avondale training journal, starting Dec. 2018 (comments welcome)

avondale · Jul 30, 2023

Week of July 24 - 30, 2023

This was the second week of our hiking vacation in Banff National Park in Canada. We returned home yesterday (Saturday), tomorrow I start my 50k training plan.

Monday hike: Sherbrooke Lake and Falls (in Yoho National Park)

time: 3:10:20
distance: 6.23 mi
elevation gain: 1022 ft (corrected)
comments: We purposely chose an easier hike after the very difficult long one the day before. The scenery and trail were nothing special, by Banff standards, but it was pleasant.

Tuesday: break from hiking, so we stuck around the Banff town area to walk around a bit and do some souvenir shopping

Cave and Basin National Historic Site: this had some underground hot springs (in a cave!) that reeked of sulfur. The cave and hot springs had been used by native peoples until Europeans took over. We were amused that the hot springs were thought to be good for treating aches and pains - and gunshot wounds. This was overall an underwhelming site, but it was free with our Canada national park pass.
Cascade of Time garden: we only visited this because it was behind the historic first national park administrative building and I like gardens. This was an amazing garden filled with annuals, perennials, and shrubs, and nearly everything was in bloom! It was gorgeous! So hard to choose just a couple photos from this.

Wednesday hike: Helen and Katherine Lakes

time: 5:13:03
distance: 10.37 mi
elevation gain: 2468 ft (corrected)
comments: Originally we were going to go from Helen Lake up to Dolomite Pass, but looking at that route with wiser eyes after having done Harvey Pass, we realized it would be harder than we wanted to do. So we took a turn after Helen Lake and visited Katherine Lake. It was still a challenging hike.
comments: There was a big change in the weather from the day before: most of our time at Banff had been unseasonably warm and sunny. On this day, the temperature really dropped and it was mostly overcast. By the time we got to Helen Lake, I had a long-sleeve shirt and long-sleeve fleece over that, and we got some light snow!
comments: The lakes themselves were not especially picturesque, but the trail took us back into the mountains so that we got different points of view and spectacular views.

Thursday hike:

Larch Valley and Sentinel Pass
- time: 3:55:56
- distance: 7.36 mi
- elevation gain: 2397 ft (corrected)
- comments: This lake started and ended at Moraine Lake (see below). The only way to get so much elevation gain in such a short distance was to start going uphill right away. The first part was typical uphill within the forest. Then we got to around the treeline, and the last part to the pass was very steep (up to 26% grade) and exposed (but not too bad), but it was fun. The views from the pass were spectacular.
The Rockpile and Moraine Lake
- This was a tiny hike to the top of a pile of rocks to get a good view of Moraine Lake. The lake was an amazing electric blue color that day!

Friday: this was our last full day on vacation, and unfortunately it was rainy all day. That turned out to be ok, because we were able to just be lazy. We did some walks around Canmore (where our condo was) so that I could make sure to get my 10,000 steps for the day.

Saturday: We did some walking before we left for the airport and then at the airport so that I could make sure to get my 10,000 steps for the day.

Sunday:

50 min easy on trail
- T+D 142, 3.5% effect. T 82 F
- time: 50:02
- distance: 3.5 mi
- average pace: 14:19 (GAP ave pace 14:12)
- splits: 13:58, 14:25, 14:22, 14:43
- ave HR: 142 BPM - just above my target range
- elevation gain: 212 ft (corrected)
- route: Northwest Branch Trail
- comments: I was happy with this, considering it has been at least 2 weeks since I've done any running. I'm also no longer acclimated to the high T+D.

Overall, we had a really great time on vacation. I really did feel like I was able to relax. The hiking was tough, but not so much that it just exhausted us.

Health

My headache was less painful nearly the whole time we were away. But is that because of a lack of stress? No tennis? No running? Different bed? Who knows. But it was stronger again today - like usual.

I had the pain in my left heel for the whole trip - it would be noticeable when I stopped hiking for the day, and especially after sitting in the car for the drive home after the hike. By the next morning it was fine. I did stretch that Achilles several times a day. Today it did not bother me after my run, so I'm not going to worry too much about it.

garneska · Aug 3, 2023

Those hikes look great. Pics were beautiful.

avondale · Aug 6, 2023

Week of July 31 - Aug. 6, 2023

First: tomorrow is my anniversary! DH and I will have been married 24 years. And it shows, because we are doing absolutely nothing to celebrate it.

This week I started training for my next race: Harbison 50k in South Carolina on January 7. This plan is 23 weeks, but the first couple of weeks are all easy running for some base-building since I hadn't run for over two weeks.

Monday:

Before breakfast: core workout and foam rolling and stretching. Core workout:
- 60-s plank
- 20 starfish
- 20 dead bug
- 20 slo-mo mountain climbers
- 20 each side flutter kicks
- 20 bicycle crunch with hold
- 5 10-s hollow-body holds
- 2 30-s side planks
- 20 double leg lift/lowers
- 40 high knees
After work:
- 40 min easy on trail
  - T+D 135, 2.5% effect, T 82 F
  - time: 40:00
  - distance: 2.88 mi
  - average pace: 13:54 (GAP ave pace 13:47)
  - splits: 13:55, 13:40, 14:10
  - ave HR: 138 BPM - within my target range
  - elevation gain:190 ft (corrected)
  - route: Northwest Branch Trail
  - comments: Well, welcome back to DC weather! And it wasn't as bad as the week before!

Tuesday:

Before breakfast: Workout 1
- 3 x 5 suitcase squats with 60 lb + 20-lb vest
- superset:
  - 3 x 5 lat pull-downs with 42-lb bands
  - 3 x 5 bench presses with 60 lb
- 3 x 5 Romanian deadlifts with 50 lb
- superset:
  - 3 x 5 shoulder presses with 25 lb per arm
  - 3 x 5 pull-aparts with 7-lb band
After work:
- 50 min easy on trail
  - T+D 134, 2.5% effect, T 79 F
  - time: 50:00
  - distance: 3.6 mi
  - average pace: 13:53 (GAP ave pace 13:43)
  - splits: 14:01, 13:17, 14:20, 13:56
  - ave HR: 139 BPM - within my target range
  - elevation gain: 210 ft (corrected)
  - route: Valley Trail, Rock Creek National Park

Wednesday:

Before breakfast: core workout
- 60-s plank
- 20 starfish
- 20 dead bug
- 20 slo-mo mountain climbers
- 20 each side flutter kicks
- 20 bicycle crunch with hold
- 5 10-s hollow-body holds
- 2 30-s side planks
- 20 double leg lift/lowers
- 40 high knees
After work:
- 40 min easy on trail
  - T+D 137, 3% effect, T 79 F
  - time: 40:00
  - distance: 2.91
  - average pace: 13:44 (GAP ave pace 13:36)
  - splits: 13:54, 13:29, 13:50
  - ave HR: 137 BPM - within my target range
  - elevation gain: 179 ft (corrected)
  - route: Northwest Branch Trail

Thursday:

Before breakfast: Workout 2
- 3 x 5 one-leg squat on bench with 20-lb vest
- superset:
  - 3 x 5 one-arm row on bench with 30 lb
  - 3 x 5 wide push-up with 20-lb vest
- 3 x 5 glute-ham lower
- superset:
  - 3 x 5 parallel-bar dip
  - 3 x 5 superman, 5-s hold
After work: walk on treadmill
- time: 1:28:20
- distance: 4.96 mi
- ave pace: 17:49
- incline: 4%

