Return of my running nemesis, or the time I was a big big baby.

Wednesday's run was 25 minutes straight jogging (no walk breaks). I started out grumpy, and stayed pretty grumpy for the whole run. I don't know what it is about running that gets me so mad, but I spend a good number of my runs really angry. I've learned to channel that anger into motivational energy, but it used to really demoralize me.

We ran in Rose Rudman park after dark (note to self: bring headlamp next time, that was way too dark). I wanted to miss the heat, and I was having a rough time getting out of the house. I really just didn't want to go (cue tantrum).
 
We did manage to leave the house. I stewed in my bad temper the whole time we were walking to warm up. The tendons on the bottom of my feet weren't bothering me, but the top of my right ankle was. I grumbled about it a lot. We started running, and the discomfort persisted. After about 5 minutes it went away, but replacing it was an old familiar pain: my stupid, stupid hip flexor.

I originally strained my stupid, stupid hip flexor in 2010 when I went a bit overboard in my training for our first Warrior Dash. Because I was a big bonehead, I insisted on running that race even though I had REALLY injured myself. The race took place the weekend before our belated honeymoon in San Antonio/New Braunfels. By the second day of our honeymoon, I could barely walk because the pain was so bad. Before I got injured, I was up to running 45 minutes at a time. I've never really gotten back to that point, because I never manage to rehabilitate it fully. I'm kind of at the "point of no return", here.
 
When this pain flared up in the middle of our run, I got pretty upset. It wasn't so nagging that I had to stop, but it triggered a whole flood of negative thinking. We managed to finish the run anyway (and cover a fair distance).

The next day, I looked at some stretches and strength training exercises which specifically target my hip flexor. I know my hips are weak; I know my core is really weak. I had a lot of success in the past supplementing my running with pilates and yoga, but I stopped for a while because I'm really (overly) picky about classes. Anyway, I've got to figure out a way to get back into a good core strengthening routine or I will NEVER make it to the half-marathon.

(Remind me of that last sentence, readers)

I've also got to make a real, serious effort to stretch them every EVERY day.

  So, that's where I am right now. As I write this, we're getting ready for our Saturday run. It's over 90 degrees (32 celsius), and it's a hot sticky day. I'm going to get myself pumped up before we head out the door by listening to Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now". Wish me luck!

Here are some videos I found for hip flexor stretches/exercises:
http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/microsite/article/0,8029,s6-238-511-0-13952-0,00.html

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/1,7120,s6-241-286--13410-0,00.html

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/1,7120,s6-241-285--13543-0,00.html

Jog FM

http://jog.fm/ is a really neat website/app which allows you to create custom playlists according to your desired pace. They've recently started working with Spotify so you can listen to the songs on whatever device you're rocking. I don't have a fancy phone to stream music as I run, so I've used Jog.fm to make playlists of songs in my catalogue.

Here are some of the songs it suggested for a 10:00min mile:

• I Fought the Law - Clash
• Only the Good Die Young - Billy Joel
• Live and Let Die - Guns N Roses
• Dancing in the Dark - Bruce Springsteen
• Bad bad Leroy Brown - Jim Croce
• I Got You (I Feel Good) - James Brown
• Wagon Wheel - Old Crow Medicine Show
• Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
• My Sharona - The Knack
• We're Not Gonna Take It - Twisted Sister
• I Get Around - Beach Boys
• Three Little Birds - Bob Marley
• Crocodile Rock - Elton John
• Shine - Collective Soul

Now these might not be songs I listen to every day (okay, some of them are), but this makes a killer playlist for running. As a former band nerd, I'm highly sensitive to rhythm patterns which makes music an easy way to pace myself (unfortunately, it also means my husband's long strides drive me bonkers).

With enough planning, I could build a playlist that incorporates intervals (maybe kick it up a notch with Outkast's "Hey Ya!" a 9:00 min/mile track) or cooldowns (LMFAO's "Sexy and I Know It", 12:00min/mile).

What kind of playlist do you run to?