Training Run

Distance: 7 miles
Time: 52:13
Pace: 7:27/mi

Comments: I felt pretty good this morning so I decided to try and put in a decent amount of mileage today, 10 miles. But, after getting started, my legs let me know they are still not completely recovered. So I cut it short at 7 miles and walked the two miles home.

Despite the achyness it was a pretty good run. I feel strong and, if I have enough time to heal up, I should be able to do well for the race. My pace was pretty good and my mechanics seem to still be there.

I do need to make sure I don't push too hard in the next two weeks. It is that logic that lead me to take an extra rest day yesterday as well as parsing this effort. I'll do the midnight run tomorrow - it's just 3 miles - but not at a blistering pace, by any means.

Training run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 30:56
Pace: 7:44/mi

Comments: I am still extremely sore from the long run on Sunday. I spent most of yesterday off my feet with my legs elevated but I'm still stepping around gingerly and getting started on the run isn't pleasant.

I felt I could put in my six miles today if I pushed it a bit but, once again, I don't really feel the need to push myself too much these last few weeks. The danger - an injury - far outweighs any possible benefit.

So I did once around the block and that was enough. It was chilly, a bit wet and somewhat breezy. Normally ideal running conditions but, given my achy state, just a cumulative consideration for my ongoing state of misery.

But, overall, it was a pretty nice run and I felt pretty good the whole way through.

Recovery Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 31:37
Pace: 7:54/mi

Comments: I clearly am not over the pounding of Sunday and the weeks prior. But, in context, I performed pretty well.

I took yesterday off and visited the masseuse. The work she did on the calves and quads was excruciating and left me feeling as rough as I did after the run. But, it was a relief to finally work out all the knots and kinks that have formed in my legs due to the workload.

So I approached today as a simple recovery run, working out the rest of the stuff. I considered going six miles but there really is no need to pile on the mileage if I don't feel up to it.

So I just tried to keep at a steady pace and with a good form the whole way. I wanted to beat 8 minute mile pace and I almost nailed it on the nose. If I can keep 'recovering' on this track, I should be set for the race.

Marathon Training Summary: Week 13

Distance: 46 miles
Time: 6 hours 54 minutes

Comments: I knew it was going to be a bear going in and it certainly didn't disappoint.

This was the big week with the max mileage and longest long run. That's capping a six week build in mileage that put me in the 200-mile range. I have never run this far or this long before in my life and my body is not totally happy with me about it.

But, now it is done, I have things relatively easy for the next three weeks. I start dramatically reducing the mileage with the taper. I also am not going to feel too upset if I have to take extra days off to baby my injuries back to full health.

The three weeks remaining until the starter's horn are the portion of training I really never believed I would reach - the taper.

From the first time I considered doing a marathon several years ago and started doing research on how to go about it, I have read about 'the taper.' Over time, and numerous failed efforts to get going with the training, this phase of preparation just before the race itself kind of took on a mythological aspect on par with the race itself.

Of course with the brutal mileage and pace of the last six weeks, the respite it offers probably adds to my amazement at actually reaching it.

Anyhow, I'll put in about 30 miles or so at relatively easy paces this week. I'm looking for a ten mile long run on Saturday because of the 3 mile race on Sunday night. The main priority is getting the danger spots that have developed - like the tightness in my right calf - taken care of.

Injury update: The one that has me most concerned is the knot in my lower calf/upper achilles tendon that has formed on the right side. This is like the one I had two weeks ago on the left but not as deep. Now I've logged the big miles, I plan to give it some rest and massage work.

Long Run

Distance: 22 miles
Time: 3:39:01
Pace: 9:57/mi

Comments: The big monster. I wasn't looking forward to it in the least and it was every bit as horrible as I expected.

The problems following my regular runs this week prompted me to take Saturday off completely and to initiate a pretty aggressive icing regimen on my calves to deal with the knots. Generally, I was just dragging ass all week due to the sheer number of miles I've been racking up.

So the brisk winter air wasn't pleasant this morning and every sinew in my body said "Uh Uh" as I took to the street. I kept playing the 'just one more mile' game until I had racked up enough distance to make turning back seem stupid.

But my pace was no great shakes. I kept it abnormally slow at the start while I babied my right calf and the lack of reserves on the back end kept me from ever ramping it up. That said, it was not nearly as much of a singular battle with fatigue like the last three miles of the 20-miler two weeks ago.

