5K fartlek

Yesterday in PT I did a bunch of glute activating exercises that were pretty challenging, and involved working the leg against resistance bands and holding it in positions that activated the glutes for long periods of time. It was quite fatiguing.

This morning when Erin and I got to the track (lovely weather - 64F and sunny and breezy) I started to warm up and my legs felt heavy and just dead. It makes sense, though. This was my third day in a row racewalking, and I've only attempted that twice since recovering from my injury. The first time (April 29-May 1) it ended in totally dead legs and inability to finish a 10K - I did 7K instead. The second time was last week, but I hardly count that as the second day of the three was 3.68km of very easy technique work interrupted multiple times for stretching/drills.

And that leaves this week - I did 15K on Sunday faster than I've gone in a few weeks for the distance (not saying much, because I was slow, but still...), then yesterday's 6.3km with Erin at a pretty fast pace (6:06/km), and then today's track workout, where my legs pretty much died. I sense a pattern here. For whatever reason, I'm not recovering very well and I suspect it's related to my return from injury. And you know what? It's OK. It is what it is. I am trying not to judge myself and just going with what my body will do, because the only other choice is to berate myself and give up.

After a sluggish warmup, I did some glute-activating exercises and some leg swings, and rolled out my hip/butt on the medicine ball. Then I got going. It was pretty ugly - the first 1km was 5:41 and it only got worse from there. My legs were done by 3K (18:06ish? It was terrible!) and if it weren't for Erin being out there I might have quit. Well, that, and I really wanted to finish because I know I have to get my fitness back somehow. My piriformis was a pain level of 1-2 for the whole workout and has been somewhat bothersome today at work (I've been rolling on a tennis ball when I sit).

This was my slowest 5K fartlek in years, I think, at 30:43 (it's about the same speed as my first 5K of the 15K on Sunday, and slower than my easy 5K technique work last Thursday). But hey, it's done, and I still do feel like I am making very slow progress forward. Three workouts in a row completed and 2/3 were at an OK speed. That's better than I've done since being injured.

Garmin data here.

I biked to work, heavy legs and all. Even that was a minute or 2 slower than usual.