short version: last night i ran 7 miles in an hour. this morning i ran 13 more miles in 2 hours. guys, i think i can run a marathon.
(you can just do a little dance for me now and move on, or you can read all the blather.)
long version:
after last night's success (see last post), i tried to go to bed early (ha! look, i got into bed at midnight, that's what i managed) i got up at 6:30am (dog thought i had lost it), had coffee and new breakfast, and got ready. the weather was pretty cool, actually, there was some sort of sunlight even (once the sun bothered to get UP, ugh), and it didn't rain (spit, more like) till the last couple miles.
i think i succeeded at eating quite a lot but not too much and not too fatty last night, because this morning i only had to eat a piece of bread and a half a banana with peanut butter. this was in part practice for the marathon, because i don't want to have to mess around in a hotel room with kettles and oatmeal on the morning (middle of night) of the main event. and this worked fantastic! i brought a couple figs to eat half an hour before we started, and i ate a package of stinger chews throughout. ok, so energy success. (i have this idea that i'm going to bring salted mini pretzels on my next two long runs to see if they help with cramps -- some people online say it worked for them. may just be an excuse to eat pretzels, but i can sure see not wanting to just eat sugar for four hours.)
overall, it all went ticketyboo. the course was pretty chill -- mostly paved trails, pretty damn flat, some pretty low-key but sweet cheering, and quite a few aid stations with volunteers who weren't exactly organized but still gave us the desired liquids. my running partner and i were together for the first 10 miles, after which i turned on my music and we picked up the pace slightly, and she finished about 5 seconds ahead of me. we both had reasons to take it easy (uh, did i mention she needs gallbladder surgery? but, you know, first a little half-marathon. STERN STUFF.) so we started just in front of the 10:00/mile pacer, but mostly we ran behind the 9:30 pacers, and after 10 miles we moved ahead. our final time was probably 2:05, which is 9 minutes slower than two years ago but quite a success in the present state!
i was definitely putting on the brakes for the first three miles, and i was definitely working for the last three. my legs were certainly more tired at 7 miles than normal, but starting with the 16 mile cramp-tacular last sunday, i'd run 35 miles in the last 7 days before this race, so i'm gonna feel good about that. i'm also SO COMFORTED by the fact that my left hamstring felt nearly no different than my right, and that finally i felt like my stride was back to a place where my quads can do the work i want them to -- somehow since i hurt myself it's always been the back of my legs feeling it, and the front of my legs never felt like got their turn. today, they got sore too. this is what it's come to: i'm so pleased to have feel sore differently.
oh, yes! and the beer tent. i had half a beer, preceded by a full pint of alcoholic cider (don't worry, i had food too) and hung out stretching and blathering with my running partner for an hour, wearing some comical attire (hot magenta argyle compression socks. were on my body. and yet, she talked to me.) ... and you know, with a little bit of foam rolling tonight, i don't even think i'll have any problem cross training tomorrow.
the take home message here: it's been pretty much two solid weeks of physically encouraging signs. and now when i sat down to write this post i realized something in earnest that i had semi-realized in the shower earlier: i now think i can actually run this marathon. this may be the first time i've really believed it to be possible.
to which my head immediately yells: HUSH UP, CAPTAIN JACKASS! DON'T JINX IT!
so, ok. no getting greedy with the training or stupid with the form or sloppy with the sleep schedule or whatever. and probably, what i need to do mostly is not let my worried mind crap all over what my stubborn body can in fact do (this is the kind of eloquent training mantra you come here to read, i am sure. new side career as inspirational poster motto writer, here i come.) it still might go to hell, but no use stressing over hellish possibilities. just gonna eat some coconut curry and keep saying nice stuff to myself.
next week's long run is 15 miles, and the week after is the second 20-miler, which this time i will do all in one go. by which time i may not even be able to shut up the belief that is happening.
... five weeks to go.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Saturday, September 14, 2013
marathon training: excessive wildlife edition
so i need to go to bed. i need to go to bed so i can get up at 6:30am (to which my gentleman replied 'no, c'mon, pick a real time, that's not even a real time to get up'; we are not morning people) so i can leave at 7:20am to pick up my running partner so we can be ready to half-marathon starting at 8:30am.
i ran 7 miles tonight, btw, so as to be ready to run another 13 in the morning. this is my first attempt at a 20 miler, and i decided to put 12 hours and a long nap in the middle. perhaps you say they will not let me do that on marathon day? but i will not listen to you at present. ... and tonight's run went really well -- it was probably the most effortless run i've had in ages. probably because it was also like 15 degrees cooler than the last four months. i focused very hard on keeping this form thing in check and not bollocksing up my left hamstring, and guys it's still working! i let myself run on feel for the first two miles, and after a slow warmup mile, my second was 8:45, and i thought whoa, nelly! let's not throw the next 18 miles under the bus... so i reeled it in, and ran most of it around 9:20-9:30 pace. felt really quite easy, and am slightly optimistic about tomorrow.
