I took some precaution on 31 December 2013 to prepare as if I might run a race the next day. I harbored some ambition of doing the Resolution Run. Despite going out that night, I held off on having too many drinks, I ate healthy despite the buffet put before me, and I seemed on track to do the race, except as bedtime came around it was 1:30am and I just could not imagine getting enough sleep to make it there feeling at all good. I awoke at 9am, which was when the race would have been starting, and I lamented that I was awake while the race was happening, but not at it. I should have gone out and run a hard workout in lieu of the race, but something about the morning not going according to what I had imagined meant that I could not get up the motivation to go for a hard run, nor any run at all.
Little did I suspect that I would visit Emily's family that evening and begin to fall sick such that I would not run in the new year until 10 January 2014. When visiting Phil. The night before a race.
Phil and I ran about 4 miles around a track on Friday. That was my first run back. My achilles were a bit sore due in part to all the turning on the track. My muscles felt a little funny after the run. I coughed a few times due to my throat/lungs not being completely back yet from the sickness. Otherwise a decent first run back.
Then the next morning we did the 5k. That included a slow 2 mile warm up and a slow one mile cool down. That meant about 6 miles for the day. The race went nothing like I expected, but relative to Phil I finished about where I expected -- 30 seconds back. My muscles were a bit sore from running in mud and just from doing a decent clip my second day back.
Then the next morning we met with a group of local runners. They were all quite fast. They planned to do 10 miles at an 8:00 pace, except they were all feeling better than that pace, so they started faster than that and I was working to not get dropped by them. I kept them in sight for most of it and worked pretty hard to stay within closing distance at all times. I was able to finish with the group, but I was sore. I coughed for a few minutes after. I had to walk a few minutes to get through the coughing and as a sort of cool down. Later on it hurt a little to go down stairs. My guess is I'll feel the effects of muscle pain for the next few days, too, until I get used to running again and my legs have healed from the initial shock.
At this time of year, sickness is as significant a risk to training as injury. From 12/30/2012 to 01/04/2013, I only managed to run a single mile due to illness (much of which was my fault since on 12/29/12 I insisted on proceeding with a modest long in very cold rain despite already being a bit sick). And that would've been a long drive to reach the Resolution 5K in time.
My marathon training has been very frustrating so far, as I just haven't been able to get the mileage rolling. So far I've only managed a single 70-mile week. I deal with a new pain after every weekend, however, and as of yesterday I'm practically injured. If you've paid any attention to my logging lately, you'll know that I've made numerous mentions of my left knee starting to give out on me toward the end of runs, and then being very stiff afterward. Well after I pushed through my savage 17-mile steady state yesterday, my short cool down was a limping mess --- as though someone had taken a baseball bat to my left knee cap! I've been icing it frequently, and mandated that today be an off day, but I fear that may not be enough. I really wanted this to be my first 80-mile week of the training cycle (and what better way to start off than with a 20-mile Sunday), yet I know it would behoove me to also take tomorrow off and then attempt an easy run on Wednesday before continuing to take it easy over Thursday and Friday. Most important right now is being able to perform the big interval set I have in mind for Saturday.
MTA: I just scanned back through my recent log entries (doing a CTRL + F for "knee"), and it seems that Monday, December 30 was the first time I complained of the issue. Thus the knee trouble seems to have arose from doing a brisk, 9-mile "rampant recovery" the day after my 4 X 2400 set on the track. So let that be a warning to Joe and Phil the next time they go for a steady state long run the day after a 5k race.
The intervals were likely the primary cause and the rampant recovery sure didn't help. The 9 mile run is repeatable daily; the 4x2400 is not.
I don't think you can expect to up your mileage at the same time you are upping your overall pace and at the same time all of your individual workouts are getting progressively harder. I would not expect your body to hold up well during that.
