This first club race of the year would normally just be a "go run, do your best, whatever" kind of race for me. Just burn some calories.
But because of the muscle activation work I had done last week, it carried more importance: The big test of all that work. Setting the baseline for the year. So, I raced the hell out of it and had a blast doing so.
So as not to bury the lead, my chip time was 1:03:35, which is about 10:25 minute/mile, but Runkeeper had the route at more like 6.5 miles, so I stopped it at 6.3 miles and got 9:58 minutes/mile. Really kinda makes me crazy how far off race routes are from the "advertised" mileage. Makes it hard to compare apples to apples, but whatever. I was 4th in the Athena division, because, of course, some tall, thin girl doesn't realize she can probably place in her age group with her 8:30 minute miles.
By comparison, the Saturday before, I did 6.2 at a 11:02 pace. So this work (plus race-day vroom) shaved a full minute off my pace. What's more, I had almost no hip or groin pain after. In the past, I would have been hobbling around with straight legs, unable to lift them without searing pain in my hips and groin muscles. Yesterday, I could tell I ran hard, but wasn't debilitated or cringing every time I stood up. My calves are sore, still today, but that wasn't an area we worked on. That might require another visit.
Anyway, as DRC races usually are, it was informal and pleasant. We did an out and back to the east, basically over the spillway and to the Boat House and back. My approach was to just reel in every girl I thought had any chance of competing as an Athena. And in the last half mile, I reeled in one who clearly wasn't, but I just wanted to beat her anyway.
Got a high five from a couple of guys I ran near most of the race. One was a guy in a Flower Mound Fire Dept. shirt, who apparently had been on my heels for most of the race. He approached me beyond the finish line while we were both winding down and catching our breath. Really felt special for him to compliment my race like that. Next to seeing my sub-10 pace, that was the highlight of my day.
The other was a guy pushing a stroller who I must have let pace me for 3 miles. Pretty heroic effort to be pushing a kid the whole time. Finally passed him on the spillway hill and didn't see him again. In fact, my fastest split was 9:50 for mile 5 where that hill was. Boom! Hill Crusher! :)
DRC training starts Saturday, and I'm looking forward to meeting my new group and, frankly, to slowing down my runs a bit. I've only run twice this past week, but they were hard runs. My calves are telling me I need to dial it back.
Showing posts with label groins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label groins. Show all posts
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Monday, December 30, 2013
Hitting the Reset Button
Feels like a little year-end wrap-up is in order, no?
It's been a pretty big year: Moved to Dallas. Did a bunch of construction/remodeling work in the new house. Picked up my running considerably. Met some great new friends through my DRC running group. Fell out of love with playing goalie. G got promoted to partner. I got laid off. And we just hosted our first Christmas with my family.
Lots of change this year, some of it for the worse but a lot of it for the better. Even though we miss our friends in Houston like crazy, we like Dallas, and I LOVE the weather. So nice to have real winter and know that for every nice running day, I won't have to suffer through 20 yucky, humid days (and that's just in winter!)
And between my great running group and new running friends and lovely weather, I've really accomplished so much more this year than I expected. When I left Houston in late March, I don't think I'd run much more than 5 miles at a time. Needless to say, things got stepped up when I left the suffocating humidity behind:
My Christmas present is a massage treatment (4.5+ hours of work), basically with a muscle activation approach (though a little different). My MT does a few tests to see if certain movements point out pain or imbalances, and then she starts jabbing her fingers into painful places to "reset" those muscle attachments and get them responding to brain signals properly.
I've had two of the three treatments so far. It's one of the more painful things that's been done to me in the name of properly functioning muscles. Fingers stuck under rib cage or pelvic bones, thumbs pressing on muscle attachments. Hooboy! But if you like torture in the name of wellness, or just a really good deep tissue or regular massage, my MT is awesome, funny, sweet, and most of all, knowledgeable and passionate about her work. Check her out.
In two days, I'll do a test run of 6 miles (which is where my flexor/groins start to hurt) to see where we're at. She said other clients who've had this work find their leg turnover much more fluid and easy, less soreness in the groin and hip flexors, and improved speed. I'd be happy with any one of these, much less all three, so I'm very excited (and I think my MT is even more excited) to see how we're doing.
Then my first race of the year is Saturday: DRC Frigid 5k/10k (I'm doing 10k because 5ks suck). Really hoping I can run this with around 10 minute miles, but we'll see. I may be expecting too much. Plus, I've been eating like garbage polishing off all the Christmas food. I'm working to tightening this up throughout this week, but hubs is home all week, so it's tough.
