Race report: Ringing in Hope 10K, December 31, 2012

I ran the "Ringing in Hope 10K" (which seems to have been a bit longer than 10K) in 40:58, which was good enough for second place female.  I *really* hate being second, but it felt good to get back out there.

I haven't raced since mid-October, and I've really missed it - there's just a rush from being able to compete that I don't get from workouts.   In workouts, you have to hit the optimal effort; in races, you get to taste your max. 

I had a number of different races to choose from, but ended up going with Ringing in Hope - it was a long drive for me, but had the advantage of ending early enough to not interfere with New Year's Eve prep (this is the same reason that I didn't do a New Years Day race).  We had a 5K and 10K choice - I opted for the 10K, simply because I thought the longer distance would be a better fit for marathon training.

(I'm fibbing - I hate 5Ks).

So showed up, registered, warmed up (in a manner of speaking - it was cold, and my feet didn't get feeling until mile 3 of my warm-up).  Did a few drills and strides, and then lined up, and we were off.  5K and 10K running together.

And yup, let myself get dragged out with the 5K runners.  Not horribly so, but in retrospect, I went out at a pace more appropriate for a 5K than a 10K.  Which makes sense, since I was running with 5K runners.  But not good for me.  When I haven't raced in a while, I'm prone to going out too fast, and that's exactly what happened here.

After about 6 or 7 minutes, I relaxed and found my rhythm, and just tried to hold steady.  The course itself was a nice one - no huge hills, just a continuing sequence of long rises and long gentle falls.  And though the course had quite a few turns, plus the confusion of 5K and 10K runners combined, it was well directed.

A bit after mile 3, my legs started getting pretty tired - in retrospect it was my too fast first mile catching up with me.  I had figured out when the 5K split off that I was leading the 10K, and I focused on holding a steady effort to keep that lead.  But some time after mile marker 4, another woman passed me.  I tried to go with her for a few steps, but my legs were pretty leaden, and didn't have it in them to pick it up.  It killed me to let her go, but all I could do was to hold my same steady hard effort, and hope that she would burn out and come back to me.

But she didn't.  She kept pulling away steadily.  As my coach noted to me later, she had executed the start slow/finish strong very well, while I had not.  And the win was the price I paid.    It's never fun to lose, though it was a good reminder of the importance of pacing your race well.  Here, the race started at mile 4, but by that point, I had already run mine.

Oh well.  I kept at it - I might be second, but I could still do the best with what I had in me.  My legs were really tired by this point, and I laughed a bit inside at just how lousy my form must look, but I kept putting one in front of the other -- good practice for marathoning.   When I *finally* saw the finish line, it was a relief. 

Final time was 40:58.  The consensus from the few people I spoke to was that the course was a bit long - my Garmin measured 6.4, with people getting between 6.33 and 6.45.   I know there's the traditional refrain of "but my Garmin..." and the truthful and logical rebuttal that Garmins are always going to read slightly long.  But 6.4 is far outside my Garmin's normal range of error.  The story I heard was that the course was measured on one path, but then the cones were set to make us follow a wider path that added distance.

Not that it matters.  I wanted a long hard run and a race, and I got both, so I'm happy.  Now I just need to pace my next race better.  Getting into better shape would be nice also, but that will come.  As a rustbuster this wasn't bad at all.

Splits per Garmin (who knows what the mile splits actually were, but this is the closest I got:

Mile 1 - 6:19 (1.02 miles - 6:12 pace)
Mile 2 - 6:40 (1.06 - 6:19 pace)
Mile 3 - 6:45 (1.04 - 6:29 pace)
Mile 4 - 6:39 (1.00 - 6:39 pace )
Mile 5 - 6:37 (1.04 - 6:23 pace)
Mile 6 - 6:40 (1.03 - 6:28 pace)
last bit - .21 - 1.19 (6:16 pace)

Other notes:

• Temp was supposedly 39 degrees, but felt MUCH colder.  But was perfect for racing once we got going.  The total lack of wind was a nice bonus.  We really lucked with the weather.
• Took me 45 minutes to get out there.  I really need to get another EZ pass for the tolls.
• Wore my trainers (Kinvaras) rather than my racing flats.  I didn't want to risk a plantar fascia relapse.  And not like my trainers are that heavy anyway.    I still haven't decided whether I'll race my half in my flats or my trainers.
• One puff of Dulera 3 hours before.

