One of my favorite months!
Started off with a birthday phone call to my 87 year old grandmother filled with funny stories about old and contemporary New York - and an 11.8 long run - felt good at my snail's pace. Today I did a short recovery run - it's warm and rainy here in Halifax, just beautiful listening to the raindrops and the radio.
Happy - good on you for getting that 20 miler done! How are the trails - Perfesser?
What else is happening out there? A
Recalculating...
Hi Ayola and anyone else looking in....
My run this morning was the best part of the day despite my right pyriformis hurting pretty much the whole time. I decided to aggressively ice it and nearly frost-burned my butt! Then I got a stomache and felt pooky all afternoon. Now I'm making cornbread muffins and didn't use my tried-and-true recipe. This recipe isn't cooking fast enough on the inside while the outsides appear to be scorching and sticking to the sides of the pan. I can't wait for this "holiday" to be over!
Don't make excuses for why you can't get it done.
Focus on all the reasons why you must make it happen.
Still here, must get around to downloading my Garmin one day.....
A 20 miler last month Happy. That is awesome
“Attitude is the Difference Between an Ordeal and an Adventure”
Goals 2016
Do stuff
Puke - A sneaky way to get a PR, it's like Dutchies tag line about doing things before your brain figures out what you're doing. "Oh no, we are just out here for support..........PR!"
Happy - Congrats on the 20 miler, how long until the marathon?
I finished up all my vacationing and have buckeled down for some high mileage weeks prepping for my 200 mile relay in 3 weeks. Our team is down from 12 runners to 9 so each of us will be doing 4 legs (about 24 miles total for each of us). Made some bad decisions yesterday and put in a long run in the heat and humidity, by the time I was done I was down 10 lbs. I think I should have taken more water.
Are you rehydrated now, Jeff? Down 10 is a lot!!! I've never done a relay, but have heard about them....no sleep for days, everyone but the runner crammed into a van...is it more fun than it sounds? Does yours benefit any charity? to make your suffering/FUN worthwhile?
My race is October 13, but honestly I'm not looking ahead. I'm taking this a day at a time, currently trying to problem-solve the last several days of right butt pain Saturday I'm supposed to do a 13-miler, with all of it after w/u at MP, which for me is 10 mpm. We'll see....tonight's tempo run didn't end very well. One day at a time...
So am I going to look like a complete dork if I wear this for my marathon?? Do other people wear them in marathons?
In training, I've been wearing a fuel belt that holds one 22 oz bottle and a hand held that holds 22 oz. On my 20- miler I had drink left over, so I know this 50 oz vest will be plenty. I want to take my own drink. I bought this today and plan to try it out on Saturday. I'm hoping it won't be too heavy and stress my back....another worry. But....will I look like a dork??
Imminent Catastrophe
No, a lot of people wear those in marathons. Just be SURE to try it out on a long run first, sometimes chafing doesn't show up until the last 10k and you don't need that.
"Able to function despite imminent catastrophe"
"To obtain the air that angels breathe you must come to Tahoe"--Mark Twain
"The most common question from potential entrants is 'I do not know if I can do this' to which I usually answer, 'that's the whole point'.--Paul Charteris, Tarawera Ultramarathon RD.
√ Javelina Jundred Jalloween 2015
Cruel Jewel 50 mile May 2016
Western States 100 June 2016
Good point. I'll try it tomorrow half full and see how that is for starters. I've had two days off to calm down my pyriformis-itis and hope to do 13 tomorrow. The following Saturday is another 20-miler and I'll fill it completely and see how that goes.
I'm a little nervous about tomorrow. I dread finding out that I'm no better after two days off. I doubt I can do the prescribed workout since it's supposed to be MP miles and I've decided on a hilly course. It's such a nice route though and I'll need some consolation if I end up walking for 2 hours! If all is good, I think the best I can hope for is 10:30 avg pace, if that.
MTA: Jeff, who is that in your new avatar pic. You, I assume, and who else?
Happy - Plenty of people wear their hydration. No problems there. 50 oz sounds a little light on hydration for a full marathon though. I'm up around 80 oz for a full. My new avatar is me and a couple of my teammates from last years relay race. The relay is mostly just for fun but there is a small public service mission to raise awareness and support for the running/biking trail that is slowly being built between Charlottesville, Richmond and Williamsburg (Capital Trail).
