16 Long miles

Last Saturday I did 8x400 meter repeats and then finished with 2x200 meter repeats.  It was a good workout.  Unfortunately, that was the last time I was able to run before today.  I had hoped to get 17 miles in.  As it turned out, I was only able to do 16 miles, and the last 4 were a grind.  I don't know if it was because I haven't been getting much sleep or not.  I woke up today and ate a piece of wheat bread with some water.  I then headed out to run.  I didn't have any gels this time and I sure missed them.  At the 9 mile mark, I was thinking that I could use a gel, and after 12 miles, I knew I should have brought some.  Miles 13-16 were such a grind.  My fingers were tingling and felt like they were going numb.  My heart rate was a steady 178.  I got through it and my legs hurt.  They really hurt--they felt like they did after the last marathon I ran.  This run was the complete opposite of the one I did 2 weeks ago when I felt like I could have run forever.  I couldn't have gone much further today.  Hopefully next weeks long run will be better.   

Hot

Well, the week isn't going as well as I had hoped.  Today was my first opportunity to get a run in.  I figured an easy 3 miles would be good, so I set out around 12:30 or 1:00.  I figured it would be warm, but didn't realize that it was really hot and a little windy at times.  The temperature was in the 90's during this run and I felt it.  It took me 27:16 and turned into a mini mental struggle to keep running near the end.  I had forgotten how much the heat takes out of you.  With this in mind, I'm now concerned over how my 200 meter repeats are going to turn out.  I'm going to try and get them in Friday or Saturday. 
 

Successful Saturday

I went to the Y on Saturday and ran 15 miles on the treadmill.  It was one of those runs where everything clicks.  I felt as fresh after 10 miles as I did when I started.  I used the Hammer Chocolate gel at mile 5.  It tasted like a thick chocolate pudding.  I enjoyed it.  I really noticed it kick in towards the end of mile 7--all of a sudden, I became really alert and felt good.  I used another Hammer Unflavored gel at mile 10.  I thought it tasted like a muted vanilla.  It was also good and took about 18 minutes to kick in.  As far as the gels go, I'll be getting more of the Hammer Chocolate ones for future runs.
This was one of those days where I felt like I could have kept running forever.  I only stopped because of time constraints.  After 15 miles, I still felt really good.  I ran the first 10 miles at 9:40 per mile.  For miles 11 and 12, I increased the pace to 9:22 per mile.  Miles 13-14 were back at 9:40 pace.  I finished the last mile in 9:30.  I ran the entire 15 miles without stopping.  I'm hoping to be able to run 30 miles without stopping.  When I can do that, I think I'll be ready for a 50 mile race.

The achilles tendon flared up a couple times in the first 8 miles, but I made adjustments and it stayed calm for most of the run.  I'm using Kinesio Tex Tape on my balky achilles.  It's too early to tell if it really works, but so far the results are good.  My achilles feels better than it has in quite a while.  It was a little tender after the run, but not the usual piano wire tautness I've been used to. 

I'm thinking about doing some 200 meter repeats during the week, but that'll depend on my schedule.  I'm not sure how much time I'll have because my Master's program begins Monday.  Like everything else, I'll adapt and figure something out. 

A Rough 10 Miles

Here's a recap of the week.  Last Tuesday, I decided to do some speed work.  I settled on a 5k.  I went to the YMCA and warmed up with 1.5 miles.  The first mile of the 5k was done in 7:38.  I felt good, but wanted to hold back so I didn't blow it in the end.  I sped up mile 2, and finished it in 7:24.  Entering mile 3, I told myself that I would go faster and then try to hammer the last 800 meters.  Mile 3 was done in 6:58.  This wasn't exactly how I had planned it.  I felt okay after 2 miles, but after 2.5 miles, I was gassed.  There was no increase in pace for the last 800 meters--I just held on and maintained.  I was pretty happy until I realized that I still had .1 miles to go to finish the 5k.  After finishing the 3 miles, I was able to lower the pace to 6:52 for the last .1 miles.  Final time for the 5k was 22:18.  Not too bad.  Actually, that was my best 5k time of the year. 

I figured I would take a few days off and then do a long run of 16 miles on Friday.  Friday came and I was really tired.  Some of my kids have been sick and I really wanted to avoid getting sick too.  I opted to sleep in and hopefully build my immune system up.  Saturday came and went.  I was still really tired.  Sunday and Monday were the same.  I knew that I had a meeting at 12:45 today, so I would have time in the morning to get in my long run.  I put the kids on the bus and headed back to the sand river.  I got there at 8:00 and the temps were already in the 60's.  I was prepared for the heat this time.  I brought my Camelbak, handheld water bottle and put two 16.9 oz. bottles in the backpack.  Another difference from the last 14 mile run was that I didn't do it on a completely empty stomach.  This time, I ate a piece of raisin bread before heading over there.  I also used sunscreen and chapstick with spf 15.  I also brought some Hammer gels.  Last time, I didn't bring any of this stuff and paid the price. 

