Today marks one month since I ran the marathon. It seems like an appropriate time to start writing in this blog again.
There isn't a lot to tell, running-wise. For the first week, I could barely move. By the second week, the soreness in my quads had gone away, but my foot and knee still hurt enough that I felt I shouldn't do any cardio. I did some yoga and strength training. Things stayed the same for the third week. My foot continued to bother me, and I noticed that I now have a bone spur on the top of my foot. Gross.
During the fourth, I took a couple of turns on the elliptical.
By last Sunday, I was finally feeling ok to try running. I set out for 3 miles, expecting to have to walk. I'm pleased to report that I ran 3 miles without stopping! It was slow, but I held out. My foot didn't hurt at all, but my knee twinged a little. It hurt a bit to walk for the rest of the day. That was discouraging.
I did some strength training on Monday. On Tuesday, I got back on my bike for the first time in 2 months. My tires were a little flat, but luckily my building's garage has a compressor I can use for free. It felt fantastic to ride again.
Then this morning, I went out for another 3 miler. It actually felt a little harder than Sunday, but I still did the whole 3 miles without stopping. And my knee didn't bother me during or after. One month later, I may finally back on my way up.
I have no plans to follow any kind of structured plans for a while. I'll probably run 3-4 times a week, never much more than 3 miles, and just for the fun of it. I find that I have a hard time thinking of training for anything just yet.
One question I have been asking myself all month is, was it worth it? I spent 20 weeks stressing over every ache and pain, going to bed at 9 every Friday, and arranging my entire schedule around training runs. Then I spent another 3 weeks limping around and sleeping poorly. I now have a permanent, ugly bump on the top of my foot. All for one day, when I spent 6 hours pushing through pain and nausea as covered a 26.2 mile course. Was it worth it?
Yes, I think it was. The training was every bit as hard as I expected, and the recovery was much harder than I expected, but it was still worth it. Not for the moment I crossed the finish line, either. That was actually rather anti-climatic for me. But there are certain moments that will stick with me. Slowly making my way forward in the start corral, wondering anxiously what those first miles would hold for me. Picking out my mom and sister the first time in the crowds. Starting up after a water stop, realizing my knee pain had gone away. Seeing my friend Meg hold up a sign and my friend Amy run alongside me briefly. Waving to the fans in the windows of the old folks home. Seeing all the kind strangers handing out ice. Passing mile 20 and realizing that somehow, some way, I was going to make it. Digging deep inside to find the energy to run past my friend Jessica at mile 23. Seeing my friend Shannon as I approached the finish, realizing she had been out there all day for me. And catching sight of my mom at runner reunite after I finished.
It was hard. It was so, so, hard. But it was an incredible experience. I find now that I don't care a bit that it took me 47 minutes longer than I had originally hoped. I care that I did it, and that I can look back on that day and revel in it.
I'm doubtful that I'll ever run a marathon again, but that makes 10/10/10 all the more incredible.
One month later. The pain has gone away, but I'm still proud.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Yesterday, I finished the marathon!
I did it. I am a marathoner!
The last two weeks of training didn't go like I hoped, and neither did race day. But, I crossed that finish line, and that it all I care. :-)
Later in the day after my 12-miler (two weeks ago), I started having some nasty pain on the inside of my right knee. It continued to intermittently hurt while I was walking and hurt consistently when I was running. Naturally, this threw me into a panic. I went to a physical therapist who told me it was ok if I wanted to try to run, but that it was going to hurt.
That visit heartened me a bit, but running even 3 miles was still difficult, so I was not feeling very good about my chances of finishing 26.2. I stopped running completely during my final week of training, and lined up in that start corral having no idea how far I would make it.
I crossed the start line with my two friends, Maryam and Maureen. I ran the first mile with them with no pain. However, around the first mile marker, the pain started in my knee. Maureen and Maryam started to pull ahead of me, and I let them go. I knew that my best shot at finishing was going at a pace that felt comfortable.
I was running 9 minutes and walking 1 minute, and I kept that up for quite a while. I passed my mom and sister the first time at mile 4, and I was feeling ok about my chances. The pain in my knee was consistent, but not getting worse.
The next thing I clearly remember is stopping at an aid station at mile 5. I paused for a second to refill one of my water bottles, then started running again.... and the pain was gone. THE PAIN WAS GONE! I apparently had loosened my sore tendons enough that they were working right again. This was a very exciting development. (As an aside, I'll mention that the other thing I remember about that aid station is that it was near Lincoln Park Zoo, and there were a lot of trees around, and most of the trees had a male runner next to them, peeing. I feel that this is one area where men have an unfair advantage. All the women were in line at the port-a-potties.)
I continued running at a 9:1 interval for quite some time, with little or no pain in my knee. I passed my co-worker Rebecca at mile 7.5, my friends Meg and Amy at mile 8.5, and my mom and sister again at mile 11. As I ran past my mom, I shouted, "The pain went away! The pain went away!" There were tons of cheering fans during this section of the race, and tons of spectacles to distract me... older folks waving from the windows at a nursing home, rifle twirlers in Boystown, DJs and live music, and more. I had my name on my shirt, and lots of spectators, volunteers, and even DJs were yelling "Go Katie!" It was a huge help.
I continued like this til about mile 15. Up until that point, I had been going pretty consistently at a 12-minute mile pace. However, somewhere around mile 15, the knee pain returned. It was also about 10am by this time, and the sun had started to get very hot. First, I tried to switch my intervals to 4:1, and was able to do that for a mile or two. But then my pattern kind of disintegrated. I was started to feel a little nauseous, so I had to extend my walk breaks. Unfortunately, this also allowed my knee to tighten up again, and the pain was back in full force, whether I was running or walking.
Near mile 18, I stopped to go to the bathroom and was lucky enough to only have a few people in front of me. The short break reinvigorated me for a while, and I ran pretty consistently at a run 3, walk 2 ratio. I passed my mom and sister again at mile 21, and that was a little boost. At about mile 22, though, I was so hot and my knee hurt so much that I stopped paying attention to my watch at all. I was just past 5 hours, and I knew that even if I had to walk the rest of the way, I would make it in under the 6:30 limit.
I just focused on moving forward any way that I could. I walked until I felt ready to run, then ran as long as I felt able. I just kept moving forward. I passed my friend Jessica at mile 23, and she was wearing a "Katie Rich Rocks" t-shirt. When I hit mile 24, there was an announcer of some kind saying "You have 2 miles to go. You WILL finish the Chicago Marathon. You may be walking, you may be running, and you may have to crawl, but YOU WILL FINISH!" And I'll never forget this... he said, "Isn't that right, Katie in green?" I pumped my fist in the air to tell him he was right. (I am SO glad I wrote my name on my shirt.)
Mile 25 came and went, and then I could see Roosevelt. I ran from 14th street to Roosevelt, then walked up the Roosevelt bridge to the 26 mile marker. I said all throughout my training that no matter how much I had to walk, I really wanted to run that last 0.2. And I'm proud to say that I did. I ran down the other side of the bridge and a block down Columbus, and crossed that finish line with a time of 5:47:43. (And my friend Shannon was there to take my picture.. though unfortunately someone else ran directly into the shot and completely blocked me out.) Tears were in my eyes as I got my medal.
I did it. I finished. I walked a LOT, I fought through a lot of pain, and I was in the slowest 20% to finish, but I don't care. I FINISHED.
Thank you so much to everyone who was out there on the course to cheer me on... those that I knew of course, but also all the kind strangers that called my name, sprayed me with a hose, and handed me ice. I truly, truly would not have finished without all that support.
I'll be nursing a finicky knee, a bruised foot, and some very sore quads for some time, but I'll have that finisher's medal forever. It's been a long, winding journey that I do not regret. I ran the Chicago Marathon on 10/10/10.
Now, if I EVER say I'm going to run another marathon... call me an idiot. :-)
The last two weeks of training didn't go like I hoped, and neither did race day. But, I crossed that finish line, and that it all I care. :-)
Later in the day after my 12-miler (two weeks ago), I started having some nasty pain on the inside of my right knee. It continued to intermittently hurt while I was walking and hurt consistently when I was running. Naturally, this threw me into a panic. I went to a physical therapist who told me it was ok if I wanted to try to run, but that it was going to hurt.
That visit heartened me a bit, but running even 3 miles was still difficult, so I was not feeling very good about my chances of finishing 26.2. I stopped running completely during my final week of training, and lined up in that start corral having no idea how far I would make it.
I crossed the start line with my two friends, Maryam and Maureen. I ran the first mile with them with no pain. However, around the first mile marker, the pain started in my knee. Maureen and Maryam started to pull ahead of me, and I let them go. I knew that my best shot at finishing was going at a pace that felt comfortable.
I was running 9 minutes and walking 1 minute, and I kept that up for quite a while. I passed my mom and sister the first time at mile 4, and I was feeling ok about my chances. The pain in my knee was consistent, but not getting worse.
The next thing I clearly remember is stopping at an aid station at mile 5. I paused for a second to refill one of my water bottles, then started running again.... and the pain was gone. THE PAIN WAS GONE! I apparently had loosened my sore tendons enough that they were working right again. This was a very exciting development. (As an aside, I'll mention that the other thing I remember about that aid station is that it was near Lincoln Park Zoo, and there were a lot of trees around, and most of the trees had a male runner next to them, peeing. I feel that this is one area where men have an unfair advantage. All the women were in line at the port-a-potties.)
I continued running at a 9:1 interval for quite some time, with little or no pain in my knee. I passed my co-worker Rebecca at mile 7.5, my friends Meg and Amy at mile 8.5, and my mom and sister again at mile 11. As I ran past my mom, I shouted, "The pain went away! The pain went away!" There were tons of cheering fans during this section of the race, and tons of spectacles to distract me... older folks waving from the windows at a nursing home, rifle twirlers in Boystown, DJs and live music, and more. I had my name on my shirt, and lots of spectators, volunteers, and even DJs were yelling "Go Katie!" It was a huge help.
I continued like this til about mile 15. Up until that point, I had been going pretty consistently at a 12-minute mile pace. However, somewhere around mile 15, the knee pain returned. It was also about 10am by this time, and the sun had started to get very hot. First, I tried to switch my intervals to 4:1, and was able to do that for a mile or two. But then my pattern kind of disintegrated. I was started to feel a little nauseous, so I had to extend my walk breaks. Unfortunately, this also allowed my knee to tighten up again, and the pain was back in full force, whether I was running or walking.
Near mile 18, I stopped to go to the bathroom and was lucky enough to only have a few people in front of me. The short break reinvigorated me for a while, and I ran pretty consistently at a run 3, walk 2 ratio. I passed my mom and sister again at mile 21, and that was a little boost. At about mile 22, though, I was so hot and my knee hurt so much that I stopped paying attention to my watch at all. I was just past 5 hours, and I knew that even if I had to walk the rest of the way, I would make it in under the 6:30 limit.
I just focused on moving forward any way that I could. I walked until I felt ready to run, then ran as long as I felt able. I just kept moving forward. I passed my friend Jessica at mile 23, and she was wearing a "Katie Rich Rocks" t-shirt. When I hit mile 24, there was an announcer of some kind saying "You have 2 miles to go. You WILL finish the Chicago Marathon. You may be walking, you may be running, and you may have to crawl, but YOU WILL FINISH!" And I'll never forget this... he said, "Isn't that right, Katie in green?" I pumped my fist in the air to tell him he was right. (I am SO glad I wrote my name on my shirt.)
Mile 25 came and went, and then I could see Roosevelt. I ran from 14th street to Roosevelt, then walked up the Roosevelt bridge to the 26 mile marker. I said all throughout my training that no matter how much I had to walk, I really wanted to run that last 0.2. And I'm proud to say that I did. I ran down the other side of the bridge and a block down Columbus, and crossed that finish line with a time of 5:47:43. (And my friend Shannon was there to take my picture.. though unfortunately someone else ran directly into the shot and completely blocked me out.) Tears were in my eyes as I got my medal.
I did it. I finished. I walked a LOT, I fought through a lot of pain, and I was in the slowest 20% to finish, but I don't care. I FINISHED.
Thank you so much to everyone who was out there on the course to cheer me on... those that I knew of course, but also all the kind strangers that called my name, sprayed me with a hose, and handed me ice. I truly, truly would not have finished without all that support.
I'll be nursing a finicky knee, a bruised foot, and some very sore quads for some time, but I'll have that finisher's medal forever. It's been a long, winding journey that I do not regret. I ran the Chicago Marathon on 10/10/10.
Now, if I EVER say I'm going to run another marathon... call me an idiot. :-)
Saturday, September 25, 2010
2 weeks til the marathon.
2 weeks? Ack! I'm starting to get really excited now. The signs are up along the route and the city is gearing up for it.
This week definitely did not go like I planned or hoped, but in the end I think it was ok.
On Monday my quads were still really sore, so I did not run or bike. Tuesday morning, I ran 3 miles, but walked a bit in there. My left quad was still sore, so my gait was a bit off and my shins started to hurt a little.
Wednesday, I started to feel pretty sick. My stomach had never really felt normal since Saturday, and it seemed to be getting worse. I was standing at the bus stop when a sharp pain started in my right side. It faded as I got on the bus, but I started to get dizzy. I had to squat down to avoid passing out. The spell passed pretty quickly, but I was in a cold sweat for a while and my stomach continued to bother me.
I woke up Thursday hoping to run in the afternoon. However, I had the same pain in my side while waiting for the bus. I didn't know what to think, and I was tired of feeling sick, so I made a doctor's appointment for that afternoon.
A lot of possibilities went through my mind. Kidney stones run in my family. Appendicitis would require surgery. And on and on. I didn't really believe it was anything serious, but if it was, I needed to know now.
Thankfully, the doctor ruled out kidney stones and several other things. She couldn't completely rule out appendicitis, but said my symptoms did not really make sense for that, either. She thought it was some sort of bug I just had to wait out. The answer I wanted, but still frustrating.
I was completely wiped out the rest of the day Thursday and Friday. I slept over nine hours a night.
I got up this morning and decided to try running. I set out at about 7:30 and did 12 miles at a 9:1 run:walk ratio. My overall pace was 11:30 per mile, which really wasn't bad. My legs cooperated pretty well -- only minor complaints from my quads and shins -- but my stomach really hurt through most of it. I'm glad I went out and did it, but I'm also really glad it's over.
Now I'll be resting up and hoping to kick whatever bug is in my system out soon. I end this week with only two runs and no biking at all, but it was the most I could handle so I'm not going to fret it.
On a different note, I tried out a hydration belt today and liked it. Looks like I'll be wearing mine on race day.
15 days to go. Hang in there, legs. Hang in there, gut. We're gonna do this.
Miles on my shoes: 176
This week definitely did not go like I planned or hoped, but in the end I think it was ok.
On Monday my quads were still really sore, so I did not run or bike. Tuesday morning, I ran 3 miles, but walked a bit in there. My left quad was still sore, so my gait was a bit off and my shins started to hurt a little.
Wednesday, I started to feel pretty sick. My stomach had never really felt normal since Saturday, and it seemed to be getting worse. I was standing at the bus stop when a sharp pain started in my right side. It faded as I got on the bus, but I started to get dizzy. I had to squat down to avoid passing out. The spell passed pretty quickly, but I was in a cold sweat for a while and my stomach continued to bother me.
I woke up Thursday hoping to run in the afternoon. However, I had the same pain in my side while waiting for the bus. I didn't know what to think, and I was tired of feeling sick, so I made a doctor's appointment for that afternoon.
A lot of possibilities went through my mind. Kidney stones run in my family. Appendicitis would require surgery. And on and on. I didn't really believe it was anything serious, but if it was, I needed to know now.
Thankfully, the doctor ruled out kidney stones and several other things. She couldn't completely rule out appendicitis, but said my symptoms did not really make sense for that, either. She thought it was some sort of bug I just had to wait out. The answer I wanted, but still frustrating.
I was completely wiped out the rest of the day Thursday and Friday. I slept over nine hours a night.
I got up this morning and decided to try running. I set out at about 7:30 and did 12 miles at a 9:1 run:walk ratio. My overall pace was 11:30 per mile, which really wasn't bad. My legs cooperated pretty well -- only minor complaints from my quads and shins -- but my stomach really hurt through most of it. I'm glad I went out and did it, but I'm also really glad it's over.
Now I'll be resting up and hoping to kick whatever bug is in my system out soon. I end this week with only two runs and no biking at all, but it was the most I could handle so I'm not going to fret it.
On a different note, I tried out a hydration belt today and liked it. Looks like I'll be wearing mine on race day.
15 days to go. Hang in there, legs. Hang in there, gut. We're gonna do this.
