Striders 1/2 Marathon (13.1 Miles) 01:19:42, Place overall: 9, Place in age division: 1
Slow miles
Fast miles
Total Distance
3.90
13.10
17.00
Striders 1/2 Marathon
We (Jon, Paul, and I) left Logan in a blizzard and headed to Ogden Valley passing warm and dry Ogden on the way. The weather in Eden was snowy and cold. Oh, did I mention windy too? The race was a humbling experience to say the least. Not that I was planning on winning or anything, but I was hoping to run closer to 1:16. I felt that I was within reach of my PR assumming good weather. None of that happened and I was only racing to survive.
I started out fast with Walter and Tim. It was probably a bit aggressive and I am sure I paid for it later. Walter soon pulled away and Tim and I ran together until mile 5 when he pulled away for good creating his own roadkill. From that point on, I was on my own. I also really started to slow down and hurt pretty bad for the rest of the race. Exiting the canyon, we encountered a stiff headwind that really took it out of me. The race continued to decline until I was inching along for the last 5K. Enough whining now, but this race was really frustrating.
Lessons learned:
Traveling is not good for training. I was away for 2 weeks
Eating out while traveling is also a bad idea. 5+ pounds of weight gain really hurts.
Stress from life really takes a toll.
Running into a headwind sucks.
Mile splits:
5:29
5:37
5:47
5:49
5:41
5:56
6:04
6:06
6:17
6:17 (59:00)
6:46 ouch
6:37
6:44
:35 (with the wind finally)
Final 5K - 20:42 (6:41 pace)
T-1:19:42 (6:05) 176 ave 185 max
3 mile cooldown with Jon and Paul at a blistering 9:43 ave pace.
8 easy miles today. I took inventory during the run to see how bad the damage from the race was. Minor tightness in hammies and calves. The bigger concern was the bruise under the third toe. Running a half in the Fastwitch was not a good idea. I had to try it out though. I had better keep an eye on it. I would say the pain level was low during the run today, I would label it as irritating. Other than that, I should be ok. I think I will be able to do a solid workout wed or thurs if the recovery continues well.
Brisk 10 miles on Young Ward via ICON out and back course. The foot was about the same as yesterday. Decided to test my recovery and run the last mile fast. 5:53
The foot bruise injury felt a lot better today after taking the last 36 hours off. I decided to wait until the afternoon to let it heal as much as possible before running on it. For my run, I stuck to the grass as much as possible. I ran over to the fairgrounds and did a few loops until I got bored, then wandered over to Logan high. I did a mile or so inside of lane 1 on the smooth but soft artificial turf before doing another mile in the grassy field. The foot felt much better on the grass than the roads but still got pretty sore by mile 6.5. I have it in a bowl of ice water as I type this. Hope it helps.
6 very easy miles today mostly on grass. I had to cut it short due to continued pain in the foot. I can manage the pain, but am worried about further damage. I am also starting to wonder about my "bruise" diagnosis. I would think a bruise would heal by now. Meanwhile I am watching my sub 2:40 marathon go out the window now....
T- 47:10 (7:52) 142
*** Details of the injury/pain
The pain is localized near the third metatarsal (what would be #18 in image). When I push deep into that area with my finger it kills. If I walk lightly, it is fine. Running causes pain due to the extra weight and pressure. If it is a bruise, it seems to be a bone bruise (is that possible?). It could also be Morton's neuroma or simply a strained tendon in that area. It seems very different than when I had the bug/spider bite as that was much close to the surface of the skin. This is very deep in the foot.
My injury has been steadily improving every day and I would rate the progress at 80% healed. Only jumping up and down on one foot (while barefoot) causes pain. It feels perfect while wearing shoes. I decided that I had had enough and was willing to risk it all by going out for a short run. I ran to the end of Planet walk and back with no issues. That is a good sign. I will be curious to see how it feels tomorrow as a result of today's run. If it is doing well, I will push my luck further and run some more.
I didn't feel any worse off this morning so I headed out for an easy 8 miles. It went well with the rain starting just as I got home. Foot pain is a 1. Barely on the scale. Maybe even a .5. My legs were ready to roll today but my heart and lungs were still on vacation.
