In The Long Run

Easy run to Liberty Park with the pup this afternoon.  Such a beautiful day, so many people and dogs out enjoying it.  My hamstrings were very tight today.  They seemed to loosen up a bit mid-run, but I had to put a small surge in at the end to avoid a guy who was creeping me out and that tightened them up again.  Spent the morning tracking my Louisiana friends at the Rock and Roll New Orleans Marathon/Half.  It was very motivating to see them reach their goals.  

AM: 10 minutes on elliptical to warm up.  Tried to do my usual lifting (squats, straight legged dead lifts,  pulldowns, rows), but my left hamstring was so tight that I had to use much  less weights on the squats, and couldn't do the dead lifts at all.  Planned on a short PM run, but decided against it because of hamstring soreness. 

Usual Liberty Park Run.  I was seriously under dressed for this one in shorts and a t shirt with arm warmers.  It started snowing on me less than 5 minutes in, but I was too stubborn to turn around and put more clothes on.  For most of the run, I felt pretty good (if not a little cold).  I was almost home when my hamstring seized up enough to alter my stride. I'm sure it didn't help that my legs were freezing.  I need to figure out how to fix this hamstring problem.  

SLCTC Group Run.  I've been running with my dog for almost 3 years now and it's mostly been incident free (despite her somewhat inconsistent leash skills) until recently.   Last week she managed to clothes line me at Sugarhouse Park and tonight she managed to further aggravate my already aggravated left hamstring.  She stopped for a potty break and then pulled to get back up with my husband.  She was pulling with such force that I couldn't hold back and as I moved faster, I could feel my hamstring seize up. I gave the dog to my husband and slowed down, but I was aware of my hamstring with every step.  Andrea shared some tips that helped her when her hamstring was acting up, so I will incorporate these into my routine to see if they help me, too. Now onto icing and "the stick".   

Ran 3 easy loops of Sugarhouse with Stacy.  The hamstring felt decent at a slow pace (9:40ish).  

Easy Liberty Park run with the husband and hound.  Felt stiff, but no hamstring pain. Yay! I'm going to a YogaTherapy workshop tomorrow afternoon at the Yoga Center.  I'm looking forward to some yoga and relaxation.   

AM: 8 miles on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail with the SLCTC.  Gorgeous morning.  First time on trails since Bandera in early January and it felt good.  Hamstring was pain free. Hopefully that was just a fluke thing from adding a little more intensity the previous week.  

PM: 2 hours of Restorative Yoga at The Yoga Center. This was great, lots of easy gentle yoga (seated or lying poses) focused on the hips, spine, and shoulders. I felt so relaxed when it was over. I'd like to do this more often.