Miles on my shoes: 176
Saturday, September 18, 2010
3 weeks to the marathon...
Whew. I have made it to taper. I'll still be running 3 times a week, but the longest run I have left is a 12 miler. And really, if I miss any of the workouts, it's not that big of a deal. The next three weeks are about maintaining fitness and resting. Barring disaster, I will be at that start line.
I ran 3 miles on Monday morning and felt almost nothing at all in my legs. I tried to wear regular socks, and my ankle started to hurt a little after a mile. I stopped and swapped it out for the cut-off one, and then I was fine. The ankle thing is weird and I hope it goes away after my post-marathon rest, but mostly I'm just relieved that I have a way to work around it.
On Tuesday, I biked, and it was against the wind in both directions. That sucked, and my left knee hurt a little.
Wednesday, I did a speed workout in the morning. I ran a mile to warm up, then ran 3 more miles in 200-m out-ins, so 200 m at my regular pace, then 200 m at a faster clip, repeat. Then I ran the last mile home just at my regular pace. So 5 miles total, with almost no pain at all. That was my last run before the 20 miler, and I was feeling great.
I had intended to bike on Thursday, but the winds were super strong and it was a decent chance of rain, so I opted out. I then debated riding on Friday, but I opted out of that, too. I was just feeling so good, and the benefit of riding was not worth the risk of something hurting the next day.
So, I got up this morning bright and early and well rested for my 20 miler. Unfortunately, my tummy did not feel so hot. The food I ate for breakfast wasn't sitting so well, and I made a couple trips to the bathroom. I took some Pepto and chalked it up to nerves -- I actually have the same sort of feeling before races sometimes.
Let me start with the good news. I did the entire 20 miles virtually pain free. I had some achiness here and there, but not a whisper from my ankle (I had cut off socks on both feet) and not a whisper from my shins. Nada. Also, I did not feel so weirdly stiff at the end. I was able to stretch normally.
However, I did not end the run strong. I started out doing the same 8:1 run:walk ratio as for the 18 miler. For the first 12 miles or so, I was doing great. I had that "I'm barely aware that I'm running" kind of feeling. But then I started to get tired. The 8 minute segments started to feel really long. And my stomach started to bother me. I did not feel like I was going to throw up, or pass out, but I was pretty uncomfortable. After 18 miles, I had to stop to go to the bathroom, and that did help a little. But I was no longer able to run for full 8 minute segments. I was doing 4:1, then 3:1, then 4:1, etc for the rest of the way. I finished, but I was totally drained.
My total time was 3:54:53. That was including the pit stop that actually added a little distance to the run. So, my overall average pace was 11:45 per mile, which would give me a marathon finish time of 5:08 if I kept it up. But the truth is, I don't think I could have even kept up that average. I was so relieved to be finished that I wanted to cry. And on marathon day, I will still have 6.2 miles to go.
So, this means several things:
1. First of all, I'm kind of scared now. I might as well admit that right now. Related is...
2. I think it's important for me to work on being prepared to feel like crap toward the end of the race. I always knew 26.2 was a long way to run, and no one ever talks about it being easy, but... today was my first glimpse at how I will probably be feeling at mile 20. However...
3. I also need to remember that I won't necessarily feel quite so bad. Adrenaline will help, the crowds will help, and with any luck my tummy won't be a problem.
4. Speaking of my tummy, there are a couple of things that I think contributed to that. First, I had been feeling sort of icky on and off since last Friday. It was never terrible, but I had less of an appetite than usual and was having a bit of indigestion. So, some of the problem was existing. And running 20 miles made my body less able to handle it.
5. I also ate a different breakfast than I have been before (toast and oatmeal with a nectarine instead of a bagel with peanut butter and banana). Not only did I end up eating less of it, but it had less protein and more acid. On an average day, it probably wouldn't have mattered, but when I'm running 20 miles, my body needs all the help it can get. So, bagel, peanut butter, and banana it is.
6. I think I'm officially letting go of this time goal of 5 hours I've had in mind all along. It's just another source of pressure and worry that I don't need. I need to focus on finishing, that's all. I figure that even if I had to walk the last 6.2, I would have still made it in under the 6:30 limit. I'll be disappointed if that happens, but honestly, although I was tired, I did feel like I had SOME run left in me. It just would have been in shorter bursts.
Since finishing, I've been tired and achy, and my stomach is still not feeling so great. But, nothing feels injured. So there's plenty to be happy about, and I'm trying to focus on that.
Like I said before... I'm scared. But, some part of me recognizes that there's no way to know, control, or fully prepare for how I will feel during the race. So for the next few weeks, I will just try to relax and enjoy the taper, and on race day I will just try to relax and enjoy the journey. That's all I can do.
Even if race day does go like it did today, I know I will finish. If there's anything I can say for certain about myself after going through this marathon training, it's that I'm not a quitter.
Miles on my shoes: 158
I ran 3 miles on Monday morning and felt almost nothing at all in my legs. I tried to wear regular socks, and my ankle started to hurt a little after a mile. I stopped and swapped it out for the cut-off one, and then I was fine. The ankle thing is weird and I hope it goes away after my post-marathon rest, but mostly I'm just relieved that I have a way to work around it.
On Tuesday, I biked, and it was against the wind in both directions. That sucked, and my left knee hurt a little.
Wednesday, I did a speed workout in the morning. I ran a mile to warm up, then ran 3 more miles in 200-m out-ins, so 200 m at my regular pace, then 200 m at a faster clip, repeat. Then I ran the last mile home just at my regular pace. So 5 miles total, with almost no pain at all. That was my last run before the 20 miler, and I was feeling great.
I had intended to bike on Thursday, but the winds were super strong and it was a decent chance of rain, so I opted out. I then debated riding on Friday, but I opted out of that, too. I was just feeling so good, and the benefit of riding was not worth the risk of something hurting the next day.
So, I got up this morning bright and early and well rested for my 20 miler. Unfortunately, my tummy did not feel so hot. The food I ate for breakfast wasn't sitting so well, and I made a couple trips to the bathroom. I took some Pepto and chalked it up to nerves -- I actually have the same sort of feeling before races sometimes.
Let me start with the good news. I did the entire 20 miles virtually pain free. I had some achiness here and there, but not a whisper from my ankle (I had cut off socks on both feet) and not a whisper from my shins. Nada. Also, I did not feel so weirdly stiff at the end. I was able to stretch normally.
However, I did not end the run strong. I started out doing the same 8:1 run:walk ratio as for the 18 miler. For the first 12 miles or so, I was doing great. I had that "I'm barely aware that I'm running" kind of feeling. But then I started to get tired. The 8 minute segments started to feel really long. And my stomach started to bother me. I did not feel like I was going to throw up, or pass out, but I was pretty uncomfortable. After 18 miles, I had to stop to go to the bathroom, and that did help a little. But I was no longer able to run for full 8 minute segments. I was doing 4:1, then 3:1, then 4:1, etc for the rest of the way. I finished, but I was totally drained.
My total time was 3:54:53. That was including the pit stop that actually added a little distance to the run. So, my overall average pace was 11:45 per mile, which would give me a marathon finish time of 5:08 if I kept it up. But the truth is, I don't think I could have even kept up that average. I was so relieved to be finished that I wanted to cry. And on marathon day, I will still have 6.2 miles to go.
So, this means several things:
1. First of all, I'm kind of scared now. I might as well admit that right now. Related is...
2. I think it's important for me to work on being prepared to feel like crap toward the end of the race. I always knew 26.2 was a long way to run, and no one ever talks about it being easy, but... today was my first glimpse at how I will probably be feeling at mile 20. However...
3. I also need to remember that I won't necessarily feel quite so bad. Adrenaline will help, the crowds will help, and with any luck my tummy won't be a problem.
4. Speaking of my tummy, there are a couple of things that I think contributed to that. First, I had been feeling sort of icky on and off since last Friday. It was never terrible, but I had less of an appetite than usual and was having a bit of indigestion. So, some of the problem was existing. And running 20 miles made my body less able to handle it.
5. I also ate a different breakfast than I have been before (toast and oatmeal with a nectarine instead of a bagel with peanut butter and banana). Not only did I end up eating less of it, but it had less protein and more acid. On an average day, it probably wouldn't have mattered, but when I'm running 20 miles, my body needs all the help it can get. So, bagel, peanut butter, and banana it is.
6. I think I'm officially letting go of this time goal of 5 hours I've had in mind all along. It's just another source of pressure and worry that I don't need. I need to focus on finishing, that's all. I figure that even if I had to walk the last 6.2, I would have still made it in under the 6:30 limit. I'll be disappointed if that happens, but honestly, although I was tired, I did feel like I had SOME run left in me. It just would have been in shorter bursts.
Since finishing, I've been tired and achy, and my stomach is still not feeling so great. But, nothing feels injured. So there's plenty to be happy about, and I'm trying to focus on that.
Like I said before... I'm scared. But, some part of me recognizes that there's no way to know, control, or fully prepare for how I will feel during the race. So for the next few weeks, I will just try to relax and enjoy the taper, and on race day I will just try to relax and enjoy the journey. That's all I can do.
Even if race day does go like it did today, I know I will finish. If there's anything I can say for certain about myself after going through this marathon training, it's that I'm not a quitter.
Miles on my shoes: 158
Sunday, September 12, 2010
4 weeks til the marathon
Less than a month, folks. Commence freaking out.
Overall, I have to say that this week went pretty well. I completed all the running and biking that I intended to do, which is something I haven't really been able to say in a long time.
Monday I biked, and the way back was against the wind. I finished, but it totally drained me.
Tuesday morning I ran 8 miles. Less than a mile in, I had to stop and fold down my sock so it didn't rub my ankle. But I finished. Shins hurt some, but not a lot.
Wednesday evening I ran 4 repeat miles, with a mile of warm up and a mile of cool down. I was wearing a cut-off sock, and there was not a single whisper from my ankle. The back of my knee was bothering me a little, which was odd. Then, right at the very end, one shin started to hurt. I immediately stopped and walked the remaining quarter mile, praying that the sharp pain wouldn't stick around.
I biked on Thursday, and felt the sharp pain in the same spot once on the way there, and once on the way back. This is not ideal, of course, but my shins did not bother me while walking, so I tried to dismiss it. That particular spot has not bothered me since, so that's a blessing.
I took Friday off, then ran 8 miles on the treadmill on Saturday morning. I wore the cut off sock again, and my ankle was fine. My shins hurt some, but not a lot. I did the 8 miles at under an 11-minute pace. All in all, a success.
Still, my shins have ached a lot over the past two days. Sometimes they are fine and I don't feel a thing, but then the next moment they hurt a lot. I've definitely had worse, and I'm not entertaining any thoughts of dropping out. However, it does make the decision of how much to run this week more difficult.
Ideally, I'd like to run 3 miles on Monday or Tuesday, then 3 miles with some speed push on Wednesday or Thursday, and then run 20 on Saturday. The 20 is obviously the most important, so part of me thinks I should skip the 3 milers. But part of me thinks that is a bad idea.
I also am struggling with what to do about biking. It often leaves me feeling totally drained, which seems counter-productive.
So, overall, I am optimistic about how this week went, but I wish the pain were not so prevalent to make some of these decisions easier.
Please, oh please, let this week go well, too. Let me feel as good at the end of 20 as a did at the end of 16.
Apologies at the lack of eloquence. I think I will feel A LOT better when the 20 is over.
Miles on my shoes: 130
Overall, I have to say that this week went pretty well. I completed all the running and biking that I intended to do, which is something I haven't really been able to say in a long time.
Monday I biked, and the way back was against the wind. I finished, but it totally drained me.
Tuesday morning I ran 8 miles. Less than a mile in, I had to stop and fold down my sock so it didn't rub my ankle. But I finished. Shins hurt some, but not a lot.
Wednesday evening I ran 4 repeat miles, with a mile of warm up and a mile of cool down. I was wearing a cut-off sock, and there was not a single whisper from my ankle. The back of my knee was bothering me a little, which was odd. Then, right at the very end, one shin started to hurt. I immediately stopped and walked the remaining quarter mile, praying that the sharp pain wouldn't stick around.
I biked on Thursday, and felt the sharp pain in the same spot once on the way there, and once on the way back. This is not ideal, of course, but my shins did not bother me while walking, so I tried to dismiss it. That particular spot has not bothered me since, so that's a blessing.
I took Friday off, then ran 8 miles on the treadmill on Saturday morning. I wore the cut off sock again, and my ankle was fine. My shins hurt some, but not a lot. I did the 8 miles at under an 11-minute pace. All in all, a success.
Still, my shins have ached a lot over the past two days. Sometimes they are fine and I don't feel a thing, but then the next moment they hurt a lot. I've definitely had worse, and I'm not entertaining any thoughts of dropping out. However, it does make the decision of how much to run this week more difficult.
Ideally, I'd like to run 3 miles on Monday or Tuesday, then 3 miles with some speed push on Wednesday or Thursday, and then run 20 on Saturday. The 20 is obviously the most important, so part of me thinks I should skip the 3 milers. But part of me thinks that is a bad idea.
I also am struggling with what to do about biking. It often leaves me feeling totally drained, which seems counter-productive.
So, overall, I am optimistic about how this week went, but I wish the pain were not so prevalent to make some of these decisions easier.
Please, oh please, let this week go well, too. Let me feel as good at the end of 20 as a did at the end of 16.
Apologies at the lack of eloquence. I think I will feel A LOT better when the 20 is over.
Miles on my shoes: 130
Sunday, September 5, 2010
5 weeks til the marathon
I'm still hanging in there.
I took Monday off, and rode my bike on Tuesday.
Wednesday I did 12 x 200m, with 200m active recovery after each repeat. The active recovery included skipping and hopping on one foot, and let me tell you, people on the lakefront path thought that was either weird or hilarious. I had a little shin pain but not a lot.
Thursday I biked again. On the way home, my shins randomly started to hurt after not bothering me all day. The pain continued all evening. So, any thoughts of a brief run on Friday were put aside.
I took Friday off, and went to bed that night very nervous and jittery. Could I really do 18 miles in the morning?
My friend Maryam picked me up at 5:50 the next morning, and we and two of her friends drove to a spot about 5 miles from the end of the path. We started off with the intention of running 4.5 miles south, then 9 miles north, then 4.5 back south to the car. I did the whole first half with Maryam, and we did a run/walk in an 8:1 ratio -- 8 minutes of running then 1 minute of walking. When we got back to the car the first time, Maryam waited at the car for one of her friends that decided to drop out of the run because of knee pain, but I decided to keep going, as her pace felt a bit too fast for me and I figured she would catch up to me anyway.
She didn't. I don't think my pace slowed down much at all. I passed her and her other friend a mile and a half after the turn around, so they were 3 miles behind me. I continued with the run/walk all the way through, with the exception of skipping my last walk because I was only about 2 minutes from finishing. I hit my finish line after 3:20:54, which means I kept about an 11:10 pace overall -- fast enough to get me a 5-hour marathon time if I could maintain it.
Shins didn't give me many problems. One little spot would hurt, then the pain would go away, then it'd show up somewhere else. The top inside of my right shin did hurt through about 6 miles or so, but even that went away in the end. Shins did as well as I had any right to hope. They did not bother me much the rest of the day or yesterday, either.
Unfortunately, about 200m from the finish, the front of my right ankle and top of my right foot started to suddenly hurt. I finished -- that close, how could I not?? Then I walked about another 200m to a drinking fountain, stretched a bit, then walked back to the car. My ankle still hurt a little, but I felt weird all over once I stopped running. My legs were so stiff that I had to kind of stretch in waves. I stretched a little, then walked some more, then stretched a little farther. It took me a while to feel somewhat normal.
I made my way back to the car, took off my shoes, and put my compression socks on. I spent a good 10 minutes trying to work out what I thought was a foot cramp. Finally, it felt somewhat normal. I flexed my ankle and it felt stiff but ok. So I put my shoes back on and walked back toward the path to watch for Maryam and Maureen.
Walking hurt a lot. The same ankle was really bothering me, almost enough to make me limp. It continued to do so each time I walked as we went to brunch and after I got home. This really worried me. Not only was this a devil I didn't know, but it was affecting my everyday mobility, not just my running.
After some experimentation that day, I realized that my ankle only hurt if my sock was on over it. The sock pulls the skin back and forth a bit, and that is what hurt. I could walk fine if I folded down my sock far enough.
I walked around a lot yesterday with my sock folded down like that. Towards the end of the day, I was able to put it back on, but my ankle still feels a little stiff and hurts if I rub the sore area.
I'm glad that I'm mobile, but my worst fear is that this will happen again in the middle of the marathon. The pain was really intense. I suppose I could just fold down my sock and live with the blister that is sure to appear on my heel. But there are also a thousand other things that could happen during the marathon. While I've struggled with injury a lot, this is the first time something made me completely unable to run.
