Two weeks to the Trials, and my legs feel horrible- what do I do?

Leg drains. Google it and do it

Remember, Roger Bannister did no running for 5 days before breaking 4. Don't be afraid to drop your mileage, you will feel much better as long as you keep up some maintenance

I always found that rest was much more important than mileage the last two weeks. You can keep your legs fresh with shorter marathon pace runs (for me it was 6 miles at marathon pace 10 days out and then 1 or 2 short marathon pace efforts the week of), and otherwise I would err on the side of lower mileage (whatever that is for you). Sounds like you're ready to kill it in Atlanta.

OMG you are so lucky I read this post when I did. This is a close one, but IF you are start following the below starting TODAY, you will be okay. Hue to the below prescriptions, exactly, and you will be OK, nay godly, come race day. We have just enough time.

2/14-

Dinner: Beans (white or great northern, not those ugly brown ones that all the kids in the Sandlot eat.) You need to start building protein and iron.

Sleep: Bedtime is 9:30 pm. 8 hours, no more, weighted blanket, 66 degree temperatures in the house. We need you to start pressurizing the legs and exposing yourself to cooler temperatures to both cease and exacerbate the inflammatory processes in a yin-yang conflict effect.

Running: none

2/15

Breakfast: Eggs and melon.

Exposure: Are you in a cold climate? If so, stand outside for 10 minutes with bare legs. If in a warmer climate, put your legs in an ice bath for 5 minutes.

Run: None

Lunch: Beans and tea (no coffee!!!)

Nap: 1 hour, weighted blanket

Sleep: 8 hours, weighted blanket, 66 degrees

Exercise: Feet up on the wall for 20 minutes. Jumping jacks x 30. Slap your thighs 10 times moderately hard.

Dinner: Milk, White rice, more beans

Repeat the above for the next 4 days. Then, on the fourth day, switch to this routine:

Breakfast: a cheese stick and a dark piece of chocolate

Run: 1 mile, easy, slapping thighs every other minute.

Exposure: Warm blanket (10 minutes)

Exercise: Possum squats (10x)

Lunch: tossed salad with

LRC Note: We’ve removed the remainder of this post

Kvothe wrote:

Taper and you should be feeling good by race day.

This,. Before my best marathon I felt the same. A week before, 10 miles slow with two training partners, I told them I had to do a pick up mile to test. Was about 25 seconds faster than I had ever done. We were all a bit shocked. Best marathon and we all had good races. I think it bodes well, not the opposite. But do back off. The batteries will recharge.

I sort of thing this is a troll because anyone running at that level should know this already, but what the hell, I'll contribute.

Does anybody actually feel good 2 weeks out? I start my taper 3 weeks out (just a light one, cutting back only 10% or so of mileage), and always feel WORSE 2 weeks out than I did during the heart of training. I still feel like crap one week out. I only start feeling good 3 days out, and then I feel like I'm ready to race the day before.

Easy Peasy wrote:

I sort of thing this is a troll because anyone running at that level should know this already, but what the hell, I'll contribute.

Does anybody actually feel good 2 weeks out? I start my taper 3 weeks out (just a light one, cutting back only 10% or so of mileage), and always feel WORSE 2 weeks out than I did during the heart of training. I still feel like crap one week out. I only start feeling good 3 days out, and then I feel like I'm ready to race the day before.

Not a troll, just a guy with no coach and no training partners needing an outlet for anxiety. Thanks for your input!

Jog lightly until you feel better. You literally could not run another step between now and the race and you’d be just fine. Just get yourself to the starting line rested and recovered.

Dreams to Reality wrote:

Not a troll, just a guy with no coach and no training partners needing an outlet for anxiety. Thanks for your input!

You are obviously Jim Walmsley who always blows up in training running too many miles before the actual race.

You must be Jim Walmsley.

Sorry you are toast already. There is always a 2024.

Dreams to Reality wrote:

Easy Peasy wrote:

I sort of thing this is a troll because anyone running at that level should know this already, but what the hell, I'll contribute.

Does anybody actually feel good 2 weeks out? I start my taper 3 weeks out (just a light one, cutting back only 10% or so of mileage), and always feel WORSE 2 weeks out than I did during the heart of training. I still feel like crap one week out. I only start feeling good 3 days out, and then I feel like I'm ready to race the day before.