Friday:

Before work: foam rolling and stretching
After work: walk outside
- time: 36:27
- distance: 1.81 mi
- ave pace: 20:10
- elevation gain: 120 ft (corrected)

Saturday:

Morning: 2-hr tennis doubles practice
Before dinner:
- 50 min easy on trail
  - T+D 149, 4.5% effect, T 84 F
  - time: 50:01
  - distance: 3.47
  - average pace: 14:26 (GAP ave pace 13:32)
  - splits: 14:26, 15:00, 14:22, 13:21
  - ave HR: 136 BPM - within my target range
  - elevation gain: 426 ft (corrected)
  - route: Western Ridge Trail, Rock Creek National Park

Sunday:

Before lunch:
- 70 min LR on trail
  - T+D 152, 5% effect, T 84 F
  - time: 1:10:01
  - distance: 5.11 mi
  - average pace: 13:42 (GAP ave pace 13:34)
  - splits: 13:29, 12:58, 13:43, 14:18, 13:57, 14:03
  - ave HR: 145 BPM - below my target range
  - elevation gain: 312 ft (corrected)
  - route: Valley Trail, Rock Creek National Park
  - comments: This run went better than I expected, given the T+D.
Before dinner: walk on treadmill
- time: 1:26:17
- distance: 4.88 mi
- ave pace: 17:41
- incline: 0%

Health

My headache has been up and down this week, but I think a bit better than usual.

I had another virtual appointment with the therapist for Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT). We discussed more of the basis for PRT and how a lot of chronic pain is neuroplastic pain and can be treated with PRT. Part of PRT is realizing and accepting the idea that there may not be anything physically wrong that is causing the pain. A documented memorable incident gives an anecdotal example of how one can think one is in pain, but nothing is wrong: in Britain, a construction worker accidentally jumped down onto a 6-inch nail. The nail penetrated the whole way through and stuck up out of his boot. The work was in agony. He was rushed to the emergency room. The nail was removed and the boot and sock were taken off so his foot could be treated....and it was realized that the nail had fortuitously penetrated up between two of his toes, so he had no injury. The man was in agony until he realized there was nothing wrong - PRT therapists would say he experienced pain because his eyes (and then brain) saw what looked to be a horrible injury and the reactions of his coworkers corroborated that.

Neuroplastic pain can happen especially when someone is stressed, is highly conscientious, is very self-critical, and/or is a perfectionist. We talked about the evidence that my chronic pain is neuroplastic and not structural:

There is no clear medical explanation of my symptoms - that, is there doesn't seem to be a physical cause.
The symptoms appeared in the absence of an initial physical injury.
I have some of the personality traits listed above.
During some activities, like tennis, I don't necessarily notice the headache during the activity, but it comes on afterward.
The pain was lower on vacation (when I wasn't stressed).
While I was on vacation, I observed to my DH that my headach pain has been lower...and then it was worse the next day.
After manual physical therapy or a massage, there is no improvement in the pain, which was surprising to my physical therapists.

Of course, there has to be more than me intellectually accepting this evidence - I have to "rewire" my brain to accept that for the case of my headaches. I have another session scheduled for next week.

WillRunForPizza · Aug 6, 2023

Happy anniversary!

Your description of the pain reprocessing therapy is really interesting - I hope it helps!

nancipants · Aug 7, 2023

That's all extremely fascinating. Sending good vibes it helps!

avondale · Aug 7, 2023

WillRunForPizza said:
Happy anniversary!

Your description of the pain reprocessing therapy is really interesting - I hope it helps!

Thanks!

nancipants said:
That's all extremely fascinating. Sending good vibes it helps!

To both of you: I agree that the PRT is something totally new and different to me. I'm thinking positively about it.

garneska · Aug 10, 2023

Happy late anniversary. I think for my 15th anniversary i got a new washer and dryer. I feel ya on hey look its 24 years, i don't want to do anything

. Interesting stuff on the PRT. I am interested to hear how that goes.

avondale · Aug 11, 2023

garneska said:
Happy late anniversary. I think for my 15th anniversary i got a new washer and dryer. I feel ya on hey look its 24 years, i don't want to do anything . Interesting stuff on the PRT. I am interested to hear how that goes.

Thanks! I'll have more of an update on the PRT in my next post.

avondale · Aug 13, 2023

Week of Aug. 7 - 13, 2023

This week was the second week of the training planbfor my next race: Harbison 50k in South Carolina on January 7. This plan is 23 weeks, but the first couple of weeks are all easy running for some base-building since I hadn't run for over two weeks.

Monday

Before breakfast: core workout and foam rolling and stretching. Core:
- 60-s plank
- 20 starfish
- 20 dead bug
- 20 slo-mo mountain climbers
- 20 each side flutter kicks
- 20 bicycle crunch with hold
- 5 10-s hollow-body holds
- 2 30-s side planks
- 20 double leg lift/lowers
- 40 high knees
After work: walk on treadmill
- time: 1:27:06
- distance: 4.9 mi
- ave page: 17:47
- incline: 4%

Tuesday

Before breakfast: Workout 3
- 3 x 5 sumo squats with 50 lb + 20-lb vest
- superset:
  - 3 x 5 suspended rows with 20-lb vest
  - 3 x 5 pull-overs with 25 lb
- 3 x 5 each leg step-up with 20-lb vest
- superset:
  - 3 x 5 Arnold press with 20 lb each arm
  - 3 x 5 bent-over reverse flyes with 10 lb each arm
After work:
- 50 min easy on trail
  - T+D 142, 3.5% effect, T 84 F
  - time: 50:00
  - distance: 3.65 mi
  - average pace: 13:41 (GAP ave pace 13:35)
  - splits: 13:54, 13:30, 13:31, 13:55
  - ave HR: 137 BPM - within my target range
  - elevation gain: 203 ft (corrected)
  - route: Northwest Branch Trail

Wednesday after work:

50 min easy on trail
- T+D 146, 4% effect, T 84 F
- time: 50:01
- distance: 3.74 mi
- average pace: 13:23 (GAP ave pace 13:13)
- splits: 13:30, 13:14, 13:36, 13:07
- ave HR: 135 BPM - within my target range
- elevation gain: 211 ft (corrected)
- route: Valley Trail, Rock Creek National Park
- comments: This was a good average pace for this trail given the T+D.

Thursday:

Before breakfast: Workout 1
- 3 x 5 suitcase squats with 62.5 lb + 20-lb vest
- superset:
  - 3 x 5 lat pull-downs with 42-lb bands
  - 3 x 5 bench presses with 62.5 lb
- 3 x 5 Romanian deadlifts with 55 lb
- superset:
  - 3 x 5 shoulder presses with 25 lb per arm
  - 3 x 5 pull-aparts with 7-lb band
After work: walk on treadmill
- time: 1:27:00
- distance: 4.86 mi
- ave pace: 17:54
- incline: 4%

Friday

Before breakfast: core workout and foam rolling and stretching. Core:
- 60-s plank
- 20 starfish
- 20 dead bug
- 20 slo-mo mountain climbers
- 20 each side flutter kicks
- 20 bicycle crunch with hold
- 5 10-s hollow-body holds
- 2 30-s side planks
- 20 double leg lift/lowers
- 40 high knees
After work:
- 40 min easy on trail
  - T+D 148, 4.5% effect, T 86 F
  - time: 40:01
  - distance: 2.99 mi
  - average pace: 13:22 (GAP ave pace 13:21)
  - splits: 13:47, 12:59, 13:20
  - ave HR: 135 BPM - within my target range
  - elevation gain: 181 ft (corrected)
  - route: Northwest Branch Trail
  - comments: Very happy with this pace given the T+D.