Eyes forward, though. No use dwelling. My plan right now is just to keep icing, avoid wearing socks when I can, and hope for the best. I'm also going to buy some low-cut socks and new arch supports.
Aside from the ankle issue, the run/walk plan had both pros and cons. On the plus side, it's really helpful psychologically to focus on time instead of distance. I also had fewer aches and pains overall, and less soreness. However, I was MUCH more tired at the end. After 16, I felt like I could keep going. After 18, I was DONE. So, I'm planning on trying the run/walk again when I do the 20 miler, and making a race strategy decision after that.
This week, I hoping to do a short run today, a speed workout on Wednesday, and 8 miles on Saturday. I'll hopefully also bike to work twice, though I'm a little afraid of the high winds in the forecast!
Breathe in, breathe out... 5 weeks to go. I'm going to do this if it kills me.
Miles on my shoes: 111
I took Monday off, and rode my bike on Tuesday.
Wednesday I did 12 x 200m, with 200m active recovery after each repeat. The active recovery included skipping and hopping on one foot, and let me tell you, people on the lakefront path thought that was either weird or hilarious. I had a little shin pain but not a lot.
Thursday I biked again. On the way home, my shins randomly started to hurt after not bothering me all day. The pain continued all evening. So, any thoughts of a brief run on Friday were put aside.
I took Friday off, and went to bed that night very nervous and jittery. Could I really do 18 miles in the morning?
My friend Maryam picked me up at 5:50 the next morning, and we and two of her friends drove to a spot about 5 miles from the end of the path. We started off with the intention of running 4.5 miles south, then 9 miles north, then 4.5 back south to the car. I did the whole first half with Maryam, and we did a run/walk in an 8:1 ratio -- 8 minutes of running then 1 minute of walking. When we got back to the car the first time, Maryam waited at the car for one of her friends that decided to drop out of the run because of knee pain, but I decided to keep going, as her pace felt a bit too fast for me and I figured she would catch up to me anyway.
She didn't. I don't think my pace slowed down much at all. I passed her and her other friend a mile and a half after the turn around, so they were 3 miles behind me. I continued with the run/walk all the way through, with the exception of skipping my last walk because I was only about 2 minutes from finishing. I hit my finish line after 3:20:54, which means I kept about an 11:10 pace overall -- fast enough to get me a 5-hour marathon time if I could maintain it.
Shins didn't give me many problems. One little spot would hurt, then the pain would go away, then it'd show up somewhere else. The top inside of my right shin did hurt through about 6 miles or so, but even that went away in the end. Shins did as well as I had any right to hope. They did not bother me much the rest of the day or yesterday, either.
Unfortunately, about 200m from the finish, the front of my right ankle and top of my right foot started to suddenly hurt. I finished -- that close, how could I not?? Then I walked about another 200m to a drinking fountain, stretched a bit, then walked back to the car. My ankle still hurt a little, but I felt weird all over once I stopped running. My legs were so stiff that I had to kind of stretch in waves. I stretched a little, then walked some more, then stretched a little farther. It took me a while to feel somewhat normal.
I made my way back to the car, took off my shoes, and put my compression socks on. I spent a good 10 minutes trying to work out what I thought was a foot cramp. Finally, it felt somewhat normal. I flexed my ankle and it felt stiff but ok. So I put my shoes back on and walked back toward the path to watch for Maryam and Maureen.
Walking hurt a lot. The same ankle was really bothering me, almost enough to make me limp. It continued to do so each time I walked as we went to brunch and after I got home. This really worried me. Not only was this a devil I didn't know, but it was affecting my everyday mobility, not just my running.
After some experimentation that day, I realized that my ankle only hurt if my sock was on over it. The sock pulls the skin back and forth a bit, and that is what hurt. I could walk fine if I folded down my sock far enough.
I walked around a lot yesterday with my sock folded down like that. Towards the end of the day, I was able to put it back on, but my ankle still feels a little stiff and hurts if I rub the sore area.
I'm glad that I'm mobile, but my worst fear is that this will happen again in the middle of the marathon. The pain was really intense. I suppose I could just fold down my sock and live with the blister that is sure to appear on my heel. But there are also a thousand other things that could happen during the marathon. While I've struggled with injury a lot, this is the first time something made me completely unable to run.
Eyes forward, though. No use dwelling. My plan right now is just to keep icing, avoid wearing socks when I can, and hope for the best. I'm also going to buy some low-cut socks and new arch supports.
Aside from the ankle issue, the run/walk plan had both pros and cons. On the plus side, it's really helpful psychologically to focus on time instead of distance. I also had fewer aches and pains overall, and less soreness. However, I was MUCH more tired at the end. After 16, I felt like I could keep going. After 18, I was DONE. So, I'm planning on trying the run/walk again when I do the 20 miler, and making a race strategy decision after that.
This week, I hoping to do a short run today, a speed workout on Wednesday, and 8 miles on Saturday. I'll hopefully also bike to work twice, though I'm a little afraid of the high winds in the forecast!
Breathe in, breathe out... 5 weeks to go. I'm going to do this if it kills me.
Miles on my shoes: 111
Monday, August 30, 2010
6 weeks til the marathon
I don’t have much more to tell this week. I’m still in limbo.
I’ve been on vacation in Michigan all week. I took two hefty bike rides, one last Sunday and the other last Tuesday. No problems there except some wrist soreness because the bike I was riding didn’t fit me quite right.
I ran 3.7 miles with my mom on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I don’t really know how fast we were going, but I’m guessing that it was about a 12-minute mile. Monday I had a little pain but nothing too bad. Wednesday I felt really good. Friday it was back to how I felt on Monday. I iced every day for good measure. There was one spot on each shin that continued to bother me.
Yesterday I ended up running 5 miles total, but trying out the 8:1 run:walk ratio: run 8 minutes, then walk 1 minute, repeat. The whole run took roughly an hour. Some shin problems, but not enough to ice. The specific sore spots on each leg didn’t give me much trouble. So while I’d be lying if I said I felt completely rehabbed, but I at least can say that I feel like I’m progressing.
Still hoping to run 18 miles on Saturday. Only planning on running once between now and then, for Wednesday’s speed workout.
6 weeks to go. Hang in there, shins.
I’ve been on vacation in Michigan all week. I took two hefty bike rides, one last Sunday and the other last Tuesday. No problems there except some wrist soreness because the bike I was riding didn’t fit me quite right.
I ran 3.7 miles with my mom on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I don’t really know how fast we were going, but I’m guessing that it was about a 12-minute mile. Monday I had a little pain but nothing too bad. Wednesday I felt really good. Friday it was back to how I felt on Monday. I iced every day for good measure. There was one spot on each shin that continued to bother me.
Yesterday I ended up running 5 miles total, but trying out the 8:1 run:walk ratio: run 8 minutes, then walk 1 minute, repeat. The whole run took roughly an hour. Some shin problems, but not enough to ice. The specific sore spots on each leg didn’t give me much trouble. So while I’d be lying if I said I felt completely rehabbed, but I at least can say that I feel like I’m progressing.
Still hoping to run 18 miles on Saturday. Only planning on running once between now and then, for Wednesday’s speed workout.
6 weeks to go. Hang in there, shins.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
7 weeks until the marathon
(Written on Saturday and posted on Sunday...)
Well, things are staying stubbornly in limbo between “Things have improved and I’m feeling confident that I’ll make it to the start line” and “Well, that’s it. I’m calling it off.”
Week before last went so poorly that I couldn’t even bring myself to write about it. I felt fantastic after that 16 miler. I was a bit sore on Sunday and Monday, but feeling ok. I biked to work Monday and felt a little pain in my knee, but nothing else.
Then I ran 8 miles Tuesday morning, and I had a really hard time. The humidity was brutal, and I had a lot of shin pain. I finished, but I was really hurting the rest of that day and into Wednesday. I spent most of Wednesday debating with myself about whether or not to go to speed training. Ultimately, I decided to do the workout, but do it at home instead of schlepping all the way up to the track.
I completed a warm up, 3 repeat miles, and a cool down, but I suffered for it. It wasn’t so much sharp pain as it was an overall inability to make my legs work. I was stiff and achy while running, and my legs were swollen and tired afterward. I went to bed that night feeling like I had blown it.
I biked on Thursday and took Friday off, hoping that I would be ok on Saturday. When Saturday came, I did put on my running clothes and lace up my shoes, but my instincts screamed at me not to run. So I didn’t. I geared up again on Sunday and actually set out that time, but I run/walked for only a mile before I turned back.
Things were looking bleak, but I figured missing a 10-miler was better than missing the following weekend’s 18-miler, so I tried to focus my attention forward. I biked to work on Monday, and wore my compression socks pretty much all day and night that day, trying to get the swelling down. Tuesday I ran 8 miles with the compression socks on, and while I was pleased to have finished that distance, I didn’t feel great afterward.
I got up on Wednesday to attempt a speed workout, ran about 10 steps, and stopped. I spent another day on the bench in my compression socks, wondering if I could really come back from this.
It was similar on Thursday. I was able to run 6 miles, but had pain in my shins afterward, all day. I continued to intermittently wear the compression socks. The pain was not terrible – I had definitely had worse – but I had a sinking feeling all day that it just wasn’t enough. I may have been somehow powering my way through a good number of my shorter training runs… but I felt that trying to run 18 miles on Saturday was just asking for a serious injury.
I was a hair’s breadth away from calling off my training. I just couldn’t see how I could miss another one of those big long runs and still keep going. But I exchanged some emails with a running friend who has shin problems similar to mine, and she informed me that she trains for marathons by running only 2-3 times a week: a long run, a speed workout, and as her schedule permits, a third run of 3-5 miles. In a nutshell, that means that I have been running roughly 10 miles more a week than I really have to.
I felt a bit more optimistic after that. I biked to work and back on Friday, still wearing the compression socks. Friday night, I sat thinking for a while, and decided on this plan: Tomorrow, I would run as far as felt safe, even if that meant only 3 miles or so. In the coming week, I would stick to 4 miles or so, every other day, and perhaps attempt 6 on Saturday or Sunday. Then the following week, I would start sticking to my friend’s plan: a speed workout, a short run, and a long run, never on consecutive days. If I can rehab my shins enough this week to feel confident going into 18 miles on September 4, I might still have a chance. It will mean having my last long run be 20 miles instead of 22, but there are a lot of plans that end at 20 miles so I think that’ll be ok.
I woke up this morning and procrastinated about going out running, because I didn’t want to go out and come back feeling defeated. Even though I had a revised plan that I thought had some hope for success, deep down I badly wanted to run 18 and feel like I was still on track. Ultimately, I ended up going out deliberately unprepared to run 18 miles (no gels, started too late, not hydrated well enough) so that I wouldn’t do anything stupid. I ended up doing the speed workout I missed on Wednesday, which I thought was a good compromise. I was able to push myself a little but still only do a total of 5 miles. Plus, I ended the week feeling like I only missed one workout, not two – even though the one I missed was the long run.
If that speed workout had gone by with no pain, I would be feeling pretty good right now. But, it didn’t. I felt some deep aching in my shins both during the run and after. I was able to run without the compression socks on, which is good, but I’m just not feeling so great. My shins hurt when I walk.
Bottom line: I’ve still got a decent chance of bouncing back to marathon readiness, but there’s also a decent chance that I won’t. I’m still in that annoying place of needing to remain optimistic but realistic.
Will this be worth it? If I make it to that start line, I think it will. The hardest part is that I know the closer the marathon gets, the more crushing it will be to not run. But I will not give up.
Come what may, it will be over in 7 more weeks.
Well, things are staying stubbornly in limbo between “Things have improved and I’m feeling confident that I’ll make it to the start line” and “Well, that’s it. I’m calling it off.”
Week before last went so poorly that I couldn’t even bring myself to write about it. I felt fantastic after that 16 miler. I was a bit sore on Sunday and Monday, but feeling ok. I biked to work Monday and felt a little pain in my knee, but nothing else.
Then I ran 8 miles Tuesday morning, and I had a really hard time. The humidity was brutal, and I had a lot of shin pain. I finished, but I was really hurting the rest of that day and into Wednesday. I spent most of Wednesday debating with myself about whether or not to go to speed training. Ultimately, I decided to do the workout, but do it at home instead of schlepping all the way up to the track.
I completed a warm up, 3 repeat miles, and a cool down, but I suffered for it. It wasn’t so much sharp pain as it was an overall inability to make my legs work. I was stiff and achy while running, and my legs were swollen and tired afterward. I went to bed that night feeling like I had blown it.
I biked on Thursday and took Friday off, hoping that I would be ok on Saturday. When Saturday came, I did put on my running clothes and lace up my shoes, but my instincts screamed at me not to run. So I didn’t. I geared up again on Sunday and actually set out that time, but I run/walked for only a mile before I turned back.
Things were looking bleak, but I figured missing a 10-miler was better than missing the following weekend’s 18-miler, so I tried to focus my attention forward. I biked to work on Monday, and wore my compression socks pretty much all day and night that day, trying to get the swelling down. Tuesday I ran 8 miles with the compression socks on, and while I was pleased to have finished that distance, I didn’t feel great afterward.
I got up on Wednesday to attempt a speed workout, ran about 10 steps, and stopped. I spent another day on the bench in my compression socks, wondering if I could really come back from this.
It was similar on Thursday. I was able to run 6 miles, but had pain in my shins afterward, all day. I continued to intermittently wear the compression socks. The pain was not terrible – I had definitely had worse – but I had a sinking feeling all day that it just wasn’t enough. I may have been somehow powering my way through a good number of my shorter training runs… but I felt that trying to run 18 miles on Saturday was just asking for a serious injury.
I was a hair’s breadth away from calling off my training. I just couldn’t see how I could miss another one of those big long runs and still keep going. But I exchanged some emails with a running friend who has shin problems similar to mine, and she informed me that she trains for marathons by running only 2-3 times a week: a long run, a speed workout, and as her schedule permits, a third run of 3-5 miles. In a nutshell, that means that I have been running roughly 10 miles more a week than I really have to.
I felt a bit more optimistic after that. I biked to work and back on Friday, still wearing the compression socks. Friday night, I sat thinking for a while, and decided on this plan: Tomorrow, I would run as far as felt safe, even if that meant only 3 miles or so. In the coming week, I would stick to 4 miles or so, every other day, and perhaps attempt 6 on Saturday or Sunday. Then the following week, I would start sticking to my friend’s plan: a speed workout, a short run, and a long run, never on consecutive days. If I can rehab my shins enough this week to feel confident going into 18 miles on September 4, I might still have a chance. It will mean having my last long run be 20 miles instead of 22, but there are a lot of plans that end at 20 miles so I think that’ll be ok.
I woke up this morning and procrastinated about going out running, because I didn’t want to go out and come back feeling defeated. Even though I had a revised plan that I thought had some hope for success, deep down I badly wanted to run 18 and feel like I was still on track. Ultimately, I ended up going out deliberately unprepared to run 18 miles (no gels, started too late, not hydrated well enough) so that I wouldn’t do anything stupid. I ended up doing the speed workout I missed on Wednesday, which I thought was a good compromise. I was able to push myself a little but still only do a total of 5 miles. Plus, I ended the week feeling like I only missed one workout, not two – even though the one I missed was the long run.
If that speed workout had gone by with no pain, I would be feeling pretty good right now. But, it didn’t. I felt some deep aching in my shins both during the run and after. I was able to run without the compression socks on, which is good, but I’m just not feeling so great. My shins hurt when I walk.
Bottom line: I’ve still got a decent chance of bouncing back to marathon readiness, but there’s also a decent chance that I won’t. I’m still in that annoying place of needing to remain optimistic but realistic.
Will this be worth it? If I make it to that start line, I think it will. The hardest part is that I know the closer the marathon gets, the more crushing it will be to not run. But I will not give up.
Come what may, it will be over in 7 more weeks.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
9 weeks until the marathon
Miraculously, I am still hanging in there. This week went very well!
I rode my bike on Monday. I had some minor pain in my knee when I went uphill or otherwise had to pedal hard, but I mostly felt ok.
Tuesday I did another run home from work, this time adding a loop around the path at Promontory Point to make it 8 miles. It went pretty well. It was REALLY humid, and I did have a few shin, knee, and hip issues from time to time, but overall it went better than when I ran home last week. No walk breaks. I didn't have my watch, but I made it door to door in just over 90 minutes, so that's a pretty good clip.
I felt ok on Wednesday -- no worse, but also not really any better. I wasn't having any sharp pains while walking, but I still had a sense of not-right-ness. I remembered how last week ended up, and how I wished I had skipped one of the mid-week workouts in favor of being able to complete my long run. So, I stayed home from speed work.
