Number of Runs: 17
Total Distance: 78.54 miles
Total Time: 12:58:12
Longest Run: 8.09 miles
Avg Distance: 4.62 miles
Avg Time: 45:36
Avg Pace: 9:52/mile
Medical: Shins, calves, left heel
Events: Kansas City Marathon Relay - 10/18 (7 miles)
Days Until Marathon: 79
It's Halloween. Olive is dressed as a bumble bee and Meadow has the bee's antennae around her neck, something that's causing her great frustration, and us some amusement. It's also the end of a month, so here's my first monthly log.
17 runs, and you can probably add about 5 additional days of cross training to that total (exercise bike and swims), so 22 workouts in total. That might not make me the next Olympic decathlete, but it's not bad for an old fatty like me. More than a run every two days. I also competed in my first marathon, albeit only a little more than a quarter of it. I went to my first expo, stood at my first finish line, was given my first medal, and ate my first post-marathon meal. Yep, October was a big month.
Through the course of this month, pretty much every part of both of my lower legs has hurt at one point or another, but now, on October 31st, only my right shin is causing me any significant discomfort. Today and tomorrow are rest days, and it does feel somewhat better today, but I won't know for sure until I run again. It could go either way.
I've been training for almost 3 months now, and there's almost three more until I run. I've come a long way, but still have a long way to go. In marathon terms, I'm just about at the 14 mile marker. I'm kind of sore, but I'm still running and I'm still hopeful.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
The Daily Log 10/30/08
Distance: 4.0 miles
Time: 44:58
Pace: 11:14/mile
Weight: 200lbs
Terrain: Hilly
Temperature: Warm and sunny
Gear: Adidas running shorts, KC Royals wicking t-shirt, Nike Air Zoom Vomero Shoes
Hydration: None
Fuel: None
Medical: Right shin
Recovery: Stretches, Aleve, ice
Shoe Mile Count: 28.81 miles
Days until Marathon: 80
Rough run. My right shin was as painful as it's been on this go around. One of the patterns I've seen over the last few weeks is that I've often followed a very comfortable run with a rather painful one. Don't ask me why that is.
It didn't help that this route, a new one, was far hillier than I was expecting, including a very long incline over the first mile and another a mile or so after that. Flat courses are far easier on tender shins, naturally, so in retrospect, this turned out to be something of a mistake. I ran with Jill, and she too struggled with the course, and as a result, we ran very slowly. I was quite frustrated because the pace was so slow, I couldn't maintain a natural gait, not to mention that I was in some pain. All in all, a very low quality run.
I am not running again until Sunday. After that, I am going to switch to running every other day to give my legs longer to heal between each run, instead of doing the midweek trifecta. Something always breaks down by the third day, so I think that a change of strategy is called for. There's still 80 long days till Arizona, so caution has to be the name of the game at this point.
Two positives. No left leg pain, and my right calf caused me no discomfort either. All the pain was in one spot today. I suppose that means it could be worse, but, you know, would it be too much to ask that I have one pain free run? Or am I just too old and fat?
Time: 44:58
Pace: 11:14/mile
Weight: 200lbs
Terrain: Hilly
Temperature: Warm and sunny
Gear: Adidas running shorts, KC Royals wicking t-shirt, Nike Air Zoom Vomero Shoes
Hydration: None
Fuel: None
Medical: Right shin
Recovery: Stretches, Aleve, ice
Shoe Mile Count: 28.81 miles
Days until Marathon: 80
Rough run. My right shin was as painful as it's been on this go around. One of the patterns I've seen over the last few weeks is that I've often followed a very comfortable run with a rather painful one. Don't ask me why that is.
It didn't help that this route, a new one, was far hillier than I was expecting, including a very long incline over the first mile and another a mile or so after that. Flat courses are far easier on tender shins, naturally, so in retrospect, this turned out to be something of a mistake. I ran with Jill, and she too struggled with the course, and as a result, we ran very slowly. I was quite frustrated because the pace was so slow, I couldn't maintain a natural gait, not to mention that I was in some pain. All in all, a very low quality run.
I am not running again until Sunday. After that, I am going to switch to running every other day to give my legs longer to heal between each run, instead of doing the midweek trifecta. Something always breaks down by the third day, so I think that a change of strategy is called for. There's still 80 long days till Arizona, so caution has to be the name of the game at this point.
Two positives. No left leg pain, and my right calf caused me no discomfort either. All the pain was in one spot today. I suppose that means it could be worse, but, you know, would it be too much to ask that I have one pain free run? Or am I just too old and fat?