so now i'm just going to foam roll, lay out all my clothes and gear (i already ground the coffee so the gentleman doesn't get the wake-up-call shock of his life in the morning), and collapse.
first, though, i need to tell you about how nature has been getting all up in my running grill this week, and it's a little ridiculous. there are three items on this list, and one of them is kind of PG-13. just warning you. dad, it'll only be about two sentences. k, without further ado
1. on thursday morning i ran quite a hot and slightly hard 8 miles. the first few were in an arboretum that i didn't know lansing had. where'd it go getting a pretty and quite large arboretum and not telling anybody? anyway, i went and ran around its spring dirt paths, and at one point i emerged from the woods to cross a field... and it was full of wild turkeys! there were maybe 15 or 20 wild turkeys just chillin' in the morning sun, and we were equally surprised to find each other there. i think of them honked at me? do turkeys honk? i don't know, it made a big noise and i kept running. big birds just make me think of dinosaurs now that i know the fossil record situation, and that's a little creepy. and then thanksgiving, that's awkward. so yes: wild turkeys.
the other two incidents happened tonight.
2. it rained a few days ago? and now there are a ton of mosquitos in the area. AUGHGHG. hate. hatred. much hate. so i sprayed myself with a lot of bug spray tonight, because i was running in the half hour of sunlight and into dusk... but you know, i have my limits. i don't spray bug spray in my ears and stuff -- i smear a lot on, and it's gross, but i shower (mostly) when i get home, so that's ok -- but i don't coat every inch of my body. sometimes you believe in the power of preventive clothing, no? ... no. so: not to get too graphic, but tonight while i was running, a mosquito bit my vagina. you know what happens when you suddenly feel a mosquito bite you? instinctively? ... you slap where it bit you.
probably nobody saw me. let's just assume so. if you ever see a video on the internet, we're just going to pretend it wasn't me, ok?
3. ... a couple miles after the mosquito incident, i was getting into a groove, headed home over familiar terrain -- and i kind of ran into a moth. really, that's weird? a moth flew by and hit my knee? and wow that was a substantia... nope. it was a bat. i kneed a bat while running. what the fuck? that is not how nature is supposed to work, for a whole slew of reasons. meanwhile, the bat shook it off, and headed back out into night.
maybe you need to turn up that sonar a bit, bat.
i wasn't going that fast.
right! so, to bed. it's probably going to rain on us tomorrow morning, just to make everything interesting (by which i mean damp and unpleasant) but nevermind! the 20 mile weekend will not conquer me! i may even drink some beer!
more tomorrow night.
i ran 7 miles tonight, btw, so as to be ready to run another 13 in the morning. this is my first attempt at a 20 miler, and i decided to put 12 hours and a long nap in the middle. perhaps you say they will not let me do that on marathon day? but i will not listen to you at present. ... and tonight's run went really well -- it was probably the most effortless run i've had in ages. probably because it was also like 15 degrees cooler than the last four months. i focused very hard on keeping this form thing in check and not bollocksing up my left hamstring, and guys it's still working! i let myself run on feel for the first two miles, and after a slow warmup mile, my second was 8:45, and i thought whoa, nelly! let's not throw the next 18 miles under the bus... so i reeled it in, and ran most of it around 9:20-9:30 pace. felt really quite easy, and am slightly optimistic about tomorrow.
so now i'm just going to foam roll, lay out all my clothes and gear (i already ground the coffee so the gentleman doesn't get the wake-up-call shock of his life in the morning), and collapse.
first, though, i need to tell you about how nature has been getting all up in my running grill this week, and it's a little ridiculous. there are three items on this list, and one of them is kind of PG-13. just warning you. dad, it'll only be about two sentences. k, without further ado
1. on thursday morning i ran quite a hot and slightly hard 8 miles. the first few were in an arboretum that i didn't know lansing had. where'd it go getting a pretty and quite large arboretum and not telling anybody? anyway, i went and ran around its spring dirt paths, and at one point i emerged from the woods to cross a field... and it was full of wild turkeys! there were maybe 15 or 20 wild turkeys just chillin' in the morning sun, and we were equally surprised to find each other there. i think of them honked at me? do turkeys honk? i don't know, it made a big noise and i kept running. big birds just make me think of dinosaurs now that i know the fossil record situation, and that's a little creepy. and then thanksgiving, that's awkward. so yes: wild turkeys.
the other two incidents happened tonight.