Thursday morning I got up and ran my 5 miles in the morning. It was pretty much the same as Tuesday. Only a few minor issues, and the rest of the day felt no worse, but no better.
I biked on Friday and everything just still felt the same. No worse -- but still not normal and not getting any better.
So, I was not feeling all that great about my prospects as I got ready for my long run Saturday morning. But, I figured I had nothing to lose. I either did this long run, or I called it quits. So considering that making my shins worse would have the same effect as just sitting it out, I did not hesitate to try for 16 miles.
I felt a little stiff when I first started out, but after the first half mile, I have to say that I felt fantastic. Something has definitely changed about my form. I'm not completely consistent about it, but there were several long stretches when I felt like I was gliding forward, rather than pulling myself along. I'm pretty sure that's because I am finally striking the ground with my foot underneath me and pushing off backward, rather than striking in front of me and using my shins to pull my weight forward.
I can't say that I didn't feel any pain ever. There were episodes of quad pain, shin pain, knee pain, and even my old friends the psoas voiced some discomfort from time to time. However, everything faded eventually. I think (hope pray beg) that all of that was just the normal kind of discomfort associated with distance running.
I finished 16 miles in 2:59:15. That's a pace of 11:12 per mile -- a pace that, if I were able to keep it up for another 10.2 miles, would give me a finish time of 4:53:44. That time also included many short stops at water fountains, as well as three longer stops to eat a gel or drink some Gatorade at a hydration station. (Bless you, Fleet Feet and hydration station volunteers. BLESS YOU!)
Since I had experienced pain pretty much through my whole lower body during the run, when I got home, I did something I never thought I would do. I took an ice bath. I filled my bath tub with enough icy cold water to submerge my legs, and I sat in it for 15 minutes. I have to say that stepping into it was among the more miserable experiences of my life, but I think it helped. I was extremely stiff yesterday after watching a 2 hour movie, but otherwise the soreness has not been bad. I did a lot of walking yesterday, and a little today, and while I had some achy-ness, overall I felt pretty good.
So, I'm still in this. I know that I still have 9 weeks to go, and plenty can happen in that time. However, I feel I have reason to be optimistic. I actually feel better today than I did on Friday, before I ran 16 miles. That has to be a good sign.
I'm planning on doing all four runs this week. Here's the plan:
Monday: bike
Tuesday: 8 miles
Wednesday: speed work (3 x 1 mile)
Thursday: bike
Friday: 5 miles
Saturday: 10 miles
Miles on my latest pair of 2150s: 38
16 miles. No matter what happens, I can always revel in that.
I rode my bike on Monday. I had some minor pain in my knee when I went uphill or otherwise had to pedal hard, but I mostly felt ok.
Tuesday I did another run home from work, this time adding a loop around the path at Promontory Point to make it 8 miles. It went pretty well. It was REALLY humid, and I did have a few shin, knee, and hip issues from time to time, but overall it went better than when I ran home last week. No walk breaks. I didn't have my watch, but I made it door to door in just over 90 minutes, so that's a pretty good clip.
I felt ok on Wednesday -- no worse, but also not really any better. I wasn't having any sharp pains while walking, but I still had a sense of not-right-ness. I remembered how last week ended up, and how I wished I had skipped one of the mid-week workouts in favor of being able to complete my long run. So, I stayed home from speed work.
Thursday morning I got up and ran my 5 miles in the morning. It was pretty much the same as Tuesday. Only a few minor issues, and the rest of the day felt no worse, but no better.
I biked on Friday and everything just still felt the same. No worse -- but still not normal and not getting any better.
So, I was not feeling all that great about my prospects as I got ready for my long run Saturday morning. But, I figured I had nothing to lose. I either did this long run, or I called it quits. So considering that making my shins worse would have the same effect as just sitting it out, I did not hesitate to try for 16 miles.
I felt a little stiff when I first started out, but after the first half mile, I have to say that I felt fantastic. Something has definitely changed about my form. I'm not completely consistent about it, but there were several long stretches when I felt like I was gliding forward, rather than pulling myself along. I'm pretty sure that's because I am finally striking the ground with my foot underneath me and pushing off backward, rather than striking in front of me and using my shins to pull my weight forward.
I can't say that I didn't feel any pain ever. There were episodes of quad pain, shin pain, knee pain, and even my old friends the psoas voiced some discomfort from time to time. However, everything faded eventually. I think (hope pray beg) that all of that was just the normal kind of discomfort associated with distance running.
I finished 16 miles in 2:59:15. That's a pace of 11:12 per mile -- a pace that, if I were able to keep it up for another 10.2 miles, would give me a finish time of 4:53:44. That time also included many short stops at water fountains, as well as three longer stops to eat a gel or drink some Gatorade at a hydration station. (Bless you, Fleet Feet and hydration station volunteers. BLESS YOU!)
Since I had experienced pain pretty much through my whole lower body during the run, when I got home, I did something I never thought I would do. I took an ice bath. I filled my bath tub with enough icy cold water to submerge my legs, and I sat in it for 15 minutes. I have to say that stepping into it was among the more miserable experiences of my life, but I think it helped. I was extremely stiff yesterday after watching a 2 hour movie, but otherwise the soreness has not been bad. I did a lot of walking yesterday, and a little today, and while I had some achy-ness, overall I felt pretty good.
So, I'm still in this. I know that I still have 9 weeks to go, and plenty can happen in that time. However, I feel I have reason to be optimistic. I actually feel better today than I did on Friday, before I ran 16 miles. That has to be a good sign.
I'm planning on doing all four runs this week. Here's the plan:
Monday: bike
Tuesday: 8 miles
Wednesday: speed work (3 x 1 mile)
Thursday: bike
Friday: 5 miles
Saturday: 10 miles
Miles on my latest pair of 2150s: 38
16 miles. No matter what happens, I can always revel in that.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
10 weeks until the marathon
Ok, so, there are several things I could say.
I could be completely optimistic, and say that I am in a much better place than last week and it looks like I will recover.
I could go with the pessimistic view, and say that I just had another week where I did not complete all of my workouts.
But I think I'm going to go with the most honest take on the situation. The truth is, I really don't know what to think.
I bike commuted on Monday.
Tuesday morning, I got out of bed at 5am feeling like I had lead in my stomach, so great was my dread at how my legs would feel if I tried to run. But I laced up and headed out, figuring I had to do it eventually.
I was supposed to do 6 miles according to the schedule, but I chose I route that would give me plenty of outs in case I had to cut it shorter. I didn't talk the 2-mile out... didn't take the 4-mile out... and headed toward 6 miles. It wasn't until about mile 5 that I started to have some suspicious twinges, so I took a shortcut home and ended up with a total of 5.5 miles. The rest of the day, my shins ached a little but didn't have any sharp pains.
All day Wednesday I debated with myself about whether to go to speed training. I thought maybe skipping it, and instead running Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday this week, might be a good idea. But I was feeling really good Wednesday afternoon and ultimately decided to go, if only to have Coach Leach look at my form.
Coach told me my foot strike actually looked really good. He did have to yell at me about my hips once, but I was able to fix it immediately, which is a good sign. The only other thing he told me to work on was evening out my arm swing. Apparently my left arm doesn't move as much as the right one and that might be making my gait uneven.
So, I did two 2-mile repeats, plus 3 miles of warm up and cool down, for a total of 7 miles -- exactly what the training plan asked for. And very little pain. I was feeling great when I went to bed that night.
Thursday I was sore, but not in my shins. I had normal-feeling achyiness in my hips and quads, which didn't particularly worry me, but also some pretty bad pain in my knees, which was new and rather annoyingly worrisome. It was much better by the afternoon, though, so I went ahead and did my next workout: running the 7 miles home from work. Running point to point was actually a really nice change from the constant out and back runs I do. I took one walk break around mile 5 because my knee hurt a little, but went to bed feeling pretty good.
Friday, however, was a tough day. I was able to bike to and from work ok, but overall, my whole body felt exhausted and beat up. I went to Fleet Feet to get some new shoes after work, and while I was walking, my shins also hurt a bit. It was more of a deep down ache than usual, but I really don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing.
So, today, I spent a lot of time debating about what to do. I was supposed to run 9 miles. In the early morning when I would normally go, it was pouring rain. So that gave me the time to think it through. Do I skip it, and be glad that I got in all but one workout this week? Do I dare miss another long run, even if it is one of the shorter recovery runs? Would the new shoes help? Do I try for 9 miles, even if it means walking a lot of it? Do I just do a shorter run?
In the end, I decided to hit the pavement with the promise to myself that if my instincts told me to stop, I'd stop.
I ended up running a total of 6 miles. I could have finished, but I was having some suspicious swollen feelings in my lower legs, and I did not dare put myself in a place where I might have to miss the 15 miler I am supposed to do next week.
So, that was my week. I finish with 25.5 of the 29 miles I was supposed to do. Right now, other than still having a bit of that all-over tiredness, I'm not in any pain. In fact, when I got home from the 6 miles today, I didn't even feel like I need to compress or ice.
So, I continue to be hopeful but cautious. I hope I am making the right choices. I do think I needed to run today. I am not sure if I should have pushed through those extra 3 miles or not. It might have been fine, and made me feel better. But it also might have been the end of my marathon hopes.
If I can get through my workouts this week, including that 15 miler on Saturday, I will be very happy.
Here's the plan for this week:
Monday: bike
Tuesday: 5 miles
Wednesday: speed training
Thursday: 8 miles
Friday: bike
Saturday: 15 miles
Miles on my new shoes: 6
I could be completely optimistic, and say that I am in a much better place than last week and it looks like I will recover.
I could go with the pessimistic view, and say that I just had another week where I did not complete all of my workouts.
But I think I'm going to go with the most honest take on the situation. The truth is, I really don't know what to think.
I bike commuted on Monday.
Tuesday morning, I got out of bed at 5am feeling like I had lead in my stomach, so great was my dread at how my legs would feel if I tried to run. But I laced up and headed out, figuring I had to do it eventually.
I was supposed to do 6 miles according to the schedule, but I chose I route that would give me plenty of outs in case I had to cut it shorter. I didn't talk the 2-mile out... didn't take the 4-mile out... and headed toward 6 miles. It wasn't until about mile 5 that I started to have some suspicious twinges, so I took a shortcut home and ended up with a total of 5.5 miles. The rest of the day, my shins ached a little but didn't have any sharp pains.
All day Wednesday I debated with myself about whether to go to speed training. I thought maybe skipping it, and instead running Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday this week, might be a good idea. But I was feeling really good Wednesday afternoon and ultimately decided to go, if only to have Coach Leach look at my form.
Coach told me my foot strike actually looked really good. He did have to yell at me about my hips once, but I was able to fix it immediately, which is a good sign. The only other thing he told me to work on was evening out my arm swing. Apparently my left arm doesn't move as much as the right one and that might be making my gait uneven.
So, I did two 2-mile repeats, plus 3 miles of warm up and cool down, for a total of 7 miles -- exactly what the training plan asked for. And very little pain. I was feeling great when I went to bed that night.
Thursday I was sore, but not in my shins. I had normal-feeling achyiness in my hips and quads, which didn't particularly worry me, but also some pretty bad pain in my knees, which was new and rather annoyingly worrisome. It was much better by the afternoon, though, so I went ahead and did my next workout: running the 7 miles home from work. Running point to point was actually a really nice change from the constant out and back runs I do. I took one walk break around mile 5 because my knee hurt a little, but went to bed feeling pretty good.
Friday, however, was a tough day. I was able to bike to and from work ok, but overall, my whole body felt exhausted and beat up. I went to Fleet Feet to get some new shoes after work, and while I was walking, my shins also hurt a bit. It was more of a deep down ache than usual, but I really don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing.
So, today, I spent a lot of time debating about what to do. I was supposed to run 9 miles. In the early morning when I would normally go, it was pouring rain. So that gave me the time to think it through. Do I skip it, and be glad that I got in all but one workout this week? Do I dare miss another long run, even if it is one of the shorter recovery runs? Would the new shoes help? Do I try for 9 miles, even if it means walking a lot of it? Do I just do a shorter run?
In the end, I decided to hit the pavement with the promise to myself that if my instincts told me to stop, I'd stop.
I ended up running a total of 6 miles. I could have finished, but I was having some suspicious swollen feelings in my lower legs, and I did not dare put myself in a place where I might have to miss the 15 miler I am supposed to do next week.
So, that was my week. I finish with 25.5 of the 29 miles I was supposed to do. Right now, other than still having a bit of that all-over tiredness, I'm not in any pain. In fact, when I got home from the 6 miles today, I didn't even feel like I need to compress or ice.
So, I continue to be hopeful but cautious. I hope I am making the right choices. I do think I needed to run today. I am not sure if I should have pushed through those extra 3 miles or not. It might have been fine, and made me feel better. But it also might have been the end of my marathon hopes.
If I can get through my workouts this week, including that 15 miler on Saturday, I will be very happy.
Here's the plan for this week:
Monday: bike
Tuesday: 5 miles
Wednesday: speed training
Thursday: 8 miles
Friday: bike
Saturday: 15 miles
Miles on my new shoes: 6
Saturday, July 24, 2010
11 weeks until the marathon
While I have not yet completely given up, things are not looking good.
The pain didn't go away by Tuesday. I ran 4 miles Tuesday morning, but by Tuesday afternoon, I knew I was in trouble.
Wednesday morning I started having pain while walking. My lower legs tend to swell up while I walk, giving me an uncomfortable, distended feeling below my knees after a while. Compression and ice help, but it keeps happening.
I did not try to run at all Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. I did bike on Thursday without much of an issue, though I did have pain occasionally.
I tried to run today, but did not even get half a mile before I stopped and turned back. It only hurt a little at first, but got worse, and so I knew to keep going would be a bad idea.
I figure my best shot is to just wait until Tuesday, then pick the training schedule back up. If I am ok to run by then, I might have a shot.
I won't say that I am not devastated by this. I am. On Wednesday, the day I skipped my first workout, I cried on three separate occasions. It's incredibly frustrating and disappointing. I really believed I had gotten past this.
But, I have not quite given up yet. Here is a list of positives:
1) I really do believe I've made the best choices possible. If I do have to drop out of training, it won't be because of my own stupidity. I don't have any regrets about what I've done.
2) The shins do seem to be getting a bit better by microsteps. So there is a chance they will be ok by next week.
3) Even if this is the end of the line, I can walk away knowing that I can safely train for a half marathon. I ran for 9+ weeks, leading up to a 13 mile run, without injury. That alone is an improvement over last year.
While part of me says I should try to bike or something to keep my cardiovascular fitness up, a larger part says I should soak up every moment of leg rest that I can.
I'm trying to remain hopeful yet prepare myself for the worst. If anyone knows how to successfully do that... let me know.
The pain didn't go away by Tuesday. I ran 4 miles Tuesday morning, but by Tuesday afternoon, I knew I was in trouble.
Wednesday morning I started having pain while walking. My lower legs tend to swell up while I walk, giving me an uncomfortable, distended feeling below my knees after a while. Compression and ice help, but it keeps happening.
I did not try to run at all Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. I did bike on Thursday without much of an issue, though I did have pain occasionally.
I tried to run today, but did not even get half a mile before I stopped and turned back. It only hurt a little at first, but got worse, and so I knew to keep going would be a bad idea.
I figure my best shot is to just wait until Tuesday, then pick the training schedule back up. If I am ok to run by then, I might have a shot.
I won't say that I am not devastated by this. I am. On Wednesday, the day I skipped my first workout, I cried on three separate occasions. It's incredibly frustrating and disappointing. I really believed I had gotten past this.
But, I have not quite given up yet. Here is a list of positives:
1) I really do believe I've made the best choices possible. If I do have to drop out of training, it won't be because of my own stupidity. I don't have any regrets about what I've done.
2) The shins do seem to be getting a bit better by microsteps. So there is a chance they will be ok by next week.
3) Even if this is the end of the line, I can walk away knowing that I can safely train for a half marathon. I ran for 9+ weeks, leading up to a 13 mile run, without injury. That alone is an improvement over last year.
While part of me says I should try to bike or something to keep my cardiovascular fitness up, a larger part says I should soak up every moment of leg rest that I can.
I'm trying to remain hopeful yet prepare myself for the worst. If anyone knows how to successfully do that... let me know.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
12 weeks until the marathon
Another week of training complete.
I ran 5 miles on Monday morning and bike commuted on Tuesday.
