One Week Later

This has been the worst recovery time from a race that I can remember. The car ride home on Monday afternoon certainly didn't help any. It was Wednesday afternoon before I could walk down the stairs without calf pains. Since then it's been a slow return to normal. Most of the pain is gone from my legs, although once in a while I feel a twinge, like in the left hip. I'm going to stick to my plan to sit out for three weeks and let the muscles heal. It might be tough if the weather is nice like it was yesterday, but since we're a day short of December I don't see that being too much of a temptation. I did see plenty of runners out yesterday when the temperature was in the 60s, and felt that twinge of jealousy. After the last six miles of last week's race I think patience is in order.

Two Races in One

It's been over 72 hours since the finish of the Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa and I'm just now sitting down to write about it. For me it was two separate races, one good and one horrible. But let's start at the beginning.

The morning was mild, with starting temperature around 50 degrees. The wind wasn't as bad as we'd feared, and it was overcast with the sun peaking through at times. Our hotel was a few blocks away from the start, and we made it over to the corrals about ten minutes before pistol. The key condition that wasn't readily apparent was that the humidity was over 90%. I felt in pretty good shape and thought a four-hour finish seemed possible. I lined up between the 4 and 4:10 pace groups. If I kept the 4-hour pacer in sight I could run a consistent time and hopefully meet or beat my goal.

The first few miles are always a blur and go by quickly. Between miles 3-4 the Virtual Running Buddy decided we were going too fast for his plan, and he dropped back. That's what I should have done, too, but I let several of the downhills carry me fast and I left him behind. Looking back on this race I can see that I never felt truly loosened up, which usually happens at that point in the run. The first half went okay, though, and I finished the initial 13.1 in 1:59:11, right on the pace I was looking for. The GPS, which I'd fixed and thought would be a good help, died right before mile 9. That was unfortunate because I was unable to keep track of my pace by myself from then on, although I was able to do so by staying with the appropriate pacers.

The second half I kept the pace group in sight, and even passed them a couple of times. They would pass me back at water stops, but it seemed to be going just fine. I reached mile 20 in 3:03:24, setting me up for a sub-four hour finish. Then the wheels came off.

Right before mile 20 I stepped in a crack in the asphalt with my right foot, and when I corrected my stride I felt a twinge in my left calf. It was weird, but that was the first sign of trouble. I wore my compression socks for this race, which was the first time, and I can now say they probably kept me from having trouble before this point in the race. Unfortunately they couldn't keep all the cramps away and I quickly found myself having to walk and then run for a short distance. As the course took us through the University of Tulsa campus I walked a couple of times and was then able to start running again. When I got to mile 22 I found that it was impossible to run at all any more. I could run about a hundred yards and then the calf cramps would overwhelm me. At one point I felt a cramp in my right calf like an ostrich egg in the muscle ,and I had to pull over to the sidewalk and spend a minute stretching it. At that point I had to decide if I was going to walk the rest of the way or quit. I'm not a quitter and I wasn't willing to give up after all the training of the past several months, so I set out to walk. And that's what I did.

There was a banner at mile 25.9 and I thought hey, I can run the last little bit. Except I couldn't. The same thing happened after about a hundred yards. When I finally got in sight of the finish line I jogged very, very slowly so that I wouldn't have to walk down the chute past all the spectators. And then I was done with my PW (personal worst) time, but I'd completed my eighth marathon.

I still don't know the long-term effects of the damage done to my calf muscles, but it's taken three days for them to not be in constant pain. I wore the compression sleeves all day yesterday and today and that's seemed to help. The stairs are still painful to descend, and I've been taking it easy. Monday evening was horrible after the drive back to KC. At this point I don't plan on running for at least three weeks.

The similarities to the marathon I ran in Columbia are startling. The humidity was high that day, too, and I went out too fast and suffered immensely in the last part. I felt like I was hydrated enough this time around, but the salty residue on my temples afterward indicated otherwise. I think if I'd kept at a 10-minute pace I would have finished marginally quicker, maybe at 4:20 or so, but I might not have been in so much pain. Lesson learned. I just wish I'd learned it after the Columbia race and applied it this time around.

Other than that the race itself was fine, although the course was hillier than I expected. The organization was good, and really it would have been enjoyable without all the calf cramps. My one complaint was the food at the end. Unless you liked spaghetti right after the race you were kind of out of luck. It didn't look appetizing at all to me. I can't say I'm glad I ran this race, but that's not the organizers' fault. I'm glad it's over and I'll have to determine if I ever run another full marathon or stick with the half from now on.

