So my training went off the rails the first couple weeks of April due to pain in my left foot. I had some mild plantar fasciitis that I’d been running through, but then all of a sudden I had a painful raised area on the outside of my midfoot. It really got inflamed and swelled up the weekend of the 6th and 7th and I didn’t do a true long run that weekend. A blister formed on top of the swollen area then popped, but the pain came and went. I took 5 days off and largely felt better, so I went out for a long run on the 13th, hoping to hobble together some kind of plan with lots of elliptical and spin and just longs to help me get to and through the Brooklyn Half. It felt fine during the run, but the pain returned after and the blister wound never fully healed.
I just saw a physiatrist and the good news is that it’s not a stress fracture. It was probably a cyst or plantar fibroma (we did an ultrasound and there was some fluid still in there) on top of the plantar fasciitis. We’re doing some work to fix all of that and let it recover.
What’s next? I deferred my entry to the Broad Street Run and will also be pulling out of the Brooklyn Half. I’m starting a 10-week strength training class next week and will keep in consult with my doctor for cross-training and eventual return to running once the pain goes away and healing seems likely.
Orecchiette at Fausto
I’ve been paying more attention to my food and nutrition during this time of decreased activity. Still enjoying some good meals and cooking a lot (especially in my Instant Pot) but have not been taking as many photos. To be fair, lentil chili and short rib ragu do not photograph very well but they taste great. Next up is a strawberry tres leches cake.
A great couple weeks of running and pretty boring weeks for food. After last week’s vacation to the West Coast, I got back on my meal prep grind and started really looking at (ok, and tracking to some extent) what I’m eating.
Week 5
Monday 3/25: Rest day. Had a huge Korean BBQ (and other entrees) feast at The Woo in SoHo.
Tuesday 3/26: 5.5 treadmill interval miles at Mile High Run Club’s The Distance. I was feeling ready for some speed again and it felt good. I’m planning to do some shorter distance races this summer or a tuneup 5K if I can find a good one in April. I need to practice running more at my 5K and 10K paces as well as doing more aggressive half-pace tempos.
Wednesday 3/27: 3.5 easy miles on the way to yoga. I had planned to run home but the temperature was dropping and I hadn’t brought gloves.
Thursday 3/28: Rest day. I did a strength circuit workout which kicked my ass. And my abs. Days of DOMS.
Friday 3/29: 7.5 mile run-commute home from work. It was overcast and in the low 50’s and just perfect. I felt really strong plodding up the Manhattan Bridge and could have kept going for a few miles.
Saturday 3/30: I went out for my long run mid-afternoon to meet with other folks, still feeling pretty thrashed from the strength workout DOMS Thursday and the longer runcommute Friday. I got 5 miles of progressively faster miles in solo, then 2.5 quick miles with the group, then did a slower cool down home for 8.3 miles total. I should have gotten in closer to 11 since last week’s was a cutback, but I scheduled poorly.
Sunday: 3/31: Unplanned rest day. Got brunch with friends, got a haircut, and bought some groceries to make Instant Pot short rib ragu, which was delicious. I served it over chickpea penne pasta.
Total: 24.8 miles. Almost back on track with mileage but definitely missing that 5th day.
Week 6:
Monday 4/1: Rest day. Ate dinner at The Osprey in Brooklyn Bridge Park and though it was cold (in the lower 40’s), I enjoyed staring at the water and seeing the first signs of spring.
Tuesday 4/2: 4.6 easy PM miles in Central Park.
Wednesday 4/3: Rest day
Thursday 4/4: Unplanned rest day from running, but I did the same strength workout as the week before and upped the dumbbells for arm rows from 7.5 pounds to 10 pounds. Way less DOMS this time!
Friday 4/5: 4.4 miles in the (relative) cold and rain. I came prepared with gloves and a hat (Lululemon’s Baller Cap has such a long brim, it’s great for rain). I had to stop by Petee’s Cafe to pick up some chocolate cream pie for my bf’s birthday and nabbed myself a slice of banana cream pie as well.
Saturday 4/6: Longish (6.8 miles) run where again my end destination was for desserts. I had scheduled a run to the new location of Bibble & Sip in Chinatown with friends to get some of their cute stuffed cream puffs. Alas, they were closed for the weekend after experiencing too much demand at their opening night party. So we hoofed it slowly to Supermoon Bakehouse for stuffed croissants and donuts and coffee.
Sunday 4/7: 6.7 easyish miles, soaking up the sun and enjoying the Brooklyn waterfront with my friend Alison.
Total: 22.5 miles; I really need to up my long runs again and add that fifth day of running.
So the perks of doing a 12-week plan are that even after 2 weeks (and especially after a mentally iffy second week), you still have 10 more weeks. And then you go on vacation and get food poisoning and all your runs are still at a ‘tough’ or ‘massive’ or ‘historic’ relative effort according to Strava reading your Apple Watch Heart Rate Data. Huh. Shruggie arms emoji. I’m happy with the state of my long runs this early on, since they’re already in the double digits but I definitely have work to do on the quantity and length of weekday runs.
