avondale training journal, starting Dec. 2018 (comments welcome)

[Naomeri]

Great job!!

 

[DopeyBadger]

 

[michigandergirl]

Nice work!!

 

[avondale]

Congratulations, way to smash your goal! All that hill training paid off!

Thank you! I was definitely glad I did all the hill work.

Awesome job! Wow that's a lot of hills

Thanks! And honestly, I'm still at kind of the entry-level of hill training for a lot of trail races. Most have a lot more.

Congratulations! Don't you just love when a race goes well?

Thanks! And YES!

Wowowow! Great job!

Thank you!

Congrats on a well-run race!

Thanks so much!

Congrats on a great race!

Many thanks.

Great job. I know you prefer that weather but definitely cold for me. Glad it worked out for you and sounds like you had a terrific race. How is the knee holding up?

Thanks! This was a tad cold for me, but really it worked out ok. One of the biggest bummers with the cold is that I can't really hang out for long afterward, because I know my body temp is going to crash.

The knee is actually ok - no worse, certainly. It's a bit odd to have gone through a 25k-ish training plan with lots of hills and have the knee get better during that time, but I'll take it. I'm hoping my two weeks of from running will really help, too.

Great job!!

Thanks a bunch!

Thanks!

Nice work!!

Thanks so much!

 

[avondale]

Week of Apr. 21 - 28, 2024

This was the first of two weeks off from running after my trail race on April 20 (see above in this training log).

My husband and I are going to Hawaii for two weeks in June and will be doing a lot of hiking, so we are going to start working on that around home.

Sunday afternoon: walk outside

• time: 46:39
• distance: 2.2 mi
• ave pace: 21:14
• comments: Flew in from Wisconsin, had to do laundry, etc., and took a walk for steps.

Monday

• After work: walk outside
  • time: 10:50
  • distance: 0.54 mi
  • ave pace: 20:15
  • comments: To get enough steps for the day.
• Evening: 2-hr tennis doubles match - my partner and I lost 6-1, 6-1. I really shouldn't have been playing because I had zero energy, but we didn't have anyone else.

Tuesday after work: walk outside

• time: 1:00:14
• distance: 2.95 mi
• ave pace: 20:25

Wednesday after work: walk outside

• time: 1:02:34
• distance: 3.05 mi
• ave pace: 20:32

Thursday

• Before breakfast: core workout
  • 60-sec plank
  • 20 starfish
  • 20 dead bugs
  • 20 bird dogs
  • 20 each side flutter kicks
  • 20 bicycle crunches with hold
  • 5 10-sec hollow-body holds
  • 2 30-sec side planks
  • 20 double leg lift/lowers
• After work: walk on treadmill
  • time: 43:35
  • distance: 2.22 mi
  • ave pace: 19:38
  • incline: 2%

Friday

• Before breakfast: core workout
  • 60-sec plank
  • 20 starfish
  • 20 dead bugs
  • 20 bird dogs
  • 20 each side flutter kicks
  • 20 bicycle crunches with hold
  • 5 10-sec hollow-body holds
  • 2 30-sec side planks
  • 20 double leg lift/lowers
• After work: walk outside
  • time: 57:51
  • distance: 2.86 mi
  • ave pace: 20:09

Saturday

• After breakfast: 90-min tennis doubles practice
• Before lunch: walk on treadmill
  • time: 24:47
  • distance: 1.26 mi
  • ave pace: 19:40
  • incline: 0%
  • comments: to get enough steps

Sunday: hike!

• T 79 F
• time: 2:46:05
• distance: 6.24 mi
• ave pace: 26:38
• elevation gain: 1260 ft (corrected)
• route: Sugarloaf Mountain in Maryland

Health

Well, the knees are the question. They were feeling pretty good after the race, all things considered. The hike did a number on them, especially the downhill, since the Appalachians have so much "stair-step" hiking with all the rocks. Inclines without "steps" are much better, especially for downhill. I've been putting of going to real PT for them, but now that work is getting less busy, I need to go.

Oddly, I seem to have pulled my left anterior deltoid during the race because it has been quite sore since then. Think lifting your arm for jumping-jacks, but there are all kinds of everyday moves that I notice it for. Hopefully it will work out soon. Tennis does not help it.

 

[garneska]

Bummer on the knee. I have not hiked in a long time (also have not run in a long time). Once we can start again (when mom is less demanding), i already said we need to start with not too much elevation. I prefer hiking the AT and yeah that might not be so good yet. Are you wearing a brace? I am not wearing one. I did ask the Dr and my PT and they both went don't bother. My dr said it wont help much but will make my knee hot and PT does not want me relying on a brace. I am hoping i can hike the elevation and run at some point.

 

[avondale]

Bummer on the knee. I have not hiked in a long time (also have not run in a long time). Once we can start again (when mom is less demanding), i already said we need to start with not too much elevation. I prefer hiking the AT and yeah that might not be so good yet. Are you wearing a brace? I am not wearing one. I did ask the Dr and my PT and they both went don't bother. My dr said it wont help much but will make my knee hot and PT does not want me relying on a brace. I am hoping i can hike the elevation and run at some point.

The knees are patellofemoral pain (runner's knee), which is kneecap alignment issues. There aren't really braces that help with that. I do find that kinesio tape can help, and I was doing that for my long training runs - I forgot to with the hike.

The issue with the tape is that sweating can make the tape start to peel off, so it's obviously less effective. I had been taping the knee caps as usual, and then covering them with a strip of tape going all around my knee to try to keep the peeling from happening - seemed to be moderately effective.

