I don't usually whine about winter weather, but I'm thoroughly sick of shoveling, sick of slush piles, sick of miserable little ice needles stinging my eyes when I run into the wind. Bleah. And we haven't had it half as bad here as those of you on the east coast!
A run-of-the-mill week for me, 40 miles, longest run=10, no workouts. I'll be running a 5K in two weeks, but it's not a goal race for me, more of a check-up to see if my descent into slowness has plateaued.
Have a good week, all!
not much of a running week for me. a combination of recovery from the trail marathon, a head cold (my first in two or three years!), an intense work and travel schedule, and the discouragement of knowing it would take the first and last half hour of my run to get to a surface that wasn't concrete. just 20 miles.
now i'm back home, and the woods are DEEP in snow and amazingly beautiful; i trotted about in it on snowshoes for a while today, which i'll keep up this week as i prepare for next weekend's snowshoe race. with my continuing cough, however, i'm putting all expectations of anything more than mediocrity aside.
while i actually do enjoy winter running, it sure was nice to have the last week and a half of february in springtime conditions. you should try it sometime, humbled!
Yes, the weather has sucked here in New England. Lots of damage to my "established" landscaping, but at least we kept our power, which our neighbors up the road lost for two days.
This winter I've discovered that there are nuances that can make even post-snowstorm conditions acceptable. In my case, I've found a good street route to run on. As long as the temps are above freezing, it's runnable and even enjoyable. Or at least more enjoyable than the treadmill.
NLS, I'm not usually a taker of holistic remedies, but for my last two head colds I've shoveled Gan Mao Ling pills down my gullet and the colds have been mild and only lasted about three days. The trick is to start taking them as soon as you feel symptoms. They won't help if it moves to your chest, although I think there's a remedy for that to, which I'm sure your local Chinese food/medicine store owner can point you to.
More check-ins, please.
http://raceslikeagirl.com/2010/02/28/spring-training-week-eight/
Humbled - a 5K in Utica? I'll be there for my first race since some time in 2008.
Recovering today from a 15 mile race yeaterday in my town. It was a double loop with 8 hills each loop - which amounts to 16 hills in 15 miles. I've only "raced" 4 times in the last 7 1/2 years, but I did run just at 8:00 mile with a bathroom break and two short walks at water stations. Because of the weather I hadn't gotten in a run over 11 miles this winter, so the final 20 minutes were hell. anyway, feel a little like lead today.
good luck in the 5k ladies.
Hi. Sorry to hear the weather has been so bad over there. I hope it picks up soon. It'll be spring soon :)
I was pretty much trapped inside for the last 2 weeks due to the miserable road conditions. Just when the temperatures were beginning to rise and melt the snow, along came another big storm to place my sanity in immediate jeopardy. I've been averaging about 45 mpw, mainly on the treadmill. I'm beginning to feel much like a hamster running on an exercise wheel, but far less fury. The good news is that my thigh injury appears completely healed.
I just signed up to run a local 5K with my bfriend in early May. Not really planning to train for this race, as I'm not going into it to win. Just looking at it as my first foray back into the local racing scene and will see where it takes me.
Here's hoping the snow melts soon!
congrats on the 15 miler, 16x, and good luck to the 5K-ers. here's my take: sure the final 20 minutes of the 15 miler were hell, but ALL 20-ish minutes of a 5K are hell ;-)
i always like the idea of racing, but the shorter the race the more i recognize the pain while in the midst of it. the snowshoe race this weekend will be 10K, and i expect to give it that level of effort forgetting that it'll take half again as long as a road 10K!
I started out as a 800-1500 meter runner and gravitated to 5k's. I never raced even a half marathon in my most competitive years - and this is my first race over 13 miles. I guess I am just more use to the sharp pain I felt in the final 1200 of a 5k, and much less familiar with the slow dull drag out discomfot felt in the final stages of a long race. It's a new experience for me, almost a new sport.
Hey all -- I share in the commiseration - this winter's been horrible. And I haven't done the math yet, but I estimate that the twin DC blizzards ended up costing me about $1200 between water damage repair, snow removal supplies, and other storm-related costs.