The Wrong T-Shirt
Today I signed up for the Gobbler Grind Half-Marathon next month (see picture). Usually, with these online sign-ups, I am very meticulous, but for some reason, I rushed through this one, and inevitably made a rookie mistake. I maybe many things, but a small-sized t-shirt wearer I am not. Personally, I think large should be the default, but that's another issue. I messed up, and now might end up with a t-shirt that will make me look like a pickle in a straw wrapper. I emailed the race director, so hopefully it can be changed, but these small races aren't the most reliable, so I might end up with a useless item of clothing for my troubles. Ordinarily I wouldn't care that much, but these are long-sleeved technical tees, which means I could actually wear it on runs during the winter, so it would be quite useful.
Leaving aside my idiocy, I am pleased that I have another tuneup on the books. It will, as I have mentioned before, fit in quite well with my training schedule, and should give me some more good experience.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
The Daily Log 10/29/08
Distance: 5.1 miles
Time: 47:04
Pace: 9:13/mile
Weight: 200lbs
Terrain: Several inclines over first two miles, mostly flat after
Temperature: Warm and sunny
Gear: Nike shorts, Adidas Climacool t-shirt, Nike Air Zoom Vomero Shoes
Hydration: None
Fuel: None
Medical: Right shin and calf
Recovery: Stretches, Aleve, ice
Shoe Mile Count: 24.81 miles
Days until Marathon: 81
My right calf was the main concern over the first couple of miles. After that, everything seemed to loosen up and although I could feel a dull background pain in it and the shin, this was generally a pretty good, comfortable run, in surprisingly warm conditions. My left leg was pain free, even the heel didn't hurt this time. Long may that continue.
I have, with the help of www.mapmyrun.com, mapped out a number of runs that start and end at my house, and just like with any workout, variety is essential to avoid burnout. Some of the runs I do just once, some I do a number of times, but I never do the same run twice in a row, and I regularly map new routes out to keep things fresh.
This was the second time I'd run the first 4 miles of this route (I also added a mile loop to the end to get to the target distance), and it's one of my favorites. Quiet roads allow me to run on the asphalt instead of the harder concrete, and I can even run in the middle most of the time, to avoid the challenges of the camber. The neighborhoods are tree-lined and pleasant, and aside from a fairly long uphill section about a mile in, it's pretty flat.
I was aiming for around a 9:30 pace, so I ran a little faster than I intended, but at least I didn't go too crazy. My schedule (barring injury or weather concerns) essentially calls for three slow runs (two short, one long), and one tempo run at a slightly faster pace, per week, with two days of cross-training. So far so good this week.
Time: 47:04
Pace: 9:13/mile
Weight: 200lbs
Terrain: Several inclines over first two miles, mostly flat after
Temperature: Warm and sunny
Gear: Nike shorts, Adidas Climacool t-shirt, Nike Air Zoom Vomero Shoes
Hydration: None
Fuel: None
Medical: Right shin and calf
Recovery: Stretches, Aleve, ice
Shoe Mile Count: 24.81 miles
Days until Marathon: 81
My right calf was the main concern over the first couple of miles. After that, everything seemed to loosen up and although I could feel a dull background pain in it and the shin, this was generally a pretty good, comfortable run, in surprisingly warm conditions. My left leg was pain free, even the heel didn't hurt this time. Long may that continue.
I have, with the help of www.mapmyrun.com, mapped out a number of runs that start and end at my house, and just like with any workout, variety is essential to avoid burnout. Some of the runs I do just once, some I do a number of times, but I never do the same run twice in a row, and I regularly map new routes out to keep things fresh.
This was the second time I'd run the first 4 miles of this route (I also added a mile loop to the end to get to the target distance), and it's one of my favorites. Quiet roads allow me to run on the asphalt instead of the harder concrete, and I can even run in the middle most of the time, to avoid the challenges of the camber. The neighborhoods are tree-lined and pleasant, and aside from a fairly long uphill section about a mile in, it's pretty flat.
I was aiming for around a 9:30 pace, so I ran a little faster than I intended, but at least I didn't go too crazy. My schedule (barring injury or weather concerns) essentially calls for three slow runs (two short, one long), and one tempo run at a slightly faster pace, per week, with two days of cross-training. So far so good this week.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
The Daily Log 10/28/08
Distance: 4.28 miles
Time: 44:27
Pace: 10:22/mile
Weight: 200lbs
Terrain: Mainly flat, few gentle hills
Temperature: Cold and calm. Perfect conditions
Gear: Nike shorts, Long-sleeved Adidas Climacool t-shirt, Nike Air Zoom Vomero Shoes
Hydration: None
Fuel: None
Medical: Right shin and calf, left heel
Recovery: Stretches, Aleve, ice
Shoe Mile Count: 19.79 miles
Days until Marathon: 82
I ran a mile on my own, then three more with Jill. It was overall a pretty good recovery run, made more enjoyable by perfect, crisp weather.