I set out on the run and after around 400 meters, I notice the weight of the Camelbak with all the extra water bottles and stuff in there.  It was digging into my shoulders and felt really heavy.  I ignored it.  I figured the weight would lessen as I drank the fluids.  The fist 2.5 miles felt pretty fast.  I should have slowed myself down, but I was a little concerned about getting back home in time to get ready before my meeting. 

At mile 3.86, a big problem came out of nowhere.  My stomach started feeling funny, and before I knew it I was dry heaving while running.  Yes, I take some pride in the fact that I didn't stop moving to vomit.  Because there wasn't anything in my stomach, nothing came out.  My stomach contracted around 5 or 6 times in anger, but it had no success.  This got me really concerned.  I've never had this problem before.  I didn't know if I needed more water or less.  Not knowing what to do, I kept moving forward.  After another half mile or so, I began to feel slightly better.  Right around 4 miles, I was running a hill and felt my calf muscle yell at me.  Like a barking dog, I hoped it would just go away if I ignored it.  I ignored it, but it didn't go away.  I decided to turn around after 5 miles hoping that I could lighten my load back at the car and continue on.  After 6 or 7 miles, I knew I wasn't doing any more than I had to and that was 10 miles.  Today's 10 miles was done in 1:36:39.  All in all, a disappointing run.  Some days, you just don't have "it".  I don't know what to do about the calf problem.  Maybe it was due to my carrying such a heavy load.  My posture wasn't as upright as usual.  I actually noticed myself leaning forward quite often.  I'll rest a little and see if it comes back.  I'll make more adjustments to the load I carry for the next long run.  Hopefully, I can try it again on Friday or Saturday.         

Rillito River Run

It's been a while since I last wrote anything, and that's because I've been trying to figure out what direction my training should take as well as dealing with what I called the unholy trinity of pain. As far as direction goes, I have settled upon distance over speed. Once I get my long runs in the 20 mile range, I'll think about doing some speedwork. After my 13 mile run and 6 mile hill workout two weeks ago, my right hip, achilles tendon, and plantar fascia forced me to rest and seek out some kind of treatment. Last week, I logged a whopping 3 miles. The good news is that the hip and plantar fasciitis seem to be okay for now. The achilles tendon is still delicate, but the research I did says that the culprit for this pain is the hill workout that I did.

I did two short 3 mile runs on Monday and Tuesday. I rested on Wednesday and, because of a potentially busy weekend, decided to give a long run a try today. I decided to run along the Rillito river--a route that I read about from other runners here in town. I arrived at my destination at 10:00 am and stretched very lightly before setting off for what I was hoping would be a 14 mile run.  The temperature was in the low 70's, but the winds were really blowing. 

I set off alongside the tall green trees while looking at the skies reflection on the gently flowing water.  Umm, no.  This is someone else's reality.

I live in Tucson.  Here's what we call a river.  Unfortunately, and for at least another year, this is my reality.

I've been looking at ultra running sites and really feel the itch to try a 50 mile race.  One of the tips the ultra runners consistently gave was to walk the hills.  I figured I'd give it a try, but couldn't pull the trigger early on.  I was afraid that my body and mind would get used to walking and start to look for excuses to do it even when there wasn't a hill.  I waited until mile 4.5 to walk up a steep incline.  I did the same at mile 5.5.  I must say that my body felt pretty good after taking these walking breaks and so did my achilles tendon.  The problem came later when I was getting tired and saw a long steady incline ahead.  My body saw the incline and wanted to walk, but I overruled it.  You can't walk every incline and come out with any kind of decent time.  After that, I told myself that there would be no walking of inclines, but steep hills would be okay.

Not having run this route before, I had no idea how far or where it went.  When I started out, I took a right down the path only to discover that it dead ended after a mile so when I arrived back at the car, I had gone 2 miles.  I kept going and when I was coming up on 6 miles, I started wondering if I should turn back because I didn't want to outrun my water supply.  I was wearing my Camelbak which holds about 2 liters.  I figured that if I ran another mile further before turning around that when I got back to the car I would have 12 miles in the books and could decide whether or not to keep going.  That's what I did.  I turned around after 7 miles and headed back to the car.  Just as I was coming up to mile 10, I noticed the toes of my right foot were telling me that they weren't happy.  At 10 miles, there happened to be a table just off the path so I stopped to take care of the toes.  Fortunately, I was carrying a bottle of Body Glide, so I took the sock off and lathered the toes.  I also drank the last of my water.  I forgot to mention that the temps had picked up and I had been running into a ferocious headwind since turning around.  I wasn't happy with myself for running out of water.  The car, with plenty of fluids, was a mere 2 miles away, but I had been conserving the water for quite awhile, so I was pretty thirsty.

