Training Days 54, 55, 56 & 57 of 71: Down Dog to the Rescue!

So... Today was my final long run: 24 miles. Thankfully it was not nearly as miserable as 22 was last week. I planned the route so I would always be within five miles of home and broke it into three parts. Part 1 was a 9.5 mile loop through Beverly Hills, part 2 was the same loop in reverse, part 3 was a 5 mile down-and back into Hancock Park. I woke up at 4:45am and was on the road by 5:35. I absolutely love getting out before the sun rises. It feels like stolen time. The first 9.5 miles was relatively enjoyable. Then I zipped into my apartment to use the restroom and refill the water bottles (Dylan still sleeping), and back out for the second loop. This one was going okay for a couple miles, then as I plodded along through the flats of Beverly Hills my right knee/calf really started to glom up. It wasn't that it hurt, exactly, but just was kind of freezing in place. This made me quite unhappy. I could feel that I had the strength and endurance to do the run, but if my right lower leg continued on like this, I wasn't going to be able to keep going. So I took emergency measures.

Last week after the miserable 22 I decided to stop and stretch out my hamstrings every so often during my runs. If I had to stop and wait for a "Walk" sign, instead of jogging in place, I'd go into a deep forward fold - opening up the back of my knees which tend to get stuck in a bent position, limiting my range of motion. Today I did the same thing, but it wasn't quite enough. So I knelt down on the side of the street in Bev Hills and rubbed out my calf and achilles tendon. My calves have gotten quite tight and hard from all this running. I just kept kneading it out, then took a downward dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana), lifting one heel than the other, opening up the hamstrings. To my surprise, when I started jogging again most of the discomfort was gone. I stopped once more to really knead out the calf, but other than that, just a downward dog here and there was enough to keep my legs working for the full 24. Thank GOD for yoga! I really do not think I could have gotten this far in the training without my yoga recovery tactics. Now no more long runs left before the marathon. The longest will be just 12 miles.

One big thing I've noticed throughout my training is that where my route goes makes a big difference in how difficult I perceive it to be. It seems like one giant loop is generally more difficult than a couple smaller loops equalling the same distance. As I was trudging along today I was thinking about what an appropriate metaphor for life that is. When we think of the end result, the ultimate goal, we get overwhelmed by how far away it seems. But if we can break it down into several smaller goals, we somehow get there much faster and more easily. Those small bits of accomplishment keep us motivated.

Well, I'm really tired now. Went to Swerve after my run and taught a yoga class. Time to rest the legs before more yoga to teach tonight. Glory be. Thank God the 24 is done with. Home stretch.