I more or less agree with Joe, you may be pursuing too many goals at once. Most people use 4 or 5 month training plans for marathon where in month and two they build up there mileage to say 70 or 80 a week without trying to increase the pace and effort level on quality workouts, then once they have built up their mileage base they maintain it and do those things.
You are trying to do three things at once
1) Build your mileage
2) Improve your quality workouts
3. Improve your easy run paces
If you can stay healthy you'll get good results, but the key is two stay healthy. You do the late fall early winter racing every year, but if you really wanted to focus on the marathon you'd build up your mileage at that point so you wouldn't have to increase your mileage as you really starting focusing on your quality marathon workouts.
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My progression tonight (7:02, 6:15, 5:53) is not unlike Phil's intervals yesterday (6:10, 6:23, 5:58), methinks.
It's a 5k. It hurt like hell...then I tried to pick it up. The end.
I had was using a two lap rest recovery in between them so I had that. You didn't really have a recovery.
My second rep was probably close to 6:10, I messed up hitting start on my watch and didn't hit that until I was at the 100 meter mark, this it recorded 1500 meters of my second rep, I then waited for another runner to finish (maybe 2 or 3 seconds behind) then started the jog recovery so the 6:23 includes that brief stop and some jog recovery. It was actually within a second or two of the first rep.
I tried to join the repeat miles club last night. I wanted to do 3x1600 like Phil and Perry with the intention of a recovery more like Phil's two laps. My theoretical goal was to do them all sub-6. I thought I was capable of this, but that the recovery might not be enough. It was kind of cold out, though. I hadn't expected freezing temperatures for my run. I became pretty skeptical that I could do three of them in that cold without messing up my throat. I had pretty well resolved to just do two repetitions when I toed the line.
I started the first one. It was pretty tiring. Aside from being cold, it was also dark. I missed my first 200m and 400m split. This caused me some panic, as I didn't know my pace. I hit lap at 800m, but still couldn't read my watch. I think I hit lap again at 1200m, but couldn't see it. For all I knew I was impossibly far off the mark. I ran pretty hard through the last lap to try and salvage what could be a bad time. I ended up running 5:50. It took a lot out of me. I think the stress of not knowing whether I was on pace made it even worse. I had a slight twinge in my hamstring and knew I could have a coughing fit if I did another mile, so I just went right into jogging my cool down. This seemed the smart thing to do, albeit disappointing.
I bailed on my tempo last night. I was supposed to do a 30 min. tempo, but re-planned that to something like 3 miles instead. No go. I just did not feel good yesterday. P and I ran one mile of the tempo and I was done. Not a pretty day.
Who is off work on Monday? I'm contemplating a "wiggedy whack track attack" --- 4 X 3200. I'll be aiming for the mid-late morning, when the temperature will hopefully be up to the 40s. Pacing support would be greatly appreciated! I'm aspiring to run them all sub-11:30 ... though, as was the case with my 4 X 2400 set, I'm liable to slow up at some point.
I might be able to show up. Sounds like a fun idea.
I am planning on a 13 miler today to get to 76 miles for the week, which will be my highest mileage week ever. And Perry is still going to beat me by 10 miles.
That said, next week may challenge this week for my all time high and there is a chance I hit 80 next week.
Phil, I see you at 63 miles for this week. Are you back to Monday-Sunday, and are planning on running another 13 miles tomorrow?
MTA: Oops, I looked at your log again and realized that your 12-mile long run was actually run yesterday and not today.
I am planning on a 13 miler today to get to 76 miles for the week, which will be my highest mileage week ever. And Perry is still going to beat me by 10 miles. That said, next week may challenge this week for my all time high and there is a chance I hit 80 next week.
By a little more than 10mi as it turns out -- but anyway, congratulations Phil!
Better be on your toes (literally) next week Perry as I may get close to 80.
The side of my foot is sore from running on trails (I raced on trail last Saturday, ran on them last Sunday) and ran some more on them today, so I am hoping that doesn't develop into something serious.
Do you mean the inner side? That's the area where you have to watch out for PTT.