Took Thursday off

No RUN today
BIKE COMMUTE 6.4 miles, ~70 in the afternoon!

I didn't run to rest the ribs. But I did bike and sadly noted that biking ain't all that painful?! Shouldn't I be in pain!?

Once I woke up, took an Ibuprofen, moved awhile, I felt OK. Moderate pain. But wouldn't you think biking would hurt? Hitting bumps, pulling on the handlebars, sitting up and such? I'm not saying I didn't hurt, but I didn't hurt like last night.

Ugh. What happens to my long runs this weekend?!?!?!?!

12 miles to bad back pain

RUN 6.1 miles in 60 mins
Walkies with dog
RUN 3 miles to work in about 30 mins
RUN 3 miles home, about 30 mins

Today the back pain was terrible. I was wearing the Camelbak and noticed that the strap under my right arm directly hits the sore spot. Time to start dx'ing this! A sign of how bad -- I took some pain killers! I NEVER do that!
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Here's what I typed up in an email to EC, I'll put it here to I have a record of it to review:
In December my lower back started spasming. They were short lived, didn't last more than a few minutes. The spasms in the end directly correlated with stress.

And during one run in late December I started getting a focal pain on the right side at elbow height. I thought my Camelbak too tight, or the spasms pulled a muscle even though the locations differed. It stayed mostly to the right side, but every now and then would hurt across my back into the left side.

It hurt while running, but was tolerable. However it was terrible when I had to stop at a stoplight and start again. The starting again hurt! If I jogged in place, even a little bit, it helped. Pained, but tolerable.

This comes and goes, I'll have days with nothing then days where I can't bend over. 90% of the pain is still right side, with some crossing to the left at its worst. When this happens it's like a tight rubber band around my chest and I can't breathe. The pain stays between a set of ribs, which leaves me thinking I pulled an intercostal muscle, but does that explain how it comes and goes and expands to the left side sometimes? I can press on the area and not elicit pain.

If I had to take a guess, something feels out of place, as if I could just move something it would help, but I worry it's damaged somehow now. Much of the weight I've lost came from my back and torso, I'm also worried I lost strength and stability there.

Then I ask Dr Google about a "rib out of place" and find Slipping Rib Syndrome!
http://www.livestrong.com/article/11811-way-diagnose-slipping-rib-syndrome/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1150226/

Ugh. Dr Google...... why do I bother.

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Weds night was awful, lost a lot of sleep and could barely move out of bed. Rolling over, bending, anything hurt. A sharp focal pain on the right.

If I had to guess, it feels like a muscle tear or strain. But then why does the pain come and go? I've been OK for a few weeks, then this?!

Running in the rain

RUN 4 miles in 38 mins? No garmin :)
COMMUTE 6.4 miles

I kinda obsessed a bit during the run about my distance, but I let it go. It's a 65 mile week, a few tenths or hundredths here or there....ain't gonna matter.

Woke to a calm, quiet rain. And better yet, a WARM rain. Relatively warm anyway, 41F is a heat wave considering the past few weeks.

My back was aching again, and looking back over recent history I quit doing strength training for the back to rest it. Then it started feeling better and I didn't start training! So...I spent all day flexing and moving and trying to figure it out. Tomorrow's 12 miles might hurt. And not to mention what's coming this weekend: 28+15!

Ketch-up post, trip home, rest, recovery. Halfway through training plan!

Weds RUN 8 miles in 1:17?
Thurs RUN 7 miles in 1:01
Friday Rest and full moon
Saturday RUN 10 miles in 1:35
Sunday RUN 6 miles in just under 56

Lost track of updating here. With a rest week comes rest from logging too.

After two bad mood days I bounced back Weds with an 8 miler in place of what I thought would only be a 6 miler. Oddly I can't remember what I ran,  note that I'm writing this on Monday after the weekend. I remember it was cold...and icy after yesterday's thaw...

Thursday it was also cold, more ice. I love how my third-day-in-a-row run is faster than the previous ones. This run felt good.

Thursday afternoon I drove home after a short day at work. Friday I rested. My back was still bothering me, but intermittent and spasmy.

Saturday I ran 10 miles with a sore back, it's not enough to stop me so I keep going. I'm not sure what to make of it. Found a nice screwdriver, got bored and turned on podcasts, didn't eat or drink the entire run. Sunday another 6 to hit the 36 miles/week goal in the training plan. This also felt good, aside from the back spasms. Both of these runs were from home on the country roads, this time with a nice gravely/dirty area to run that the snowplows left behind. The weather was above freezing Saturday but windy. Sunday was colder but no wind. I liked them both, but preferred less wind!

This rest week was the 13 week mark for the training plan. Because of weather and shortened week, no bike commute and reduced WALKIES. It was restful, but a little harried at first on Thursday. Travel throws me out of whack.

I thought I had more to say, but guess not. I think of all these great ideas when I'm running, then I lose them all over time!

