Week 7: Claire is cross-training

Left leg is still sad-ish

Let me get you up to speed: my left leg hurts upon impact with the ground, stopping me from running, and I’ve only cross-trained this week. But, it’s improving every day and the elliptical isn’t feeling as much like a torture device when I can fuel with birthday desserts like cupcakes and Rice Krispies treats instead of gels and watch the US Open, like I did for over two hours today. This setback has cemented for me how much I absolutely love to run — it’s the best part of most days, and I miss it dearly. While I’ve felt my fair share of frustration and sadness this week, I am ending it with appreciation and hope.

Below is a rundown of my week, including all that I do to keep my body in one piece and the odds n’ ends that are helping me get through it.

📋 Total miles: 0*

• Monday: 40 minutes (easy, elliptical)

• Tuesday: 50 minutes (15 minute warm up, 6 x 5 minutes hard, 5 minute cool down, elliptical)

• Wednesday: 60 minutes (easy, elliptical)

• Thursday: Rest

• Friday: 70 minutes (40 minutes easy, 30 minutes hard, elliptical)

• Saturday: 30 minutes (easy, elliptical)

• Sunday: 2 hours, 15 minutes (easy to steady for last 45 minutes, elliptical)

*The elliptical is not the same as running mileage to me, but if I add up my total time and assume an average 9:00/mile effort across the week, this would be equivalent to 42.7 miles total on land. This is helpful in gauging my relative effort over the course of the week.

---

🤕 So what’s wrong?

You know how Ken’s job is “beach”? Well this injury feels like “thigh”. I have different hot spots in my quads, hamstring, and groin. Once I work on one, another crops up — it’s like Whack A Mole. Fortunately, my leg doesn’t hurt at all when standing and walking causes minimal discomfort. The impact of landing on my left hurts when hopping or running, though, albeit a lot less today than earlier in the week. 

No need to send me anything but good vibes as I am getting a massage on Monday, seeing my chiro/PT on Tuesday, and have an appointment with a sports medicine specialist on Thursday. Hopefully by this time next week I know exactly what’s up (and am back to running 🤞🤞)

Sad-ish on the left, happy on the right, sweaty all over.

---

😈 The lesser of evils

I have several cross-training options, but have chosen to go with the elliptical while I ride out this leg pain. The elliptical is low impact and allows me to use my muscles in a pattern that is similar to running. We have two different versions in our building’s gym, and I’ve been using both to vary the angle of my stride. I don’t look at the distance or pace the machine provides; every workout is done off of effort and heart rate. I do, however, make sure I am going at least 170 revolutions per minute, which is similar to my stride on the road. Because the tempo is so quick, I keep the resistance fairly low.

My other option would have been a Peloton bike, which I like if I am augmenting my running, but doesn’t feel like a good replacement. Plus, I have to work very hard to get my heart rate anywhere close to where it is when I am running. Ideally I would have loved to aqua jog, but pools are hard to come by in San Francisco and I think this is temporary so I don’t want to join a club.

---

💥 My pre/rehab routine

All the tools I used (and places I visited) to keep myself together over the last week.

Before I run, I start with activation drills. These are designed to wake up the muscles. There are some great dynamic running warmups (and cool downs) on the Nike Training Club app — and it’s free.

When I return from my run, I try to immediately take in calories. By far my favorite way to refuel post-run is chocolate milk. Then I stretch (poorly) and foam roll. Sometimes I take an Epsom salt bath, although I don’t know how well they work. Later in the day, I’ll find 30-minutes to use my compression boots and I take a magnesium supplement before bed. With this injury, I’ve also been icing my leg a few times per day and have been using KT Tape to support my muscles.

Now that I am in marathon training, I see my chiro/PT, Dr. Nancy Chu, once a week. Nancy knows runners; she works with pro track athletes through USATF and top collegiate talents as a team trainer for Stanford. Each week she puts me back together, checking for imbalances, overuse, and on my general well-being. I also get a massage every two weeks.

It’s a lot.

And with all that, clearly it’s not enough because I got hurt. I know why, too. I neglect mobility, core, and strength work — and it’s catching up with me. Earlier this year, I tried to address all three by going to Megaformer Pilates a few times a week. It was definitely working, but I dreaded each session. Workout classes are just not my thing. As of late, I've been trying to add more mobility and strength work into my day, but I’m not confident in what I am doing. I don’t like feeling as if I am making things up as I go along. While my schedule and bank account can’t take on more programming right now, I hope to start lifting with a trainer after this marathon training block.

---

Odds n’ ends

Listening to: Harry Potter audio books and a Citius Mag interview with ​​Keira D'Amato. Listening to Harry Potter is like a security blanket through my ears. The time goes faster when I am visiting Hogwarts while cross-training. Separately, I loved an interview with Keira D’Amato, who recently competed in the marathon at the World Championships for Team USA. Keira’s story is one of my favorites. In short, she was completely out of the sport (a real estate agent and mother of 2) when she completed her first marathon as a prank. Since then, she’s broken the American record for the marathon (since taken by Emily Sisson) and just last month broke the American half marathon record (in a steamy 1:06:39). I love listening to her because she never expected to be a great American distance runner, and every race — even the bad ones like she had in Budapest — feel like a gift.

Sipping on: LMNT electrolytes. I sweat profusely always, and there’s no excuse not to replace fluids readily when you’re stationary indoors. I’ve been filling one water bottle with a Mango Chili LMNT and plain water in another — and I drain both in an hour.

Thankful for: Therapy. It’s a runner cliché to say that running is their therapy. I love running, and it’s therapeutic, but therapy is therapy. This week I was especially grateful that I got to talk through my feelings about this injury with Kaylin, who held space for my frustration, sadness, and hope.

---

---

On the podcast, Keira said she finished the World Championship marathon despite some pain because she knew her kids were watching at home and she didn’t want to let them down/make them worried. In her toughest moment, she said, she always draws strength from her community. I immediately thought about how much inspiration and determination I draw from the people who read this Substack. And there’s no sense of obligation; I know I could take the whole week off to rest and be sad and everyone here would understand. That said, writing this blog weekly is morphing my efforts into something bigger than just me. For that, I am grateful.

See you next week — ideally with good news and some miles on my legs.