RUN 10 miles in 1:36, 9:36m/m
This is it! The last long run going into Potawatomi! And it's "only" 10 miles.
I've been suffering a bit of taper sludge the last few days and kept thinking that a nice fast blow-out run would clear the carbon off the spark plugs. But since it's probably not a good idea to be doing something stupid like that, and because my last few runs were poorly scheduled, I'm not sure it will happen.
And I needed some confidence after two weeks of foot pain and sludge. I trimmed the orthotic more aggressively this morning then ran briefly with Sugar. It still bothered me! Trimmed it a bit more, then felt the discomfort while driving to CCP. I had the scissors with me, trimmed it even more! The whole time worried about trimming it so much it didn't work anymore! I again brought the blank insole with me and we took off. It was the first time I'd seen TH since the Green Rock run 2 weekends ago. So much happened since then!
My foot discomfort thankfully faded in a few tenths of a mile and we ran at a steady pace for the 10 miles. Not much talk about the upcoming race, surprisingly we talked more about ironman racing this summer!!!!! OMG for real?!?!? She texted yesterday about registering for IML, and that got the ball rolling. It's so easy to convince yourself that IM training is easy when you are tapering.
But wasn't I just oogling the TriFuel Ultra plan a few days ago? Haha! So I can't blame her. Oh so tempting. When she first mentioned it, I thought I was safe from registering myself--I'd happily sherpa. But this morning it turned into a "me too" type of thinking. Not necessarily for IML (so $$$) but maybe Sandusky?
And in another sign, the check I gave her as payment for the hotels was #1406.
Oh dear god what are we thinking?!
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Thursday, March 28, 2013
What dehydrated feels like
RUN 6 miles in 57:45, 9:38 m/m
Another afternoon run. I needed to be at work early so I missed the group run and moved my plans to mid-morning or lunch. Then I missed those times and ended up leaving work around 3:30 (I do love the early-in, early-out days) and running at 5pm.
As per usual, my afternoon run was tough. I've thought about what makes my afternoon runs so difficult, and I can think of a few things. First off, my hydration suffers on some days. I'm always better hydrated in the mornings. Second, my nutrition is off and I don't each much in the way of carbs at lunch. It's no wonder I'm dizzy hungry in the afternoons. Third, sitting around for most or part of the day leaves my legs a little swollen and stiff. So they are like lead in the first few miles.
Today's run almost didn't happen. On the drive home I contemplated a bike ride and tried to justify it by using the "I'm sick feeling and tired" excuse. But I convinced myself that the run would be more satisfying. So I left the dog behind (that was another excuse for staying home on the bike) and took off for a TGP loop.
I started in the Adrenaline 13's with the orthotics, but within the first quarter mile the discomfort was too much. Yes I could suck it up, but No it's not a good idea with the race just 9 days away. Luckily I had my blank insoles with me--I'd stuffed them in the back of my tights. Swapped out just the right one, moved the unused soles to my sleeve so they didn't keep riding down my butt, and took off. I knew my foot would be hurting from the lack of orthotic by 35-40 mins and that wasn't encouraging.
But the run went on, even if it maybe shouldn't have. At one point I nearly rolled my left ankle making a turn on gravel. Then I nearly stepped wrong on it again. I felt like I was running uphill the entire time, or like the air was thin and I just couldn't get my breath. If my HRM would have been with me, I'm sure the HR would have been high, even though I was holding a super comfy pace.
When my leg muscles started to get that old familiar feeling--a light burn and tight stiffness--I knew what the problem was. And it's not like I just suddenly realized it, I knew all along but wouldn't admit it. I was dehydrated. I knew this feeling from other races and runs. My hydration has been so much improved in the last 6 months that I haven't suffered this in some time. So while this run wasn't fun, it was a good reminder of just how much it can suck to be low on water.
Why is it so hard for me to keep drinking at work?
Another afternoon run. I needed to be at work early so I missed the group run and moved my plans to mid-morning or lunch. Then I missed those times and ended up leaving work around 3:30 (I do love the early-in, early-out days) and running at 5pm.
As per usual, my afternoon run was tough. I've thought about what makes my afternoon runs so difficult, and I can think of a few things. First off, my hydration suffers on some days. I'm always better hydrated in the mornings. Second, my nutrition is off and I don't each much in the way of carbs at lunch. It's no wonder I'm dizzy hungry in the afternoons. Third, sitting around for most or part of the day leaves my legs a little swollen and stiff. So they are like lead in the first few miles.
Today's run almost didn't happen. On the drive home I contemplated a bike ride and tried to justify it by using the "I'm sick feeling and tired" excuse. But I convinced myself that the run would be more satisfying. So I left the dog behind (that was another excuse for staying home on the bike) and took off for a TGP loop.
I started in the Adrenaline 13's with the orthotics, but within the first quarter mile the discomfort was too much. Yes I could suck it up, but No it's not a good idea with the race just 9 days away. Luckily I had my blank insoles with me--I'd stuffed them in the back of my tights. Swapped out just the right one, moved the unused soles to my sleeve so they didn't keep riding down my butt, and took off. I knew my foot would be hurting from the lack of orthotic by 35-40 mins and that wasn't encouraging.
But the run went on, even if it maybe shouldn't have. At one point I nearly rolled my left ankle making a turn on gravel. Then I nearly stepped wrong on it again. I felt like I was running uphill the entire time, or like the air was thin and I just couldn't get my breath. If my HRM would have been with me, I'm sure the HR would have been high, even though I was holding a super comfy pace.
When my leg muscles started to get that old familiar feeling--a light burn and tight stiffness--I knew what the problem was. And it's not like I just suddenly realized it, I knew all along but wouldn't admit it. I was dehydrated. I knew this feeling from other races and runs. My hydration has been so much improved in the last 6 months that I haven't suffered this in some time. So while this run wasn't fun, it was a good reminder of just how much it can suck to be low on water.
Why is it so hard for me to keep drinking at work?
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Bike and run, a TAD? And my 500 run!
BIKE 30 mins and 9 miles
RUN 41 mins and 4.4 miles
No it's not really a TAD, but it's fun to thing about doing those again this summer!
The run was a highlight! Even though I was tired and as bad as I run in the afternoons, this one was special--it was my 500 mile run! I crossed the 500 miles in 2013 threshold! Last year at this time, I was around 260 miles. I was also injured!
This run went from work to Forest Park, splish-splash through the puddles of melted snow. I ran in the Cascadia's but without the orthotic. That's still bothering me.
RUN 41 mins and 4.4 miles
No it's not really a TAD, but it's fun to thing about doing those again this summer!
The run was a highlight! Even though I was tired and as bad as I run in the afternoons, this one was special--it was my 500 mile run! I crossed the 500 miles in 2013 threshold! Last year at this time, I was around 260 miles. I was also injured!
This run went from work to Forest Park, splish-splash through the puddles of melted snow. I ran in the Cascadia's but without the orthotic. That's still bothering me.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Missed the run, biked instead
BIKE 15.5 miles in 50 mins.
Having a doggie now is disrupting my schedule. I started planning my day in half hour blocks to be more efficient, but sometimes I'm overly optimistic about how fast I can get things done, and waaaaay too optimistic on thinking about I can get stuff done when I'm hungry.
I pulled out the TriFuel Ultra plan and took the first two weeks as a guide for this week. I have the urge to keep Mooooving during this taper and why iron-type training sounds good I don't know why. I knew I wouldn't get to the swims, even though I wrote them into my scheduler.
