Weeks of training completed: 11
Weeks to go before marathon: 7
Miles run last week: 50 (!)
Longest run: 19 miles
Bugs swallowed (accidentally): 3
Bugs that perished in a pool of sweat and sunscreen (on my face): at least 10
Bottles of Gatorade consumed: 4
High temperature this past weekend: 90 degrees
Minutes spent whining about having to run: 20... to an hour (sorry Jeff!)
Oh, how I would gladly do it all over again, minus the whining, bugs and all, if my knee could just hurry up and heal itself!
Thursday, 30 September 2010
Wednesday, 29 September 2010
Oh, no. Here comes the pain again...
I am now more than halfway through what seems like the most ridiculous training program of all time (sorry, Hal, I love you, but you’re killing me). I was very proud of myself for making it through my first 50-mile week, but alas, not unscathed.
I did a 19-mile run on Sunday which took an eternity thanks to a million hills (welcome to San Francisco). I could feel my knee tightening up a little, but nothing crazy, so I did what any runner would do: ignored it and kept going.
My training schedule called for a 4-mile recovery run on Monday, but I decided to give myself the day off to be safe, and get some ART done at the Chiropractor (where they rub my IT band with a metal thing until my leg is all black and blue—but hey, whatever works!).
Tuesday I went out for a 10-mile run and 3.5 miles into it, when I got to the Golden Gate Bridge, the pain started again. I could feel the side of my left knee tightening, where the IT band attaches to the bone. My right knee was sore (courtesy of patellofemoral syndrome, but that pain I can live with). I decided to cut my run short and stopped after 7 miles. I don’t even want to describe what I was feeling, I’m sure you can imagine. I did not come all this way to get obliterated when I’m so close to the final stretch! No way.
I went in to see my sports medicine doctor today and she made it very clear that she did not approve of my training program (great). My program has me building up mileage steadily before dropping it for an easier, “back off” week, and then going up again with a bang for a 50-mile week, then another 50-mile week, then back down to 38 miles. This goes on until I’m at 60-mile weeks (!).
Apparently, that is not the best way to do it. In fact, it’s a terrible way to do it! Whaaaat!?! According to my doctor, I need to be building up gradually, increasing the distance of my weekly runs and my weekend runs by a mile at a time or so. Alternating between 20-mile Sundays and 12-mile Sundays? Not a good idea. My long term goal, supposedly, is to have a year-long training program, where I can slowly build my strength, fitness, and endurance to the point where I’m pretty much always training at a high level. Hmmm…
So now what? I mean, I’m happy to tweak my program and follow her recommendations, but my race is in less than 2 months!
I ended up getting a cortisone shot on my (inflamed) bursa, on the side of my left knee. I don’t mind shots and it only hurt for a few seconds. I felt fine walking around afterwards and took the bus back to the office. An hour later, after the lidocaine wore off, the pain started, a pain similar to the worst IT Band inflammation I ever felt—back in college, when I had to take a year off from running. This pain is no joke. It means business. There is no running through this kind of pain.
I couldn’t resist the urge to freak myself out even more by doing Google searches on cortisone shots and possible adverse reactions. Oh boy. Bad idea.
I called the doctor and she said it should go away in a few days. She sounded very calm and matter-of-fact about it. We’ll see how long I can delay the onset of sheer panic and all out freak-outage…
Monday, 20 September 2010
10 Tips for 1st Time Racers
Running your first long distance race this fall? Many of my friends have signed up for their first races this year, and I’ve been getting tons of running-related questions... from chaffing to pacing to actually finishing. So here are a few of my top 10 tips for surviving your first race.
(Disclaimer: I am by no means an expert and am just offering advice on what has worked for me. Feel free to add your own two cents as well!)
1- Pick a race—and sign up! Having a goal is really important to me and picking a race always makes it more exciting. If you can, pick a “destination race,” where you combine a race goal with a cool location, maybe somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit. Hawaii, anyone?
2- Pick a training program—and stick to it! My favorite training guides are Hal Higdon’s—they’ve helped me achieve personal bests in many races, and I’ve never been injured when following his schedules. Another program I’ve considered is the one from the book Run Less, Run Faster (a good alternative if you want to run only 3 days a week to train for a race). Having set distances to cover and knowing exactly how far or how fast I have to run helps keep me focused and disciplined.