2. it rained a few days ago? and now there are a ton of mosquitos in the area. AUGHGHG. hate. hatred. much hate. so i sprayed myself with a lot of bug spray tonight, because i was running in the half hour of sunlight and into dusk... but you know, i have my limits. i don't spray bug spray in my ears and stuff -- i smear a lot on, and it's gross, but i shower (mostly) when i get home, so that's ok -- but i don't coat every inch of my body. sometimes you believe in the power of preventive clothing, no? ... no. so: not to get too graphic, but tonight while i was running, a mosquito bit my vagina. you know what happens when you suddenly feel a mosquito bite you? instinctively? ... you slap where it bit you.
probably nobody saw me. let's just assume so. if you ever see a video on the internet, we're just going to pretend it wasn't me, ok?
3. ... a couple miles after the mosquito incident, i was getting into a groove, headed home over familiar terrain -- and i kind of ran into a moth. really, that's weird? a moth flew by and hit my knee? and wow that was a substantia... nope. it was a bat. i kneed a bat while running. what the fuck? that is not how nature is supposed to work, for a whole slew of reasons. meanwhile, the bat shook it off, and headed back out into night.
maybe you need to turn up that sonar a bit, bat.
i wasn't going that fast.
right! so, to bed. it's probably going to rain on us tomorrow morning, just to make everything interesting (by which i mean damp and unpleasant) but nevermind! the 20 mile weekend will not conquer me! i may even drink some beer!
more tomorrow night.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
in which nothing bad happens
so about that 8am wake-up call? hollow laugh. it's hard, when your other half is on a 3-10am sleep schedule.
so i finally dragged myself up at 9:30. so i ran at 11am. it was like 30C and humid. wise! easy! obviously! and yet: it was just fine.
i drove to a park which i almost never go to, and which has a lot of shade, and which conveniently is the only part of the half i'm running on sunday that i'm not familiar with. in fact, the only time i ran there previously was on this race two years ago, and it was some overzealousness on this terrain that caused the last two miles to feel like helldamn punishment.
anyway, what i did was run 4 miles. it was supposed to be 'speedwork' but you remember operation not try running so fast and not get hurt? yes. and also the 16 miles from sunday was not entirely forgotten. so in the first mile i was caaaaautious. given the fatigue of my hamstrings, i felt pretty slow, stiff and shanky -- like maybe i was running on rusty stilts? and that seemed dumb, but i figured just be slow and warm up. i did NOT stalk my pace, and i waited for the little garmin BEEP... and it said i ran the first mile in 9:35. well, if that feels super slow, it'll be an ok day.
so i did my best to pick it up a bit, A BIT, and the other three miles were around 8:35-8:45. it was only 4 miles and it felt somewhat hard, but it was dumbass hot (whereas apparently the race will be like 18C and maybe raining?) and i got a little runner's high at the end even, which it's hard to get running slow. i'm getting increasingly more sure that i'm fixing my form in a way that prevents left leg injury, and i'm foamrolling my ass off (literally, that's where i'm sore/tight at present) and chug chug chug, building blocks, etc.
three other things about this run:
1. a random dude walked out of the forest onto the trail and politely asked me which way to the pavilion. there's like 3 pavilions within a mile of that spot. i described them to him, and he picked the one he wanted and i gave him directions and he headed off. he was carrying a huge box of tools. uh, weird?
2. i got winked at by what i can only describe as a dashing hipster construction worker. he held traffic while i crossed the road two times. i mean, he was holding traffic for this huge dumptruck, actually, but he graciously gestured for me to take advantage of the hold-up for my own purposes. i felt like running royalty! sweaty, disgusting run-royalty. now that i think about it, i was also wearing a pink top with (god help me, it was on sale) **ruffles** on it... yeah, overall i was probably looking pretty elegant.
3. labor day comes and goes, and they close the beach at this park, and turn off the water fountains. people? global warming? it's 34C with the humidity? let's rethink this policy. (i had lots of liquid with me, don't worry -- it's just not nice, though.)
anyway, the point of all this blathering is that it's working! i'm running as intended! ... eh, pace can fuck off. i'm not saying i'm not slightly terrified still, but no point in focusing on future horrors just yet. in other words: back to (real life) work.
maybe more after tomorrow's tempo, otherwise full deets on the weekend back-to-back on sunday. ... i know, the suspense might kill you.
so i finally dragged myself up at 9:30. so i ran at 11am. it was like 30C and humid. wise! easy! obviously! and yet: it was just fine.