Training log - week ending 12/30/12

This week was 54 miles of “real running” and 11 “miles” pool running, plus 1600 meters of swimming breathing drills -- training log is here.

And, the last week of 2012 is in the books.  Overall, a pretty good year, though the first half was better than September and beyond, but that's for another post. 

This week was a bit of a cutback, due to both holiday interruptions and the fact that I'm racing on Monday.   Plus, more miles aren't always better. 

One of my big goals for this training cycle is to err on the side of underdoing (since my natural tendency is to overdo).  If I think I need a rest day, I'll take it.  And workouts are staying very restrained.  If my coach thinks I need to start working harder, I will.  But in the absence of instruction to that effect, I'm just gonna chill.  Call it an experiment for this training cycle.

Since I've got a rust-buster race on Monday, my coach and I decided that it was best to skip my tempo workout this week, and sub in a Friday long run instead, which made Sunday a rest day, and Sunday morning surprisingly lazy and luxurious.  I'd completely forgotten that normal people don't usually set alarms for Sunday morning.  But, in the end, I really missed running.

I'm psyched to race on Monday.  It's been too long.

Dailies

Monday:   In the morning, 70 minutes of easy pool-running for “7 miles.”   Hot yoga and foam rolling in the afternoon.

Tuesday:  In the morning, 10 miles very easy (8:16 pace), followed by plus some upper body strengthwork and injury prevention work.   Foam rolling at night.

Wednesday:   In the morning, 12 miles including a workout of 7 hill repeats – nonstop circuit of up a hill for about 2 minutes, a 90 second easy jog, a stride, and then some more easy jogging to the bottom (whole circuit takes ~5 minutes). Followed with injury prevention work and 20 minutes of shake out pool-running. Foam rolling at night.  

Thursday:   In the morning, 4 miles very easy (8:25 pace) plus some upper body strengthwork and injury prevention work.  Foam rolling at night. 

Friday:  17 miles progression averaging 7:46 pace, split as 8:33 for first 6, next 5 at 7:36, last 6 at 7:00.   Followed with 20 minutes of shakeout pool-running.   Pilates and foam-rolling in the afternoon.

Saturday:   In the morning, 10.5 miles easy (8:11 pace).  Upper body strengthwork and injury prevention work plus foam rolling in the afternoon.

Sunday:   1600 meters of swimming breathing drills in the afternoon, and foam rolling at night.

Training log - Week ending 12/23/12

This week was 64 miles of “real running” and 12 “miles” pool running, plus 1000 yards of swimming breathing drills -- training log is here.

Another week of building, coming back.  Had a bit of a scare earlier this week - my right hamstring and psoas both felt a bit tight after Tuesday's hills.  I ran easy on a flat surface on Wednesday, but they tightened up badly thereafter - to the point where I would have taken a day or two off.  

However, I had an appointment scheduled with Capital Rehab for Wednesday, post run, anyway.  So went in, where they did some ART on it, and then instructed me to run (I was actually told to run on Wednesday night, but decided I was a bit chicken, and I'd give it another 12 hours).  And, Thursday morning, it felt better.  I did a careful tempo on Friday to test it, and it held up.  So yay.  I am taping for the next few days, to be super careful (as well as also wearing tights - a rarity for me - to keep that leg extra warm).

Dailies

Monday:   In the morning, 50 minutes of easy pool-running for “5 miles” and 1000 yards of swimming breathing drills, plus some upper body strengthwork and injury prevention work.  Foam rolling at night.