Saturday

Morning: 2-hr tennis doubles practice - at end, T 79 F and T+D 148
Before dinner:
- 60 min easy on trail
  - T+D 158, 6% effect !!!, T 90 F
  - time: 1:00:02
  - distance: 4.05 mi
  - average pace: 14:49 (GAP ave pace 14:03)
  - splits: 14:32, 15:24, 14:04, 15:22, 13:07
  - ave HR: 137 BPM - within my target range
  - elevation gain: 537 ft (corrected)
  - route: Western Ridge Trail, Rock Creek National Park

Sunday before dinner:

70 min LR on trail
- T+D 153, 5% effect, T 90 F
- time: 50:00
- distance: 3.74 mi
- average pace: 13:22 (GAP ave pace 13:15)
- splits: 13:24, 13:10, 13:32, 13:22
- ave HR: 139 BPM
- elevation gain: 228 ft (corrected)
- route: Valley Trail, Rock Creek National Park
- comments: About 25 min into the run, I was feeling some signs of heat exhaustion (feeling cold and a touch of light-headedness), so I turned around. I didn't have problems getting back to my car. Probably just worn out with dealing with the heat and humidity from three days in a row being outside and sweating a bunch.

Health

My headache was a bit better than usual this week. Maybe PRT is starting to help? I seem to be feeling plantar fasciitis in both feet, so I'm stretching my Achilles and calves a bunch. It's possible that this pain has developed from my neuroplastic headach pain "moving" elsewhere, but I'm just treating this normally at the moment.

I had another PRT session this week. I added onto my evidence list (that the pain is neuroplastic and not structural) the fact that I've had physical therapists to a lot of manual work to my neck, shoulders, and upper back (basically massage) and they seemed to always expect that my headache would be noticeably better afterward, but it never was and they seemed surprised.

Also, I realized that I first notice that my headache wasn't stopping around Labor Day in 2018. This was a few weeks-ish after my sister had a big mental health crisis with her anxiety and I had got back to visit her and my mother for about a week at that time to help her (as I could) and help my mother care for my sister's son, who was ~3 yo. Neuroplastic pain can be triggered by a stressful event, and possibly this was it. We'll never really know for sure.

At any rate, we discussed these items in my session. I also did a somatic tracking event with my therapist's guidance. Neuroplastic pain occurs when neurons in the brain get "wired together" to keep triggering a feeling of pain even when the physical cause of the pain no longer exists. In order to stop neuroplastic pain, the "wiring" has to be changed. According to PRT, the way to do this is to gradually "convince" the brain that the body is undamaged and there is nothing to fear even though pain is being felt.

During somatic tracking, a person is essentially practicing mindfulness but with a specific purpose. They are trying to be mindful of what the body is feeling - in particular, how the pain feels - but in a curious, non-fearful way. The idea is for the person to really feel how the pain manifests while also thinking "safe" thoughts, like "My body is ok", "this feeling is temporary", "I am safe", and so on. A somatic tracking session lasts from maybe 30 seconds up to a few minutes, as long as the person can be mindful about it in a non-fearful, and low-pressure way. Over time, this should convince the brain that there really is no pain that should be occurring through the neuron pathway that had previously been created.

As I describe this, I feel like it sounds very much like mysticism or wishful thinking, but there really is scientific evidence backing up this process. I did buy the book by Alan Gordon (the originator of PRT), "The Way Out", and had almost finished it by this appointment (as I write this blog post, I have finished it). Gordon lays out some very prescriptive methods to use, and my therapist followed them pretty closely. She took lots of notes (and had done so previously) so that she could customize specific words and suggestions to what I had said previously.

I've never tried mindfulness or meditation before, so it was a bit new for me. The session with the therapist seemed to go fine. Now, I'm trying to do a few each day. The problem I'm having is just remembering to do them - whenever I remember, I feel like I would be rushed for various reasons. But obviously I need to stick with it. So far, as I said before, my headache has been a bit better - I think just the optimism of having a possible treatment is helping.

WillRunForPizza · Aug 14, 2023

avondale said:
The idea is for the person to really feel how the pain manifests while also thinking "safe" thoughts, like "My body is ok", "this feeling is temporary", "I am safe", and so on. A somatic tracking session lasts from maybe 30 seconds up to a few minutes, as long as the person can be mindful about it in a non-fearful, and low-pressure way. Over time, this should convince the brain that there really is no pain that should be occurring through the neuron pathway that had previously been created.

It's funny - this actually made me think of running mantras!

avondale · Aug 14, 2023

WillRunForPizza said:
It's funny - this actually made me think of running mantras!

Yeah, if PRT works for me, I will have to re-think my previous skepticism of mantras and goal-vocalization practices.

avondale · Aug 20, 2023

Week of Aug. 14 - 20, 2023

This week was the third week of the training plan for my next race: Harbison 50k in South Carolina on January 7. This plan is 23 weeks, but the first couple of weeks are all easy running for some base-building since I hadn't run for over two weeks. This week was my first week of workouts and not just easy running.

I was thinking after this afternoon's run that I am SOOOO glad that I didn't really schedule any serious training runs from after my April trail marathon until now. The T+D just totally wipes me out. It's still bad at this time of year, but it should only be 4 - 6 weeks left of this really hot stuff - fingers crossed!

Monday

Before breakfast: core workout and foam rolling and stretching. Core:
- 60-s plank
- 20 starfish
- 20 dead bug
- 20 slo-mo mountain climbers
- 20 each side flutter kicks
- 20 bicycle crunch with hold
- 5 10-s hollow-body holds
- 2 30-s side planks
- 20 double leg lift/lowers
- 40 high knees
After work: walk on treadmill
- Time: 1:26:54
- Distance: 4.9 mi
- Ave pace: 17:44
- Incline: 4%

Tuesday

Before breakfast: Workout 2
- 3 x 5 one-leg squat on bench with 20-lb vest
- superset:
  - 3 x 5 one-arm row on bench with 30 lb
  - 3 x 5 wide push-up with 20-lb vest
- 3 x 5 glute-ham raise with chair assist
- superset:
  - 3 x 5 parallel-bar dip
  - 3 x 5 superman, 5-s hold
After work:
- Hill repeats on trail: 15 min easy + 10 x (15 sec sprint uphill + 90 sec walk) + 10 min easy
  - T+D 149, 4.5% effect, T 79 F
  - time: 42:31
  - distance: 2.52 mi
  - hill repeat splits: 11:18, 11:16, 12:18, 10:46, 11:22, 12:06, 11:48, 10:40, 10:12, 10:43
  - elevation gain: 370 ft (corrected)
  - route: Western Ridge Trail, Rock Creek National Park
  - comments: I think my speeds on the repeats varied a lot since they were so short. Also, I was on different sections of the hill, and it wasn't all the same grade. This was a pretty steep hill.

Wednesday

Before breakfast: core workout
- 60-s plank
- 20 starfish
- 20 dead bug
- 20 slo-mo mountain climbers
- 20 each side flutter kicks
- 20 bicycle crunch with hold
- 5 10-s hollow-body holds
- 2 30-s side planks
- 20 double leg lift/lowers
- 40 high knees
After work:
- 60 min easy on trail
  - T+D 146, 4% effect, T 84 F
  - time: 1:00:00
  - distance: 4.47 mi
  - average pace: 13:26 (GAP ave pace 13:21)
  - splits: 13:31, 13:26, 12:57, 13:32, 14:06
  - ave HR: 137 BPM - within my target range
  - elevation gain: 296 ft (corrected)
  - route: Northwest Branch Trail
  - comments: The T+D was a bit lower and so this run felt pretty good.