i drove to a park which i almost never go to, and which has a lot of shade, and which conveniently is the only part of the half i'm running on sunday that i'm not familiar with. in fact, the only time i ran there previously was on this race two years ago, and it was some overzealousness on this terrain that caused the last two miles to feel like helldamn punishment.
anyway, what i did was run 4 miles. it was supposed to be 'speedwork' but you remember operation not try running so fast and not get hurt? yes. and also the 16 miles from sunday was not entirely forgotten. so in the first mile i was caaaaautious. given the fatigue of my hamstrings, i felt pretty slow, stiff and shanky -- like maybe i was running on rusty stilts? and that seemed dumb, but i figured just be slow and warm up. i did NOT stalk my pace, and i waited for the little garmin BEEP... and it said i ran the first mile in 9:35. well, if that feels super slow, it'll be an ok day.
so i did my best to pick it up a bit, A BIT, and the other three miles were around 8:35-8:45. it was only 4 miles and it felt somewhat hard, but it was dumbass hot (whereas apparently the race will be like 18C and maybe raining?) and i got a little runner's high at the end even, which it's hard to get running slow. i'm getting increasingly more sure that i'm fixing my form in a way that prevents left leg injury, and i'm foamrolling my ass off (literally, that's where i'm sore/tight at present) and chug chug chug, building blocks, etc.
three other things about this run:
1. a random dude walked out of the forest onto the trail and politely asked me which way to the pavilion. there's like 3 pavilions within a mile of that spot. i described them to him, and he picked the one he wanted and i gave him directions and he headed off. he was carrying a huge box of tools. uh, weird?
2. i got winked at by what i can only describe as a dashing hipster construction worker. he held traffic while i crossed the road two times. i mean, he was holding traffic for this huge dumptruck, actually, but he graciously gestured for me to take advantage of the hold-up for my own purposes. i felt like running royalty! sweaty, disgusting run-royalty. now that i think about it, i was also wearing a pink top with (god help me, it was on sale) **ruffles** on it... yeah, overall i was probably looking pretty elegant.
3. labor day comes and goes, and they close the beach at this park, and turn off the water fountains. people? global warming? it's 34C with the humidity? let's rethink this policy. (i had lots of liquid with me, don't worry -- it's just not nice, though.)
anyway, the point of all this blathering is that it's working! i'm running as intended! ... eh, pace can fuck off. i'm not saying i'm not slightly terrified still, but no point in focusing on future horrors just yet. in other words: back to (real life) work.
maybe more after tomorrow's tempo, otherwise full deets on the weekend back-to-back on sunday. ... i know, the suspense might kill you.
Monday, September 9, 2013
day-after optimism and several pitfalls regarding early morning running
hey, so! this is a good sign: i woke up this morning after yesterday's long typically dramatic effort, and felt pretty fine. hamstrings a little sore, both of them near equally i thought; hip flexors could use some stretching (which gave 'em, and more to come tonight before bed.) but nothing out of the ordinary. no difficulty sitting on a toilet seat for instance (if your quads have ever been really angry, you know what i mean, yes? right.) so i was able to do all the normal crosstraining and whatevering today, and that gives me hope.
it's going to be 800C tomorrow with 2000% humidity, which is completely dumb and inexcusable because it got chilly and cold a few days ago but what's to be done, so i'm going to get up EARLY and do my quick run before it gets mega-gross. ... of course by EARLY i mean awake at 8am. this is why i could never have an actual running blog, because those people are at *lunch* by 8am.
the half marathon on sunday starts at 8:30am, though, so i guess i have to remember how to run first thing before the week is out. my partner in trail crime from yesterday (we'll just call her PITC ok?) pointed out that while this isn't insanely early like some races (uh, detroit marathon i'm glaring at you), it also means that, assuming we run it in something around two hours, we're going to be at the finish line at 10:30am, and there's a beer tent... and you don't want to turn down free beer! but sunday at 10:30am is a tad early! what is it, st patrick's day?
sidenote: when i ran this race two years ago, i didn't know that PITC was literally 5 seconds behind me at the finish -- we knew of each other professionally because we're in the same field and had a bazillion mutual friends on facebook but had never met -- and so that day i finished alone, and felt a little queasy (got a bit too excited around miles 7-9 and paid for it in the last two), and then walked over to the beer tent. as mentioned above, i was on the fence regarding the beverage, viz "on the one hand, free beer; on the other hand, just ran 13 miles, often not awake at this hour on a sunday, might vomit..." so, i took one and sipped, and thought immediately it was a bad plan. as i walked across the field with this bad plan in my hand and a bit of its taste in my mouth, a random guy yelled at me GO GREEN! and i thought -- man, if i look that close to nausea, there's no need to rub it in, buster ... and i gave him a bit of a rude look... and then i remembered that i was wearing a t-shirt supporting the local rabidly-supported college sports team, whose main colour is green, so actually he was yelling SCHOOL SPIRIT! and not YOU MIGHT BARF! sorry, School Spirit Guy, for misunderstanding.
anyway, when PITC ran it, she and her friend went and chilled in the beer tent for a while, consuming multiple beers she tells me. of course they did. she's from maine; they are made of stern stuff up there.
so this weekend's goals are: 1. run 7 saturday night 2. run 13 sunday morning 3. learn to drink a sunday morning recovery beer.
go team!
