Akron Marathon Training: Week 17

While this post is an update on my training, I sadly don't have a whole lot to document from this week of workouts.  As I had commented last week, my right glute and left knee hadn't responded well to the 12 miler.  And the truth is, things only got worse.

Monday & Tuesday - Rest Days: Getting out of bed Monday morning neither leg felt back to normal.  The swelling in my knee had decreased but it was still warm to the touch.  My glute had shown even less progress as each time I lifted my right leg I could still feel the tightness and pain.  I decided at this point that even if I couldn't be out on the roads, I still needed to keep my legs in shape.  Yoga became my alternative to the miles - while not a perfect exchange, I wasn't going to just let myself sit idly on the couch.

Wednesday - 4 Miles - I decided to go for a trial run after having taken the previous few days off.  By all accounts, I found out pretty early on that my injuries had not yet healed.  My pace felt sluggish as I couldn't use the full range of motion of either leg.  The one advantage was that I could determine where specifically the pain was radiating from and focus on stretching/foam rolling the trouble areas.

Thursday - Sunday - Rest Days: After Wednesday's run, I figured it was in my best interest to take additional time off.  I continued to get out the foam roller daily and spent time in some much-needed yoga poses.  Each day things have gotten a little better.

With the Blue Line only a week away, I'm still not entirely sure how I'll feel on race day.  I've already made the choice to show up to the starting line and do my best.  If I earn my first DNF that day, oh well!  At this point I'm either ready for 26.2 or not - I'll know soon enough!

Happy running!
Sean