8:41 — my legs are cooked! Quads sore from workout on Thursday and Wednesday and I think Tuesday too.

Calves spazed out again this morning as soon as I got down the stairs. And again walking to the garage. Ugh

Knees I think are improving. Really just need my calves to calm down. Which. I don’t know. Make myself an amino protein drink. Keep crushing bananas. Figure out my electrolytes.

9:06 — I sent out my prototype web app. Not expecting any responses. I do know a few people opened the first one. I made an entire website for it. Which I’m blogging on right now. My personal brand eventually will kick in. Indeed. We’re closing in on posting to other platforms. Like instagram. And YouTube.

1:02 — calves spazzing. But knees I think are definitely healing. So. After calves settle down. We’ll need to do some rehab stuff.

2:28 — some coconut water and guava. Pretty good I think. The legs are calming down. I really have out much load on them at all. Laying on the couch a minute ago after cleaning up the kitchen. Watched a bit of golf. And now laying in bed.

I’m going to need to be extra careful for future cramping. Really need to consider electrolytes etc. could’ve also played a role. I was imbalanced or something.

I FLEW TOO CLOSE TO THE SUN! Lauren was on me for plenty of times that I wasn’t training enough. I was definitely doing more than she was able to see. So this was somewhat validating for her to say that she was right. That I wasn’t training enough for long enough. I didn’t build my base properly. Hindsight. Should’ve switched to daily runs. But super short. Increasing systematically. Going way short however many months ago. I mean. I was fully capable of doing those runs that I was doing. I did not think they were that punishing. But I guess that’s what happens when you become a runner. Frankly. This is part of the training process. Obviously would’ve like to have avoided getting hurt in any capacity. But this is part of it. Just need to be diligent with the next phases. To make sure I’m building enough strength but also make sure I’m recovering. Which is tricky because I also need to get the kilometers. Right now I’m laid out tho. Forced into slow motion. Rest. I can feel in my quads. From the workouts. So those will get stronger. Strengthen the knee. My shin muscles. Those were pretty tight so make sure those are loosened up. And then calves. Would like them stronger without jacking them up like I’ve done here.

I think for the 20km. I’m not scared about that. I will need to be mindful of how to recover from it. Felt super strong on the latest run. Kicking up the speed no problem.

But yeah it’ll be interesting how these next couple weeks go. I guess actually the recovery days will be in Calgary. Monday hotel. Tuesday hotel. Wednesday I’m at the house and Thursday I fly. But I can maybe figure out some hot tub or sauna options. Could book a massage between now and that race.

4:51 — I had a good rest. Calves had calmed down. I was antsy. I did some theragun on my foot and a bit on my legs. Put on compression socks. Decided to do something that I figured would help, I did an ab ripper x with the boys. And I guess after asking gpt if I had gone tooo hard then it would be detrimental to the recovery. But let’s just focus on the good:

If you keep it easy (good for recovery)

More blood flow & nitric oxide: light core work dilates vessels → better delivery of oxygen/nutrients and removal of metabolites from sore legs.

“Myokines” pulse (esp. IL-6 in its exercise role): a short, sub-max bout tends to trigger an anti-inflammatory cascade (↑ IL-10/IL-1ra), nudging the system toward resolving soreness rather than stoking it.

Lactate as a signal, not just “waste”: mild lactate rise promotes fuel shuttling and recovery signaling; it also pairs well with carbs + protein after, improving glycogen re-stock.

Better insulin sensitivity (GLUT4): muscles you just used become hungrier for glucose for a few hours → post-workout carbs are taken up more efficiently, which helps refill the whole-body tank.

Parasympathetic tilt after (if you don’t go hard): helps down-regulate stress and sleep better that night—both big for tissue repair.