Funny story. Turns out that faint nagging pain in my lower right abdominals appears to be a strained oblique muscle, which has caused pretty significant discomfort on the entire right side of my pelvis – front and side of my hip and gluteals. I noticed it about 3 weeks ago, but it didn’t seem to be getting worse and I didn’t feel it while running, so I trained through it (this approach works for me most of the time…). But Tuesday of this week I did an easy 6 mile trail run and the abs/hip hurt the entire time, and so I knew the only option was to back the hell off.
And so thia week was quite different in scale and ambition then the week before: Tu – 6 mile easy trail run with significant discomfort + RETURN TO THE BEND ROCK GYM!!! Which is weird and scary but also comforting because I apparently haven’t forgotten how to climb in 10 weeks. Now the key will be not climbing to my technical capability for awhile, because my tendons and ligaments aren’t ready. And not hyperventilating while climbing with a mask on.
Th – climb
F – multiple walks
Sa – mobility and strength work (lower body, core while being careful to not overstress the obliques)
Su – easy 5 mile trail run/walk – sort of did 5 minute run, 5 minute walk intervals. Obliques definitely not 100% but seem to be improving with rest.
top row: Going To Valhalla…Witness and Donkey Goggles (the OGs) bottom row: Schrodinger’s Saigon Jade (the Runways)
Goodr Sunglasses; $24-35. Five styles! Kick-ass colors!! Cheap AF!!! One of my favorite things about these sunglasses, in addition to the multiple positive points noted above, is the super catchy name assigned to each color. PLUS: they do not slip while running, even with a super sweaty face. I have three pairs, and I’m doing everything to resist buying some Circle Gs (the newest style), but I’m not made of stone.
Sweaty Bands; $15. If you’re in need of a non-slip, not too tight but not too loose headband, check out the many styles available at Sweaty Bands. The ultra bright orange is my race day go-to, but I also have a smaller metallic gold band for the days when I need to feel like Wonder Woman. These are machine washable (I recommend you use a mesh garment bag) and last forever – I’ve had my orange one for 8 years and it’s not stretched out at all.
Oiselle Firecracker Earband; currently on sale for $14. Love love love this lightweight option for keeping your ears warm on cold or windy days. I find this is a better option for me than a stocking cap, as it lets my head breathe so I don’t get cold from really sweaty hair. I’ve worn it happily in 20-something degree training days all winter.
Stance Socks; price varies. When we moved to Central Oregon in late 2016, I immediately began having trouble with the trail socks that had worked for me in Portland, Mt Hood, and the Columbia Gorge. The volcanic soil here tears socks to pieces; I’ve had pairs from multiple brands have a toe blowout the very first time I wore them, which is super frustrating and expensive. My favorite socks now, for road and trail, both for comfort and durability (without too much blister-inducing bulk) are Stance. I can’t recall throwing a pair out yet. Bonus: they come in wild, fun, and silly prints.
Ultimate Direction Adventure Vesta 4.0 Hydration Vest; currently on sale for $112. I ran in a Unisex (which means “men’s”) Mountain Hardware vest for my first 5 years of ultra running. It served me pretty well, but I do find having a female-specific design means better fit over my clavicles and across my torso – I don’t have to wrench the front straps way down. I found this model to be the perfect porridge of accessible pockets and adequate storage without being too big. I can carry lots of water, food, and a couple layers without even noticing the weight.
Road ID; $20-40. If you’re out there running, it’s a good idea to wear some form of identification. I grew up in a superstitious family who believed that if you prepare for disaster, you can prevent it occurring; I think we have all seen in recent weeks that may in fact not be true, but still. If I’m running or skiing alone, I’ve got my Road ID band on. I also wear it now when I travel (or, when I used to travel. See also: global pandemic). This is also a great gift card to give the runner in your life.
Coalition Snow + Black Crows sittin’ on a chair lift image: Kori Barnum
Coalition Snow “Taken For Granite” All Mountain Skis; price varies. Back in the day when the mountains were open (March 13), this pair of lovelies was helping me become a solid intermediate skier in my 3rd season on the slopes.
