Week 12: Ending on a low note

ARGH!!

Everything was going great this week:

After my Garmin died at the end of week 11, I sent it to Garmin who promptly sent me a new unit which arrived Thursday evening.

My Brooks order arrived Thursday before my track workout, loaded with 2 pairs of trainers (Adrenaline 9), a pair of racing flats (Racer ST 4), a singlet, a training T, and a pair of socks (Burn PED). Having joined Brooks ID, I got a nice discount on all of this.

I immediately strapped on my new Racers and hit the track for an excellent mile repeat workout (6:18, 6:17, 5:59, 5:48). The racers were excellent. A lightweight shoe weighing in at 8.6oz, the Racer ST 4 was very comfortable with enough cushioning for a long race. They are rated up to marathon, and at my weight, I think might put that to the test.

So, to the calamity... I was having yet another great run yesterday. I was supposed to run 6 miles at marathon pace. Not bad, I can handle that. 5k in, as I ran through the Reston Town Center, I caught my toe on a brick and BONK. Reston has these fancy crosswalks with brick set into the pavement. For all you city planners/developers... Why?

A) They require extra maintenance
B) They are hazards (at least for a select few clumsy folks as I have demonstrated)
C) They don't really stand out like your typical painted cross walks

I'll give them credit for style points, but in the grand scheme of things, who cares? Anyways, there's my rant. I should have been more careful. I was cruising just below my intended 7:10 pace and I was left to hobble a mile+ back home on a right ankle that is now very swollen. It looks like today's 12 miler is out of the question.

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Week 11: A 20 miler under my belt

Once again I moved my Sunday long run to Saturday for convenience. This was my first of 3 20 milers before the marathon. I chose to run on the W&OD starting from Old Town Herndon. I staged my car at the 20 mile marker and ran toward Leesburg for 5 miles, returned to the car and ran toward Reston/Vienna and back for the final 10 miles.

distance	time	Pace	HR Avg.	HR Max
20.03	2:44:59	8:14	146	178

It was a decent morning for a run, plenty of cloud cover, but humid and warm. Brenda, who ran 14, and I got off to a late start (9:00) much to our chagrin as the sun poked through the clouds around 11 heating up the trail and giving me a good burn. The last 2 miles were brutal and I was toast by the time I reached the 20 mile mark for the last time.

An 8:14 pace w/ 3 minutes of walking a ~5min break in the middle might have been a bit overboard. It helps when I have a running partner to mellow the pace, but on my own, with all sort of traffic on the road, I was sucked into a quick pace.

At the mid-point I stopped to top off my water and changed my socks (No blisters... YAY!). I finished with a sore right hip and rear of the knee (above the calf). Both were alleviated by my Body Glide Warm-Fx, the product that caused recent shenanigans. At least it's making up for the pain, but it did manage to transfer to some spots I wouldn't have wanted it to.

After today I'll have run over 200 miles for the month of August, and put nearly 300 miles on my month and a half old shoes. That order from Brooks can't come soon enough... I look forward to this, a lighter week.

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Week 10 Wrap-up

Despite being the first week over the mid-program hump, week 10 did not relent! All told, I put in 48+ miles at an average pace of 8:02. That includes a 9 mile marathon pace run Sunday to cap off the week. Though I ran it @ 10 seconds over Boston pace which is my lofty goal, the terrain in Reston is much wilder than i'll see in Toronto. That's a good sign past the midpoint, especially the day after a long run.

distance	time	Pace	HR Avg.	HR Max
9.02	1:06.06	7:20	155	173

That long run day did not go so smoothly... I showed up late to Noble's place in Arlington after a poor night's sleep. I was completely disorganized which led to my key fob falling out of my Fuel Belt pouch around mile 10. Of course I didn't realize this until 3 miles later. After completing a very hilly 18 miles (1 short of the plan) we tried to hunt down the fob to no avail. We had to drive the distance to Reston to get my backup key. Things smoothed out afterward and we had a good BBQ lunch at Rocklands.

distance	time	Pace	HR Avg.	HR Max
18.20	2:33:44	8:27	143	175

My training earlier in the week was a bit brutal due to the humidity. Finishing Thursday's hill workout was tough, as was Tuesday's 9 miler. I had a little blister trouble after the Sunday pace run including a tear in my right big toe callouses. I decided to take today off to heal. I'm going to be a little more cautious with the belt. I'm a bit disappointed that I can't secure my keys better.

This weekend is 20 miles. It's going to be a tough solo run.

So ends my first iPhone post!

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Week 9: Day 7: Great Balls of Fire!

