Going Long (again) in 2024

Well, I ran.  Was scheduled for 10 miles, but decided to run 6 and bike for 40 minutes.  Here's how my week unfolded:

Sunday sucked, as reported.  I woke up Monday in a lot of pain, and was limping all day.  So, I didn't run.  Tuesday was a scheduled 'off' day anyway, and I was still limping, so I just rested.

Wednesday and Thursday were not better, so I biked both days.  I took my scheduled mileage and biked 10 minutes for every mile scheduled.  That gave me 110 minutes on Wednesday and 60 minutes on Thursday.

Thursday morning, I finally got the shot of cortisone in my hip.  The injection includes an anesthetic.  My doctor told me I would feel better quickly because of the anesthetic, but then back to my miserable self a day later.  Then another couple of days for the cortisone to work its magic.

Well, so far she is bang on.  I felt great last night and could actually hop on my bad leg for the 1st time in a long time.  I woke up a bit sore, but still ran the 6 miles without the same level of pain as I had on Sunday.  I cut it short only because I didn't want to push it just yet.  It's a few hours later and it's quite sore, so I'm curious to see if I'll be able to run tomorrow (10 miles scheduled) and I'm optimistic that my 6 mile run on Sunday will go well so that I can tackled the faster work planned for Monday.

IF all that goes well, I think I can make a few adjustments in my training and still run the Hamilton Marathon.  It will depend on my iliopsoas, of course.  Oh, and the x-ray results showed I have mild osteoarthritis in both hips.  Joy.  For now, that doesn't mean much, although it may be a factor for me at higher mileage - we'll see.  For now, I'm just hoping to run without the pain I've had recently.

Managed to run my scheduled 10 miles, at the faster end of my easy range:  8:46/mile pace.

Still a lot of pain in that hip, but I decided to just push through it.  The injection was 2 days ago; I'm hopeful I'll notice a difference when I run my 8 miles tomorrow.

Ran in the middle range of my easy pace:  9:03/mile.  Felt the same as yesterday - hip pain that I was able to push through.  I sure hope it eases up soon, because I can't see how I can run fast like this.  Tomorrow I start the 'strength' part of my training program, so I'll get some idea of how I hold up at a faster pace.

I'm in the "strength" part of my marathon training, leaving behind the speed workouts (hurray!).  According to the Hanson's training program I'm using, strength workouts boil down to running repeats (from 1 mile to 3 miles) at a pace about 10 seconds faster than race pace.  The repeats all add up to 6 miles, and there is a 400 m recovery jog between each one.  So, the next 6 Mondays will all involve this.

Today's session required 6 x 1 mile repeats.  I've changed my marathon goal from a 3:20 finish to a 3:25 finish, since I've basically lost 3 weeks of training.  That would still give me 5 minutes better than my BQ.  That puts my strength training pace in the 7:35 - 7:40/mile range.

My actual splits were:  7:29  7:23  7:24  7:19  7:18  and  7:10

Aside from the fact that I ran them too fast, I'm ecstatic that I ran them all!  The pain in my hip was manageable - I believe was more like pressure in my bursitis and the pain I've had for some time in my iliospsoas.  The training session felt comfortable, and it's the 3rd day in a row in which I've run all my required paces.

I have tomorrow off, and then a tempo run Wednesday.  I think that will be revealing as to how this pain will affect me for the rest of my training program (8 more weeks).  If I can nail the tempo run, I'll be more confident in being able to manage the pain and run the marathon.

Oh, getting colder too!  It was 12C/53F - cool enough that I could have worn gloves (and didn't).  There is a stretch of cold weather ahead, so this is going to be the norm.  Then again, it will be close to freezing during the marathon, so not a bad idea to get used to it.

Nailed it!  Best tempo run yet - felt strong throughout.  Some pressure in the hip area, but no pain.  I'm icing it now.

Since the Hamilton marathon is going to be marked in kilometers rather than miles, I've decided to set my GPS watch for kilometers, and to run my tempo and long runs that way.  The real reason, though, is that I think I've finally figured out my nutrition strategy.  One honey stinger every kilometer, and one GU every 10 kilometers.  That would work out to just over 60 grams of carbs/hour, which is my goal.