Final Speedwork

Another cold day, although about 18 degrees warmer than yesterday. This was actually my first tempo run with the GPS working again, and most of the time I was below 8 minutes/mile, even dipping into the low 7's at times. Of course I only had to do that for three miles. This makes me think most of my speedwork has been in the 8-8:30 range, so targeting a 4-hour marathon seems realistic at this point.

The mileage ratcheted down to 5 total today, and I'm undecided on whether or not to run my final 4-miler tomorrow, Thursday, or not at all. The idea of running Sunday on very fresh legs is appealing, and the cold outside isn't. But I might have an outbreak of cabin fever that forces me outside one more time. We'll see.

95%

Around here over the past week we went from pleasant autumn temperatures straight to the depths of mid-winter hell. Today I seriously considered not even running, even though it's only six days until the race. The wind was blowing nicely from the north and the thermometer read 20 degrees. The wind chill was 7. And it's only mid-November. I'm thinking the treadmill is going to get a good workout this year.

The plan for the last week of the taper called for a 6-mile easy run today. I completed 95% of that, or 5.7 miles. I was trying to be creative in running up and down the side streets on 96th and the part where it turned into Flintlock. And really, once I warmed up, which was right away because I started running at the end of the driveway, it wasn't horrible because I dressed in layers. The weirdest part of the run was when I put my iPod on shuffle and it played about three songs that I'd just added when I copied over my marathon playlist the other day, and then started playing The Bangles greatest hits album in sequence. I was okay with that. More than okay, as a matter of fact.

The other good news is that the GPS seems to be working again. I asked The Boy yesterday if his watch worked so I could use it as a timer for the race. He said it didn't, which caused me to take another look at the Garmin. I discovered one of the contacts had a piece that had broken off, so I bent it forward. That caused it to make contact with the other piece, and lo and behold it now works. My run today was at a 9:30 pace, the first time I've been able to track that in a long time. I'm hopeful it will work for the race on Sunday. Otherwise I'll be toting a dead weight on my wrist for many miles. I'm excited, though, because that means I was actually able to repair it for under fifteen bucks, as opposed to spending a few hundred dollars on a new accessory. Yeah me!

So That's Done

This was the last long run of the plan, a 10-miler, and it seemed easy compared to the rest of the schedule. I ran one circuit of the neighborhood, and it was nice to think that was the last. Then the regular 6-mile route to close it out at what was probably a little more than 10 miles, but in this case I'll round down. It took a while to warm up since the temperature was below freezing, but the last half of the run or so I tried to run it at a pace I thought I could sustain during a race. I don't know if that's true or not. Certainly the last four miles were at a good clip. In eight days we'll see how all this training pans out. Until then I hope it gets a little bit warmer, but not too much.

No Puking Tonight

As long-time readers remember (not that there are any readers, long-time or otherwise - I'm just talking to myself), tonight's run is one of my favorites. Warm up for 1.5 miles, run 800m at a sprint, run easy for 15 minutes, run another 800m at a sprint, and then go easy for what's left of the 6-mile outing. By the end of the second interval you should feel like you're going to puke. I love this run, and I don't know why.

Since I don't have my GPS I have no idea of how fast (or slow) I sprinted. The first one felt tight, but it was definitely fast. I was looser on the second one, but I never felt like I was going to puke on either. I estimate my pace as somewhere in the 6:30-7:00 range, but that's just a wild guess. I felt better on the second, and the reason I came up with was that the planks and squats I do have firmed up my core compared to years past. Again, that's just a working theory. It could be that I was fooling myself and running 30 or 45 seconds slower, but I don't think so. I've run an 8-minute pace before and it wasn't as close to a sprint as I was going. For now I feel like the exercises I do have paid off. Guess we'll find out more in ten days.

Seriously Colder

Yeah, that cold front or polar vortex or whatever arrived overnight. Today was cloudy, windy, and cold. Below-freezing cold. Since I had the day off I would have run in the morning, but there were crystals on the deck of some form of precipitation, and I decided to wait a little. This afternoon the mercury had risen to 36 degrees, and even though the wind chill was still below freezing I went for it. I thought about running on the treadmill, but this close to a race I don't really want to.

The plan called for a tempo run, which I did over the course of my 6 miles. As I've done a few other times, I walked up the hill by the golf course since the wind was blowing fiercely in my face. Other than that I got in the four miles of tempo, cutting the recovery portion of the run a little short. But that was fine, because even that felt like a big effort because of the wind. I'm looking forward to next week when the outings are shortened and I can rest my legs for the race.

Last Warm Run?