Tuesday:  In the morning, 12 miles including a workout of 6 hill repeats – nonstop circuit of up a hill for about 2 minutes, a 90 second easy jog, a stride, and then some more easy jogging to the bottom (whole circuit takes ~5 minutes). Followed with injury prevention work and 20 minutes of shake out pool-running. Foam rolling at night.  

Wednesday:   In the morning, 9 miles very easy (8:21 pace), followed by yoga.    Foam rolling at night.

Thursday:   In the morning, 5 miles very easy (8:19 pace) plus some upper body strengthwork and injury prevention work.  Foam rolling at night. 

Friday:  In the morning, 11.5 miles, including a tempo workout of a) a restrained 5K tempo, and then 1600m at intervals pace.  Ran 20:19 for the 5K (6:34/6:33/6:27/0:45) and then 6:02 for the mile (very windy on the track).  Followed with injury prevention work and 30 minutes easy pool-running.  Pilates and foam-rolling in the afternoon.

Saturday:   In the morning, 10.5 miles easy (8:08 pace).  Windy.  Upper body strengthwork and injury prevention work plus foam rolling in the afternoon.

Sunday:   In the morning, 16 miles progression averaging 7:36 pace, split as 8:09 for first 8, next 3.5 at 7:21, last 5.5 at 6:53.   Followed with injury prevention work and 20 minutes of shakeout pool-running.   Yoga and foam rolling at night.

Random Friday thoughts ( running and non-running)

1. Personal:  I haven't been updating recently, simply because I've had too much to balance.  When life gets hectic, social media falls to the wayside.  I do have quite a few topics to bloviate on (love that word) and will be doing so in the near future.  Promise.
   
   
2. Helpful running hint: if you are taping your feet before running, it can be near impossible to don a sock, especially a compression sock, without disturbing your careful taping job.  The solution?  Take a trouser stocking (made of pantyhose material and available at CVS), and cut it so that it's ankle height.  Then, after you tape your foot, pull the cut stocking over your foot.  Then put on your normal sock/compression sock - the compression sock will slide on without disrupting the tape job.
3. Personal:  I ran my cat to the animal hospital back at the beginning of December when I noted she was acting a bit odd (sluggish, hiding).   Glad I did.  It turned out that she had a major kidney infection, requiring 4 days hospitalization. 
   
   

   

   Kitty daily hydration. 
   My hand for scale.

   

   Mina in her hospital "room"

   
   Now she's home -- it appears that in addition to the acute kidney infection, she has some chronic kidney disease, requiring permanent management, including daily subcutaneous fluid injections to hydrate.    Fun times.  Luckily, my cat is cuddly, affectionate, and dumb, and hasn't yet figured out that 6 pm playandhug time is also shot time.
   
   Any runners dealing with chronic hydration issues are welcome to reach out to me for help - I've become quite an expert at finding the right fold of skin.  It can't be too much different for people, can it?
4. Helpful running hint: have difficulty keeping your hands warm in the winter?  I have a fairly severe case of raynauds, and this is something I've had to figure out.  Here's my secret: 
   Layer 1: thin combination mitten/gloves;
   Layer 2:disposable handwarmers, inserted into the mitten fold of your combo gloves;
   Layer 3: Crew socks over the mitten/handwarmer combo.
   Keeps your hands nice and toasty, and if they start to overheat, just toss the socks and maybe the handwarmers.
5. Worlds colliding - CEP, maker of compression running socks, apparently also makes socks for riding boots.  This threw me for a loop.
6. Personal: I just finished "Heads on Beds" - great read.  It's the hotel equivalent to Anthony Bourdain's "Kitchen Confidential," but I like the writing style a bit better.  Highly recommended.



It may be Morton's toe,
but it's also mine.

7. Helpful running hint: The Strassburg sock is really helpful in combating plantar fascitis - it causes you to sleep with the fascia stretched out, so that you don't tear it when you take your first steps in the morning.  However, the sock works best when it pulls the most on your big toe - that gives the fascia a good stretch. 
   