Wednesday I went to speed training. My schedule just said 6 miles, so I figured I'd try to hit that mileage. I ran 1.5 miles from the train to the track, did 20 x 100 m repeats with 100 m active recovery, ran an extra 2 laps, then ran another 1.5 miles back to the store to pick up my race packet. All in all it was 6 miles. It was VERY hot and humid. On the train ride home, I discovered that I was literally crusted in the salt from my own sweat. It was both disgusting and satisfying.
Thursday I bike commuted again. For once, I was grateful for the wind. Otherwise the heat would have been unbearable.
Friday I ran 6 miles in the am. I feel very rushed in the morning when I have to run that far, but I was still glad to get it out of the way.
Saturday I rode my bike down to 63rd St beach and back (roughly the same mileage as bike commuting). I discovered that riding on the path on Saturday morning is much like a real-life version of the old NES Paperboy video game. I spent the whole time dodging various obstacles, from other bikers to runners to small children to dogs to beach balls. (As an aside, I have to say that while I really like biking and am disinclined to give it up because of this, I maintain that bikers as a general group are jerks to the other people on the path. I apologize to all the runners and walkers on behalf of the bikers, despite the fact that I doubt they are sorry.)
Today was the women's 5K and 10K. I ran the 10K and finished in 1:03:15. I did not go in with a particular goal, so I am completely satisfied with the result. I am particularly pleased that I passed so many people at the end. I finished very strong, which means I paced well.
I'm having a little pain today but I am optimistic that it will fade after my rest day tomorrow. I walked to the library and back this afternoon without a big problem.
The training plan really starts to ramp up now. Besides the long runs extending to distances I haven't attempted before, the midweek runs are getting longer. I think from now on I will be running home from work on Thursdays, if I can manage to work out the logistics of that.
Here's this week. It's kind of nice that I already have one workout done.
Monday: off
Tuesday: 4 miles
Wednesday: speed work
Thursday: 7 miles
Friday: bike
Saturday: 14 miles
I'm crossing a really important threshold this week. I hope I remain uninjured. But I think I will.
I ran 5 miles on Monday morning and bike commuted on Tuesday.
Wednesday I went to speed training. My schedule just said 6 miles, so I figured I'd try to hit that mileage. I ran 1.5 miles from the train to the track, did 20 x 100 m repeats with 100 m active recovery, ran an extra 2 laps, then ran another 1.5 miles back to the store to pick up my race packet. All in all it was 6 miles. It was VERY hot and humid. On the train ride home, I discovered that I was literally crusted in the salt from my own sweat. It was both disgusting and satisfying.
Thursday I bike commuted again. For once, I was grateful for the wind. Otherwise the heat would have been unbearable.
Friday I ran 6 miles in the am. I feel very rushed in the morning when I have to run that far, but I was still glad to get it out of the way.
Saturday I rode my bike down to 63rd St beach and back (roughly the same mileage as bike commuting). I discovered that riding on the path on Saturday morning is much like a real-life version of the old NES Paperboy video game. I spent the whole time dodging various obstacles, from other bikers to runners to small children to dogs to beach balls. (As an aside, I have to say that while I really like biking and am disinclined to give it up because of this, I maintain that bikers as a general group are jerks to the other people on the path. I apologize to all the runners and walkers on behalf of the bikers, despite the fact that I doubt they are sorry.)
Today was the women's 5K and 10K. I ran the 10K and finished in 1:03:15. I did not go in with a particular goal, so I am completely satisfied with the result. I am particularly pleased that I passed so many people at the end. I finished very strong, which means I paced well.
I'm having a little pain today but I am optimistic that it will fade after my rest day tomorrow. I walked to the library and back this afternoon without a big problem.
The training plan really starts to ramp up now. Besides the long runs extending to distances I haven't attempted before, the midweek runs are getting longer. I think from now on I will be running home from work on Thursdays, if I can manage to work out the logistics of that.
Here's this week. It's kind of nice that I already have one workout done.
Monday: off
Tuesday: 4 miles
Wednesday: speed work
Thursday: 7 miles
Friday: bike
Saturday: 14 miles
I'm crossing a really important threshold this week. I hope I remain uninjured. But I think I will.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
13 weeks until the marathon
Well, I am thrilled to report that my shins seem to have made a miraculous recovery.
I had Monday off in observance of the 4th, and I ran 3 miles then. I was able to do it non-stop, but had a general sense of not-right-ness in my lower legs that left me less than optimistic about the longer runs on my schedule.
Tuesday I bike commuted with no issues. Even if I DO get injured, at least I will still have that. It makes me feel a little better.
Wednesday I went to speed training, and Coach had us doing 2-mile repeats. And I thought it couldn't get any worse than 1-mile repeats. But, I did two of those, plus a mile warm up and cool down, so 6 miles for the night -- more than my usual Wednesday 5. I ran them nearly pain free, and instead of picking at my hip placement, Coach griped about my arm swing. I am choosing to interpret that as progress.
Thursday evening I went on a 5 miler in really high humidity. I suffered, believe me, but it was due much more to the heat than to my shins.
Friday I bike commuted, and had the great luck of being on my bike through the entirety of a 30-minute rain shower. ON MY WAY THERE. It was a rather uncomfortable day. But I suppose I should be grateful that my work environment is casual enough that it didn't really matter.
This morning, I headed out at about 6:15 for a 12 miler. This is another situation when the schedule showed two distances -- one for the first-time marathoner, and one for a vet. They were 12 miles and 15 miles, respectively. Last time this came up, I went with the longer distance, and that is when I started to have troubles with my shins. Thus, I started out with the intention of only doing 12.
However, as I got going, I started thinking about my training for the half marathon last year, and it occurred to me that I had never run more than 12 miles without taking walk breaks. I ran 13 miles twice -- once in training, and once during the race itself -- but both times, I walked a lot. And suddenly I really, really wanted to go the whole distance without walking. So, I decided to run my first 6 miles, decide how I felt, then perhaps go an extra half mile before turning around.
Long story short, I still felt good after 6 and did not turn around til 6.5. And I finished 13 miles, plus an extra block to count for the .1 in 13.1, in 2:22:43 -- eight minutes faster than my half-marathon time and just under my goal pace of 11-minute miles.
Today, I ran farther than ever before without walking. Good for me.
I have done a lot of walking and generally being on my feet since my run this morning, and there have been no major complaints from my shins. They hurt a little from time to time, but really not any more than any other part of me -- and believe me, I am sore in a lot of places. But in a good way, if that exists.
In the spirit of being ever-cautious, I must point out that last week's bout of shin splints did not show up until 3 days after my long run. So, I can't really say that I am in the clear. However, the signs are all quite good. I have to believe that while my gait is not perfect, it has improved enough that I seem to be avoiding long-term injury.
Next week's long run is supposed to be 7 miles, but instead, I'm running a 10K (6.2-mile) race on Sunday. It's an all-woman race, and I am really looking forward to it. However, because it is on a Sunday, which is usually my rest day, it throws a wrench in my schedule. I do not particularly want to move my rest day to Saturday, as that would mean I would have to do six consecutive workouts following the race. So, I think I am going to move what would normally be on the following Monday -- either a bike ride or a 4-mile run -- to Saturday, and take Monday off.
So, here's the next week, plus a couple days:
Tomorrow: rest (hurray!)
Monday: bike
Tuesday: 5 miles
Wednesday: speed training
Thursday: bike
Friday: 6 miles
Saturday: bike
Sunday: 10K race
Monday: rest (hurray!)
Way to rally, shins. Way to rally. Now please stay tough. I promise to keep icing and compressing you liberally.
I had Monday off in observance of the 4th, and I ran 3 miles then. I was able to do it non-stop, but had a general sense of not-right-ness in my lower legs that left me less than optimistic about the longer runs on my schedule.
Tuesday I bike commuted with no issues. Even if I DO get injured, at least I will still have that. It makes me feel a little better.
Wednesday I went to speed training, and Coach had us doing 2-mile repeats. And I thought it couldn't get any worse than 1-mile repeats. But, I did two of those, plus a mile warm up and cool down, so 6 miles for the night -- more than my usual Wednesday 5. I ran them nearly pain free, and instead of picking at my hip placement, Coach griped about my arm swing. I am choosing to interpret that as progress.
Thursday evening I went on a 5 miler in really high humidity. I suffered, believe me, but it was due much more to the heat than to my shins.
Friday I bike commuted, and had the great luck of being on my bike through the entirety of a 30-minute rain shower. ON MY WAY THERE. It was a rather uncomfortable day. But I suppose I should be grateful that my work environment is casual enough that it didn't really matter.
This morning, I headed out at about 6:15 for a 12 miler. This is another situation when the schedule showed two distances -- one for the first-time marathoner, and one for a vet. They were 12 miles and 15 miles, respectively. Last time this came up, I went with the longer distance, and that is when I started to have troubles with my shins. Thus, I started out with the intention of only doing 12.
However, as I got going, I started thinking about my training for the half marathon last year, and it occurred to me that I had never run more than 12 miles without taking walk breaks. I ran 13 miles twice -- once in training, and once during the race itself -- but both times, I walked a lot. And suddenly I really, really wanted to go the whole distance without walking. So, I decided to run my first 6 miles, decide how I felt, then perhaps go an extra half mile before turning around.
Long story short, I still felt good after 6 and did not turn around til 6.5. And I finished 13 miles, plus an extra block to count for the .1 in 13.1, in 2:22:43 -- eight minutes faster than my half-marathon time and just under my goal pace of 11-minute miles.
Today, I ran farther than ever before without walking. Good for me.
I have done a lot of walking and generally being on my feet since my run this morning, and there have been no major complaints from my shins. They hurt a little from time to time, but really not any more than any other part of me -- and believe me, I am sore in a lot of places. But in a good way, if that exists.
In the spirit of being ever-cautious, I must point out that last week's bout of shin splints did not show up until 3 days after my long run. So, I can't really say that I am in the clear. However, the signs are all quite good. I have to believe that while my gait is not perfect, it has improved enough that I seem to be avoiding long-term injury.
Next week's long run is supposed to be 7 miles, but instead, I'm running a 10K (6.2-mile) race on Sunday. It's an all-woman race, and I am really looking forward to it. However, because it is on a Sunday, which is usually my rest day, it throws a wrench in my schedule. I do not particularly want to move my rest day to Saturday, as that would mean I would have to do six consecutive workouts following the race. So, I think I am going to move what would normally be on the following Monday -- either a bike ride or a 4-mile run -- to Saturday, and take Monday off.
So, here's the next week, plus a couple days:
Tomorrow: rest (hurray!)
Monday: bike
Tuesday: 5 miles
Wednesday: speed training
Thursday: bike
Friday: 6 miles
Saturday: bike
Sunday: 10K race
Monday: rest (hurray!)
Way to rally, shins. Way to rally. Now please stay tough. I promise to keep icing and compressing you liberally.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
14 weeks until the marathon...
... but will I be running? After this week, I am not so sure.
Unfortunately, I have once again experiencing shin pain while I am running. I took Sunday off and biked on Monday, and then had some shin issues during my 4-mile run on Tuesday. Displeased by this relapse, I had Coach look at my gait again. He said it wasn't perfect -- said I needed to tuck my hips a bit more -- but better than it was. So, I don't see why my form would be the issue. I did 8 x 400 m, and it started to hurt by the end.
I biked on Thursday without issue, then was pleased to be able to run 6 miles on Friday morning. Small pain issues, but nothing that crescendoed or hurt while I walked later. So I had high hopes at that point.
Unfortunately, when I tried to run on Saturday, I had to take several walk breaks during my 5 miles. The pain didn't extend into walking, but disheartening nonetheless.
Today is my off day. I walked around a bit and didn't feel anything, but both shins are tender to the touch. I've been icing and compressing every chance I get, but I have a sinking feeling in my gut that my training is essentially over.
For now, however, I am forcing myself to think positive. Here's what this week's training is supposed to look like:
Monday/Tuesday: bike/3 miles
Wednesday: speed training
Thursday/Friday: bike/5 miles
Saturday: 12 miles
If I make it through the next week, it will be a miracle in and of itself. The next 14 weeks? No comment.
Unfortunately, I have once again experiencing shin pain while I am running. I took Sunday off and biked on Monday, and then had some shin issues during my 4-mile run on Tuesday. Displeased by this relapse, I had Coach look at my gait again. He said it wasn't perfect -- said I needed to tuck my hips a bit more -- but better than it was. So, I don't see why my form would be the issue. I did 8 x 400 m, and it started to hurt by the end.
I biked on Thursday without issue, then was pleased to be able to run 6 miles on Friday morning. Small pain issues, but nothing that crescendoed or hurt while I walked later. So I had high hopes at that point.
Unfortunately, when I tried to run on Saturday, I had to take several walk breaks during my 5 miles. The pain didn't extend into walking, but disheartening nonetheless.
Today is my off day. I walked around a bit and didn't feel anything, but both shins are tender to the touch. I've been icing and compressing every chance I get, but I have a sinking feeling in my gut that my training is essentially over.
For now, however, I am forcing myself to think positive. Here's what this week's training is supposed to look like:
Monday/Tuesday: bike/3 miles
Wednesday: speed training
Thursday/Friday: bike/5 miles
Saturday: 12 miles
If I make it through the next week, it will be a miracle in and of itself. The next 14 weeks? No comment.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
15 weeks until the marathon
Training marches on.
My schedule was rather screwy this week, mostly due to the weather, but I managed to get all my workouts in.
Sunday was supposed to be my day off, but the forecast said rain for both Monday and Tuesday during commute times, making the idea of a bike commute on either day less than appealing. So, I went for a bike ride on Sunday, saying to myself that I'd take either Monday or Tuesday off, instead.
On Monday morning, it was not raining, but it was supposed to rain Tuesday morning. So, I went out and ran 3 miles on Monday. (It did not rain during either leg of my commute, so biking would have been fine, but... well, no matter.)
I did not run on Tuesday morning, but by the afternoon they were predicting storms for Wednesday evening, so, with a curse to the fleeting weather patterns, I decided to put my rest day off one more day. The training plan said 4-5 hills, so I ran a mile and a half to a sledding hill near Soldier Field and ran up it 5 times. Then ran home and promptly went in the pool -- it was a hot day.
I ended up being glad for moving all my workouts, because it actually DID storm on Wednesday, with tornado sirens going off and winds that swayed the building enough to make my doors creak.
Thursday I bike commuted. I was a little afraid the path would be impassable in spots because of the storm, but there were only a few puddles.
I took Friday off work, and did my long run. (I knew I would not have time on Saturday.) I knew I only HAD to do 10 miles, but tried to prepare myself for 12. I used an energy gel for the first time (a CLIF shot), which I took after 6 miles. I also stopped every mile or so to take a drink at a drinking fountain, trying to simulate what the marathon conditions would be like. The gel actually worked really well for me. I was able to complete the 12 miles without much struggle, and I did not finish feeling completely drained or ravenous.
Yesterday I went out in the morning and did my last workout of the week -- a four-mile run.
Still no major shin problems. Some smarting today, but I have high hopes that it will be gone by Tuesday when I have to run next.
It's a pretty easy week, actually:
Monday: bike
Tuesday: 4 miles
Wednesday: speed work (or 3-4 long hills, if I do it on my own)
Thursday: bike
Friday: 6 miles
Saturday: 5 miles
That's right! The long run is only 5 miles this week! Hooray!
My schedule was rather screwy this week, mostly due to the weather, but I managed to get all my workouts in.
Sunday was supposed to be my day off, but the forecast said rain for both Monday and Tuesday during commute times, making the idea of a bike commute on either day less than appealing. So, I went for a bike ride on Sunday, saying to myself that I'd take either Monday or Tuesday off, instead.
On Monday morning, it was not raining, but it was supposed to rain Tuesday morning. So, I went out and ran 3 miles on Monday. (It did not rain during either leg of my commute, so biking would have been fine, but... well, no matter.)
I did not run on Tuesday morning, but by the afternoon they were predicting storms for Wednesday evening, so, with a curse to the fleeting weather patterns, I decided to put my rest day off one more day. The training plan said 4-5 hills, so I ran a mile and a half to a sledding hill near Soldier Field and ran up it 5 times. Then ran home and promptly went in the pool -- it was a hot day.
I ended up being glad for moving all my workouts, because it actually DID storm on Wednesday, with tornado sirens going off and winds that swayed the building enough to make my doors creak.
Thursday I bike commuted. I was a little afraid the path would be impassable in spots because of the storm, but there were only a few puddles.
I took Friday off work, and did my long run. (I knew I would not have time on Saturday.) I knew I only HAD to do 10 miles, but tried to prepare myself for 12. I used an energy gel for the first time (a CLIF shot), which I took after 6 miles. I also stopped every mile or so to take a drink at a drinking fountain, trying to simulate what the marathon conditions would be like. The gel actually worked really well for me. I was able to complete the 12 miles without much struggle, and I did not finish feeling completely drained or ravenous.
