Plan of attack

So, I sat down yesterday and figured out a training schedule for the next 3 months. I went back to the same program I used for the half-marathon and added in the optional weeks to extend it until September's 20K. I also modified the week before the 5M race to give myself enough of a taper for that distance. Hopefully the more gradual increase in mileage will prevent the knee problem (over-use?) that struck in early May.

Last night I ran about 40 minutes following my out-and-back route. Normally it takes me almost exactly 20 minutes out, but last night I was there in 19:40 with the return trip even quicker. It did feel like I was pushing it a bit, but I had a lot of frustration that I needed to release (husband was still really ill and not really doing what he should to get better =>take the %&*# Immodium!). I stopped twice to stretch out the hamstrings which have been very tight.

Wednesday's yoga class was centered on hips/hamstrings and it felt terrific to get that work in...I realize now that I did *not* treat my body well after the race. I didn't really re-fuel quickly/adequately nor did I really stretch out the muscles. Then we did that tremendous amount of walking in DC (in my worn-out running shoes) which left my legs/knees sore every night. I've never had a sports massage, but man, that sounds like a great idea right now :-) Unfortunately, I don't really know who to ask for recommendations...

One final thought: scoliosis. Like my mother and grandmother, I have some curvature in my spine (I think it's pretty common in women). So, last year after my first race, I stopped by one of the booths at the post-race festivities. I had one of the free spinal assessments where they make you stand on two scales, one under each foot. One scale was reading 6 pounds higher than the other, meaning that I was putting that much more strain on my body on that side. Also, they assess your alignment by moving a series of horizontal strings to the level of your head, shoulders, and hips. My left shoulder is quite a bit higher than the right, but my right hip is higher than the left (presumably to off-set the curvature in my spine). My mom made my wedding dress and the assymetry of my body drove her nuts when she was trying to fit it. But, back to running...I stopped off at a similar booth this year after the half-marathon. And the assessment was the same (I had wondered if the yoga would help at all) and the guy kind of freaked me out, saying that I was headed for more injuries due to the imbalance. I know he was trying to sell me a "complete assessment," but it did get me thinking that maybe it is something I shouldn't ignore??

Today is a rest day and tomorrow is 75 minutes...that will definitely be my longest run post-race. Hopefully the cool/dry weather will hold one more day! During the run, I'll be thinking of Naomi up in Alaska running her first Marathon!! Best of luck to all those with races this weekend :-)