First "Normal / Fast" Runs Post-Race (and Post-Vasectomy)

I recently posted about how SLOW my first runs were after my vasectomy which was after a stretch of 7 days of TOTAL INACTIVITY. It felt ROUGH. I haven't had a week of nothingness like that in YEARS. (When I had my nerve pain foot injury in 2019, I still lifted weights, and I really can't recall the last time I did NOTHING for a week like I did a few weeks ago after my vasectomy.)

This past week, running and lifting started to feel more normal.

I had normal lifting routines on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Tuesday was a bit shorter than average, but otherwise normal. Core work and leg work are back as well.

As far as my running...

Monday was a shorter-than-normal long run, but it was my first taste of "speed" (just over 2 weeks after the TC 10 Mile and exactly 2 weeks after my vasectomy). My "normal" long runs are around 11+ miles with 2.5 miles easy, 6 miles faster, and then another 2.5+ miles easy as a cool-down. This one was just 8+ miles with 2 miles easy, 4 miles faster, and 2+ miles easy as a cool-down. And it was on the Faroe Islands east of Iceland where we had been for a few nights! (We were supposed to be home on Monday, but because of high winds, we were stuck there for another 24 hours.) My right hamstring felt 100% fine for my week off after my vasectomy, but then ached right away on my first easy run 2 weeks ago. It hasn't been great since. It was acting up on this run. And my "faster" miles were SLOOOOOOW! But I got through an run with some effort for the first time in 2+ weeks:

From Miðvágur to Sandavágur, looping around Sandavágur for my faster miles, and then back.


No, I didn't drop to 16 feet BELOW sea level in Sandavágur. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
But it WAS hilly.

Wednesday was my first run that felt NORMAL! I mentioned in a previous post how my first runs post-vasectomy were SLOW: my first run was a 8:32 pace, and I couldn't get my half-mile splits to drop below 4:00 which is NOT LIKE ME. But Wednesday felt very normal. I went back to compare it to another normal Wednesday run from last month, and it turns out they were the same pace:

But my heartrate was 6 beats higher this week
as I was working a BIT harder to keep up that pace.

And I actually did a speed workout on Friday! It wasn't a SUPER hard track workout, but my workout along River Road of 2x2 mile intervals. They were slow, but I was happy to be pushing. I noted that I did that workout twice leading up to the TC 10 Mile where I averaged 11:31 the first time I did it, and 11:36 the second time. This time I averaged 12:05 which marks the first time I was over 12:00 in a LONG time - my last time that slow may have been a stroller run when the boys were little! And I was dying: I usually negative split that workout, but it was a positive split this time as I ran 12:01 and 12:09:

Half-mile splits. Intervals ran out-and-back from SE to NW and back.


Pace and HR.

Oh, and look at my "floors" over the last 4 weeks that show an easy few days after the race, then a pretty normal week, and then a few days of EPIC HIKES in the Faroe Islands:

I'm still having an issue with my right hamstring. It hurts when sitting in the car and driving. It hurts to stretch it. It hurt pretty badly on that long run on Monday. I've been using a massage gun to help loosen it up. It didn't hurt any worse on my 2x2 mile intervals yesterday (actually felt better), so that's good! Just trying to figure out what it needs.