   However, if you have Morton's toe (meaning that your big toe is shorter than your second or third toes), the sock pulls the hardest on those longer toes, meaning that you don't get the same good stretch. 

   

   Twisty!

   
   
   Solution?  Twist the sock!  Move the strap to the outside of the big toe, twist it once then strap as normal.  Works awesome.
8. Personal:  I cook primarily by microwave, and so I have two of them.  I see nothing unusual about this - stoves have 4 burners, serious bakers often have two ovens.  I cook (in the most lenient sense of the word) almost exclusively by microwave, and so I have two of them.  One died at the beginning of the month, and the other is on its last legs (8 minutes to burn Brussels sprouts?  Seriously?).  So now I need to buy two microwaves.  I'm working under the assumption that the best time to buy is just after Christmas.  I think I can make it until then. Maybe.

Training log - Week ending 12/16/12

This week was 56.5 miles of “real running” and 15 “miles” pool running, plus 2000 yards of swimming breathing drills -- training log is here.  

Well, this was a nice, happy week.  

I went into it with a bit of trepidation, thinking that I might test out a hill workout by running up and down the hill easy.   And, whadyaknow.  True to my past history, the more I pushed my feet, the better they felt, and I ended up running a hill workout, a full tempo workout (my first real track workout in over a month), and a long run.  Pretty much a normal training week.  Just in time for marathon training to start.  

Woo.

Still some crampiness at the start and end of runs, but it's less and less with each run, as I build mileage.    And this is pretty much par for the course for me and my soft tissue injuries - as long as I protect them, they stay sore.  Push them a bit (but not too much), and they clear.  I understand the theory behind that - optimal loading:  

"When the training load falls on either side of the optimal, the repair process is compromised. If the load is too high, such that the body cannot fully recover prior to the next workout, breakdown can occur. Likewise, too little activity results in the body’s tissues becoming weaker. This is why simply resting doesn’t yield stronger tissues. Further, not every tissue in the body adapts at the same rate. Sometimes the body needs to be assisted to help it repair correctly. Specific loading of tissues helps the body repair."  

But always cool to see it in action.  BTW, Jay Dicharry's book "Anatomy for Runners" is really good.

And...also a programming note: I've been lax on the blogging front recently, due to balancing a lot of stuff outside of running.  Hopefully that will all be calming down and I'll be returning to more regular posts (so not just training logs) in the near future.  It's not that I've lost interest, or that I don't have content (I've got plenty), I've just had to prioritize.  I'm looking forward to being able to write more again.

Dailies

Monday:   In the morning, 50 minutes of easy pool-running for “5 miles” and 1000 yards of swimming breathing drills, plus some upper body strengthwork and injury prevention work.  Foam rolling at night.

Tuesday:  In the morning, 10.5 miles including a workout of 6 hill repeats – nonstop circuit of up a hill for about 2 minutes, a 90 second easy jog, a stride, and then some more easy jogging to the bottom (whole circuit takes ~5 minutes). Followed with injury prevention work (pool was closed). Floor barre and foam rolling at night.  

Wednesday:   In the morning, 8.5 minutes very easy (8:50 pace), followed by yoga.  Later, another 4.5 miles easy (7:58 pace).  Foam rolling at night.

Thursday:   In the morning 50 minutes of easy pool-running for “5 miles” plus some upper body strengthwork and injury prevention work.  Foam rolling at night. 

Friday:  In the morning, 11.5 miles, including a tempo workout of 2x3200m - splits of 12:56 (6:32/6:24) and 12:42 (6:22/6:20), followed with injury prevention work and 30 minutes easy pool-running.  Pilates and foam-rolling in the afternoon.

Saturday:   In the morning, 7 miles easy (8:18 pace), followed by 1000 yards of swimming breathing drills.  Foam rolling in the afternoon.

