20

I was super excited to conquer 20 miles Saturday morning.  I stuck to my hydration plan at work all day Friday, got all my clothes and gear out the night before and ready for a (very) early alarm clock/dress in the mostly dark, foam rolled out all the stiffness of sitting all day at work.  And then I fell asleep while syncing my ipod.  I fell asleep before setting my 4:00am alarm.  I woke up at 6:45 and was immediately so upset about the whole situation.  I even woke up with one of the kids sometime around 12:30am and was so tired that I went to bed without checking my alarm, which is something I would normally do.

Instead of running, I made a trip to the running store and picked up a new pair of shoes.  My shoes weren't too bad, definitely showing a fair amount of wear, but the toe box on my right shoe collapsed!  It was pressing on my toes with every step on that foot, and I have two very sore toenails as a result.

I tried to implement the same plan in preparation for Sunday.  I did pretty good, maybe even nutritionally better.  And last night I triple checked my alarm!  I was up at 4:25 and running by just after 5:00.  Early to avoid the sun and heat.  Except today it rained, and rained hard for probably 2/3 of my run.  I love the rain for running, so it worked out great.  I made all 20 miles.  I felt great until mile 16, 17 and 18 were very difficult and then I rallied a little for the last two.  I finished in 2:52 (8:37 avg/mile).  I am thrilled with that time for my first 20-miler.  Projecting that pace, I should think another 50 or so minutes to finish another 6 miles is normal, but on the tale end of a marathon a challenge for sure.  I am going to have to move it on race day to meet my goal time, but anything sub 3:45 would be amazing!

I wore my new shoes for the first 10 miles, then swapped out to my old ones.  My feet are beat up.  The rain really took a toll.  I also had to ditch my music because the rain was coming down so hard I was worried something might short out.  I did good with hydration, I think.  I feel really dehydrated right now though, but I always struggle with recovery, so nothing new there (any suggestions are welcome!)

This week is an easy week to recover from the load of building to 20.  The timing works out perfectly because this Sunday I'll be volunteering at Ironman Wisconsin!

Anybody out there achieving big goals this week?  Or little goals?  All victories are huge in my mind!

High Temps and Long Runs

Some people are built for hot weather.  I am not one of them.  It takes my head right out of the game when it comes to pushing through a tough run.  In the wake of post-Racine fatigue the high temps have not helped my Columbus Marathon training.  I finally feel recovered from Racine, but have been struggling getting mileage in with the high temperatures and humidity.  On top of that, the route I usually run is almost exclusively in the sun.  It's a bad combo.  I've been on the treadmill way more than I'd like, which is fine for some things (I usually like to do speed workouts on the treadmill), but I can really feel it once I get out onto the road.

And then I remembered that years ago, I used to run the loop around the high school parking lot!  It's lit until 10:30pm, which gets me off the roads in the dark, and I feel less likely to get attacked by a wild animal (why do I have this fear??).  The loop is 1.1 miles/lap, it has some small hills.  It's been great.  Even though it's still been 80 degrees at 10:00pm.  Plus, there is something really freeing about a night run.  I've been wearing my head lamp, but haven't really needed it except once the lights go out.  

On the docket for the rest of the week: a short tempo run and this weekend, my first 20-miler (1 of 3) in Columbus prep.

Bug Trouble

Two weekends in a row, I have gotten a gnat in my eye (the same eye) while on my long run.  What are the odds of that?  And of all the space in the air that a small insect could fly, why does it end up right in your eye?

How Ironman turned me into a marshmallow

I'm not sure if it was a post race slump, my hip injury, my body being overly exhausted from month's of long training, a new work schedule, the summer heat, or (most likely) a combination of all of those things.  I have hit a serious rut since Racine.  I have not been on my bike or in the pool in 3 weeks.  I am a little afraid of my bike right now because of how tender my knee felt on it, especially given that I have running goals remaining this year.

But who can worry about running goals when my hip is in excruciating pain?  It is beyond awful.  I desperately want to get it looked at.  It is now visibly swollen and you can feel the tendon or ligament or whatever it is puffy and moving around, which is completely the opposite of the other side.  Unfortunately for me, we are in an insurance pickle right now, and I have to wait until September to get it looked at.  We have terrible coverage to get us through until new, great coverage starts, and any visits or testing that I would do now would be out of pocket.  So, I'm carrying on.  And icing.  And eating ibuprofen like candy.  Believe me, I'd rather have candy.

I bruised 2 toenails on long runs.  One is pretty black and gross.  Awesome.  Wearing the same shoes I've been wearing since January, without any problems.

I started a new work schedule that involves several over night shifts.  While I feel fairly mentally adjusted to it after a few weeks, it is clear that my body just can't give what it normally would.  My legs feel heavy and tired and I haven't been able to push the pace at all.  Frustrating.  I am trying to do what I can do while avoiding injury to a tired body.

The other problem with working overnights is that it has thrown off my eating schedule somewhat and so I feel less hydrated or incorrectly hydrated?  I'm not sure.  But I've been doing a lot of cramping on longer runs.  It's all very odd.  The more humid weather is not helping, and I've been forced to head out a little later in the day because of my schedule.  For example, I did not start my run yesterday until 3:00 in the afternoon.  It was 86 degrees and muggy.

I have a mental block because of all of this, and have missed my last 2 weeks of long distances, managing only 12 miles on both days (instead of the 16 and 17 I was supposed to do).  I keep telling myself I have plenty of time still until Columbus, and I do.  But I also don't.  If a few things can come together, and I can get in a solid run that feels comfortable I know the mental block will go away.  It's also a bit daunting because I haven't run over 15 miles in 3 years!  I'm excited to push beyond that distance again.

Maybe a pair of new shoes is the cure?  Nothing gets me motivated like new gear!