3- Find a support network—and tell the world! I usually tell my friends and family about my race right away and give updates on my training—it helps hold me accountable, and I can always use the support and encouragement (thanks, guys!). I love running magazines and find the running community extremely supportive. I once sent an email to Rachel Toor, a columnist for the Running Times, to tell her that I really love her writing—and she actually wrote me back and gave me tips for my next race!
4- Go shopping! A good pair of running shoes fitted for your foot type and gait is essential. I suggest going to a specialty running store and have them fit you for the right shoe. I’m loyal to my Asics Gel-Nimbus because I have high arches and supinate a little, but every runner is different, and you might have to try a few different kinds until you find “the one.” Also, dri-fit running clothes (love Nike) with quick drying fabric will make your runs much more comfortable (stay away from cotton!). A tip to prevent chaffing: get some Body Glide and apply generously to troublesome locations. Some people also use Vaseline.
5- Stay hydrated and well nourished—but in moderation! Don’t drink too much water before you go out for your run or you might have to get “creative” on the trails. And don’t overeat just because you’re exercising more. Remember that 1 mile equals about 100 calories. So a three-mile run may make you want to eat a hamburger the size of Texas, but you only just burned the caloric equivalent of a bowl of cereal with milk. :)
6- Get some rest! You’ll be putting your body through a lot so make sure you’re recharging your batteries with a good night’s sleep. At the peak of my training, 8-hours is a must. And if you’re extremely tired and sore, listen to your body and take a day off. It’s better to be cautious than injured!
7- Don’t be a baby. Running isn’t easy... and even if you’ve been doing it for years and years, it’s never really easy. Getting used to a new routine is tough. Training for a race gets progressively harder as your mileage increases. But your body will adapt, you will get stronger, and eventually be able to do things you never thought you could!
8- Carpe diem! One week at a time, one day at a time, one mile at a time. I try to resist the temptation of looking at what’s ahead in my running schedule. Seeing that in only two weeks I will be doing a 60-mile training week is pretty scary.
9- Buy a running watch. I love the Garmin Forerunner 305—it’s an older model, but it has everything I need. The newer models are great too, and as long as they have a GPS to track my speed and distance, I’m happy. Having a GPS watch completely changed my training—because now I know exactly how far I am going and how fast. If this is your first race, however, please please do yourself a favor and don’t worry about a time goal!
10- Never try anything new on race day!!! Race day is not a time to experiment. This is not the time to test our your brand new pair of shoes or shorts. Do not eat an exotic meal the night before. Do not try salt packets if you’ve never had them during a long run (a friend did that and was violently sick on the course). Stick to your routine. Eat the same things you ate before your long training runs, wear the same old running clothes, use the same running gadgets. Trust me on this one, you do not want to find out during your marathon that your brand new cute-as-can-be pink Nike shorts are too short and rub you the wrong way for 26.2 miles. That’s a loooooot of rubbing!
Got any tips? Let me know what you think and what has worked for you!
(Disclaimer: I am by no means an expert and am just offering advice on what has worked for me. Feel free to add your own two cents as well!)
1- Pick a race—and sign up! Having a goal is really important to me and picking a race always makes it more exciting. If you can, pick a “destination race,” where you combine a race goal with a cool location, maybe somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit. Hawaii, anyone?
2- Pick a training program—and stick to it! My favorite training guides are Hal Higdon’s—they’ve helped me achieve personal bests in many races, and I’ve never been injured when following his schedules. Another program I’ve considered is the one from the book Run Less, Run Faster (a good alternative if you want to run only 3 days a week to train for a race). Having set distances to cover and knowing exactly how far or how fast I have to run helps keep me focused and disciplined.
3- Find a support network—and tell the world! I usually tell my friends and family about my race right away and give updates on my training—it helps hold me accountable, and I can always use the support and encouragement (thanks, guys!). I love running magazines and find the running community extremely supportive. I once sent an email to Rachel Toor, a columnist for the Running Times, to tell her that I really love her writing—and she actually wrote me back and gave me tips for my next race!
4- Go shopping! A good pair of running shoes fitted for your foot type and gait is essential. I suggest going to a specialty running store and have them fit you for the right shoe. I’m loyal to my Asics Gel-Nimbus because I have high arches and supinate a little, but every runner is different, and you might have to try a few different kinds until you find “the one.” Also, dri-fit running clothes (love Nike) with quick drying fabric will make your runs much more comfortable (stay away from cotton!). A tip to prevent chaffing: get some Body Glide and apply generously to troublesome locations. Some people also use Vaseline.