I can chew and swallow the honey stingers a LOT more easier than those Power Blasts, and so far in training my stomach is holding up.  Taking a chew every time my GPS rings at the kilometer marks is just a neat convenience.

Anyway, my race goal works out to about 7:45/mile or 4:49/km.  Today, I ran 8 miles at exactly that pace.  My kilometer splits were:  4:50  4:51  4:50  4:44  4:48  4:44  4:49  5:02 (had to wait about 10 seconds for traffice at an intersection)  4:42  4:51  4:47  4:49  and  4:41

So, pretty consistent throughout.  As long as my hip behaves, I'm hopeful I can finish my training and run as planned.  I'm continuing with the stretching and strengthening work, and am taking the maximum amoung of ibuprofin allowed every day.

Ran easy at an 8:57/mile pace.  COLD morning, and with a strong North wind.  Just 6C/42F.

Some tightness in my right hamstring and my left iliopsoas is still acting up.  But no significant problems after yesterday's tempo run.

COLD morning.  Just 4C/39F.  Little wind though, so actually nice for running.  Kept a pace of 8:59/mile.  Same issues - iliopsoas on the left and hamstring on the right.  Just enough to be annoying, but not to keep me from running.  We'll see how it all pans out on my long run tomorrow.

Cold and wet - 6C/42F and a slow, steady rain throughout.  Wore what I will probably wear for the marathon, and used the same amount of chews (honey stingers) and gels (GU) that I will likely use in the race.  Carried and drank only water.  That combination seems to work well, as I didn't have any serious stomach  issues.

Ran a pretty steady pace throughout - averaged 8:22 for most of the run.  I picked up the speed at the end, running my final mile in 7:41, and finished the 16 miles with an average pace of 8:18 and a total running time of 2 hours and 13 minutes.

I was able to run through the iliopsoas pain in the left groin area, and the tugging in my still sore right hamstring insertion point.  I'm icing them now, and am hopeful that neither will be an issue.  We'll see when I attempt a recovery run tomorrow morning.

Overall, I'm happy with the run.  Just 2 more long runs to go before the race.

Easy recovery run.  Cold, foggy and a bit of frost.  Nice for running, actually.  No problems.

Nailed it again!  Today's 'strength' session involved four repeats of 1.5 miles at a pace of 7:35 (for a marathon goal pace of 7:45), with a half mile recovery jog in between.

I ran the repeats at 7:28  7:25  7:28  and  7:23.  Still faster than I should, but I felt strong throughout.

Didn't feel my niggling pains while running fast, but they sure make their presence known when I slow down!  Continuing with the ice/ibuprofin/foam rolling and stretching routine.

9 mile tempo run.  Aimed for a 7:45/mile pace (4:49/km) and nailed it.  I was pretty consistent too, with my kilometer splits being:

4:52  4:50  4:48  4:49  4:50  4:52  4:47  4:52  4:52  4:46  4:50  4:46  4:50  and  4:43.

So, a good run, and I felt strong throughout.  

Recovery run with a pace of 9:03/mile.

Cool morning - 0C/32F.  No wind though, and clear skies.  Beautiful sunrise.

Ran at the fast end of my easy range:  8:50/mile.  

That left iliopsoas is not getting any worse and I can still run through what pain there is.  The right hamstring also does not seem to be getting any worse.  I feel it worst right at the start of a run, and it seems to feel better the further I go.

So, as long as there are no further surprises, I'm hopeful the final 6 weeks of my training will go well.

10 easy miles - 9:15/mile pace.  

Overdressed - didn't need the long sleeves or the gloves, as it's much warmer than previous mornings at 13C/55F and near 100% humidity.

Finished just in time, as the heavens just opened in a big way and there is quite a thunderstorm raging.

An easy 9 at a pace of 9:10/mile.

Was scheduled for 8, but took a little detour to the Church; a group of parishioners was leaving at 6:30 for a day long trip to the Martyrs Shrine in Midland, and I wanted to see them off and bless them.

Ran 3 x 2 mile 'strength pace' runs with half mile recovery jogs.  Supposed to be about 10 seconds faster than race pace, so was aiming for 7:35/mile.  

Actual mile splits were:  7:23 & 7:16  7:22 & 7:17  7:29 & 7:24.

Faster than I should have run, but I felt strong throughout and am happy with the workout.