Thursday after work:

Uphill/downhill repeats: 10 min easy + 5 x (1 min hard uphill + 1 min walk) + 5 x (1 min hard downhill + 1 min walk) + 10 min easy
- T+D 155, 5.5%effect, T 90 F
- time: 3.24 mi
- distance: 3.24 mi
- uphill splits: 9:58, 9:52, 9:33, 9:29, 9:21
- downhill splits: 7:54, 8:12, 7:59, 7:33, 7:40
- elevation gain: 283 ft (corrected)
- route: new loop around the neighborhood
- comments: The grade on this hill was much shallower than the 15-sec repeats earlier in the week. Thank goodness this was a short run because there wasn't much shade.

Friday

Before breakfast: Workout 3
- 3 x 5 sumo squats with 50 lb + 20-lb vest
- superset:
  - 3 x 5 suspended rows with 20-lb vest + 5 lb
  - 3 x 5 pull-overs with 30 lb
- 3 x 5 each leg step-up with 20-lb vest
- superset:
  - 3 x 5 Arnold press with 20 lb each arm
  - 3 x 5 bent-over reverse flyes with 10 lb each arm
After dinner: walk on treadmill
- Time: 1:26:53
- Distance: 4.91 mi
- Ave pace: 17:42
- Incline: 0%

Saturday

Morning: 2-hr tennis doubles practice
Before dinner:
- 60 min easy on trail
  - T+D 131, 2.5% effect, T 82 F
  - time: 1:00:01
  - distance: 4.46 mi
  - average pace: 13:27 (GAP ave pace 13:25)
  - splits: 13:21, 13:33, 13:13, 13:33, 13:45
  - ave HR: 140 BPM - within my target range
  - elevation gain: 315 ft (corrected)
  - route: Northwest Branch Trail
  - comments: The humidity was so low that it felt wonderful!

Sunday before dinner:

80 min LR on trail
- T+D 148, 4.5% effect, T 88 F
- time: 1:20:00
- distance: 5.71 mi
- average pace: 14:00 (GAP ave pace 13:42)
- splits: 13:20, 13:07, 14:49, 14:16, 14:39, 13:49
- ave HR: 149 BPM - within my target range
- elevation gain: 365 ft (corrected)
- route: Valley Trail, Rock Creek National Park
- comments: This was back into the high T+D. After last Sunday's heat exhaustion, I made extra sure to be hydrated before the run and brought water+ Nuun. Even so, the T+D really gave me a beating in the last 25 min or so - HR kept going up. My left ear started to plug up and when I got home, my abs felt like they wanted to cramp. Blah. Hate summer running!

Health

I've been continuing with the somatic tracking for PRT for my headache. This week didn't see as much progress because I may have tweaked my neck doing the supermans on Tuesday morning - whether I really did or I just worried that I did, my headache was worse Tue/Wed. According to the book on PRT by Gordon and my therapist, "relapses" are normal, so just keep working at it and don't feel a lot of pressure about it. I'm trying to keep with that. I had another PRT appointment on Friday, and right now the idea is to just keep doing what I'm doing.

We also talked a lot about how stress can send "danger" signals to the brain, which can make neuroplastic pain worse. This next week (starting tomorrow) is the week before the semester starts, so it's typically a very busy and stressful time for me. So we talked about some strategies for trying to manage the stress so that hopefully my headache won't get worse. It's hard to try to keep yourself from stressing without getting stressed about that!

I did ask my therapist about the possibility of my plantar fasciitis being neuroplastic in origin. She said that there is actually research indicating that a lot of plantar fasciitis pain is in fact neuroplastic, but at the moment, we don't know for sure. I have felt the PF in both feet and sometimes in the heel and other times in the arch, so that seems weird to me. However, my husband had PF a few years ago (and successfully treated it with stretching and rest), and he's worried about me not doing conventional treatment for my PF. The PF was the worst yesterday morning with tennis - I think because of the type of movements required for tennis.

So I got the L-shaped boot splits for each foot to wear while I sleep - I figure might was well go with the "big gun" treatment rather than wasting time on other things and then eventually getting to the splints. My ankles/achilles/calves are actually quite flexible. When I do the stretches for the PF, I have a "foot rocker" that I use, and I've always been able to dorsiflex quite a bit in both feet. So I'm not sure the boot splints will be THAT helpful, except that obviously overnight I wouldn't keep my foot dorsiflexed without the splint. Maybe immobilizing the foot that way will help.

GollyGadget · Aug 20, 2023

avondale said:
It's still bad at this time of year, but it should only be 4 - 6 weeks left of this really hot stuff - fingers crossed!

I hope you’re right. We’re in the middle of a heat wave here and I keep telling myself that it should be the last one.

avondale · Aug 27, 2023

Week of Aug. 21 - 27, 2023

This week was the fourth week of the training plan for my next race: Harbison 50k in South Carolina on January 7. This plan is 23 weeks, but the first couple of weeks are all easy running for some base-building since I hadn't run for over two weeks. This week was my second week of workouts and not just easy running.

This was the week before the semester starts with me, so the level of busyness really stepped up. This is when faculty and students come out of the woodwork with questions and problems.

Monday

Before breakfast: core workout and foam rolling and stretching. Core:
- 60-s plank
- 20 starfish
- 20 dead bug
- 20 slo-mo mountain climbers
- 20 each side flutter kicks
- 20 bicycle crunch with hold
- 5 10-s hollow-body holds
- 2 30-s side planks
- 20 double leg lift/lowers
- 40 high knees
After work: walk on treadmill
- time: 1:27:08
- distance: 4.91 mi
- ave pace: 17:45
- incline: 0%

Tuesday

Before breakfast: Workout 1
- 3 x 5 suitcase squats with 65 lb + 20-lb vest
- superset:
  - 3 x 5 lat pull-downs with 42-lb bands
  - 3 x 5 bench presses with 65 lb
- 3 x 5 Romanian deadlifts with 60 lb
- superset:
  - 3 x 5 shoulder presses with 25 lb per arm
  - 3 x 5 pull-aparts with 13-lb band
After work:
- Hill repeats on trail: 15 min easy + 11 x (15 sec sprint uphill + 90 sec walk) + 12 min easy
  - T+D 132, 2.5% effect, T 81 F
  - time: 46:16
  - distance: 2.8 mi
  - hill repeat splits: 10:37, 11:55, 11:57, 10:57, 10:49, 10:34, 11:20, 10:16, 10:01, 11:35, 10:45
  - elevation gain: 396 ft (corrected)
  - route: Western Ridge Trail, Rock Creek National Park
  - comments: I think my speeds on the repeats varied a lot since they were so short. Also, I was on different sections of the hill, and it wasn't all the same grade. This was a pretty steep hill.

