Easy mileage week ended with an ankle-buster

I was surprised to find that I was not at all sore after last Sunday's 18 miler, but I think my legs were a bit tired.  I wasn't really feeling any longer runs, so I took it pretty easy all week.  With a 10 mile race coming up I wanted to make sure I didn't overdo it.  By Saturday I was feeling pretty good, and started thinking that it might be fun to go for a trail run. I meant for it to be slow and easy, with stops to take photos.  Then Ben texted to say he was going trail running in Damascus, did I want to go?  So off to Damascus we went, to run 4 miles up a mountain on the AT and then 4 miles back down.  It was gorgeous out, and my legs felt good.  I was worried about busting an ankle, but tried to run as carefully as I could.  Coming back down the mountain both ankles were hurting from the uneven terrain, even without either of them actually being rolled.  And then I had 1 mis-step on my right ankle.  The same ankle I sprained really badly a year ago.  As far as ankle-rolls go, it wasn't too bad, and I ran the last 2 miles with no more mishaps, but being even more careful than before.  The ankle was sore, but it didn't feel like a sprain, and I figured it would be fine.  As the day wore on, I realized it was a bit worse than I thought, and I realized I would have to take a day or two off after all.

I took today off from running and did TRX instead.  My ankle is feeling better after it's rest day, but I can tell it is pretty weak.  I will probably end up taking tomorrow off as well, just to be safe.

This week : 

M : run 4.2 / 8:04 / 190 ft

W : early AM run 6 / 8:36 / 292 ft

R : group run 6.2 / 8:23 / 144 ft

Sa : trail w/Ben 8.2 / 9:44 / 1791 ft

Su : TRX 30 minutes abs/arms

total miles : 24.6

Appalachian Trail south from Damascus, VA

we crossed into Tennessee about 3.5 miles in, 

and turned around at 4.1 when we reached the top of the mountain

the view from the top

what's a gorgeous day on a mountain after a 4 mile climb without a jumping photo?

the state line

Ben heading back down the mountain

Fewer runs, more mileage

Trying to get back to a running schedule that involves fewer runs, but longer runs.  I'd rather take more days off and have no run be under 7 or 8 miles, than run every day and end up with a bunch of 3-4 milers.  I have accomplished this before...let's see if I can get back to it.  Maybe I'll even manage to start getting back on the bike on some of my off days for the cross training.

This week : 

T : group run 7.2 / 8:28 / 381 ft

W : run 8.8 (3 w/Amanda) / 7:45 / 518 ft 

R : group run 7.4 / 8:03 / 348 ft

Su : trail run w/Mollie 11.8 / 9:14 / 1237 ft

total miles : 35.2

Today's trail run was a 5.5 mile loop around the lake at Hungry Mother State Park.  We stuck together on the first loop.  At the end of the loop, we decided to turn around and run it backwards, instead of going the same direction twice.  On the second loop, I did some out & backs to stretch my legs.  I pushed about 1/2 a mile the first time before turning around to re-join Mollie, and I pushed for about a mile the second time.  There were also a few spots where I looped around a parking lot until she caught up.  It can be hard for me to run slower sometimes, but I have found that a slower long run greatly reduces my need for recovery time afterwards.  Besides, it's nice to pay it forward and help people get faster, as I have been helped by others over the years.  

My legs were pretty sore from last weekend's race, so I ended up spending quality time with the foam roller this week.  The pain on the roller is intense, but it definitely helps a lot!  

Oh yay, rolling out my quads can double as an ab-strengthening exercise!

And today...it was warm enough to run in shorts!

At least until it started raining...and then I was 5.5 miles in so I had to just keep going. 

Hungry Mother Park was pretty, but I was too cold to really take any photos after the run...took this from inside my car with the heat blasting. I'll definitely go back with my cameras at some point.

Nothing quite like a trail run to make me feel out of shape

I took Monday and Tuesday off this week because I was tired, and just didn't feel like running.  I decided it wasn't important enough to drag myself out there when I wasn't in the mood.  I had hoped to take Tuesday off of school to recover from the previous rough week, but nobody could sub for me.  We were able to rearrange my schedule so that I could take Wednesday afternoon off instead.  Not the perfect solution, but it was better than nothing!  I was able to have lunch with a friend and spend some time relaxing, and then I decided I should probably get some exercise sometime this week, so I went for a run.  I thought I would do a long run on Thursday because it was gorgeous out at lunchtime, but by 3:00 it was raining and I had a sudden burst of productivity, so I stayed at work until 4:45 instead, and then just went for a quick run before dark.  I didn't have time for a decent run on Friday in between school and babysitting, so I just took it off.  I finally got a long-ish run on Saturday, though still not the 10-miler I had hoped to get this week.

Today it was gorgeous out, and I decided it was past time I headed to the Greenbrier State Forest for a good trail run.  Some new trails have been built in the last year or two, and I hadn't gotten around to running them.  It has something to do with the fact that I was always training for races and afraid to sprain an ankle.  And then there was the fact that I couldn't run all summer.  Now, I'm running again, and don't have any upcoming races that I expect to be competitive in, so I decided there were no more excuses.

I ran a familiar trail first.  1.8 miles up a mountain, then I turned around and ran back down.  Running up that mountain made me feel like I am not at all in shape.  I'm pretty sure I could have walked up it faster, but I didn't quit.   I "only" twisted my ankles 3 or 4 times on the way down.  Then I found one of the new trails and followed it until it looped back around to where I had parked.  Despite the pain in my ankles/legs from having to use muscles I haven't used in forever, I loved it.  It was nice to get out in the woods and just jog around.  I'm sure it was good for strengthening a lot of muscles in my feet as well.

check out that elevation profile...

Runs this Week

W: 5.3 miles 38:24/7:14 

R: 4 miles 28:12/7:01

Sa: 7.1 miles 54:02/7:38

Su: 5.5 miles 58:41/10:38