Keep Moving Forward: A Training Log (Comments Welcome)

[DopeyBadger]

 

[lhermiston]

View attachment 314905

Woohoo!

 

[ZellyB]

Way to hit that last long run. You've had such a great training cycle. I know you are going to do great on your race!!

 

[SarahDisney]

Nice! Great job rocking that last long run - looks like you're in great shape for an awesome marathon!

 

[lhermiston]

Way to hit that last long run. You've had such a great training cycle. I know you are going to do great on your race!!

Nice! Great job rocking that last long run - looks like you're in great shape for an awesome marathon!

Thank you, both! I sure hope so! Now my fingers are crossed for decent weather on race day...

 

[lhermiston]

I met a blind man, who taught me how to see
A blind man, who could change night into day...

Anyone following this remember early 90s Aerosmith? i.e. really awesome Aerosmith? Whenever I have a blind run scheduled, I think of "Blind Man," one of the singles off of Big Ones, which was one of the first CDs I ever owned. Anyway, solid tune...

As you might have guessed, tonight's run was a blind one. One mile warm up, 9 miles @ Tempo (8:05/mile) and a one mile cool down. Going in and for the first 2-3 miles, I was a little uncertain about how this would go. I was coming off my longest run of this training cycle and was admittedly a bit achy in the legs. I was sore from the knees down in both legs.

Fortunately, that cleared up a few miles in (which seems to be the case, typically) and looking at my splits after the fact, the tempo was pretty not too bad. My first two miles were surprisingly quick (7:54, 7:56) given that I was a little sore, but I settled in pretty nicely. Miles 7 (8:25) and 10 (8:32) were a little on the slow side, but considering this was a blind run coming off a 17 mile run, I'm fairly pleased with this run.

Also...the weather was awesome. Spring isn't totally here yet (high of 37 and possibility of snow this weekend), but we're supposed to hit the 70s on Thursday and Friday! I'll take it, gang.

Here comes the sun and we'll be chasing all the clouds away

Today's Distance: 11 miles
Avg. Pace: 8:20/mile
Time: 1:32:04

 

[lhermiston]

"Around here we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious...and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - Walt Disney

You ever see a quote for the first time and it just sticks with you? The other night, my girls were watching the end of Meet The Robinsons, which I'd never seen before. Anyway, I wasn't paying much attention, but I saw the quote above at the end when the credits were rolling. I like a good Walt Disney quote (see my signature), but I'd have never seen that one before.

Anyway, I really like it. Now, Walt was probably talking about innovation in animation, moviemaking, entertainment, etc. and I'm pretty sure he never ran a marathon, but I think that quote can be applied to all kinds of stuff, even running.

Tired? Keep moving forward.
Sore? Keep moving forward.
Don't think you can do it? Keep moving forward.

Anyway, I think this is my new running mantra and certainly one I'll be keeping in mind during the marathon. My first marathon guide talked a lot about the mental side of marathon running and one of the tips was having a little pep talk phrase to give yourself from time to time ("I am a marathoner," etc.) to give you a mental boost, which would then correlate with a physical boost. I tried it and, to a certain extent, I think it works. So, I'm all about having a little catch phrase to remind myself to keep moving forward.

Speaking of the marathon ... it's in less than 16 days. Whoa. I think I'm ready to go. I'm still a little achy from Sunday and Tuesday's runs, but I think with a full taper, I'll be in good shape. Two 10-mile runs this weekend, a Tempo run on Tuesday, then I think I'm really into the taper. Keep moving forward.

Oh yeah ... two 6-mile EA runs this week. Nothing to be said that I suppose hasn't been said before. I was ACHY on Wednesday and a little sore still today, but otherwise, I think they went fine.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Now comes the critical portion of training. You're going to start feeling off. You may even start to struggle to hit paces that were once so easy. It's completely normal. Your body is beginning the taper process which means it's going to feel stale and stiff. You might start to fear lost fitness. RESIST the urge to TEST it out. Stick to the paces or slower than the paces. TESTING it out is the taper trap. Don't fall for it. Trust the training and don't push too much as to carry in unnecessary fatigue on race day. Getting excited!