Sunday:   In the morning, 14 miles progression averaging 7:38 pace, split as 8:28 average for first 4 miles, 7:36 for next 3, 7:19 for next 3, and 7:07 for last 4 (middle was too fast, and needs to be slowed).  Followed with injury prevention work and 20 minutes of shakeout pool-running.   Yoga and foam rolling at night.

Training log - Week ending 12/9/12

This week was 51.5 miles of “real running” plus 10 running equivalents on the arc-trainer (call it 61.5 miles total), and then 12 “miles” pool running and 2250 yards of swimming breathing drills -- training log is here.  

Still ramping up, carefully and cautiously.  I did a "test workout" on Tuesday; just 2x1600 at tempo pace.  Feet held up, so yay.  Still some tightness and occasional soreness in one or both, but I've been told that I'm at the point where I need to "push the foot to complete the healing process" (exact quote).  So on with the careful building of the mileage and the workouts.  I have been ORDERED to try tomorrow's hill workout - not optional.

I've been working with Capital Rehab on a longer term issue -- for many many years (since at least when I was a teenager), I've had a weird twisting issue - I've got pretty good flexibility in general, with one exception: I have a limited ability to twist to the left.   It doesn't hurt, I just get "stuck" and can't twist.  I also get the sensation from time to time that I'm running "crooked", and my left leg is both weaker and less flexible than the right.  I suspect that this has contributed to my past injuries.  Plus, I think if I was able to run straight I'd be a lot faster.

I've discussed with several experts in the fast, and done various exercises, but no real change.  So, when I took my "post-not-really-marathon" break this year, I decided to try fixing this again -- this time reaching out to Capital Rehab.  (I waited until I was on break because I didn't want to start messing with my body's biomechanics while in full training - that's a recipe for injury).

And, whadyaknow, it's working.  The issue was diagnosed as a lack of flexibility in my thoracic spine - that locks, limiting my rotation, and also putting excess stress on my lumbar spine (where I've had long standing problems).  So, I've been doing my mobilization exercises, with good results.  I'm close to equal rotation to the left and right now, which is pretty cool.  I'll be interested to see how this translates to my running.

Dailies

Monday:   In the morning, 65 minutes of easy pool-running for “6.5 miles,” and some upper body strengthwork and injury prevention work.  Foam rolling at night.

Tuesday:  In the morning, 11 miles on the track including a test workout of 2x1600 at tempo pace (split as 6:32 and 6:21). Then injury prevention work and 20 minutes shakeout pool-running.   Floor barre and foam rolling at night. 

Wednesday:   In the morning, 9.5 miles very easy (8:33 pace) followed by 1750 yards of swimming breathing drills.  Foam rolling at night.

Thursday:   In the morning, "10 miles" on the arc-trainer, including a tempo workout of "20 minutes, 15 minutes, 10 minutes" at tempo effort with 2:30 recovery.  Followed with injury prevention work and 20 minutes easy pool-running.  Foam-rolling and yoga in the afternoon.

Friday:  In the morning, 8 miles easy (8:00 pace) followed by injury prevention work and strength training.   Foam rolling at night.  

Saturday:   In the morning, 12 miles easy (7:52 pace) plus injury prevention work, and 15 minutes easy pool-running (plus 500m swimming for fun).   Foam rolling in the afternoon.

Sunday:   In the morning, an intermittent 11 miles (cheering at a race, plus some running before and after).   Hot yoga and foam rolling at night.

Training log - Week ending 12/2/12

This week was 46 miles of “real running” plus 9 running equivalents on the arc-trainer (call it 55 miles total), and then  12 “miles” pool running and 2300 yards of swimming breathing drills -- training log is here. 