NUMERICS 5hrs 37 mins of running
RUN 36 miles
WALKIES 7.68 miles
Missed a few days of my 15 mins stretch/strength!! Boo!

Run prescription to fix the blues

RUN 49 mins and 5 miles

I usually run early on Tuesday's, but with a forecast of 50+F I couldn't motivate to run when it was dark and 32F. Taking a closer look at the forecast later in the day, I didn't see anything over 50. Just low 40's. And tomorrow will be more suckage -- 20's, rain, snow, sleet, and shit.

Today was a near repeat of yesterday. Miserable. Depressed. Lethargic. Coaxing myself to do the simplest tasks. Want to curl up in a ball but at the same time don't want to.

The plan called for the usual 4 mile run. I brought clothes to work, but once there I wasn't sure I could even do the run. But I decided it was run or not-run before lunch. When an errand to the UPS store presented itself, and MMR said it was 0.4 miles away, I couldn't resist at least trying to run.

It was warm out! So nice. Gray skies with no hope of sun, a quiet mist, splashy streets and sidewalks. After dropping the package I looped out to FP thinking I'd just go to the VC and back. On the way there, my back started it's spasming again. Nuts. Hummed "In My Solitude" by Nina Simone.

Turned at the VC, not really enjoying the run but when I thought about it I realized it wasn't physical so much as mental. I just kept thinking "I'm depressed" or "I need help" or "I need to reach out".

Time to change the script. As my sis advised today, 'keep your head up'. Thinking that 5 today would mean maybe only 6 tomorrow (when added to the 7 on Thursday, that gives me my 4+8+6 plan goal) and tomorrow's weather will SUCK, I kept going out to 5. In the last mile, I started looking for the Whisper of Rain, something positive to focus on. A great email from Aunt Donna, the potential to meet with TH tomorrow. A trip home on Thursday. A light rain that kissed my face as I ran.

My poor back. It's hurting again. Not sure if the 6 tomorrow will happen or not. But otherwise after the run I did feel soooooo much better. Stretched out the back, meditated a bit doing so, then ate lunch with a lab from down the hall so I wasn't isolated. Talked about Chinese missionaries and leprosy. Learn something everyday!

Where is the line between over-training and mental stress?

REST DAY

Entirely off today. I didn't even do my 15 mins of stretching.

Dragging. Lethargic. Mindless. Headache. Dazed.

Is it fatigue from the weekend? Recovery from that not-head-cold head-cold? The fact that my doggie wakes me up at 3am to go out? Life stress?

All of it. But I feel awful. One more factor, I started a personal BeeWhole30 yesterday for March. I'll keep eating my usual foods, this will be focused on how I eat them. No gulping, sit down and relax, plan ahead so meals aren't poorly constructed. That will drain some of my willpower.

But when I don't have the energy to walk out to the truck in the park...

12 miles of snow, slip, and suckage

RUN 12.3 miles in 12:15!

HELLO MARCH!!! Lots of snow fell overnight, the published estimate is 4-7" and I'd say that the lower end of that is about right. It was a quiet, no-wind, puffy, soft fall of snow that left a pretty blanket over the area. It also clogged up roads and prevented me from meeting up with TH for a run. Not safe for either of us to be driving, but at the same time I really wanted to visit! Oh well. Next time.

I took of towards LP and immediately started slipping and sliding. After some experimenting I found that the side streets that hadn't been plowed yet were the best. The snow was packed but still crunchy enough for the Cascadia lugs to grip. Anything partially plowed was a slick gray slush. Anything fully plowed was a splashy mess of road grime and cold water. I found as I went along that there were many of those ideal side streets. I did 2 loops around LP, super slow, frustrated, tired, and terribly unmotivated. I debated swinging by the house at 6 miles to get the yaktrax, but I was worried about stopping and not coming back out!

No. I'm too stubborn to quit. I knew I'd be back out. After blowing the snot-rocket to beat all of yesterday's snot rockets onto our front walk, I re-geared and tried again.

Not even the yaktrax were much help, but they did keep my from slipping on the slush to some degree. Can't say I sped up much at all. For the last 6 miles I wandered the 'hoods south and east of the house, thinking I'd get to TGP but never crossed Grand. The north/south streets seemed cleared, so the best were the east/west neighborhood streets. Back and forth, back and forth, walking every mile, pushing, fighting, cheering every mile. And so FREAKING HAPPY ONCE I WAS DONE.

Wow, this wiped out physically. The only soreness or tightness was a medial right knee tendon that didn't to bend. Other than that, I was tired beyond tired. In a good way, I guess. That's the idea, right? To get tired?

Here's to the upcoming rest week!!!

NUMERICS 10:22 hours
RUN 58.7 miles

BIKE COMMUTE 12.8 not much with all the snow
WALKIES 17.2 miles again, weather
And 7x15 mins of yoga or stretching, minimal if any strength and that's what I need to be working on!