Hamstrung: Week of 2-10-14 to 2-16-14

Last week my running was literally and figuratively hamstrung.  I ended up taking my first day off since January 1st and my first official injured day since sometime in 2012.  My left hamstring that had been sore and sometimes worse from the week prior, was not getting better so I shut it down.  I ran easy the next day and it felt okay.  I then nervously ran long the next day and it held up great and is now a non-issue.  This horrible winter weather was the other limiting factor on my running.  Three snowstorms during the week.  That was on top of the already thick snow cover.  This leaves not many exciting options for running.  I can go to the indoor track.  I can run with snowshoes, but not far.  I can try running on shoulder-less roads with sketchy footing.  Somehow I was able to salvage a 50 mile week. 

Monday:  7 miles - Wakefield/Narragansett roads and icy bike path with the WTAC crew.  Pre-celebration run for the Super 5K team victory.  My hamstring was sore from the race the day before, but I was happy to run with friends on a sneaky cold afternoon. 



Tuesday: 7 miles - Ryan Park snowshoe run alone. I ran two trail loops on the western side of the park. I enjoyed the solitude and focus required on snowshoes. 



Wednesday: 7 miles - URI Indoor Track workout alone. I ran a one mile warm up and then did 5 miles @ T-pace (adjusted for time). My total time for the 5 miles was 30:09. One mile cool down. I was happy that I could hit the target pace without much effort. However, my hamstring was biting the entire time, and I gutted through the pain (since it wasn't getting worse).  Icing afterwards seems to help. Total time: 46:05. 

Thursday: 0 - injury day (and snow day). I debated a short snowshoe run from my house, but Galoob talked me out of it. More icing the hamstring.

Friday: 6 miles - Saunderstown roads with Galoob. We met up at the park and ride on Rte 1A and then headed down Snuff Mill Road. We stopped briefly to chat with Sandals, who was in his driveway. I was nervous about my hamstring, but it held up well. The overall pace was easy, but the effort seemed a little harder to me (probably feeling the effects of Wednesday's workout in them). 



Saturday: 17 miles - Chariho hilly road loop with the WTAC crew (8 of us!). I was nervous about this run. I hadn't run longer than an hour and a half in quite some time. I wasn't sure if my hamstring (now feeling almost 100% normal) could hold up. I was afraid Jeff and FiveK would push the pace to something I couldn't maintain. Luckily, I was the one planning the route, so I picked one that had a bunch of big hills in it. It also had options to make it shorter, and that's what FiveK, Garvin, and Nate chose to do. The rest of us (Jeff, Muddy, Mike B, Seth, and myself) did the long version. The pace was fine and like magic, my body felt better as time went on. I was enjoying chugging up the hills. I had no issues with my hamstring. Energy-wise I was fine. This run, besides being super fun, was a confidence builder. I still have plenty of fitness. I'm healthy again. 



Sunday: 6 miles - local hilly, snowy roads alone with Yaktrax. After a snowy night replacing chromium with Muddy and Co., I somehow had enough willpower to run in the morning.  The roads were plowed, but were still covered with snow and ice. These are actually the perfect conditions for Yaktrax. I ran the 4 mile hilly loop from my house and decided to tack on some more mileage (and hills), as I was feeling good. 



Weekly Total: 50 miles
Last Week: 47 miles
Year to Date: 374 miles
February Total: 115 miles