This week was 47 miles of running and 16 "miles" of pool-running -- training log is here.
(this entry also reposted as blogger apparently ate my entry. Again)
This was my second try at my second-to-last week of taper. Very similar to the week before, save that a lot of the "extras" (pool-running, recovery swimming) got minimized or nixed in favor of taking care of my cat, Isabella.
As I noted in the previous entry, I made the decision early in the week to skip Mohawk-Hudson due to my cat Isabella being ill. I was stressed and tired early in the week, which was not good prep for a marathon. Additionally, making the decision to DNS early in the week meant that I could adjust my taper, and also let me run enough to cope with the stress.
(I also developed a mild head cold last week - another reason I was glad I skipped).
As the week wore on, it was clear I had made the right decision, as Isabella ended up undergoing surgery Friday afternoon. The back story to that is:
On Sunday afternoon, after my last "long run," I took Izzy into the emergency vet - she had vomited and wasn't interested in food - concerning. She seemed fine during examination, and her vitals were normal, so they suggested I take her home and keep an eye on her.
However, I had a sense something wasn't quite right with her, so I asked for an ultrasound. I reasoned that it would probably come back clean, giving me peace of mind and letting me focus on the marathon.
But just the opposite happened. The ultrasound revealed a gallstone (rare in cats) that had not yet completely blocked the gall bladder duct. While it is theoretically possible to remove the gallstone surgically, the operation is very risky, from both a short and long term perspective. And doubly so in her case since bloodwork revealed that she also had "triaditis" - inflammation of the liver, pancreas, gall bladder, and intestines (all related to the gall stone). The triaditis further reduced her chances of surviving the surgery.
So, we needed to get the stone to pass on its own (via medication) if at all possible to avoid surgery. We gave the medication a few days, but by Thursday she was declining and back in the ER, and an ultrasound indicated that the stone had shifted and was closer to the duct. Thursday evening I was told that I had the choice of either putting her to sleep or attempting the surgery.
After consulting with my sister (a vet) and our regular vet, I decided to go ahead with the surgery. I was worried about Izzy's long-term quality of life if they had to reroute her bile duct (one possible outcome of the surgery). Many times it's kinder to put to sleep than to make them endure. But my sister and Dr. Wooton both reassured me that I wasn't being cruel as long as I was committed to euthanasia if Izzy was suffering after.
The surgery happened Friday night, with a surprisingly good result. They opened her up, and discovered that the stone was no longer there. It had passed sometime between the last ultrasound and the operation. No need to remove or reroute organs. So a very difficult surgery ended up being exploratory, and easier on her. Though still tough - it was surgery, after all.
As of Monday evening, Izzy's home and resting comfortably, and getting closer to being her old self. And I'm feeling a bit less stressed and more able to focus on other stuff. Like running a marathon this weekend.
Dailies
Monday: 5 "miles" pool-running and upper body weights in the morning; 1 "miles" pool-running and foam rolling at night.
Tuesday: 8 miles, including a track workout of 6x800 (2:57, 2:57, 2:55, 2:54, 2:52, 2:47). Foam rolling at night.
Wednesday: 9 miles very easy (9:04) plus drills, strides. 1 "miles" pool-running and foam rolling in the evening.
Thursday: 6.5 "miles" pool-running and upper body weights/core in the morning; foam rolling at night.
Friday: 10 miles, including a 5K tempo on the track in 19:34 (6:29/6:15/6:08/0:42), followed by injury prevention work. Foam rolling at night.
Saturday: 8 miles very easy (9:07), plus drills and strides, followed by upper body weights/core and DIY yoga. 2.5 "miles" pool-running and foam rolling in the afternoon.
Sunday: 12 miles aerobic (7:54). Foam rolling in afternoon.
This was my second try at my second-to-last week of taper. Very similar to the week before, save that a lot of the "extras" (pool-running, recovery swimming) got minimized or nixed in favor of taking care of my cat, Isabella.
As I noted in the previous entry, I made the decision early in the week to skip Mohawk-Hudson due to my cat Isabella being ill. I was stressed and tired early in the week, which was not good prep for a marathon. Additionally, making the decision to DNS early in the week meant that I could adjust my taper, and also let me run enough to cope with the stress.
(I also developed a mild head cold last week - another reason I was glad I skipped).
As the week wore on, it was clear I had made the right decision, as Isabella ended up undergoing surgery Friday afternoon. The back story to that is:
On Sunday afternoon, after my last "long run," I took Izzy into the emergency vet - she had vomited and wasn't interested in food - concerning. She seemed fine during examination, and her vitals were normal, so they suggested I take her home and keep an eye on her.
However, I had a sense something wasn't quite right with her, so I asked for an ultrasound. I reasoned that it would probably come back clean, giving me peace of mind and letting me focus on the marathon.
But just the opposite happened. The ultrasound revealed a gallstone (rare in cats) that had not yet completely blocked the gall bladder duct. While it is theoretically possible to remove the gallstone surgically, the operation is very risky, from both a short and long term perspective. And doubly so in her case since bloodwork revealed that she also had "triaditis" - inflammation of the liver, pancreas, gall bladder, and intestines (all related to the gall stone). The triaditis further reduced her chances of surviving the surgery.
So, we needed to get the stone to pass on its own (via medication) if at all possible to avoid surgery. We gave the medication a few days, but by Thursday she was declining and back in the ER, and an ultrasound indicated that the stone had shifted and was closer to the duct. Thursday evening I was told that I had the choice of either putting her to sleep or attempting the surgery.
After consulting with my sister (a vet) and our regular vet, I decided to go ahead with the surgery. I was worried about Izzy's long-term quality of life if they had to reroute her bile duct (one possible outcome of the surgery). Many times it's kinder to put to sleep than to make them endure. But my sister and Dr. Wooton both reassured me that I wasn't being cruel as long as I was committed to euthanasia if Izzy was suffering after.
The surgery happened Friday night, with a surprisingly good result. They opened her up, and discovered that the stone was no longer there. It had passed sometime between the last ultrasound and the operation. No need to remove or reroute organs. So a very difficult surgery ended up being exploratory, and easier on her. Though still tough - it was surgery, after all.
As of Monday evening, Izzy's home and resting comfortably, and getting closer to being her old self. And I'm feeling a bit less stressed and more able to focus on other stuff. Like running a marathon this weekend.
Dailies
Monday: 5 "miles" pool-running and upper body weights in the morning; 1 "miles" pool-running and foam rolling at night.
Tuesday: 8 miles, including a track workout of 6x800 (2:57, 2:57, 2:55, 2:54, 2:52, 2:47). Foam rolling at night.
Wednesday: 9 miles very easy (9:04) plus drills, strides. 1 "miles" pool-running and foam rolling in the evening.
Thursday: 6.5 "miles" pool-running and upper body weights/core in the morning; foam rolling at night.
Friday: 10 miles, including a 5K tempo on the track in 19:34 (6:29/6:15/6:08/0:42), followed by injury prevention work. Foam rolling at night.
Saturday: 8 miles very easy (9:07), plus drills and strides, followed by upper body weights/core and DIY yoga. 2.5 "miles" pool-running and foam rolling in the afternoon.
Sunday: 12 miles aerobic (7:54). Foam rolling in afternoon.
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