Training Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 37:36 minutes
Pace: 9:24/mi

Comments: Very much a recovery run. The two weeks of high mileage are showing their toll. I slept close to 12 hours in the last 24 and I ain't been real spry when awake.

But it was kind of nice to get out and just do a nice easy jog with this one. No stretch. No warmup. Just getting out on the sidewalk and keeping it slow and steady.

Training Run

Distance: 6 miles
Time: 51:00 minutes
Pace: 8:30/mi

Comments: I was a little bit tired today but not like I was earlier this week. Despite that, I got in a solid run at close to the pace I was shooting for.

I stretched pretty well before heading out and started with a relatively slow pace. It was one of those runs where, just about the point I started getting into my groove I started getting the "I don't wanna's" as well. But there really wasn't any good reason for them.

So I just focused on the next mile marker and churned it out. Overall the run felt good and I was in control of it the whole way - I just wasn't into it like I prefer to be.

Training Run

Distance: 8 miles
Time: 58:08 minutes
Pace: 7:16/mi

Comments: Finally... a good run this week.

I woke up feeling rested and with a decent amount of energy. I think this is partly the recovery run, partly eating better yesterday and partly having enough time pass from the long run to get back into things. Having ideal weather didn't hurt either.

I stretched very well and then did a pretty concentrated warm up jog before actually starting the run. I also did a bit of area-specific stretching after the warm-up jog to be extra careful.

Started the run at a nice even, nothing-fancy kind of pace. I knew I had a lot more in the tank than on Tuesday or Wednesday so I focused on keeping a steady pace for the bulk of the run.

At the 5.5 mile point I started warming up a bit and kicked it in for the last two miles. Thats WAY too early for a realistic race kick but I wanted to get to the edge of my threshold today while I had the opportunity.

Overall, a strong run with no real unpleasant side effects. One to enjoy.

Training Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 34:53 minutes
Pace: 8:72/mi

Comments: I woke up feeling pretty tired and it didn't get better as the morning wore on. I felt pretty run down mentally and physically.


So I considered skipping the run but decided to put it in anyway since I had only planned a 4 mile recovery run for today. I figured doing it would give me a small sense of accomplishment for today and, with luck, help me work out the soreness in my legs some.

So I went around the block at a pretty relaxed pace. The high humidity for today made it pretty tough despite the low-impact rate of progress.

I'd like to do a hill workout tomorrow but, if I continue to feel like this, I probably should consider a more limited effort.

Training Run

Distance: 6 miles
Time: 43:45 minutes
Pace: 7:18/mi

Comments: A tough one, although I ended up doing it pretty damn quick.

I stretched well and did a warm-up run beforehand. That had me a bit concerned because I felt pretty dragged out. But I got the actual run going and had a bit more pep than I expected.

But the whole route was a battle. I actually cut back from my beginning pace after half-a-mile or so since it was clear things were going to get tough. From there on I just lowered my head and concentrated on grinding it out.

It was clearly a bit humid today and probably had a lot to do with the problem. While the dreaded ice bath may have helped my recovery from the long run on Sunday, it clearly didn't belay the tiredness factor of putting in a 43-mile week.

The Ice Bath

There is a routine comedian Billy Connolly did as part of his 1991 Live at the Odeon Hammersmith London video where he tells of growing up in Scotland and being taken out to swim in the North Sea. The cold water hitting you in the nuts for the first time felt "like a hot potato being shoved right up your ass," he vividly recalls.

I had reason to remember this little vignette today when I decided to try taking an ice bath.

The concept here is pretty simple, as a recent Running Times article explains.

Hard running results in the buildup of toxins like lactic acid in your muscles. The cold causes your blood vessels to constrict and your body creates a "blood rush" to force more blood into the region. The sudden rapid transmission circulation flushes the damage-inflicting waste from your system.

Moreover, since the entirety of your legs are submerged, you get a more widespread effect. Which is why it is recommended as a preventive regimen rather than localized icing that is used for post-injury therapy.

Now my Sunday long run had left me pretty sore afterward. I took a nap that afternoon and woke up with burning eyes due to the toxin buildup in my body - the same sensation I get after a very effective massage. Throughout the day, moving around was done with extreme difficulty and it wasn't a lot better this morning.

So I stopped at the Water Plus store to pick up a big bottle of water for drinking and threw in two of the huge bags of ice as well.

Now, to make an ice bath you need to fill a tub with ice and water and submerge your legs into it for between 15 to 20 minutes. I started by just pouring all the ice into the tub and starting the water. Then I got in.

After about 30 seconds I realized the persistent ringing in my ears was actually my own screams. The 'Connolly effect,' as I now refer to it, seemed to be caused by the sensation of my testicles sucking back into my body with such velocity that I fear they may have bruised my kidneys.

I got out and tried to get feeling back into my legs. I also turned the water up to dissolve some of the ice and get the level high enough to submerge my legs.

Turns out, this was a good plan. The recommended temperature is between 54 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Just-above-freezing does little good and is actually pretty dangerous. Not to mention hit hurts like hell.