I wouldn't call today especially warm, but compared to what's coming up, it was warm. This morning the sun was out and the temperature in the 50s. I wore shorts but had to settle for a long-sleeved technical T. A strong wind blew out of the south. I ran the alternate 6-mile route, taking me west to 435 and then up that road, the name of which I can never remember. Eastern? Anyway, by the time I had to run south I was almost 5 miles in and mostly running downhill. My left calf down near the Achilles Tendon was really tight. I used The Stick on it when I got home, but tried to stretch it out as much as possible while on the road. It's now less than two weeks to the race. I had a dream last night that I ran it really fast. Since it's been three years or so since my last marathon I have a feeling that's going to remain a dream.

Thursday and Saturday

On Thursday I did another set of Yasso 800s. Since I was off work I ran in the morning, which was quite windy. Maybe I should have waited until later in the day since the wind actually died down the later it got. I ran the usual 6 mile route, finishing against the wind. Ugh. The first few intervals went fine, mainly because I was going with the wind and downhill. The final one was coming back up Shoal Creek and my stamina was flagging against the stiff breeze. The last interval wasn't very fast, but it took a lot of effort. And so I walked up the big hill because I'll be darned if I was going to run uphill against the wind.

Today was the last last long run over half-marathon distance in the training plan, a 15-miler. Once again it was quite windy. Last night I looked at the forecast and half-considered running in the dark until after midnight, but I knew that wouldn't go well after a long day. I ran the neighborhood circuit twice with a little extra to get to 8.8 miles, and then ventured out on the normal route to get the remaining 6.2. It wasn't my best run, but I finished without any major issues. The temperature rose a little during the run, and I did the first lap with my ear warmer and stocking cap, the second time around with just the cap, and the third portion without headgear or mittens. Looks like in the next week I'll be wishing for "warm" weather like this.

Good Tempo Run

I have to admit I was feeling pretty bleh and not really up for today's tempo run. About a quarter-mile in I even thought about shelving it and just taking the day off. But that's not the way I roll. Once I'd run a mile I was feeling okay, but still not great. Then I started running faster and pretty quickly hit my stride. I wanted to go for something sustainable, a pace that I could conceivably carry for a full race. I think I ended up a little faster than that, but it felt good the whole way. I exceeded the distance for the tempo portion since I was feeling okay and went and extra quarter past the 5-mile mark. Overall I ran 7 miles, on a weekday no less, and felt maybe for the first time during this training plan that I can have a decent marathon. In only 19 days.

Monday Post-Time Change

I really don't like the time change, especially when it makes it dark when I got to work and almost dark when I get home, and certainly dark when I'm running. Fortunately it's less than three weeks before the race. Sigh.

I was a little worried about today's run since my calf muscles have been hurting since Saturday. My take on the compression sleeves is that they kept my calves from cramping while running, but at least this time around didn't keep them from aching aftetrward. I'll take it. Today's 6 mile run was nice and easy, and I felt good the whole way. It was cloudy and spit rain a few times. It felt like a normal autumn run. After the stupid time change.

Did It

First time to run 20 miles in several years, and I made it. Parts of it were tough but overall it wasn't horrible. The worst run so far was the 18-miler at the end of September. That one took a long time for recovery, but here it is evening of the same day and I feel pretty good.

The compression socks seemed to help. My calf muscles are sore, but not hurting like they have in the past. Down at the bottom of the muscles near the Achilles tendons are both achy. I didn't have any calf cramps, either during or after the run. So there's that. I'll mark that down as progress.

The temperature was 30 degrees when I started, and up to 40 by the time I stopped about three hours and twenty minutes later. I had a nice "breakfast" of eggs, sausage, hash browns, and English muffin. Plus some chocolate milk. It was a nice way to celebrate the longest run and to start the taper to the race - three weeks from tomorrow. With 20 under my belt I feel good about making it to the finish line. The only remaining question is what the final time will be.

Compression Sleeves

Yesterday was my first run using compression sleeves. I thought a 6-miler was better than trying them on this weekend's long run and finding a problem there. I actually tried them on on Wednesday and they felt really nice. Then when I wore them on the run I kind of noticed them at first but as the run went on they were no big deal. And afterward my calves felt just fine. My knees hurt a little, but that's normal at this point in training. I'm looking forward to wearing them on tomorrow's 20 mile long run and seeing how my legs feel after that. My hope is that this puts an end to the calf cramping that has marred several of my races, and also helps with the recovery time afterward. To keep things kosher, though, I plan to wear them under long pants rather than inflicting the world with the sight of me in shorts and compression sleeves. Nobody wants to see that.

