in, I accidentally found myself on private property, so I quickly turned and headed back.  As I was heading back, there was a fallen tree in the middle of the path.  I had leaped over it effortlessly on my way out, but this time, my left ankle caught the log and twisted.  I let out a yelp as a sharp pain hit my ankle.  I stopped running, and stood still for a minute.  I rotated my ankle clockwise and counterclockwise, and the pain began to dissipate.  I decided to keep on running.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

I completed the rest of my 13 miles without incident, but it was a hard run, and not just because of my ankle.  I should really have done the smart thing and worked in some shorter trail runs first, but obviously, I didn’t.  The next day, my ankle and left shin were in horrendous pain, not to mention my normal post-long run aches and pains all seemed magnified.  I went for a long bike ride (and popped a tire about 2 miles from home) and danced my tail off at my friend’s wedding that day, but I paid for it.  I decided to take Monday off from exercise to let my leg heal.  Tuesday rolled around, and while my leg felt better, I decided to give it another day off and make up my Tuesday run.

On Wednesday, I woke up feeling congested, but chalked it up to allergies.  By 10AM, I felt horribly congested and achy, so I left work early.  Here it is Thursday, and I still feel like poop, and I’m home from work again.  Needless to say, no running will be happening tonight.  The good news is that my leg now feels almost 100%–it must have been a minor sprain, but I probably wouldn’t have rested it as well as I should have if I hadn’t gotten sick.

I’m hoping I’ll be feeling well enough to get my weekend long run in, but it will likely be a play by ear situation.  In the grand scheme of things, missing a few workouts isn’t a big deal.  But given my history of injuries, I may need to modify my plan in order to get back on track without getting hurt.

And with that, I leave you with my wrap-up for the two weeks before this one:

• Monday, 8/24: 45min elliptical + abs
• Tuesday, 8/25: 4×1200 @6:26-6:31/mi, 6mi total (47:30, 7:55/mi)
• Wednesday, 8/26: 45min elliptical
• Thursday, 8/27: 5mi tempo @7:22/mi, 6mi total (46:18, 7:42/mi) + abs
• Friday, 8/28: Rest
• Saturday, 8/29: 12.2mi (1:42:01, 8:21/mi)
• Sunday, 8/30: Rest
• TOTAL MILEAGE: 24.2 miles

And the next week:

• Monday, 8/31: 45min arc trainer + abs
• Tuesday, 9/1: 6×800 @6:18-6:30/mi, 6mi total (47:00, 7:50/mi)
• Wednesday, 9/2: 50min bike (10.0mi, 4:58/mi)
• Thursday, 8/27: 7mi tempo @7:34/mi, 8.02mi total (1:02:12, 7:45/mi) + abs
• Friday, 8/28: Rest
• Saturday, 8/29: ~13.5mi (2:02:03, 9:00/mi) <– This is a best guess…my Garmin didn’t handle the woods too well, so this is based on how far I think that I ran.
• Sunday, 8/30: 83min bike (15.43mi, 5:22/mi) <–I had to ride the last two miles on a flat tire, hence the slower pace.
• TOTAL MILEAGE: 27.52 miles

Let’s hope that my unlucky streak is over and I can get back to normal as soon as possible.