Wk of Nov 26--WISH Walking/Running Club

[Mouse Skywalker]

Hello Team: Just a quick post to let you all know about my run. I did 20 miles this morning. The first 15 miles went like a dream, and then the bottom fell out. My right knee hurt at the back of the knee and I couldn't keep running for long. I ended up walking in most of the last 3 miles. The wind was absolutely brutal out there. I'll post a little more later, but I'm a little concerned with this lousy run so close to the marathon. My overall time was 3:50 for a 11:30 mpm pace, but the last 5 miles were soooo much slower than my first 15. I had a couple of 15 min miles in there too where I just walked the whole thing. OK, off to go work on Christmas lights.

 

[nucpharm29]

Well, just a quick post, as I have to shower and change for DD's bday party. I finished the 5K in 26:15 (or thereabouts)! That's a PR for me--I probably could've broken 26--but there were no mile markers or time clocks on the race course, and me w/o a watch--SO, I had no idea what my pace was. Hope everyone has great runs today and tomorrow. Ddad took pics of me and Dsis at the race today--will post tonight

 

[keenercam]

Dave -- sorry about the stonker, but I think that is not unusual at all. Don't beat yourself up over it -- you were stilll wayyyy ahead of pace even with some 15:00 miles.

nucpharm -- congratulations on the PR! awesome job!

Jodi -- I hope the gel inserts work for you!

I got up at 4:30 (after less than 5 hours sleep, but I figure that's more than I'll get before the marathon, right? ) and headed for the gym. Decded yesterday to push it to 20 today in the hopes of getting in one or 2 more really LRs before the taper. This is how it went:
For the first 2 hours I maintained a steady 14:07 pace and at one point I was even able to jog for 5 minutes!
After that, things got tougher but I ended up doing 20 in less than 5 hours for an overall pace at 14:28 or better. Not much of a cushion, but every bit helps, right? I really should not have shopped for 3+hours last night in clogs. OUCH!

I have to say, nutrition was a real issue today. I ate dinner really late but carb loaded with whole wheat pasta and a baked sweet potato and a small piece of chicken breast (very hungry). THis morning I wasn't hungry at all and barely got down 1/2 a slim fast.
Within the first hour on the TM, I was voracious and ate a snickers marathon energy bar. Throughout the rest of the LW, I also used a bag of sport beans, a power bar (chocolate) and a bag of cliff blocks. I also drank about 40 ounces of water & powerade.
A couple observations -- I am going to have to force myself to eat more the morning of the marathon before the start and I am going to have to take immodium too. I am not sure what made me sick, but if I had been doing the full today, by mile 22 I'd have been in trouble.

When all is said and done, though, I am just grateful that I was able to get in 20 today. Not sure what time I'll be able to carve out over the next couple of weeks, so it was good to do this while I could.

Sorry, I'm ramblng.
Oh, one last thing -- Howard still wants to do the Special Olympics Reindeer Run 5K tonight, so I may try to rally in time to do another 3.1 in the cold and wind. ICK!

 

[aladdinsgirl]

Dave--I am so sorry that your 20 miler was a stonker. But you know what? YOU JUST RAN 20 MILES!!!!! You are only a 10K away from a full marathon. Don't be disappointed at all, even though it might not have felt so great, you still did an amazing job and finished even though I'm sure you wanted to quit. You should be pretty darn proud of yourself. I know your wife is and your Wish team is too.

I too had a not so great run, was supposed to do 18, but I ended up throwing in the towel 13.30 miles (see what you do to me Carrie!! ). Right around mile 11 my IT band started hurting on my right knee. Great. I hurt my It band last spring and because of that injury, I had to walk the Flying Pig half marathon instead of running it like I had planned. Remember how I have been saying that my quad and hip have been hurting? When my IT band started to hurt, it dawned on me that the IT band goes from your hip to below your knee, so I think that's what was causing my quad to hurt. Now I am sitting here icing my knee, but I am NOT going to feel bad for a few reasons. 1. Yes, I cut my run short, but I still ran 13.30 miles, so I can't be disappointed with that. 2. While it stinks to not finish a run, I'm glad I had the wisdom to stop when I realized it was my IT band and not just a general hurting. If I don't nip this injury in the bud, it may be the difference between running the marathon and not running the marathon. 3. Before my knee started to hurt, I was having a great run. It's cold here, about 30 degrees, but it felt so good to be outside and enjoying the beautiful day. My pace was fantastic, I finished 13.30 miles in 2:25:12, with a pace of 10:55!!! Now, I'm not going to start getting any crazy ideas in my head but 13.30 + 13.30= 26.6 and 2:25:12 + 2:25:12= 4:50:24.

