Going Long (again) in 2024

Well, I just got home from Hamilton (6 hour drive) and I feel great!  I did stop along the way to stretch.  I had a good run, especially considering I could not train properly the last 2 weeks due to my injury.

As indicated, I finished 39th (from a field of 591) and 3rd in my division (field of 18).  I ran a 4:28/km pace - 7:11/mile pace - which is a bit slower (9 seconds/mile) than I ran in Collingwood for my PR 4 weeks ago, but I'm very happy with this result, given my injury.

My splits (per km) were:   4:03   4:19   4:22   4:31   4:37   4:33   4:31   4:35   4:35   4:28

As is obvious, I made the mistake of going out too fast, and I paid for it later on!  I actually clocked a 3:32/km pace in that first split.  I knew it too, but couldn't resist.  Dumb me.

I was also hungry!  Dummy - the race started at 11am, and all I ate was a protein bar and a bagel.  By the time I realized I was so hungry, it was too late to eat anything else.

There was a major wind/rain storm through Southern Ontario the day before, but today was not quite that bad.  It was 6 degrees Celcius (43 degrees F.), and raining - at times heavy.  I opted to run in shorts, long sleeves and no gloves.  It was the right decision, but I finished soaked to the skin.

The night before, I massaged with a rolling stick the heck out of my quads; I'm now convinced that my injury is NOT my knee (runner's knee), but a Quad strain.  I see my massage therapist on Monday and I will ask her to see if she can pinpoint the pain and help me to determine my next move.  It really was not an issue today, although driving home, my left groin and my right glute were especially tight.

Anyway, I AM hoping this will be my marathon event for 2014, so this was all a learning experience for me.  It's organized well enough, and I'm grateful for the experience.

Okay, the race.  It is run on a mostly paved walking trail, with some unpaved sections (with potholes) and a wooden bridge.  Given the rain, it was slippery, and that was an issue a couple of times, where the course took sharp turns, and over that wooden bridge.  It is a 5km double loop, with a turn around pillon which meant turning on a dime (twice).

It was quite windy off Lake Ontario.  I figured I ran into the wind for almost 4 km, and had the wind at my back the same amount of time.  Although a flat course, there are a few small hills.  Combined with the headwind, it did sap a bit of energy.  And on the second 5km loop, there was the additional challenge of passing the slower runner/walkers, as well as meeting the others coming the other way.  It made running the tangents (fair bit of curves) more difficult.

I ran my first 5km in 21:51.  I knew I was slowing down, and I could feel the hunger and the lack of 'umph' in my legs.  Even digging deep, I was surprised at my second half splits - I thought I was running faster than I actually was.  My final km kick was only at a 4:28/km pace, which was slower than my 1st three kilometers. 

Lesson learned:  don't go out so fast, and make sure you eat more, especially for a run starting later in the morning than usual.

Anyway, my take away is this:  I ran a PR just 4 weeks ago.  It obviously was not a fluke, as my run today was my 2nd fastest 10km.  And this after 2 weeks of cutting back on running in a big way.  So, this is a confidence booster for me.  I will now focus on running between 33 and 40 miles/week, and will introduce hills and speedwork as I progress.  I plan on running a Half Marathon in Grimsby in February, and then in Cleveland in May.  

Ran 3 miles at recovery pace on the indoor track.  Glad I'm going for a massage today, as I'm sore/tight in a few places.

Also hit the weights and then swam one mile.  Now I'm tired.

On the treadmill at a slow 10 min/mile pace.  The really good news:  it's not my knee!!!  My MT showed me the slight swelling in the quad - a level one strain.  So, I believe I did that on the 12 mile run 2 weeks ago, and in particular when I ran downhill hard at one point.

Anyway, will keep icing it on monitoring it.  It's actually that left groin that is giving me a lot more grief.  It hurts, but doesn't seem to affect my running.

Ran a bit faster on an indoor track.  Then leg lifts for my quads and then 1 mile (32 laps) swimming in the pool.

6 miles on the treadmill at a 9 min/mile pace.  I think my treadmill is actually going faster than that, based on my heart rate.

Spin bike for 50 minutes, and then just one mile on the treadmill.

Ran outside - it was snowing, and was too beautiful to stay inside.  Started off slow, but ended up running the last 4 miles at marathon pace, for an average pace overall of 8:14 min/mile.

Left knee/quad and groin complaining now.

Good news about the knee - my chiropodist confirmed my suspicion that it's not runner's knee, but a torn quad.  And it's not a serious tear at all, and seems to be healing.  It's only been 3 weeks since the injury.  So, I'm happy about that.  Having some laser therapy done on it.  Ice and ibuprofin help a lot too.