So this bike followed the plan's 2 week introduction schedule: 20 mins easy, 20 mins harder, 10 mins CD.
I was supposed to run 4 miles, but once the day got started I just couldn't fit it in. Combined with how tired and hungry I am by the end of the day, no way I was going to enjoy a run. So I moved it to tomorrow.
Having a doggie now is disrupting my schedule. I started planning my day in half hour blocks to be more efficient, but sometimes I'm overly optimistic about how fast I can get things done, and waaaaay too optimistic on thinking about I can get stuff done when I'm hungry.
I pulled out the TriFuel Ultra plan and took the first two weeks as a guide for this week. I have the urge to keep Mooooving during this taper and why iron-type training sounds good I don't know why. I knew I wouldn't get to the swims, even though I wrote them into my scheduler.
So this bike followed the plan's 2 week introduction schedule: 20 mins easy, 20 mins harder, 10 mins CD.
I was supposed to run 4 miles, but once the day got started I just couldn't fit it in. Combined with how tired and hungry I am by the end of the day, no way I was going to enjoy a run. So I moved it to tomorrow.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Another Kinvara run
RUN 8 miles in 1:16 9:30m/m
Figuring my foot would still be hurting I ran again the Kinvaras. Did my right foot hurt from the orthotic? No. But did both of my feet hurt from lacking the orthotics? Yes.
It was a good run, aside from the worry about what 18 miles in one weekend in these shoes would do to my feet. Later that night one of the bones on the very outside of my left foot by my 5th toe hurt. Initiate Stress Fracture Stress Program!
But otherwise everything felt OK.
Figuring my foot would still be hurting I ran again the Kinvaras. Did my right foot hurt from the orthotic? No. But did both of my feet hurt from lacking the orthotics? Yes.
It was a good run, aside from the worry about what 18 miles in one weekend in these shoes would do to my feet. Later that night one of the bones on the very outside of my left foot by my 5th toe hurt. Initiate Stress Fracture Stress Program!
But otherwise everything felt OK.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Foot hurt, so ran in the Kinvaras
RUN 10 miles in about 1:35
I started out in the Adrenalines but just 0.48 in I was back at the house to change shoes. Even though I'd trim the outer edge of the orthotic, it still hurt. And after just a short distance, it hurt to even walk. I tried a little more, to see if my foot could relax, if I could find a good form, if I could just keep going.
But I didn't want to abort this run too, so I decided to go as far as I could in the Kinvaras. So far I'd only run 4-ish miles at a time in them, so this was a gamble. And it was trading one problem for another--without the orthotic my toes can go numb and hurt. I pushed aside my usual all-or-nothing way of thinking (I can only run 4 or 5 or 6...it doesn't have to be 0 or 10).
So out from the house again. It was a gorgeous day, high 30's if not low 40's, full sun, little wind. Let's ignore the big winter storm rolling in from the mountains.
In the end, my toes did hurt. It was kinda on then off again, as most pains are (excepting the stupid pain from my orthotic...) and didn't linger after the run at all. In fact, I felt pretty damned good after the run. No soreness, good energy, and more confident about whether this injury was gonna hold be back on the Fitty. I'm not fully happy and 100% confident, but at least I'm more confident.
I started out in the Adrenalines but just 0.48 in I was back at the house to change shoes. Even though I'd trim the outer edge of the orthotic, it still hurt. And after just a short distance, it hurt to even walk. I tried a little more, to see if my foot could relax, if I could find a good form, if I could just keep going.
But I didn't want to abort this run too, so I decided to go as far as I could in the Kinvaras. So far I'd only run 4-ish miles at a time in them, so this was a gamble. And it was trading one problem for another--without the orthotic my toes can go numb and hurt. I pushed aside my usual all-or-nothing way of thinking (I can only run 4 or 5 or 6...it doesn't have to be 0 or 10).
So out from the house again. It was a gorgeous day, high 30's if not low 40's, full sun, little wind. Let's ignore the big winter storm rolling in from the mountains.
In the end, my toes did hurt. It was kinda on then off again, as most pains are (excepting the stupid pain from my orthotic...) and didn't linger after the run at all. In fact, I felt pretty damned good after the run. No soreness, good energy, and more confident about whether this injury was gonna hold be back on the Fitty. I'm not fully happy and 100% confident, but at least I'm more confident.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Skipped another run
BIKE 1hr 19 miles
I didn't even try running today, I could feel the soreness in the foot and just went for the bike. The original plan was for a tready. I'm amused by the sacrifices I can make for an A race. From 28+ mile runs to completely resting it.
What is going on with the foot? It feels like a bruise, and luckily not an acute break/tear type of injury. Of course, that's just how it feels. It doesn't hurt to move the foot and flex the toes, it doesn't hurt for my hands to massage it, but it is definitely a sore spot. About a 2 out of 10 on the pain scale, in other words, pretty mild.
But on the nervous scale--more like a 7 out of 10. My big race is just over 2 weeks away and here I am nursing this little injury. Yet I'm pretty calm. I think about it, but don't agonize. I'm aware, but not sick about it. I also have a lot of trust learned last fall about being able to rest once the cardio base is in place. So just like the Redman to Glacial interval, I will rest again here in faith that I'm ready.
And my arms are sore from yesterday's short strength workout :) My abs aren't, or they aren't yet. I'm looking forward to getting back into strength training.
I didn't even try running today, I could feel the soreness in the foot and just went for the bike. The original plan was for a tready. I'm amused by the sacrifices I can make for an A race. From 28+ mile runs to completely resting it.
What is going on with the foot? It feels like a bruise, and luckily not an acute break/tear type of injury. Of course, that's just how it feels. It doesn't hurt to move the foot and flex the toes, it doesn't hurt for my hands to massage it, but it is definitely a sore spot. About a 2 out of 10 on the pain scale, in other words, pretty mild.
But on the nervous scale--more like a 7 out of 10. My big race is just over 2 weeks away and here I am nursing this little injury. Yet I'm pretty calm. I think about it, but don't agonize. I'm aware, but not sick about it. I also have a lot of trust learned last fall about being able to rest once the cardio base is in place. So just like the Redman to Glacial interval, I will rest again here in faith that I'm ready.
And my arms are sore from yesterday's short strength workout :) My abs aren't, or they aren't yet. I'm looking forward to getting back into strength training.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Run aborted!
RUN 0.24 miles in 2.5 mins
BIKE 19 miles in 1hr
Hoo boy. I put new orthotics into the blue Adrenaline 13's and the brand new green 13's Monday night. I tried running my 8 miler this morning and ow-ow-ow-ow-ow I couldn't do it. I got to the reservoir park and ended it. It even hurt to walk in those shoes. I did trim back the orthotic in these shoes before heading out the door, as even walking around the house was uncomfortable.
So I changed it up to do a 1:20 bike ride. I pushed the cadence up and tried to make it more of a workout, but after one hour I could feel strain in the left pes animus (same knee tendon injury from last year!) so I quit at 1hr.
Did 15 mins of abs and 10 mins of arms. Very unsatisfying morning. But it got better--Sugar came home today! Now I get 2x daily walkies!
Yesterday I was all gung-ho about adding onto my training to include tri specific training. With the foot pain (mild even as I sit here) I'm less gung-ho. But here's what was going through my head yesterday.
I've yet to select a triathlon for 2013. I've had thoughts about Route 66 in July and Branson in Sept. Both are half iron and would be easy training if I just wanted to enjoy them. With all my friends doing iron distance this year, I'll have no problem finding training partners for fun.