Not a troll, just a guy with no coach and no training partners needing an outlet for anxiety. Thanks for your input!

I read that in Jim’s voice...

In my experience, it is completely normal for your legs to feel terrible in the days or weeks leading up to a big race. I have also determined that it has nothing to do with my training. It is simply your mind playing tricks on you. When that gun goes off you will be fine

Stick to the plan, taper, eat well, sleep, show up on race day ready to grind it out. Before any big race nerves creep into play and all kinds of "phantom injuries" start showing up.

Here is some of Bill Rodgers' log before his 1975 breakthrough sub-2:10 Boston Marathon (bolded emphasis mine):

16 days out:

9+ miles @ 6:30 am - slow, easy hills

10 miles @ 5:30 pm - slow, easy hills

19+ total

6:30 AM Coldish & some wind - ran 9+ miles at slow pace over easy hills course. Ran about 10 miles at slow pace over easy hills B.C. course at 5:30 PM ... Body very tired - and mind - took NTE exams all day long.

15 days out:

20 miles - 14 thru 17 @ 5:20 pace, last 3 good pace

5 miles @ 6 pm - slow

25 total

Warmer - ran 20 miles with 14-17 miles at 5:20 pace over the B.C. hills and then 3 more miles at good pace. Ran 5 miles at slow pace at 6:00 PM...

14 days out:

7 miles @ noon - flat, good pace

12 miles @ 3:30 pm - slow, easy hills

19 total

Ran 7 miles at good pace over flat course at 12 noon. ran about 12 miles at slow pace at 3:30 PM over easy hills course ...

13 days out:

7+ miles @ noon - OK pace, flat

10+ miles - 12 x 1/2 @ 2:28, 2 x 1m @ 4:51, 4:56 - 3 min jog between, 2 down

18 total

Ran about 7-8 miles at OK pace over flat course at 12 noon. Ran 12 - 1/2's in 2:28 w/3 min jog and 2 - 1 miles; 4:51 an 4:56 with 3 min. jog & 2 mile warmdown for a total of 10 miles tonight and 18 miles today.

12 days out:

8 miles @ noon - good pace, flat

12+ miles - good pace, flat

20+ total

Ran about 1 hour - 8 miles (?) at good pace over flat course at 12 noon. Ran about 12+ miles over flat course at good pace...

11 days out:

8 miles @ 4:15 pm - OK pace, some easy hills

Warmer out!!! 52°!!! & sunny. ran one work-out about 18 miles - 1/3 of it over easy hills course at OK pace at 4:15 PM. Felt tired & achey & unmotivated - still need sleep - as usual.

10 days out:

7+ miles @ 1 pm - flat

3 miles @ 6:15 pm

4 x 1m @ 4:49 w/480 yd jog [length of BC track]

3 miles after

18+ total

Warm out - 55°. Ran a hard 7+ miles at 1:00 PM over flat course and ran 3 miles at 6:15 PM; then ran 4-miles in 4:49 pace on B.C. track with 480 yard jog - then 3 mile run back - leg (left) a bit sore, from this AM's run - tired & achey...

9 days out:

8 miles @ 10:30 am - easy, flat, pit stops?

12 miles @ 5 pm - hard pace, flat

20 total

55° nice - still cool enuf to train OK! Ran about 8 miles at easy pace at 10:30 AM over flat course - stop & go. Ran about 12 miles at hard pace over flat course at 5:00 PM...

8 days out:

15 miles @ 11:30 am - fairly hilly

Beautiful day - only one run for 15 miles over fairly hilly Rocky Woods course at 11:30 AM. Walked 3 miles with Best Walker in the world! Done!

7 days out:

7.5 - 8 miles @ noon - easy pace

12 miles @ 6:30 pm - slow, flat

20 total

Very fine out - upper 50° 's. Ran 7 1/2 - 8 miles in the AM ( 12 noon) at easy pace and ran 12 miles over flat course at slow pace at 6:30 PM... tired.

6 days out:

8 miles @ noon - hard-easy, flat

10 miles - 3 slow, 1/2 @ 2:30, 3/4 @ 3:39(?), 1.5 @ 7:25, slow 3.5, 1(?) jog

18 total

Warm out - ran 8 miles hard-easy at 12 noon over flat course. Ran 3 miles slow, then a 1/2 in 2:30, a 3/4 in 3:39 (?) a 1 1/2 in 7:25 then run slow for 3 1/2 miles home... legs achey. too F***ING STUFFED! and tired - no zip.