I needed to try and cram some fitness back into me before my marathon. I hope its not too late to do any good, but I figure it will help if only mentally. The foot injury felt close to 100% today with only a twinge for a mile or so. I hope it holds out after today's workout.
We ran the North Logan Loop starting out with 5 mile warmup at 7 min pace. The goal for the workout was 6-8 miles at tinman tempo pace (6:15). We ended up doing 7 with an ave pace of about 6:10. The splits were: 6:02 (down), 6:27(up), 6:24(up), 6:12(flat), 6:11(flat), 5:48(down), 5:55(down).
Very satisfying due to the legs that felt like jello during the cooldown. I define a good workout by the jello-ness. This was jiggly.
We started at the west end of hollow road and headed up the canyon. I didn't feel good from the start. Not a good sign. I figured a good 22 miler with no fueling would cause a serious fuel shortage and MIGHT help prepare the body for the rigors of a marathon. If only I could learn to burn fat better so the bonking wouldn't be quite so horrible. I was pretty miserable from 15 miles on, but got bumped into a hole new level of uncomfortable-ness from 18 miles on. What was I thinking? This better help. Oh well, it is over and I am still alive. I do have to say the water at miles 9 and 14 was a lifesaver. Next time I will not do this in the afternoon when it is warm and when there is a hefty wind blowing up the canyon creating a fun headwind when you are tired! I did give it my all for the last mile and was rewarded with a 6:52 split.
T-2:37:02 (7:09) 159 (high 160's for the last 5 miles)
Up early to hit the road. The weather was nice so that made it much easier to get out the door today. I headed out to the TOU course (again) and followed the course backwards from mile 21 to 16. I was not feeling too great (legs tired, stomach iffy, foot injury still sore, etc) but did the best I could.
Mile 1 6:14 (down) trying to get the body moving
Mile 2 6:23 (slight up)
Mile 3 6:26 (slight up)
Mile 4 6:02 (opposite of 3)
Mile 5 6:06 (opposite of 2)
Mile 6 6:31 (opposite of 1 - up millville hill)
Mile 7 6:22 (half up /half down)
Mile 8 6:05 (down)
The two mile cooldown ended up being not much of a cooldown as I felt like pushing the pace all the way home (good sign). 6:24, 6:26
Took the day off of work. I am spending the day painting the basement instead. I got the primer all sprayed on and while it was drying, I took off for a quick 5. Tired from yesterday's workout and all the time I have spent working on the house.
I feel like I got ran over by a truck. 14 hours of painting sure does a number on you. I remember why I got a college degree now. The worst is behind me now. I managed to fall out of bed and stumble out the door. I decided against anything hard today and did a hilly course to compromise. Providence hills loop with the extension to Providence canyon. I worked the hills pretty good and managed to go sub 6 on the downhill.
Met Paul today and ran with him on the Landfill Loop via Planet Walk. Just missed the rain, so nice weather. We took it easy but still slipped in some low 7 min miles without trying.
T-minus 8 days to marathon. Final Long run. Jon talked me into 16 instead of 18 miles and I am glad he did because the foot started to really hurt at mile 13 and running on it only made it worse. Hopefully with some rest and taper, the foot will get better. I will take some serious time off after the marathon to get it properly healed.
Anyway, todays run felt good and it was nice to hit some trails and get off the roads a bit. Up and back to Second Dam (actually the start of the single track to be more specific) via the canal trail. Nice 7 min pace made easier by a slight tailwind. The return home began with 2 speedy miles down the trail (6:05, 5:50) before backing off to 7 min pace for the rest of the run. We arrived home just as the rain started to fall. It is now snowing like its January. That was close...
The goal this weekend was to rest the foot and see if it improves. It did improve, but still bothered me during the run today. Maybe 2 of the 6 miles were not pain free. I have been leaning towards a neuroma as the most likely cause. I still have a few more days to let it improve before throwing in the towell. Other than that stress, the run was nice.
Landfill Loop again today. The foot was better off today than yesterday. It hurt for about a mile. Kind of random as it was mile 2. I did 2 of the 6 miles near marathon pace. 6:00, 5:57. They felt hard.
Easy 5 on "H-OH-AC-WP-PW-GC-H" course. I can sure get used to this 5-6 miles a day thing. Foot felt good except for during the strides. The push-off causes pain.