(don't) go green!
... 5 weeks to go.
it's going to be 800C tomorrow with 2000% humidity, which is completely dumb and inexcusable because it got chilly and cold a few days ago but what's to be done, so i'm going to get up EARLY and do my quick run before it gets mega-gross. ... of course by EARLY i mean awake at 8am. this is why i could never have an actual running blog, because those people are at *lunch* by 8am.
the half marathon on sunday starts at 8:30am, though, so i guess i have to remember how to run first thing before the week is out. my partner in trail crime from yesterday (we'll just call her PITC ok?) pointed out that while this isn't insanely early like some races (uh, detroit marathon i'm glaring at you), it also means that, assuming we run it in something around two hours, we're going to be at the finish line at 10:30am, and there's a beer tent... and you don't want to turn down free beer! but sunday at 10:30am is a tad early! what is it, st patrick's day?
sidenote: when i ran this race two years ago, i didn't know that PITC was literally 5 seconds behind me at the finish -- we knew of each other professionally because we're in the same field and had a bazillion mutual friends on facebook but had never met -- and so that day i finished alone, and felt a little queasy (got a bit too excited around miles 7-9 and paid for it in the last two), and then walked over to the beer tent. as mentioned above, i was on the fence regarding the beverage, viz "on the one hand, free beer; on the other hand, just ran 13 miles, often not awake at this hour on a sunday, might vomit..." so, i took one and sipped, and thought immediately it was a bad plan. as i walked across the field with this bad plan in my hand and a bit of its taste in my mouth, a random guy yelled at me GO GREEN! and i thought -- man, if i look that close to nausea, there's no need to rub it in, buster ... and i gave him a bit of a rude look... and then i remembered that i was wearing a t-shirt supporting the local rabidly-supported college sports team, whose main colour is green, so actually he was yelling SCHOOL SPIRIT! and not YOU MIGHT BARF! sorry, School Spirit Guy, for misunderstanding.
anyway, when PITC ran it, she and her friend went and chilled in the beer tent for a while, consuming multiple beers she tells me. of course they did. she's from maine; they are made of stern stuff up there.
so this weekend's goals are: 1. run 7 saturday night 2. run 13 sunday morning 3. learn to drink a sunday morning recovery beer.
go team!
(don't) go green!
... 5 weeks to go.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
nearly 16 miles: the usual melodrama
well. i ran about 16 miles today. something like 15.5 on my garmin, plus a bunch of faffing about i didn't hit resume for. so, let's just say it was 16.
it would be foolish to say i nailed it. also it would be false. but i think it's also safe to say i didn't actually get nailed.
the overall approach was, i think, a good one. a partner in trail crime and i drove to a set of looping trails by a nearby lake. the full loop takes about 3.5 miles. so we ran the loop twice. then we did a little dirt road running out of the woods and near the lake. then it had been nearly 10 miles. and it's 5.5 miles home from there, so i turned on my ipod and ran home.
the good news, let's start with the big things, is that my left hamstring/calf/back of knee wonkiness was never a problem, and also i didn't die. it was sunny but really gorgeous weather, so i definitely didn't overheat. and i don't think i'll have difficulty walking tomorrow or anything (er WE WILL SEE. there will be yoga.) actually, with respect to the previous injury business, i actually came up with a guess on thursday's run that i feel was vindicated today, so i'm going to write a separate post to remind myself about that later.
and i also think that the fact that 7 miles and change were on those trails matters -- they aren't steep or technical, but there's a lot of sand (harder to run) and gentle up and downs, and you keep having to pick up your feet for roots, so overall it slows you down a lot, and it also takes more effort. the fact that my pace over the miles was something like 10:20 should give you an indication of this, particularly when the last 6 were all but one between 9:30-9:50.
