4 Miles on the 4th

What's that?  Did I actually get some miles in this weekend?  Why yes I did!

As I've mentioned on twitter, I have been seeing a physical therapist in order to get my IT band back in gear and STOP THE PAIN already.  I'm sick of sitting on my (increasingly larger) butt and not being able to run.  Last Thursday I finally got the news I had been hoping for--I'm cleared to run again!  My doctor had me run on the treadmill for a couple of miles and examined my running gait.  He determined that I'm taking too big of strides.  My feet only hit the ground 160 times per minute.  The ideal running gait is around 180 bpm.  By taking frequent, smaller steps I should reduce the impact on my joints and limit the pain I experience around my IT band.  It worked on the treadmill and I was able to finish my miles without pain.  I was super excited!  After missing nearly 2 month of training this year due to injuries, I was really ready to put it all past me and move forward (literally!).

On Sunday night I put together my revised training program.  My full marathon is in less than 11 weeks, and it is go time.  I've learned a few important things during this time.  First, I should've been cross training religiously.  Second, I should've been strength training religiously.  Since I was focused entirely on running, my other muscles didn't get the help they needed and my body got out of balance which resulted in my injury.  I'm not going to make the same mistake again.  If I am going to have a successful race, I need to train properly.

So back to the training schedule...I basically run Monday/Wednesday/Friday/Saturday, and bike on Tuesday/Thursday.  My runs will alternate between tempo runs, hills, intervals, and long distance runs.  I'll be doing strength training on M/W/F.  I'll be doing core work almost daily.  And I will of course continue to do the exercises recommended to me for my IT band.  

Moral of the story?  I'm going to be working my butt off over the next 3 months.  I hope I work it off literally. :)

I've also realized that I've got a nasty road ahead of me.  I have to up my mileage quicker than I would like, and I need to be extra cautious about injuring myself.  I need to stretch, foam roll, ice, and rest appropriately. I also think that losing a few extra pounds would really help out.  Back to religiously tracking my calories!

All in all, it was a bit of an eye opener for me.  I can't believe how quickly that race will be here.  I can't afford to miss ANY training.  I need to be diligent so that I can reach my goal.  It should be a great challenge!

Speaking of a challenge...my four miles I ran on Monday weren't without a struggle.  I woke up at 6 am to begin my morning run.  Up until now I've been a nighttime runner but it is FAR too hot in Utah right now to continue with that; at 6 am it was already 80 degrees.  Holy crap.  Also, I'm still learning the new running gait and I find that when I run at 170-180 bpm, I don't end up just taking more steps per minute; I end up running a heck of a lot faster than I am used to.  I was exhausted by mile 3!  I need to keep practicing and get used to the new stride without wearing myself out.  It should be fun to see how I manage it.  Perhaps I don't need to add the speed work into my training schedule after all?...

Anyway, I hope you had a wonderful 4th of July weekend.  I was lucky enough to see my dear Hubster run his first half marathon (which he ran a 1:48:57...dang I wish I was that fast).  I was also super excited to follow Ann from Twelve in Twelve as she ran her first half marathon in Minnesota.  I think she had quite the fan base here in Utah!  Congrats to her as well!

Anyone else have big races coming up?  Tell me about them in the comments!