Achilles Ankles

I tried to start again on C25K last week.  I have a lot to say about this but not a lot of time to say it, so I'll save it for another entry.  I trained for my first 5K mostly OTP (off the program), running when I felt like it and walking when I needed a rest.  I ran my 5K that same way.  After I ran the 5K I started back on the C25K program.  With that reasoning, and the idea that anything is better than blatant inactivity, I am going to

Problem:  My ankles KILL me when I try to run on the program.  I guess it's all the hills here, and the unnatural pace that the program forces.  My method now is to run on all the flat parts, half the down-hills,  and the last little bit of the uphills.  I'm going to keep doing this until it feels comfortable and easy, and then I will gradually increase.  When I can run for several minutes without ankle pain, I'm going to start on the structured program again and train for a 5K.

In the meantime, genius athletes out there, what do you think I should do about my poor ankles to help them along?

Legacy Pains

I'm back on the ball - I worked out three times last week in total because although I added a day of weight training, I left off a day of running.  My bad.  I guess I'm just not ready for that yet.  Maybe I'll just wait until the running stuff becomes easy.

Speaking of running coming easy, it definitely didn't tonight.  I had the same ankle problems today that I did during the Lavender 5K over the summer.  I feel fine now (as I did that day) but it was really annoying when I was going through it.  The pain really climaxed during the end of the first five-minute burst of running, and it was then that I turned off the C25K app and just ran/walked at my own pace.  I still did almost 2 miles, but it wasn't as much as if I had stayed on the plan. 

I am going to try dynamic stretching on Wednesday and see if that solves some of my problems, and probably stay on Week 4 for another week and a half.  This is where I start hitting walls, much as I would like to NOT hit them right now.  

It kind of put me in a bad mood, which was even worse because today is Valentine's Day and everyone just assumed I was bitter.  Really, no.  But running is the thing that normally makes me feel good, and today I felt defeated by it.  I'm recovering, though, and it's nothing a viewing of some sappy romantic movie before bed can't remedy.  :)

Updating Goals

I feel good so far about how I've been consistent for the past week.  I missed swimming on Thursday but ended up swimming on Saturday instead, not because I felt like I needed to but because I was in the mood to do it.  And I haven't missed one day of running yet!  In fact, I've been racking up the miles, and now that I'm pretty much right at 100 miles, I'm pushing the bar up a little further to 150 miles.  Right now I'm running six or seven miles a week, but before nine weeks is up I'll (hopefully) be up to running 9 per week.

One goal I have right now is to continue the Couch to 5K program and to stick with it exactly.  Run the program by the book on the road three times per week without skipping or lingering.  I was highly tempted to linger on week 1, but I tried day 1 week 2 yesterday and hardly even felt challenged.

Another goal is to be able to swim one mile without stopping. I'd like that goal to happen about the time I'm able to run 3 miles in 30 minutes.  The first step is to get to one mile in a single session.  At the Golds Gym lap pool that's 66 pool lengths, or 33 laps.  I swam 20 laps on Tuesday and Thursday last week, so this week I'm going to try swimming 21 laps.  My time per lap is dramatically decreasing as I go along, so hopefully by the time I get to swimming a mile nonstop I'll be doing it also in a reasonable amount of time.

Related to that goal, I want to eventually learn how to turn around smoothly at the end of the pool to eliminate the necessity to stop at the end of the lane to start again.  Right now it's fine because I usually need the rest anyway, but I think it'll be helpful to have more experience with continuous swimming as I get better at it.

And yes, you guessed it right.  I'm considering a mini-triathlon next summer.

Oh, and while I'm here, a little side-note.  I am way too clumsy be a professional athlete - I fell down the stairs at home yesterday and twisted my ankle pretty bad.  It's all swollen and hurty today, so running tomorrow may be nixed.  It is annoying that every time I start trying to get in shape I hurt myself!

Nixing the Gym

I woke up this morning feeling like I had already lifted weights for several hours, so I skipped weight training at the gym.  I feel like running and swimming are enough for now.  When that becomes easy for me, I'll start lifting weights.  I sense that doing all of it at once is a little too much too fast.

But I ran again this morning.  Not much to say about it.  It's getting chilly out, reminding me that my days of running comfortably outside are numbered.  I still had sweat dripping off of me, so I guess I have a few more weeks before it gets chilly enough to bring a jacket.  Hm my ankles felt better today, but there were still some moments of discomfort.  The workout seemed easier today, so I will probably forge ahead with week 2 on Monday instead of lingering on week 1 as I predicted after my workout on Monday.  I also seem to remember that the first time working through C25K I doubted that I could do the upcoming week, and then I did it without difficulty.  I'm going to be okay.  Maybe I should make it my policy to "when in doubt, just do it."  And if I can't, I can always retreat to the previous week without shame because I TRIED!

I have very few negative things to say about Strands, but their iPhone app crashed on me this morning during the last five minutes of my run, and that sucked.  The mileage for today was therefore a wild guess based on previous days of running similar routes...

Oh, and I got a trophy on Strands for MILEAGE.  Imagine that!  I haven't even been tracking my mileage on strands for that long.  I guess swimming and running together add up.  Now I'm obsessed with getting another trophy on there!

Okay, roomie is out of the shower, so it's time to get ready for work.

New Beginnings

It's a new semester, and I have all sorts of resolutions.  First and foremost, I want to start writing on here every day, whether I run/swim or not.  But I need to be running or swimming every day, because that's another goal I have.

This morning I started over from square one with the C25K program.  I've been off it long enough that I felt like I needed to.  It was refreshing to be running again, but my body complained quite a bit, particularly my ankles.  Sometimes they burn bad, and sometimes they feel fine.  I wish I could know what I'm doing differently to make such a difference in how I feel.

After running I went to Golds to lift weights.  It was a nice feeling to already be done working out before I even started my day, although my alarm clock going off this morning was particularly unpleasant.  I hit the snooze button longer than I should have, which I will have to work on improving in the next week or so so I can go to work on time while I'm exercising.

Day 3: By Small and Simple Means

By small and simple means are great things brought to pass. I've decided that that statement is true, but possibly could be amended to end with the phrase, "through consistency." I'm really proud of myself for persevering this far, even on a Monday. Of course, allowing myself to work out in the evening hours also helps. It's really not the most efficient way of doing it, but I'm trying to let go of efficiency for the sake of my sanity and personal progress.

I had a little tiny bit of "pain" in my left ankle near minute 20 of my workout today. Just thought that was notable. It wasn't really painful, but there was pulling that shouldn't have been there. I stopped for a second, rotated my ankle a few times, and that didn't really hurt. I just think my ankle muscles aren't used to this sort of activity.

Lucky for me, in physical therapy with me is a girl with shin splints, and I've been spying on her exercises. I'm sure whatever you do to repair shin splints would also be great to prevent them... I'm going to do ankle-strengthening exercises with my exercise band on my off-days starting tomorrow, and hopefully that will prepare me for the abuse that lies ahead.

Day 3:

5 min warm-up walk (3.1 mph)

60 seconds running (4.1 mph)

90 seconds walking (3.1 mph)

35 min., 2.0% incline, treadmill at Gold's Gym in Provo

Distance Traveled: 1.99 miles

Total Distance: 5.91 miles