Two More Days

Ran an easy 6 yesterday and actually felt pretty good. It was a nice day and I went in the morning since I had the day off. After the 18 on Saturday I recovered pretty well, I thought, and the Monday recovery run confirmed that.

Today was also nice, with a little more of a breeze than yesterday. I ran 7 miles with 5/7 of that as a tempo run. I'm still not sure of my pace without the Garmin, but I would estimate a sub-8:30 pace during the tempo portion. I'm still not sure I could keep that up for 26.2 miles, but we'll see in less than four weeks. Most of it felt good and I had a good rhythm. But it was nice to slow down and run the last mile at a snail's pace.

18 Better

This 18 miles went better than the last, at least in my estimation. Not that the previous one was bad, but I paced myself a little better and feel better afterwards. Although the jury's still out on that and we'll get the final verdict tomorrow. I ran three laps of the neighborhood, and then the last 5.75 or so out on the open road. I planned to start at 8 o'clock like the race next month, but I was ready a little after 7:30 and saw no reason to wait. The first lap was in the fog. That was kind of cool since the hilly route took me down into the "valleys" and their coolness to the tops of the hills through the layer which brought me into a warmer state

I felt a couple of times like I was running slow but didn't care much. My goal was to finish without killing myself, and that's what I did. As of tonight I feel okay. Tomorrow will be interesting, and the easy run on Monday will be the real test. In the meantime, I'll take a few naps.

Thursday Morning Run

Ran in the morning instead of the afternoon since we have plans today. It was a 6-mile run with four miles of tempo. I can tell I'm not in the best of shape yet, at least not compared to previous marathons. Since the Garmin isn't working I have no way of telling my tempo pace for sure, but I'd guess it's in the 8:30 range, or maybe a little faster at times. That's going to make it tough to complete 26.2 miles at a pace near that, and it's a good thing I have several more weeks of training to go. At least the weather cooperated. It was in the high 50s and sprinkled a little while I was out. Just a a tad humid but not horribly so. Now it's time to rest before Saturday's long run.

Long Weekday Run

This was a tempo run, an 8-miler, which I wouldn't normally do on a weekday. But I did because I got off work an hour early and I was working from home, which meant I had no commute time. Getting out and running that far was certainly in the realm of possibility. The tempo part was supposed to be marathon pace, and maybe it was if my pace was fairly slow. I knew it wasn't going to be a fast run with the sun out and temperature at 76 degrees. I told myself I'd go at a pace that I would be able to sustain for 26.2 miles, and I think for the most part I did just that. I walked up the hill by the golf course, and my cooldown was painfully slow at times. I guess the lesson I can learn from all this is that it's part of the overall training and will help in the end.

Really Easy

Absotively a perfect day today! The temperature was 75 degrees, the sun was shining, and maybe the birds were singing. I don't know because I was listening to a podcast. Nevertheless I took it real easy on my 6-miler and it was great. No real residual soreness from Saturday's run, which was nice. Tomorrow is supposed to be nice as well, although with wind. As I've said before, perfect days like today are rare around here. I enjoyed it to the fullest.

Skipping the KC Marathon

Today was the Kansas City Marathon, which I did not run. It was a gorgeous day for a race, and that made it a nice day for a training run, too. It was 45 degrees when I headed out in shorts and long-sleeved t, with mittens to keep my hands from freezing off. I did three laps around the neighborhood plus a run up 96th to the pond and back. That accounted for the full 15 miles called for on the schedule.

The first lap was easy, although I left my sunglasses at home because the sun wasn't up. That was a mistake. The sun was blinding on the eastward running streets. There was a crew putting down asphalt on some new streets in the neighborhood, and running through the cloud of burning tar was a joy. Anyway, the rest of the run was uneventful. The last lap was pretty slow, as was the trek up to the pond. I was thinking to myself there was no way I would have been ready to run a marathon today, but maybe I should have run the half. But even that I'm not ready to race at this point. A long slow run was plenty. Wish I could get a nap in today but we have relatives in town. Hopefully that means I'll sleep well tonight.

The Value of Sleep

The last two nights I have not slept well. Not sure why, but I've woken up several times each night, and when I fall asleep and wake up I feel like I haven't slept at all. I think that influenced today's run, which was advertised as Yasso 800s x 5. I did them all over the course of 6 miles, but I walked a couple of times and the last two were not as fast as they should have been. In fact, the last one really wasn't much faster than normal. The first three went okay, although the last of those was kind of painful. Today was also warmer than normal for the last few weeks, almost 80 degrees and full sun. I still blame the lack of sleep more than the temperature, though.