the less good news: the last 3 miles were not good. at some point around mile 11.5, i was worried i might start hurting my left leg (hint: i don't think i was), so i thought i'd walk a bit and then run again. i did that twice, but it apparently ANGERED the running gods, because i stopped to walk just because i had to, waiting for a light, at mile 13.5, and the back of my legs, hams and calves alike, announced that they were throwing a CRAMP PARTY and YOU ARE INVITED! it was tremendously unpleasant, and the thing is stretching didn't really seem to be what they wanted. what they wanted was that i not stop running. just run slowly. but you can't just run slowly! that hurts too! ... so, the last two miles were kind of death shuffly (although miraculously my pace wasn't too much slower, odd) and then a little bit of walking OW OW OW and then more shuffling. at 15.5 miles, i was two blocks from home, so i tried to briskly walk those and it was not comfortable. i started jogging again just to get home quicker, but again found that they actually cramped less that way. wtf? (oh and in the last .5 miles i tried to hold a strong pace, and i didn't hurt myself but i did come really close to pukking.)
anyway i got home. when i came in the door the dog was like YAY YOU'RE HOME and the gentleman was like are you too hot, do you need to stand in front of this fan, and i was like no, thanks, needgatoradeyogamatstretchinglegscrampsofdoom. and the cramps lasted like... 20 minutes. it was a baaaaad 20 minutes. but then i got it together and had a shower and some protein and stuff, and i'm wearing compression calf things and really, what was all that complaining about?
i'm a little confused about this cramping business, independent of being troubled by what it bodes. i THOUGHT i was hydrating and fueling (these are pompous verbs, i'm sorry) well, with my new handheld water bottle thingy (which is annoying but still better than every alternative) filled with nuun, and my little chewy things and my dried apricots for the last 5 miles. but i feel like maybe i'm a (TMI) saltier sweat-er than i might be, and so more electrolytes might be necessary? it also occurs to me that due to the hamstring injury business i've been quite careful with my lower leg strength training and especially taking it easy on the backs of the legs, so they could well be getting exhausted earlier than usual... (the sports med literature seems to be divided as to whether long run cramping comes from lack of sodium/stuff, straight dehydration or muscle fatigue, or some combo thereof.)
of course the bigger problem (to address the elephant i hear clearing his throat over by the couch, yeah i see that you are here in the room, Mr. Tusks) is that i have 6 weeks before i am purportedly running 10 more miles. let's just say when i came home today i could not have run 10 more miles. like: lassie says little billy is stuck in the well? great, send someone else. i'm late to catch a flight? eh, there'll be another one tomorrow. the house is on fire? let's think of it like a sauna. ... i wasn't very excited about a bunch more moving around, is my point.
and so of course i will admit to considerable nay-saying on the run home. 'what are you thinking?! you can't run a damn marathon?! you're a half marathon runner being a big idiot. why kill yourself to run two in a row? who does that? you don't come from a family of kenyan whippets, and there is no need for this behaviour. just lie down in that grass and call the gentleman to come pick you up in the car bearing chocolate croissants'. it was all very Blergh ... which is odd, because i don't usually get that kind of mental crazy in the moment, when i run. i get 'this is too hard, i can't do this right now ', but i don't usually get 'you are a big phony about this whole thing', and that's not a shift in perspective i was aiming for.
anyway, let's end this on a reasonably reasonable note. today i ran the third longest distance i've ever run, and i did the full amount i said i would do (more, actually, since 15 miles was the proscribed amount) and i don't think i made any injuries worse, and it only took me half an hour to feel human again afterwards. and those combined are an achievement, and i will not dwell on what this means for october 20th. i will trust in the plan-like thing i have, and i will get to wherever i get to, one melodramatic stumblecramp at a time.
p.s. i met two different colleagues for the first time on the trails today. and yes, i looked and felt my most professional; i believe in the second instance i was blowing my nose on my shirt at the precise instant she appeared.
it would be foolish to say i nailed it. also it would be false. but i think it's also safe to say i didn't actually get nailed.
the overall approach was, i think, a good one. a partner in trail crime and i drove to a set of looping trails by a nearby lake. the full loop takes about 3.5 miles. so we ran the loop twice. then we did a little dirt road running out of the woods and near the lake. then it had been nearly 10 miles. and it's 5.5 miles home from there, so i turned on my ipod and ran home.
the good news, let's start with the big things, is that my left hamstring/calf/back of knee wonkiness was never a problem, and also i didn't die. it was sunny but really gorgeous weather, so i definitely didn't overheat. and i don't think i'll have difficulty walking tomorrow or anything (er WE WILL SEE. there will be yoga.) actually, with respect to the previous injury business, i actually came up with a guess on thursday's run that i feel was vindicated today, so i'm going to write a separate post to remind myself about that later.
and i also think that the fact that 7 miles and change were on those trails matters -- they aren't steep or technical, but there's a lot of sand (harder to run) and gentle up and downs, and you keep having to pick up your feet for roots, so overall it slows you down a lot, and it also takes more effort. the fact that my pace over the miles was something like 10:20 should give you an indication of this, particularly when the last 6 were all but one between 9:30-9:50.
