The Morning After a Long Run

I got a great night's sleep and woke up this morning feeling pretty good.  I was expecting to be sore and tired.  I am a little, but not as bad as I anticipated.  I have a dull ache in my ankles, feet and Achilles area, but no real pain.  My quads don't hurt, but they do feel heavy.

Today's plan is pretty simple.  I'm going to walk for a half hour or so on my lunch break and this evening I'll go to Planet Fitness in Irondequoit and do a short, slow run on the treadmill and lift weights for a little bit.  I won't be lifting heavy tonight.  Just enough to get my upper body moving.  My shoulders and back felt very tight yesterday.  I'm hoping to build a little more strength in that area.

Kettlebells, Hills Repeats and Comfortably Fast Miles

I picked up a 35 pound kettlebell to start getting my core in shape.  Spent 45 minutes with two arm swings, one arm swings, single arm rows, sumo rows and around the body passes.  I'll try to keep a slow, controlled pace for the first few kettlebell workouts until I get used to the movements.  It was a pretty decent workout.

After the kettlebells I hit my hill for some repeats.  Did three miles up and down the hill then ran four additional miles on flat ground at a comfortably hard pace.  I want get used to running fast with fatigued legs.

As normal I'm recovering with a nice, tall glass of chocolate milk.

Core Strength Workout Options

I've known for quite a while that I need to work on my core strength. The big problem with that is most core exercises are boring. I need to find something that will keep me interested. I stopped at Barnes and Noble on my lunch break and picked up a couple of books. the first is "Core Performance Endurance" by Mark Verstegen. This looks like a basic core workout book with all the familiar exercises. Not really what I want, but the book was cheap and maybe reading it will motivate me to get started.

I've read a lot recently about Kettlebell workouts. They seems like a little more fun and appear to be pretty effective. I picked up a copy of "Body Strong: Kettlebell Blitz Beginner Program" by Paul and Robyn Bova. It's a small booklet that gives instruction on the basic kettlebell moves and has a beginner's workout built in. I'm excited to start this one.

I'll curl up with one of these books tonight and hopefully get started on a core program very soon. I'll post a review of each book after I finish reading them.

Ankle Feels Good

When I woke up this morning I was expecting my ankle to be tight and sore. As I laid in bed waiting for the alarm to go off I slowly rotated it a few times. Yippee! No pain. I got up and prepared my breakfast and it doesn't hurt to put weight on it. It's a little puffy and discolored, but my shoe doesn't feel tight. I'm glad I decided to stop my run early and used ice and elevation. I think I avoided making things worse.

Tonight is a scheduled rest day. I think it's a good time to start doing the core work I've been putting off. I'll spend most of my day searching the internet looking for a core exercise program that won't bore me to tears.

Woke Up Appropriately Sore

Yesterday's run wasn't the longest I've ever gone, but it was by far the fastest I've ever covered ten miles. I was expecting to be quite sore when I woke up this morning. I was pleasantly surprised though. My hips are a little bit sore, but really not too bad.

I've found that my hips and lower back are what gives my the most trouble when I try to run too fast. I attribute this to a weak core. I'm going to have to start working on this soon. The real problem here is that most core work is just plain boring. I have to start doing a little bit of research. I know the basic moves that will improve core strength I just have to find a way to make it interesting.

I'm looking forward to a nice, easy run tonight after work.