May the Mass x Acceleration be with you

You are one stubborn runner, Scott! :)

If I were your coach, I'd have you do this:

No running until Saturday. Walking is OK, so long as it is pain-free.

On Saturday, do a short, easy run... Just to "shake the legs" a little.

Absolutely none of the running you do this week is going to improve your fitness; your body needs more time to adapt for any benefit.

Running through an injury at this time has great potential to make the injury worse. You are risking a poor marathon performance, a DNF, or a DNS.

You know your body the best, but sometimes it's good to hear from an outsider. Good luck in Eugene, I'm praying for you!

I struggle with the last week of training before a marathon too. Is the statment "Absolutely none of the running you do this week is going to improve your fitness" really true?

Scott, I have battled knee issues the last 3 months, and while it has improved, I had big concerns before Boston. At the expo, I had KT tape put on both knees, and it really seemed to help! I had never used it before, but heard people swear by it! Anyway, I think it helped & might be worth considering ... I have since bought some & plan on using it on all my long runs!

IJR, I tend to agree with that statement, you may want to do some light stuff just to keep your legs loose, but rested healthy legs are far more important going into a marathon!

The RLRF program only call for two runs the week of a marathon. An interval run, which I did on Monday, and another 3 mile run (1 easy and 2 at MP). I'm feeling a little nervous so I'm going to add one more run.

Sorry to jack your blog with my discussion DL..:-)

Yikes! I could never take a week off and then run a race. If I take more than two days off in a row my legs get all wobbly and it takes several days to get back to normal. :)

Thanks for the advice Carl! I appreciate the feedback. And, I took two days off over the weekend because of your suggestion last week. If you didn't like my 3 miler yesterday you really won't like my run today! I will be taking tomorrow off, though.

IJR -

Physical improvement comes during recovery, not training. A workout serves only to break down the muscles, causing micro-tears in the muscle fibers. Recovery is where the body builds back a little stronger as a result of the workout. On the other hand, although I won't get physically stronger by running this week, I can detrain by doing nothing. Physically, proprioceptive training is what I am mostly concerned about this week. Essentially, keeping my body aware of how to run.

The biggest reason to run this week for me, though, is the psychological benefit. At this point the battle to conquer Eugene is mostly a mental game, and I need to go into it with confidence. That little 3 miler yesterday helped me out a ton mentally. Before the run I was so anxious about my knee that my stomach was hurting, but since the run I've been a lot more optimistic. Information is good! Now I know a bit more about what my body can handle. I also am finding that my knee is getting better, and probably isn't quite as serious as I feared last week. As it says in The Lore of Running, in order to overcome the Central Governor's desire to quit running you have to have information - about the course and the body.

I was pretty sure you wouldn't stop running, Scott. You have a (mostly) healthy OCD desire to run. :)

I bet you could take a week off before a race... if that's what it would take to race the marathon to your best ability. But I understand... You gotta tame Taper Madness, and at least a third of your marathon performance hinges on your mental health and how intelligently you race that day.

I'm glad that my comments helped you rest a little more than you would have. I think we are all going to benefit a lot by using fastrunningblog!

Let me know when you and Mike are getting pizza; I want to come too!

As I get older my OCD desire gets healthier.

I might be able to take a week off and do fine. I wouldn't want to try it for the first time before a marathon, though. Maybe before a long run, or Sound to Narrows.

You let me know when you and Preston are going for pizza, and Mike and I will join you! Maybe we should meet up at Stortinis, and run on the foothills trail, in that order :)

IJR,

It's a hard concept for us runners to accept: Running does not make you faster. What makes us faster is how our bodies adapt to the stresses of running.

I think it's in the book, LORE OF RUNNING, that talks about how elite runners throughout history often have their best race, even world records, after they were forced to rest from an injury. To this day, everyone is suprised when some athlete who has been "battling an injury" ends up winning a race.

Eat first and then run....?

And I thought I was a glutton for punishment! :)

JG - I heard about KT tape from someone at work, too. I've never used it before, but he said it was great. Thanks for the suggestion. I don't know if I'll have time to get some before the race, though.

So Carl...You're saying I might be able to win the race? ...Oh wait, I don't think that's what you meant :-(

IJR - You can win *your* race! :)

Carl - We used to do all sorts of crazy stuff like that in high school - down a Blizzard and then do 20 hills. I find I don't like doing that kind of stuff as much anymore. Maybe I need to toughen up. Or we could run first, and then eat. Better go some place less nice, though. Too bad Pizza 'n Pipes is gone.

Ah, yes... Pizza 'n Pipes... Memories!