My right leg was sore, particularly over the first couple of miles. Both my calf and shin were aching, and towards the end my left heel hurt for a short time. However, other than the heel, my left leg was basically pain free which I found interesting since at one time, that was the one that was causing most of the trouble. If the right leg cycles through its pain in the same way, that will be awesome.
During my run, when I feel pain, I ask myself if I've felt worse on any of my previous runs. It's a bit difficult to compare runs looking back, but I'd say the worst run I've done, in terms of pain, was perhaps the run to and from CVS on 10/15, and I've found myself measuring the pain level relative to that run. That was almost two weeks ago now, so I'm cautiously optimistic that I've correctly managed the issue. It should also be noted that even that CVS run was a cakewalk when compared to 2005, when I was training for the marathon that never happened. That time around, both of my shins felt like they were being kicked, hard, with every step I took, and finally, one day, I just couldn't run any more. Nothing has been close to that this time around, so I remain cautiously optimistic.
I've added another stat to the daily logs; a countdown to marathon day. 82 days and counting.
Time: 44:27
Pace: 10:22/mile
Weight: 200lbs
Terrain: Mainly flat, few gentle hills
Temperature: Cold and calm. Perfect conditions
Gear: Nike shorts, Long-sleeved Adidas Climacool t-shirt, Nike Air Zoom Vomero Shoes
Hydration: None
Fuel: None
Medical: Right shin and calf, left heel
Recovery: Stretches, Aleve, ice
Shoe Mile Count: 19.79 miles
Days until Marathon: 82
I ran a mile on my own, then three more with Jill. It was overall a pretty good recovery run, made more enjoyable by perfect, crisp weather.
My right leg was sore, particularly over the first couple of miles. Both my calf and shin were aching, and towards the end my left heel hurt for a short time. However, other than the heel, my left leg was basically pain free which I found interesting since at one time, that was the one that was causing most of the trouble. If the right leg cycles through its pain in the same way, that will be awesome.
During my run, when I feel pain, I ask myself if I've felt worse on any of my previous runs. It's a bit difficult to compare runs looking back, but I'd say the worst run I've done, in terms of pain, was perhaps the run to and from CVS on 10/15, and I've found myself measuring the pain level relative to that run. That was almost two weeks ago now, so I'm cautiously optimistic that I've correctly managed the issue. It should also be noted that even that CVS run was a cakewalk when compared to 2005, when I was training for the marathon that never happened. That time around, both of my shins felt like they were being kicked, hard, with every step I took, and finally, one day, I just couldn't run any more. Nothing has been close to that this time around, so I remain cautiously optimistic.
I've added another stat to the daily logs; a countdown to marathon day. 82 days and counting.
Monday, October 27, 2008
The Grinders and the Grind
My right calf feels like it might have a minor strain, it's a little painful and feels very tight. Oddly, this is not the same leg that felt tight during yesterday's run. I don't think it's anything serious. I'm not running today, and am planning just a slow 4 miler tomorrow, so hopefully it won't be anything that slows me down. Nothing else is sore today, which is encouraging. My shins don't hurt at all, and the plantar fascitis in my left foot feels pretty good. The new shoes may be just what I needed, or perhaps I'm just learning to manage my injuries better.
Regardless, I continue to marvel at the people who can seemingly run forever without having to take a break. How do they do that? Check out this guy, who ran every day for twenty years, or 7,768 straight days. Or how about this guy, who does all his runs barefoot, regardless of the weather or surface. The latter I actually saw run by a relay point during the KC Marathon earlier this month.
Most remarkable of all is the famed ultramarathoner, Dean Karnazes, whose achievements include a 350 mile non-stop run, and a 135 mile run in 130 degree temperatures. A marathon for him must feel like a sprint.
I wouldn't exactly say that I'm inspired by these people. I can pretty much guarantee I will not run for 7,768 straight days, run a marathon in barefoot, or run 350 miles anywhere at all, so it's not like these people give me something tangible to aspire to. That's not to say these achievements aren't amazing, just so far beyond what most people are capable of, or driven towards, that they are more like spectacles to be admired, than reasons to compete oneself. I think that's why I'm more drawn to first marathon stories such as the ones here. This is a forum to which I feel I can contribute.
One piece of news I found out this weekend is that I will now be free the weekend of November 23rd, which means competing in the Gobbler Grind Half-Marathon is now feasible. The distance fits in very well with my training schedule. The only thing I need to be wary of is not overextending myself by treating it like a big race instead of a tuneup. To an extent I think I did that with the relay, and that led to this past week where I had to back off a little. So we'll see.
Regardless, I continue to marvel at the people who can seemingly run forever without having to take a break. How do they do that? Check out this guy, who ran every day for twenty years, or 7,768 straight days. Or how about this guy, who does all his runs barefoot, regardless of the weather or surface. The latter I actually saw run by a relay point during the KC Marathon earlier this month.
