Training Log Archive: TomN

Approx 10 min warm-up jog to track and a couple laps with strides.

Interval workout at Einstein track with Addie. I guessed at VDOT 33 for her, which says 2:11 for 400m. She did 4x400 in 1:53, 1:53, 1:48, 2:05. (~2 min walk between). The first two were with me pacing. The third I ran in 1:40 and she went off too fast, confused by my pace. I think she's probably at VDOT 35, which would put her at 27:00 for 5K. But she hasn't raced recently, and hasn't really run well in past races.

I ran 6x400 in 1:53, 1:53, 1:39, 1:38, 1:36, 1:39.

Approx 10 min cool-down jog back home.

Greenbelt Park Perimeter Trail. Meant to cut off at the park HQ onto the Blueberry Trail, but spaced out and didn't notice I had missed it until I hit the marshes at the south end. OK, nice day, legs feeling tired.

Drumm loop again.

Met Mei-An coming out of the house as I was going in, turned around and accompanied her to the bus stop, jogged back.

Another lap around the Drumm Loop. A little faster than last time. There seems to be some improvement in the glute injury, but it sure has been a longer process than I expected. Let's review: the injury occurred on April 11 during an interval workout, but I didn't feel it at all when it happened, and it only gradually emerged into my consciousness after that. I didn't take it seriously enough even to record it here until 5 days later. I gave it a couple of weeks and ran a 2-mile race on April 17. That aggravated it and then I knew there was a problem. From what I've read, it seems to be a minor gluteal tear.

It's basically been rest and light running since then (OK, and a couple of orienteering meets). The upper hamstring is noticeably tight. I've been stretching, and doing the sitting-on-a-tennis ball exercise, but probably not enough of either one.

There has been weird pain in the affected leg, something like sciatica, but probably not actual sciatica. Sort of a wooden feeling running all the way down the leg, from the upper posterior to the lower lateral. Early on, it would happen when walking, then in the last couple of months only when running or stretching. In mid-July, I took 2 weeks off with no running, but still did some walking.

Today's run started out fine, but by 3 miles there was some discomfort in the affected leg, not in the region of the injury but lower down, in the hamstring and calf. I interpret it as an improvement. It's less wooden and more like weekend-warrior muscle soreness. No soreness in the actual region of the injury.

Core strength and stretching.

Drumm loop, easy run.

Perimeter Trail at Greenbelt Park, with a cutoff on Blueberry Trail to shorten it up a little.