Wednesday

Before breakfast: core workout
- 60-s plank
- 20 starfish
- 20 dead bug
- 20 slo-mo mountain climbers
- 20 each side flutter kicks
- 20 bicycle crunch with hold
- 5 10-s hollow-body holds
- 2 30-s side planks
- 20 double leg lift/lowers
- 40 high knees
After work:
- 60 min easy on trail
  - T+D 135, 2.5% effect, T 79 F
  - time: 1:00:01
  - distance: 4.43 mi
  - average pace: 13:32 (GAP ave pace 13:29)
  - splits: 13:43, 13:44, 13:09, 13:26, 13:47
  - ave HR: 139 BPM - within my target range
  - elevation gain: 296 ft (corrected)
  - route: Northwest Branch Trail

Thursday after work:

Uphill/downhill repeats: 11 min easy + 6 x (1 min hard uphill + 1 min walk) + 6 x (1 min hard downhill + 1 min walk) + 8 min easy
- T+D 149, 4.5%effect, T 80 F
- time: 44:01 mi
- distance: 3.59 mi
- uphill splits: 9:14, 9:21, 9:12, 9:06, 9:26, 9:16
- downhill splits: 7:44, 7:52, 7:36, 7:30, 7:37, 8:21
- elevation gain: 330 ft (corrected)
- route: new loop around the neighborhood
- comments: The grade on this hill was much shallower than the 15-sec repeats earlier in the week. I think I'm not going to do the downhill repeats in the future - too hard on my heels. I need to do these on a trail surface.

Friday after work: walk on treadmill

time: 1:26:55
distance: 4.9 mi
ave pace: 17:44 min/mi
incline: 0%

Saturday

After breakfast: 2-hr tennis doubles practice - by the end, it was T 78 F and T+D 149. My right ear plugged up.
Before dinner:
- 70 min easy on trail
  - T+D 158, 6% effect, T 90 F
  - time: 1:10:01
  - distance: 4.5 mi
  - average pace: 15:33 (GAP ave pace 14:51)
  - splits: 14:49, 16:07, 14:50, 17:04, 14:18
  - ave HR: 148 BPM - above my target range
  - elevation gain: 626 ft (corrected)
  - route: Western Ridge Trail, Rock Creek National Park
  - comments: This was miserable. I could not keep my HR in the easy range, even with walking breaks. Both of my ears plugged up.
  - comments: Even though I drank over a gallon of liquids this day and ate way too much, the next morning my weight was still down 2.5 lb from water weight.

Sunday before dinner:

90 min LR on trail
- T+D 151, 4.5% effect, T 86 F
- time: 1:30:04
- distance: 5.65 mi
- average pace: 15:57 (GAP ave pace 15:42)
- splits: 14:28, 14:28, 16:49, 16:45, 16:41, 16:50
- ave HR: 152 BPM - within my target range
- elevation gain: 364 ft (corrected)
- route: Valley Trail, Rock Creek National Park
- comments: Another miserable run. I took a lot of walking breaks in order to keep my HR in the right range. This is the summer running that I hate.

Health

I had another PRT appointment, but there were no new developments with that. I have hit a bit of a plateau in improvement in the headache pain this week, but it was also a busier and more stressful week, so probably not a surprise. Just have to keep working on somatic tracking and safety messages.

The plantar fasciitis has been continuing, but it seems to be mostly in my right heel now. I don't think it's gotten worse. I have been wearing the night splints all week, so perhaps that has been keeping it from getting worse? We'll see what happens with it this week.

avondale · Sep 3, 2023

Week of Aug. 28 - Sep. 3, 2023

This week was the fifth week of the training plan for my next race: Harbison 50k in South Carolina on January 7.

Monday

Before breakfast: foam rolling and stretching
After work: walk on treadmill
- time: 43:57
- distance: 2.45 mi
- ave pace: 17:56
- incline: 0%

Tuesday

Before breakfast: Workout 2
- 3 x 5 one-leg squat on bench with 20-lb vest
- superset:
  - 3 x 5 one-arm row on bench with 30 lb
  - 3 x 5 wide push-up with 20-lb vest
- 3 x 5 glute-ham raise with chair assist
- superset:
  - 3 x 5 parallel-bar dip
  - 3 x 5 superman, 5-s hold
After work:
- Hill repeats & tempo ramps: 10 min easy + 7 x (1 min hard uphill + 1 min walk) + 20 min tempo ramps
  - T+D 149, 4.5%effect, T 78 F
  - time: 44:02 mi
  - distance: 3.63 mi
  - uphill splits: 10:03, 9:32, 9:25, 9:14, 9:04, 9:27, 9:22
  - elevation gain: 311 ft (corrected)
  - route: new loop around the neighborhood
  - comments: Previously this was uphill and then downhill repeats, but I replaced the downhill repeats with tempo ramps.

Wednesday

Before breakfast: core workout
- 60-s plank
- 20 starfish
- 20 dead bug
- 20 slo-mo mountain climbers
- 20 each side flutter kicks
- 20 bicycle crunch with hold
- 5 10-s hollow-body holds
- 2 30-s side planks
- 20 double leg lift/lowers
- 40 high knees
After work:
- 60 min easy on trail
  - T+D 141, 3.5% effect, T 84 F
  - time: 1:00:01
  - distance: 4.28 mi
  - average pace: 14:02 (GAP ave pace 13:48)
  - splits: 14:16, 14:12, 13:43, 13:58, 14:00
  - ave HR: 137 BPM - within my target range
  - elevation gain: 294 ft (corrected)
  - route: Northwest Branch Trail

Thursday

Before breakfast: Workout 3
- 3 x 5 sumo squats with 50 lb + 20-lb vest
- superset:
  - 3 x 5 suspended rows with 20-lb vest
  - 3 x 5 pull-overs with 32.5 lb
- 3 x 5 each leg step-up with 20-lb vest
- superset:
  - 3 x 5 Arnold press with 20 lb each arm
  - 3 x 5 bent-over reverse flyes with 10 lb each arm
After work:
- Hill repeats: 15 min easy + 12 x (15 sec sprint uphill + 90 sec walk) + 12 min easy
  - T+D 125, 1.5% effect, T 78 F
  - time: 48:01
  - distance: 2.88 mi
  - hill repeat splits: 11:31, 10:46, 11:00, 10:34, 11:08, 10:48, 10:56, 9:52, 12:07, 10:40, 10:01, 11:20
  - elevation gain: 436 ft (corrected)
  - route: Western Ridge Trail, Rock Creek National Park
  - comments: I think my speeds on the repeats varied a lot since they were so short. Also, I was on different sections of the hill, and it wasn't all the same grade. This was a pretty steep hill.

Friday

Before breakfast: core workout
- 60-s plank
- 20 starfish
- 20 dead bug
- 30 sec fast feet
- 20 slo-mo mountain climbers
- 20 each side flutter kicks
- 30 sec fast feet
- 20 bicycle crunch with hold
- 5 10-s hollow-body holds
- 30 sec fast feet
- 2 30-s side planks
- 20 double leg lift/lowers
- 30 sec fast feet
After work: walk on treadmill
- time: 43:17
- distance: 2.36 mi
- ave pace: 18:20
- incline: 0%

Saturday

Before breakfast:
- 70 min easy on trail
  - T+D 127, 2% effect, T 67 F
  - time: 1:10:01
  - distance: 4.59 mi
  - average pace: 15:16 (GAP ave pace 14:23)
  - splits: 15:16, 16:23, 14:15, 16:06, 13:40
  - ave HR: 138 BPM - within my target range
  - elevation gain: 607 ft (corrected)
  - route: Western Ridge Trail, Rock Creek National Park
  - comments: Much nicer weather than lately, but it won't last! I was able to do this run in the morning so that I could do my Sunday run earlier in the day.
- Before dinner: walk on treadmill
  - time: 1:43:05
  - distance: 5.47 mi
  - ave pace: 18:51
  - incline: 4% to 0%

Sunday after breakfast:

100 min LR on trail
- T+D 156, 5.5% effect, T 90 F
- time: 1:40:01
- distance: 6.54 mi
- average pace: 15:18 (GAP ave pace 15:02)
- splits: 14:12, 14:12, 15:54, 16:44, 15:13, 15:51, 14:38
- ave HR: 149 BPM - within my target range
- elevation gain: 416 ft (corrected)
- route: Valley Trail, Rock Creek National Park
- comments: From the start, I was just trying to go slow and easy so that my HR did not explode. The weather conditions are from the end of the run: the temperature went up 7 F and the T+D 8 F from the start of the run. I was able to run a bit before lunch time. It was going to be nasty in the afternoon!

