I think the decision to stay off of my knee this weekend was a great idea. It doesn't hurt as bad and the flare ups are few and far between. The only time it was really bad was Saturday night when I broke my rule to play in our curling league. Curling isn't that strenuous so I didn't think it would be that big of a deal, however standing for 90+ minutes did start to aggravate it a little.
This week I am going to return to swimming and biking, but I think I am going to go another week or two without running. I have said it before, there is no reason to push training forward at this point unless I am 100%. It is better to miss my fitness building sessions now than struggle through injuries later down the road.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Dumb....Dumb....Dumb
So my knee was feeling great yesterday so I decided to go ahead and jog a little. On my first lap, it started to flare up a little but I pushed through. 3 miles into the workout I found myself walking the outside of the track feeling miserable again. I should have never gone to the track in the first place, but once there when I felt discomfort, I should have stopped.
I went ahead and continued with my plan to spin this morning, it helped the first day of recovery so I figured it may help again. I rode just under an hour and stayed in low gears. I wasn't feeling too much pain, so I picked up the rpm's in the middle of the workout and soon regretted it. As soon as I put any hard push into the bike, my knee flared up. It didn't hurt near as bad as when I am running.
Since any sort of exercise that I enjoy is one way or another causes me pain, I am going to take the next 4-5 days off. It would be stupid to push through any discomfort when I have the time to relax and recoup. My race schedule is clear until May, except for the annual Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving, so I am going to take it easy for a while. I just need to focus on my diet.
I went ahead and continued with my plan to spin this morning, it helped the first day of recovery so I figured it may help again. I rode just under an hour and stayed in low gears. I wasn't feeling too much pain, so I picked up the rpm's in the middle of the workout and soon regretted it. As soon as I put any hard push into the bike, my knee flared up. It didn't hurt near as bad as when I am running.
Since any sort of exercise that I enjoy is one way or another causes me pain, I am going to take the next 4-5 days off. It would be stupid to push through any discomfort when I have the time to relax and recoup. My race schedule is clear until May, except for the annual Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving, so I am going to take it easy for a while. I just need to focus on my diet.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Long Swim
In an attempt to stay on top of my off season fitness and recover from the Denver Marathon, I went for a long swim this morning. It was a pretty decent workout. I didn't use the kick board so my knee had more time to recuperate and overall everything is feeling a lot better today sans my nipples. The swimming made my runners nipple worse. I may have to postpone any further swim workouts until they are fully healed.
I am going to run a little tonight and see if my body is ready for that, if not it looks like I will be spinning and cycling a lot in the next week so I can still do something. I think I may stick to spinning until my knee is 100% so I don't cause an injury.
Today's workout: 2500m swim (Warm up 300 swim, 8x75 on 20 sec rest alternate easy/hard. Main Set 400 swim, 400 pull, 3x200 swim, on rest of 30 between each swim. Warm down 200 easy)
I am going to run a little tonight and see if my body is ready for that, if not it looks like I will be spinning and cycling a lot in the next week so I can still do something. I think I may stick to spinning until my knee is 100% so I don't cause an injury.
Today's workout: 2500m swim (Warm up 300 swim, 8x75 on 20 sec rest alternate easy/hard. Main Set 400 swim, 400 pull, 3x200 swim, on rest of 30 between each swim. Warm down 200 easy)
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Spin to Recover
Despite what my knees were telling me, I rolled out of bed this morning and went to spin. I didn't overdue it, I stayed in the small ring and kept up a moderate rpm. It felt really great on my quads, but near the end I started to feel it again in my knee and ankle.
My joints are starting to feel better, but they still stiffen up on me if I sit for an hour or more. The good news is, the swelling in my feet subsided so I was able to wear shoes to work this morning. That was a huge bonus; the weather has started to make a turn for the cold and I was a little chilly leaving work last night in my sandals.