Looking even further ahead, I'm also signed up for:
Jan 21-Mar 13 - RunOn! Speed Training (Tues/Thurs)
Feb. 8 - Hot Chocolate 15k
Mar. 1 - Levee Run 10k
Mar. 23 - Dallas Rock n' Roll 13.1M
Apr. 12 - Possum Kingdom Trail Run 20k
I think I'm also signing up for DRC again just to have someone to run long with on Saturdays, but I'm debating whether to do run/walk again or all run. Leaning toward all run. I'd go in the slowest group 2:30 and I know I can keep that pace. And I can always drop to run/walk if I need a break one week.
So, that's the plan. I have some lofty time goals for the year, but I'd love to make them before summer and get to set all new goals for fall! But with only one half marathon on the docket, it's unlikely. Still, can't hurt to try!
Stay with it, mule!
It's been a pretty big year: Moved to Dallas. Did a bunch of construction/remodeling work in the new house. Picked up my running considerably. Met some great new friends through my DRC running group. Fell out of love with playing goalie. G got promoted to partner. I got laid off. And we just hosted our first Christmas with my family.
Lots of change this year, some of it for the worse but a lot of it for the better. Even though we miss our friends in Houston like crazy, we like Dallas, and I LOVE the weather. So nice to have real winter and know that for every nice running day, I won't have to suffer through 20 yucky, humid days (and that's just in winter!)
And between my great running group and new running friends and lovely weather, I've really accomplished so much more this year than I expected. When I left Houston in late March, I don't think I'd run much more than 5 miles at a time. Needless to say, things got stepped up when I left the suffocating humidity behind:
- Since April, I've run 444.8 miles in 94 hours and 40 minutes (12.77 mph avg) and burned over 57,000 calories
- Two half marathons (Tyler Rose in 2:52 and DRC Half in 2:30)
- Had one race cancelled due to Icemaggedon (Isle du Bois Trail 18k)
- Ran/rode/hated one duathlon
- Won 2nd place in the Athena division of the Flagpole 8K
- Ran two 10ks, a 5M and a 15k, and the 8M turkey trot
- Longest distance was 13.67 (the overly long Tyler Rose half)
- Hilliest run totaled 1125 feet of climbing on a 10 miler in Dana Point, CA
My Christmas present is a massage treatment (4.5+ hours of work), basically with a muscle activation approach (though a little different). My MT does a few tests to see if certain movements point out pain or imbalances, and then she starts jabbing her fingers into painful places to "reset" those muscle attachments and get them responding to brain signals properly.
I've had two of the three treatments so far. It's one of the more painful things that's been done to me in the name of properly functioning muscles. Fingers stuck under rib cage or pelvic bones, thumbs pressing on muscle attachments. Hooboy! But if you like torture in the name of wellness, or just a really good deep tissue or regular massage, my MT is awesome, funny, sweet, and most of all, knowledgeable and passionate about her work. Check her out.
In two days, I'll do a test run of 6 miles (which is where my flexor/groins start to hurt) to see where we're at. She said other clients who've had this work find their leg turnover much more fluid and easy, less soreness in the groin and hip flexors, and improved speed. I'd be happy with any one of these, much less all three, so I'm very excited (and I think my MT is even more excited) to see how we're doing.
Then my first race of the year is Saturday: DRC Frigid 5k/10k (I'm doing 10k because 5ks suck). Really hoping I can run this with around 10 minute miles, but we'll see. I may be expecting too much. Plus, I've been eating like garbage polishing off all the Christmas food. I'm working to tightening this up throughout this week, but hubs is home all week, so it's tough.
Looking even further ahead, I'm also signed up for:
Jan 21-Mar 13 - RunOn! Speed Training (Tues/Thurs)
Feb. 8 - Hot Chocolate 15k
Mar. 1 - Levee Run 10k
Mar. 23 - Dallas Rock n' Roll 13.1M
Apr. 12 - Possum Kingdom Trail Run 20k
I think I'm also signing up for DRC again just to have someone to run long with on Saturdays, but I'm debating whether to do run/walk again or all run. Leaning toward all run. I'd go in the slowest group 2:30 and I know I can keep that pace. And I can always drop to run/walk if I need a break one week.
So, that's the plan. I have some lofty time goals for the year, but I'd love to make them before summer and get to set all new goals for fall! But with only one half marathon on the docket, it's unlikely. Still, can't hurt to try!
Stay with it, mule!
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