It has been a week of highs and lows and a whole lot of recovery, reflection, and rollicking fun.

On Monday I launched into the week fired up, ready to take on a speed work session that I knew would push me hard: 16 x 200s on the track. And indeed it did. When it was all said and done though, I left tired, of course, but feeling strong. The best part was that it was an excellent mental boost pushing through the discomfort that comes with trying to regain running fitness. I ended the day doing 40 minutes of core work and foot exercises, then focused on recovery—eating nutritious food, re-hydrating, stretching, foam rolling, soaking, massaging my legs with my Theragun, then elevating them on a wall, and finally, going to bed early. Boom. All good stuff.

Tuesday was the 4th of July and I was happy to be able to give back to our running community by volunteering at a local 5k trail race, the Semana Nautica at Elings Park. I loved seeing many of my friends crush this tough course–with smiles on their faces, no less!

My Tuesday training schedule called for cross-training so in the late afternoon I did a short run on our ElliptiGo in the garage followed by some upper body strength work and stretching. After yesterday’s toughie at the track, I took my recovery day seriously.

Wednesday is when things took a turn. An easy 6 mile run was on my schedule with a prescribed 10:37 pace. While I felt good during the run, hitting not only my pace down to the second during those 6 miles, and focusing on my cadence and technique, I knew in my heart of hearts that the pace I was running was not truly “easy”—especially on a warm afternoon with little sleep the night before. You know where I’m going with this…

At about mile 4.5 my body let me know. Specifically, my left S.I./glute/hip started feeling a little jacked up, and even though I knew better, I pushed to the end because I told myself that it wasn’t that bad. How many times have we all said those same delusional words to ourselves over the years, only to pay the price for our stubborn determination? Or is that just me? Argh.

Needless to say, it did not go well. By the time I got out of my car back at home, I could barely put weight on my foot without shooting pain to my hip and lower back. Out came the ice, Advil, arnica, foam roller, lacrosse ball and yoga mat for stretching. This chica was not messing around. Later it was a soak in epsom salts and more arnica and ice.

By morning, it felt a little better so I optimistically foolishly decided to head to my Thursday spin class where I cranked out some high octane miles. I did relinquish high gears and climbing out of the saddle, but still put in a significant effort. Afterwards I did a quick lower leg weight session on machines where I could sit. The universe did me a favor and saved me from myself though, when a phone call pulled me away from the gym and sent me to go work on something that needed immediate attention. It’s a good thing because a short while later, my lower back/glute/hip was completely off the rails.

Here’s where the logical, smart person in me finally took over…

I texted my fabulous massage therapist, Stephanie, who squeezed me in early the next morning. Stephanie has helped keep me healthy and get me to the starting line of many big endurance events so I knew she could get me headed back in the right direction. And indeed, she did. As did rest, rest, and more rest. It’s now Sunday and I still haven’t run, which is torture, but of course necessary.

When did the “rollicking fun” part of the week come in that I mentioned in the beginning of my post? It arrived in the form of date night with my hubby–seeing Neil Young perform at the Santa Barbara Bowl on Friday night. There’s no better way to chill out than to immerse yourself in live music. A little “Heart of Gold” goes a long way in keeping perspective. 🙂

And here’s the reflection part of the week: Instead of beating myself for being an idiot (ie—sensing that the intensity of my workouts was a little too much too soon, but pushing anyway), I’m focusing on finding balance, doubling down on listening to my body and reigning in my impatience. All good things come with time, patience, and discipline. As the artwork at the top of my post says, I’m focusing on “Enjoying the space between where I am and where I am going.”

Recap of Week #3
(July 3-9)

Monday: Run [6.8 miles]
Speed work at the track 16 x 200 @ 1:00 w/ 200 recovery jog between each [4 miles]
Dynamic warm-ups, 1/2 mile jog, strides, and 1 mile cool down jog [2.8]
Core and foot exercises 40 min

Tuesday: Cross-train 60 min
ElliptiGo 30 min [3 miles]
Strength/weights upper body 20 min
Yoga stretches 10 min

Wednesday: Run [6.64 miles]
Easy pace 6 miles
Dynamic warm-ups and cool down [.64]

Thursday: Cross-train
Spin class 40 min [16 miles]
Strength/weights mostly lower body 15 min

Friday: Rest and recovery (should have been 60 min of cross-training)
Massage, foam roll, and a Neil Young concert at the Santa Barbara Bowl (so good for the soul)

Saturday: Rest and recovery (should have been 8-9 miles)
Stretch and foam roll

Sunday: Rest and recovery
Stretch and foam roll

Highlights:

• The satisfaction of getting through a tough speed workout on Monday.

• Getting my cadence back up to 180+ again, and finding the sweet spot. This is only exciting to me, but it’s the little things. 🙂

• Hitting my suggested run pace number down to the second over 6 miles, and being able to gauge my pace by feel again instead of my watch. Again, only exciting to me.

• Reaching the half-way point of my fundraising goal of $2,620! Woot Woot! Thank you to Vince Logan for your generous contribution, and for giving your 10 entries for my Hoka running shoe giveaway to the next person who donated. A big shout out to that person who prefers to remain anonymous. Your contribution earned me my yellow Team for Kids training jersey, which is especially exciting. And lucky you, you now have 15 entries into the shoe giveaway.

If you’d like to be one of my rock star supporters and make a contribution to Team for Kids, you can do so HERE. Any amount is appreciated (truly–even $5 or $10). It all adds up and helps kids live an active and healthy lifestyle. The drawing for the Hoka giveaway is August 15th. Each entry is $10 and is unlimited.

Random question for you: What is your favorite running tune? Every time I come back from a run I’m reminded of how much I need to update my playlist, and could use your suggestions. Drop me your fav in the comments below.

Happy Running! Can’t believe we’re already heading into Week #4 of training!

xo Becky

PS: If you missed my previous NYC Marathon training posts, you can read them by clicking on the links below:

Week #1 Kicking off 20 Weeks until NYC

Week #2 Patience & Grace