Monday: REST
Went to the doctor for a routine physical. Got a TDAP vaccine which knocked me out. Good thing this was a cutback week. Silver lining: after what seemed like them taking all my blood for tests, I received a clean bill of health.
Tuesday: REST
My arm hurt ridiculously bad from the vaccination. I'm talking like searing pain when trying to put on my jacket.Decided the best thing was to take my other rest day.
Wednesday: Easy
Intended 5, cut to 3 because I felt like crap. For the usual "easy" pace, the effort was off the charts. I took this as a cue to just hop off the tread and go home. Felt feverish and overheated too.
Thursday: 5 Tempo miles at 7:24, Total 7 Miles.
Still felt off. The effort seemed too much for the pace, but pushed through to finish this one. Never realized the TDAP would knock me out like this. I dont remember this happening before.
Friday: Easy 4
Felt much better, but still mildly feverish.
Saturday: Easy 5 with the pup.
Actually ran outside for this one. It was in the mid 20's and not much wind so I took CBdog out for an easy 5. Felt pretty good just enjoying the lakefront with the pup. There were loads of ice patches which we had to stop and walk through- didn't want to slip. We side 5'd Jenny which instantly uplifted the "meh" feeling i've been in the whole week.
Sunday: Long run 12 miles, 1:37
Got up early and hit the tread. Had a lot of anxiety for this run given how the rest of the week went. The miles ticked off quickly and it felt great to just relax and enjoy the dark 58 degree gym. I couldnt get the TV to work so I didn't watch the gold medal hockey game, but instead was left to deal with my own thoughts which was exactly what I needed. Progressively splitted the run all with a 1% incline. Felt great.
Last Sunday we celebrated the 2nd birthday of our friend's incredibly cute daughter.
Workout thoughts:
The cutback week couldn't have come at a better time. This week was just full of "MEH." I only did one strength session- just my legs because my arm was f*cked and because I felt like shit. The meltdown I went through this week didn't really help things either. A call with Coach B really helped me put things in perspective and how cutting back on miles or even bailing on a workout wouldn't hurt me for the marathon. Better to be smart now than prolong the crappy feelings and wear myself out further. I'll also get back on the strength training routine this week.
Before the snow on Monday.
Other Stuff.
I mentioned to the Doctor that after eating my stomach hurts intermittently. This has been going on at least 4-5 years now and I had just assumed it was from eating fast or something dumb like that (because I couldn't find a clear trigger and seriously doubt it's caused by gluten). The doctor showed some concern and suggested I eliminate Gluten for a week, and then dairy for a week to rule out possible Celiac or Gluten intolerance/sensitivity since my symptoms mimicked those issues. I eat about 90% non-processed food usually (and not much dairy), so I started the GF as soon as I left the doctor thinking this would be "easy". Because I hadn't gone food shopping, I was starting to stress about "hidden" gluten in the foods I was buying for lunch. As the days passed, and my arm continued to hurt, and the fever continued to be present, and I worked to insure I wasn't consuming gluten (wanted to give this GF week a good effort) I was starting to lose it.
I finally broke down on Thursday and came to terms with why the hell i just "accepted" for so long that I feel bad after eating sometimes. This also meant acknowledging I have some issue that needs to get sorted out and the enormity of that hit me like a bag of bricks. Good news, I doubt it's gluten. And I already avoid cow milk because I know it makes me feel funky. There's a list of foods the doctor gave me which some people cannot digest properly (FODMAP) which causes symptoms very similar to mine. Many of the foods on the "list to limit" are foods I regularly consume. So i'll be extra vigilant to notice if I feel crappy after eating any of those foods... So far i'm 80% convinced avocados and pistachios are giving me grief. And that makes me a little sad if indeed avocados are causing it because they are my favorite.
I picked up my glasses this week. WOW. For not having major vision problems asides from astigmatism and slightly less than 20/20, my vision with the glasses has gone from analog to HD! So much more crisp.
More thoughtsThe weather hasn't really been helping with my mood either. I always looked forward to running outside on the weekends, but since it's been way too cold, I won't jeopardize my health anymore and now must keep my runs inside. I love being outside, but this winter is slowly killing me.
MELT AND GO AWAY!
Shoes & Happier stuffI just got a new pair of Newton Distance shoes and was all in love at first run on Friday with them. I'm hoping they will be my marathon shoe in 5 weeks. I'll decide soon once I've done a few longer runs in them. They fit more snugly than the older model so that concerns me a little.
Newton Distance aka Pumped up kicks. I'm in love.
Running with CB on Saturday was nice. To see him so happy melted my heart and helped lift me out of the funk I've been experiencing. It was also beautiful out, minus the ice.
Why yes, that's a huge sheet of ice behind CB. FUN.
Final Thoughts
With 5 weeks to go until Knoxville, I'm excited. Like really really excited to get out of Chicago for a few days and see my mom again.
I know every run and every week cannot all be OMG RAINBOW GLITTER FARTING PONIES, so i'll tuck this week away and start fresh again tomorrow. There's no sense in dwelling on the past for these kinds of things, and I've already analyzed the workouts to the Nth degree to figure out what happened (the TDAP vaccine + possible cold). Learning from days or weeks like this (if possible) helps give me a peace of mind that I will continue to have good runs and good race days if I keep things consistent.
Where the eff has time gone?
5 Weeks to go COWABUNGA!
-xaar