“Coalition Snow is a woman-owned and operated ski and snowboard brand that builds the gear and the communities that unleash skills and expand experiences. We were founded in 2014 in response to the industry’s go-to strategy of “shrinking and pinking” women’s skis and snowboards. We wanted more. With decades of dedication to skiing and snowboarding between our founders, we took things into our own hands and partnered with some of the best builders around” (https://www.coalitionsnow.com/).
Tu – 9 mile road run w/4 miles at lactate threshold pace (8:20; 8:20; 8:17; 8:15)
W – 11 mile road run @ long run pace of 9:30 minute miles (today I ran ~9:20 pace)
Th – 9 mile easy trail run, out and back through Shevlin Park, 11:00 minute mile pace
F – REST
Sa – 6 mile easy trail run, different Shevlin out and back, 10:55 minute mile pace + 30 minutes mobility work + strength work for core and lower body
Su – 15 mile long run, again trying for 9:30 pace but averaging 9:20 (I’m pretty sure once I start hitting the 20 mile range, dropping down to 9:30s will happen naturally). I like this pace – easier than racing, not “hard” per se but does require me to kind of stay on it so I don’t drift slower into a more leisurely pace.
For running eternity, one of the training rules to follow was not to increase your weekly mileage volume by more than 10% per week. Staying within this limit lowered your risk of injury and allowed you to steadily gain endurance. I’ve always thought that sounded like a good idea in theory, but I’ve ignored it many a time without any issues – but I’ve also tried to do so sensibly, like running those extra miles at easy pace and on a forgiving surface like trails. Check out this article by Jason Fitzgerald to see if reconsidering the conventional wisdom might work for your goals.
2. Pretty much every recovery method isn’t really that helpful
After reading “Good to Go: What the Athlete In All Of Us Can Learn From the Strange Science of Recovery” by Christie Aschwanden (2019), I was kind of deflated. Aschwanden basically found that the only recovery tool that is proven by peer-reviewed, scientific study to give a significant boost to recovery is sleep. Specialty drinks and diets, massage, foam rolling, infrared saunas, cryotherapy, meditation – not helpful in a meaningful way to your recovery.
That said, it’s important to consider that if a particular recovery method makes you feel good and doesn’t cause any harm, there’s no reason for you to discontinue it. No one knows better than you how your body feels to you, and as we all know from the placebo effect, if you feel like something is helping you, it probably is a little, even if it’s only mental. I don’t know about you, but I need all the mental health I can get, so I will resume regular sports massage once I can. And I will definitely consider this information when I justify napping and skipping out on foam rolling.
3. Watch a running movie!
image: Wikipedia
If you’ve burned through all your streaming options, check out the Runner’s World “30 Best Running Movies Ever Made” list for some inspiration.
So this was a recovery week – low mileage, at any decision point the choice was “chill”. I’ve got 4 weeks left of “pre-training” before the “actual training” starts on June 8 for the Chicago Marathon. That adds up to two training weeks that will be pretty typical, and then two weeks of pretty low miles to get as rested as possible before I head into the 18 week training cycle.
M, W, F, Su – REST, baby, yeah.
Tu – 4 easy treadmill miles, ~10:10 pace with 1% incline. Watched some of the virtual Trail Mountain Running Film Festival. Remember when you could just shove your sweaty mitt into a bowl of M&Ms at an aid station without a care in the world? I do 🙁
Th – 5 mile easy road run, 10:24 mile pace.
Sa – 12 mile trail run with my beloved. Super easy pace, watched the miles but not the speed. Funny story – even with both of us paying attention and running on a trail system (Phil’s) that Dan has biked before, we still managed to miss a junction on the way back and added a few extra miles. Gorgeous day, close to home, no problem – but a good reminder as always that you need to vigilant in the wild.
W – REST [sick day – no work, no workouts, slept almost the entire day to the extreme joy of my kitty life coaches – after dragging my seasonal allergy suffering butt out of bed for weeks, I just. couldn’t. do. it.]