 

[lhermiston]

Now comes the critical portion of training. You're going to start feeling off. You may even start to struggle to hit paces that were once so easy. It's completely normal. Your body is beginning the taper process which means it's going to feel stale and stiff. You might start to fear lost fitness. RESIST the urge to TEST it out. Stick to the paces or slower than the paces. TESTING it out is the taper trap. Don't fall for it. Trust the training and don't push too much as to carry in unnecessary fatigue on race day. Getting excited!

Solid, timely advice. I’ve felt the last two runs like the miles are beginning to pile up a bit. Just trying to look big picture and realize the taper is coming and the end is in sight. I’m cautiously optimistic about the outcome of this race.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Been there, I know the feeling. Just know this is how you're suppose to feel. The taper will feel awkward, but trust that we timed it just right so that on race day - you fly.

 

[lhermiston]

It's a weekend of truly garbage weather and two (I hope) 10 mile runs.

Yesterday's 10-miler was accompanied by about 38 degrees and rain that ranged from spitting to a pretty steady downfall. It was miserable. I did a fairly good job sticking to my EB (9:05/mile) pace, but after Mile 7 or so, I noticed I wasn't getting audio updates for a while. I got to the point where I knew I was definitely past 8 miles and checked my phone (which had been stowed in an inside coat pocket because of the rain. Strava was still pulled up, but on some weird menu and it indicated I had only gone 7.6 miles, which I knew was wrong. I put it back on the GPS screen and went a while longer, but again, no updates. When I checked again, Strava was asking me if I wanted to pay for premium and my current run was gone.

At that point, I just turned off the phone and finished at what I estimated to be the 10-mile mark based on past runs. That left me a half mile from my house and by then the rain was coming down fairly hard. So, I walked the rest of the way. At some point during that walking portion, I felt my what I thought at the time was my Achilles tighten up. After getting home and showering, I realized the tightness was more lower left calf. The tightness, slight pain persisted for the rest of the day/night. I put some Icy Hot on it, but it didn't do much.

This morning when I woke up, there was no pain or tightness, so I have no idea what I did. I'm thinking/hoping cramp, but we'll see how my next run goes. I'm really hoping it's not an injury and that I don't reinjure it during a subsequent run.

Speaking of subsequent runs, I don't know what's going to happen with today's 10-miler. It's 32 degrees out with a high of only 35. Everything is wet from yesterday's rain and I'm guessing it's slick. Snow is supposed to roll in this afternoon. I'll see how things go later this morning.

Saturday's Distance: 10 miles?
Avg. Pace: 9:00/mile?
Time: 90 minutes?

 

[lhermiston]

A lot went my way this morning and I was able to get my second 10-miler in. It was snowing the entire time and only about 32 degrees, but the sidewalks were not slick at all. I ran a little gingerly the first few miles because in my head water at 32 degrees equals ice and I just couldn't believe I wouldn't hit an icy patch, but it was never an issue.

Second, I did not have any issue with my calf at all. Everything felt good there. I'm thinking a cramp because of the cold yesterday? Or maybe slightly dehydrated? I dunno...this guy is not a doctor.

So, anyway, 10 miles today @ Long Run (8:46/mile). Like I said, the sidewalks were fine, but I did have snow in my face much of the run. I had a gnarly headwind anytime I was going north, yet it seemed like no tailwind when it went south. So, that was fun. Actually, when the wind wasn't blowing, it was a very peaceful run.

Pace-wise, my splits were largely where they needed to be. Mile 4 came in a little fast (8:26), but I think pretty much everything else was in range.

The marathon is now less than two weeks away. I'm feeling cautiously optimistic. At this point before my first marathon I was contemplating getting a cortisone shot for my knee (I declined). At this point before my second marathon, I was battling foot pain and, looking back, I was undertrained. As of today, my body feels pretty good and mentally, I am feeling confident. I don't want to get too far ahead of myself as a lot can happen in the next 13 days, but I think if I stay healthy, a PR and a sub-4 hour marathon are both within reach.