Jodi--I am so sorry you are going through all this, especially now. I think you are doing the right thing to focus on cross training. for your tendonitis.

Jen--I cannot believe you did 120 laps on an indoor track!!!! Awesome job!!! I don't think you'll have problems with the mental aspect of the half.

Stephanie--Great time on your 5K!!! That is wonderful!!!

Terri--Yay that you had a great run!! Good luck for tomorrow!!

Amy--How was your run?? Crossing my fingers that it was good and pain free!!

Cam--Wow!! Great pace for your 20 miler!!! Fantastic job. I can't believe that you are thinking about doing a 5K tonight. WOW!!!!!

 

[Calcio]

Dave

I wouldn't be at all concerned about your effort today. The first 15 effortless is amazing. Given your level of fitness, plus the fact that you're training almost every day and fatigued, I'd be shocked if the last 5 weren't horrible. I did the first 13.1 of this year's marathon in 2:15 and the last 13.1 in 2:32 so you can see how much of a struggle I had this year, but I got in. With 3 more weeks of nice training and tapering I would hope you get to mile 20 before you begin to fall apart. At that point you'll only have 10K to go, a piece of cake. Well actually not, but you'll get in.

Cam

Let's do the math. 1.5 minutes ahead of the sweeps puts you 15 minutes up when you enter the Magic Kingdom, 27 minutes up when you go by the entrance of the Animal Kingdom, and 33 minutes up when you enter the Disney Studios. That doesn't sound like "not much of a cushion to me."

Krista

Absolutely yes, stop when you feel an injury coming. You could set yourself back weeks or months at a very bad time. Ice and stretch the thing every day, it's a nuisance, but keep it up and you'll get some looseness on the ITB so it doesn't rub and irritate so much.

And not to be a poop, but don't plan on a 2:25 first and second half. Those last few miles ask far more of you than the early ones. Especially those darn double overpasses in mile 20. In the car you just zip up them. When you are doing it with blown legs it's an experience you'll always remember.

Craig

 

[MelRhoads]

Dave - my last 20 last year was terrible!! It was my last lr before the taper and i was really concerned b/c it was my 1st marathon. I did goofy last year and it was great despite the horrible lr! I think it is totally normal to have runs like the one you experienced today. I do understand that it can be very discouraging and cause much self doubt, but you have trained and you will complete your first marathon in just a few weeks. WARNING: I have been thinking about the other things that were normal at this point in training last year. They include: Obsessive worry over every body ache! Paranoia around even the smallest sniffle or cough, extreme swings in affect, uncontrollable appetite!! just some more thing to look forward to over the next 4 weeks.!

 

[Cruella de mom]

HI Everyone-

Well, today seems to be the day for horrible runs. I too had a horrible run. So horrible that I thought that I was done for this marathon.

First off, our coach decided we would do 12 instead of the 10 on our schedule. But no one wanted to be the first to complain so off we run.

The first few miles were fine but after about the 4th or 5th mile I started noticing a strange ache at the top of my right leg. It wasn't the hip or the groin but something else. By mile 7, it had graduated from ache to dull pain. The pain continued to intensify but I was too stubborn to stop.

When we finally finished the run, I was so relieved that I cried. However, I barely made it down the hill to the parking lot. The only thing keeping me on my legs was the worry that I would not be able to stand back up.

I hobbled to my coach who knew exactly what was wrong and told me how to have DH fix it. Some muscle near my groin had cramped up. When Dh pushed on it and stretched, it relaxed. Both of the coaches there today say that is one of the most painful things they have had happen on a run. It is however, just a cramp and not a season ending injury. Whew.

My coaches tell me that you should have one bad run before the marathon. IF you don't they worry more about you during the marathon. These guys have seen hundreds of first time marathoners so I am gonna trust them. I figure since I have had two terrible runs, I am gonna have an awesome marathon!

By the way, I ran the 12 in 2:06.

Happy trails!

 

[AmyBeth68]

Hi guys...

Good job getting out there everyone!

Dave....20 miles in the books! That is ALL that matters right now. Congratulations on getting it done!!! Despite the tough run...and believe me they are NOT fun....you have to look at where you are right now. Most people would never consider running 20 miles...it's a HUGE accomplishment.

