Tuesday, 10/2... short 3 mile run on the trail today. My back was still a little "touchy" when I got underway this morning and with a 5K I want to run this Saturday coming fast, I cut the run short. Yesterday was an all day rain event, today wasn't much better. My back will be fine, I'm just being cautious...
Runs in the rain
A short, two mile recovery run today, overcast and 53 degrees. Legs still sore from the marathon. Perhaps it would have been good to do this run Monday or Tuesday to get the circulation going, clean out the toxins and loosen the legs, but just felt like resting and I had to go to work in the evenings.
I am planning what to do from this point forward to be ready to BQ next year. My experience this year teaches what a daunting task it will be, definitely work on speed is needed. My girlfriend says it is an unrealistic goal and I should give up on it, but at least I want to try hard and see. I admit I have serious doubts myself after being reminded of what a long, hard distance it is in my last race and how difficult it is to do the needed training. Well, it will be a challenge and test of my determination.
Rich - Dealing with lots of overcast, drizzly days here too. The damp chilly weather is not good for the back I know.I'm sure you will be fine on race day and do well in your 5K.
Long distance runner, what you standin' there for?Get up, get out, get out of the door!
Wednesday, 10/3... rode the tryke 8 miles on the trail this morning, nice alternative to running. Rowing seems to have helped my back...
Altair5... nothing wrong with taking a couple of days after a marathon, just walking can be tough those first few days. Good that you got the recovery run in though, it's a step in the right direction. Maybe a good test to see if you're up to running a BQ would be to run a half marathon to see how you'd do at holding pace for 13.1 miles. Granted, it's not 26.2, but it'd still be a good test to see what you're capable of. Our weather's finally going to improve, both dry days this weekend with mild temps. I honestly don't know what to expect for Saturday's 5K, but will be happy with anything that's an improvement over last year...LOL
Altair: CONGRATS!! You did awesome!! 26.2 is a LONG LONG distance when you're the one running ......and it's great that you still want to try to BQ. I know you can. Speed is tough for me to train for and I neglect it but I know it's necessary. I tend to do hills to combine strength and speed ......much more tiring too but it really gives me the advantage on flat courses. Enjoy the rest and recovery. You did it!! WOOHOO!
NH: Hope the back doesn't get any worse. Do you do any 'core exercises?' I do one before I get out of bed each morning especially when I have a morning run planned, about 3 sets of 12 ......both legs in the air and slowing swing them side to side. It really helps in my opinion. your 3 miler is good tapering.
ART: all that working on the house for family is quite some cross-training! The valley got pretty soaked yesterday .....the most rain in one day, and in the month of October from the reports on TV. And then the usual 'idiots' who take chances on driving through flooded areas .......and they get stuck .....need to be rescued, ugh!! Every year!! You take care!!
Our Chicago trip was short and damp if not rainy but the chilly temps were similar to northern AZ so I went for walks while DH was in session. WE arrived Thurs morning .....had time to go sightseeing. And I ran about 4 miles interval on hotel TM, 15 min elliptical, 30 min on weights. DH had Fri morning open so we took the architecture river cruise under cloudy skies, a cool breeze. Then it started to rain so I got another workout in in hotel fitness room while DH was in session all afternoon. 10 min elliptical, 4.5 miles intervals on TM, 30 min weights, 10 min elliptical. The event had an incredible social hour and dinner for us Fri. evening. Spent couple of hours with a few people we knew. DH had all day session on Saturday. I decided to check out the Chicago 10 mile race along the Lake Front. I ran the couple of blocks there. Cheered on the runners for about an hour. Then ran about 3 miles. Cheered on the runners along the way. Then ran back to hotel (about 1.5 mile), ran about 3 more miles on TM, 10 min elliptical, 20 min weights. I went sightseeing for couple of hours. Lots of events going on, saw about 6 wedding parties at a very popular wedding portrait site in a garden. There was a culinary event as well, lots of tents but lots of security. Tons of tourists at the 'Cloud Gate' aka, the bean. After DH was done, we went to a restaurant with 6 others. They wanted to check out another place but DH and I had to be up early for our flight so we took a leisurely stroll back to the hotel. We returned Sunday afternoon. We were both beat ......I was asleep by 7:30 pm!! Good lord!!
