11/05/14

05-05-14
Mon
No running. Rest day after the WFL run. Tired legs.

06-05-14
Tues-PM 7.2km - 47:20 (360m)
Midday recovery jog/walk along Signal Hill. Decided to take some time on the mountain before I headed to Durban. No pushing on the inclines or declines. My left leg, from the knee down, was in some pain. A little tender spot behind the kneecap and a sharp pain on the outer section of my shin. Still, it felt good to get the time on my feet. Almost made me late for my flight.

07-05-14
Wed-AM 11.1km - 52:40 (170m)
Chalking this one down as another recovery run although I was able to hold a much more consistent pace. Ran from my parents home to Ansteys Beach and then kept going along the beachfront. Definitely had a lot of fun running along the ocean with the sun warming things up. The route was also pretty much flat so it aided keeping the pace consistent. From the left knee down there's still a bit of tenderness. The outer section of my shin doesn't seem to be enjoying things lately.

08-05-14
Thurs
No running again. My left leg was a bit swollen at the base of the calf muscle and the outer section of the shin. Not sure what this means but not really willing to push it to the point of failure. Spent the day getting a tattoo and then taking care of some stuff at home.

09-05-14
Fri-AM 4.3 km - 20:03 (50m) 
Short run to grab some groceries at a very easy pace. I figure that, seeing as I would like to run North Beach parkrun on Saturday, I might as well take it as easy as possible without being lazy. The left knee felt better after being iced, however, my left calf and shin were still in a bit of pain.

10-05-14
Sat-AM 5.1km - 18:43 (25m)
I'm not really one for PBs on short or flat courses but I'm going to claim this one. Technically, my time for the 5km was 18:30 which is a full 0:35 quicker than my previous PB for a 5km. Just goes to show that hills and mountains are really just speedwork in disguise. The North Beach parkrun is a pretty simple and flat out and back that is flanked by the ocean on one side so it can be pretty easy to get distracted or slack off on the pace. Thankfully, my puppy dog instincts kicked in and I couldn't help but chase after the lead runner. (Sidenote: he floored it on the return leg and did me in by 1:10. Second run at NB parkrun, second place for the second time. At least I'm consistent)

11-05-14
Sun-PM 8.4km - 48:49 (604m)
Easy group run with Shelds, Chris, Michal and Ariadna through Newlands Forest and along the boardwalks. Legs felt good on the climbs (considering all I'd run for the past few days was flat roads) which is a good sign. Left calf and shin only played up after we stopped running. Time for more acupuncture and some massage therapy perhaps.

Total Hours: 3:07:35
Total Mileage: 36.1
Total Gain: 1209m

Not a great week for running, quite frankly, but not too terrible considering the run last week Sunday. Flying home to Durban and taking some time off of work was quite enjoyable. Always good to reconnect with your roots and strengthen those family bonds, even if it is only for a short while. Better to be grateful for the time you do have than to get caught up bitching about it and losing even more in the process.

My mom lost a very close friend to cancer on Thursday. I was in the middle of my tattoo sitting at the time so I only found out what had happened when I got home. Nobody likes to see their friends or family in pain but I'm just glad that I was able to be there for her as opposed to potentially having been sitting in Cape Town and having to find out about it.

Busy setting up a new section on the blog to put all my thoughts into one place and not burden those that get tired of my rambling. Keep an eye open.