So, after the tub re-filled I got back in. It was brutally cold and completely agonizing but not nearly as bad as before. I turned on the timer and, never in my life has 15 minutes gone by so slow.

But, after about five minutes, it became much more bearable - although not, by any means, pleasant. I assume this is because of the influx of blood begin forced into the region by the 'blood rush.'

I finally staggered out after a quarter hour and tried feebly to walk and restore circulation. The post-run aches had been replaced by freezing agony but they were, as promised, gone. I actually felt better.

Until about ten minutes later when I couldn't stop shivering. The drop in my body temperature was pretty steep and I was having trouble recovering. I stepped outside into the sun but it didn't help much.

So I hopped into a warm shower. That helped a lot. I let the tub fill with warm - not hot - water, threw in some Epsom salt and lay there for about ten minutes letting my legs get their warmth back. Turns out, this is the method recommended in the Running Times article.

Was it worth it? I dunno. I clearly feel better now but the pain of the experience was as tough as any long run I have done to date. Most of the accounts of the practice I have been able to find on the internet seem to laud the boost it gives the day after.

Thus, the jury remains out on this one. If the pluses seem to be there I'm willing to take it on as a weekly post-long-run practice. But I'll have to remember to do something to muffle the screams.

Marathon Training Summary: Week 4

Distance: 43 miles
Time: 6 hours 17 minutes

Comments: One third of the training down, two thirds left to go. I probably should feel some sense of accomplishment but that's pretty intimidating, actually. A good solid week with a lot of quality miles. I had a lot of good runs and some of the others, although difficult, couldn't be called necessarily 'bad.'

I eschewed the speed training in order to get the mileage back on track. I'm still a bit confused on the best way to integrate speed work into my regimine and I think it might be better to prioritize hills.

Because the lack of hills seems to be the big reason for the boost in my times. Most of the routes around here are gloriously flat. Which is wonderful for the day-in, day-out stuff but not great for longer-term development.

But, anyway, this was a solid week and I'd like to match it and increase by a bit for next week but no crazy jumps in miles or intensity.

Last week I took an hour to head over to the local used book store and wander through their sports section and see what running books they had in stock. I picked up The Competitive Runner's Handbook by Bob Glover and Shelly-lynn Florence Glover and was happily surprised.

This is the book I should have gotten six months ago. It's a complete resource for the dedicated runner. Next eek will be along the lines of last week for me. Lotta miles culminating with a long run in the 16-mile range. The information on speed training in this book has me reconsidering adding it to my regimen so I'll be looking into that this week as well.

The book is aimed at runners who are looking to actively compete in distance races which might make it a bit beyond the scope of a new runner looking to get through their first big race. That said, the specific information this tome provides will come in handy for them as well.

And, the style of writing is relatively pleasant. There is a bit of the runner's posturing here (OK. You have been running longer than most readers have been alive. We get the picture. Can we move on now?) but it doesn't get in the way of the message.

Unlike most running books which rely too much on personal anecdotes to prompt the beginning runner along, it's chock full of facts, tables and information that answers your pressing questions.

Because I don't really care about the personal triumph of Mary Sue in Oshkosh, Wisconsin when I'm trying to figure out why my quads hurt like hell and if I need to change my running schedule to resolve it.

Injury update: The shoulder, although still achy, is nowhere near as bad as it was a week ago. Due to a screw-up at the chiropractor's office I didn't get the massage on Friday I was hoping would work the problem out a bit more. But, I visit the doctor tomorrow for the re-alignment and we shall see how it goes.

My left leg has been very very tight and my quads in particular. I am doing extra stretching on this side but it hasn't helped very much. It is worrisome given the amount of miles I am putting in now.

The right leg has been doing fine but there are some seriously irritating muscle aches that are popping up due to the mileage. Nothing that alarms me but it's clear I'm pushing myself pretty hard here.

Long Run

Distance: 15.5 miles
Time: 2:21 minutes
Pace: 9:18/mi

Comments: My first long run here in Arizona and my longest of training to date. It was tough as I expected but I was as prepared as I could be for the thing.

I waited a bit to head out because I wanted to be a bit more warmed up for the thing. I stretched pretty well beforehand, concentrating on the left leg.I started very slow and just built up to a regular pace that could get me through it.

I had a route along the canals here planned but it turns out you can't follow the ones I chose. So I kept to as regular a path as I could and aimed to bring it in at about two-and-a-half hours - which I figured would put me close to my goal of 16 miles.

And it did.It turned out I made it almost all the way to Arizona Mills mall.

I carried a half-liter of Gatorade made a bit thinner than usual as well as two Honey Stinger ginsing gel packs. They gave me what I needed but my stomach felt a bit upset toward the end of the thing.

Overall it was a good run but it took a lot out of me. Finishing it was an act of will and it is intimidating to think I need to add an hour more of running on to this amount.

But that's down the road. The rest of the day is to relax