the less good news: the last 3 miles were not good. at some point around mile 11.5, i was worried i might start hurting my left leg (hint: i don't think i was), so i thought i'd walk a bit and then run again. i did that twice, but it apparently ANGERED the running gods, because i stopped to walk just because i had to, waiting for a light, at mile 13.5, and the back of my legs, hams and calves alike, announced that they were throwing a CRAMP PARTY and YOU ARE INVITED! it was tremendously unpleasant, and the thing is stretching didn't really seem to be what they wanted. what they wanted was that i not stop running. just run slowly. but you can't just run slowly! that hurts too! ... so, the last two miles were kind of death shuffly (although miraculously my pace wasn't too much slower, odd) and then a little bit of walking OW OW OW and then more shuffling. at 15.5 miles, i was two blocks from home, so i tried to briskly walk those and it was not comfortable. i started jogging again just to get home quicker, but again found that they actually cramped less that way. wtf? (oh and in the last .5 miles i tried to hold a strong pace, and i didn't hurt myself but i did come really close to pukking.)
anyway i got home. when i came in the door the dog was like YAY YOU'RE HOME and the gentleman was like are you too hot, do you need to stand in front of this fan, and i was like no, thanks, needgatoradeyogamatstretchinglegscrampsofdoom. and the cramps lasted like... 20 minutes. it was a baaaaad 20 minutes. but then i got it together and had a shower and some protein and stuff, and i'm wearing compression calf things and really, what was all that complaining about?
i'm a little confused about this cramping business, independent of being troubled by what it bodes. i THOUGHT i was hydrating and fueling (these are pompous verbs, i'm sorry) well, with my new handheld water bottle thingy (which is annoying but still better than every alternative) filled with nuun, and my little chewy things and my dried apricots for the last 5 miles. but i feel like maybe i'm a (TMI) saltier sweat-er than i might be, and so more electrolytes might be necessary? it also occurs to me that due to the hamstring injury business i've been quite careful with my lower leg strength training and especially taking it easy on the backs of the legs, so they could well be getting exhausted earlier than usual... (the sports med literature seems to be divided as to whether long run cramping comes from lack of sodium/stuff, straight dehydration or muscle fatigue, or some combo thereof.)
of course the bigger problem (to address the elephant i hear clearing his throat over by the couch, yeah i see that you are here in the room, Mr. Tusks) is that i have 6 weeks before i am purportedly running 10 more miles. let's just say when i came home today i could not have run 10 more miles. like: lassie says little billy is stuck in the well? great, send someone else. i'm late to catch a flight? eh, there'll be another one tomorrow. the house is on fire? let's think of it like a sauna. ... i wasn't very excited about a bunch more moving around, is my point.
and so of course i will admit to considerable nay-saying on the run home. 'what are you thinking?! you can't run a damn marathon?! you're a half marathon runner being a big idiot. why kill yourself to run two in a row? who does that? you don't come from a family of kenyan whippets, and there is no need for this behaviour. just lie down in that grass and call the gentleman to come pick you up in the car bearing chocolate croissants'. it was all very Blergh ... which is odd, because i don't usually get that kind of mental crazy in the moment, when i run. i get 'this is too hard, i can't do this right now ', but i don't usually get 'you are a big phony about this whole thing', and that's not a shift in perspective i was aiming for.
anyway, let's end this on a reasonably reasonable note. today i ran the third longest distance i've ever run, and i did the full amount i said i would do (more, actually, since 15 miles was the proscribed amount) and i don't think i made any injuries worse, and it only took me half an hour to feel human again afterwards. and those combined are an achievement, and i will not dwell on what this means for october 20th. i will trust in the plan-like thing i have, and i will get to wherever i get to, one melodramatic stumblecramp at a time.
p.s. i met two different colleagues for the first time on the trails today. and yes, i looked and felt my most professional; i believe in the second instance i was blowing my nose on my shirt at the precise instant she appeared.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
more evidence of crazy making
i'm feeling fine, crosstrained good today, 5 miles tomorrow morning, no panicking.
but tonight, i'm getting a little work done, and it's going really slowly, so i start letting myself read running websites beyond the Proscribed Times (i had to get a grip, so there are now proscribed times: only allowed to read anything online about running either (1) last thing before bed, after laptop is closed, while brushing teeth etc., or (2) during breakfast, and not once first cup of coffee is finished.) (except when i'm on holiday.) (but i'm NOT on holiday now!)
so, right. 20 minutes of distraction later, i'm seriously contemplating buying a super wicking SILK top that people say is SO GOOD and comfortable bla bla bla, and is a mere 60 dollars. for a silk running tank.
