Re-hashing a bad training day & how my log saved my sanity

Okay, so pretty dramatic title – but still.  At this point things are ramping up in my training schedule since the race is in late September. For instance: reps have increased, hill sprints & fartleks are on the menu, I am timing some exercises now to increase intensity, I am only using the #60 sandbag & I need to must beat my long and short runs each week by at least 5 seconds… the last one is the rub.

Last week was my 2nd week of things ramping up.  My short run – a bit over 3 miles on hilly trails was not good. My time was about 20 seconds SLOWER than my fastest time. Frustrating. Very. I did some extra sandbag exercises after as punishment. I don’t get runners high (at least I don’t think I do). But a good time always makes the day awesome, and not reaching my goals…. well.

Then I came home, entered my day in my log. Added a few four letter words for extra measure in the notes column & scrolled back to see how things have progressed.  I realized two things 1. I felt more fatigued at the end of my workout week more than usual these last two weeks & 2. I’ve had some tightness on my lower extremities that hasn’t been addressed in the way I usually do. Why? well…

My trusty stick was used to roll out my legs and other tight parts before & after a workout. Perfect timing when I am a bit sore than usual I break it while rolling my leg. At least it died doing what it was meant to do.

A friend gave me a lacrosse ball. Which was a nice replacement to an old tennis ball to grind out tense traps and such on the floor. I’ve been pretty creative with it but I need something better.  Another friend is planning to hook me up with a good foam roller soon. Until then gotta keep being creative & stretch.

So perspective.  For some silly reason I thought when I ramped things up it would be seamless transition with no more fatigue than usual.  Yep, silly.  Also only the short run time has dropped. I’m shaving seconds off my longer run every week – which for the time being is 8 miles. In addition- the other days are going as planned. So I just have to stick to my motto – train hard, train smart. The last thing I want to be on the injured list. Been there, done that.