Then I had a crazy thought about just following the TriFuel Ultra plan just for funnsies. It would give me a loose structure to follow, I wouldn't pile on the hours and miles, but it would keep me interested.
As it is now, I'm not liking much how my body feels with the ultra running. My upper body is stiff and wasting away. My lower body is bulking up muscle and probably fat. I feel so unbalanced. Swimming sounds like a foreign concept. I've been looking at the P90X system as a way to get strength back on a schedule.
It all sounds so fun in the taper. But really--iron distance training? What's the carrot? Is fun enough? What's wrong with the EN HR plan for the half distance?
And what's wrong with just taking it easy in April and basking in the post-Fitty glory?
BIKE 19 miles in 1hr
Hoo boy. I put new orthotics into the blue Adrenaline 13's and the brand new green 13's Monday night. I tried running my 8 miler this morning and ow-ow-ow-ow-ow I couldn't do it. I got to the reservoir park and ended it. It even hurt to walk in those shoes. I did trim back the orthotic in these shoes before heading out the door, as even walking around the house was uncomfortable.
So I changed it up to do a 1:20 bike ride. I pushed the cadence up and tried to make it more of a workout, but after one hour I could feel strain in the left pes animus (same knee tendon injury from last year!) so I quit at 1hr.
Did 15 mins of abs and 10 mins of arms. Very unsatisfying morning. But it got better--Sugar came home today! Now I get 2x daily walkies!
Yesterday I was all gung-ho about adding onto my training to include tri specific training. With the foot pain (mild even as I sit here) I'm less gung-ho. But here's what was going through my head yesterday.
I've yet to select a triathlon for 2013. I've had thoughts about Route 66 in July and Branson in Sept. Both are half iron and would be easy training if I just wanted to enjoy them. With all my friends doing iron distance this year, I'll have no problem finding training partners for fun.
Then I had a crazy thought about just following the TriFuel Ultra plan just for funnsies. It would give me a loose structure to follow, I wouldn't pile on the hours and miles, but it would keep me interested.
As it is now, I'm not liking much how my body feels with the ultra running. My upper body is stiff and wasting away. My lower body is bulking up muscle and probably fat. I feel so unbalanced. Swimming sounds like a foreign concept. I've been looking at the P90X system as a way to get strength back on a schedule.
It all sounds so fun in the taper. But really--iron distance training? What's the carrot? Is fun enough? What's wrong with the EN HR plan for the half distance?
And what's wrong with just taking it easy in April and basking in the post-Fitty glory?
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Tuesday run
RUN 4 miles in about 38-39 mins
I ran in the Kinvaras today because of the pain in the right foot sole. It's right where my orthotic sits under the outer edge of the sole, on the lateral side. I'm guessing that the lugs in the Cascadia's change how the orthotic fits under my foot, and that I need to trim it back to keep this from happening.
It still hurt in the Kinvaras, but I did it anyway. Walking is OK.
Pulled out a few triathlon training plans this afternoon. What am I thinking?!
I ran in the Kinvaras today because of the pain in the right foot sole. It's right where my orthotic sits under the outer edge of the sole, on the lateral side. I'm guessing that the lugs in the Cascadia's change how the orthotic fits under my foot, and that I need to trim it back to keep this from happening.
It still hurt in the Kinvaras, but I did it anyway. Walking is OK.
Pulled out a few triathlon training plans this afternoon. What am I thinking?!
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Post 50K recovery
Treadmill: 0.3 miles in 5 mins, 0 incline
Elliptical: ?? miles in 15 mins, 0 climb and 0 resistance
Stretch: 15 mins of mostly being splayed out on the floor too tired.
I did want to run, and since my legs and feet seemed OK I was all for it. But I didn't want to run outdoors--sleet and rain overnight, the benefit of a soft deck, and the option to stop immediately was too good to turn down.
My first fear was that the blister on the medial side of my left foot would hurt too much, but in reality it was pain along the lateral side of my right foot that stopped me. I could walk in my slides or barefoot, but my running shoes hurt it, even just to walk. It was the orthotic! It had hurt on the trails, but not consistently. But it did hurt. And it still hurt today. So off the tready, over to the elliptical nearest DH.
Even that sucked. A woman a few ellipticals away was rocking fast intervals, but I just slowly plugged away with no resistance or incline. All I wanted was to flush out the legs, get them moving, and raise the heartrate. I barely broke a sweat. Bored after 15 mins, I hopped off to stretch out.
All day I was slow, but functioning and awake. We took a 2hr drive to Jeff City to meet Sugar, that did wonders for my legs! And not good wonders.
But really my problem is my stomach. Food goes down and stays down, but doesn't settle in nicely at all. I eat because I know I need it to rebuild and recover, and I've yet to throw it up so I have confidence that I'll hang on to whatever I take. But uh it's awful.
While shopping for Powerbars, I re-read the label and found it says "Oat Bran (contains wheat)". Say WHAT? I held off on buying them until I could read more. Turns out that it's more of a potential cross-contamination issue. And what if it did contain some wheat? I only eat these on super long runs and they don't seem to be bothering me.
Or are they? These symptoms don't match for me--I don't have cramps, pains, and the like. Besides, if eating 1-2 of the bars helped me finish a race like this, I think I'd be able to say "yeah go ahead and eat them". I think it's a fair trade. But then again I don't think these bars are my problem.
What is? Time for some research.
Elliptical: ?? miles in 15 mins, 0 climb and 0 resistance
Stretch: 15 mins of mostly being splayed out on the floor too tired.
I did want to run, and since my legs and feet seemed OK I was all for it. But I didn't want to run outdoors--sleet and rain overnight, the benefit of a soft deck, and the option to stop immediately was too good to turn down.
My first fear was that the blister on the medial side of my left foot would hurt too much, but in reality it was pain along the lateral side of my right foot that stopped me. I could walk in my slides or barefoot, but my running shoes hurt it, even just to walk. It was the orthotic! It had hurt on the trails, but not consistently. But it did hurt. And it still hurt today. So off the tready, over to the elliptical nearest DH.
Even that sucked. A woman a few ellipticals away was rocking fast intervals, but I just slowly plugged away with no resistance or incline. All I wanted was to flush out the legs, get them moving, and raise the heartrate. I barely broke a sweat. Bored after 15 mins, I hopped off to stretch out.
All day I was slow, but functioning and awake. We took a 2hr drive to Jeff City to meet Sugar, that did wonders for my legs! And not good wonders.
But really my problem is my stomach. Food goes down and stays down, but doesn't settle in nicely at all. I eat because I know I need it to rebuild and recover, and I've yet to throw it up so I have confidence that I'll hang on to whatever I take. But uh it's awful.
While shopping for Powerbars, I re-read the label and found it says "Oat Bran (contains wheat)". Say WHAT? I held off on buying them until I could read more. Turns out that it's more of a potential cross-contamination issue. And what if it did contain some wheat? I only eat these on super long runs and they don't seem to be bothering me.
Or are they? These symptoms don't match for me--I don't have cramps, pains, and the like. Besides, if eating 1-2 of the bars helped me finish a race like this, I think I'd be able to say "yeah go ahead and eat them". I think it's a fair trade. But then again I don't think these bars are my problem.
What is? Time for some research.
Saturday, March 16, 2013
50K on Green Rock Trail
RUN 8hrs and 31.6 miles on the full Green Rock Trail
Just over a 50K actually! It was planned to be a 28 miler but you know how these things go.
TH, BG, and TV and I started out running south. Gorgeous day but cloudy with the forecast showing cooler weather moving in later. TV would run ahead, he was warned of the drill (we have our pace and we're sticking to it) so he kindly (very kindly!) waited for us to catch up.