Yesterday I went out in the morning and did my last workout of the week -- a four-mile run.
Still no major shin problems. Some smarting today, but I have high hopes that it will be gone by Tuesday when I have to run next.
It's a pretty easy week, actually:
Monday: bike
Tuesday: 4 miles
Wednesday: speed work (or 3-4 long hills, if I do it on my own)
Thursday: bike
Friday: 6 miles
Saturday: 5 miles
That's right! The long run is only 5 miles this week! Hooray!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
16 weeks until the marathon
I don't want to jinx myself, but things are going quite well.
After a day off and a day of bike commuting, my shins were feeling fine by Tuesday. I did my usual 3-mile loop around Millennium and Grant Parks in the am. Didn't wear my watch, as I'm not caring much about speed these days.
Wednesday we did a really fun speed workout! We did a 150-meter sprint (which is not so bad, because it's not even half a lap) followed by either 50 meters of skipping or 10 hops on each foot and a slow jog for whatever part of the 50 meters remained. Repeat 12-20 times. As I generally choose the lower end of the range, I did 12 repeats. It was actually a really hard workout, cardiovascularly speaking, but it was short and sweet. It was really perfect too, because my training schedule said I should do a 4-mile Farlek, and with the warm up and cool down runs, that pretty much what it turned out to be.
Thursday I bike commuted (and almost took out a few small children on the Museum Campus, as it is free week at the Shedd).
Friday I was all ready to go do 4 miles outside when an unnervingly loud crack of thunder sent me to the fitness room instead. I did 4 miles at a 10-minute pace on the treadmill while watching them show the opening of the Harry Potter themepark on the news. (Someone take me!)
Today I started early on my 10-mile run. I had some pain in my upper right shin immediately, but I hoped it would go away after a mile or so. After all, I had not had any shin trouble all week, not even during that hopping-skipping madness at speed training! After 1.5 miles, it had not gone away and I briefly stopped to rub the offending muscle. This made no difference. The pain stayed -- not getting worse, but not going away.
Truthfully, I'm not sure exactly what happened after that. I was approaching Navy Pier, and then I got on the part of the path that is literally right next to the water. They were holding a swim clinic of some sort for would-be triathletes, which distracted me, and then I must have gone into the elusive runner's trance. Before I knew it, I was at the 5-mile mark, my turnaround point. I stopped there briefly to assess the situation, but my shin didn't hurt any more, even when I did various jumps and knee bends designed to induce pain. So, I kept going. I did the latter 5 miles without incident, finishing in 1:47 -- under my goal pace of 11-minute miles.
I was leery of it coming back to bite me, though, so I sat still for a while, then showered and read a couple chapters of my book, then took the plunge and walked to the grocery store and back. Still no issues. I won't be entirely convinced everything is ok until tomorrow, but I remain optimistic.
So, the training marches on, and every day I feel a little more confident about my chances of making it to the start line. (The finish line is another matter entirely. I can't yet comprehend repeating what I did this morning and still having 16.2 miles to go. But, one day at a time.)
Here is next week's plan, which is remarkably similar to this week...
Monday/Tuesday: bike/3 miles
Wednesday: speed work (the training plan says 4-5 hills, which is just not going to happen unless we go to Montrose -- so I'm content to just do whatever Coach has planned)
Thursday/Friday: bike/4 miles
Saturday: 10 miles. The plan says 12 miles, with the caveat that if you are training for your first marathon, you can just do 10. If I feel really good after 10, I might keep going -- but let's face it. That's not likely. Seeing as my goal, above anything else, is to avoid injury, I will do the minimum amount of mileage the pros allow.
Looks like the weather may thwart one of my bike commutes, but I'm hoping for the best.
After a day off and a day of bike commuting, my shins were feeling fine by Tuesday. I did my usual 3-mile loop around Millennium and Grant Parks in the am. Didn't wear my watch, as I'm not caring much about speed these days.
Wednesday we did a really fun speed workout! We did a 150-meter sprint (which is not so bad, because it's not even half a lap) followed by either 50 meters of skipping or 10 hops on each foot and a slow jog for whatever part of the 50 meters remained. Repeat 12-20 times. As I generally choose the lower end of the range, I did 12 repeats. It was actually a really hard workout, cardiovascularly speaking, but it was short and sweet. It was really perfect too, because my training schedule said I should do a 4-mile Farlek, and with the warm up and cool down runs, that pretty much what it turned out to be.
Thursday I bike commuted (and almost took out a few small children on the Museum Campus, as it is free week at the Shedd).
Friday I was all ready to go do 4 miles outside when an unnervingly loud crack of thunder sent me to the fitness room instead. I did 4 miles at a 10-minute pace on the treadmill while watching them show the opening of the Harry Potter themepark on the news. (Someone take me!)
Today I started early on my 10-mile run. I had some pain in my upper right shin immediately, but I hoped it would go away after a mile or so. After all, I had not had any shin trouble all week, not even during that hopping-skipping madness at speed training! After 1.5 miles, it had not gone away and I briefly stopped to rub the offending muscle. This made no difference. The pain stayed -- not getting worse, but not going away.
Truthfully, I'm not sure exactly what happened after that. I was approaching Navy Pier, and then I got on the part of the path that is literally right next to the water. They were holding a swim clinic of some sort for would-be triathletes, which distracted me, and then I must have gone into the elusive runner's trance. Before I knew it, I was at the 5-mile mark, my turnaround point. I stopped there briefly to assess the situation, but my shin didn't hurt any more, even when I did various jumps and knee bends designed to induce pain. So, I kept going. I did the latter 5 miles without incident, finishing in 1:47 -- under my goal pace of 11-minute miles.
I was leery of it coming back to bite me, though, so I sat still for a while, then showered and read a couple chapters of my book, then took the plunge and walked to the grocery store and back. Still no issues. I won't be entirely convinced everything is ok until tomorrow, but I remain optimistic.
So, the training marches on, and every day I feel a little more confident about my chances of making it to the start line. (The finish line is another matter entirely. I can't yet comprehend repeating what I did this morning and still having 16.2 miles to go. But, one day at a time.)
Here is next week's plan, which is remarkably similar to this week...
Monday/Tuesday: bike/3 miles
Wednesday: speed work (the training plan says 4-5 hills, which is just not going to happen unless we go to Montrose -- so I'm content to just do whatever Coach has planned)
Thursday/Friday: bike/4 miles
Saturday: 10 miles. The plan says 12 miles, with the caveat that if you are training for your first marathon, you can just do 10. If I feel really good after 10, I might keep going -- but let's face it. That's not likely. Seeing as my goal, above anything else, is to avoid injury, I will do the minimum amount of mileage the pros allow.
Looks like the weather may thwart one of my bike commutes, but I'm hoping for the best.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
17 weeks until the marathon
This week went pretty well.
I stayed home from work on Monday because I was so tired from lack of sleep due to my sinus issues or cold. I slept all morning, and by 2pm I was feeling better but restless, so I went for a bike ride roughly equivalent to a bike commute.
Tuesday I ran 5 forgettable miles in the morning. I don't even remember my pace.
Wednesday I got home from work a little bit early, and decided to do my 4M Farlek run at home instead of going all the way up to the track for speed work. I was glad of that, considering the massive coughing fits I had while running. It was really hot that day, too.
Thursday I rode my bike to work and back. I had my first crisis when the chain came off. But I managed to get it back on and ride the bike home. No lasting effects except some grease still clinging to my fingernails.
Friday I got up at 5 and did my long run. Eight miles. The first two were through rain and thunder, but then it cleared up. I ran at a pretty consistent 11-minute pace.
Saturday I did 3 miles on a hotel treadmill in Muskegon.
Unfortunately, my shins are bothering me today. Not nearly as much as those weeks I was benched, but enough to make me really worry. It feels like a warning sign. I'm hoping the pain is gone by tomorrow.
I may be taking some extra days off this week, but here is the best case scenario plan:
Monday/Tuesday: bike/3 miles
Wedneday: speed training roughly equivalent to a 4M Fartlek
Thursday/Friday: bike/4 miles
Saturday: 10 miles
Sunday: rest
Dear shins,
Please cooperate.
Thanks, Katie
I stayed home from work on Monday because I was so tired from lack of sleep due to my sinus issues or cold. I slept all morning, and by 2pm I was feeling better but restless, so I went for a bike ride roughly equivalent to a bike commute.
Tuesday I ran 5 forgettable miles in the morning. I don't even remember my pace.
Wednesday I got home from work a little bit early, and decided to do my 4M Farlek run at home instead of going all the way up to the track for speed work. I was glad of that, considering the massive coughing fits I had while running. It was really hot that day, too.
Thursday I rode my bike to work and back. I had my first crisis when the chain came off. But I managed to get it back on and ride the bike home. No lasting effects except some grease still clinging to my fingernails.
Friday I got up at 5 and did my long run. Eight miles. The first two were through rain and thunder, but then it cleared up. I ran at a pretty consistent 11-minute pace.
Saturday I did 3 miles on a hotel treadmill in Muskegon.
Unfortunately, my shins are bothering me today. Not nearly as much as those weeks I was benched, but enough to make me really worry. It feels like a warning sign. I'm hoping the pain is gone by tomorrow.
I may be taking some extra days off this week, but here is the best case scenario plan:
Monday/Tuesday: bike/3 miles
Wedneday: speed training roughly equivalent to a 4M Fartlek
Thursday/Friday: bike/4 miles
Saturday: 10 miles
Sunday: rest
Dear shins,
Please cooperate.
Thanks, Katie
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Back on the road
Well, I was not able to run the River Bank 25K. However, I did manage to come back and run the Soldier Field 10. I finished about two and a half minutes slower than last year, but I'm happy to have been able to run it at all.
Even better, I remain uninjured. I had Coach Leach look at my gait a month or two ago, and the things he told me to change about my form (make sure my feet strike underneath me, not in front of me, and work on bending my knees more) seem to be keeping me from doing any debilitating harm to my shins. While they are still touchy and don't feel completely normal, I haven't had any major pain while I was running or walking in several weeks. And I've been running roughly 20 miles a week.
So, with Soldier Field successfully behind me, it's time to turn my attention to the marathon. I'm two weeks in to a 20-week training plan. I took one from coolrunning.com and altered it to suit me. It had me running 5 days a week, and I reduced it to 4 but added in two days of biking. Each week, on either Monday or Tuesday, and either Thursday or Friday (depending on the weather), I'll be riding my bike to work and back. On the other two of those four days, I'll be doing training runs. Wednesday I'll do speed work with the racing team. Saturday will be my long run day. And Sunday will be the glorious day of rest.
This week is going to be a bit off because I'll be traveling on Saturday and Sunday, but here's my hope of what will go down...
Monday/Tuesday: bike/5 miles
Wednesday: speed work (the plan says 4-mile Fartlek, so I'll shoot for that total distance when I decide the number of reps of whatever we are doing)
Thursday: bike
Friday: 8 miles
Saturday/Sunday: 3 miles/off
I have completely lost track of the miles on my shoes, unfortunately. Maybe I'll try to formulate an educated guess some time before next week.
Here's to remaining injury free for the next 18 weeks and beyond!
Even better, I remain uninjured. I had Coach Leach look at my gait a month or two ago, and the things he told me to change about my form (make sure my feet strike underneath me, not in front of me, and work on bending my knees more) seem to be keeping me from doing any debilitating harm to my shins. While they are still touchy and don't feel completely normal, I haven't had any major pain while I was running or walking in several weeks. And I've been running roughly 20 miles a week.
So, with Soldier Field successfully behind me, it's time to turn my attention to the marathon. I'm two weeks in to a 20-week training plan. I took one from coolrunning.com and altered it to suit me. It had me running 5 days a week, and I reduced it to 4 but added in two days of biking. Each week, on either Monday or Tuesday, and either Thursday or Friday (depending on the weather), I'll be riding my bike to work and back. On the other two of those four days, I'll be doing training runs. Wednesday I'll do speed work with the racing team. Saturday will be my long run day. And Sunday will be the glorious day of rest.
This week is going to be a bit off because I'll be traveling on Saturday and Sunday, but here's my hope of what will go down...
Monday/Tuesday: bike/5 miles
Wednesday: speed work (the plan says 4-mile Fartlek, so I'll shoot for that total distance when I decide the number of reps of whatever we are doing)
Thursday: bike
Friday: 8 miles
Saturday/Sunday: 3 miles/off
I have completely lost track of the miles on my shoes, unfortunately. Maybe I'll try to formulate an educated guess some time before next week.
Here's to remaining injury free for the next 18 weeks and beyond!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Benched
I have not run at all since last Saturday. My shins are ravaged. I'm taking it day by day and hope to be able to run by the end of this week.
I am doubtful that I will be running the River Bank 25K, but I'm maintaining hope that I will still be able to run Soldier Field at the end of May.
I am doubtful that I will be running the River Bank 25K, but I'm maintaining hope that I will still be able to run Soldier Field at the end of May.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Week 8 complete
This week went pretty well, all things considered. I'm pleased with the way things turned out.
Sunday was the Shamrock Shuffle, and I totally kicked butt.
Monday was an off day, and much needed! My quads were very sore from the race. But it was a good sore.
Tuesday I ran 6 miles outside at roughly a 10:30 pace. I felt my right shin through maybe the first half mile, but then the pain went away. I trotted along at a steady pace the whole time. I got to the end of the route, and I had the feeling of "oh, I'm here already." It made me think about the fact that it was only about 18 month ago when 6 miles was a REALLY big deal. It made me smile to think about how far I have come.
Wednesday I went to speed work. We did 800 repeats, in 200 m out-in-out-ins. So, run the first 200 m at about 15 seconds under your 5K pace, the next 200 at your 5K pace, repeat. I actually really liked that workout. It really helped me to get a feel for my pace. I did 6 repeats, which, combined with the warm up and cool down, added up to a 6-mile workout. I felt my shin during the warm-up, but not after.
Thursday was an off day.
Friday I did the same 5-mile hill workout on the treadmill. Aerobically, I felt great. However, I felt my shins both when I first started and then through the whole last mile. This made me extremely unhappy. I really thought they were getting better. They bothered me off and on during the day Friday.
I was nervous for my 10-mile long run today, but it went as well as I had a right to hope. My shins had twinges, but there was never a time when they hurt with every step -- not even when I first started out. I kept up a steady, easy pace the whole time, and while I was tired in the end, I was not completely whipped. I felt like I had a few more miles left in me. I finished in 1:46:38, roughly a 10:40 pace.
I feel a little sore both in my shins and my quads, but if I get through the rest of the day without any worrisome pain, I will be satisfied.
Six weeks until the River Bank Run, and I'm feeling pretty good about my status.
Here's next week's plan:
Sunday: 4 miles (or not, depending on how the rest of the day goes)
Monday: off
Tuesday: 7 miles
Wednesday: speed work
Thursday: off
Friday: 3 miles
Saturday: 8 miles
Not so bad, really.
Miles on my 2150s: 130
Miles on my foundations: 61
Sunday was the Shamrock Shuffle, and I totally kicked butt.
Monday was an off day, and much needed! My quads were very sore from the race. But it was a good sore.
Tuesday I ran 6 miles outside at roughly a 10:30 pace. I felt my right shin through maybe the first half mile, but then the pain went away. I trotted along at a steady pace the whole time. I got to the end of the route, and I had the feeling of "oh, I'm here already." It made me think about the fact that it was only about 18 month ago when 6 miles was a REALLY big deal. It made me smile to think about how far I have come.
Wednesday I went to speed work. We did 800 repeats, in 200 m out-in-out-ins. So, run the first 200 m at about 15 seconds under your 5K pace, the next 200 at your 5K pace, repeat. I actually really liked that workout. It really helped me to get a feel for my pace. I did 6 repeats, which, combined with the warm up and cool down, added up to a 6-mile workout. I felt my shin during the warm-up, but not after.
Thursday was an off day.
Friday I did the same 5-mile hill workout on the treadmill. Aerobically, I felt great. However, I felt my shins both when I first started and then through the whole last mile. This made me extremely unhappy. I really thought they were getting better. They bothered me off and on during the day Friday.
I was nervous for my 10-mile long run today, but it went as well as I had a right to hope. My shins had twinges, but there was never a time when they hurt with every step -- not even when I first started out. I kept up a steady, easy pace the whole time, and while I was tired in the end, I was not completely whipped. I felt like I had a few more miles left in me. I finished in 1:46:38, roughly a 10:40 pace.
I feel a little sore both in my shins and my quads, but if I get through the rest of the day without any worrisome pain, I will be satisfied.
Six weeks until the River Bank Run, and I'm feeling pretty good about my status.
