AT Run

On Saturday I was headed out to the club workout to run and I banged my left hip againt the drivers side view mirror.

BAM!

A painful electric jolt went down my spine.

I seemed to have knocked my back out. I tried to jog but it was way too painful and so i went back in the house, took some advil and lay down on the couch with an ice pack stuck to my lower back. After about 20 minutes I decided to go on to the club workout. My intention wasn't to run the workout but just get in a 3 mile jog. Once I got there I stood around chatting. After about 30 minutes I took a test jog and my back no longer hurt.

I strapped on my HRM and jogged several miles around the campus.My back held.

I iced several more times during the day and also took some more advil.

On Sunday morning I swung out of bed with no pain at all. I decided to drive up to the DSE club 40th anniversary 5K and run it at as a 90% AT test run. The out and back course ran along the Marina Green out out into the Presidio but along the bay. I found myself feeling very good. No back problems at all. I didn't try to drive my HR up but just let it come upon its own. At the first mile it was around 170-72 and by two miles it was at 175-76. Coming back it heated up a bit with the wind at my back and the HRM finally got up 179-180. I just kept it smooth and ran in at 21:08. I was pretty much alone the last mile so no vapor trails to follow.

Given that the course is accurate, this was my best AT run in about 4 years. I was pretty much separated from several runners who normally run in the 22's for 5K so I knew I had run better to the pack then usual.

With the warm up and warm down I was close to 40 miles for the week. Most of it was run at a painfully slow pace.

Sub optimal to slow seems to bring the best results so that will be my course for now.