BG stopped around 10, we turned around a few miles later, and ended up back at the lot at 19.2 miles. TH had a sore hammie--I knew something was up because she got quiet and short-strided in the last few miles. Her new Hoka's were working for her too! (aside from the blisters she found later). So she was done at 19 miles :(
TV and I kept going, this time towards the north. His pace slowed a little while mine kept more or less steady on the ridiculously steep hills in this section. When the turn-around time came and went, and I realized I was going to be over mileage, my head started getting a bit weird. I wasn't worried about being able to cover this distance. I was somewhat worried about the chance for injury and fatigue. Mostly I was over-worried about the number, I was just fixated on it for a few minutes. I kept thinking, 28 is coming I'm supposed to be done. All mental.
And nutritional, I only had 4 gels left for 12 miles! BTW--the 45 min alarm worked awesome.
No injuries aside from a few blisters. The Cascadia 8's were wonderful, aside from some pains from the orthotics. But that alternated left to right and came and went, I couldn't nail it down. No problems, no pains, no cramps, no falls, no gear mishaps, all in all a great day. But it's what happens AFTER that gets me.
My stomach just decides that food isn't welcome for the next few days. Here I'm writing this on Monday, I ran this on Saturday, and my stomach is still remarkably unhappy. Whenever I eat, it's like the food sits ON my stomach instead of IN. I force myself to eat knowing I can't recover without it.
I'm looking forward to doing a trail run for fun, this run was conservative and careful. Would really SUCK to have something go wrong on the last long training run! Careful picking up and down hills, careful over rocks, careful all over.
I'm also impressed that in the last 5 weekends I've run at least a marathon distance! Isn't that amazing!? And not a single ache or pain to show for it, aside from a resistant stomach! I've always wondered what it would be like to be able to just pop off a 20-miler on any given weekend. Well, I'm there now.
Why don't I hurt? Is it just the conditioning, or is there something to the pace, hydration, and/or nutrition that is the magic here?
And what would it take to do a >26.2 on all St Louis trails? I've already done Chubb, L&C, Babler, and now GRT. What's left? Lost Valley, ..??
Just over a 50K actually! It was planned to be a 28 miler but you know how these things go.
TH, BG, and TV and I started out running south. Gorgeous day but cloudy with the forecast showing cooler weather moving in later. TV would run ahead, he was warned of the drill (we have our pace and we're sticking to it) so he kindly (very kindly!) waited for us to catch up.
BG stopped around 10, we turned around a few miles later, and ended up back at the lot at 19.2 miles. TH had a sore hammie--I knew something was up because she got quiet and short-strided in the last few miles. Her new Hoka's were working for her too! (aside from the blisters she found later). So she was done at 19 miles :(
TV and I kept going, this time towards the north. His pace slowed a little while mine kept more or less steady on the ridiculously steep hills in this section. When the turn-around time came and went, and I realized I was going to be over mileage, my head started getting a bit weird. I wasn't worried about being able to cover this distance. I was somewhat worried about the chance for injury and fatigue. Mostly I was over-worried about the number, I was just fixated on it for a few minutes. I kept thinking, 28 is coming I'm supposed to be done. All mental.
And nutritional, I only had 4 gels left for 12 miles! BTW--the 45 min alarm worked awesome.
No injuries aside from a few blisters. The Cascadia 8's were wonderful, aside from some pains from the orthotics. But that alternated left to right and came and went, I couldn't nail it down. No problems, no pains, no cramps, no falls, no gear mishaps, all in all a great day. But it's what happens AFTER that gets me.
My stomach just decides that food isn't welcome for the next few days. Here I'm writing this on Monday, I ran this on Saturday, and my stomach is still remarkably unhappy. Whenever I eat, it's like the food sits ON my stomach instead of IN. I force myself to eat knowing I can't recover without it.
I'm looking forward to doing a trail run for fun, this run was conservative and careful. Would really SUCK to have something go wrong on the last long training run! Careful picking up and down hills, careful over rocks, careful all over.
I'm also impressed that in the last 5 weekends I've run at least a marathon distance! Isn't that amazing!? And not a single ache or pain to show for it, aside from a resistant stomach! I've always wondered what it would be like to be able to just pop off a 20-miler on any given weekend. Well, I'm there now.
Why don't I hurt? Is it just the conditioning, or is there something to the pace, hydration, and/or nutrition that is the magic here?
And what would it take to do a >26.2 on all St Louis trails? I've already done Chubb, L&C, Babler, and now GRT. What's left? Lost Valley, ..??
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Tready Thursday
RUN 6.3 miles in 60 mins. treadmilled.
I was still too tired to run outdoors. The idea of a group run was most definitely out. Running the dark was out. Running in the cold...you get the idea.
I was still too tired to run outdoors. The idea of a group run was most definitely out. Running the dark was out. Running in the cold...you get the idea.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
12 looooong miles, hoo am I tired!
RUN 2:01 and 12.1 miles, I think a 10 m/m pace
I was not happy to see the temp this morning at 29F. Nor was I happy to see and hear a strong wind. So it was not with pleasure that I geared up to head out the door.
On the plus side, it was a sunny day. On the down side I have no sunglasses, having lost the Tifosi's at LBL and leaving my Rx glasses in someone else's car.
On the plus side, I had yesterday, the day before, and the day before that off. On the down side, my feets and legs still have sore spots.
On the plus side, there's plenty of parks in my area so I ran a 3 park run (BP, LSP, TGP) before arriving to work. On the down side, those areas are like an urban trail of bad sidewalks, curbs, garbage, and other trip hazards.
On the plus side, I did it and stuck it out. On the down side, I've felt like crap all day long.
I need carbs? I need water? I need rest?
I was not happy to see the temp this morning at 29F. Nor was I happy to see and hear a strong wind. So it was not with pleasure that I geared up to head out the door.
On the plus side, it was a sunny day. On the down side I have no sunglasses, having lost the Tifosi's at LBL and leaving my Rx glasses in someone else's car.
On the plus side, I had yesterday, the day before, and the day before that off. On the down side, my feets and legs still have sore spots.
On the plus side, there's plenty of parks in my area so I ran a 3 park run (BP, LSP, TGP) before arriving to work. On the down side, those areas are like an urban trail of bad sidewalks, curbs, garbage, and other trip hazards.
On the plus side, I did it and stuck it out. On the down side, I've felt like crap all day long.
I need carbs? I need water? I need rest?
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Ride instead of run
BIKE 1hr 18 miles indoors.
I wanted to run and was dressed to go, but when I pulled my running shoes on my feet complained with a little niggle of pain. It planted a seed of doubt I couldn't ignore. I was going to get the 4 miles in on a treadmill, but decided against it. No need to aggravate any foot pains and encourage injuries.
Today was like a normal day, like it never happened!
I wanted to run and was dressed to go, but when I pulled my running shoes on my feet complained with a little niggle of pain. It planted a seed of doubt I couldn't ignore. I was going to get the 4 miles in on a treadmill, but decided against it. No need to aggravate any foot pains and encourage injuries.
Today was like a normal day, like it never happened!
Monday, March 11, 2013
LBL recovery
Post race we were able to walk around and move, sore but not pained. But sleep was awful. Whether it was the caffeine or the post race high, we both suffered.
Sunday for the drive home, we were in analysis mode. In summary we both had the perfect day it seems. And it was quite the surprise to find that we were pretty good in terms of no injuries, blisters, and muscle soreness! I was on my feet for most of the rest of the day with only a few problems in the bottoms of my feet.
