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Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Getting some distance back

I am still coming off a long break, slowly working back to some running distance. Oof, July really took it out of me. Pregnancy complications and treatments for them made the "easy" second trimester start out pretty hard, and I took a while to recover. One of my problems lead to an electrolyte imbalance, with hypokalemia. This made me very weak, and it got worse because my blood volume suddenly expanded (normal in the second trimester). I spent a lot of July tired, with anemia and floppy muscles. Not to mention the catheter for part of the month...can't run like that! So there was a lot of not just missed running in July, there was also a lot of just feeling crappy.
THEN I was super slow when I could run, so altogether there just hasn't been a lot of distance over here.

Once I was feeling well enough to run again, and didn't have any crippling hamstring injuries, I stupidly jumped in the long run after just a week back. Not smart! Thirteen miles exhausted me, and I felt insanely sore, like I'd lifted heavy weights. I used the next week to build mileage gradually before attempting any distance again. The following week wasn't as bad. I did 14 miles, and I actually had a slightly better pace from the week prior. Still slow - I'm running mid-9's now. But the distance didn't beat me up like the week before.
Super glad I bought a few bigger tops and sports bras that somewhat fit!

Last week, I decided to throw in a midweek semi-long run. I think midweek longs are so important for a successful weekend long run: I try to always run at least half my weekend distance at some point during the week (usually Thursday). I was a little worried about joining a group due to my newfound slowness, but I met a bunch of ladies for about ten, and it ended up being fine. They were taking it easy, too, and I actually ran sub-9 average...this is so rare now!

I'll try to keep the mid-week distance up a little, but the limiting factor is time. Adding 10 or 15 minutes to my run due to slower pace does mean I have to plan a little better, get up when my alarm goes off, and not dawdle at the water fountain. Not a big deal overall, but just something to be aware of. Long runs, meanwhile, are still on the table for now, just done smartly and with some pre-planning!

3 comments:

  1. My run paces tend to vary (not for the same reasons as you, I just sometimes like to really dawdle on my easy days). I actually calculate 10 minute miles when estimating how long I'll be out. That gives me plenty of room if I want to run a little slower, or hit a lot of traffic lights, or need to take a bathroom break. And 10 minute miles makes for easy math!

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  2. I'm glad you've been able to add some distance back and that you are feeling better. July sounded awful! Eeks! I'm glad that is behind you and things are going much better! So many say that they felt great during the 2nd trimester but I never got to experience that since I was always struggling with a flare. But maybe if/when we have a 2nd, I'll get to experience the highs of the 2nd trimester!

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  3. Maybe during the pregnancy you could run by time instead of distance, and then you would be able to plan better. Anyway, I think it's gotta be so hard to run while pregnant! You are doing the best you can and I'm amazed that you went 14!

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