mad-fucking-ness.
am closing tabs at lightning speed before i get sucked any further in. really, really, i promise. ugh.
but tonight, i'm getting a little work done, and it's going really slowly, so i start letting myself read running websites beyond the Proscribed Times (i had to get a grip, so there are now proscribed times: only allowed to read anything online about running either (1) last thing before bed, after laptop is closed, while brushing teeth etc., or (2) during breakfast, and not once first cup of coffee is finished.) (except when i'm on holiday.) (but i'm NOT on holiday now!)
so, right. 20 minutes of distraction later, i'm seriously contemplating buying a super wicking SILK top that people say is SO GOOD and comfortable bla bla bla, and is a mere 60 dollars. for a silk running tank.
mad-fucking-ness.
am closing tabs at lightning speed before i get sucked any further in. really, really, i promise. ugh.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
further progress!
this morning was the first time in almost two weeks i think that i kind of did what my training plan said to do! this should not be impressive, but it is.
also 'morning' was at noon. shut up, i'm a very important person.
anyway the plan said speedwork: 8 x 800 meters. meaning, 8 half mile repeats. so 4 miles total. well, i did definitely run 4 miles total, with a warm and cooldown in addition.
the ways in which it was awesome and means i can totally run a marathon is that it didn't hurt in any of the ways it did before and i did it all happy easy peasy lemon squeasy and so on.
the ways in which it was suspect is that what i did was run 4 miles straight, and hardly at a speedwork pace. you will recall that upon returning to running post the dread hamstring racing incident, i found that 9:30 was my top speed without pain? well, todays miles were 9:30, 9:15, 9:10 and 8:45. for the first two, i ran evenly the whole time; for the last two, those numbers reflect averages because i ran faster in the middle half of each mile -- but i didn't watch my watch, just tried to move a little faster and a little faster, easing into it and being so insanely attuned to whether there was going to be pain. i am STILL WORRIED about the potential for pain.
the funny thing is that actually i *was* hurting, but in a completely different and ridiculous way. i did something to some tendony thing at the back of both of my legs yesterday, but it was from my *desk chair* being at the wrong height and me not noticing until 5 hours of being engrossed in a writing project. yes, i'm a moron. anyway, that's stupid and problem fixed now; the pain is going away and nothing came of it during the run, it was just there reminding me i don't know how to SIT, and if sitting is an advanced activity for you, who says you can run a marathon?!?
yeah, morale is still a bit of an issue.
but! but, but. i'm getting there. i will keep on trucking as planned until the weekend, and then on saturday or sunday there is the test of tests: 15 miles! i'm going to get a buddy for about the first 10 miles, and then finish it off myself. if i have any crises or epiphanies before then, i'll come whimper at you. if not, i'll let you know how Project Long Run Redemption goes.
also 'morning' was at noon. shut up, i'm a very important person.
anyway the plan said speedwork: 8 x 800 meters. meaning, 8 half mile repeats. so 4 miles total. well, i did definitely run 4 miles total, with a warm and cooldown in addition.
the ways in which it was awesome and means i can totally run a marathon is that it didn't hurt in any of the ways it did before and i did it all happy easy peasy lemon squeasy and so on.
the ways in which it was suspect is that what i did was run 4 miles straight, and hardly at a speedwork pace. you will recall that upon returning to running post the dread hamstring racing incident, i found that 9:30 was my top speed without pain? well, todays miles were 9:30, 9:15, 9:10 and 8:45. for the first two, i ran evenly the whole time; for the last two, those numbers reflect averages because i ran faster in the middle half of each mile -- but i didn't watch my watch, just tried to move a little faster and a little faster, easing into it and being so insanely attuned to whether there was going to be pain. i am STILL WORRIED about the potential for pain.
the funny thing is that actually i *was* hurting, but in a completely different and ridiculous way. i did something to some tendony thing at the back of both of my legs yesterday, but it was from my *desk chair* being at the wrong height and me not noticing until 5 hours of being engrossed in a writing project. yes, i'm a moron. anyway, that's stupid and problem fixed now; the pain is going away and nothing came of it during the run, it was just there reminding me i don't know how to SIT, and if sitting is an advanced activity for you, who says you can run a marathon?!?
yeah, morale is still a bit of an issue.
but! but, but. i'm getting there. i will keep on trucking as planned until the weekend, and then on saturday or sunday there is the test of tests: 15 miles! i'm going to get a buddy for about the first 10 miles, and then finish it off myself. if i have any crises or epiphanies before then, i'll come whimper at you. if not, i'll let you know how Project Long Run Redemption goes.
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