Monday was also great, like I never did the race!
Recovery nutrition was random on Sunday, I just let myself eat whatever worked. By Monday I was back to normal, if anything my appetite is running low afterwards.
What went so right? The pace, nutrition, and hydration. So much focus went into it, and it all paid off!
Sunday for the drive home, we were in analysis mode. In summary we both had the perfect day it seems. And it was quite the surprise to find that we were pretty good in terms of no injuries, blisters, and muscle soreness! I was on my feet for most of the rest of the day with only a few problems in the bottoms of my feet.
Monday was also great, like I never did the race!
Recovery nutrition was random on Sunday, I just let myself eat whatever worked. By Monday I was back to normal, if anything my appetite is running low afterwards.
What went so right? The pace, nutrition, and hydration. So much focus went into it, and it all paid off!
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Land Between The Lakes 60K Race Report
RUN 60K in 8hrs 48 mins, average pace of 14:30 ish min/mile. Ave HR 124 bpm.
Race start was 6:30am so we were up at 4:15. The last few long runs showed I was eating too much pre-run so today was only a lara bar and 2 poached eggs.
We dropped off our drop bags and hung out in the community center. I had a half a powerbar, while pushing away race anxiety. Everything felt good. What was I nervous about?
Packet pickup, race instructions, the race morning, and the start were all typical of my previous two ultras--minimalist and simple. So unlike triathlon, in which athletes are often fed through a machine of go-here do-that pre-race. We heard there were 900 runners for the races--a 10K, 23K, 26.2M, 60K, and 50M. The 10K peeps ran with us a few minutes, then the rest of us ran together on the trails with each increasing distance running an additional 11 mile loop. That meant for us 3 loops.
As we prepared for the start, we walked by the sailboats the Lighthouse Landing and laughed at the names. Typical prerace giddiness and happiness :) The field casually gathered, waited for the "gun", and took off in a quiet simple way!
The course: Just under 2 miles on a 2-lane road with a few slow hills to the trails. This section gave beautiful views of the sunrise over water and the canal. The 11 mile loop was a popular mountain bike trail so it was dirt with root, rock, and logs but not too much. The path was single track but wide, smooth, and mostly level. There were a number of minor creek crossings with a little mud, but nothing really wet or slick. The first half was relatively flat while the last half had the hills. Both ran along lakes (as in Land Between the Lakes!) and we had great views and light winds. This trail was remarkably different from what we trained on. This was dirt--soft and smooth. And really very nice on the feet!
Aid stations were 3-4 miles apart, and there were 3 in the loop and one at the drop bags. This made for an easy division of the loop into "quarters". Aid stations had the usual fare: bananas, oranges, trail mix, chips, Hammer gels, water, HEED, cookies, granola bars, candies. I didn't find much to eat at the stops until we found the big salted raisins from the trail mix.
It's not easy to summarize 9 hrs of running. But here goes.
Loop 1: All trail runners crowded the trail putting us into a train mostly dependent on the paces ahead of and behind us. I knew I wanted to walk more, but with people pushing behind me I felt the need to keep going even if it wasn't my expected pace. TH led out this loop. My race anxiety was kicking in again, giving me that "oh I'm too tired for this" feeling. I've had it before in races. It's like the weight of the day's potential is pushing me down, and it fades as the race progresses. I knew that if I kept moving it would fade. As the first AS, we stepped aside to let the train move through, and when we hopped back on we finally had our own space to run our pace. We settled in, moved through the loop smoothly and arrived back at the drop bag AS 3hrs into the race. The first loop seemed smooth and fast! Refill the Camelbak, biobreak, grab some apple chips from the drop bag along with more gel flavors, then off!
Loop 2: As we started loop 2, my race anxiety was gone. I had a layout of the course, we had a rhythm, and everything was feeling GREAT. The day was getting warmer so off with the beanie and gloves. Also off with the arm warmers--they were causing my fingers to swell. I led this loop and quickly noted a difference between my pace style and TH's. She's a metronome--straight and steady. I tend to walk quick hills and rooty areas and have more a speedup/down pattern. So when I led I kept wondering if TH was gonna run into me when I slowed. She didn't :) Now in the 2nd loop we had landmarks: the tent along the lake, the AS at the visitor's center, the rocky hill, the beautiful lake views, the meadows with tree frogs, the X wrong-way sign, the red tower, and more. They came and went, and soon enough we were back at the drop bag AS, about 5.5 hrs into the race. This was great news as it meant we came in 1hr and 45mins ahead of the cutoff to start the 3rd loop.
Loop 3: Started off with the realization that my sunglasses weren't on my hat like I thought they were! I quickly ran back to the drop bag AS to see if I could find them (and move my drop bag to the "finished" pile). I didn't find the, apologized to the timing guy who had to back my 2 passes out of the system, and caught up with TH who was walking until I caught up. In this loop, my long sleeved shirt came off and the fresh air felt great on my forearms. We kept our pace and rhythm in this loop, with me leading. We ran AS to AS, with TH reminding me of that when I started too look too far ahead into the race. I watched my Garmin for the 50K mark, after which every step we took was the farthest we'd ever run in one day. We just had to keep moving.
Last 2 miles: When we came into the drop bag AS for the last time, it was a wonderful feeling. We had less than 2 miles to go, and it was the 2 miles we were dreading. The idea of running miles 35-37 on pavement had us nervous, but I was surprised at how bad it wasn't. And pleased to see that TH, who had fallen back in pace in the 3rd loop, was rocking the pace on the inbound. She was way stronger than I was in this section and with her push I kept going when I wanted to walk. As we turned the last corner, she sighted the finish at the end of a line of orange cones. We cheered at seeing the clock--a sub 9!!As with everything else, it was a simple finish line with locals and specators high 5'ing us and cheering us on.
Post-finish: I knew from prerace calculations that things added up to 59K, not 60K. Earlier I'd resolved to walk any required distance to hit 60K. We did walk awhile, but after a while I just gave up. If I'd run a marathon and the Garmin said 26.1, I'd still log it as 26.2! So I stopped at 59.25km. We stopped into the community center the race was held at to change clothes, eat something, and grab our drop bags. I was surprised that I actually could eat food, usually post race or long run food sits like a rock and I feel sick. My peanut butter (peanut spread, really, ew but do what you gotta do) with my plantain chips and dates was a WONDERFUL post race treat.
Nutrition and Hydration: My nutrition centered around my EFS, Powerbars, and gels. I ate the other half of the prerace powerbar, then moved into sipping the EFS. In total I ate about 1400 calories: 2 powerbars (280), the EFS flask (400), sport beans (100), 3 gels (300), and about a quarter cup of raisins, a few cashews, and a bite of banana. That's it!? It seemed like too little but my post race analysis says otherwise. It was PERFECT. The 40 mins seemed to come too fast, might change it to 45 mins for the 50M. But the nudge to eat was one of the best ideas. Hydration might have been low for me, I wasn't peeing all that much. Maybe it was all in my poor swollen fingers! But as in practice I sipped water with each walk and whenever I saw TH take one. At the 3rd AS (about 4 miles) out I took a 2x caffeine gel as a boost. Earlier I'd eaten a 1X caffeine gel. The only thing I'll change is to do what I learned in practice but didn't employ here--EAT in the last few miles!! TH learned from me doing it and snuck in a caff gel at the last AS. I didn't and that's why she finished stronger than I did. Lesson learned!