The temps here in Virginia are about perfect right now. My last several runs have been about 75F and low humidity....nice! I'm off to watch my son in his first XC race of the year today. He is still not very fast (5K PR around 25:30) but last year he was the slowest on the team and this year he is faster than about 15 kids (team of about 45).
Wow I've really acclimated to the north, 80F feels like my upper runing limit. Right now its 49F and looks perfect outside (Tomatoes are safely inside of their new shelter) Im just about to run 10 after tea. I'm going to try some miles at HM pace once I get the snot out.
Jeff - have a great time at the XC meet, great way to start the day.
Happy - take it easy on the pyformis - do you have 2 more 20 milers before October 13th?
happy Saturday, A
Happy - Plenty of people wear their hydration. No problems there. 50 oz sounds a little light on hydration for a full marathon though. I'm up around 80 oz for a full
If the Camelback works out, I plan to fill it with Perpetuem and then supplement with water from the aid stations when I need it because I'll also use caffeinated shot blocks. I ate 2 blocks during my 20-mile training run - so I'll need water for them. So, I won't be able to eliminate stopping at an aid station, but at least it won't be until the second half. Plus I never got to try out the drink they are serving. I ordered it online, but it has been backordered for a month. I'd rather stick with the Perp at this point since I'm used to it.
Jeff - Sounds like your son is making progress in terms of his capability ... and he's sticking with the sport. That's a lot for most kids.
Hope you enjoy your LR today Aoyla - and me too. I'm working on my coffee, then some yoga, and finally will test the waters. My massage therapist friend (Deb) worked on me yesterday, but I don't feel much different this morning so far. The plan calls for two more 20-22 milers, but it's not set in stone --- all depends on how quickly I get over this current problem.
Obviously, my glute strengthening program has backfired. I always seem to get into trouble with exercises that I add in on my own - not ones the PT gives me. Deb gave me an ultimatum to cease and desist all extraneous exercises. She said she'll fire me if I do this again...not my first time trying to make progress faster with various new exercises, having it backfire, and hoping she can fix it. Also she says my right pyriformis is the main culprit this time, although she defused some trigger points in the hip and back that were contributing to the pain.I would like to mention that so far the rest of my legs and feet feel great!! If it wasn't for the pyriformis issue, I'd be on top of the world with how perfectly normal they feel...maybe the hard training hasn't really begun yet, I'm not sure.
Happy, you probably know this but Perpetuem has a couple of drawbacks. First, it's hard to mix, I use a blender. Also, it's perishable and they say not to leave it un-refrigerated for long (this makes it impractical for my drop bags in ultras). Having said that, I love Perpetuem when I can use it. Also, it makes cleaning out the bladder a pain.
Here's what I do sometimes. If the aid stations are frequent enough I'll mix the Perpetuem at extra-strength. Approaching an aid station I'll take a few swigs of the extra-strength Perpetuem and chase it with water from the aid station.That way I only have to carry half the volume of Perpetuem. It's worth a try.
For mixing my Perp, I fill the bottle half full, add a scoop of the powder and then whisk like crazy with this "french whip" before topping off the bottle with water. Works great!!!
The good news about the Camelbak vest is the bladder has a large screw top opening that measures 3.5 inches in diameter. I can get my whole hand in there to wash and dry it. That's a good idea about making a concentrate to supplement with water.
So I test-drove the hydration pack today, filling it halfway and wearing a sleeveless top. When I closed the bladder, I tried to get all the air out and that paid off with NO SLOSHING SOUND - hooray! I was all set to just HATE that. No chafing today, but it was a short LR; we'll see next Saturday when I run longer.
Despite my fears, I was able to complete my prescribed run without disaster today. It took some determined effort to accomplish and I had pyriformis pain off and on, but not too bad. I worked on it with the foam roller tonight and actually think I did some good.
Finally, I have 100 miles in the last 30 days. I won't make 2000k for the year but I'm making progress. Last weeks 10 miler went well, this week I've planned 12 for Saturday -on our urban rails to trails path.
Foam roller, ho!!!