Not quite healthy…

I woke up this morning and upon walking around the house I felt no lingering tightness.  So off to the greenbelt I went.  I figured the trail would be the best place to ease back into a few miles, and I was sorely mistaken.  After the first mile I felt the soreness creeping back into whatever is upset in my ankle region.  Since I was out, and really enjoying myself (aside from the random steps that reminded me of my unhappy leg) I decided to cruise for a bit.  Due to an integral part of the trail being closed the run ended up getting super technical before forcing me to finish at a dead end.  I could have taken off my shoes and crossed the creek, but I didn’t feel like doing that, and I was at a good place to turn around anyway.

Ran 5 miles in 44:10.  Splits:

7:59 – 7:25 – 12:49 – 8:36 – 7:20

All in all a good run.  I have an appointment on Monday to see a doctor about my leg.  So I doubt I’ll do anything other than climb until then.

-Travis

Busy busy busy…

I have been slacking, I am well aware of this.  But I do feel like I have a decent excuse, in that I have been super busy the last week or so.  Last weekend was the Austin Marathon and Half Marathon, and it was a doozy.  After working the expo on Saturday (which was kind of interesting), I paced my teammate and friend Waylon in the last 6 miles of his first marathon.  Waylon was initially intending to run a sub 3 hour marathon, and unfortunately right about when he got to us (another one of our teammates, and one of Waylons friends ran with us as well) he was starting to feel the effects of the 6:52 pace he had been running for the first 20 miles.  In reality, what was happening was Waylon was cramping….bad, like at one point falling to the ground due to his hamstring tightening up.  I imagine if we could have gotten him a couple salt tablets he would have picked up and been feeling a ton better.  None the less, being a Rogue and a general badass, Waylon got to his feet and finished that fucking Marathon like a bitch wolf!  Inspiring.

So, that was the last and only time I have run any mileage worth recording.  Before those seven or so miles my lower leg was starting to feel really good, I hadn’t felt any tightness or soreness for about a day or so.  Unfortunately, after the pacing duties (where I didn’t run faster than 8:30) the soreness/tightness seems to have returned.

Paced 7.42 miles in 1:10:40.  Splits:

9:51 – 7:43 – 9:32 – 8:37 – 11:15 – 8:28 – 12:06 – 3:06

While I haven’t run since Sunday, I have still been doing my general strength/core work….almost daily.  Last night for instance I did a few sets of Push Ups, Pull Ups, Planks and in lieu of running, I decided to do some One Leg Squats.  Also on top of that kind of stuff I’ve been doing some work with my dad that is basically equivalent to doing crossfit, except for 6 or 7 hours…rather than 40 minutes.  Moving about 80 concrete pavers that probably weigh 30 pounds a piece, then using a pick ax to grate and level damp earth (which happens to have a lot of clay in it) and then filling up two five gallon buckets with said dirt and walking them about a 100 meters to then be dumped….is fucking hard work!

I’ve got a new pair of shoes waiting for me at Rogue that I’m going to pick up tomorrow.  So if I’m feeling good I might just maybe go for a run tomorrow….maybe.  I’m also in dire need of a massage, so hopefully I can get Kip to work me out in the next couple days.

-Travis

Running off, Climbing on…

Ok, here comes the breakdown.  Ever since the ten mile run a couple days after the 3M half marathon my left leg has been sore.  This isn’t the same part of my leg that has been tight and sore previously, but it also doesn’t seem to be as major as my issues in the past. While it doesn’t feel as major, I do feel like its a lot better for my running to wait until I am completely 100%.  On that note, I have come to the tough decision that I shouldn’t run the Austin Half Marathon.  Instead, I am planning on pacing my teammate Waylon for the last 6 or 7 miles of his first Marathon (which I am really psyched to be a part of).  Also, I have a new pair of shoes on the way which will hopefully assist in my not revisiting injury.

So instead of running I’ve been doing a lot of climbing and training.  Luckily, since it had been so long since focusing on my climbing I’ve been seeing a lot of gains.  These gains can of course be attributed to doing a lot of training.  Here’s the breakdown of what I’ve been doing for the last week and a half.

I do two days on, one day off of the following workout.  Five sets for the push ups and pull ups, and four sets of the sit ups and plank.

Push Ups – 10|Pull Ups – 10|Sit Ups – 25|1 min. Plank w/ feet on a Swiss Ball (Front, both sides, back)

I’ve been going to the climbing gym at least three times a week.  At the gym I’ve been mostly focusing on mileage/endurance, getting in at least 300 feet of mellow climbing (5.11 and under) in before working any hard routes or bouldering.

“This is just the beginning!”

-Travis

Doin work son!…

Today I feel like I did well in the training department.  I did some general strength stuff, hung out for a while and then ate dinner, hung out for a while after that and then went for a run.  I probably should have eaten sooner or waited longer before running….cramps galore.  But no worries, doesn’t kill ya makes ya stronger, and all that jazz.

For the general strength; I did a cuircut of push ups, sit ups, pull ups, and all four sides of plank with a swiss ball under my feet.  All in all:

5 x 10 push ups – 5 x 10 pull ups – 4 x 25 sit ups, 3 x 1 minute each plank (4 sides)

Ran 4 miles in 32:32.  Splits:

8:30 – 7:43 – 8:17 – 8:02

Avg. HR: 139 – Max HR: 150

-Travis

TRAIL!…

Today I was blessed with the day off from any work obligations.  So I took the opportunity to go on down to the greenbelt and get some trail back in my life.  It was a really nice morning, with the recent precipitation the ground was still a bit mushy in places and there were a few big puddles to maneuver around, which is always nice.  I was also lucky enough to experience a relative lull in human activity, as I only saw a handful of people.  What I did see were quite a few critters and a ton of birds, which I was super psyched about.  In regards to the actual run, I felt my ankle discomfort for the first half or so, as it gradually felt better throughout.  I’m also sort of proud of the relatively even progression of the run.

Ran 7 miles in 54:41.  Splits:

8:16 – 8:13 – 7:54 – 7:35 – 7:43 – 7:43 – 7:14

Avg. HR: 157 – Max HR: 173

-Travis

Yesterday…

I just realized that I forgot to post the run from yesterday.  So, here it is.  First I should say, I started the day by responding to Stacys question “Are you going to wake up to go run with the team?” with an indignant “No.”.  So I slept in.  I ran the first half of my wonderful afternoon run with my lovely Stacy.  Then finished it off by myself…slightly zoned out if  remember correctly.  Its been a hectic week.

Ran 8 miles in 1:02:07.  Splits:

8:43 – 8:09 – 8:24 – 8:23 – 7:16 – 7:01 – 7:09 – 6:59

Avg. HR: 142 – Max HR: 170

-Travis

A day late…

I had an extremely long and busy day yesterday, and subsequently forgot to record that I actually ran.  I’ve been on a less than stellar course injury wise ever since 3M.  I’m actually starting to wonder if there is some rhyme to the reason of my left calf continually being way to tight as well as having (what I think are) random little tendon and ligament issues.  Either way, I ran yesterday without much negative feedback.  Granted I do realize I probably ran a bit faster than I should have.

Ran 5 miles in 35:20.  Splits:

7:39 – 6:50 – 6:54 – 6:58 – 6:56

-Travis