Swimming: I know TH is a great swimmer, but she just can't resisted injecting some swimming into the run! In the first loop she lost some footing and butterfly'd her arms to regain balance. I'm amazed she hung on to it! In the 2nd loop she stumbled just before a creek and nearly dived in. In the 3rd loop, as we approached the same creek I pointed it out, only to hear her repeat the 2nd loop stumble! As much as I hate to laugh at someone stumbling, this was too funny.
The Shoes: The rule is nothing new on race day, and here I was running in the 8's after only about 9 miles of testing. Oh sure I was nervous. But these shoes performed awesome. The only hot spot was my usual inside the ball of the left foot (which was blister bandaid covered, as per practice). I snugged the laces after the first loop and this improved the slippy feel they had. The soles of my feet did start to hurt, but not a painful oh-my-god-I-gotta stop feeling. The 8's were a lucky hit. I think they'll be fine for the 50M. My soles might hurt, but they'll work.
The gear: I wore tights, BRR hat, BRR T, long sleeve shirt, the MarathonPro compression socks, the Camelbak, a beanie hat, long finger bike gloves, and the Club arm warmers. This was a perfectly layer-controlled system. The only thing I'll change is the arm warmers. As they did in a 26-er practice run at Lewis & Clark (but I wasn't sure I could blame the arm warmers then) they caused my hands to swell. I noticed that my fingers were difficult to flex in my gloves, and when I looked I was shocked to see fat puffy fingers! Wow were they swollen! TH said my arms were red and had lines from the arm warmers. So they are a NO for the 50M. Everything else is a GO, especially the shoes and compression socks.
The pace: We walked and stopped as needed and desired. AS stops took as long as needed. We kept moving and never had a OMG STOP moment. But we did what we needed and it was perfect. While the first few miles of the first loop didn't let us stop, once we got off the train the pace improved. I led the last two loops but would have been happy to trade off. TH slowed a little at the end and would fall back 10-30m. I wanted to run with her, and was happy to slow down to let her catch. Especially once I realized that when she did fall back, my focus wandered and I quit talking. I didn't just want to run with her, my run was better with her there. It not only gave me conversation, but thinking about her--pointing out roots and rocks, calling out creeks, listening to her footfalls, wondering if she was going to stop in time when I slowed--it all kept me alert. What will I do in the 50M if she falls back? I'm happy to wait.
50M: Sitting in the community center after the race, I overheard two runners talking about Potaw, the nickname for the upcoming Potawatomi. I introduced myself and learned they were running the 150 miles there! One who had run it before described it as constant hills, no flats, and last year--muddy. Hills so fast and steep that the mud left them unclimbable and undescendable. Another runner with a SLUG t-shirt said "oh man you picked Potow for your first 50?! Even I'm not that crazy!" Hoo boy.
Might come up with more later!
Race start was 6:30am so we were up at 4:15. The last few long runs showed I was eating too much pre-run so today was only a lara bar and 2 poached eggs.
We dropped off our drop bags and hung out in the community center. I had a half a powerbar, while pushing away race anxiety. Everything felt good. What was I nervous about?
Packet pickup, race instructions, the race morning, and the start were all typical of my previous two ultras--minimalist and simple. So unlike triathlon, in which athletes are often fed through a machine of go-here do-that pre-race. We heard there were 900 runners for the races--a 10K, 23K, 26.2M, 60K, and 50M. The 10K peeps ran with us a few minutes, then the rest of us ran together on the trails with each increasing distance running an additional 11 mile loop. That meant for us 3 loops.
As we prepared for the start, we walked by the sailboats the Lighthouse Landing and laughed at the names. Typical prerace giddiness and happiness :) The field casually gathered, waited for the "gun", and took off in a quiet simple way!
The course: Just under 2 miles on a 2-lane road with a few slow hills to the trails. This section gave beautiful views of the sunrise over water and the canal. The 11 mile loop was a popular mountain bike trail so it was dirt with root, rock, and logs but not too much. The path was single track but wide, smooth, and mostly level. There were a number of minor creek crossings with a little mud, but nothing really wet or slick. The first half was relatively flat while the last half had the hills. Both ran along lakes (as in Land Between the Lakes!) and we had great views and light winds. This trail was remarkably different from what we trained on. This was dirt--soft and smooth. And really very nice on the feet!
Aid stations were 3-4 miles apart, and there were 3 in the loop and one at the drop bags. This made for an easy division of the loop into "quarters". Aid stations had the usual fare: bananas, oranges, trail mix, chips, Hammer gels, water, HEED, cookies, granola bars, candies. I didn't find much to eat at the stops until we found the big salted raisins from the trail mix.
It's not easy to summarize 9 hrs of running. But here goes.
Loop 1: All trail runners crowded the trail putting us into a train mostly dependent on the paces ahead of and behind us. I knew I wanted to walk more, but with people pushing behind me I felt the need to keep going even if it wasn't my expected pace. TH led out this loop. My race anxiety was kicking in again, giving me that "oh I'm too tired for this" feeling. I've had it before in races. It's like the weight of the day's potential is pushing me down, and it fades as the race progresses. I knew that if I kept moving it would fade. As the first AS, we stepped aside to let the train move through, and when we hopped back on we finally had our own space to run our pace. We settled in, moved through the loop smoothly and arrived back at the drop bag AS 3hrs into the race. The first loop seemed smooth and fast! Refill the Camelbak, biobreak, grab some apple chips from the drop bag along with more gel flavors, then off!
Loop 2: As we started loop 2, my race anxiety was gone. I had a layout of the course, we had a rhythm, and everything was feeling GREAT. The day was getting warmer so off with the beanie and gloves. Also off with the arm warmers--they were causing my fingers to swell. I led this loop and quickly noted a difference between my pace style and TH's. She's a metronome--straight and steady. I tend to walk quick hills and rooty areas and have more a speedup/down pattern. So when I led I kept wondering if TH was gonna run into me when I slowed. She didn't :) Now in the 2nd loop we had landmarks: the tent along the lake, the AS at the visitor's center, the rocky hill, the beautiful lake views, the meadows with tree frogs, the X wrong-way sign, the red tower, and more. They came and went, and soon enough we were back at the drop bag AS, about 5.5 hrs into the race. This was great news as it meant we came in 1hr and 45mins ahead of the cutoff to start the 3rd loop.
Loop 3: Started off with the realization that my sunglasses weren't on my hat like I thought they were! I quickly ran back to the drop bag AS to see if I could find them (and move my drop bag to the "finished" pile). I didn't find the, apologized to the timing guy who had to back my 2 passes out of the system, and caught up with TH who was walking until I caught up. In this loop, my long sleeved shirt came off and the fresh air felt great on my forearms. We kept our pace and rhythm in this loop, with me leading. We ran AS to AS, with TH reminding me of that when I started too look too far ahead into the race. I watched my Garmin for the 50K mark, after which every step we took was the farthest we'd ever run in one day. We just had to keep moving.
Last 2 miles: When we came into the drop bag AS for the last time, it was a wonderful feeling. We had less than 2 miles to go, and it was the 2 miles we were dreading. The idea of running miles 35-37 on pavement had us nervous, but I was surprised at how bad it wasn't. And pleased to see that TH, who had fallen back in pace in the 3rd loop, was rocking the pace on the inbound. She was way stronger than I was in this section and with her push I kept going when I wanted to walk. As we turned the last corner, she sighted the finish at the end of a line of orange cones. We cheered at seeing the clock--a sub 9!!As with everything else, it was a simple finish line with locals and specators high 5'ing us and cheering us on.
