Weekly Wrap: Ramping Up

Saturday at Prairie Oaks

I'm linking up with Hoho Runs and MissSippiPiddlin to for their Weekly Review. I'm not training for anything at the moment, but I'm trying to ramp up... (more below)

Week of November 7-13
Monday: 2.4 miles
Tuesday: 2 miles + walk to vote
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: 2.2 miles + walk to work
Friday: 2.2 miles + walk to work
Saturday: 6 mile trail run
Sunday: 2 miles

Total (running) miles: 16.8 miles
Elevation gain: 164 ft
2016 total: 856.3 miles

I've had almost a month off and I'm ready to get back to it... slowly. I have a new "plan" that ends April 9 (when I assume my goal half will take place. They haven't set a date). Like the crazy person I am, I merged two plans from my training group, so I'll be running low mileage on weekdays, speedwork Wednesdays, and long run Saturdays*. I know my strengths (love of back-to-back weekend runs) and my weaknesses (running far on work days), so I hope this plan sets me up for success, but is still challenging enough to make me faster.

The plan. Race days in red. 

*Saturday long run note: Mileage up to 20 if I stick with the fulls, if not I'll follow my previous Hanson's plan and alternate between 10 and 12 for 8 weeks. And remember, don't follow my plan. I am not someone you should trust for this stuff. 

Back to this week!

Thanks to daylight saving, I went to work about an hour earlier than normal, so I left at 4:30 Monday to run. While 2 miles felt kind of short, I had a nice time weaving my way through Ohio State's West Campus.

Fall feet

On Tuesday, I ran before work to stalk my polling location. It was completely empty at 7:30, but when I returned at 8:30 it was an ordeal. My ID expired 6 days earlier on my birthday. (I got my license last year when I changed my last name, so I thought I still had time. My fault, for sure.) I didn't have any backup, so I had to walk home, grab other IDs, come back, fill out a form about changing my name, and then stand in the long pre-9am rush line. And I heard poll workers argue with one another. Sheesh. Honestly, Tuesday was a very stressful day. I went to the BMV later that afternoon to get my new license and after a 30 minute wait, their system went down! They told us all to come back the next day. To top it all off I had a long meeting after work, plus I stayed up late to watch some of the election results. Ugh. Tuesday kind of sucked.

On Wednesday I skipped a run and went to the BMV before work. This time the line moved, I got my new ID, and arrived at work before everyone else. Wednesday was much better than Tuesday. I think we watched the movie The Nice Guys, too. It was pretty silly for a crime drama. Later in the week we watched Independence Day: Resurgence and X-Men: Apocalypse. Meeehhhhh.

Thursday night

I ran after work on Thursday, but woke up early Friday and got my 2 miles before work. After looking at my weekday Strava data, I run 30-40 seconds faster on my evening runs. I love the feeling of accomplishment after a morning run, but I must not fuel effectively. I eat a Honey Stinger and have water, but I tend of feel pretty sluggish.

Saturday was by far my best run in a month. Not only was it my longest (6- ha!), but it was on a new trail at Prairie Oaks Metro Park. Alex and Tobias came along for a dog walk while I ran around the park. The first two miles were a mix of paved trail, crushed gravel, and a small section of grass. After that I hopped on a horse trail. It was single track, dirt, and grass with a few big hills. I loved it! The only iffy part: For a mile stretch I only passed lonely males. It was a little creepy, I won't lie. I got some pepper spray as a birthday gift, so perhaps I should run with it for peace of mind? Anyway, I saw three deer along the trail and I loved the off-road feeling.

Unfortunately, as I was coming down a steep hill at 4.5, I turned the sharp corner at the bottom and tripped. I thought I corrected enough, but - boom! - soon I was on the ground. I twisted my left ankle, hit my left knee, somehow also dinged my right thigh, and scraped my right hand trying to catch myself. I got up quickly –and looked around to make sure no one saw– then assessed the damage. I won't lie: my ankle really hurt. I was able to walk it off for a sec and the run the remaining 1.5 miles back. It did get my thinking: what would I do if I seriously hurt myself on a remote run? Luckily Alex was nearby and my phone worked, but what if...?

Despite the fall, I had a fantastic time and would go back in a heartbeat. In fact, I really wanted to return today (Sunday), but played it safe with a quick 2 miler. Last night I wrapped and iced my ankle and took an epsom salt bath. There's a lingering pain if I bend it a certain way, but it was fine when I ran. Regardless, it's always smart to take it easy.

Watch any good movies at home lately?
Have you ever run with pepper spray or some defensive item? 
Do you have a plan if you get hurt mid run?