Didn't go as originally planned, but got it done

RUN 20 miles in 3:16

The original plan was to rest in preparation for a 5x10 mile loop train run tomorrow. Then I remembered (how could I forget?!) that I can't leave my doggie alone for that long while I'm out running.

My next plan was to run an out-n-back on the Chubb trail, shooting for 15 or so miles and leaving 30-35 for Sunday. Thought about doing this in the afternoon to more closely simulate the fatigue and low recovery time.

Then I woke up Saturday morning. All plans changed. I decided early morning that I had too much to get done to be driving across town to a trail, so I planned an in-town 20 miler. I wasn't so much goofing around, but I was goofing around. MMR'ing a route to no success. Counting beans (literally) as I put together a jelly bean mix for the day and pulled out favorites as I worked for a race-day special banana split recipe. (Waaaaaaaayyyyy too much time lost here).

I didn't get running until 9:30! I told myself that was OK, since I was looking for that low recovery time aspect, but who am I kidding?! Not me! If I had so much to get done, then starting late was not really an option.

The route I have to TGP around MoBot to TGP and loopy-looping around there is getting old, but I keep doing it. Maybe because I know where I am, have water and bathroom options, and like the lack of traffic noise in the park. I wandered around that area until mile 9-ish before spinning out to the hill area, feeling good but a bit bored. Stop by the Y for water and bathroom at 10, then head out to Hampton, then decide to stop by BRR in the hopes that someone could review my running form. Why?

Because my back was hurting!!!!! NUTS!!

Yesterday after my session I was feeling great, like major gains had been made. I was able to move, bend over, pull pillows off the bed, feel the dog, etc, with more flexibility and less pain than I've had in some time. I didn't realize how limited I was feeling until then! I was looking forward to telling the therapist that whatever stretches we did Friday were golden, and More Please!

But now around mile 12 I was getting uncomfortable. At mile 14 I hit BRR and got a brief video taken. The video started after the initial start-from-stop pains subsided, and even then you could see I was tight, hunched, and not quite optimal. She said my elbows have too tight of an angle, that from hips down I was OK but my upper body looked too upright (like I was sitting back into my hips), and my head seemed too far forward.

I didn't have the back pack on, just the handheld bottle. It's possible that I run differently with it, I could see how that would increase my elbow angle. I was starting to get worried about my trail run for tomorrow! The pain was pretty constant: focal but not sharp between the shoulder blades, brought on my starting from a stop, standing up after bending over, and thoracic rotation. Pretty much the same as it was before in March. But no intercostal or rib pain. Just between the shoulder blades.

The therapist said to not let pain exceed a 4 on the 1-10 scale. Dr M said run what I could tolerate. And my pain scale is messed up. And how to measure the pain? It only hurts for 30 seconds or so. Very tolerable! Temporary! Once the worst subsides it's pretty minor.

I was still and cautious the rest of the day. Had shopping, my cook up, and stayed on my feet most of the rest of the afternoon to push the fatigue.

The 20 miler felt great, excepting the pain it wasn't hard.