Krista: Sorry to hear about your IT band acting up . Smart move to listen to your body though. I'm proud of you for that!!! And....awesome pace! You were doing so great...I like your math btw

Cam: WTG girl!!!!! Woah...great pace. Awesome job!!

Jodi: I've been in PT for a few months now. I had post-tibial tendonitis in one leg...another form of tendonitis in the other leg. PT helped me tremendously...that along with anti-inflammatories and orthotics. BUT your PT people should be providing you with lots of at-home instruction along with massage, stim, exercises, stretches and ultrasound treatment. If you aren't getting all of that attention...you may want to look for another PT. And for the record...the orthotics helped me tremendously...I have overpronation which caused my lower leg tendonitis.

Jen: WTG!!!! 10 miles girl!!! HUGE accomplishment .

NUCpharm: AWESOME!!! PR!!! I love it. You were flying!!!

OK OK...as for me....sadly I did not get a single run or XT in this week. I was dealing with a tremendous amount of pain. Had two sessions of PT and visited the Chiro. Nothing has helped at all unfortunately. I see the Sports Med guy on monday and I am hoping like crazy that he can figure out why I can barely walk . This is by far the most troubling and painful injury I've had. I literally have lost strength it seems in my right leg . I also get shooting pain from my hip down to my knee. Just not good...and so so so close to the marathon. I rested all week...iced...heated....took advil...stretched. I do get some relief from active quad and hip stretches. The PT folks told me my muscles are all in spasm from the quads to the glutes. I just feel like I'm watching the marathon dream slip away right before my eyes and it's so hard .

I'll post and let you know what happens on Monday. Have a great weekend a good week of training!!!

 

[aladdinsgirl]

Oh, Amy!!!!! I will keep you in my prayers!

And for the record, I don't really think I'll run a 4:50 marathon, but it's nice to dream.

 

[jodistar]

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for such great support . Today, I did go out and get a couple of books on stretching.

I also did an hour of BOSU - - I have a couple of great DVD's by Stott Pilates, I did the first in the series for BOSU, along with a couple of exercises that I've done in the past with my personal trainer.

I'm thinking about dropping the physical therapist altogether and just working with my personal trainer. Diane, my personal trainer, seems much more helpful.

I wanted to bounce something else off of the rest of you. I'm thinking of maybe doing the rest of my training walking and then running at Disney -- any thoughts?

I'm going to continue to ice and take ibuprofen like the doctor said to do. I just want to be to be able to Disney without question. I did wear my sneakers with the gel inserts to work yesterday and it felt pretty good....so I think it might be a good thing for me.

Amy -

Jodi - Hang in there! Everything I've read said it's better to be undertrained than overtrained. I'm gonna be undertrained for the Goofy, too.

This makes me feel better! My fear was oh -- I'm going to be the only one.

Thank you everyone for your support over the past week, you have no idea how good it makes me feel to have a group of friends like all of you.

I know I'll make it through all of this -- It's just going to take a lot of patience.

 

[plutosmyfav]

Quick drive by: 19 miles fueled by Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Coffee

I did 19 today. The 20 became 19, not because of effort/energy but poor planning on the route. Other than that, it was great.

I should have had a V-8... Oh right, I had TWO!

Last night at 8PM I drank an 11 oz V-8 and 16 ounces of water. I set my alarm for 4:30 but my bladder woke me up at 4:20. I was on the road by 5AM. I didn't wear my Garmin (it's been missing for weeks) so I had no clue of my time. Usually I do LRs on the bike path so I can look at my watch at mile markers. But today was all roads with no clue and I think that helped tremendously. It was a route I had never ran (driven the roads a milliion times). It was an adventure; I felt like Frodo But instead of Elfin mail, I had a soft shell; every bit as magical in my opinion. It kept me warm with hi wind gusts and I could unzipper it whenever I started to feel a bit too warm. I passed 4 babbling brooks I had never seen before. I passed through Burlington, Woburn, Winchester, Lexington, Bedford and back to Burlington.

Stats: pre-run 2 slim fast, post-run 1 slim fast

~mile 6 stopped at 7-11 for 12 oz. coffee (caffeinated)
~mile 8 had 7 oz. accelerade
~mile 10 Starbucks potty stop, more coffe (decaf) and a gel. I had my Gel with Coffe by the fire! How cozy mid-run.
~mile 13 5oz V-8 and 7 oz. Propel water (and I lived to tell about it!!)
poor planning: no more fluids afer mile 13, ended run at 19.22.