Health

Not much change with the headache. I had another PRT appointment and am continuing with the somatic tracking.

Similarly, my plantar fasciitis is about the same - I mostly feel it in my right heel.

avondale · Sep 10, 2023

Week of Sep. 4 - 10, 2023

This week was the sixth week of the training plan for my next race: Harbison 50k in South Carolina on January 7.

This was a cut-back week for me, which turned out to be good because work was busy and the weather was still atrociously hot and humid. I've been trying not to whine too much about the heat and humidity, but for the first week of September, this week was pretty crazy - especially the humidity. I don't feel like I've adapted at all - I feel like it keeps affecting me more and more. It's getting me really unhappy about my training. Fortunately starting Wednesday it's supposed to be more seasonable temperatures.

Monday before dinner:

50 min easy on trail
- At end, T+D 159, 6% effect, T 94 F
- time: 50:03
- distance: 3.39 mi
- average pace: 14:47 (GAP ave pace 14:43)
- splits: 14:41, 14:34, 14:49, 15:32
- ave HR: 146 BPM - above my target range
- elevation gain: 202 ft (corrected)
- route: Northwest Branch Trail
- comments: The long run the day before did not go well, so I would not have run on this day normally, but looking ahead at the week's weather forecast, it seemed that I needed to get a run in (and I was right). Nevertheless, I really wasn't recovered well yet, and my HR was way too high, despite slowing way down.

Tuesday

Before breakfast: foam rolling and stretching
Before dinner: walking on treadmill
- time: 1:27:13
- distance: 4.92 mi
- ave pace: 17:44
- incline: 0%
- comment: The heat index would have been over 100 F I ran, and I just didn't have the motivation for that.

Wednesday evening: 2-hr tennis doubles round-robin - thank goodness this was inside in A/C!
Thursday after work: walking on treadmill

time: 1:26:55
distance: 4.91 mi
ave pace: 17:42
incline: 0%
comment: Bad thunderstorms outside.

Friday

Before breakfast: core workout
- 60-s plank
- 20 starfish
- 20 dead bug
- 30 sec fast feet
- 20 slo-mo mountain climbers
- 20 each side flutter kicks
- 30 sec fast feet
- 20 bicycle crunch with hold
- 5 10-s hollow-body holds
- 30 sec fast feet
- 2 30-s side planks
- 20 double leg lift/lowers
- 30 sec fast feet
After work:
- Hill repeats & tempo ramps: 10 min easy + 5 x (1 min hard uphill + 1 min walk) + 20 min tempo ramps
  - T+D 160, 6%effect, T 90 F
  - time: 40:01
  - distance: 3.33 mi
  - uphill splits: 9:57, 9:18, 9:01, 8:57, 8:58
  - elevation gain: 301 ft (corrected)
  - route: new loop around the neighborhood
  - comments: Previously this was uphill and then downhill repeats, but I replaced the downhill repeats with tempo ramps.
  - comments: Fortunately it clouded over about halfway through since this route is not very shady. I got done before the thunderstorms.

Saturday

Morning: 2-hr tennis doubles practice - this was incredibly humid with T 78 F and T+D 149 at the end. Both of my ears plugged up by the end.
Before dinner:
- 60 min easy on trail
  - T+D 140, 3% effect, T 74 F
  - time: 1:00:01
  - distance: 4.02 mi
  - average pace: 14:57 (GAP ave pace 14:53)
  - splits: 14:47, 14:59, 15:02, 14:57, 15:22
  - ave HR: 145 BPM - above my target range
  - elevation gain: 290 ft (corrected)
  - route: Northwest Branch Trail
  - comments: I was really wasted from the tennis earlier in the day. I could not keep my HR down even with numerous walking breaks. I went out in between waves of thunderstorms and had a little light rain, but not enough to really cool it off.

Sunday before dinner:

80 min LR on trail
- T+D 149, 4.5% effect, T 78 F
- time: 1:20:01
- distance: 5.07 mi
- average pace: 15:46 (GAP ave pace 15:26)
- splits: 14:13, 15:36, 16:15, 17:00, 15:39, 17:24
- ave HR: 149 BPM - within my target range
- elevation gain: 326 ft (corrected)
- route: Valley Trail, Rock Creek National Park
- comments: It was supposed to rain pretty much the whole time, but instead it only sprinkled a few minutes and then eventually got sunny. Even though I was under shade, the humidity was close to 100% and it was just miserable. I power hiked most of this "run" except the downhills in order to keep my HR in a reasonable range.

Health

Fortunately, things are better on this front. Another PRT appointment this week. I feel like my progress moved off last week's plateau and improved again. For many days this week, my headache pain decreased to an almost non-existent level. So amazing!

I am not sure if I described this previously when I described somatic tracking, so I'll mention it. When I have had my appointments with the therapist, she has guided me through a 5-min somatic tracking session. She'll get me to observe how the headache pain is feeling and then describe it, all the while keeping in mind that this pain is not "real" and shouldn't be a cause for concern. The new aspect that I wanted to highlight is this: after I describe how the pain feels while sitting normally, then she'll ask me to tilt my head forward and describe how it feels - usually the feel does change in a specific way. Then return my head to normal and the pain goes back to what it was before. Now, this is the kicker: she'll ask me to imagine that I tilt my head forward again but don't actually do it. Sure enough, the pain changes to the way it felt when I really did tilt my head forward! Heh - it's all a learned response. Anyway, I'm happy that this is moving along.

The plantar fasciitis is still about the same. It's mostly in my right heel. I think that currently I'm not making it worse, but I'm not sure if the boots and stretching are enough to get it to heal. For the moment, I'm just keeping the status quo.

avondale · Sep 17, 2023

Week of Sep. 11 - 17, 2023

This week was the seventh week of the training plan for my next race: Harbison 50k in South Carolina on January 7. Fortunately we got into some cooler weather mid-week, but it doesn't seem to have helped my running much yet.

Monday

Before breakfast: foam rolling and stretching
After work: walk on treadmill
- time: 1:26:50
- distance: 4.48 mi
- ave pace: 19:23
- incline: 0%

Tuesday

Before breakfast: Workout 1
- 3 x 5 suitcase squats with 65 lb + 20-lb vest
- superset:
  - 3 x 5 lat pull-downs with 42-lb bands
  - 3 x 5 bench presses with 65 lb
- 3 x 5 Romanian deadlifts with 60 lb
- superset:
  - 3 x 5 shoulder presses with 25 lb per arm
  - 3 x 5 pull-aparts with 13-lb band
After work:
- Hill repeats: 15 min easy + 13 x (15 sec sprint uphill + 90 sec walk) + 12 min easy
  - T+D 152, 5% effect, T 85 F
  - time: 49:46
  - distance: 2.97 mi
  - hill repeat splits: 10:47, 9:56, 9:27, 10:39 10:32, 10:42, 10:02, 10:52, 11:39, 12:00, 10:49, 9:50, 11:01
  - elevation gain: 477 ft (corrected)
  - route: Western Ridge Trail, Rock Creek National Park
  - comments: I think my speeds on the repeats varied a lot since they were so short. Also, I was on different sections of the hill, and it wasn't all the same grade. This was a pretty steep hill - most of it at 10 - 12% grade.