Starting to ramp back up, after some down weeks.  I wanted to protect my feet for another week from any type of speed, so I introduced the intensity this week with “tempo” workouts on the arc-trainer.  As I’ve noted before, the arc-trainer seems to work REALLY well as a substitute for running, and I can mimic tempos effectively by sustaining a given heart rate for a specific duration.  Hence a 3 mile tempo on Tuesday, and a 4 mile tempo on Friday.    The tempos were pretty tough, but that seems normal for coming back from a break.  Runningwise, I kept the running easy to aerobic, never going faster than marathon pace.  My body seemed to handle that, so this upcoming week I'll try a few miles at tempo pace.

So coming back carefully.  Plan right now is to slowly rebuild, with a half-marathon (Rock and Roll Arizona) as a rust buster in mid-January, and then Shamrock marathon in March.

Dailies

Monday:   In the morning, 60 minutes of easy pool-running for “6 miles,” and some upper body strengthwork and injury prevention work.  Foam rolling at night.

Tuesday:  In the morning, 7.5 miles easy (8:12 pace) and then 30 minutes on the arc-trainer, including at 20 minute “tempo” – call it “4 miles” total, with a 3 mile “tempo.”  Then injury prevention work and 20 minutes shakeout pool-running.   Floor barre and foam rolling at night. 

Wednesday:   In the morning, 8.5 miles very easy (9:20 pace) followed by hot yoga.    Dry needling later that day.

Thursday:   In the morning, upper body weights and injury prevention work, followed by 2300 yards of swimming breathing drills, and 10 minutes easy pool-running.  2 miles very easy at night (8:42) followed by foam-rolling.

Friday:  In the morning, 8.5 miles easy (8:16 pace) and then 35 minutes on the arc-trainer, including a 26 minute “tempo” – call it “5 miles,” including a 4 mile "tempo."   Then injury prevention work and 15 minutes shakeout pool-running.   Pilates and foam rolling at night.  

Saturday:   In the morning, 6.5 miles easy (8:07 pace) plus injury prevention work.   Upper body weights and more injury prevention work, plus foam rolling, in the afternoon.

Sunday:   In the morning, 13 miles aerobic (average 7:48 pace, starting slow and dialing down to around 7:10 pace at end), followed by 15 minutes shakeout pool-running.   Hot yoga and foam rolling at night.

Training log - week ending 11/25/12

This week was 37 miles of “real running” plus 11.5 running equivalents on the arc-trainer (call it 48.5 miles total), and then  9 “miles” pool running and 4000 yards of swimming breathing drills -- training log is here.  

Recovering and ramping back up.  Knock on wood, the plantar fasciitis at the rear of my left heel  is clearing nicely (that was the PF that caused me to skip my marathon).  

But, at the same time, I’m now dealing with some slight PF and also some tendonitis in both feet, near the arch and big toe, as well as on the outside of the foot.  This is normal, BTW – a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation that I always seem to face.  Any time I substantially cut back my running, I end up with slight to moderate PF and/or tendonitis in both feet when I come back.  It's like I lose the resiliency in those soft tissues if I don't work them.   (It's also pretty annoying/frustrating)

So just like always, I have to come back very slowly, combining running with cross training, as I work my way through the "rebuilding niggles."  I like combo runs, where I do the first miles outside, then finish up on the arc-trainer or in the pool, gradually increasing the time running and decreasing the cross-training.  I did several of those combo runs this week, and that's the plan for the next few.

Keeping my fingers crossed that everything continues to progress.

Dailies

Monday:   In the morning, 6 miles easy (8:07 pace) followed by a PT appointment for dry needling.

Tuesday:  In the morning, 2000 yards of swimming breathing drills, and also upper body strengthwork and injury prevention exercises.  Floor barre and foam rolling at night. 

Wednesday:   In the morning, 6 miles easy (8:09 pace) followed by an hour on the arc-trainer (call it equal to 7.5 miles.  Also a PT appointment (ART for the foot). 

Thursday:   8.5 miles very easy (8:32 pace) and then yoga.  Foam-rolling at night (post Thanksgiving dinner at Ruth’s Chris – we don’t need no stinking turkey).