I trudged on and after around a mile, saw a snake coming out of a hole in the ground on the side of the path.  The portion that was out of the hole was around 4 feet long.  I must say that I don't like snakes.  My wife says I have an irrational fear of them.  This is exactly the kind of scenario where runners get bit.  You're tired and thirsty and your concentration level is fading.  You don't pay as much attention to your surroundings when all of a sudden, you get too close and startle a snake you never saw.  Now you've been bit and have to determine if it was a rattlesnake or not.  I made it back to the car and downed around 60 ounces of fluids.  I then got back on the path and knocked out another 2 miles to hit my goal of 14 miles for the day.  I was pretty happy with the time--2:13:05--but even happier that my hip, achilles tendon, and plantar fasciitis seemed okay.

I was pretty stiff for a while, but went outside and shot a few baskets in the backyard to loosen up.  I still have to keep on eye on the achilles, but so far so good.

The 50 mile race I'm thinking about is the Old Pueblo 50 Mile. The 2011 race hasn't been announced yet, but I think it's held in early March in Sonoita, Arizona.


Click the link below to see the map and splits for today's run.
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Not A Fun Run

Today's run was the furthest of the year: 12 miles in 1:57:44. It took me about 4 miles to loosen up and start to feel good. The next 4 miles felt okay. The last 4 miles were tough. I battled negative thoughts
right from the start. Thoughts like: this doesn't feel too good, let's cut it short and it's really hot, there's no way we can do 11 miles. 11 miles was the goal for today, but lately I've been beating the mileage goal. It didn't help that the first half--6 miles--were all basically uphill. It also didn't help that I went out at 12:45. I think the temps were in the mid 70's, but it felt warmer.

I beat the excuses the same way I always do. I tell myself that the runs that are the most difficult to do are the ones that I gain the most benefit from. I've been dealing with allergies or a cold for the last week. I decided it was allergies so I wouldn't have an excuse not to run. This was the most physically difficult run of the comeback. Not only was it the longest, but the temps were not ideal which led to me feeling very thankful upon reaching my front door. If I could have gone further, it couldn't have been by much. This was not my typical enjoy the scenery and feeling type of run--this was a grind. The 13 mile mark is also where I've hurt myself in past training which caused me to shut it down. For now, I feel good. The feet feel better. I had to put vaseline on my toes before today's run due to their less than pleasant feeling over the last week.

I ran three days this week for a total of 26 miles. I don't plan on running tomorrow, but you never know.



Click the link below to see the stats and map of today's run.
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Tarahumara Frank?

I took a day off yesterday after Sunday's 10 miler, but decided to get out there today for an easy 5 miles.  I ended up going 8 miles today in 1:15:02, and it felt great.

I finished Born To Run last night.  I thought it was a great book--especially the chapters devoted to actual racing.  The arguments for the less is more approach to running shoes was made pretty well.  I'm not about to go barefoot, but I'm not at all averse to trying to strengthen my feet.  I walked barefoot around my backyard for about five minutes.  Having battled plantar fasciitis, I'll try just about anything.  I think my method of Ibuprofen, icing, stretching the ligament with a water bottle, taping and finally elevating the feet after each run is working.  I didn't feel any worse after Sunday's 10 miles than I did after today's run.

One thing I thought sounded really reasonable was how the running styles of the Tarahumara Indians and Scott Jurek were described--backs straight, heads up, arms up high and each foot strike and push off occurring behind the body so that the center of gravity of the body is actually behind the runner.  You may recall that I've been trying to shorten my stride to be less of a heel striker.

I tried this style out today and felt really comfortable with it.  With the back really straight, it makes it nearly impossible to extend your leg out too far and heel strike.  If you tried to heel strike with a straight back, you'd look like a goose stepping Nazi.  I noticed that my stride was much shorter and that my feet really did seem to be striking the ground behind me.  The great part about this was that I became a natural mid to forefoot striker in this style, and it felt comfortable.  Every so often, I unconsciously reverted back to my old style and was leaning forward.  For a while, I had to take assessments of my posture to be sure it was straight, and, for the most part, it was.  I didn't have any problems until I hit 4 miles.  My achilles heel flared up a little, so I concentrated more on my posture, and everything cleared up within a few steps.  I hit a rhythm and started thinking about other things around mile 5.5.  I was just running without thinking and before I noticed what happened, I hit the 7 mile mark.  I felt so good that I figured I'd do one more.  I would have done more, but I only had an hour and a half window.

I'm really excited to get back out and try this new form again.  My body feels strong.  Hopefully, my foot is healing.  My only dilemma is wondering whether to keep going with these longer runs or take them down a notch.  20 miles is my highest mileage for a week this year.  If I keep this up, I'll smash that by a good 50%.  I guess tomorrow will tell.  If I wake up and everything feels good, then I'll probably head out for 5 miles or so.  What a joy it is to finally get close to where I was before injuring myself.  As far as speed and endurance are concerned,  I'm not where I was, but I'm getting really close.

Click the link to see today's map and stats: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/28494365