Regarding the differences in suffering between different types of races, my take is that each race has a different combination of pain and boredom. I handle pain much better than boredom, and so I prefer the shorter stuff. Good luck to all racing 5Ks in the next few weeks!
As for me, this was the first of 2 weeks of high mileage for me, before tapering for my half-marathon. 86 miles running, plus 2 hours on the bike. I'm still kinda meh about the half -- I feel that I've lost a lot of fitness, so it's no longer a goal race, just a "let's see where I am" race.
My week broke down like this:
Monday: 8.5 miles outside at easy pace (8:40 pace) plus upper body strengthwork.
Tuesday: 21 miles total. In the morning, 14 miles on the treadmill, including “a tempo with surges” workout – three intervals averaging 2 miles each, generally holding half-marathon pace (6:52), but throwing in a surge of 30 seconds at 6:07 pace every half mile. In the evening, 7 miles very easy outside (8:56 pace)
Wednesday: In the morning, 90 minutes at easy effort on the bike, as two segments of 50 and 40 minutes, with a yoga class in between. In the evening, 4.5 miles outside at very easy pace (9:05)
Thursday: In the morning, 14 miles on the treadmill, including an interval workout. The workout was two sets of six intervals of .3 “on”, .2 “off”, with “on” at 6:07 pace; “off” at 8:49 pace (meaning just under 2 minutes of “on”, and then 2 minutes of “off”). I followed this up with a tempo mile (6:40 pace).
In the evening, 30 minutes on the bike, plus leg strengthwork.
Friday: 9 miles on treadmill at easy pace (9:11) plus a yoga class (did 5 miles before yoga, and 4 miles after).
Saturday: 8.5 miles outside at easy pace (8:44), plus 2 sprints of 15 seconds each up hill of 17% incline. The hill sprints were difficult and slow – I need to do more of them (I haven’t done any since I got injured in December). Followed up with some upper body strength work
Sunday: Just over 20 miles outside – most at easy pace (8:30), but miles 14-17 were at goal half marathon pace (6:51).
HI ladies- glad to read that everyone is withstanding the horrible snow and weather and doing well. I, on the other hand have some bad news again. What I feared would happen, happened. I guess i came back too fast post-achilles - i did up my mileage pretty quickly but i felt good after finally being pain free. about 3 weeks ago, ran 10 miles on the treadmill and it's been downhill since. Achilles pain is back full bore - on same foot. I do NOT want to go back in the boot so what i have been doing is the PT exercises that i did when i had this in the fall, i.e. eccentric heel drops, heel raises, plantar, dorsiflexion with the band, balancing, etc. I am going to try to run through this but keep the mileage at 5 milers. i am so bummed because all i wanted to do was to string 3, 4, 5 months of training injury free but alas not meant to be. i just can't seem to get consistent training - i'm always on the "comeback trail". i hope i don't have to stop running and as i said above, want to avoid the boot. sorry for the downer; i was hesitating about posting but's been awhile since i have posted.
keep up the good work ladies. i know this too shall pass, but . . . .
Hey 16x, I knew you were racing fast on the track not too long ago, but figured you already had the road racing out of your system. Way to gut it out. Planning any more?
I hear you HSB,
After a couple days of hilly runs, my achilles came back again (I was SURE it was gone this time). And training for Boston had been going so well! Oddly enough, it hurts more to run than walk. Unfortunately, my daily life involves a lot of walking. So I'm icing like crazy and popping vitamin I hoping this will go away--not doing the eccentric drops though, because those are painful right now.
HSB et al - sometimes a heel lift (both shoes, please, duh) will help knock out achilles issues. The PT exercises are always a good idea, too, but the heel lift can help make up for some strain on the tendon around the clock. And stay off the uphills/treadmill inclines. I also KT-taped mine numerous times and loved it. Highly recommend.
I haven't been on this thread in a while ... I always manage to forget to dig around on the boards for it. I am about 3 weeks from the Shamrock Marathon, about which I'm feeling sort of "meh." Weather hasn't been that great in Kentucky, either -- not as much snow, but more ineptitude in clearing it. I've seen a lot more of the treadmill than I like, and had some serious seasonal affective crap going on. Gross. I'm topping out this training cycle at a measly 70 mpw, when I was up to 85 in the fall. Hopefully hitting more hard workouts will pay off. My long runs have been faster and with lower HRs, too, so I'm optimistic about that.