Friday:  In the morning, 2000 yards of swimming breathing drills, followed by 40 minutes of easy pool-running (“4 miles”).  Yoga in the afternoon, plus foam rolling.

Saturday:   In the morning, 6 miles very easy (8:48 pace) followed by 30 minutes pool-running (“3 miles”) .  Upper body strengthwork and injury prevention exercises in the afternoon, plus foam rolling.

Sunday:   In the morning, a combined long run of 10.5 miles aerobic (7:45 pace) followed by 30 minutes on the arc-trainer for “3.5 miles.”   Yoga and foam rolling in the afternoon.

"And all that could have been"

If you ever want to know how I'm doing, just check out my iPod.  My musical choices are often pretty good indication of my mindset.  I may deny that I'm worried or upset (and I'll think I'm fine) but the iPod tells all.

Thus, despite my determinedly, doggedly positive attitude a few weeks back, my choice of Nine Inch Nails' Broken for listening during my arc-trainer session was a pretty strong indicator that I was worried.

"Covered in hope and vaseline /  

still cannot fix this broken machine."
- nine inch nails, "gave up"

And what is a marathon training cycle, if not a confounding blend of hope and vaseline?

I convinced myself I had no reason to be worried.  I had made it through the training cycle, right?  It was at the very end of a workout during my taper, done in the blustery remnants of Hurricane Sandy, that I first felt the burning pull in my left heel.  I knew what it was right away -- about 2 years ago I had a case of plantar fasciitis in that same foot that I forced until it that was bad enough to leave me hobbling.

So I did the right thing.  I stopped running.  Immediately.  Went straight back to my car, went home, stayed off of it for the rest of the day.  Swapped to the arc-trainer the next day, complete with broken audio backdrop, and then got a massage that evening focused on foot and calf.  I had weeks, right?  Plenty of time to clear this up. 

Dry needling.  Has a
pretty good track record for
plantar.  A bit ouchy, though.

But long story short, it wasn't enough time.

I don't go down without a fight, and so I threw everything I know at it.  Strasbourg sock, golf ball self-massage, dry-needling/ART, lo-dye taping, cross-training.   Discussed with others whether to just not run at all for the next three weeks, but it was agreed that I needed to run some on it -- PF is one of those things that full rest just makes worse.  So I taped, ran carefully, treated. 

And it improved.  I know what I'm doing.  And I did the right things.  But it didn't improve quick enough.  With 10 days to go, I stepped onto the track for a careful and easy 5K tempo.  The foot felt good during the warm-up.  But after that careful workout, it was sore and swollen.   Game over.

***

It wasn't that I couldn't run my race, but that I couldn't run my race.  Months of hard training have resulted in a cardio engine that feels like a marvel of German precision engineering.  But...flat tire.  It's not just the pain (which wasn't too bad), but also the fact that I just can't push off the way I want on that foot.  Protecting and shielding, hobbling and shuffling, is not how I race.

And I've also been down this plantar fascitis road before, and I know where it leads.  Months of rehab and missed races, if I don't fix it now.

So, I pulled the plug.  (coach in full agreement).


And it hurt.  More than the foot did.

***

It's not that I feel like I've wasted my fall.  Training compounds, and so the gains I've earned here will help me in future races.

Additionally, I loved the training itself.  Marathon training was very rarely a slog, and so often a joy.  If you had told me that I had my choice of a) doing the training cycle, but not running the race, or b) not doing the training cycle, I would have absolutely chosen option a.  Long runs are my favorite workouts, and the steady meditation of marathon pace on the towpath was a gift.  No regrets.

Freytag's Narrative Structure Pyramid. 
In case it's not obvious, one of
my college majors was English.

But I feel unfulfilled.  I love stories, and the tale of my training cycle jumped straight from rise to denouement, bypassing the climax.

Whimper, when I wanted bang.

