New Orthotics, New Shoes

I picked up my new orthotics on Monday, and last evening I got a fresh pair of Brooks Dyads to put them in. I've worned the orthotics since I picked them up Monday morning, and even walked twice yesterday--once on the treadmill yesterday morning before work, and then outside late yesterday on a break. I'm pretty tired today, probably a combination of getting accustomed to the new orthotics, and getting my strength back from being out last week with the flu. I've had laryngitis for a week now, a secondary viral infection from the flu, and trying to talk at work makes me tired too. I'm eager to lean into my half marathon training and test the limits of my new orthotics, but my body is telling me to ease into things! Meanwhile, I'm trying to get more rest and drink plenty of liquids.

Recovery

I've been taking some short walks the past couple of days to recover, but am taking it slowly. My legs aren't sore, but my body still feels tired. Also, I have some tendonitis in my right ankle, probably from compensating for the pain in my toes during the half. Not as bad as it could be, but I'm taking it pretty easy for now. I'm eager to get back to the gym, though, so I can keep my endurance up.

Meanwhile, I'm looking at some other half marathons that I can actually walk and finish like the Outer Banks Half. One good possibility locally is the Tobacco Road Half Marathon on March 20, 2011. It's held on the American Tobacco Trail, which I love! Ya know, I was concerned about being goal-less after the Outer Banks Half, but I'm feeling better about things already. Meanwhile, I'm still eyeballing those custom orthotics after the first of the year.

New Shoes

Yesterday afternoon, I got a new pair of Brooks Adrenalines at Raleigh Running Outfitters. While the sales person had me try on a couple other brands, I ended up going with my third pair of Brooks Adrenalines. I used them this morning for the first time, and it felt good to be in a pair of new shoes.

I started with 30 minutes (5.26 miles) on the recumbent bike, then 1.76 miles (23 minutes) on the treadmill. When I first started running, my right thigh hurt a little, but the pain stopped within a few seconds.

While I was on the recumbent bike, the person riding next to me was munching on a pack on Lance Toastchee crackers, the orange ones with peanut butter in the middle. That ranks as the most unusual thing I've seen someone eat/drink at a gym. Before that, the most unusual thing I saw someone eating or drinking at the gym was a Diet Coke.

Last night, I flipped through a running book on my shelves, and found a paragraph about race recovery, which talked about training and racing recovery times. The writer recommended taking a day for every mile to return to training mileage and intensity, and to double that number before racing again. So, given my race last Sunday was 13.1 miles, the fact that I'm still not back to normal training after a week sounds okay, if not normal, especially considering it was my first half marathon. Now, according to the formula for racing again, I should wait 26 days before competing in another race. Okay, so I only waited 6 days before racing again. No wonder I was slower than normal, and didn't have much kick at the end. I'm still glad I ran, but now I feel better that I'm not back to normal yet. I know that "normal" is different for different people, too.

Still Recovering

This morning I did 45 minutes on the recumbent bicycle, as my legs still felt like they needed some recovery time from Saturday's long run. Boy, it really took it out of me! We'll see how I feel in the morning.

Recovery

This morning's gym time was pretty tough; I probably could've used a day off, in retrospect. I tried running first, made .93 miles in 10:37. I just couldn't keep going! My legs are so sore from the weekend running, and so is my left ankle! I did do 30 minutes on the elliptical machine, for 2.29 miles. I tried the treadmill again, 2 more minutes for .17 miles. So, I started the week with 1.1 running miles. Delightful. If I hadn't had the longer run on Saturday, I'd probably feel better today, so I only have myself to blame, huh?! I'm glad I did the long run on Saturday, but it was probably too much considering the race yesterday. I should've taken it easier on Saturday, so I'm paying for it now. I hope everything feels better tomorrow!