Setbacks while training for a race are inevitable. It’s impossible to feel good every day for the multiple months that training occupies, and random things come up that are out of your control.
That said, it is possible to avoid stupid, self-inflicted mistakes that impact training. And that’s something I did not do this past week, deciding for some reason to play soccer on Monday, the day after a 26 mile run and after about two years off the field. Not only did I play soccer, but I spent the entire 90 minutes taking shots on the goal. My legs were destroyed afterwards. The inside of my right knee and both my quads felt like someone had cut them with a knife.
That is clearly not an ideal place to be in the middle of training for a 100 mile endurance run. I need my legs to be strong and healthy. Luckily, my baseline level of endurance is strong enough that the recovery from an episode like that is quick. I went for a 6 mile run on Tuesday – which was probably not smart – took Wednesday off, and then came back Thursday and Friday with nice and slow runs of 10 and 12 miles.
I will be away this weekend, and will have to get a bit creative with my long run. I’ll probably swap my rest day between Sunday and Monday again to avoid trying to cram a long run into a weekend that should be spent have fun with a good friend. I’m taking it easy this weekend regardless of my travels because I don’t want to risk any lingering issues from my time on the soccer field.
Only other update is my long run from this past Sunday, which I broke into two parts: 20 miles inside, on the treadmill, and 6 miles outside, once the rain stopped. I watched a few episodes of Lucifer, on Netflix, and overall felt pretty good. Treadmill running’s not so bad with entertainment.