Thursday, September 3, 2009

Week 3 – Day 4, 5, & 6 (Why isn’t this getting easier?)

Week 3 instruction: Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds), Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds), Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes), Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)

Day 4 – 8/27
Run time: 25:30
Run Distance: 1.61 miles
Ave Pace: 15:50/mi

Day 5 – 8/30
Run time: 30:47
Run Distance: 1.89 miles Ave Pace: 16:15/mi

Day 6 – 9/1
Run time: 26:03
Run Distance: 1.60 miles
Ave Pace: 16:18/mi

C (my sister) and I repeated week 3 this past week. We can do all of the required running intervals but all three days really sucked. It was nice and cool, almost chilly on day 3, so it definitely wasn’t the weather. We didn’t want to go on any of the days but it is much easier to go when we both are accountable to each other. I felt mostly tired and uncomfortable each day, ranging from ok at the beginning to “ugh, I’m gonna die” at the end.

The third day my right knee and shin really started to hurt by the end of the last run. I pushed through though so it couldn’t have been too bad. That night my knee was not feeling good at all but it was almost completely better by the next day.

On Day 3 I upped my crunches to 100 and my wall push-ups to 40. I read recently to stretch between sets of push-ups so I’m going to change it to sets of 15 with a stretch in between.

I’m annoyed that this past week sucked so much. It's really discouraging.

I went back and read my archives from this spring and it seems that this same number of weeks in (which was week 2.1 last time) was pretty bad for me then as well. Maybe there is something to that. I dunno…

Tonight we start Week 4. I hope it gets better soon.

6 comments:

  1. You are doing great! I am so jealous you can get out and run! Sorry about the shin pain- I really think that is the WORST! After these boys come you are going to have to be my trainer-from-afar. :)

    Thanks for the album recommendation. I had just read a good review of that album. Big hugs!

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  2. BTW, I have a ridiculous fascination with feeding your fish. Too.much.time.on.my.hands!!!

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  3. Does your energy level have anything to do with what part of your cycle you're in?

    Hope your shins stop giving you problems - I recommend an epsom salt bath :).

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  4. Gorgeous pictures of the wedding!
    It's not getting any easier because it's not supposed to! If it were easy everyone would do it. Its getting harder because you are pushing yourself more. That's what makes it worth it!! Just keep pushing!! Before you know it you can run 3 miles without stopping! It will still be hard - but it will feel SOOO amazing!!

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  5. Good for you for keeping with it! The first few weeks are always the hardest. If you can keep it up in a couple of weeks it'll start feeling like a habit and be easier and easier for you. Way to go!!

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  6. If it's any consolation, as a runner myself, I still have days like this, but you have a lot less of them once you've been doing it a long time. Like you mentioned about fighting through it - keep pushing, it'll get better:-)

    On the shin pain, if it keeps up, look at getting new runners. I find I always get shin splints when my runners are wearing thin.

    On the knee pain, most likely it's nothing and you should push through - my knee always hurts after a run, and it's always gone the next day. BUT... don't ignore it. Mine had gotten to a point of real REAL pain after runs, like BAD, so I went to a physiotherapist who gave me a massage ball to work with. I now do stretches after every run that focus on my knee, and that seems to keep it fine? Ie. Not a bad injury, but something that's more "fragile" so I have to do stuff for.

    Good luck!

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