Tonight I learned a very valuable lesson. It all began yesterday afternoon when I stopped in the local running store to pick up some Body Glide, a great little product meant to prevent Chafing, an unfortunate result of long runs. It's seemed like a simple enough task and I was quickly taken to it's place in the store by the clerk. After a 12 mile run, and working on 4 hours of sleep I blindly grabbed a package labeled Body Glide, paid, and left the store; no problem... right?

distance	time	Pace	HR Avg.	HR Max
12.09	1:36:27	7:59	147	166

Tonight I was prepping for an 9 mile (marathon pace) run and applied the Body Glide product. I had noticed it looked different from what I was used to, but I just assumed they had made some changes. Companies are always "New and Improving" their product. It wasn't 5 minutes later, that as I stepped out the door I felt a gradually increasing burning sensation...

It turns out Body Glide has branched out into products other than Anti-chafers. Apparently I picked up their new Icy-Hot style product. Now what does "Body Glide" have to do with a product meant to relieve muscle soreness? I think they need a change in brand name... I'll be headed back to the store tomorrow to educate them on their own products.

As for my run, I was able to relieve the pain enough to get out for my 9-miler.

distance	time	Pace	HR Avg.	HR Max
9.03	1:05:33	7:16	158	177

I'm a bit sore afterward. I guess that new "Body Glide" could come in handy... or I could just stick with Icy-Hot.

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It's Official: I'm running the Toronto Marathon

Maybe I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, but I'm at least registered (as of last week). I will have two fellow NoVA residents competing with me as Noble (full) and Alex (1/2) are registered. It's good to know I won't be out there on my own. It looks like there will be a support team/spectators for us. Now I've got to hunt for hotels and travel options.

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Week 8: Day 6 - Long runs are always better with company

I moved my Sunday run up a day to run with Noble who will also be running the Toronto Marathon. I can't deny the benefits of having a running partner when doing distances like this. We met up in Waterfront in DC bright and early (7:30 AM) where I met my training group for Honolulu a few years back. It's a great spot to run with fairly level terrain and lots of great scenery.

We ran around the mall and along the Potomac on our out and back. I learned of Noble's sour luck this summer, and hope that will turn around for him. He definitely had a lemons to lemonade outlook on the situation which is refreshing. We were able to carry on conversation throughout the run. The pace was steady throughout, though we sped up in the later downhill miles. I was able to run a comfortable 7:57 extra last mile.

distance	time	Pace	HR Avg.	HR Max
17.05	2:22:28	8:21	136	157

I've been running with my helium 2 Fuel Belt which has worked well, even up to 17 miles yesterday, but I've definitely pushed the limits. Now I wish I had gone with helium 4 and run with less bottles when I didn't need them, but it's a little late for that now. The question is do I try to find a way to reload my bottles late into these runs, or do I spring for the larger capacity belt??

My recommendation: Buy the helium 4 the first time around!

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Week 8: Day 2 - On the Road Again

Today I returned from a long weekend in Rochester and Fredonia, NY. I stayed on the wagon for the most part, though I missed yesterdays 3-miler for some recording sessions in the folks' barn with Jim. I even got Jim to join me for a run. On Sunday he joined me for the final 4 miles of my 16-miler in Fredonia. I ran the first 12 faster than recommended (8:20/mile), so relaxing the pace with my bro was a nice relief.

distance	time	Pace	HR Avg.	HR Max
16.29	2:21:35	8:41	132	146

Over the course of my run, I climbed a fair amount, and still kept the heart rate low. This is a good sign with 11 weeks to go. I experienced sharp ankle pain for a few moments prior to my brief stop to pick up Jim, but that subsided. I had run over 7 hard miles in Rochester with some difficult inclines and winding single track paths which might have led to the soreness.

distance	time	Pace	HR Avg.	HR Max
7.05	52:30	7:27	156	180

Brenda and I had stayed at the Woodcliff Hotel and Spa perched at the top of a steep hill for our friends' wedding (Congrats Ben and Lauren!) which made for an awful return trip on the run. I had "golfed" 9 holes earlier in the day as well adding a good deal of miles on foot Saturday.

Today I went out in Fredonia for 8 before hitting the road. I pushed the pace more and more as the run went on hitting a 7:32 mile at the end. It wasn't intentional, but it felt smooth, and I had a long day on the road ahead of me. Now I get to enjoy some time back home, and just maybe... I'll have a few relaxing days. It was great spending time with friends and family, but it's great to be home.

distance	time	Pace	HR Avg.	HR Max
8.05	1:02:43	7:47	146	165

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