Post-finish: I knew from prerace calculations that things added up to 59K, not 60K. Earlier I'd resolved to walk any required distance to hit 60K. We did walk awhile, but after a while I just gave up. If I'd run a marathon and the Garmin said 26.1, I'd still log it as 26.2! So I stopped at 59.25km. We stopped into the community center the race was held at to change clothes, eat something, and grab our drop bags. I was surprised that I actually could eat food, usually post race or long run food sits like a rock and I feel sick. My peanut butter (peanut spread, really, ew but do what you gotta do) with my plantain chips and dates was a WONDERFUL post race treat.
Nutrition and Hydration: My nutrition centered around my EFS, Powerbars, and gels. I ate the other half of the prerace powerbar, then moved into sipping the EFS. In total I ate about 1400 calories: 2 powerbars (280), the EFS flask (400), sport beans (100), 3 gels (300), and about a quarter cup of raisins, a few cashews, and a bite of banana. That's it!? It seemed like too little but my post race analysis says otherwise. It was PERFECT. The 40 mins seemed to come too fast, might change it to 45 mins for the 50M. But the nudge to eat was one of the best ideas. Hydration might have been low for me, I wasn't peeing all that much. Maybe it was all in my poor swollen fingers! But as in practice I sipped water with each walk and whenever I saw TH take one. At the 3rd AS (about 4 miles) out I took a 2x caffeine gel as a boost. Earlier I'd eaten a 1X caffeine gel. The only thing I'll change is to do what I learned in practice but didn't employ here--EAT in the last few miles!! TH learned from me doing it and snuck in a caff gel at the last AS. I didn't and that's why she finished stronger than I did. Lesson learned!
Swimming: I know TH is a great swimmer, but she just can't resisted injecting some swimming into the run! In the first loop she lost some footing and butterfly'd her arms to regain balance. I'm amazed she hung on to it! In the 2nd loop she stumbled just before a creek and nearly dived in. In the 3rd loop, as we approached the same creek I pointed it out, only to hear her repeat the 2nd loop stumble! As much as I hate to laugh at someone stumbling, this was too funny.
The Shoes: The rule is nothing new on race day, and here I was running in the 8's after only about 9 miles of testing. Oh sure I was nervous. But these shoes performed awesome. The only hot spot was my usual inside the ball of the left foot (which was blister bandaid covered, as per practice). I snugged the laces after the first loop and this improved the slippy feel they had. The soles of my feet did start to hurt, but not a painful oh-my-god-I-gotta stop feeling. The 8's were a lucky hit. I think they'll be fine for the 50M. My soles might hurt, but they'll work.
The gear: I wore tights, BRR hat, BRR T, long sleeve shirt, the MarathonPro compression socks, the Camelbak, a beanie hat, long finger bike gloves, and the Club arm warmers. This was a perfectly layer-controlled system. The only thing I'll change is the arm warmers. As they did in a 26-er practice run at Lewis & Clark (but I wasn't sure I could blame the arm warmers then) they caused my hands to swell. I noticed that my fingers were difficult to flex in my gloves, and when I looked I was shocked to see fat puffy fingers! Wow were they swollen! TH said my arms were red and had lines from the arm warmers. So they are a NO for the 50M. Everything else is a GO, especially the shoes and compression socks.
The pace: We walked and stopped as needed and desired. AS stops took as long as needed. We kept moving and never had a OMG STOP moment. But we did what we needed and it was perfect. While the first few miles of the first loop didn't let us stop, once we got off the train the pace improved. I led the last two loops but would have been happy to trade off. TH slowed a little at the end and would fall back 10-30m. I wanted to run with her, and was happy to slow down to let her catch. Especially once I realized that when she did fall back, my focus wandered and I quit talking. I didn't just want to run with her, my run was better with her there. It not only gave me conversation, but thinking about her--pointing out roots and rocks, calling out creeks, listening to her footfalls, wondering if she was going to stop in time when I slowed--it all kept me alert. What will I do in the 50M if she falls back? I'm happy to wait.
50M: Sitting in the community center after the race, I overheard two runners talking about Potaw, the nickname for the upcoming Potawatomi. I introduced myself and learned they were running the 150 miles there! One who had run it before described it as constant hills, no flats, and last year--muddy. Hills so fast and steep that the mud left them unclimbable and undescendable. Another runner with a SLUG t-shirt said "oh man you picked Potow for your first 50?! Even I'm not that crazy!" Hoo boy.
Might come up with more later!
Friday, March 8, 2013
LBL: The day prior
Only putting this entry to to describe the prerace anxiety I felt for this. I'm writing this up Tuesday after the race, so this is all in hindsight.
I had a "this is a make or break race" sense about it. After LBL, there is only one more long run! What if I needed to fix nutrition issues, find another pair of shoes, reset my pace?
Speaking of my shoes, I knew the Cascadia 8's needed my orthotics and yet I didn't put them in until last night! And I was SURE that the 8's were wider in the toe box and longer overall, but when I pulled out the insoles to swap them with the well-fitted insoles of the Adrenaline 13's, imagine my surprise to find them the SAME size!? How were the Cascadia's bigger then? Taller toe box? The Adrenaline insole/orthotic combination was almost perfect, but I think it was the lugs on the Cascadia's that led to the 'high' feeling in the arch. While it was a comfort to know my shoes were the same size, I was nervous about the feeling in the arch. How would that feel after 30 miles? Would I injure my feet? Plantar fasciitis? I wore the shoes to work the next morning, my feet settled in, I made a few trimmings to the heel end of the orthotic, then packed the Cascadia 5 and 8 shoes, along with all related insoles.
For nutrition, I reprogrammed the Garmin to beep every 40 mins, display kilometers instead of miles, and not lap every mile. In the end, I only wished I could have found a way to track HR every mile or by minute interval. Add that to the to-do list for the 50M.
Also for nutrition, I packed a LOT of food. Powerbars, lara bars, gels, and EFS flask for in-run. Then as treats apple and sweet potato chips. Then pork rinds, cashews, coconut chips, poached eggs, sweet potato with coconut butter....geezus loueezus when did I plan on eating all that?! So I removed the coconut chips, cashews, and rinds. Packed instead apples and oranges. Meant to pack canned fishies but missed that on the grocery list.
One more on nutrition, I started munching and ate kinda poorly. I knew I needed to eat for tomorrow, but lately I'm not so convinced about the "on-board fuel" theory we're fed. No pun intended.
The weather forecast was ~41F at start, 50 by 9am, 60 by noon. After training in all the cold weather, how do I dress for this?! Some anxiety regarding capris or shorts.
Finally, sleep was awful the night before the race likely due to race anxiety!
I had a "this is a make or break race" sense about it. After LBL, there is only one more long run! What if I needed to fix nutrition issues, find another pair of shoes, reset my pace?
Speaking of my shoes, I knew the Cascadia 8's needed my orthotics and yet I didn't put them in until last night! And I was SURE that the 8's were wider in the toe box and longer overall, but when I pulled out the insoles to swap them with the well-fitted insoles of the Adrenaline 13's, imagine my surprise to find them the SAME size!? How were the Cascadia's bigger then? Taller toe box? The Adrenaline insole/orthotic combination was almost perfect, but I think it was the lugs on the Cascadia's that led to the 'high' feeling in the arch. While it was a comfort to know my shoes were the same size, I was nervous about the feeling in the arch. How would that feel after 30 miles? Would I injure my feet? Plantar fasciitis? I wore the shoes to work the next morning, my feet settled in, I made a few trimmings to the heel end of the orthotic, then packed the Cascadia 5 and 8 shoes, along with all related insoles.