Note on the V-8: I dont' know how much of it had to do with cold weather, but I normally am reaching for fluids by mile 4 today I didn't really feel the need even at mile 6 but the 7-11 just happen to pop up at that point so I had coffee. The mid-run V-8 tasted great! Not a problem at all. I was really living dangerously today: Coffee with gel, V-8 at mile 13... and I claim to have a sensitive GI.

Pace without stops <13:40>, pace from leaving home to returning: <14:45>
I was quite please with how I felt energy/soreness, etc. at the end of the run. Good stretch, good COLD soak, 2 advil post-run, and the rest of the day has been a breeze

Another plug for Slim Fast: I noticed on the can today that along with 200 mg of sodium, slim fast has 600 mg of Potasium in addition to a bunch of vitamins and minerals

I'll be back to catch up later.

Sunny

 

[Calcio]

Krista

Pardon my grumpy-ness. I do think that a comfortable 2:25 training run for 13 makes it highly likely you can get in under 5 flat. I always prefer to start out with a time goal which is beatable vs. a time goal which I'm unlikely to make. There is something very positive about being at mile 20 and realizing absent a total collapse you'll beat that goal. As each mile unfolds you'll see you are carrying the pace and will come in under time. Always a great feeling at the finish.

Craig

 

[nucpharm29]

amy--hugs to you! Hope you start to feel better soon!

Okay, so I thought I would share the pic of dsis and I at the race this am! I'm the one with the silly reindeer ears on! Gotta love those "dress up" races!

 

[aladdinsgirl]

Craig--No worries!! I knew you weren't trying to be "grumpy"--just realistic! I'd love to do a 5 hour marathon, but we both know there are going to be a lot unknowns that day. I'm just going to be thrilled to finish the distance.

 

[thndrmatt]

I am a total mixed bag of emotions today.

The Good:
16 mile LR, the longest distance I have run ever in this lifetime (including my days as a cross country runner in HS).
9:55mpm avg, under my 10mpm goal avg (4:22:00) for the marathon.
Came through the half in about 2:09, finished in 2:40 or so as planned.
No shin splint pain which has been an off and on plague.

The Bad:
Was stupid enough to just bring a Camelbak with about 50 ounces of powerade which was fine, but other than a Snickers Marathon and an additional powerbar a few hours before I started, didn't eat anything during the run.
As a result, by 9 miles I was already feeling fatigued, by 13 I felt like I had just finished a half marathon and never wanted to run again (at least for a few days) and the last 3 miles I had to stop every mile to stretch my calves they'd tighted up so much.
Also took a Motrin before I started, and again the "preemptive" painkilling is probably the only reason I was pretty much pain free during the run, a subject I continue to waffle on.

So I feel good about completing the run, but having it start to suck so early (about 9 miles in) is not promising. And there was no way I was going any further than 16, I barely finished. Not very confident about the 20 miler in two weeks, or obviously running TEN more miles. Obviously I need to invest in all these great energy products everyone else is using.

Sad to say it but at least I'm not the only one struggling, we're all in this together right? Next weekend probably going to run the Holiday Half Mary in Point Clear, AL on the FL/AL border, anyone in the area want to partake?

 

[chimera]

Come join us for a new week!

Wk of Dec 2--WISH Walking and Runng Club

 

[Tiger Lily 03]

I'm checking in with my day. Will respond to others later.

Had my alarm set to meet up with some of the group from summer on the trail at 8 this a.m. DH woke me up before the alarm was even close to getting ready to go off. He had chills and was shaking so badly it was scary. He upped the electric blanket number to 6 I put on another blanket on top of that then snuggled next to him to try to warm him enough to stop his shaking. Finally that calmed a bit, I got him water then helped him put on sweat pants, a hoodie, wool socks, and knit hat. He crawled back under the warm blanket. I proceeded to get dressed in running wear, not sure if I would go or not. By then he was saying he was too warm and sweaty. Off come the layers and in goes the Tylenol. He finally settled in enough so I could go outside. I managed the 9 miles at a 15 min pace in 30 degree weather...loved it. Came home and helped make 4 dozen pierogis for our Christmas Eve dinner, dishes washed and pierogis in the freezer, tried to minister to DH during all this. I am tired and ready to sleep now. I'm hoping for 18 miles outside tomorrow. Not sure with all going on...I'm afraid if I don't do it tomorrow a.m., I will be too sick since I'm sure I'm next in line for whatever he's got.