Hopefully my recovery continues at this pace. I am hoping to go to run club tomorrow and participate as much as possible. At this point I vision myself going through the warm up and then walking the track while everyone runs. I am trying not to overdue it, but it is difficult to rest.
My joints are starting to feel better, but they still stiffen up on me if I sit for an hour or more. The good news is, the swelling in my feet subsided so I was able to wear shoes to work this morning. That was a huge bonus; the weather has started to make a turn for the cold and I was a little chilly leaving work last night in my sandals.
Hopefully my recovery continues at this pace. I am hoping to go to run club tomorrow and participate as much as possible. At this point I vision myself going through the warm up and then walking the track while everyone runs. I am trying not to overdue it, but it is difficult to rest.
Monday, October 18, 2010
A Little Too Ambitious
My first marathon has come and gone and I took a lot from it. I finished in 4:57:28, well over my intended pace but I think I expected to much out of myself. In all of my training runs and even the half I ran two weeks ago, I had no problem maintaining a 9 minute pace, so I thought I could carry that over into the full.
I ran the first half at the pace I wanted but shortly after that, somewhere in between mile 14 and 15, I bonked hard. My knees had been bothering me for about 5 miles and I finally gave in, slowed my pace and even walked a little. After I walked, mentally I had failed myself and my pace slowed even more.
Rather than passing people for motivation, I was the guy to pass and it sucked the motivation right out of me. Soon I looked down at my watch and realized I was running a 15 minute pace and I had lost the ability to salvage a great race. I switched into survivor mode and just tried to finish under 5 hours.
Eventually I got over the pain in my knees and the bloody nipple and began to pick up the pace. The last 6 miles was the hardest thing I have ever done. Even harder than my recon indoc back in the day. I found a friend who was running in support of diabetes and we finished together. It was nice to have someone to talk to the last few miles, it was a great distraction.
The finish line chute was the complete opposite of my race day. It was the most amazing experience of my life. At first it was just the little kids who wanted high fives, but soon enough, everyone had their hands outstretched to congratulate me. I felt like I was sprinting because I was so pumped (I guarantee it was just faster than a shuffle) and happy to be there.
As I crossed the finish line I saw the medical tent and the medals and I had an internal debate on where I should go first. I made the smart decision and went to medical to get my knees wrapped in ice and then grabbed my finisher medal.
I learned that the second half is an entirely different race from the first half and that I need to hang loose in the first 10 - 15 miles in order to conserve a little for the end. I also have identified that I have a lot of training ahead of me in order to be successful in St. George but I know I have heart to get it done. I'm still working on the mental aspect, I think a huge factor in my bonk was the games I was playing in my head and creating and upholding expectations that may have been unattainable. Sometimes I mentally give up if I am off pace or realize that my goal is out of reach. I need to learn to race to have fun, that's the whole point.
I ran the first half at the pace I wanted but shortly after that, somewhere in between mile 14 and 15, I bonked hard. My knees had been bothering me for about 5 miles and I finally gave in, slowed my pace and even walked a little. After I walked, mentally I had failed myself and my pace slowed even more.
Rather than passing people for motivation, I was the guy to pass and it sucked the motivation right out of me. Soon I looked down at my watch and realized I was running a 15 minute pace and I had lost the ability to salvage a great race. I switched into survivor mode and just tried to finish under 5 hours.
Eventually I got over the pain in my knees and the bloody nipple and began to pick up the pace. The last 6 miles was the hardest thing I have ever done. Even harder than my recon indoc back in the day. I found a friend who was running in support of diabetes and we finished together. It was nice to have someone to talk to the last few miles, it was a great distraction.
The finish line chute was the complete opposite of my race day. It was the most amazing experience of my life. At first it was just the little kids who wanted high fives, but soon enough, everyone had their hands outstretched to congratulate me. I felt like I was sprinting because I was so pumped (I guarantee it was just faster than a shuffle) and happy to be there.