Mon: wanted to get another long run in but legs were tired ....
Tues: I knew it was going to rain ...........and it did, almost all day ......another rest day.
Wed: Finished 18 miles!! YIPPEE!! Not pretty at all but I did it. It's funny how last week's 22 miler went so well .....and this 'shorter' long run was like dragging my feet through cement ......trail was not that muddy.
Tomorrow: meeting with trail divas .......keep thinking it's our last one for the year but guess not. Will get a short recovery run in.
Fri: REST. I will be volunteering for the weekend for the Sky Peaks Trail ultra runs!! I love this event .....and I get credit for future races in their series, YAY!!
Sat: Hope to get in a run in the morning, then another volunteer day at Sky Peaks trail race. DH flying to MN for a week.
Sun: REST. Then volunteer again.
Monday was a rest day.
Tuesday morning got up and dressed thinking it was fine to go for a run. Got to the back door and saw the ground was wet and there was a steady light rain. So light I didn't hear it on the skylights. It didn't stop raining until around noon. By then I had changed and was busy with work stuff. I did some light exercises waiting to see if it would stop raining for a while though.
3.9 miles Wednesday morning. In the upper 70s but still pretty damp and humid from the storm leaving. Running along the canal on the packed dirt/gravel road I could feel the ground give a little with each footfall. Courtesy of the rain. When it's dry it feels like running on the road. So it was a nice change.
Altair - I've never ran a marathon so I can't really offer much advice there on training for next year. I can offer my experience on training for half marathons though. My first couple of halfs I was sore after also. Took a couple of days for my legs to be better. But I kept at it with my training since I was improving some each time and things started being easier. Eventually I decided to try a little harder and see where I could go.
When I was really in the swing of things I was doing generally 35 - 40 miles a week. The only sure runs were on Wednesday I would do 8 - 10 miles and on the weekend it would be 12-14 miles. Rest of the week it was whatever I felt like. Either 3, 5 or 6 miles. I ran faster whenever I thought of it. It got to the point after a while that running 13 miles on the weekend was around 2 hours. More importantly, I didn't feel tired or sore. Usually just hungry. For me just running more helped to build things up and keep them there.
Big difference between 13 and 26 miles as I'm sure you have other things to do than spend 4 - 5 hours on a run every weekend. I think it can keep the training up over the Winter, you'll be in good shape come Spring. That's if you can work around your schedule. I kind of know how you feel some. With the summer weather beating me up on runs I was always thinking if I would ever get better. This mornings run in the cooler but humid weather told me I will. But I think it will take a while before I get back there.
Rich - Moving that AC unit worked some muscles we don't use much when running. So rowing the tryke probably helped getting things evened out. Good to think ahead for Saturday's 5K.
Art in AZ
Mesa, AZ
Rich - Glad the rowing seemed to help your back. I often find exercise helps loosen the stiffness. For these past two years I have run the local half a month before the full marathon. The double the time and add 15 minute predictor has been fairly acurate, So the "test" for a 4:05 marathon would be to run 1:55 for the half. Here the weather goes back and forth between summer and fall temperatures, hope you have nice weather for the 5K.
az - Sounds like you had a great time in Chicago. The architecture river cruise must have been fun. You got in walks and were able to make good use of the hotel's exercise equipment. Nice that you went to cheer the 10 mile race. After all that activity I'm sure you were glad to be back home and rest a couple days, then a 18 miler! Way to go! Hope you are enjoying the trail run with the divas. And more race volunteer work! You keep busy. As for running hills, where I live is very hilly. Unless I drive to the river flood plain or travel to the canal path in Rochester then all my running courses involve hills of some kind. This could be a series of small up and down hills, or a long gradual climb with a corresponding descent, or a tough, steep climb. I do as best I can with these, but I just cannot race up a really steep slope, although a slow jog up it still is a workout.
