If At First You Don't Succeed...

After aborting this week's scheduled 18-mile run due to IT band issues this past Tuesday, I was basically planning to shut down my marathon training for the week. However, having spent a fair amount of time using my new foam roller the past few days and getting in a half an hour on the StairMaster yesterday, my IT band was starting to feel much better. Thus, I decided to try to complete the 18-miler on the treadmill at my gym this morning, reasoning I could always cut it short again if my IT band started to act up.

The first several miles of the run were completely discomfort free, which was extremely encouraging. I definitely felt a bit of pain in my IT band for a few miles toward the middle of the run, but it was nothing serious and almost completely subsided within a half hour or so. By the end of the run my IT band actually felt perfectly fine--and more importantly, I knocked out the 18-miler after all! I am super excited right now--one more long run (my 20-miler), and my taper begins! Needless to say I will be doing some serious foam rolling between now and the marathon--especially given how well it worked for me the past few days!

Me Against The IT



Wow, two blog posts in one day--aren't you readers lucky:) Anyway, the reason I am writing again is I have decided rather than wallowing in my sorrows, I am going to attack this IT band issue head on. In addition to my upcoming physical therapy regimen, I picked up a foam roller this morning. I called a great running store in Columbus Circle and they recommended The Grid Revolutionary Foam Roller (see the picture above), which I have already begun to use in my office. Obviously it is too early to provide any kind of product review, but I do know runners swear by foam rollers, and at this point I am willing to try just about anything. I can assure you one way or another I will be on that starting line October 27th--I would just prefer to get there without my body being all jacked up...

Houston, We Have A Problem

So this morning I was planning on banging out my second to last long run, 18 miles on the treadmill. Just a few minutes into the run my IT band on my right leg really started to bother me. I expected the pain to subside after a short while as it normally does, but a few miles later I was still in a fair amount of discomfort. It was not excruciating pain, but enough that I thought trying to run 18 miles was probably not the wisest move. So seven miles into the run I called it a day.

I was really surprised at how bad my leg felt today--I felt perfectly fine on my five mile run yesterday, and had taken the previous three days off. I am definitely bummed out, but not completely crushed--this is only the first long run I have missed in my training program, and I still have 33 days to get my leg right before the big day. Oh, and I am calling in the big dogs--the sports physical therapy department at Columbia University Medical Center. Unfortunately I will not be able to see the therapist until October 10th, so I will have to do my own personal triage until then (thank God for the Internet)...

Running In A Sauna

I have been traveling for work the last couple of days, and the fitness room at my hotel was a veritable sauna (75 degrees--which I can say for certain because I could see the thermostat). Nevertheless I was able to follow up Monday's 17 mile run with five mile tempo runs yesterday and this morning at 7:30 per mile pace. Both times I was literally sweating like a whore in church, but I definitely feel like they were great confidence builders with less than a month and a half to go before the big day. I was thinking of sneaking a fifth run in this week, but with my IT band starting to act up a bit I think I will hit the StairMaster tomorrow and run on Friday. That will still get me to 32 miles for the week, which at this point is more than enough (and probably the smarter choice) with the two toughest weeks of my training program ahead of me.

17 On 42

Today is my 42nd birthday, so this morning I slept in, skipped work, had breakfast in bed--oh yeah, that's right, I did not do any of those things. Instead I banged out my weekly long run, 17 miles on the treadmill at 7:42 per mile pace. I have to say, this may have been my best long run yet. I started off by watching a little over an hour of Sportscenter, and then switched to listening to music on my iPod (a bunch of Smashing Pumpkins songs, followed by my longtime running playlist).

10 miles or so into the run I really just started to enjoy myself and almost did not want it to end--a stark contrast to my usual treadmill long runs, in which the last few miles are sheer torture. Maybe it was runner's high, maybe it was seeing my taper coming closer and closer into focus--whatever the reason, I just felt really dialed in this morning. As an added bonus my legs felt GREAT afterwards--it seems like my IT band/knee issues are pretty much behind me (although as a precaution I am stretching like a fiend today). Just two more long runs (18 and 20 miles) and it is taper time!