As I crossed the finish line I saw the medical tent and the medals and I had an internal debate on where I should go first. I made the smart decision and went to medical to get my knees wrapped in ice and then grabbed my finisher medal.
I learned that the second half is an entirely different race from the first half and that I need to hang loose in the first 10 - 15 miles in order to conserve a little for the end. I also have identified that I have a lot of training ahead of me in order to be successful in St. George but I know I have heart to get it done. I'm still working on the mental aspect, I think a huge factor in my bonk was the games I was playing in my head and creating and upholding expectations that may have been unattainable. Sometimes I mentally give up if I am off pace or realize that my goal is out of reach. I need to learn to race to have fun, that's the whole point.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Denver Marathon Preview
I know it has been a while since I have posted something so I figured I had better get on it. I took a week off of work, and Kayleigh and I flew to Texas for a small vacation. I didn't have a whole lot of expectation to keep up my training schedule, however I did pack my running clothes.
We went out for one light jog, but other than that I pretty much took the week off. Unless you want to count the 18 holes of golf, lounging in a pool, and 12 oz curls as training. It may have been a bad decision since I am running the Denver Marathon this weekend.
In the end, I am running the marathon for fun, so I don't feel like it was that bad of a plan. We can pretend that my recent stall in training was my taper week. After Sunday's race, I should be back on schedule (as low impact as possible) and ready to head into November.
Here is a preview of the elevation for the marathon this weekend.
We went out for one light jog, but other than that I pretty much took the week off. Unless you want to count the 18 holes of golf, lounging in a pool, and 12 oz curls as training. It may have been a bad decision since I am running the Denver Marathon this weekend.
In the end, I am running the marathon for fun, so I don't feel like it was that bad of a plan. We can pretend that my recent stall in training was my taper week. After Sunday's race, I should be back on schedule (as low impact as possible) and ready to head into November.
Here is a preview of the elevation for the marathon this weekend.
I am not sure if you can read it or not, but it is not too bad. I think the max elevation change is 300ft. It will be a fun race, I get to run through downtown Denver and pass Coors Field, the art museum, and the zoo. The music should be nice too.
Everyone think of good thoughts, my goal is to finish under 4 hours. If I can keep from cramping like I did two weeks ago in Boulder, I should be fine.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Boulder Marathon
I went into my first half marathon on a short nights rest and the day after a full day of tailgating with delicious home brew and enough artery and colon clogging food to feed a small army. Despite all of that, I was feeling great and I had a lot to look forward too.
Kayleigh and I hung out together at the start/finish line and cheered on the marathoners for their start. It was only 46 degrees so I was trying to stay with her for as long as possible so I could keep my warm clothes on as long as possible. I knew that if I wore them on the run I would burn up as it warmed up and I hate running with crap tied around my waste. With about 10 minutes before the start, I stripped down and moved to the starting chute. I placed my self in the back third and waited for the start.
I need to find confidence in my running ability and begin to associate as a runner. I found myself pinned in at the start and stuck behind a sea of slower runners. It took me a good mile or so before I finally maneuvered up with the crowd that was running a similar pace.
I took the run easy and monitored my heart rate for the first half of the race. I focused on keeping my heart rate below 159bpm's and nothing else. At the four mile mark I realized that I was having a miserable time. My pace and heart rate were fine, but I realized I was staring at the ground and my feet, focusing on every hill and concentrating on every little muscle twitch in my body.
That's not why I wanted to get into endurance running and sports, so once I realized I was being a bum I snapped out of my funk. I started looking at the scenery, smiling at photographers, and thanking the volunteers. Basically I started acting like myself.
It was crazy what happened. I was lighter on my feet, my pace quickened but my heart rate stayed the same, and I was smiling and enjoying a great day in Boulder. With my newly discovered happiness, I reached the half way turnaround and discovered that I still had a good set of legs underneath me.