Art - If the rain was light enough maybe you should have run in it, as long as there is no lightning I often run in the rain myself. Good that it must have cooled thing off and made the gravel softer for your run. Your training experience for doing the half is similar to what I have always done, shorter runs during the weekdays and a long run on the weekend followed by a rest day. But training to run a BQ marathon is a whole, new ballgame. I take about 2 hours to run a 10 mile course. Last year I did some 20 mile runs and they took about 4 hours 15 minutes. I don't mind the long runs, I kind of enjoy being out there for several hours. Also, talk about taking time, as I reported I got all the way up to a 70 mile week in training this year. That means I was doing runs of 10 to 16 miles on a daily basis! That is except for the weekends where I have to work early in the mornings, Thursday and Friday being my off days. I do plan on maintaining at least most of my fitness over the winter. Experience has taught me that starting over in spring and having to build up again will not provide enough training time to meet my goal.
.Here are my thoughts on how to move forward from this point: I will start to build up miles after I recover more from the race, nothing too intense, just want to have more fun with it right now. That means will run as long and often as I feel like, which may be some shorter 4 to 8 mile runs and a long run. I think I should make it a minimum of 30 mile weeks to maintain fitness. I would like to do some of the longer courses of 18 miles or more that I shied away from in my training. The fall weather should be nice and cool for runs with the colorful foliage to enjoy . Then as winter approaches I want to work on speed. I will continue with some slower miles outside, but like once a week my thought is to go to the fitness center just a quarter mile from my home and use the treadmill. I could then set it for specific speeds. I would like to try an 8 minute mile and then by doing intervals and increasing the distance hope to be able to do 10 miles at that pace by spring. Perhaps this might be too ambitious, but I'll see what I can do. The treadmill miles are said to be easier than road running, so I will have to try the 8 minute miles outside when the weather is better. I also want to work on doing a sub 7 minute mile, a predictor for the 9:20 pace marathon goal. As spring approaches I will back off on the speed work, I read that it is not good to focus on that too long or you get worn out. I will go back to longer runs and weekly distance. About two months before my marathon I will again sharpen my speed, perhaps alternating a week of a long distance run with one of a fast tempo run, so basically one hard run each week. I will also do some hills, maybe tackle a big, steep one that I haven't yet dared to try. I do want to have some cutback recovery weeks thrown into the mix. I was not completely happy with the plan this year to limit the length of my long runs. I will feel a lot more confident if I get a few runs of 20 to 23 miles under my belt several weeks before race day. Sorry Ray, not according to the Hansons plan of 16 mile max. I also will be doing my half marathon a month before. To get the time needed to predict a 4:05 marathon (1:55) I would need to run it in about a 8:46 pace, but it would be nice to place and a 8:30 pace would most likely grant a 2nd or 3rd in AG. I do think I should minimize the taper and recovery for that half to ensure I am in good shape for the BQ attempt. I would of course start a taper for the two weeks prior to the race. This is my plan for now subject to modifications. I realize that this is a big jump from my current marathon pace and will take dedication to achieve. Also, luck that nothing interferes with my plans, such as unexpected injury or very poor race day conditions. Comments are welcome.
Thursday, 10/4... another cross training day, 8.5 mile mtn bike trail ride. That and getting caught up on some of the yard work before Winter gets here.
az... all I can say is you keep a busy schedule, wow! Congrats on Wednesday's 18 miler, pretty or not, that's a solid run. And no, I don't have any core exercises I do on a regular basis. When you swing your legs side to side doing yours, do your legs drop all the way down or just part way? What got me in trouble with the portable A/C unit is the height when it's in the window, it's chest high and awkward to lift and get out. Once out, I had it cradled in my arms at chest height when I carried it downstairs, awkward again. I built the tryke thinking it would be perfect for getting in an upper body workout and it is, but you kind' a have to ride the thing for that to happen, something I passed on this Summer trying to get in more running miles, but have started riding again in the last week. Anyway, I'll try your exercise and thanks!
Art... finally your weather's starting to improve, eh? We get a lot of days like you ran Wednesday's 3.9 miler in, decent temps, but the humidity's through the roof, making it difficult to stay cool or even breathe. And you sweat like crazy! lol You had a nice routine going when you were running more miles, being in shape as a runner is an awesome feeling...
