After the Taipei Marathon, I had a hard time getting back to my usual running routine. It looks like my ITB problems returned, and the only way I could run was with a knee brace... But that wasn't the only problem...
After the Taipei Marathon, I went through my usual recovery routine: alternating hot and cold showers or baths, grabbing some protein, doing a bit of stretching, and getting a good night's sleep. This time, I slept really well the first night and felt like I bounced back quickly. Compared to last year, it's a big improvement. Back then, my heart rate was up after the marathon, and the first night was pretty rough. This year, my heart rate settled down by the evening, and I slept like a baby.
A week after the marathon, I started hitting the trails more, which I really missed since I hadn't done much of it because of marathon prep and the Backyard event (both of which are road-based). After my usual volleyball session on Monday, I took a day off. On Wednesday, I tackled my favorite trail route home, covering 10km with over 500 meters of elevation using a headlamp. After that, I needed a break, so I did some light strength sessions. That same week, on Saturday, my volleyball crew and I signed up for a small advanced volleyball tournament that lasted 3 hours. It was a blast but also pretty tiring.
Overall this week I ended up with 17km of running only. Clearly still need more recovery...
So, I thought I'd kick off next week with some easy runs and ditch the knee brace, but that turned out to be a bad move. After just 3km, the pain on the outside of my knee flared up, and I had to stop. Looks like I'm not quite ready yet—need more rest and strength training.
Monday brought another volleyball session, and as I was feeling better, I completed 6km to finish the year with a Garmin badge, "Finish strong!":). Over the next two days, I did two trail runs: one was 5km, and the other was a 6km night run with my friend, who is gradually becoming a trail running enthusiast;)
So, for Saturday, I had this plan for a longer hike (12km) with my volleyball buddies. They're not really used to a lot of elevation, so they usually take it easy. I decided to take them on my favorite and well-known Section 5 of the Taipei Grand Trail, which I've done tons of times and know some alternative routes. Since I was feeling good, I decided to take a detour by myself onto a more challenging trail with ropes and no people around. That turned out to be a mistake. While running on a flat part, I rolled my ankle. It didn't seem too bad at first, but it's bad enough that I know I won't be running today or tomorrow. It looks like my plan to run the Ultra Backyard is probably out the window...
I somehow made it through the whole hike with my friends, but once we sat down for lunch, getting up and walking was tough. I had to limp the last 2km back home. I realized then that there was no way I'd be able to run the Backyard. Like I said, it was the end of the road for me. 😕
On Monday, I swung by the local clinic that usually helps me with my injuries. The ultrasound showed a sprained ankle, but thankfully it's not too serious. They said I could do other sports for now with a brace on and scheduled some PT for me. The doctor even suggested I could do the ultra backyard, maybe just complete 1 or 2 loops... but that wasn't good enough for me, especially since my goal was 10 loops. So, I decided to transfer my bib to my volleyball friend who was free next Saturday to take my place :) I promised I'd be there to cheer him on and support him to run as far as he can :) More about this in the next blog post :)
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