Tempo Run

Did a 3 mile tempo run today during the Wash Park 7 mile run.

I'm not calling it a middle 3 because I backed off after a mile for a mile and then finished the last mile hard again. See below for why...



About 85 today with Sun. 9 Guys showed up, 5 ran the middle 3 or some form of tempo. Tom, Jay, Mike, Pete C and myself. Mike did good 19:20 coming back from his hip injury.



I took off at middle 3 pace, felt good conditioning and breathing, but my hip was aching and my right calf started tightening. I did the first mile in 5:56. At Alameda traffic stop, Mike went ahead between 2 cars. I had to wait a few seconds and then tried to catch him. I was almost to him and stepped off the curb at the street before the turn around. I felt my right calf seize and waited for a pop. No pop, yes! So I slowed way down, to about a 7:30 pace and altered my gate. Did that all the way to the 2 mile mark where I felt it loosen and it felt ok again going down the country club hill. Caught Mike at the 2nd Speer light where there is a lot of traffic and a long light due to construction. Mike said he was fading and couldn't hold. I told him my calf had loosened up so I was going to pick it up again. Jay caught us at that light also. I felt strong going back except my hip was hurting. I finished ahead of Mike but he was right behind me and had me on the watch. 19:56 for me.



We ran back easy, I felt everything tightening and wondered if it was good to do this before an acupuncture visit in about an hour. I would go in with pain and that might be good to help her find the points.



7 Miles 51:56

3 @ Tempo - 19:56

Garmin Data for Tempo Portion

At my Acupuncturist, Allison and I discussed my problems since the last visit (before mt Evans) and the hip, which was so minor last time I didn't even mention it to her. She pushed on my left arm and shoulder and asked me if it was tender. ??? It was where she was pushing. I remember her doing this before, for other things. It cracks me up.



She put needles in the same places in my calfs about 16 total and then about 5 in my right hip area and my butt. She said she could feel an unhappy muscle in my hip. She hooked the calf's up to electricity and started the juice. It was different than last time. Had problems adjusting the juice in the right outer leg where I had just had problems. The needles also jiggled when she put them in this time, but mainly in the left. Anyway rather than a tapping, I actually felt some shocks as we were adjusting. My right outer was shooting pain up and down my right leg so I couldn't feel the other needles with juice to adjust. I felt it in my hamstring too and down my Achilles to my heel. Didn't feel that last time. She said it was good and normal and it was cleaning stuff out. She left me with some music going to relax for about 20 minutes, checking on me a few times. I did relax after about 10 minutes and did some deep breathing (Yoga) to help. My muscles were really twinging all over the place on both legs. Reminds me of high school biology where you hook frog legs up to a battery to watch them twitch.



She then came in and hooked up the needles in my hip to the juice for about 10 minutes. It felt good but my calf ones where still connected and jumping around.



She came in and took all the needles out, the needle in the right calf where I had just felt it seize up didn't want to come out she said. I really felt it when she pulled that one out.



When I left, my hip immediately felt better. My calf's felt like they had been hit with little hammers. She said to drink lots of water today to continue flushing things out.