5- Stay hydrated and well nourished—but in moderation! Don’t drink too much water before you go out for your run or you might have to get “creative” on the trails. And don’t overeat just because you’re exercising more. Remember that 1 mile equals about 100 calories. So a three-mile run may make you want to eat a hamburger the size of Texas, but you only just burned the caloric equivalent of a bowl of cereal with milk. :)
6- Get some rest! You’ll be putting your body through a lot so make sure you’re recharging your batteries with a good night’s sleep. At the peak of my training, 8-hours is a must. And if you’re extremely tired and sore, listen to your body and take a day off. It’s better to be cautious than injured!
7- Don’t be a baby. Running isn’t easy... and even if you’ve been doing it for years and years, it’s never really easy. Getting used to a new routine is tough. Training for a race gets progressively harder as your mileage increases. But your body will adapt, you will get stronger, and eventually be able to do things you never thought you could!
8- Carpe diem! One week at a time, one day at a time, one mile at a time. I try to resist the temptation of looking at what’s ahead in my running schedule. Seeing that in only two weeks I will be doing a 60-mile training week is pretty scary.
9- Buy a running watch. I love the Garmin Forerunner 305—it’s an older model, but it has everything I need. The newer models are great too, and as long as they have a GPS to track my speed and distance, I’m happy. Having a GPS watch completely changed my training—because now I know exactly how far I am going and how fast. If this is your first race, however, please please do yourself a favor and don’t worry about a time goal!
10- Never try anything new on race day!!! Race day is not a time to experiment. This is not the time to test our your brand new pair of shoes or shorts. Do not eat an exotic meal the night before. Do not try salt packets if you’ve never had them during a long run (a friend did that and was violently sick on the course). Stick to your routine. Eat the same things you ate before your long training runs, wear the same old running clothes, use the same running gadgets. Trust me on this one, you do not want to find out during your marathon that your brand new cute-as-can-be pink Nike shorts are too short and rub you the wrong way for 26.2 miles. That’s a loooooot of rubbing!
Got any tips? Let me know what you think and what has worked for you!
Wednesday, 15 September 2010
Quote of the Week
"Most runners run not because they want to live longer, but because they want to live life to the fullest. If you're going to while away the years, it's far better to live them with clear goals and fully alive then in a fog, and I believe running helps you to do that. Exerting yourself to the fullest within your individual limits: that's the essence of running, and a metaphor for life."
— Haruki Murakami
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Little Miss Hardcore
It was a beautiful running weekend in the City by the Bay!
On Saturday, I went for a run in Gerbode Valley, where cool misty clouds followed me up impossibly steep ascents. Every few minutes, brown bunnies would dart across the path into the bushes and disappear in the fog. It was only supposed to be an 8-mile marathon pace run, but ended up being a hilly 10 miles (because I got lost, what else is new) with a wildly varying pace--slowing to a near-crawl uphill, sprinting madly like a bat outta hell downhill.
Getting lost was a little scary, especially after having watched two hours of Dateline NBC the night before, which never fails to freak me out. For a second I was terrified by the thought of being murdered and tossed down a cliff to be eaten by once-cute wild bunnies and never to be found. I picked up the pace right about then.
Luckily, my running buddy came to the rescue and gently pointed out that I had missed the path to the start of the trail by about two feet. But of course.
Sunday morning I ran from San Francisco to Sausalito and halfway to Tiburon, then back to Sausalito, with a new running buddy who also does triathlons. It was a beautiful, clear day and I actually saw three dolphins swimming and jumping by the Golden Gate Bridge! Just past the bridge, on my way to quaint Sausalito, I paused just in time to see three deer look straight at me before jumping over a fence.
After finishing my run, I took the ferry back to the city and felt a little guilty about taking the streetcar instead of pounding out another 3 miles to get home. Oh, well. I was only supposed to run 24 miles that weekend and was already at 26, so I didn't beat myself up over it. 26 miles is still pretty hardcore, right?
A few hours later, after a long shower and nap, Jeff and I were on our way to our favorite sushi restaurant. After all that running, I was looking forward to eating copious amounts of raw fish--ahem, protein... mmm. I gave myself permission to eat as many rolls as I wanted (I was full after 1.5, bummer). This was my toughest training weekend so far and I had made it! So hardcore! Woohoo! I logged onto Facebook, itching to brag a little, and the first thing I saw was that my running buddy from that day had decided that 20 miles was not enough. So he went out and ran another 8.5 miles, just for fun, most likely while Little Miss Hardcore over here was napping. Oh, well, it was enough for me!
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