 

[avondale]

Photos from Tour de Dodge!

My trail race had free photos. You can see that I didn't work very hard to make good photos.

The first two images were while I was hiking an uphill section on the back half of the course. It was before I tripped and fell because my knees are clean. You can tell I was really excited here.

The last two photos are from the finish. You can't see it unless you zoom in, but I've got salt crusted on my neck - it was 37 F with a windchill below freezing, keep in mind! At least I look excited in the last one!

 

[superchime]

Now what kind of race puts a photographer at the top of an uphill section? That's just mean.

 

[nancipants]

Now what kind of race puts a photographer at the top of an uphill section? That's just mean.

Sounds like something Lazarus Lake would do.

 

[garneska]

Great pics. I am so happy for you.

As for the knees, while i ask you how they are, i know we don't really have the same issues. I have dealt with runner's knee in the past. My best suggestion is therapy. I did really good with therapy for many years. I am jealous of the hiking in Hawaii. It should be awesome. Can't wait to see pics. Going to live vicariously through you till i can get back to it.

 

[avondale]

Week of Apr. 29 - May 5, 2024

This was the second of two weeks off from running after my trail race on April 20 (see above in this training log).

Monday

• Before breakfast: core workout - cut short for time
  • 60-sec plank
  • 20 starfish
  • 20 dead bugs
  • 20 bird dogs
  • 20 each side flutter kicks
  • 20 bicycle crunches with hold
• After work: walking outside
  • time: 53:19
  • distance: 2.63 mi
  • ave pace: 20:18

Tuesday

• Before breakfast: Workout 1
  • 3 x 5 suitcase squats with 50 lb + 20-lb vest
  • superset
    • 3 x 5 lateral pull-downs with 42-lb bands
    • 3 x 5 bench presses with 50 lb
  • 3 x 5 Romanian deadlifts with 50 lb
  • superset
    • 3 x 5 shoulder presses with 30 lb
    • 3 x 5 band pull-aparts with 13-lb bands
  • comments: I hadn't done this workout for over 2 months, so I back way off on the weights. Also, my stupid tweaked left anterior deltoid made me go even lighter on the shoulder presses.
• After work: walking on treadmill
  • time: 57:39
  • distance: 3.2 mi
  • ave pace: 18:01
  • incline: 2%

Wednesday

• Before breakfast: core workout
  • 60-sec plank
  • 20 starfish
  • 20 dead bugs
  • 20 bird dogs
  • 20 each side flutter kicks
  • 20 bicycle crunches with hold
  • 5 10-sec hollow-body holds
  • 2 30-sec side planks
  • 20 double leg lift/lowers
• After work: outside walking
  • time: 43:26
  • distance: 2.2 mi
  • ave pace: 19:42

Thursday

• Before breakfast: Workout 2
  • 3 x 5 each leg - one-leg squats on bench
  • superset
    • 3 x 5 each arm - one-arm rows on bench
    • 3 x 5 push-ups with 20-lb vest
  • 3 x 5 assisted glute-ham raises
  • superset
    • 3 x 5 parallel-bar dips
    • 3 x 5 supermans with 5-s hold
  • comments: My left knee has lost a lot of strength, and so I really couldn't do the one-leg squats on the left, even without weights.

Friday after work: walk on treadmill

• time: 1:00:00
• distance: 3.36 mi
• ave pace: 17:51
• incline: 3%

Saturday - rained all day

• Before lunch:
  • HIIT workout: warm-up + 3 x [(20 sec on + 20 sec rest) + 4 min rest]. Exercises:
    • high knees
    • push-ups
    • left/right hops
    • mountain climbers
    • fast feet forward/back
    • plank-ups
    • forward/back hops
    • fast feet in/out
  • P90X3 Ab Ripper X - I had P90X3 on DVD, but this didn't come with the set, so I finally tried it on streaming. Very hard! Also complicated.
• Before dinner: walking on treadmill - while watching Star Wars: Episode IX
  • time: 2:13:38
  • distance: 7.65 mi
  • ave pace: 17:28
  • incline:
    • 30 min at 5%
    • 30 min at 4%
    • 30 min at 3%
    • 15 min at 2%
    • 15 min at 1%
    • rest at 0%

Sunday

• Before lunch: P90X2 X2 Core - had to modify a lot for my knees
• Before dinner:
  • 40 min easy on trail
    • T+D 131, 2.5% effect, T 67 F - rained all weekend, so very muddy and humid
    • time: 40:07
    • distance: 3.01 mi
    • average pace: 13:19 (GAP ave pace 12:56)
    • splits: 13:11, 13:44, 13:02, 12:50
    • ave HR: 134 BPM - within my target range
    • elevation gain: 212 ft (corrected)
    • route: Valley Trail, Rock Creek National Park
    • comments: My first run since my race two weeks ago, and my Garmin helpfully suggests that I do a 2-hour long run. Umm....no.
    • comments: In the photo below, I thought the sign on the tree was going to be for a lost pet. I had to get quite close to read it. "WARNING: at least 2 snakes are living in this hollow tree." THEN, I looked to the right, and almost jumped out of my skin!
    • 

Health

I don't think my knees are getting any worse, but I've really been discovering this week how much strength I have lost in my left knee, whatever has happened to it. I will hopefully be getting started on PT for it this week.

My dumb left anterior delt tweak is still just annoying. I think it's improving - it's just one of those muscles that is apparently used for all sorts of silly moves, and now they are annoying.