I decided that I was going to try to push the return as hard as I could and set an amazing PR (it was my first half so any time would have been my PR). I was in my element, I would pick someone 50 meters up of the road and try to pass them. As soon as I did I would find someone else and repeat the plan. Before I knew it, I was at mile 10... then disaster struck.
My left left calf started to cramp. If I kept moving and focused on flexing my foot, the cramp would go away. I ran about a mile like this until my right calf began to cramp too, probably from over compensating. The people around me probably thought I was crazy because I was yelling at my legs to "act right" as well as other things (all PG I swear). Despite the cramping I was still running under 9 min miles.
With about a mile to go, my toes felt like they were being left out and they decided that they wanted to cramp too. They were curling in my shoes under my feet, I was fighting calf and foot cramps at this point, but I refused to slow down or stop. Through pure resolve I fought my way to the finish with nubs for feet.
I ended up finishing in 1:56:30 with an avg 8:51 min per mile. I placed 24/36 in my age group, and 253/720 overall. Not to shabby for my first Half. I learned that I need to increase my salt intake on long runs and not drink a butt load the day before a big race.
Boulder doesn't have anything on the hills found in St. George, but with very little distance training I finished under 2 hours. If I keep up the work, in 6 or so months I feel I can run a sub 4 marathon at St. George.
Kayleigh and I hung out together at the start/finish line and cheered on the marathoners for their start. It was only 46 degrees so I was trying to stay with her for as long as possible so I could keep my warm clothes on as long as possible. I knew that if I wore them on the run I would burn up as it warmed up and I hate running with crap tied around my waste. With about 10 minutes before the start, I stripped down and moved to the starting chute. I placed my self in the back third and waited for the start.
I need to find confidence in my running ability and begin to associate as a runner. I found myself pinned in at the start and stuck behind a sea of slower runners. It took me a good mile or so before I finally maneuvered up with the crowd that was running a similar pace.
I took the run easy and monitored my heart rate for the first half of the race. I focused on keeping my heart rate below 159bpm's and nothing else. At the four mile mark I realized that I was having a miserable time. My pace and heart rate were fine, but I realized I was staring at the ground and my feet, focusing on every hill and concentrating on every little muscle twitch in my body.
That's not why I wanted to get into endurance running and sports, so once I realized I was being a bum I snapped out of my funk. I started looking at the scenery, smiling at photographers, and thanking the volunteers. Basically I started acting like myself.
It was crazy what happened. I was lighter on my feet, my pace quickened but my heart rate stayed the same, and I was smiling and enjoying a great day in Boulder. With my newly discovered happiness, I reached the half way turnaround and discovered that I still had a good set of legs underneath me.
I decided that I was going to try to push the return as hard as I could and set an amazing PR (it was my first half so any time would have been my PR). I was in my element, I would pick someone 50 meters up of the road and try to pass them. As soon as I did I would find someone else and repeat the plan. Before I knew it, I was at mile 10... then disaster struck.
My left left calf started to cramp. If I kept moving and focused on flexing my foot, the cramp would go away. I ran about a mile like this until my right calf began to cramp too, probably from over compensating. The people around me probably thought I was crazy because I was yelling at my legs to "act right" as well as other things (all PG I swear). Despite the cramping I was still running under 9 min miles.
With about a mile to go, my toes felt like they were being left out and they decided that they wanted to cramp too. They were curling in my shoes under my feet, I was fighting calf and foot cramps at this point, but I refused to slow down or stop. Through pure resolve I fought my way to the finish with nubs for feet.
I ended up finishing in 1:56:30 with an avg 8:51 min per mile. I placed 24/36 in my age group, and 253/720 overall. Not to shabby for my first Half. I learned that I need to increase my salt intake on long runs and not drink a butt load the day before a big race.
Boulder doesn't have anything on the hills found in St. George, but with very little distance training I finished under 2 hours. If I keep up the work, in 6 or so months I feel I can run a sub 4 marathon at St. George.
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