I'm leaving in a few hours to go on retreat, and so won't have access to a computer until Friday.  Will post my workouts for the rest of this week at that time.

9 miles at race pace --- 7:48/mile.

Am on retreat this week North of Elliot Lake.  The lodge is located on a lake which sits between two very large hills.  Mountains, really --- not feasible to run on this road.

So, I drove up and over one of the mountains to another road which runs along a river.  I got up early, thinking I'd finish my run in time to get back for breakfast.  Not happening.  It was black - impossible to see.  I mean, so dark that when I closed the door of my truck, I couldn't see the truck.  No stars or moon - nothing.  So, I waited in my truck until about 6:15 - an hour before sunrise.  By then, I could just barely make out some shadows, and so I took a chance I wouldn't run into a black bear, and started off.

It was too dark to see my GPS watch for the 1st three miles, so I didn't know how fast I was running.  The 1st 2 miles were just warm up anyway, but it turns out I only ran my 3rd mile at a pace of 8:00.  After that, I bounced all over the place according, I think, to the hills.  It was pretty hilly, and I really didn't know if I was running up a hill until I could feel myself slowing down and getting out of breath.  

My splits were:  8:00  7:47  7:45  8:30  7:39  7:50  7:40  7:35  and 7:32

Anyway, I did manage to average the speed I needed, and so it ended up being a decent enough run.  And I know enough now to come out a bit later tomorrow.

8 easy miles on the same road as yesterday, and still ran the 1st three miles in the dark.  Ended up with a 9:00/mile pace, which is about what I was aiming for.

Back home for this run; I had to be back for something at 10:30, and so didn't have time to run in the morning (almost a 3 hour drive).  So, ran this afternoon instead.  Boy, what a change running in the heat!  

Took my time and ran a 9:12/mile pace.  My left side has no pain at all today - finally, but my right glute/hamstring is really acting up.  Icing it now.  Hopefully can complete my long run tomorrow, despite it.

I went to bed last night with a very painful right hip (inside).  I think it might be the iliopsoas, but I'm not sure.  It came on really fast.  Odd too, because there is no longer ANY pain on the left side.

So, I iced it and stretched it and took as much ibuprofin as I'm allowed.  Woke up several times during the night because of the pain, and it was still there when I woke up.  So, I really didn't know if I would be able to run at all this morning, let alone my 16 miles.

I figured I'll go for a few miles anyway, just to see.

Well - good news!  It wasn't an issue at all once I started running and warming up.  I nailed my goal pace for the run:  8:21/mile (actually, was aiming for 8:25, so a little fast).

My splits were:  8:18  8:11  8:06  8:14  8:20  8:21  8:22  8:20  9:02 (that's the huge hill)  8:178  8:22  8:36  8:30  8:08  8:16  and  8:02  for a total running time of 2:13:38.

I decided to take that hill really slow, and even walked a part of it (turned off my timer), as I didn't want to aggravate my hip.

Around mile 10, I realized I forgot to put on my glide.  However, I figured I would get away with it, as I was feeling fine.  Boy, was I wrong!  At mile 12 I felt a blister on the big toe of my left foot.  Ouch.  I finished the run with it, but I'll have to manage it so that it does not get any worse.

So, that finishes my 13th week of training.  Just 5 weeks to go until my marathon.

Pretty achy this morning, especially the right hip/glutes/hamstring.  Took almost a mile to work that out.  Ran at the slow end of my easy range:  9:17/mile.  Going to try an ice bath.  Haven't done that in a very long time - simply because I hate them.  But I think it might help in a big way at this point.

Strength run today:  2 x 3 miles at a pace of 8:35.

I ran my 1st three miles at 7:18  7:18  and 7:17  and my 2nd three miles at 7:36 (big hill)  7:25  and  7:22.

Too fast, I know.  I tried to slow it down for my second set, and succeeded a bit.   But I did finish it feeling strong, so I'm okay with running it a bit fast.

Still sore on the right side - have a massage booked for later this morning and hoping it helps loosen things up.

6 very easy miles (9:28 pace).  Cold and wet - miserable morning, actually.

Was a rest day for me, but I'm switching that to Friday, as I'm pacing a half marathon on Saturday and figure I can use the extra rest the day before.

As great as the massage was yesterday, I see that my right hamstring is still giving me problems.  More ice and ibuprofin!