I felt pretty good after the run, but on Sunday, I had some discomfort just below my right knee. I have had this before but only when I run on concrete. My trainer says I should ice it and get a Patella Knee Strap and that should help support that tendon. What is weird is that I only have this problem with my right leg. At least the twinge is pretty much gone now.
Coming off the 5K, I decided I should take it easy for a few days -- 1 day per mile -- and do stuff other than running, so it is back to my cardio program and weightlifting this week. Up and at 'em at 5AM! Yeah, on weekdays I do my workouts really early in the morning before work (because by the end of the day, I am either too tired or have other commitments with church work or family). It took me the whole month of January to get used to this new schedule.
TEAM Weight Loss (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday)
I went to my TEAM Weight Loss class at 6AM, where I get to walk on the treadmill for 55 minutes (usually at a 3.2 speed) at differing inclines (from 2 to 15) while also utilizing hand weights and resistance bands at various intervals. It is a solid cardio workout that keeps my heart rate between zones 2-4 throughout. By the time it was over, I clocked 2.6 miles and almost 700 calories burned. I enjoyed a nice FastFuel protein smoothie with banana and peanut butter afterwards!
Strength Training (Tuesday and Thursday)
Today I got to work with Jordan, my Personal Trainer. We focused on legs/lower back and shoulders this morning. It felt good to use other muscles today -- lots of squats, leg extensions, shoulder lifts, calf flexes, back crunches, etc. Three full circuits in an hour. I will probably feel it around 2pm this afternoon! Lol
On a side note...
I got a "Congrats" tweet from Coach Jenny Hadfield this morning. She runs Chicago Endurance Sports in downtown Chicago and co-wrote the running book I am using "Running for Mortals". That brought a smile to my face!
I also decided to join the Chicago Area Runners Association. I figured it would be a good way to connect with a community of runners for advice, support, and maybe find a few folks I could run with. It is more fun to run with people who are around your same level or a bit better (so you get challenged). And I get a subscription to Runners World in the deal, which is nice.