Just wanted to post an update on the Broad Street Run!
I had this terrible chest/head cold nightmare about six weeks before the race. This illness, of course morphed into a lovely sinus infection and I was under the weather for about two weeks.
YES. Two weeks.
I'm not a risk-it-for-the-biscuit kind of girl, especially when it comes to respiratory health. I had pneumonia when I was in high school, so I take it easy when I'm sick. I couldn't run outside with allergies and all the meds I was on (going to the bathroom every half hour and all that jazz). My training and physical health really suffered. I hit a speed bump, but saying I hit a speed mountain is much more accurate.
The fact that I was able to run this race is amazing. I literally went on 4 or 5 runs to train in the time span of 3 weeks.
My runs consisted of this exact "schedule":
I had this terrible chest/head cold nightmare about six weeks before the race. This illness, of course morphed into a lovely sinus infection and I was under the weather for about two weeks.
YES. Two weeks.
I'm not a risk-it-for-the-biscuit kind of girl, especially when it comes to respiratory health. I had pneumonia when I was in high school, so I take it easy when I'm sick. I couldn't run outside with allergies and all the meds I was on (going to the bathroom every half hour and all that jazz). My training and physical health really suffered. I hit a speed bump, but saying I hit a speed mountain is much more accurate.
The fact that I was able to run this race is amazing. I literally went on 4 or 5 runs to train in the time span of 3 weeks.
My runs consisted of this exact "schedule":
- 3.55 mile run on Wednesday, April 17
- 5.21 mile run on Saturday, April 20
- 3.10 mile run on Tuesday, April 23
- 8 mile trail run (not exactly sure of the mileage) on Sunday, April 28
And that was it.
I trained for a 10 mile race in three weeks with 4-5 runs. I barely did any excess cardio, and I went to yoga 1-2x a week. Would I say this is the way to do it? Absolutely not.
What I did do:
- Foam rolled almost every day.
- Stretched after foam rolling.
- Drank a ton of water.
Foam rolling helped so much with my training. I'm convinced that without it, I wouldn't have been able to complete the run. I was barely sore on the days after I ran. I went from 0-60 in three weeks, and I don't advise that for ANYONE. If you do have a crisis-training situation, make sure you take care of yourself.
Going to yoga helped me so much. It helped me pause and breathe through any stressors (ahem, schoolwork) and I felt much more in-tune with my body. I could target which hip was more sore, and which calf was tight. Yoga really helped me to restore my physical and mental vitality, and I firmly believe restoration is equally as important, if not more important than training.
Training has taught me to listen to my body above all else. Don't ignore any pains, or sniffles, or twinges. Tune into your body, and target what hurts.
I will post next about my RUN! WOO!
