Eggstravaganza 5K Preview

The 5K race which is being held this weekend is a fund-raiser for the Triad Triathlon Team and Team Erica (local MS Chapter). Right now there are not too many people pre-registered, but with a forecast for great weather I expect a lot of people to sign up the morning of the race. This year's race will be run exclusively on the greenway near Bur-Mil Park in Greensboro which is a slight change from last year's course. The change makes the course relatively flat for most of the distance and almost entirely in the shade. Normally this would be a good race for me to post a fast time (well, fast for me anyway), but I'm still a little uneasy about re-injuring my calf muscle. The last few times I've run it hasn't been a problem, so my confidence in it is getting better. Barring any setbacks between now and the race, my plan is to go full speed with the mindset that everything is fine until proven otherwise. Besides, I hate competing in a race that I can't give 100% effort.

So Far, So Good

I've gotten used to doing a few extra sets of laps every time I swim now. It seems like I get into a better rhythm the longer I swim, and my times are starting to improve as well. I'm not sure if I'll continue doing more than I originally scheduled, but I could end up mixing in a few extra sets every now and then. After my swim tonight I tested my calf out on the treadmill at the gym and it seems ok so far. I only did two miles because I didn't want to have a relapse of the problems I had before. I will probably try four miles on Thursday, and if it still feels good then I will feel more confident going into the 5K race I have the following week.

Less Running Means More Swimming

I've had to call an audible for my workout schedule this week because my calf muscle is still not fully recovered. I tested it out during the middle of last week with a two mile run and everything went fine, so I decided to do four miles last Sunday. On the four mile run it seemed pretty good until just past the three mile point. Once it started to tighten up I stopped running and walked the rest of the way back home. I'm not going to attempt any runs this week and have been focusing on just the bike and swim which don't seem to affect my calf. I feel lazy not being able to do all of the workouts on my plan, so I decided to overcompensate by doing more swimming. Since I'm still in the base building phase of my training, I only have shorter swims of 40 laps in a 25 yard pool on the schedule. Last night when I reached 40 laps I decided I would go another 10 laps. 50 laps turned into 60, 60 turned into 70, and before I knew it I completed 100 laps. It was one of those Forrest Gump moments where I kept telling myself "I've gone this far, so I might as well just keep going".