Th – 8 mile easy road run (back in the saddle, so to speak) at 10:18 mile pace
F – 10 mile SOS trail run, 10:54 average mile pace with speedwork sprinkled in of 10 x 100m repeats at 6:05-6:20 pace and 10 x 15 second hills
Sa – 6 mile easy treadmill run ~10:15 mile pace with 1% incline.
Su – 14 mile road long run. After a few warm-up miles, settled into ~9:20 mile pace (shooting for 9:30ish on long runs, so right about where I need to be). Honestly, I thought about quitting at mile 2, 4, and 7…and then was like, are you bleeding out your ears? Do you have CORONA? Do you have any valid reason to quit? I mean, seriously?! And found the answer to all those questions was a pretty firm “no”. So, to paraphrase the great Des Linden, I kept showing up. Another fine example of how just being super stubborn can get you places.
M – 4 mile easy road run, 10:14 mile pace. Neighborhood laps within a few block radius of our house, basically running down the middle of the road because the sidewalks are getting a little busy and the roads aren’t. + Recharge strength class livestreamed in the garage.
Tu – REST
W – 9 mile easy road run, 9:56 mile pace. Long loop down to the Deschutes River and back.
Th – 8 mile easy trail run, 10:55 mile pace out and back from home to the Tumalo Creek Trail in Shevlin Park.
F – 5 mile easy treadmill run, 10:15 pace. I find that although monotonous, doing some of your easy runs on the treadmill is a good way to really dial in that gentle pace and work on your form. Training for my Boston Qualifier marathon 2018, I got through 3 seasons of Empire just on easy treadmill runs – I even got caught up to the current episodes. Now I’m behind again, partway through Season 5, which is just as well, because I have many miles of easy runs ahead between now and October.
First road race of the year! Aravaipa Strong Half Marathon
Sa – Aravaipa Strong Virtual Half to benefit the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. Endless loops around our block in kind of challenging humid, windy, rainy conditions. Couldn’t hold race pace and settled for a 9:15 minute mile average. Good reminder of how tough the half marathon distance can be, something I tend to forget when training for ultras. 13.1 miles is still kinda far (I know, duh, but I forget these things).
Su – 6 easy treadmill miles, ~10:15 pace with 1% incline. “Empire” catch-up continues.
I experienced something new [to me] and fascinating at some inclusion conferences I attended last year. At the beginning of the event, someone would recognize the Native American tribal group(s) that had lived, and continue to live, in that area. As a runner, there is something about being so close to the earth, to the literal and profound connection of feet to soil, that fosters a feeling of connectivity to all who have traveled the land before you. However, this awareness feels more distant to me in my day-to-day life, and sometimes (especially at the current moment) life is so complicated, it’s hard to remember to pause and look up from your personal lived experience to see that of others.
Approaching the world through a lens of inclusion doesn’t have to be complicated or intimidating. It can begin with something as simple as a recognition of the presence of others; in this example, a recognition of the rich and varied Native American tribal presence that permeates every corner of this country, a presence that lives in our nation’s history but also in our nation’s present, in the lived experience of Native individuals who live in your town and shop at the same supermarket and run the same trails.
I recognize and honor the Native peoples who lived and ran, and who continue to live and run, on the lands of my childhood and adulthood:
Willamette Falls, Oregon City, OR image: TripAdvisor
I grew up a stone’s throw from Willamette Falls in Oregon City, OR. Although modified dramatically by the locks and mills built to power local industry, the falls still retain some natural beauty. They were a significant fishing (primarily salmon and eels) and trading location for the “original Chinookan…tribes in this area, which included bands known as Tumwaters, Clowwewallas, William’s Band, John’s Band, and others”. https://ndnhistoryresearch.com/2014/12/15/clackamas-people-of-willamette-falls/ ; Dr. David G. Lewis.
