The elephant wants a piggy back ride

Although a down week in scope and sequence, the past seven days did not feel like much of a break. It more so felt like Dumbo decided to give his ears a break and ride the Skinny Man Transit for most of the runs.

SUN
7 miles at Bartley w/ Ron and Jon - ran on the tail end of the 16 inches of snow that unceremoniously dumped all over the greater Reno area. Running through the snow, however, provided a nice cushion for the legs and it was nice to only run seven miles.

MON
8 miles on treadmill - didn't feel like suiting up for the cold morning nor the slick frozen roads.

TUES
10.5 miles w/ Sean along Journal Jog route - overall felt weak. Stride did not feel chipper on way out and on the return it seemed to straight up run out of all sugar (even though I ate before the run).

WED
1/4 mile swim in AM; Arrowcreek run + strides in PM for 7.5 total. Even though it took a while for the legs to warm up I actually enjoyed being outside and running. After raining cats and dogs all morning the sun broke through and made the day warm enough to sport just a t-shirt and shorts. Strides helped loosen the muscles up.

THUR
10.5 miles w/ Sean along Truckee River w/ 8-8-6-4-2 pickups in AM; strengthening workout with PT and massage appointment with DC in PM. I felt good today!!! Going into the pickups I focused on just relaxing and working hard but not straining. Started the first segment at 5:45 pace and in typical fashion the body improved as the work progressed. The sun was out and once again I actually found enjoyment in the run. I've never worked out with the PT and then was worked on by the DC in the same day. So this provided a chance to experiment. Usually my butt (literally, and hips) is kicked Thursday by the PT which leaves the stride feeling sore Friday and Saturday. However, if I visit the DC (which usually occurs Friday) it makes the stride feel amazing on Saturday's run. Got to work with a new massage therapist in the office. Lesson one: she needs to not worry about hurting my "Tim Boy" body and crank harder next time.

FRI
7 miles on the Ditch Trail w/ Pottey and Hannah - stride lacked fortitude. Right hamstring sore, like it was over used on hamstring curls or cramped up and never relaxed. My theory: after doing segments of 1-2-2:30 minutes of back bridges with the PT (lie on back, knees bent at 90 degrees, lift pelvis in air to form at 45 degree angle with body, and then hold one leg out straight - Google "core exercise bridge" if I suck at describing said exercise) each hamstring knotted up. Later the massage therapist worked on the left ham a bit more than the right (per my comment, "The left hammy is a bit fidgety from time to time") and given she worked pretty light overall she may have not worked out the effects of the back bridges.

SAT
8 miles w/ Sean along 7th Seven - planned ten, but cut route short (in the name of the down week) when the legs never really woke up and once again lacked energy. A wise friend once told me, "If the body is fatigued you can fight through it; if the legs are fatigued you need to back off." Even decided to walk the last half mile home after hitting the eight mark. It didn't make sense to keep running on crap legs and terse lungs. Yet that half mile provided a time to reflect, and thank God for the ability and the day despite the less than desireable outcome. The ease with which we praise God in good times often goes missing once the hard arrives. But what makes this experience most worth the effort - conditional praise or building (sometimes with success and sometimes with failure as we live in an imperfect world) a heart, which like Job, praises God's name no matter what the circumstance? I guess it ties into my larger life journey as a Christian. In the future teaching and church leadership will replace running. Struggles of epic proportion are sure to come. How will I respond?

WEEK
58.5 for a down week. The previous post outlines thoughts regarding the compounded effect of miles on overall energy levels and health. In the mean time I'm enjoying Saturday by chilling out with coffee and doing some planning work for our church's Easter for Kids program. I'm also working on being chill about today's (Saturday) run, and the week as a whole.

There is no secret. Consistent hard work pays off. Eat a lot, and lots of fruits/veggies. Drink water. Stretch. And just run, run, run.

Thanks for reading.