Altair5... I'm with you on exercise helping to loosen stiff muscles, plus the increased circulation helps with recovery. My back hasn't completely quieted down, but I should be good to go for Saturday's 5K. I won't do much tomorrow, maybe a short walk / jog just see how my back reacts. Doesn't really matter, I'm running Saturday regardless...lol You know, on a good day with better weather, no bathroom issues and a better handle on how to use gels, you could have just as well have run sub 4:30 in your last marathon. You've read Ray's marathon reports at Boston where he's had a bad day and struggled to get home. He's always in shape, so that wasn't the issue, it's the marathon, they're NOT easy. Anyway, good luck in your quest to BQ, just remember to enjoy the journey. I love running, racing and being around like minded people who share the passion. Be sure to do a little of that this year too, it's a good way to keep it all in perspective...
Friday, 10/5... quick little 1.5 miles on the trail this morning to stay loose. Tonight's forecast low is 35 degrees with tomorrow's high at 63, so it'll be a little cool when the flag drops at 9:00 am, but dry. Tried your core exercises this morning Az., and almost immediately my back muscles started to complain. Proof the exercise works the right muscles, I just need for my back to calm down before doing any more...lol
On another note, I've been experiencing a burning sensation in my right quad that's been going on for a while that I attributed to not recovering after a run at first, then thought it might be a circulation problem and was close to calling for a doc's appointment. I'd searched the net, but hadn't found anything 'til I changed the search to just looking at one leg burning. Up pops the technical name for a pinched nerve in the lower back and a few stretches that might fix the problem. Got on the floor and tried the first stretch, but didn't notice any improvement. The second stretch however, worked like a charm, I got up pain free after less than 5 minutes of stretching. That was this morning, so it's too soon to be 100% sure, but so far, so good. I haven't been able to run the miles I've wanted or train the way I'd have liked because of the pain, I'd experience it during and after a run, at night when I'm trying to sleep, etc. When you're not sleeping well, everything suffers, even to the point where I thought my running career was coming to an end. Anyway, I like sharing information like this, it might help someone else avoid the same hassle. After a few days I'll give an update, hopefully with good news... lol
Rich -good luck tomorrow, the cold should motivate a fast pace!
Geesh. I was just about finished typing and everything disappeared. So let's try this again.
4 miles Friday morning in really nice weather. Cool, clear skies, bright sun, no clouds or wind. Nice. Enjoyed the run.
AZ - Glad you had a good time in Chicago despite the weather. I miss the downtown sometimes with all the different events and places to go and see. Phoenix is nice and getting there, but still has a way to go. The rain was nice as it brought much needed water, cleared out the dirt and dust and lowered the temps. As for the idiot drivers, I think we should leave them there unless it's life threatening.
Altair - Here's where our definition of light rain is different. I would have been soaked before I finished a half mile. Didn't find that too appealing for a run. Your plan is good in keeping up your training.
Rich - I think the weather has finally turned to cool now. Just think it was mid 100s a couple of weeks ago. But this is what usually happens. Good luck Saturday.
4.7 miles in another beautiful morning. Added a little to the run as I start to increase mileage. Have to wait and see what tomorrow morning brings as another storm is predicted to start bringing rain later tonight and Sunday morning.
Saturday, 10/6... my 20 bucks to register for today's Chili Cook-off 5K netted a long sleeved tech shirt and a neat engraved water glass for finishing 2nd in my age group, I also finished 21st overall and am tempted to leave it right there for bragging rights, but there we only 44 runners overall and just one other guy in my age group... My time was 27:16, so there weren't any 8:30 splits, but I did average 8:46's and beat last year's time of 27:35, so it's all good. No issues with my legs, which is more good news. Tomorrow it's on the 5K with 400 feet of elevation drop, most of which is in the first mile. Oh yeah, a young woman won today's race outright, thought that was kind' a neat.
Altair5... thanks for the well wishes. It was 34 degrees when I left the house this morning, cool, but not bad.
Art... thanks for the well wishes as well. Good news on your weather, now's the time of year when we cold weather runners start complaining about the cold...LOL Nice to see you're adding a little distance to your runs also, WTG!
Rich: WTG!! Love those small races!! Congrats on the AG and overall placement!! WOW!! Don't matter how many showed up, you got it done!! I actually prefer 'functional awards' like a cup, beverage glass, beanie, etc than medals. Your training is really paying off despite the injury recovery. Good job!! And AWESOME that overall winner was female!! YAY!! As for the core exercise suggested, yes, you swing both legs slowly all the way down .....if you can. If not, just as far as you can and over time, you'll be able to get it down. I also leave one leg straight down, and swing the other leg sideways, it strengthens and flexs the hips.