Smith Rock, OR image: Kori Barnum
My favorite place to run on the planet is in Smith Rock State Park. Nowhere do I feel more joy, peace, and connection to a higher power than at this place, which looks like it was dropped in central Oregon by the hand of god – there’s nothing else like it anywhere around. According to The Oregon Encyclopedia, “Smith Rock is the traditional homeland of several Native American groups, including the Tenino (Warm Springs) and Northern Paiute people. The Northern Paiutes referred to the environs of Smith Rock as the Animal Village, a reference to the abundance and variety of plants and animals in the area”. https://oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/smith_rock_state_park/#.Xn_cW4hKg2w
If you are interested in learning more about contemporary Native American history, I would highly recommend “The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present” by David Treuer (2019). Although the author dedicates a significant portion of the text to the pre-1890 historical record, I found this background to be a necessary foundation to better appreciating the more recent history; to be honest, much of this information was new to me even though it comprises the majority of our continent’s populated history.
For Treuer, this book “is an attempt to confront the ways we Indians ourselves understand our place in the world. Our self-regard – the vision and versions we hold of who we are and what we mean – matters greatly. We carry within us stories of our origins, and ideas about what our families, clans, and communities mean” (11). Acknowledging others is the first step towards an inclusive perspective. The second step is learning more about others – history, lived experience, cultural perspectives. The complexity of our nation’s tribal communities coupled with the hesitancy of asking questions as an outsider can make research intimidating; this text is a good place to start. It is compelling and well-written, and I struggled to put it down.
Nothing motivates better coming off an easy week than an inspiring biography…Especially with quotes like this…
M – Recharge strength class livestreamed in our garage. Nice to have a spouse that hauls a bunch of weights down from our home gym once a week so we can keep up our training. And nice to have Renee Metivier encouraging and challenging us remotely!! http://www.rechargesport.com/
Tu – 6 mile easy road run around the neighborhood at 10:12 mile pace. Starting to feel a little like a steeplechaser with all the social distancing darting around required to run safely and be a good citizen.
W – REST
Th – Shitty easy trail run. 11:25 mile pace felt like I had an elephant on my back and a vise around my heart. I hardly ever have a truly bad run, the kind where you question if somehow in the time since your last run you have lost every ounce of work you’ve ever put in to this activity and something has gone irreparably wrong, but this was definitely one of those runs. Meh.
F – 9 mile SOS road run w/7 miles at marathon pace (8:45), although I averaged 8:36 (8:36, 8:37, 8:38, 8:33, 8:38, 8:39, 8:31). Yep, less than 24 hours after a run that made me question my life choices, I had a glorious tempo workout that made me happy to be alive. Life, what can you do?
Sa – 12 mile easy trail/road combo run with my beloved, 11:34 mile pace. Tried a couple new trails in the Shevlin Park system. + 30 minutes of mobility and core work.
Su – 7 mile SOS general aerobic w/10 x 10 second hill repeats and 10 x 100m repeats (my pace varied much more than normal on these, 5:45-6:30 mile pace) – probably a little tired and a lot allergic. + 1 hour walk through Shevlin Park with Meagan.
Total running miles: 40
Meditated 7 out of 7 days (funny story, I think I also fell asleep during 7 out of 7 of these meditation sessions. Putting in the work as best I can at the moment)
It was an easy running week, trying to remember to sandwich some chill time in before I start the official training for the Chicago Marathon on June 8. I actually have to write reminders in my planner to chill. And sometimes even with that it takes significant effort to NOT employ significant effort. Sigh.
M – REST
Tu – 5 easy trail miles @ 10:36 mile pace on the Cascade Highlands Trail. Sunny.
W – 5 mile SOS Lactate Threshold run, with 4 miles at ~8:11 mile pace (8:07, 8:11, 8:10, 8:14). Seasonal allergies got me gasping, especially that last LT mile. Trying to frame that within the perspective of gratitude that it’s allergies and not COVID-19.
Th – REST
F- 12 mile trail long run easy pace (11:46 mile average). Shevlin Loop – Mrazec on a hot, sunny, achingly beautiful day. I could smell the warm pine, see the bluest sky, and had lovely orange butterflies flitting around me like a Disney princess. I originally planned on running 10 miles but it was just too wonderful to stop early.
Sa – 3 mile easy road run, with frequent stops to sneak in some strength (walking lunges, box jumps, walking squats, calf raises)
