Week in Review

78.3 Miles
7 Runs
18 Mile Long Run @ 7:10 pace
1 Manageable IT Band, albeit bruised
1 Physical Therapy Session
1 Doctor's Appointment
1 Hour Massage

As you can see above, I probably spent more time this week doing rehab related activities than actually running. I have spent 8 days attempting to nurse my IT Band back to its normal strength, which means that I have foam rolled and iced 3 times a day for the past 8 days. I also have spent a lot of time stretching and stregthening my gluteus medeus, because much of my IT Band discomfort stems from the fact that I have a weak butt and weak hamstrings. That being said, I am still amazed that I was able to hit my target weekly mileage without injuring myself more. I ran within myself on every run and recognized the need to stop at any point if pain persisted. Luckily, pain was not a factor on any of my runs this week so I wasn't left stranded in the middle of Charlotte with a wounded knee.

One thing that helped the runs go by so fast this week was the company from a NYAC runner, Heidi Hullinger. She ran with me for 3 runs this week and provided lots of new topics of conversation. She even joined Meagan and I for a 6x5 Min workout that went really well for all three of us ladies. While my 7 Mile Tempo did not go as well as I had hoped, I walked away with a positive attitude and with a spirit of looking ahead. I made up for my somewhat disheartening tempo by running 18 miles with Will at an average of 7:10 pace at McAlpine. I still have the fitness level, I just have a weak leg that is screaming at me to start lifting again.

I'm hoping that with Physical Therapy 2-3 times per week, a massage weekly from Byran Bullock at Zen Massage, and a couple of sessions of Active Release Therapy from Ryan Danner will help bring me to a speedy recovery.