Last week my foot flared up – I think I jinxed it when I blogged about healing my plantar fasciitis! It’s so weird because my PT said it’s feeling MUCH better, so I thought I’d be able to keep increasing my mileage. Alas, that didn’t happen. But now that I’m reviewing last week’s workouts (something I always do!) I think the longer run on Saturday after a hard effort on Friday was too much. I should have taken Saturday off or kept it shorter.

So, now it’s back to getting my plantar to calm down. I haven’t run since last Saturday but I’ve been doing Crossfit instead. The workout today had three 800s and my foot felt fine so that’s good!

Sometimes I’m like whyyyyy is this happening but almost always, if I’m really honest about my training and take the time to evaluate it (both short-term and long-term), I can identify trends that led to an injury. And my trends typically include increasing mileage too soon, switching shoes too frequently, not stretching/working on mobility enough and not taking breaks in training (both regular rest days and longer periods of less intense training after a big build-up like Boston). These are all things within my control; it just takes discipline to remember to be smart about training and recovery. One thing that helps (with training and life) is listening to my gut. If I have to ask, “Is it dumb to run?” the answer is probably yes. Or, as my friend Kate asks me, “Will today’s run hurt or help my next run?”

My body knows what’s best..it’s often my mind that doesn’t.

Anyway! Here’s what my workouts looked like last week.

Last week’s workouts

M – Full body circuit strength training

My plantar fasciitis was really bugging me, so I resisted the urge to run. I usually don’t want to do strength training (unless it’s a great WOD) and I definitely never want to do core or PT work, but once I start, I really like it. Especially when it’s a circuit since I just keep moving non-stop.

T – 4.1 miles, 8:30 pace

My foot felt a lot better after a couple days off so I went out for an easy run. It felt great!

W – Needling/Scraping (AM) + Crossfit (PM)

You can see my post about plantar fasciitis here!

WOD:

• Front squats: build to challenging single (all reps w/ a 3 sec descent) – I worked up to 135 lbs.
• Metcon for time:3-6-9-12-9-6-3
  • hang squat cleans 135/95 (I did 65 lbs)
  • bar facing burpees
  • I finished in 9:20

 

Th – Massage

My neck was REALLY bothering me so we spent more time working on that than my legs for once. And Ger reminded me to be aware of my posture at my desk. Ergonomics are real.

F – 6.2 miles, 7:34 pace

It was super humid but this run felt AMAZING and almost effortless. Plus, I had NO foot discomfort after the first few minutes. Maizey helped me recover while I put my legs up the wall. 😉

Sa – 6.5 miles, 8:41 pace

This run was was NOT great. My plantar was killing me by the end. But the sunrise and the company was amazing!

Su – REST

Total Miles: 16.9

How I’m Feeling: A little frustrated, but again, when I look back at the past few weeks of workouts, it’s not surprising that my plantar fasciitis is acting up again. I ran over 33 miles the week before last and 28 miles the week before that. My foot felt fine those weeks (although, I probably had happy vibes from running in Utah and Boone, which I think masks pain), but I think the mileage was too big of a jump while I’m still not totally healed.

How do you balance coming back from an injury and not overdoing it when you think you feel okay?

P.S. My favorite running bra is on sale as part of the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale! Get it – it’s only $25!

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