Most remarkable of all is the famed ultramarathoner, Dean Karnazes, whose achievements include a 350 mile non-stop run, and a 135 mile run in 130 degree temperatures. A marathon for him must feel like a sprint.
I wouldn't exactly say that I'm inspired by these people. I can pretty much guarantee I will not run for 7,768 straight days, run a marathon in barefoot, or run 350 miles anywhere at all, so it's not like these people give me something tangible to aspire to. That's not to say these achievements aren't amazing, just so far beyond what most people are capable of, or driven towards, that they are more like spectacles to be admired, than reasons to compete oneself. I think that's why I'm more drawn to first marathon stories such as the ones here. This is a forum to which I feel I can contribute.
One piece of news I found out this weekend is that I will now be free the weekend of November 23rd, which means competing in the Gobbler Grind Half-Marathon is now feasible. The distance fits in very well with my training schedule. The only thing I need to be wary of is not overextending myself by treating it like a big race instead of a tuneup. To an extent I think I did that with the relay, and that led to this past week where I had to back off a little. So we'll see.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
The Daily Log 10/26/08
Distance: 8.09 miles
Time: 1:25:44
Pace: 10:34/mile
Weight: 200lbs
Terrain: Mainly flat, few rolling hills
Temperature: Cold and windy
Gear: Adidas running shorts, Long-sleeved Adidas Climacool t-shirt, Nike Air Zoom Vomero Shoes
Hydration: Water
Fuel: None
Medical: Mild shin pain, tight calves, sore feet
Recovery: Stretches, Aleve, ice
Shoe Mile Count: 15.51 miles (a new stat for me to track the wear on the shoes)
If all goes well, 8 miles will soon seem like a walk in the park, but as of today, it's the second longest run I ever remember completing. It was rather cold and windy, and after I got going, I realized I probably had underdressed for the occasion. Fortunately most of the run was somewhat sheltered by real estate, but when I hit more open stretches, I was given quite an assault.
Pretty much every part of my lower leg ached at one point or another, but in actual fact, it was all pretty mild, and nothing Aleve and ice couldn't fix after the run was over. Perhaps the biggest worry was the fact that my left calf was still tight, particularly over the first few miles. It wasn't painful, but I was a little concerned I could injure it if I pushed myself too hard.
The new shoes held up well. It has taken a couple of runs to get used to the heels which I feel are the biggest difference between these and the old ones - they still seem more built up. Nevertheless, despite a little surface foot pain towards the end that I attributed to me still breaking them in, I can't complain about the results so far.
Jill ran the second half with me and that helped me keep my pace easy. I ran the first half in around 9:45 pace, which was about right, then I slowed down to probably 11:00 pace or so for the second half. Ideal overall.
It's quickly getting cold. I might need some more winter gear before too long. Also I really had to watch my step. Lots of leaves hiding cracked paving stones, and I nearly tripped over fallen twigs a dozen times. Ah, nature. Will I conquer thee?
Time: 1:25:44
Pace: 10:34/mile
Weight: 200lbs
Terrain: Mainly flat, few rolling hills
Temperature: Cold and windy
Gear: Adidas running shorts, Long-sleeved Adidas Climacool t-shirt, Nike Air Zoom Vomero Shoes
Hydration: Water
Fuel: None
Medical: Mild shin pain, tight calves, sore feet
Recovery: Stretches, Aleve, ice
Shoe Mile Count: 15.51 miles (a new stat for me to track the wear on the shoes)
If all goes well, 8 miles will soon seem like a walk in the park, but as of today, it's the second longest run I ever remember completing. It was rather cold and windy, and after I got going, I realized I probably had underdressed for the occasion. Fortunately most of the run was somewhat sheltered by real estate, but when I hit more open stretches, I was given quite an assault.
Pretty much every part of my lower leg ached at one point or another, but in actual fact, it was all pretty mild, and nothing Aleve and ice couldn't fix after the run was over. Perhaps the biggest worry was the fact that my left calf was still tight, particularly over the first few miles. It wasn't painful, but I was a little concerned I could injure it if I pushed myself too hard.
The new shoes held up well. It has taken a couple of runs to get used to the heels which I feel are the biggest difference between these and the old ones - they still seem more built up. Nevertheless, despite a little surface foot pain towards the end that I attributed to me still breaking them in, I can't complain about the results so far.
Jill ran the second half with me and that helped me keep my pace easy. I ran the first half in around 9:45 pace, which was about right, then I slowed down to probably 11:00 pace or so for the second half. Ideal overall.
It's quickly getting cold. I might need some more winter gear before too long. Also I really had to watch my step. Lots of leaves hiding cracked paving stones, and I nearly tripped over fallen twigs a dozen times. Ah, nature. Will I conquer thee?
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