On to "plan B" for Eugene & some trail pics

I finally am regaining some confidence in running this week!

Nobody wants to take a break in training for a planned A race, and while I don't realistically think I will reach my "A" goal at Eugene, I am feeling more optimistic than last week. A decent tempo run will do that.

The hardest part of returning to running after an injury is wondering if you are really ready to be running yet. Right next to that is feeling the strain of running slower than usual, yet getting fatigued earlier into a run than before the injury. At least, that is my history.

Prior to this little speed-bump (which accumulated to: intermittent running for a few weeks and six solid days off),  since getting serious with running, I have had a 5 week layoff to have baby #3, and the three week layoff last Feb/March. Both times I found my aerobic fitness to be exactly where I left off, but my muscles either confused, or very slack. The biggest adjustment (this time, as well as in other layoffs), has been in my calves and hamstrings, which were probably doing more than their usual running load at first. As my knee has improved, I have been able to flex more and use the quads and hips more.

Filbert (hazel nut) orchard- I think!. Bark turned to small gravel here.

The trail run in Eugene was a fun test. Picture bark path, some very soggy sections, but overall, very well maintained (by Oregon Track Club members). I was able to run in my Brooks Launch shoes (thanks to a tip by this blogger), and never got stuck.

What was interesting to me was that on trail, running the same pace as on the road- or slower, my heart rate was an average of 10 points higher- about 151, vs ~140 (it would have felt very sloppy to slow down any more). This makes me wonder if trail running makes for poor recovery (comparing recovery heart rates here), or if it's just a better aerobic workout on a gentler surface. I should also note that it feels gentle- as long as you don't hit a funny bump or get one foot stuck.

Pileated Woodpecker

Pre's trail is what I'd call an "urban trail", bark path, gravel, dog park, near a parking lot, not too far from Starbucks.

Home on the mill race with a few Oregon Ducks.

A new stretch I discovered for peroneal tendons, which seem to be chronically tight on me.

 On Monday my knee was feeling pretty good, so I tested out some very short spurts of faster running- one near marathon pace, one near HM pace, and another at near 5k. There was no pain with it (though there is still a noticeable tightness), and no pain the next morning, so I made a stab at some tempo yesterday. 

I had no false expectation of my pre-injury threshold/tempo pace of 6:42. Something in the 7's pain free would be great. And at any moment of pain I planned to shut it down. The result? Three miles of warm up, followed by stretching of calves, glutes, hips, hamstrings and light on the quads. Then another mile of warm up and then 5 miles @ 6:59 6:59 6:57 6:52 6:55 and .64@ 6:50 . The best part is knowing I had "faster" and "farther" still in there.

(Click to enlarge)

So I am working on a "Plan B" now. Seeing as how I am still a little gun shy and my knee is still not 100%, I don't plan to go mileage crazy. It does seem imperative that I get in some long runs before Eugene, though. "How frequently to do them?", and "When should I start to taper?", those are the questions I have. The answers are coming day by day.

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Just something fun I am excited about:

 Meb, Lauren Fleshman, and Brad Hudson are all going to be guest speakers at the Eugene Marathon expo this year!