Half Time

8 days away from the Murfreesboro Half Marathon, aka, The Middle Half. So, I've switched gears a little bit to train for the 13.1 distance.

Let's be honest, here. I am really just coming back from a injury that kept me on the couch for 3.5 weeks and the training since I've been back has been spotty, at best. The initial quad pain that I experienced when I first came back, has subsided. The over-whelming hip pain that TKO'd me to begin with is still masked by the cortisone shot. I can still feel the tightness of in my upper leg and along the IT Band. And on top of that, I am really struggling to finish runs of 10 miles or longer. I think it's a combination of the humid weather and my leg and fitness level. BTW - the temperature is relatively mild (compared to July/August temps) but the humidity is back in earnest.

My goal 13.1 pace is going to be one hour and fifty minutes, which is an 8:23 per mile pace. Before the injury, I would say "no sweat" to this time, perhaps even faster. Now, not so sure. My mind has been saying "please stop, please stop" on my long runs, and I think just finishing in under 2:10 may be more realistic. I did a 6x1 miles interval run on Tuesday at 7:50 to 8:20 per mile paces - with 400 meter recovery, and was ready for more. Mostly, the first 6-7 miles of my long runs have been easy, but the "turn-around" has been tough.

What is the "turn-around", you say? Well this is the half way point of a particular long run. It's not like I carry a cell phone with me on the run, so I can't call Stephanie to come get me after 15 miles. I have to go out 7.5 miles and turn around and go back 7.5 miles. I think some of it is MENTAL, knowing that I have run for 1 hour to this point, and have to go back another hour. I think a little is still PHYSICAL, both with my leg and fitness.

Well, here is my secret weapon to combat these mental and physical issues. The Brooks Launch.

It's a really light Racing shoe (as opposed to a trainer) which does not have much cushioning or mesh, or much of anything extra. The less it has, the lighter it is. It's about 4 ounces lighter than my Nike Vomero 4's that I normally train with. So the theory goes, that the 4 oz., over the course of 13.1 miles is like carrying 5 to 10 less pounds. I'm down with that. Besides, I think they look fast.

And, IF I don't meet my goal pace, I've got a bunch of excuses why I didn't quite make it. Just re-read this blog entry - LOL at myself. ..... ..... .....

Little Buddy

I've had a little bit of residual soreness from my miles from last week, so I've once again, backed off. I think the rest has worked great, my legs are feeling as good as they have in a month. The bad news, I don't feel like my fitness is at a good point, and the upcoming Middle Half Marathon will be a challenge.

I've been reading up on some new Performance type shoes, the Brooks Launch. They are very light, around 9 oz. which are 3 oz. less than my Nike Vomero 4's (which I love to run in.) They should be here Monday, and I'll upload some pictures and give a review after my next long run. I'm going to only run very long runs and races in these, and continue to use the Nike's as everyday trainers.

Went out Monday to get some miles in, after the long 12.75 mile run on Sunday. My legs were shot and had a bad, slow go of it. I just felt like I was being followed, or dragged down for some reason. So, I get back to work, and I'm walking up the side walk to hit the showers, and felt a strange - itchy feeling in my shorts. Turns out I had a little hitch-hiker take a ride with me. I'm going to attribute the "extra weight" to my slowness.

Pheidippides

Tradition, or lore, tells us that an Athenian messenger was sent to Sparta to request help for the Athenians who were gearing up to wage war against the Persian invaders, who were landing at Marathon, Greece. So Pheidippides set out on a 2 day trek, that had him run 150 miles from Marathon to Sparta and back to Marathon. The next day he ran from Marathon to Athens, to spread the news that the Persians were defeated (I guess they didn't need the Spartans, after all.) The distance from Marathon to Athens was 26 miles.

The current official marathon distance of 26 miles, 385 yards was established purely by accident at the 1908 Olympics in London. The course was originally laid out to be 26 miles long from Windsor Castle to the finish line in the stadium. However, it was then decided to add 385 yards so that the race would finish at the royal box. In 1924, Olympic officials formally adopted the distance as official.

Week 4 Review: 35.52 Miles - 5 hours - 28 minutes - 9:15min/mi average pace - 4,810 calories

This was the week of the Stones River Battlefield and Murfreesboro Greenway runs. Running inside the park or on the Greenway for me is AWESOME. I don't mind running on the roads, but in the park or GW, I don't worry anything about cars or traffic. Lots of deer and wild turkeys are always around in the park, and it's just the right distance (6 miles or so.)

On Saturday, the girls an I, got up early and went out and volunteered for the Run Chickn Run 10k. We all had a good time watching the runners. The girls manned (girled) a water-station and I stood beside a barrier to a service road leading out of the Gateway park. I mostly just was a cheerleader and offered encouragement to the many types of runners that participated. Some really fast guys and gals, and lots of everyday runners, who looked like they were having a good time.

As far as the training goes. My hip is doing much, much better. The cortisone shot has worked it's MAGIC on my bursa, but there is still a lot of tightness in my IT Band. Also, my lower quads are killing me. On my long run from Sunday, they hurt the entire time I was going, all 12.75 miles. My quads have never hurt like this, even when I was doing the bike the last few weeks. I'm thinking they are probably compensating for my bad IT Band, and possibly contracting when they should be resting.