The Hardest Part

I just put the finishing touches on the first of my five 30+ mile training weeks for the Marine Corps Marathon. Unfortunately I spoke too soon earlier this week when I wrote about how great my legs felt after my 16-mile run--later that day the IT band on my right leg was sore. I definitely felt it at the beginning of my four mile run the next morning, although yesterday's five miler was pain free. Unfortunately the pain returned on this morning's five mile run. I am now certain the toughest part of my marathon preparation is not going to be finding the time or willpower to get all the runs in, losing weight, or balancing work/family/training--it is simply going to be staying healthy. I DO have a "trump card" in my back pocket--I basically have an open invitation from the physical therapist I worked with to resolve my IT band issues early this year. Hopefully I will not have to use it; we'll see how I feel on Monday after a couple of rest days.

What A Difference A Week Makes

This morning I completed my weekly long run, 16 miles on the treadmill. It is striking to me how much better I feel right now than after last Tuesday's long run--my legs feel so much fresher and less beat up than they did a week ago. I attribute this to spacing my long runs out further, as well as dialing my pace back a bit (7:42 per mile, as compared to 7:30 last week). I also did a better job of making sure my new earphones were on correctly, so I was able to keep them on the entire time (I watched SportsCenter for the first hour, than listened to Pandora and MP3s on my iPhone the remaining time. Oh, and I also brought my old set with me as a backup). We will see how my legs feel tomorrow morning, but today was definitely a confidence booster as I begin the five most crucial weeks of my marathon training program.

Halfway Home

This morning I banged out five miles at 7:12 per mile pace to complete my eighth week of training for the Marine Corps Marathon. My training program is 16 weeks long, so in essence I am halfway home (to some extent I am more than halfway, as the last three weeks are my taper). Given the fact I am at the halfway mark, I thought I would share some of my thoughts and insights (assuming you care):

• I had forgotten how hard marathon training is on your body. I am still relatively healthy, but would be lying if I said I was 100%. The crazy thing is my marathon training program calls for significantly less mileage than many others; it is a miracle to me more people don't hurt themselves training for marathons.
• Training for this marathon has reminded me how "pure" running is, especially compared to doing triathlons. I have definitely picked up a few gadgets this year, but at the end of the day there is no "magic elixir" that makes you run faster--unlike swimming and biking, in which the right wetsuit/bicycle/aero wheelset can give you essentially free (well, paid for) speed.
• I am really starting to enjoy doing long runs on the treadmill. There is just something to be said for being in a controlled environment and having someone/something else control the pacing. I am just hoping my body does not get TOO used to it, but I think with all the somewhat hilly tempo runs I have been doing, I should be fine.
• My race is still almost two months away and I am already starting to get nervous. I thought about working a shorter race into my training program just to shake things up a bit, but decided if it did not go the way I hoped it would just stress me out. This is why I do not race more often--I just stress about it entirely too much.
• It amazes me how much running helps with weight loss/control. I am eating virtually whatever I want whenever I want, and am still below 180 pounds (and at times have gotten down to 175ish). I would love to be 175 or less for race day, but just as long as I can stay around 177-178 I'll be happy.

That is it for now--enjoy the long holiday weekend, and as always, thanks for reading!

Just Five To Go

This morning I did my 14-mile weekly long run on the treadmill at 7:30 per mile pace. I completed last week's long run (12 miles) on Friday, so I think I may have "bit off a bit more than I can chew" by doing another one just four days later--my legs are definitely more sore than they have been after my prior long runs. They do not feel too bad, but I am definitely looking forward to tomorrow's rest day. I also had problems withy my new headphones (my freakishly small ears strike again), and thus, had to run the last 10-11 miles sans any form of entertainment, which was brutal. Aside from that the run was fairly uneventful. Given my prior history, I am still in a state of shock at the fact I have literally completed every weekly long run on my marathon training schedule. I also find it really hard to believe I have just five double digit runs left (16, 16, 17, 18, and 20 miles) before the big day!

11 Down, 15 To Go

Yesterday morning I hit the treadmill for my weekly long run. I banged out 11 miles at 7:30 per mile pace, and just like last week definitely felt like I could have done a few more. I played music on my iPod nano the entire time, and for once actually brought a bottle of water with me, although I definitely did not drink enough (but it's a start, right?) Afterwards my legs actually felt pretty decent--my right knee was a bit stiff (for a change), but aside from that I was perfectly fine. I am actually starting to kind of enjoy my treadmill long runs, which is kind of a scary thought. Six straight weeks of hitting the long runs on my training schedule--who would have thunk it?