Saturday, April 9, 2011

Run Run Run Pool Run!

All week I have been breaking in my new shoes- so springy, so bouncy! I couldn't wait to get a run in today! I almost wanted to run up and down the stairs at work (but I refrained myself- still not allowed to do stairs, plus I'd look reallllly weird!)

Since Mo had to be at work at 8 (on a saturday - gross!) I met her at 6 AM to do our run...she only had 60 min, but I had 70+60 in the pool, so I figured doing at least half with her would make it more bearable. Plus, transitioning to pool running takes time, so it all adds up. It was nice to be back home by 9:30, though getting up at 5:30 on a Saturday was less than desirable...

We started out a little too fast for a slow long run, but finally settled into a good pace and I did 7.4 miles. Not bad! After the run, I rolled out my calves, hoping to avoid pool charley horses...my right calf was pretty tight so I focused on it more.

Pool run for 60 min today-- 'go with the music' was my instruction. So, I alternated fast pace, slow pace, and I have to say it actually went by pretty fast. I watched people swim, trying to see if I could use them to improve my own stroke. I kept some jelly beans on the pool deck because I was super hungry as well, so I rewarded myself with one every 25 min. When I first got in the water, my legs were aching from the run, but as the time went by they started feeling better and better... I got a few charley horses in my left leg, but not until at least 40 min had past. So, I made sure to roll both calves really well when I was done. I think the rolling in between has helped- I'll definitely make sure to budget time in to do that next weekend!

As replying to a comment I got on pool running on my last post, I did a google search looking for a specific article I had previously read (but didn't find) and found this other post that talks about pool running as a recovery after a marathon or hard races, which I didn't really think about before. After my experience today, that makes a lot of sense. My legs always FEEL good after the pool run (charley horses aside). I also read that speed workouts in the pool do not directly translate to speedy running, but at least help with endurance (and help the workouts to go faster!).

I have my first actual running "speed" workout since my tendinitis diagnosis on Tuesday. I am looking forward to running fast, but I am also nervous about how my speed has waned during this time...

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