Week 2
Monday 3/4: Rest Day, which was a relief since the Sunday night snow was heavy and wet and not everyone had shoveled sidewalks the next morning.
Tuesday 3/5: 3.2 quick-ish miles in the lower part of Central Park with a Jackrabbit store sponsored run trying out some On Clouds shoes. Got donuts for Fat Tuesday.
Wednesday 3/6: 5.7 miles in Central Park in the late morning. My plan called for 7 miles Tuesday, 8 miles Thursday, and a rest Thursday but I needed to modify. For now, I’m better off doing short runs over more days than the 4 days of very long runs and workouts. I’m hoping to adapt better in a few weeks with the increase in volume then really take to the lactate threshold workouts.
Had more donuts just because.
Thursday 3/7: Rest day
Friday: 3/8 8.4 miles in the PM around Prospect Park.
Saturday 3/9: Skipped long run in favor of getting brunch last-minute with a friend and his daughter, trying to bake a pie from scratch (dough is so hard!), and having an early dinner of omakase at Sushi Lab.
Santa Barbara and Hokkaido Uni
Then I met my bf for cocktails and okonomiyaki at Bar Goto.
Sunday 3/10: Woke up to pouring rain and a lost hour of time and skipped my club’s new member run in favor of relaxing. Saw Captain Marvel and loved it! Then baked another pie and made Instant Pot sweet and sour chicken.
Total: 17.3 miles. I shocked myself by not running at all over the weekend but I guess I still have some time to get my mental game on track and prepare my legs for the 30+ mileage again.
Week 3
Monday 3/11: 5 easy miles, trying to keep it in Zone 3 for heart rate which invariably involves some walking and jog shuffling.
Tuesday 3/12: Rest Day and dinner at Ani Ramen to celebrate my friend’s 50K instagram followers milestone.
The namesake Ani Ramen
Wednesday 3/13: PM Central Park loop for 6.5 miles.
Thursday 3/14: AM Central Park recovery run including the reservoir for 4.4 miles.
Friday 3/15: Early flight to SF and bopping around, visiting friends and exploring the city.
Saturday 3/16: 12 mile long run along the Embarcadero and piers of San Francisco.
Bay Bridge SunriseGolden Gate BridgeUnreal SF Hills
Sunday 3/17: Light hiking around Big Basin State Park in CA and checking out the Santa Cruz waterfront. Dinner at Din Tai Fung.
Some of the Din Tai Fung Spread
Total: 27.9 miles
Week 4 – Scheduled Recovery Week
Monday 3/18: 5.2 miles exploring UC Berkeley’s campus. The hills!
Tuesday 3/19: Flight to Seattle and dinner at Walrus and the Carpenter.
Steak TartareSound Views from Ray’s Boathouse over a bottle of wine
Wednesday 3/20: 4.2 miles around Seattle. Poke and Dole Whip for lunch in the International District, buying too many Japanese Kit Kat flavors, then beers and burgers for dinner. Falling in love with Seattle one bite and view at a time.
The Gum Wall in Pike Place
Thursday 3/21: Light hiking and exploring Deception Pass State Park. Then I got food poisoning on the way back to town from Anacortes.
Rosario BeachView from Deception Pass Bridge
Friday 3/22: I had planned to run 8 miles but chose to take it easy in light of the food poisoning. I went to the UW campus to see a James Turrell exhibit and some other art, then flew back to NYC later afternoon after some final Seattle coffee and touring Pike Place Market.
Saturday 3/23: Rest day – platelet donation, lunch, then seeing US and my friend’s band.
Sunday 3/24: 7 miles as a cutback long run, enjoying the weather. My plan actually called for 9 miles but I had told myself it was only 8 and that 7 was good enough. Yoga in the morning (my first time since late January, whoops). Had huge Italian sandwiches in Bensonhurst after.
I used my guaranteed entry for the Brooklyn Half (from deferring last year’s due to peroneal tendon injury) and am setting it as my goal race for the spring season. I’m also doing the Broad Street 10 Miler again since I had to defer last year’s entry. I’m using a 12 week half marathon training plan from Pete Pfitzinger’s Faster Road Racing with some adaptations. He’s big on mid-to-long midweek mileage (8 miles for a Wednesday run) and keeping the long runs double digits until taper.
Monday 2/25: Day 1 was a rest day and the weather was awful, so I was glad to take it.
Tuesday 2/26: The plan called for 6 general aerobic miles, but I did 2 easy, 3 tempo, and 1 easy.
Wednesday 2/27: Rest Day and my club’s annual Awards Night.
Thursday 2/28: My plan called for 8 miles, but I was so done after only 5.
Friday 3/1: I ended up doing my long run this night, with a loop of the park, then running to and around Williamsburg with my club and ending with snacks and beer before eventually getting pizza. 10.2 miles total
Macaroni and Cheese Pizza from Vinnie’s Pizzeria
Saturday: Rest day, and I really mean rest. Went to a Korean spa and got a massage.
Sunday: 8.3 miles with friends in the afternoon before more snow.
Total: 29.5 out of a prescribed 31. Not bad for my first real week back at it.
East Coast Appetite 