“So many people can be responsible for your success, but only you are responsible for your failure.”

Spartan Shape-Up, Day 116:

Sorry it so long to get my post up today, BlogLand.... it just took me that long to hobble over to the keyboard! I've had two really solid days of WOD's that have left me.... shall we say... SORE as HELL.

I got up this morning, after sprints and plyometrics with Todd yesterday, feeling good... except for some pretty damn stiff calves. This is a recurring issue I tend to have, so I've gotten pretty proficient with  tennis ball rolling, Tiger Balm applications and various stretching techniques. Thus, today, like any other tight-calf day, I did those things and went about my day.

THEN, it was Long Run Day today. My task is get the miles on the sneakers, even if it means I do it at slow, 12 minute miles. But I was feeling pretty good today, and was armed with all sorts of new tips to keep me from walking. Not to mention, I was feeling pretty positive and awesome. That is always a good way to go into a run... particularly if running is not your first-choice activity. LOL.

Anyway, drove up to one of my long run spots and set out. My key thing to remember, first, was to not sprint out of the gate. If I'm trying to get the miles in, I have to learn to pace myself a little bit... If I hit a 10 minute mile on the first mile, I'm DONE by mile three. SO. I just tried to think slow and steady. My mini-goal for myself was not to walk for at LEAST a mile. Clearly, I know I can do that, after doing drills with Todd yesterday - and those were at a fast pace. Surely, I should be able to run a whole mile if I was going slow. So I ran. And ran and ran. Then I passed the Mile mark, and ran some more. And then I got so enamored with how I was still running (and not feeling like walking), that I ran some MORE.
Guess what happened, Blog? TWO WHOLE MILES before I had to take a quick walk break. I've never done that. Ever. EVER. Further, through the entire rest of the run, I did take a couple more quick recovery moments of walking, but just a couple, greatly spaced apart. WAY better than I have been doing. I was actually feeling more like a 'runner' and less like a walker that was adding in running periods. LOL.

Today's RUN:
Time: 52:28 min
Distance: 4.43 mi.
Ave. Pace: 11:46 min/mi.

So... Again, not a *fast* run... but that wasn't the point of today. The point of today was to go the distance, AND I totally did. I even did much better than I thought I could - running long stretches, without walking.

Here's what helped today: I concentrated on my "turnover" today. Todd remarked yesterday that, like many people, as I get tired, I shorten my stride drastically. Apparently, biomechanically, it takes only 10% more energy to maintain your full stride, than to run all tiny-strided. This made sense to me (Todd told me the physics!), so I was very mindful of that. The way this 'felt' to me was like I was using more of my leg. I was really conscious of trying to use all the big muscles in my leg move my legs, rather than falling into that mincing, shuffling, tired step. I found that even slow - using all my leg muscles - felt better than tired shuffle.
THUS.... I ran the longer distances, without feeling like I was going to die! woo! I was even happy to note that my calves seemed to warm up out of the cramp they were in.

So, mindful of potentially being sore and stuff, I made sure to really walk around a bit, stretch, etc. before I got in the car for the 15 minute drive home.
However. I got in the car to drive home, went to get out and was like, "OHHHhhhhhMYGodAhhhhhGROoooan".
And there's been the rest of my evening. I've stretched. I've done some more tennis ball rolling. I've tiger balmed... but wooooboy, BlogLand, this ought to be a good one tomorrow. I hurt it in my hip flexors, all the way through my leg. My hamstrings are tight, and my calves are rocks. Me walking around the house just isn't pretty. LOL.

BUT, I totally ran a substantial amount without stopping to walk today. YES. THAT is what this soreness is reminding me of. And I'm totally okay with that.

Now, I'm off to swallow some ibuprofen and crash into bed. ZZZzzzZZZZZZZZzzzzzz