Today's Distance: 10 miles
Avg. Pace: 8:43/mile
Time: 1:27:17
Miles This Week: 43
Year to Date: 530

 

[lhermiston]

Welcome to Taper Town, population: Me.

This afternoon was my last hard run before the marathon - 1 mile warm up, 9 miles @ Tempo (8:05/mile) 1 mile cool down. As DopeyBadger warned me, I'm definitely felt the taper during today's run. My right leg especially felt sluggish and both legs felt like lead at times.

All that said, it was a fairly decent run. The weather was nice for a change (tomorrow is freezing rain. yay.). Despite my legs feeling a little dead, I was able to largely stick to my paces. The first mile was too fast (7:46), as per usual, and mile 4 came in a little quick. Everything else was right within range, even mile 9, which came in at 8:13.

At this point, I'm ready to taper and get some life back into my legs. I'm looking forward to just nine easy and relatively short runs over the next 11 days, then it's time to how all of this work pays off. Fingers crossed for decent weather...

Today's Distance: 11 miles
Avg. Pace: 8:13/mile
Time: 1:30:26

 

[lhermiston]

So, my ankle hurts.

Right foot. Left side. A little high up. It feels like a bruise, like someone whacked me with a cane or something. I started feeling it at some point over the weekend, maybe Sunday. Felt okay Monday and then felt it again during my Tempo run and tonight's easy six miles. It's not terrible pain and hasn't kept me from hitting any paces or finishing any runs, but it just doesn't feel awesome. I'm hoping now that I'm into the taper and doing fewer miles that it will clear up.

Tomorrow is an off day and Friday is another easy run, so we'll see what happens. Fingers crossed.

Today's Distance: 6 miles
Avg. Pace: 9:18/mile
Time: 55:48

 

[DopeyBadger]

Take a few days off. Could be mental or could be real. Relax and let your body heal.

 

[lhermiston]

Take a few days off. Could be mental or could be real. Relax and let your body heal.

You sure? How many days? Skip Friday and try for Saturday?

I can definitely run. There’s just some discomfort.

 

[DopeyBadger]

You sure? How many days? Skip Friday and try for Saturday?

I can definitely run. There’s just some discomfort.

I just went back and re-read. I read it that it was keeping you from hitting paces, but it says that it wasn't keeping you from hitting paces. I've definitely had issues like this prior to a big race before. In 75/100 cases, it turns out to be mental. A few times it has been the warning sign of something else.

I think it would be smartest to drop the 8 miler on Saturday. Give yourself two consecutive days off (Friday/Saturday). Do 45-60 min of easy running on Sunday and evaluate how it's feeling. Healthy trumps fully trained. And honestly, at this point, you're as trained as you're going to be. You will lose mere seconds off the final time by taking the 8 miler off (it's probably akin to whether you walk an aid station or not). So miniscual. Some of my best races have been when I took an extra day of rest when my body said to do so.

 

[lhermiston]

I just went back and re-read. I read it that it was keeping you from hitting paces, but it says that it wasn't keeping you from hitting paces. I've definitely had issues like this prior to a big race before. In 75/100 cases, it turns out to be mental. A few times it has been the warning sign of something else.

I think it would be smartest to drop the 8 miler on Saturday. Give yourself two consecutive days off (Friday/Saturday). Do 45-60 min of easy running on Sunday and evaluate how it's feeling. Healthy trumps fully trained. And honestly, at this point, you're as trained as you're going to be. You will lose mere seconds off the final time by taking the 8 miler off (it's probably akin to whether you walk an aid station or not). So miniscual. Some of my best races have been when I took an extra day of rest when my body said to do so.

That sounds like a good plan and probably the advice I need to hear. I’m too darn stubborn and would probably try to power through it.

Do you recommend icing it?

 

[DopeyBadger]

That sounds like a good plan and probably the advice I need to hear. I’m too darn stubborn and would probably try to power through it.

Do you recommend icing it?

I think some RICE wouldn't hurt.

 

[Jules76126]

Just found your training journal and have been following along. I really enjoy your pictures and excited to see how your marathon goes.