Running build-up update - 4/12

No posts recently because there hasn't been a lot of new information to post about.

I've been following the build-up plan from the last post - going from running 4x per week, to 5 times. This is the final week of the 5x sessions, and next week starts 6 times per week (actually, we'll see - more on that later).

There are a couple of things worth pointing out, though:

IT band and stretching
Absolutely no issues with the IT band. I've been pretty good about stretching it after running (averaging around 5x per week). Also been trying to stretch the quads as well (I probably do them 3-4x per week, I'd like to get that up), as hamstrings (maybe 1-2x per week. Definately want to improve on that.

Acclimation to running multiple days in a row:
Last year, I ran 3x per week - always having at least a days rest between sessions. A couple years ago, when I was training for the half marathon, I was running 4x per week. However, many of the runs were able to be done in 30-40 minutes, aside from the weekly long run. So this years running is definately more intense and requires a lot more dedication than for years past.
During the last week of running 4x per week, and the first week of running 5x per week, my legs often felt dead. It was a struggle, both mentally and physically, to finish the 45 minutes. In fact, a couple times I finished up early - after completing a 4.2 mile loop in the 42-43 minute timeframe, I decided that was enough for that day. There were usually 'justifications' for this - either not wanting to overdo it on the 2nd day of a planned stretch of running 3 days in a row (something my body wasn't used to doing), or having just finished 3 days in a row and not wanting to overdo it, having already done the minimum of at least 30 minutes. I suppose I put 'justifications' in quotes, but in reality perhaps the slightly shorter runs are worthwhile. After-all, we are talking about more intense running than I've done in a considerably long time - so as long as I'm meeting the minimum goals (30 minutes per session), one could argue that the few minutes ultimately makes little difference in the grand scheme of things.

However, during the 2nd week of 5x per week, I noticed a distinct improvement. My heartrate settled down a bit - from the mid-high 150's to the low 150's, and there was more spring in my step. A very encouraging sign, and is actually a data point of anecdotal proof of Jack Daniels base-building theory that the body responds to stress, and it takes not a period of a few days to adapt, but a few weeks.

First minor setback
The past week or so, I've had a mild soreness in my left heel. I didn't pay a lot of attention to it at first, because aches and pains are common and they often go away. Also, based on where it was located and the conditions in which it was sore (when the calf is flexed, lifting the heel off the groun), made me think that it was an overuse symptom of the band of tissue that goes between the heel and the mid-point of the foot. This made sense, since I've been landing mid-foot a lot more recently, paying particular attention to not heel-strike. Additionally, maintaining the goal cadence of about 180 foot strokes/minute makes it very difficult to heel-strike. All in all, since I've modified my form, it was perfectly reasonable to conclude that some piece of connective tissue had a bit of catching up to do.

By the time I got back from my run on Saturday evening, it was obvious that the soreness wasn't going to go away. I had given it several days, including the two rest days of the week, and it was still present. A quick internet search revealed that I had the symptoms of plantar fasciitis. Basic treatment included anti-inflammatories, and stretching the calf muscles.

Of course!

I had been concentrating on stretching the IT band and the quads so much, I had completely skipped out on stretching the calf muscles - something I had done a decent amount in the past few years. So after a couple days of taking a couple advil, stretching the calfs, giving myself an extra rest day by skipping yesterdays run - the soreness has largely abated. I'm not sure I'll be able to get all 5 days of running in this week with my work schedule, though.