Here's next week's plan:
Sunday: 4 miles (or not, depending on how the rest of the day goes)
Monday: off
Tuesday: 7 miles
Wednesday: speed work
Thursday: off
Friday: 3 miles
Saturday: 8 miles
Not so bad, really.
Miles on my 2150s: 130
Miles on my foundations: 61
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Week 7 ends with a smash!
Well, things are looking up.
Sunday I did 3 miles on the treadmill. Nothing exciting there.
Monday was an off day.
Tuesday I did an 8K "test run". I really pushed my speed in order to have an idea of how fast I could run the race this weekend. I finished in 46:15, and I was totally thrilled! That broke my 8K PR by almost a minute.
Wednesday we did the hill workout at speed training. 200-200-200-hill-hill-hill-200, repeat. I did not time anything, but I completed three sets, even though the rest of my friends left after two sets. So, I was satisfied.
Thursday was an off day.
Friday I ran 5 miles in the morning. This time, it took me over 55 minutes. Not exactly on par with Tuesday, but I wasn't trying very hard either.
I took yesterday off to prepare for the race. I was glad for the reason not to run, because it was an awful snow/rain mix all day, with wind gusting to 35 mph. If the race had been yesterday, it would have been utter misery.
This morning didn't look much better when I first got up, but it had stopped raining by 8am, when I left my apartment. It was still cold and windy, but not ridiculously so. When I picked up my packet on Friday, I found out that I had been upgraded to Corral B, which meant I got to start in the first wave instead of waiting til 25 minutes after the gun to start.
It also meant I was in a corral with people who run much faster than me. This must have got my adrenaline pumping, because although I got passed a lot, I finished my first mile in 8:30! That's faster than I think I've ever done a mile repeat! I continued pretty strong until about the 5K mark, when I could feel myself start to fade a bit. I consciously tried to slow down a bit, so I wouldn't end up walking. I must have managed pretty well because I crossed the finish line at 44:05! That's under a 9-minute mile, on average. So, I definitely slowed down in the later miles, but not really by much. I'm so proud of my finish!
As an added bonus, my shins didn't bother me at all, during the race or since. Sometimes the reaction is delayed, but I remain hopeful that the worst is over.
Pictures of the race are on facebook, if anyone is interested.
So, now I go back to my regular training schedule. Here is the plan for this week:
Monday: off
Tuesday: 6 miles
Wednesday: speed work
Thursday: off
Friday: 5 miles
Saturday: 10 miles
Sheesh. The good news is, I'm not particularly concerned about speed in any of those runs.
Miles on my 2150s: 103
Miles on my foundations: 61
Sunday I did 3 miles on the treadmill. Nothing exciting there.
Monday was an off day.
Tuesday I did an 8K "test run". I really pushed my speed in order to have an idea of how fast I could run the race this weekend. I finished in 46:15, and I was totally thrilled! That broke my 8K PR by almost a minute.
Wednesday we did the hill workout at speed training. 200-200-200-hill-hill-hill-200, repeat. I did not time anything, but I completed three sets, even though the rest of my friends left after two sets. So, I was satisfied.
Thursday was an off day.
Friday I ran 5 miles in the morning. This time, it took me over 55 minutes. Not exactly on par with Tuesday, but I wasn't trying very hard either.
I took yesterday off to prepare for the race. I was glad for the reason not to run, because it was an awful snow/rain mix all day, with wind gusting to 35 mph. If the race had been yesterday, it would have been utter misery.
This morning didn't look much better when I first got up, but it had stopped raining by 8am, when I left my apartment. It was still cold and windy, but not ridiculously so. When I picked up my packet on Friday, I found out that I had been upgraded to Corral B, which meant I got to start in the first wave instead of waiting til 25 minutes after the gun to start.
It also meant I was in a corral with people who run much faster than me. This must have got my adrenaline pumping, because although I got passed a lot, I finished my first mile in 8:30! That's faster than I think I've ever done a mile repeat! I continued pretty strong until about the 5K mark, when I could feel myself start to fade a bit. I consciously tried to slow down a bit, so I wouldn't end up walking. I must have managed pretty well because I crossed the finish line at 44:05! That's under a 9-minute mile, on average. So, I definitely slowed down in the later miles, but not really by much. I'm so proud of my finish!
As an added bonus, my shins didn't bother me at all, during the race or since. Sometimes the reaction is delayed, but I remain hopeful that the worst is over.
Pictures of the race are on facebook, if anyone is interested.
So, now I go back to my regular training schedule. Here is the plan for this week:
Monday: off
Tuesday: 6 miles
Wednesday: speed work
Thursday: off
Friday: 5 miles
Saturday: 10 miles
Sheesh. The good news is, I'm not particularly concerned about speed in any of those runs.
Miles on my 2150s: 103
Miles on my foundations: 61
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Week 6 complete enough
Well, I did my scheduled 4 miles outside on Sunday without any problems. I even took some pretty pictures of the sunrise in the process, which are on my facebook page.
Things went downhill from there.
Monday was an off day, so I didn't run. Even so, my shins hurt all day. I still do not fear any stress fractures or anything, as the pain was diffuse and kept moving around. But it was still disheartening and irritating, because I just have no idea what triggers this.
Tuesday was not as bad, but they were still bothering me, so I skipped my scheduled 6 miles. I REALLY hate skipping, but I knew I needed to.
The pain was not completely gone on Wednesday, but it was a lot better. So, I wore my shin sleeves but I went to speed work. I was sooo glad I went -- the weather was beautiful, I met some more new people, and I felt almost no pain. We did 800-400-400s: run 800 m out, take a recovery, run 400 m back, take a recovery, then run the final 400m back. I did three sets of those. All of my 800s were in about 4:10, and all of the 400s were under 2 minutes. So, that's averaging about an 8-minute mile pace, which is great for me.
Thursday was an off day, without many shin issues.
Friday I did the 5-mile hill workout from Week 3 again. This time I didn't have to slow the pace from 6.0 at all, so that's great. Shins did hurt some during it though, and on and off the rest of the day.
This morning I got up and my legs felt fine, but it was raining with 15 mph winds, and the temperature was in the low 40s. So, I waited for a break in the rain, but eventually set out on my 9 miler. Truthfully, I expected it to be a lot more miserable than it was. By then it was only sprinkling a bit, and the wind was not that bad. I did 9 miles in 1:35:08 -- a 10:34 pace. Not too shabby.
So far my shins are ok. I'm icing right now. There were only a couple brief periods when I felt anything. If they still feel ok tonight and tomorrow, I'll be really happy.
So, I end this week 6 miles short of what I was supposed to run. However, I think I'm prouder of skipping that run than I would have been for finishing it, because I'm finally starting to make smarter choices. According to Wii Fit, my weight has barely changed in the last two weeks, and I was just able to comfortably complete a 9-mile run, so I clearly have not suffered aerobically. Skipping that run was the right thing to do. So good for me.
My running friends (who are all far more experienced than me) told me that there are lots of people (some of my friends included) that train for marathons by running 4 day a week instead of 5. So, they say if my shins keep bothering me, I should cut one run out of each week. In that spirit, I think I might stop running on Sundays. At least until my legs feel better.
I also think I might stick to my 2150s this week, as I have a vague suspicion that the foundations might be doing more harm than good.
Here's next week's plan, slightly altered because I am running my first race next weekend:
Sunday: 3 miles (or not, depending on how I feel tomorrow)
Monday: off
Tuesday: 5 miles
Wednesday: speed workout
Thursday: off
Friday: 5 miles
Saturday: off (Race day the next day! It's the Shamrock Shuffle 8K.)
Miles on my 2150s: 79
Miles on my foundations: 61
Things went downhill from there.
Monday was an off day, so I didn't run. Even so, my shins hurt all day. I still do not fear any stress fractures or anything, as the pain was diffuse and kept moving around. But it was still disheartening and irritating, because I just have no idea what triggers this.
Tuesday was not as bad, but they were still bothering me, so I skipped my scheduled 6 miles. I REALLY hate skipping, but I knew I needed to.
The pain was not completely gone on Wednesday, but it was a lot better. So, I wore my shin sleeves but I went to speed work. I was sooo glad I went -- the weather was beautiful, I met some more new people, and I felt almost no pain. We did 800-400-400s: run 800 m out, take a recovery, run 400 m back, take a recovery, then run the final 400m back. I did three sets of those. All of my 800s were in about 4:10, and all of the 400s were under 2 minutes. So, that's averaging about an 8-minute mile pace, which is great for me.
Thursday was an off day, without many shin issues.
Friday I did the 5-mile hill workout from Week 3 again. This time I didn't have to slow the pace from 6.0 at all, so that's great. Shins did hurt some during it though, and on and off the rest of the day.
This morning I got up and my legs felt fine, but it was raining with 15 mph winds, and the temperature was in the low 40s. So, I waited for a break in the rain, but eventually set out on my 9 miler. Truthfully, I expected it to be a lot more miserable than it was. By then it was only sprinkling a bit, and the wind was not that bad. I did 9 miles in 1:35:08 -- a 10:34 pace. Not too shabby.
So far my shins are ok. I'm icing right now. There were only a couple brief periods when I felt anything. If they still feel ok tonight and tomorrow, I'll be really happy.
So, I end this week 6 miles short of what I was supposed to run. However, I think I'm prouder of skipping that run than I would have been for finishing it, because I'm finally starting to make smarter choices. According to Wii Fit, my weight has barely changed in the last two weeks, and I was just able to comfortably complete a 9-mile run, so I clearly have not suffered aerobically. Skipping that run was the right thing to do. So good for me.
My running friends (who are all far more experienced than me) told me that there are lots of people (some of my friends included) that train for marathons by running 4 day a week instead of 5. So, they say if my shins keep bothering me, I should cut one run out of each week. In that spirit, I think I might stop running on Sundays. At least until my legs feel better.
I also think I might stick to my 2150s this week, as I have a vague suspicion that the foundations might be doing more harm than good.
Here's next week's plan, slightly altered because I am running my first race next weekend:
Sunday: 3 miles (or not, depending on how I feel tomorrow)
Monday: off
Tuesday: 5 miles
Wednesday: speed workout
Thursday: off
Friday: 5 miles
Saturday: off (Race day the next day! It's the Shamrock Shuffle 8K.)
Miles on my 2150s: 79
Miles on my foundations: 61
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Week 5 complete
Another week down!
Sunday I did 3 miles outside, even though it tore me away from my brand-new Wii Fit.
Monday I didn't run, but I did Wii Fit in the morning. I've been trying to do at least 10 minutes of yoga, at least 10 minutes of strength training, and whatever else I feel like doing to get in at least 30 minutes. I'm doing pretty well at some things, and still am really terrible at others.
Tuesday I did Wii Fit in the morning and ran 4 miles outside in the evening.
Wednesday I did Wii Fit in the morning and went to speed work in the evening. The workout was repeat miles (ugh). The times for my three repeats were 8:35, 8:42, and 8:47. Comfortably under 9 minutes each! I was happy. I'm getting really good at the drills, too.
Thursday was an off day, but I did Wii Fit in the morning.
Friday, I did the 3-mile treadmill hill workout from Week 1, but I upped the difficulty so the hills were 3%-4%-5% (instead of 2-3-4). It was tough, but I did the whole thing at a 10-minute mile.
Today I did a 7-mile run outside in this beautiful weather. It was bright and sunny with just a bit of breeze. I finished in 1:12:00, which is a 10:17 pace! Woo hoo! On the downside, the path is getting more crowded. Oh well.
Shins haven't been bad. I've iced on most days, but I haven't had any worrisome pain. I wish I could go on a run and feel nothing at all, but not yet. Maybe next week.
Here's the plan:
Sunday: 4 miles
Monday: off
Tuesday: 6 miles
Wednesday: speed workout
Thursday: off
Friday: 5 miles
Saturday: 9 miles
Wow. Tough one next week.
Miles on my 2150s: 64
Miles on my foundations: 52
Sunday I did 3 miles outside, even though it tore me away from my brand-new Wii Fit.
Monday I didn't run, but I did Wii Fit in the morning. I've been trying to do at least 10 minutes of yoga, at least 10 minutes of strength training, and whatever else I feel like doing to get in at least 30 minutes. I'm doing pretty well at some things, and still am really terrible at others.
Tuesday I did Wii Fit in the morning and ran 4 miles outside in the evening.
Wednesday I did Wii Fit in the morning and went to speed work in the evening. The workout was repeat miles (ugh). The times for my three repeats were 8:35, 8:42, and 8:47. Comfortably under 9 minutes each! I was happy. I'm getting really good at the drills, too.
Thursday was an off day, but I did Wii Fit in the morning.
Friday, I did the 3-mile treadmill hill workout from Week 1, but I upped the difficulty so the hills were 3%-4%-5% (instead of 2-3-4). It was tough, but I did the whole thing at a 10-minute mile.
Today I did a 7-mile run outside in this beautiful weather. It was bright and sunny with just a bit of breeze. I finished in 1:12:00, which is a 10:17 pace! Woo hoo! On the downside, the path is getting more crowded. Oh well.
Shins haven't been bad. I've iced on most days, but I haven't had any worrisome pain. I wish I could go on a run and feel nothing at all, but not yet. Maybe next week.
Here's the plan:
Sunday: 4 miles
Monday: off
Tuesday: 6 miles
Wednesday: speed workout
Thursday: off
Friday: 5 miles
Saturday: 9 miles
Wow. Tough one next week.
Miles on my 2150s: 64
Miles on my foundations: 52
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Week 3 (in)complete, Week 4 (really) complete
It appears I forgot to update last week. I know you've all been waiting on baited breath.
Week 3 started out rough. Later in the day after my Week 2 long run, my shins started to really hurt, even while I was sitting down. So, I skipped my Sunday run altogether, and still took Monday off.
Then I ran 2 miles Tuesday, 2 miles Wednesday (and skipped speed training), 3 miles Thursday, and 3 miles Friday.
My legs were doing pretty well, so I tried to get back on schedule at that point. I did my scheduled 6 miler on Saturday, and 3 miles on Sunday. Only minor pain.
So, I decided to attempt the regular Week 4 schedule, which was as follows:
Sunday: 3 miles (which I did, as you saw above)
Monday: off (also had no trouble with this)
Wednesday: speed work (had to skip this to go to a friend's guitar recital, but did a really hella hard 5-mile treadmill hill workout in the morning instead)
Thursday: off
Friday: 3 miles (did it on the treadmill)
Saturday: 8 miles (did it outside at about an 11-minute pace)
I'm happy to report that I did everything with almost no complaints from my shins. I felt some little tiny twinges now and then, but I've been icing after each workout and not feeling anything between workouts. I may just have managed to conquer this bout of shin splints.
So, I'm back on track and feeling great! I'm going to try to get some kind of hill workout in each week to prepare myself for the River Bank Run, which I've heard is really hilly. The treadmill workout I did on Wednesday was this:
-Run easy for 10 minutes. ("Easy" for me on a treadmill usually means a 10-minute mile)
-Run 90 seconds at 3% grade. Recover for 3 minutes. Repeat once.
-Run 60 seconds at 5% grade. Recover for 2 minutes. Repeat once.
-Run 30 seconds at 7% grade. Recover for 1 minute. Repeat once.
-Run 10 minutes easy.
I did it with two minor adjustments: After the last hill, I had to slow my speed to about 5.5 for a few minutes, and I ran more like 13 minutes at the end to make it a total of 5 miles. It was super hard, but I sort of liked it. It was a good substitute for speed work.
I'm feeling really good, not only with my shins, but also aerobically in general. Though I was kind of tired at the end of 8 miles, I felt like I had a couple more miles left in me if I needed them. (I met my friend Kim on the running path -- she was on an 18-mile run. Oy.)
Three other notes of interest:
1. I took the plunge and registered for the marathon. Ack! It's on 10/10/10 -- I simultaneously fear it and look forward to it.
2. I bought a Wii and Wii Fit Plus, and plan on using it to do strength training and yoga on my days off from running and hopefully some other times, too.
3. It's almost March, and as soon as the weather warms, I'm planning on buying a bike and biking to work once or twice a week. Both this and the yoga and strength training should make me less injury prone this year.
So, good news all around. Here's the plan for this week:
Sunday: 3 miles (did this outside, but no idea how fast, since I didn't take my watch)
Monday: off running, do Wii Fit!
Tuesday: 4 miles
Wednesday: speed training
Thursday: off running, do Wii Fit!
Friday: 3 miles
Saturday: 7 miles
That doesn't look bad. The next week, however, is much harder...
Miles on my 2150s: 51
Miles on my foundations: 42
Week 3 started out rough. Later in the day after my Week 2 long run, my shins started to really hurt, even while I was sitting down. So, I skipped my Sunday run altogether, and still took Monday off.
