Week 11/13-11/19:
Monday: Today was the start of the last official camp cycle of the year. Since I only ran 8 miles the previous day I was feeling pretty good so I went to camp.
Tuesday: We had 5 miles to do today, Kim, Lorena and I headed out for 3 miles prior to camp and then our trainer set up a course style workout which allowed me to add an additional 1.64 miles for the day.
Wednesday: 6 miles with Kim, Laura and Becky in the morning.
Thursday: Rest day.
Friday: I met up with Kim and Becky along with a few other ladies for an early 2 miles before camp. Today’s workout was all about 50 as two campers were about to hit the Bronze Level status which is 50 check ins. Each round was 3 minutes and to start things out, we had 3 minutes to hit 50 weighted squats, and then we had 3 minutes of travel. Other weight work included bicep curls, weighted squat to heel raises, and chest press. In total after each round of travel I had logged an additional 2.22 miles.
Saturday: Rest day.
Sunday: The training plan called for 19 miles. The morning of I tested out a new fuel strategy, about 45 minutes before heading out on the pavement, I had a cup of oatmeal with a tablespoon of peanut butter. I then packed a PB&J and a Cliff Bar to have along on the run. Kim, Nicole, Becky and I started off the run at 5a on a route I mapped out for 10 miles in Safety Harbor and then we planned to finish our run off on a nearby trail. I had been feeling good all week and in the days leading up to the big run so I was hopeful for a successful run.
The first 10 miles went by quick, the company was great and it was a nice change up on the route. About 6 miles in we were in Phillippe Park and stopped for a quick pic of the sunrise over the bay.
Around mile 11 Kim had peeled off for personal reasons, which left Becky, Nicole and I for the final miles. It is hard to find the motivation to keep going when a runner in your group is done with their run because you are just ready to be done with yours, am I right? Somewhere between mile 12 and 13, Nicole and I started to slow and Becky was trying to stay with us but I could see she had the energy to keep going at a much faster pace, so we told her to go on ahead of us.
Just before mile 14 I started to feel this ache in my right knee. I’ve never had any kind of pain in my knees during or after a run, so this was new to me. I tried to push through it but it was a nagging pain and with still 5 miles to go I was torn between going the distance and throwing the towel in for the day. As much as I needed to run the distance I knew I shouldn’t push myself and risk causing damage to my knee. Knowing what I needed to hear, Nicole offered the wise advise to not push through it. Just after the 14 mile marker I told Nicole I needed to walk, so together we talked the 2 miles back to our cars.
I don’t know where this knee pain came from. We did do a lot of leg work this week, in my opinion and I did not have foam rolled like I needed too. Additionally, the running route had a lot of inclines and my pronation may not have been right. I did start wearing a new pair of shoes this week, but they are the same brand and model as my last two pairs. Becky did mention that our running route and most of our running routes are right turns. The list of possibilities is endless.
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed that I didn’t have the run I had hope to and I definitely don’t like that I didn’t hit the mileage I was suppose to. However, the best is still to come with two long distance runs left. Not to mention, my pre-run fuel strategy of oatmeal and peanut butter definitely worked out well, as I did not have any hunger pains during the run.
For now though, rest and ice for this girl and her dang knee!
Miles logged Week 9: 31.22 miles
Total Miles logged for Walt Disney World Marathon training: 213.89 miles
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