Run fast, stay warm.
Nice Run Steph.
Columbus Road Runners Club 15 Miler
Granville, OH
02-28-10
1 180 Eric Hamner M 28 1.29:37
2 113 Matt DeLeon M 29 1.29:37
3 151 Matt Manger M 27 1.31:26
4 141 Jay Smithberger M 40 1.33:04
5 102 Rockford Hammond M 43 1.37:48
6 106 Julie Zehr F 28 1.38:09
7 156 Darris Blockford M 46 1.39:16
8 129 Mario Desiderio M 43 1.40:08
9 135 Dan Campbell M 45 1.42:19
10 115 Mavuso Mzozoyana M 18 1.42:49
11 161 Seth Chin-Parker M 40 1.42:54
12 83 Gary Ferherolf M 33 1.45:56
13 137 Phil Forshey M 53 1.46:10
14 140 Jonathan Gilchrist M 32 1.46:30
15 47 John Harbeck M 18 1.49:43
16 37 Eric Batterton M 39 1.49:52
17 160 Kojin Motsch M 37 1.50:42
18 91 Mark Reynolds M 35 1.51:26
19 164 Nathan Updyke M 34 1.52:20
20 144 Greg Lands M 45 1.52:53
21 142 Chris Peavy M 24 1.53:13
22 154 Bob Brashear M 50 1.53:37
23 26 Rob O'Brien M 55 1.53:55
24 16 Brett Saffell M 33 1.54:40
25 95 John Antol M 47 1.55:02
26 112 Steven Hegemeir M 45 1.55:25
27 178 Rodney Arcaro M 38 1.55:32
28 157 Ryan Huffman M 27 1.56:37
29 21 Rachel Watt F 16 1.56:59
30 22 Vanessa Wilkins F 17 1.57:00
31 51 Doug Albertson M 47 1.58:20
32 175 William Canter M 48 1.58:46
33 105 Scott McAfee M 42 1.59:09
34 64 Brett Lawrence M 38 1.59:28
35 13 Roger Quimby M 58 1.59:51
36 118 Mike Smejkal M 34 2.00:53
37 145 Ryan Roberts M 28 2.01:11
38 167 Gary Moneysmits M 38 2.01:28
39 162 Stephanie Agosta F 49 2.01:46
HSB and FTS, i suspect you are accurately assigning your pain to your achilles tendon, but in case you're not, i'll offer you my own experience from this past november/december. i thought it was the AT, but instead the pain was just medial to the tendon. (i wrote here about being able to massage the pain point away from the centerline.) in any case, it turned out to be nerve entrapment behind my knee, which my ART took care of with one rollicking session working on the "arch of the soleus." if this helps either/both of you, that would be awesome.
best of luck darkwave on the HM and tracefh on shamrock, and nice going 16x.
mommy mommy wrote:
Hey 16x, I knew you were racing fast on the track not too long ago, but figured you already had the road racing out of your system. Way to gut it out. Planning any more?
you know exactly what is is like, it's in your sytem, it's out of your system, back and forth. next goal to get under 1:30 for the half marathon and then move onto thinking about a 1:25 range - hope to see you out there!
Training was going pretty well - i was at maybe 3-1/2 month mark and boom achilles pain is back. If you remember i ran the gamut of treatments, ART, PT, quitting running for about 3 months and the boot. I am trying to avoid the boot and quitting running. I am going to try to run 5 miles only 3 or 4x a week and continue with the stretching and eccentrics. i do feel pain doing the eccentrics but i did last time as well. i am NOT icing as the MRI last time said "tendonosis" which is not an inflammation. the pain went away miraculously one day - i just stopped thinking about it and it was gone so i am hoping hte same thing will happen though w/o stopping running.
sorry FTS for you achilles. are you continuing to run?
Ugh -- HSB, FTS, I'm sorry to read these. Hopefully, these are both very short term.
I echo the Ugh on the injuries. I hope you both catch a break soon.