A Not-So-Long Run

Since I ran a 5K race yesterday (woo hoo new PR), I planned to do my long run today. I waited until the weather "warmed" up after noon. Then I set out to run about 10 miles. I fell a little short of that goal though. 

Today marked Day 30 of my streak. I have definitely seen improvement since I started, including an increase in speed. However, I can definitely feel fatigue from it. With no real recovery days, my legs are exhausted and almost constantly sore. And my joints are starting to wear. 

Last Thursday, I went to a free injury screening at Fleet Feet in Huntsville. My knees, especially the right one, have been extremely bothersome and painful on long runs. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't about to seriously injure myself just before the Gulf Coast Half. A physical therapist checked me over and said that my knee was not the problem. Apparently, my right hip is rotated inward causing my stride to fall funny and put excess strain on my knee (or something like that.)

She informed me that it was nothing serious and could be easily corrected. She said that I could continue my training and race without concern. However, I would benefit from some PT to prevent long term injury. Now I realize that her job in this is to drum up business, but the pain in my knee is real. So if my insurance will cover it, I'm game to improve my health. I am supposed to call tomorrow to see what the consensus from BCBS is, then hopefully go to my first appointment. I'll let you know. 

Anyway, back to today... My hip and knee were still hurting from yesterday, and my legs were just generally tired. They've been working hard this last month. So, instead of forcing out a painful 10 miles, I chose to cut my run short at 7. I was feeling pretty sorry for myself when I first finished: "Why couldn't I go 8?" "I should've pushed for the full 10." But I ran 7 well. I fact, I maintained an average of a 10 min pace for the full time to finish in just under 70 minutes. 

I ran my fastest 5K ever yesterday morning. I have streaked for 30 days. My half is in 2 weeks. I think maybe it's okay to give my legs a little break. Maybe there is something to be said about a taper. A recent Runners' World article spoke of a study showing that cutting mileage the 3 weeks leading up to a race does nothing to decrease one's fitness as long as he or she continues to run and train. So this time I'm going to try to trust the taper. And come on, 7 miles still counts as a long run doesn't it?