For nutrition, I reprogrammed the Garmin to beep every 40 mins, display kilometers instead of miles, and not lap every mile. In the end, I only wished I could have found a way to track HR every mile or by minute interval. Add that to the to-do list for the 50M.
Also for nutrition, I packed a LOT of food. Powerbars, lara bars, gels, and EFS flask for in-run. Then as treats apple and sweet potato chips. Then pork rinds, cashews, coconut chips, poached eggs, sweet potato with coconut butter....geezus loueezus when did I plan on eating all that?! So I removed the coconut chips, cashews, and rinds. Packed instead apples and oranges. Meant to pack canned fishies but missed that on the grocery list.
One more on nutrition, I started munching and ate kinda poorly. I knew I needed to eat for tomorrow, but lately I'm not so convinced about the "on-board fuel" theory we're fed. No pun intended.
The weather forecast was ~41F at start, 50 by 9am, 60 by noon. After training in all the cold weather, how do I dress for this?! Some anxiety regarding capris or shorts.
Finally, sleep was awful the night before the race likely due to race anxiety!
Thursday, March 7, 2013
LBL Preweek
Tuesday RUN 6.1 miles in 1hr, tested Cascadia 8's
Weds RUN 12.0 miles in 2:05, run 0.9 mi then walk 0.1 mi
Thurs RUN 5.0 miles in about 45 mins, treadmilled
And with the conclusion of the Thursday run (this morning) I'm officially in pre-race taper for the race that's not really a race but a run. So correction, I'm taper for this weekend's training race.
The originally schedule called for 4-12-6 for the midweek runs. I changed it to 6-12?-4 to allow for the taper. Then I added a mile onto Thursday because I'm a sucker for stupid things and numbers. By doing this I'll have 60 miles for the week and not 59. Stupid maybe. We'll see.
Tuesday I tested the new Cascadias, running as much as possible on the grass along the path in TGP. They felt OK, but need the orthotic. And I hate to admit that here I am Thursday afternoon and still don't have the orthotic even tested yet. This run was highlighted by a nice wet sleety snow.
Weds I set out to run EASY and did a run/walk pattern. It takes a lot for me to want to walk, when I'm ticking along at a nice pace I just hate to stop and walk. That and I feel self-conscious walking when I'm dressed as a runner. When I see a runner walking I want to yell out KEEP GOING or some other motivating call to get them moving again. No one yelled at me at least, I probably would have flipped them the bird! I ran to work, spent a few minutes prepping for the day, then ran into FP for the last few miles. Felt great, refreshed, and like it never happened.
Then today. No denying today happened. I'm so tired. And hungry. And off-balance. I swing from awake to barely able to contain the yawn. I purposefully ran on the treadmill so as to avoid the group run frenzy, keep it soft and easy, and to control the pace. Turns out my stride is most comfy and efficient at around 9m/m, so is that easy?!
I feel good, a little nervous about the shoes, and trying to ignore the nagging concern about the 50M. I just keep going back to the idea of 10+10 to 20 that's OK, then +10 to 30 wow that's a lot, then +10 to 40 OK I did that at LBL, and ANOTHER +10 to 50 OMG I have to do the loop again. That 30-40 section is a bit overwhelming. I guess that's why LBL will be helpful. Maybe it will knock that fear off, leaving me to worry only about the 40-50.
Weds RUN 12.0 miles in 2:05, run 0.9 mi then walk 0.1 mi
Thurs RUN 5.0 miles in about 45 mins, treadmilled
And with the conclusion of the Thursday run (this morning) I'm officially in pre-race taper for the race that's not really a race but a run. So correction, I'm taper for this weekend's training race.
The originally schedule called for 4-12-6 for the midweek runs. I changed it to 6-12?-4 to allow for the taper. Then I added a mile onto Thursday because I'm a sucker for stupid things and numbers. By doing this I'll have 60 miles for the week and not 59. Stupid maybe. We'll see.
Tuesday I tested the new Cascadias, running as much as possible on the grass along the path in TGP. They felt OK, but need the orthotic. And I hate to admit that here I am Thursday afternoon and still don't have the orthotic even tested yet. This run was highlighted by a nice wet sleety snow.
Weds I set out to run EASY and did a run/walk pattern. It takes a lot for me to want to walk, when I'm ticking along at a nice pace I just hate to stop and walk. That and I feel self-conscious walking when I'm dressed as a runner. When I see a runner walking I want to yell out KEEP GOING or some other motivating call to get them moving again. No one yelled at me at least, I probably would have flipped them the bird! I ran to work, spent a few minutes prepping for the day, then ran into FP for the last few miles. Felt great, refreshed, and like it never happened.
Then today. No denying today happened. I'm so tired. And hungry. And off-balance. I swing from awake to barely able to contain the yawn. I purposefully ran on the treadmill so as to avoid the group run frenzy, keep it soft and easy, and to control the pace. Turns out my stride is most comfy and efficient at around 9m/m, so is that easy?!
I feel good, a little nervous about the shoes, and trying to ignore the nagging concern about the 50M. I just keep going back to the idea of 10+10 to 20 that's OK, then +10 to 30 wow that's a lot, then +10 to 40 OK I did that at LBL, and ANOTHER +10 to 50 OMG I have to do the loop again. That 30-40 section is a bit overwhelming. I guess that's why LBL will be helpful. Maybe it will knock that fear off, leaving me to worry only about the 40-50.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Much needed rest week
Tuesday BIKE 70 mins 21 miles
Wednesday RUN 8 miles in ~1:18 mins?
Thursday BIKE 60 mins and ~18 miles
Saturday RUN 1:29 and 10 miles on treadmill
Sunday RUN 1:16 and 8 miles in Illinois
Rest week must not have been too remarkable, if I didn't right anything about it? WRONG.
On Tuesday, the bottoms of my feet were still hurting. To the point that I was getting certain that my Cascadia 5's were over the hill. I ran to rest more, figuring the scheduled 4-miler wasn't too much too miss.
On Wednesday I ran from home in the Cascadia 8's. I got 0.79 miles before I was back at the house for the Adrenalines. The Cascadia's hurt and felt too big. But is it fair to judge them on pavement? When my feet already hurt?
Wednesday night a focal pain was still present on the left side of my left foot. I was getting certain that I had a stress fracture. Stress! While in bed trying to fall asleep my feet continued to be uncomfortable. Hurting here, then there, then here, then over there...like a test or a mind game. Stress fracture? Conditioning pain?
On Thursday the fear of a stress fracture kept me away from the Thursday morning run.
On Friday, I rested. And drove north to Illinois. That night my resting HR was 39. Yikes.
On Saturday, I went to the ILVY for 10 miles on the treadmill. I could have run outside, but I wanted a fast sustained workout and I also wanted to squeeze it into family time. I set the tready for hills, so one 1 min of hill then 1 min of 0% incline for the first hour. I also alternated a 6-something pace for 1 mile and a 7-something pace for the next. This felt easy enough until about mile 7, after which I didn't fully recover. YES! For the first time all week, for the first time in what seems recent memory, I had a speed based burn out workout. This burned the carbon off the plugs, so to speak. Felt great the rest of the day.
On Sunday, I ran up to the school road. It was 35F outside with minimal wind so I was almost overdressed. This run felt great too! I held a sub-9 in some of the miles. I felt fresh and strong. This was a much needed feeling.
Next week is a race week but still a training week. I need to decide on how to handle the mid-week runs, start packing, and set solid goals for the 60K.
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