And the groin is not a hernia.  Might be a Gilmour Strain - will see what my doctor thinks when I see her next week.

The gym is closed today (Remembrance Day), so no swim or weights; decided to run outside in the slush and snow.  Ran an average 8:40 pace, with the last 2 miles a bit faster.  Achy left knee/quad, so am now icing it.

On the treadmill this morning.  Decided to start some speed work once a week, so ran three Yasso 800s.  

5 easy miles on the treadmill.

45 Minutes on the spin bike, as well as jump squats.  My doctor thinks my groin is a tear in the tendon or ligament - said I can keep on doing what I'm doing as long as I don't push too much through the pain.  So, onward we go!

Five miles on the treadmill.

Ran an 8:35 pace.  Left quad not too bad; working on the theory that it's a slight tear, then it has been 4 weeks and it should heal up completely in the next couple of weeks.

Groin not so great - worst pain yet.  Doesn't slow me down, but I'll have to keep monitoring it.

Ran outside, at a pace of 8:42, in the wind and cold and rain.  I loved it!  

Have decided to run in the Detroit Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving - entered the Double Drumstick event:  the 10 km race followed by the 5 km race.  Looks like fun.

Easy run on the treadmill.

On the indoor track, as a warmup to my quad exercises, and then a one mile swim.  Left knee was really screaming at me this morning!

Tempo run outside.  Lots of pain in that left knee, and I had to slow down for the last 2 miles.  Had planned on running 6 miles, but cut it short due to the pain.  After the initial warm up mile (8:00 min/mile), I ran a 7:00 and a 7:16.  

Think I'll layy off running for a few days, as I do want to run the Turkey Trot in Detroit one week from today.

Ibuprofin and ice are my new best friends.

1 Mile on the indoor track

2.25 mile swim (2 km or 40 laps)

Weights

5 Miles easy on the treadmill.

Okay, not your typical race.  I did this on the spur of the moment, because I was able to arrange the trip.  I figured it would be something to do for the experience, rather than to aim for any PR.

So, I drove over 7 hours each way to Windsor, where I stayed.  Going down I hit a blizzard just outside of London and the expressway was turned into a parking lot due to a few accidents.  But I made it.  Sore, but I was there.

I got up at 4:30 am (didn't sleep much, because my neighbours partied all night!), caught the tunnel bus to Detroit at 5:30, and the race began at 7:30.

It was cold - about 7 degrees Celcius below zero.   It started to snow about 7am.  I decided to just run for the experience, and so was not concerned about speed.  In fact, I took a hand held video camera along and recorded the whole experience.  My right arm is sore!  That video can be seen here:  http://vimeo.com/80863044

Good thing I was able to hang out with a lot of others inside the chase building at the starting line.  I was chilled to the bone!  My hands went numb during the race (and I had gloves on!).  Anyway, the spectators LOVED that I was video recording THEM!  I can't believe people were staking out a spot for the parade already ... sitting on a chair at 7:30 am in the middle of snow fall in the cold.  Amazing!

So, I ran a conservative race.  By my GPS, I finished the 1st 10 km (Turkey Trot) in 44:22.  I don't know what my 'official' time is yet, but according to my GPS, the course is longer than 10 km (I don't think it's certified).  I was happy with that, as it was slippery and I certainly was not running my fastest.  Note:  official time was 45:49.

This was the 1st year for the "Double Drumstick", whereby I could also run the 5 km Stuffing Strut, but had to get to the starting line in time.  That really wasn't a problem.  What WAS interesting is that I chose to stay back in the 2nd wave in the starting correl ... had never done that before.  Man, was it SLOW at the start.  It shows in my 1st split.

Anyway, by now, with 22 000 runners, the roads were well packed and icy.  Very slippery.  Very.  So, I ran cautiously.  Finished the 5km in 23:14 (GPS time).  (23:53 official time).  Funny - I've never run a 5 km race before, so that stands as my PR.  Hilarious, actually, since it sucks in comparison to my best 10 km and Half Marathons runs.  Oh well.

It was cold, snowy, slippery and a whole LOT of fun.  Miserable having to drive another 8 hours to get home after, but such is life.  Here are my splits:

Turkey Trot:

4:18   4:37   4:33   4:33   4:26   4:24   4:22   4:27   4:25   4:17 = 44:22   (45:49 official)

Stuffing Strut:

5:12   4:33   4:38   4:30   4:21 = 23:14  (23:53 official)

Double Drumstick official time:  1:09:42.

Further notes:

My left knee was stiff, especially between runs, but never really sore.  My left groin (Gilmour's Strain) was killing me!  For the 1st time, my right hamstring was tight through both races.  I suspect that had something to do with the long drive down.