5 days out:

11-12 miles @ 1:15 pm - easy, flat

8-9 miles @ 3 pm - easy hills, easy pace

20 total

Fine weather - and a day off from Tootertown school! My decision of course. Ran about 11-12 miles at easy pace at 1:15 PM over flat course and ran about 8-9 miles 3:00 PM over easy hills B.C. course at easy pace... felt achey, sort of tired, sluggish, stomach yechy, etc. Psychological? Not all?

4 days out:

9 miles @ noon - slow, flat

8 miles - 3, 3, 2

17 total

Nice weather - ran 65 minutes slow at 12 noon over flat course - few hills. Ran 3 miles rested 2 hrs & ran 3 more miles plus 1 or 2 miles running at track meet for 17 miles today.

3 days out:

8 miles @ noon - slow, flat

6 miles @ 5 pm - easy, flat

14 total

Ran about 8 miles over flat course at slow pace at noon. Ran 6 miles over flat course at 5:00 PM at easy pace. Now just need rest...

2 days out:

5 miles

Only ran once today 5 miles easy pace.

1 day out:

3 miles

Ran once today, 3 miles slow pace.

Race day:

26.2 miles - 2:09:55 - 1st place Boston Marathon

Won 79th BAA Marathon in 2:09:55 new PR for that distance. Total miles run today 26.

Sleep and iron pills. Were you recently in China?

Elite runner: I’m worried about my big upcoming race. What should I do?

No one: Go ask for advice on LetsRun.com

The reason your legs are feeling like crap is you have over-stressed your system, reducing your natural antioxidant glutathione. When this goes down, B11 levels begin to tank because B12 is sequestered by toxins. Before you know it, your oxidative stress increases and your either able to recover your B12/glutathione because of superior genetics or you become a burn-out/overtraining candidate. Been there. It ended my career. Here's what you do:

At bed, take 1g of SUBLINGUAL methylcobalamin. You can try hydroxycobalamin, but if you have poor genetics, you can struggle to convert to the active form - which might help explain why you are in this position to begin with.

Have some potassium on hand. If your body kicks back into shape, your cells with want to recover quickly. They will require potassium (up to 1g per day). Signs: muscle twitches, neck tension, tiredness, thumping heartbeat/pulse (dead give away). Just take 250mg and wait 1 hour to see if it is covered by that dose.

You can also take some sAME with food. This is a universal methyl donor and will also raise glutathione.

Whey protein will increase glutathione.

Lactate levels will be elevated. Sodium ascorbate (form of vitamin C) will be useful. Take according to bowel tolerance (usually no more than 1g in any hour).

DON'T DO AEROBIC WORK UNTIL RECOVERED. This advice is terrible. Walk if you will but don't increase oxidative stress and further deplete glutathione.

Good luck.

over and out wrote:

Here is some of Bill Rodgers' log before his 1975 breakthrough sub-2:10 Boston Marathon (bolded emphasis mine):

16 days out: ...

Since the OP is self-coached and has gotten as far as the OlyTrials, he/she has probably read some training logs of 'the greats'. But to inspire the casual and curious, I thought I would add a little bit more to my previous post (remember, Bill Rodgers was a 9minute(?) 2-miler in college):

36 days out:

12K (?) - 35:27 - 3rd place International X-C Championship

7 miles after race

15 total

Placed 3rd in International x-country race in 35:27 - led most of the race but not fast enough at finish. Ran about 7 miles after the race for total miles of 15 today.

29 days out:

30K - 1:32:03 - 2nd in Natl. Championship

15 total

Ran 1:32:03 for 2nd in Natl. 30-Kilometer road race (N.Y.) - would have won race but upset stomach cost me a minute at least in the woods.

RunAnnArbor wrote:

Hey Dreams to Reality,

After seeing your post, I came across these bits . . . Bill Rogers running diary entries from the 1970s.

http://bobhodge.us/bill-rodgers-1977-training-log/

Everyone has bad patches, in races and in training. He certainly had his.

Good luck in the Trials. Stay positive and do the self-care things a lot of people recommend here.

Unless I missed it, that link you provided only gave the log of his 1977 race in which he DNF'd. I provided some of the log prior to the 1975 race.