Races Like a Girl

This week’s training theme:

My achilles tendon is my achilles’ heel.

I have never been very good at flirting. But I spent this week flirting with injury. Specifically, my right achilles tendon continued its campaign of complaint. I had to skip a day of running last week and darned if it wasn’t acting up again this week.

I haven’t spent 10 months training just to get injured three weeks before my Big Race. So I took Tuesday AND Wednesday off, then did very short, very slow recovery runs inside on the treadmill, with icing four times a day and wearing a compression wrap. I also attempted some stationary biking, but 15 minutes into my ride the power went so that was right out.

I think it’s better. Whereas on Tuesday I couldn’t walk up or down stairs (never mind running) without limping and whimpering, the problem was reduced to a minor ache by later in the week. I upped the mileage on Friday and Saturday, then took the leg out for a full test drive this morning on a 17 miler. Still felt an annoying twinge, but it went away by mile 10.

While on the treadmill that first day back, my feet just felt really stiff. I don’t know what possessed me, but I tried taking my shoes off and running in my socks for a couple of miles. That felt quite a bit better. I will probably try this more often when my feet are feeling tight.

Anyway, I’ve got two weeks to heal this thing up and I think that will happen. It’s no worse than aches I’ve had at other times — I’m just more paranoid than usual.

With the missed days, my planned mileage of 75 was brought down to just under 52. But I figure that at this point the training’s done, so I’m more concerned with reaching the starting line with no issues, even if that means dropping some mileage to get there. I will still do either a speed interval or tempo session this week to keep things sharp, but otherwise it’s all easy or recovery running coming up.

Still bloody freezing — 25 with the windchill this morning. I hope it warms up soon. But not too much.

A look back at the week:

• Monday: 6.2 mile limpfest
• Tuesday: off
• Wednesday: off
• Thursday: 3 miles alternating running and walking (AM); 3 miles recovery pace (PM)
• Friday: 3.5 miles recovery pace (AM); 5 miles recovery pace (PM)
• Saturday: 6 miles recovery pace (AM); 7.2 miles recovery pace (PM)
• Sunday: 17 mile long run (steady pace) — nothing fancy

Total mileage: 51.6 miles

Paces this week:

• Recovery: 9:40 – 12:50
• Long: 8:46 – 9:37

This week’s quote:

“Start slow and taper off.“

— Harry S. Truman

Coming up in training week seventeen: Tapering continues. I attempt some faster running, but will bag it if the leg starts acting up again. I also get to play Race Spouse next Sunday when Jonathan runs the 30K Boston Blowout in Fairfield, CT. Once we’re home and he’s settled in with pancakes and beer, I’ll go out for a little 13 miler.

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