Then I ran 2 miles Tuesday, 2 miles Wednesday (and skipped speed training), 3 miles Thursday, and 3 miles Friday.
My legs were doing pretty well, so I tried to get back on schedule at that point. I did my scheduled 6 miler on Saturday, and 3 miles on Sunday. Only minor pain.
So, I decided to attempt the regular Week 4 schedule, which was as follows:
Sunday: 3 miles (which I did, as you saw above)
Monday: off (also had no trouble with this)
Wednesday: speed work (had to skip this to go to a friend's guitar recital, but did a really hella hard 5-mile treadmill hill workout in the morning instead)
Thursday: off
Friday: 3 miles (did it on the treadmill)
Saturday: 8 miles (did it outside at about an 11-minute pace)
I'm happy to report that I did everything with almost no complaints from my shins. I felt some little tiny twinges now and then, but I've been icing after each workout and not feeling anything between workouts. I may just have managed to conquer this bout of shin splints.
So, I'm back on track and feeling great! I'm going to try to get some kind of hill workout in each week to prepare myself for the River Bank Run, which I've heard is really hilly. The treadmill workout I did on Wednesday was this:
-Run easy for 10 minutes. ("Easy" for me on a treadmill usually means a 10-minute mile)
-Run 90 seconds at 3% grade. Recover for 3 minutes. Repeat once.
-Run 60 seconds at 5% grade. Recover for 2 minutes. Repeat once.
-Run 30 seconds at 7% grade. Recover for 1 minute. Repeat once.
-Run 10 minutes easy.
I did it with two minor adjustments: After the last hill, I had to slow my speed to about 5.5 for a few minutes, and I ran more like 13 minutes at the end to make it a total of 5 miles. It was super hard, but I sort of liked it. It was a good substitute for speed work.
I'm feeling really good, not only with my shins, but also aerobically in general. Though I was kind of tired at the end of 8 miles, I felt like I had a couple more miles left in me if I needed them. (I met my friend Kim on the running path -- she was on an 18-mile run. Oy.)
Three other notes of interest:
1. I took the plunge and registered for the marathon. Ack! It's on 10/10/10 -- I simultaneously fear it and look forward to it.
2. I bought a Wii and Wii Fit Plus, and plan on using it to do strength training and yoga on my days off from running and hopefully some other times, too.
3. It's almost March, and as soon as the weather warms, I'm planning on buying a bike and biking to work once or twice a week. Both this and the yoga and strength training should make me less injury prone this year.
So, good news all around. Here's the plan for this week:
Sunday: 3 miles (did this outside, but no idea how fast, since I didn't take my watch)
Monday: off running, do Wii Fit!
Tuesday: 4 miles
Wednesday: speed training
Thursday: off running, do Wii Fit!
Friday: 3 miles
Saturday: 7 miles
That doesn't look bad. The next week, however, is much harder...
Miles on my 2150s: 51
Miles on my foundations: 42
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Week 2 complete
Another week of the training plan done with one minor cheat.
Sunday I did the planned 5 miles outside, and it was a thousand times nicer than Saturday!
Monday I took off. (Somehow, I never have trouble with the rest days.)
Tuesday I did 3 miles on the treadmill in the am.
Wednesday, despite the 12+ inches of snow on the ground, I went to the speed workout. I was the only one of my group of friends to go, and when I got to the site, I found out the workout was mile repeats. (Ugh) So, I did three mile repeats in my Yak Traks in the snowy zoo parking lot. I'd be more bitter, except coach told me I got bonus points for coming out. My upper right shin was sore when I got home, so I iced. Nothing like icing when you get home from a cold workout. :-(
Thursday was an off day, and unfortunately my shins bothered me all day. So when I woke up Friday morning, I decided to skip my 3 miler, deciding that I could do it when I got home if I felt up to it. Shins didn't feel too bad in the afternoon, but I still skipped it in favor of a 15 minute yoga workout from YouTube, 30 minutes of hand weights, and 20 minutes on the Air Climber.
Today I went out and ran 7 miles. I thought it was going to feel bitter cold, but I'm quickly learning that it's not the temperature that matters. It's the wind. And it was pretty calm today, so I was comfortable. Comfortable in my long underwear, thermal running pants, wicking shirt, thermal shirt with thumb holes, running jacket, gloves, ninja face mask, and ear band, that is. :-)
Shins were bothering me pretty much through the whole thing, unfortunately. I have a hard time with this kind of thing. I felt twinges all the time, but never anything that really made it uncomfortable to run. What was uncomfortable was my worried mind asking myself if I should stop every 2 minutes. I ended up doing the whole run, though, and all that feels sore now is that same upper right shin that hurt on Wednesday. I'm going to have to watch that, but it feels more sore than injured, and I'm certain it's muscle and not bone.
So anyway. That was my week. Friday was a minor cheat, but it was justified and probably better in the long run.
Miles on my 2150s: 35
Miles on my foundations: 23
Here's the plan for Week 3:
Sunday: 5 miles (possibly on the treadmill so I can do a longer hill workout)
Monday: off
Tuesday: 3 miles
Wednesday: speed work
Thursday: off
Friday: 3 miles
Saturday: 6 miles
I like this whole not-every-week-gets-longer thing. When I was making up my own training plans, I always made long runs get longer every week. But the pros say my long run goes back to 6 miles next week! Yay!
Hope the cold weather doesn't last much longer.
If Google Buzz put this on your feed, and you read all the way to the end... I'm impressed. :-)
Sunday I did the planned 5 miles outside, and it was a thousand times nicer than Saturday!
Monday I took off. (Somehow, I never have trouble with the rest days.)
Tuesday I did 3 miles on the treadmill in the am.
Wednesday, despite the 12+ inches of snow on the ground, I went to the speed workout. I was the only one of my group of friends to go, and when I got to the site, I found out the workout was mile repeats. (Ugh) So, I did three mile repeats in my Yak Traks in the snowy zoo parking lot. I'd be more bitter, except coach told me I got bonus points for coming out. My upper right shin was sore when I got home, so I iced. Nothing like icing when you get home from a cold workout. :-(
Thursday was an off day, and unfortunately my shins bothered me all day. So when I woke up Friday morning, I decided to skip my 3 miler, deciding that I could do it when I got home if I felt up to it. Shins didn't feel too bad in the afternoon, but I still skipped it in favor of a 15 minute yoga workout from YouTube, 30 minutes of hand weights, and 20 minutes on the Air Climber.
Today I went out and ran 7 miles. I thought it was going to feel bitter cold, but I'm quickly learning that it's not the temperature that matters. It's the wind. And it was pretty calm today, so I was comfortable. Comfortable in my long underwear, thermal running pants, wicking shirt, thermal shirt with thumb holes, running jacket, gloves, ninja face mask, and ear band, that is. :-)
Shins were bothering me pretty much through the whole thing, unfortunately. I have a hard time with this kind of thing. I felt twinges all the time, but never anything that really made it uncomfortable to run. What was uncomfortable was my worried mind asking myself if I should stop every 2 minutes. I ended up doing the whole run, though, and all that feels sore now is that same upper right shin that hurt on Wednesday. I'm going to have to watch that, but it feels more sore than injured, and I'm certain it's muscle and not bone.
So anyway. That was my week. Friday was a minor cheat, but it was justified and probably better in the long run.
Miles on my 2150s: 35
Miles on my foundations: 23
Here's the plan for Week 3:
Sunday: 5 miles (possibly on the treadmill so I can do a longer hill workout)
Monday: off
Tuesday: 3 miles
Wednesday: speed work
Thursday: off
Friday: 3 miles
Saturday: 6 miles
I like this whole not-every-week-gets-longer thing. When I was making up my own training plans, I always made long runs get longer every week. But the pros say my long run goes back to 6 miles next week! Yay!
Hope the cold weather doesn't last much longer.
If Google Buzz put this on your feed, and you read all the way to the end... I'm impressed. :-)
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Week 1 complete
Well, in a lot of ways, this was a bad week to start a training plan. But I have managed to stay on track. Mostly.
On Tuesday, I worked 10 hours, so when I came home, I really did not want to run. But, I put on my workout clothes and went down to the fitness room, determined to get in my 4 miles. But all the treadmills were taken. So, then my options were either going outside (which I just could not bring myself to do), not doing anything at all (which would have made me both mad and guilty), or substituting a workout on my Air Climber.
I pulled out the Air Climber and found the DVD, and started the workout. About 5 minutes in, the resistance band snapped, causing me to whack myself in the face with the plastic handle. At this point, I thought I would be justified in quitting, but I didn't. I stayed on the damn thing for 40 minutes. I don't think it really counted for 4 miles, but I'm counting it for 2 or 3.
The training plan for Wednesday said 4-mile Fartlek, but I went to the Fleet Feet speed workout instead. We (my running friends and I) got there for the early start and got to talk to Coach Leach. He told us the workout, which was to run 800 m out, take a recovery, then do the way back in two 400 m stretches, with recovery in between. We were to focus on "foot popping," or trying to get our feet off the ground quickly. He also said that when we were struggling for breath, to focus on long exhales.
We did three sets of 800-400-400, plus the mile to and from the store, plus the mile and a half to and from the train... so my total for the night was about six and a half miles.
I took Thursday off, and on Friday I did 3 miles on the treadmill. Because the River Bank Run route apparently has a lot of hills, and I don't do much work with hills in Chicago, I did a treadmill hill workout that I got from runnersworld.com. I did a half mile at 0%, then did 1 minute at 2%, 1 minute at 3%, and 1 minute at 4%, followed by 3 minutes back at 0%. I repeated the 2-3-4-recovery thing 4 times, then tacked on 2 more minutes of recovery to get to 3 miles. While the hills were hard, it sort of made the workout go by faster.
Today I went out and did one of the most miserable runs of my running career. It was cold out -- 25 degrees with 10-15 mph winds. I have run in colder conditions, though, so I thought I was prepared. And for the first 3 miles, it wasn't bad. However, what I didn't realize was that the reason it wasn't so bad was that the wind was at my back. When I turned around, I thought I might die. Icy winds were coming almost directly at me. The cold was making my eyes water, and then the tears were freezing on my face. But somehow, I finished. Six miles in 1:07:04, which is like an 11:10 pace or so.
Miles on my 2150s: 21.5
Miles on my foundations: 15
Right now I am icing my shins, because they are still giving me some trouble. Still nothing on the level of last year, but I'm trying to make sure I don't let it get to that level. If they are bothering me all day, I'll skip my run tomorrow, and maybe Tuesday too.
But if all goes well, here's the Week 2 plan:
Sunday: 5 miles
Monday: off
Tuesday: 3 miles
Wednesday: speed work
Thursday: off
Friday: 3 miles (perhaps the hill workout again unless we do hills on Wednesday)
Saturday: 7 miles
On Tuesday, I worked 10 hours, so when I came home, I really did not want to run. But, I put on my workout clothes and went down to the fitness room, determined to get in my 4 miles. But all the treadmills were taken. So, then my options were either going outside (which I just could not bring myself to do), not doing anything at all (which would have made me both mad and guilty), or substituting a workout on my Air Climber.
I pulled out the Air Climber and found the DVD, and started the workout. About 5 minutes in, the resistance band snapped, causing me to whack myself in the face with the plastic handle. At this point, I thought I would be justified in quitting, but I didn't. I stayed on the damn thing for 40 minutes. I don't think it really counted for 4 miles, but I'm counting it for 2 or 3.
The training plan for Wednesday said 4-mile Fartlek, but I went to the Fleet Feet speed workout instead. We (my running friends and I) got there for the early start and got to talk to Coach Leach. He told us the workout, which was to run 800 m out, take a recovery, then do the way back in two 400 m stretches, with recovery in between. We were to focus on "foot popping," or trying to get our feet off the ground quickly. He also said that when we were struggling for breath, to focus on long exhales.
We did three sets of 800-400-400, plus the mile to and from the store, plus the mile and a half to and from the train... so my total for the night was about six and a half miles.
I took Thursday off, and on Friday I did 3 miles on the treadmill. Because the River Bank Run route apparently has a lot of hills, and I don't do much work with hills in Chicago, I did a treadmill hill workout that I got from runnersworld.com. I did a half mile at 0%, then did 1 minute at 2%, 1 minute at 3%, and 1 minute at 4%, followed by 3 minutes back at 0%. I repeated the 2-3-4-recovery thing 4 times, then tacked on 2 more minutes of recovery to get to 3 miles. While the hills were hard, it sort of made the workout go by faster.
Today I went out and did one of the most miserable runs of my running career. It was cold out -- 25 degrees with 10-15 mph winds. I have run in colder conditions, though, so I thought I was prepared. And for the first 3 miles, it wasn't bad. However, what I didn't realize was that the reason it wasn't so bad was that the wind was at my back. When I turned around, I thought I might die. Icy winds were coming almost directly at me. The cold was making my eyes water, and then the tears were freezing on my face. But somehow, I finished. Six miles in 1:07:04, which is like an 11:10 pace or so.
Miles on my 2150s: 21.5
Miles on my foundations: 15
Right now I am icing my shins, because they are still giving me some trouble. Still nothing on the level of last year, but I'm trying to make sure I don't let it get to that level. If they are bothering me all day, I'll skip my run tomorrow, and maybe Tuesday too.
But if all goes well, here's the Week 2 plan:
Sunday: 5 miles
Monday: off
Tuesday: 3 miles
Wednesday: speed work
Thursday: off
Friday: 3 miles (perhaps the hill workout again unless we do hills on Wednesday)
Saturday: 7 miles
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Week 1
So, here's the plan for this week:
Sunday: 4 miles
Monday: off
Tuesday: 4 miles
Wednesday: speed work (these will be decided for me by the Racing Team coach)
Thursday: off
Friday: 3 miles
Satuday: 6 miles
I did my 4-miler today. I ran up Michigan Avenue to see the snow sculptures, then crossed the park and did the rest on the path. I didn't take my watch so I have no idea what my pace was! But I also don't really care. I'm mostly trying to get used to my new shoes.
Miles on my 2150s: 9
Miles on my foundations: 10
Sunday: 4 miles
Monday: off
Tuesday: 4 miles
Wednesday: speed work (these will be decided for me by the Racing Team coach)
Thursday: off
Friday: 3 miles
Satuday: 6 miles
I did my 4-miler today. I ran up Michigan Avenue to see the snow sculptures, then crossed the park and did the rest on the path. I didn't take my watch so I have no idea what my pace was! But I also don't really care. I'm mostly trying to get used to my new shoes.
Miles on my 2150s: 9
Miles on my foundations: 10
Friday, January 29, 2010
last inconsequential workout
30 minutes at 6.2 on the treadmill this morning. So, a 30 minute 5K. Not much struggle.
Miles on my foundations: 6
Miles on my foundations: 6
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Back at it
Well gang (that is, the three of you who read this, if I'm lucky), it's time to get back on my game. Though my building's fitness center has allowed me to keep running through the winter, I haven't had any specific goals or a detailed training schedule since the Hot Chocolate race in December.
I've been thinking a lot about what my goals are going to be for this year, and I've decided that I want to attempt the marathon. Whether I can get there without being plagued by injuries, I don't know. But if I'm ever going to try it, this is the year. I have friends to train with, access to a professional coach, an in-building fitness center, and few obligations that will suffer due to the enormous amount of time I will need to put into training.
So, as sort of a trial run, I am going to train for the 25K River Bank Run in Grand Rapids, MI, on May 8. I modified a half-marathon training plan, and it starts on Sunday. I bought two new pairs of shoes, both Asics. One is the classic 2100 series I've been running in, and the other is a gel foundation shoe designed to help with my overpronation (which causes my shin splints).
I'm going to try to keep this updated, at least to track the miles on my shoes.
So far:
Miles on my 2150s: 9
Miles on my foundations: 3
Here goes!
I've been thinking a lot about what my goals are going to be for this year, and I've decided that I want to attempt the marathon. Whether I can get there without being plagued by injuries, I don't know. But if I'm ever going to try it, this is the year. I have friends to train with, access to a professional coach, an in-building fitness center, and few obligations that will suffer due to the enormous amount of time I will need to put into training.
So, as sort of a trial run, I am going to train for the 25K River Bank Run in Grand Rapids, MI, on May 8. I modified a half-marathon training plan, and it starts on Sunday. I bought two new pairs of shoes, both Asics. One is the classic 2100 series I've been running in, and the other is a gel foundation shoe designed to help with my overpronation (which causes my shin splints).
I'm going to try to keep this updated, at least to track the miles on my shoes.
So far:
Miles on my 2150s: 9
Miles on my foundations: 3
Here goes!
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