Wednesday

Before breakfast: core workout
- 60-s plank
- 20 starfish
- 20 dead bug
- 30 sec fast feet
- 20 slo-mo mountain climbers
- 20 each side flutter kicks
- 30 sec fast feet
- 20 bicycle crunch with hold
- 5 10-s hollow-body holds
- 30 sec fast feet
- 2 30-s side planks
- 20 double leg lift/lowers
- 30 sec fast feet
After work: walk on treadmill
- time: 44:37
- distance: 2.49 mi
- ave pace: 17:55
- incline: 0%

Thursday

Before breakfast: Workout 2
- 3 x 5 one-leg squat on bench with 20-lb vest
- superset:
  - 3 x 5 one-arm row on bench with 30 lb
  - 3 x 5 wide push-up with 20-lb vest
- 3 x 5 glute-ham raise with chair assist
- superset:
  - 3 x 5 parallel-bar dip
  - 3 x 5 superman, 5-s hold
After work:
- 60 min easy on trail
  - T+D 124, 1.5% effect, T 77 F
  - time: 1:00:00
  - distance: 4.16 mi
  - average pace: 14:26 (GAP ave pace 14:22)
  - splits: 14:25, 14:34, 14:15, 14:29, 14:29
  - ave HR: 140 BPM - within my target range
  - elevation gain: 311 ft (corrected)
  - route: Northwest Branch Trail
  - comments: I still had to keep a frustratingly slow pace to keep my HR down.

Friday after work:

Hill repeats & tempo ramps: 10 min easy + 8 x (1 min hard uphill + 1 min walk) + 20 min tempo ramps
- T+D 126, 2%effect, T 74 F
- time: 46:01
- distance: 3.79 mi
- uphill splits: 9:33, 9:20, 9:15, 9:11, 9:03, 9:16, 9:00, 9:09
- elevation gain: 363 ft (corrected)
- route: new loop around the neighborhood
- comments: Previously this was uphill and then downhill repeats, but I replaced the downhill repeats with tempo ramps.

Saturday morning:

80 min easy on trail
- T+D 115, 1% effect, T 64 F
- time: 1:20:01
- distance: 5.17 mi
- average pace: 15:28 (GAP ave pace 14:35)
- splits: 15:36, 16:17, 15:43, 14:31, 15:31, 13:39
- ave HR: 144 BPM - within my target range
- elevation gain: 704 ft (corrected)
- route: Western Ridge Trail, Rock Creek National Park
- comments: It was so wonderfully cool, but I still couldn't keep my HR down. Very frustrating.

Sunday before dinner:

120 min LR on trail
- T+D 135, 2.5% effect, T 72 F
- time: 2:00:01
- distance: 7.84 mi
- average pace: 15:19 (GAP ave pace 14:58)
- splits: 14:05, 13:57, 15:15, 17:10, 17:02, 15:31, 15:06, 14:14
- ave HR: 152 BPM - within my target range
- elevation gain: 527 ft (corrected)
- route: Valley Trail, Rock Creek National Park
- comments: This run felt a bit better in the sense of my HR being more reasonable. Hopefully we will keep the cooler weather.

Health

My PRT has been continuing. I'm not sure I made significant progress this week with the pain, but things are still a lot better than we were. I'm continuing with the somatic tracking and trying to work on times of day when my pain seems to be worse. Work is busy, and trying to keep the stress from freaking my brain out and triggering pain signals is tough.

Plantar fasciitis is about the same. Still doing wait and see.

avondale · Sep 24, 2023

Week of Sep. 18 - 24, 2023

This week was the eighth week of the training plan for my next race: Harbison 50k in South Carolina on January 7.

Monday

Before breakfast: foam rolling and stretching
After work: walk outside
- time: 58:38
- distance: 3.41 mi
- ave pace: 17:12
- elevation gain: 142 ft (corrected)

Tuesday

Before breakfast: Workout 3
- 3 x 5 sumo squats with 50 lb + 20-lb vest
- superset:
  - 3 x 5 suspended rows with 20-lb vest + 5 lb
  - 3 x 5 pull-overs with 32.5 lb
- 3 x 5 each leg step-up with 20-lb vest
- superset:
  - 3 x 5 Arnold press with 20 lb each arm
  - 3 x 5 bent-over reverse flyes with 10 lb each arm
After work:
- 60 min easy on trail
  - T+D 122, 1.5% effect, T 73 F
  - time: 1:00:00
  - distance: 4.2 mi
  - average pace: 14:17 (GAP ave pace 14:11)
  - splits: 15:36, 14:32, 14:22, 14:01, 14:15, 14:18
  - ave HR: 141 BPM - at the top end of my target range
  - elevation gain: 312 ft (corrected)
  - route: Northwest Branch Trail
  - comments: HR still too high for such a slow pace.

Wednesday

Before breakfast: core workout
- 60-s plank
- 20 starfish
- 20 dead bug
- 30 sec fast feet
- 20 slo-mo mountain climbers
- 20 each side flutter kicks
- 30 sec fast feet
- 20 bicycle crunch with hold
- 5 10-s hollow-body holds
- 30 sec fast feet
- 2 30-s side planks
- 20 double leg lift/lowers
- 30 sec fast feet
After work: hills on treadmill
- time: 40:26
- distance: 2.0 mi
- ave pace: 20:13
- incline: alternating between 5% and 15%
In evening: 2-hr tennis doubles round-robin

Thursday after work:

Hill repeats: 15 min easy + 14 x (15 sec sprint uphill + 90 sec walk) + 12 min easy
- T+D 131, 2.5% effect, T 76 F
- time: 51:31
- distance: 3.06 mi
- hill repeat splits: 11:04, 10:33, 11:04, 10:14, 9:48, 11:06, 9:35, 10:32, 10:54, 11:31, 11:30, 10:08, 10:35, 10:31
- elevation gain: 485 ft (corrected)
- route: Western Ridge Trail, Rock Creek National Park
- comments: I think my speeds on the repeats varied a lot since they were so short. Also, I was on different sections of the hill, and it wasn't all the same grade. This was a pretty steep hill - most of it at 10 - 12% grade.