***

Of course, over the week and weekend, I kept getting reminders.  Race confirmation email, google calendar notice, etc.  Heck, the local DC news covered the Philly Marathon, taking special care to note that it was "perfect running weather."  (you just can't make this stuff up).   And as I drove to yoga on my marathon morning, NIN blasted on, observing: 

"Just a glimpse / Just a little reminder 

Of all the what abouts
And all the might have / Could have beens..."

- nine inch nails - "the wretched"

And that's just it.  Hard training doesn't guarantee a good race - it's not a would have been, but a might have been.  Had my foot not busted, I might have lined up that morning, and then had a truly horrendous struggle of a race.  It happens.  My sadness is not that I missed out on the certainty of a good race, but that I missed out on my chance.  I really wanted to know how the story would end.

***

Sometimes, there's a small part of me that worries - 40 approaches.  I want to run fast before I get old, and I fear sometimes that I just don't have that many training cycles, that many chances, left.  Time may be a Pink Floyd song and a cliche, but it does exact its price.  And the irony is, the more you focus on the limits of time, the more they, ummm, limit you.

On the other hand... I've just written a lengthy, analytical, and self-centered blog post while quoting angsty rock band lyrics and alluding to T.S. Elliot.  Heck, I threw in some lit-crit and morbid references to time for good measure.

So maybe I'm still a teenager, and in that case, I have all the time in the world, plus a naive inability to appreciate such.

Either way, there's only one option.  Rest and recover, and then rebuild and register.  All as a prelude to kicking some massive race ass.

The way out is always through.

Training log - Week ending 11/18/12

This week was 14 miles of “real running” plus 17.5 running equivalents on the arc-trainer (call it 31.5 miles total), and then  20 “miles” pool running and 2250 yards of swimming breathing drills -- training log is here.  

What was to be my final week of taper instead ended up being my first week of recovery.   Really pretty unstructured, with the focus being on a) doing whatever the heck I felt like doing, and b) doing a limited amount of running to encourage the foot to heal – the theory is that staying off of it totally will just make it worse – it needs to be kept active to preserve the range of motion and stimulate blood flow.  Additionally, other stuff like swimming, pool-running, etc, will also promote circulation - essential for a part of the body that doesn't get much blood flow.

So, short easy runs most mornings.  Plus lots of PT.  And tons of yoga.  I don’t do as much yoga as I would like while in heavy running training, just because I think full rest is needed more.  But while I’m in time-off/injury recovery mode, yoga really hits the spot for strengthening and injury prevention.  And it’s also fun.

As of Sunday, the foot felt pretty good.  As good as it did before my ill-fated tempo last week (where the foot swelled up and got sore after).  So yeah, not doing that again.   Another week or two of running carefully, and then hopefully I’m out of the woods.

Onward.

Dailies

Monday:   In the morning, 60 minutes of easy pool-running for “6 miles,” and some upper body strengthwork and injury prevention work.  Yoga and foam rolling at night.

Tuesday:  In the morning, 2 miles outside very easy (8:55 pace) and then an hour on the elliptical (~7.5 miles).  Physical therapy in mid morning (dry needling – ouch). 

Wednesday:   In the morning, 65 minutes of easy pool-running for “6.5 miles”, plus 1750 yards of swimming breathing drills.  Yoga at night, plus foam rolling.

Thursday:   In the morning, 3 miles easy (8:06 pace), followed by 45 minutes on the arc-trainer for “5 miles” and then PT.  Yoga and foam-rolling at night.

Friday:  In the morning, 4 miles easy (8:14 pace), followed by upper body strengthwork and injury prevention exercises.  Pilates at night, plus foam rolling.

Saturday:   In the morning, 75 minutes of easy pool-running and 1500 yards of swimming breathing drills.  Foam-rolling, injury prevention work, and yoga in the afternoon.

Sunday:   In the morning, 5 miles easy outside (7:55 pace) followed by 45 minutes on the arc-trainer for “5 miles” and then yoga.  Foam rolling at night.