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
Saturday, July 31, 2010
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.
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