I downed three of the Clif Shots they should be using in the race and went through a liter of water which I carried with me. I think, energy wise, I should be fine for the race if I carb up sufficiently beforehand.

Training Run

Distance: 8 miles
Time: 72:57
Pace: 9:07/mi

Comments: Well, I knew the miles were taking their toll and today the piper came to be paid. I started out stiff and slow and things went downhill from there.

I had enough in the tank to do the run but the legs are just too banged up to go with any speed. I'm stepping gingerly and starting to develop some unpleasant sensations (see below). As a result, I'll prolly skip tomorrow's 4 miler and seriously consider postponing the long run on Sunday.

Training Run

Distance: 8 miles
Time: 64:26
Pace: 8:03/mi

Comments: Getting out the door was a real battle. I was post-long run sore all yesterday afternoon and wasn't moving around too quickly this a.m. either.

But, once on the road, I fell into a decent pace and rhythm. I consiously kept it slow and eased up with any sensation of tiredness. Despite that, my pace came in rather good.

My intention starting out this week was to alternate four milers with eight milers. With the extra rest day I simply combined two four milers today. Now I'm 'back on track' but getting through it ain't any easier a prospect.

Training Run

Distance: 8 miles
Time: 57:12
Pace: 7:09/mi

Comments: I flaked out on the planned four-miler yesterday. The combination of tiredness, coldness and the blasted wind conspired to keep me indoors. It was more of an act of caution than laziness but I'm not looking forward to the bump in miles during my remaining runs to make up the difference.

So, as usual, when I feel like I have been slacking, I crank up the pace probably a bit more than I should. This one came in damn close to the ideal time I am targeting for the race. It's gonna be tough to do this for a whole 26.2 miles, that's for sure.

But it is a realistic possibility. I have some serious strength in my legs now and I'll be much better rested and fueled come Jan. 14. This week's monster miles are the key to making sure this level effort is a possibility.

Oh yeah. It was also damned chilly. I know running in the cold is better for times and all but that don't mean I like it one bit.

Marathon Training Summary: Week 12

Distance: 42 miles
Time: 5 hours 35 minutes

Comments: Ye Gods! What a week. The sheer amount of miles I have put in over the past month is kicking my ass.

I could barely walk this morning after the long run. I had a breakfast Dim Sum with my family for my birthday (which is tomorrow. My day off. YAY me!) and hobbling to and from the car was excruciating.

The ice bath and a three-hour nap helped lots but the agony has not gone away by any means.

And that's been the theme the whole week. I got through most of the runs with an unspectacular and, to be honest, painful effort. Survival has been my watchword and it's gonna be that way for at least another seven days.

The key has been making sure I have been getting as much sleep as possible and to keep eating. Not only eating, but eating worth a damn. And it has worked up to this point.

I am hoping to hit 50 miles next week with a long run of 22 miles. By far the furthest I have ever attempted to run. It would be a trick if I were refreshed and prepared. I'm not.

The mileage of the past month are wearing heavy on me. I am bone tired and sore. The good news is that none of it seems to be injury-type aches. So I'll keep shooting for this mega-mileage target until one arises.

One of my larger worries is that I might catch a cold or get ill in the next few weeks. I can tell my immune system is at its wits end and it won't take much. So I'm packing in the multi-vitamins and grabbing as much sleep as I can.

Injury update: The good news is that my calf issue has seemed to have faded substantially. I actually kind of felt it last night (Saturday) so switched to the Asics for the long run and nary a peep.

The sheer amount of miles means I am pushing the envelope here and I know it. The chance for injury (or illness) is emmense as I try and push the distance as far as it can go.

So I plan to be even more paranoid about it all in the next week if you can believe that's even possible.

Long Run

Distance: 14 miles
Time: 1:50:17
Pace: 7:53/mi

Comments: A lot more painful and difficult than I expected.

I got out a touch later than I expected and was greeted by streets still wet with rain and the type of humidity I tend to associate with Louisiana, not Arizona. But it wasn't really hot so it didn't affect me as much.

I wanted to hold a strong pace the whole way on this one and I did that but damn it was tough. The middle four or five miles felt pretty good but the start and end were simply hanging in there and trying not to give into the pain.

It isn't that this is too much distance for me or that it was a faster pace than my usual long runs - it's just the cumulative effect of all these miles.

And next week is even harder...