Friday before breakfast: Workout 1

3 x 5 suitcase squats with 67.5 lb + 20-lb vest
superset:
- 3 x 5 lat pull-downs with 49-lb bands
- 3 x 5 bench presses with 67.5 lb
3 x 5 Romanian deadlifts with 60 lb
superset:
- 3 x 5 shoulder presses with 25 lb per arm
- 3 x 5 pull-aparts with 13-lb band

Saturday

Before lunch:
- 80 min easy
  - T+D 117, 1% effect, T 59 F, rained most of the time
  - time: 1:20:01
  - distance: 6.09 mi
  - average pace: 13:08 (GAP ave pace 13:08)
  - splits: 12:51, 13:37, 13:37, 12:54, 12:48, 13:04, 12:57
  - ave HR: 144 BPM - above my target range
  - elevation gain: 178 ft (corrected)
  - route: Rock Creek Trail
  - comments: We had gotten a lot of rain from Tropical Storm Ophelia, so I thought it would be good to stay on this paved trail for this run. I also thought it would be nice to see some faster paces...well, I guess this was faster than on the trail, but it was really slow on pavement, even for me. Grrr.
Before dinner: walk on treadmill
- time: 43:04
- distance: 2.78 mi
- ave pace: 15:30
- incline: 0%

Sunday before dinner:

140 min LR on trail
- T+D 129, 1.5% effect, T 65 F, mist and rain sometimes, 100% humidity
- time: 2:20:01
- distance: 9.37 mi
- average pace: 14:57 (GAP ave pace 14:39)
- splits: 14:35, 14:21, 14:26, 15:02, 13:57, 15:27, 15:28, 15:32, 15:59, 14:22
- ave HR: 157 BPM - above my target range
- elevation gain: 717 ft (corrected)
- route: Seneca Greenway Trail
- comments: This run went about as I expected, given my paces lately. Fortunately even though things were wet and puddly, it wasn't slippery. I lucked out that most of the rain from the Tropical Storm had already passed through.
- comments: I ate one Honey Stinger waffle and one sleeve of GU Chews. I had 1.5 L of water + Nuun.

Health

The PRT is doing well with my headache. It's virtually gone for a lot of the time, but there are some times when it regularly flares up as part of my "routine". I'm working on this with somatic tracking and hopefully will continue to make progress.

The plantar fasciitis is continuing at about the same level, I think. Still wearing the night boots.

avondale · Oct 1, 2023

Week of Sep. 25 - Oct. 1, 2023

This week was the ninth week of the training plan for my next race: Harbison 50k in South Carolina on January 7.

I've been getting frustrated by the fact that even when the weather is cooler, I am SO SLOW right now. I haven't had the chance to go back and see if this is what happened last summer or if it's weird. But I have been trying to keep in mind that I'm only trying to go faster for myself - it's not like I would be competitive in any way in trail races - so there's really no pressure on this. Just hard to remember sometimes.

Edited to add: I looked back at 2022 in late summer...I am definitely slower this year, and it's not because it's been hotter! I don't know what is up.

Monday - in a rarity for me, I did no activities on this day.

Tuesday

Before breakfast: foam rolling and stretching
After work:
- 40 min tempo ramps
  - T+D 118, 1% effect, T 60 F, misty
  - time: 40:00
  - distance: 3.35 mi
  - average pace: 11:56 (GAP ave pace 11:50)
  - splits: 12:00, 11:58, 11:56, 11:34
  - elevation gain: 271 ft (corrected)
  - route: neighborhood loop 2

Wednesday

Before breakfast: core workout
- 60-s plank
- 20 starfish
- 20 dead bug
- 30 sec fast feet
- 20 slo-mo mountain climbers
- 20 each side flutter kicks
- 30 sec fast feet
- 20 bicycle crunch with hold
- 5 10-s hollow-body holds
- 30 sec fast feet
- 2 30-s side planks
- 20 double leg lift/lowers
- 30 sec fast feet
After work:
- Hill repeats: 15 min easy + 10 x (1 min hard uphill + 1 min walk) + 10 min easy
  - T+D 111, 1% effect, T 63 F
  - time: 45:01
  - distance: 3.44 mi
  - hill repeat splits: 10:53, 11:00, 10:11, 9:26, 9:57, 10:05, 10:08, 10:05, 9:56, 10:01
  - elevation gain: 344 ft (corrected)
  - route: Forest Glen Annex
  - comments: I didn't have enough time before sunset to drive to a trail, so I ran to a paved hill for these. The grade is not so steep as the trail where I was doing the 15-s repeats.

Thursday

Before breakfast: Workout 2
- 3 x 5 one-leg squat on bench with 20-lb vest
- superset:
  - 3 x 5 one-arm row on bench with 31.25 lb
  - 3 x 5 wide push-up with 20-lb vest
- 3 x 5 glute-ham raise with chair assist
- superset:
  - 3 x 5 parallel-bar dip
  - 3 x 5 superman, 5-s hold
After work:
- 60 min easy on trail
  - T+D 127, 1.5% effect, T 68 F
  - time: 1:00:00
  - distance: 4.22 mi
  - average pace: 14:13 (GAP ave pace 14:01)
  - splits: 14:30, 14:23, 13:46, 14:11, 14:21
  - ave HR: 142 BPM - just above my target range
  - elevation gain: 315 ft (corrected)
  - route: Northwest Branch Trail
  - comments: HR still too high for such a slow pace.

Friday

Before breakfast: core workout
- 60-s plank
- 20 starfish
- 20 dead bug
- 30 sec fast feet
- 20 slo-mo mountain climbers
- 20 each side flutter kicks
- 30 sec fast feet
- 20 bicycle crunch with hold
- 5 10-s hollow-body holds
- 30 sec fast feet
- 2 30-s side planks
- 20 double leg lift/lowers
- 30 sec fast feet
After dinner: walk on treadmill
- time: 43:47
- distance: 2.39 mi
- ave pace: 18:19
- incline: 0%

Saturday

Morning: 2-hr tennis doubles practice
Before dinner:
- 90 min easy on trail
  - T+D 135, 2.5% effect, T 74 F
  - time: 1:30:01
  - distance: 6.13 mi
  - average pace: 14:41 (GAP ave pace 14:24)
  - splits: 14:47, 14:10, 15:21, 14:55, 14:54, 14:14, 12:59
  - ave HR: 141 BPM - at the top of my target range
  - elevation gain: 426 ft (corrected)
  - route: Valley Trail, Rock Creek National Park
  - comments: The T+D jumped up compared to earlier in the week. I worked hard to manage the HR to stay in my target range and not get too worn out before my LR the next day. Also drank a bunch all day.

Sunday afternoon:

160 min LR on trail
- T+D 136, 3% effect, T 77 F
- time: 2:40:01
- distance: 10.29 mi
- average pace: 15:33 (GAP ave pace 15:11)
- splits: 14:30, 14:22, 14:29, 15:37, 14:56, 15:53, 16:01, 15:16, 16:35, 17:49, 15:52
- ave HR: 155 BPM - just above my target range
- elevation gain: 775 ft (corrected)
- route: Seneca Greenway Trail
- comments: I took 1.5 L of water + Nuun and 0.5 L of water and drank nearly all of it. I ate one sleeve of GU Chews and one Honey Stinger waffle.
- comments: I knew this run was not going to go very well, given the T+D. About 1/4 of the trail isn't shaded, so that didn't help. I tried to go out conservatively but even so, the last couple miles turned into a death march. Both of my ears plugged up.

Health

The PRT for my headache continues. I think I'm at a bit of a plateau right now, and I just have to stick with it. The headache starting up in the morning is stubbornly continuing, but it's much better later in the day.

The plantar fasciitis is continuing but not worsening, so ok for now.

garneska · Oct 1, 2023

Please let me know if you figure out why you are slower. I have been struggling for a couple years (2 now). I have had some injuries getting in the way, life stuff, and weight gain 7 to 10 lbs, but I am so much slower. I can’t even make myself run faster. I have no idea except weight gain and injuries but I am just so blah. Am happy that I am still running, just sad that it is so much slower. Maybe I need to focus on that cross training

avondale training journal, starting Dec. 2018 (comments welcome)

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