Altair: your training plan forward sounds pretty thought through and reasonable, good that you're getting in some speed training. That's always been a tough one for me. I'm not fast but I know that consistent speed and stamina training gives me strong finishes ...... I like the plan that you have going into winter. I know the Hanson's plan works for certain runners but I feel a couple of 22 milers for marathon training fosters better time for me. Having said that, I only got ONE 22 miler in but did get an 18 miler in for my upcoming trail marathon. I don't care to run on roads so I stick with trails with technical/hilly areas to get my strength. But race day weather definitely has its own agenda. You've got patience and determination, I know you'll get a BQ.
Art: nice that you got some good cool temps to get some runs in. I love 'old cities' like Chicago, Denver with its history and incredible architecture, not too crazy about 'new cities' like Phoenix or L.A. The only thing that Phoenix can do to 'improve' is to get a darn metro train from the airport to different major areas ......traffic is nuts there. Are you gonna be training for any upcoming races?
Dan, Ray and Chantilly: hope all is well with each of you.
Thurs: met up with trail divas at Aspen Corner. One of my favorite trails. And, it's perfect time and place to enjoy the incredible fall colors of the aspen trees. Sun sets earlier so I had to get my run in by breaking away from the 'pack' since I forgot to pack my headlamp . Chilly but perfect for a mountain run. Some of the ladies ran/walked for 3 miles RT but a few of us ran the out and back of 5 miles.
Fri: woke up at 5:30 am!! And...... I couldn't 'bend' my right knee to get out of bed!! WTHeck!! I kinda panicked ......took deep long breaths ......I massaged it for a few minutes .....OMgoodness!! I had to literally LIFT my leg out of bed...... it felt 'swollen' but I could put weight on it. Keeping right leg practically 'straight,' I 'walked' to bathtub and under warm/hot water, I massaged it more. Finally, it felt better, I could bend it right and left while lifting my knee with my hands and then it finally started to bend the way it should. I used some "sore no more" ointment and put on my knee support. It felt ok to walk by then. What a scare, don't know why that happened. The knee felt fine on my recent runs, didn't injure it. Anyway, I got ready and did spend the rest of the day setting up the finish/start/aid station area as a volunteer for the Sky Peaks ultra trail race .......the race started this morning, 50 mile, 50K, 25K, 10K, 5K. https://aravaiparunning.com/network/flagstaff/
I'm heading out that way again this afternoon. Volunteering at aid station till 10 pm ......it's cold up on the mountain, predicted rain, possibly snow. Tomorrow, I'll be breaking down the start/finish area again.
DH left for airport, he's flying to northern MN to check on house. I didn't run after all this morning. We found out earlier this week that a co-worker of DH was admitted into hospital here, excessive BP, and cardiovascular issues so he has been in ICU all week, but will be admitted into a Phoenix hospital for rehab next week. He lives in Phoenix as well. He is in his late 70s, bad health, bad shape. So we visited him this morning, and we were relieved to hear that he decided to retire. DH has been talking to him about that, the guy needs to retire and enjoy the years he has left. It's sad.
Sunday, 10/7... the local rec. center's "Going Down 5K" with 400 feet of elevation drop went off this morning at 9:00 am. One of my concerns was the rough paved road we'd be running down, but it was never an issue. The first mile was all downhill and I hit that split in 7:43, not blazing fast, but in the early going I was being careful not to get tripped up by the rough footing. Halfway through the 2nd mile was the first uphill and my legs balked to the point I pulled up and walked a bit, so much for running back to back 5K's, eh? From there to the end I was like a balloon with a slow leak, kept getting slower and slower. Fun race, I ended up running 26:23, but more importantly, introduced a quicker cadence to my legs in the first 1.5 miles, something I REALLY need to do more of. Legs are sore, but in a good way.
az... not sure how I'd react if I couldn't bend my knee, as runners, we need ALL our parts working. No idea what caused it, eh? Is this the knee you wear a brace on? Good luck, hopefully it was caused by something simple, like the way you slept, etc. The first time I did the back exercises, I dropped my legs halfway, then held 'em there for a few seconds before returning to the neutral position. They ARE going to work, it'll just be a few days before I do 'em full time.