I really though my fitness had not suffered, but the Sunday long run was very hard. I was really aiming for a 1:45 to 1:50 Murfreesboro Half Marathon in 3 weeks, but that does not seem do-able now. Not even sure about a 2 hour finish, which before my injury would have been easy to do, with energy left in "the tank."

As a matter of fact, I felt a little like Pheidippides upon announcing that Persia was defeated at Marathon.

He died.

Must... keep...

It's Titan's time, and we all know that Fisher will "keep it close" going into the 4th quarter, and try to win it there. I have no hair to pull out, or there would be locks a' flyin' tonight.

So tonight, it is Must keep from yelling at the TV, because all the kids are in bed. Normally, I'd be yelling at something about now. It's been a slug fest all night, 2 good teams, will probably see each other in the playoffs.

Yep, 4th quarter is starting with the score tied 7 - 7.



Running is going pretty good. My quad's have forgotten that I used to be a Runner, and are giving me soreness. Hip is good, just dealing with it now. I am going slow, so slow sometimes, I trip over my own feet. I'm wanting to GO GO GO, but am reeling it in.

Run Chickn Run 10K is this weekend, but I am taking a rain check on the race. I am, however, volunteering to be a race attendent on the course. My girls are also volunteering with the Y to be drink aides, so we are all going down to the Gateway very early Saturday morning.

Stephanie is planning on running in the Christie Cookie 5K in Green Hills. I think it may be up in the air, as her dad had his surgery today and could be coming home Saturday. I keep you posted on that, as well.

Feet meet Street.

I've been antsy for a week now, waiting to get back out (ask my beautiful wife.) Well, finally, I hit the roads on Monday morning with a nice 6.2 miler though the Stones River Battlefield. This is the course that the Run Chickn' Run 10K will be held this coming weekend. It had been so long since I had been out, I couldn't remember what it felt like to run and I wondered how much conditioning I had lost, but mostly how my dang hip was going to feel like.

Went out sooo slooow, it felt like I was walking. Stopped quarter mile into the "run" and did the IT BAND stretch, so far so good. Stopped another 1/2 mile on the "run" and stretched. You get the point. After the first mile, I figured I was as loose as I am going to be, so I just eased into the run. Murfreesboro is a great place to run and train, as there are many places; the Murfreesboro Stones River greenway, the Gateway, the Stones River Battlefield, etc.



I turned the legs over a little bit faster though the park, but keep it dialed in nice and easy, for the most part. I could feel the bursa a little when running, but not in a painful sense, just like "hello, remember me?" Got back to the car and was pleasantly surprised with the outing: no pain, just a little inflammation, conditioning is good - not great, and not sweaty - I guess the humidity has dropped since last I was out.

WEEK 3 REVIEW - No miles - 3xBike at Y - which I gotta say, I'm starting to like the bike. Possibly an IRONMAN in the future?

I've updateed my Marathon training plan (on the right, over there). It is geared less on SPEED drills and much more on volume and training at/near goal pace (which I've also adjusted - - - DOWN.) I'll give some thoughts on the FIRST training plan that I had originally mapped out, in the near future.

Thanks to everyone who is reading this, please leave me any tips or comments that would help me toward this 26.2 folly of mine - or just any comments in general.

1 COR 9:24

26.2. 13.1 Distance Running. Sprinting. Middle Distances like 2 mile/3miles, 5,000/10,000 meter races.

Why do it?

Why stress your body and mind to the point that BOTH hurt?

I went to the Ortho Doc yesterday, and got a Cortisone shot in my hip. Incredible what "modern" medicine can do. Doc told me that the injection will start working within a day or so, but I am already starting to feel the inflammation subside. He cleared me to begin running, if I feel up to it, on Monday of next week. I'm going to alter my training schedule to off-load most of the speed work until later in the schedule. I'll incorporate some additional hill training in the early speed work phases.

The doc and I also got into a short "debate" on Long Distance running. From his perspective, he sees many injuries each year from runners, from IT Band, knee, ankle, foot, etc problems. His observation was that, although it is a tremendous way to keep fit, that early man "hid behind rocks" and waited for it's prey to come by, thus he concluded that MAN's bodies were not built to be distance machines. My response was "what happened when the food source runs out?", my point was that early man HAD to cover long distances to hunt for food. This is a common explanation of why men/women pack on fat around the belly, so that we can have energy sources between the HUNT.

Tit for Tat. He respected me for my view, and I for his. Most of this conversation was not his reluctance to give me the shot to begin with, but that he found a "shadow" on my X-RAY that gave him pause. He showed it to me, and we both agreed that it was probably nothing to be concerned. Doc also consulted with another Ortho, and the other Doc wasn't concerned. Doc did not want to inject me if the shadow was perhaps, a mass or tumor that may be forming. He gave me some more questions, and I answered. We discussed. He left it up to me to OK the injection or get an MRI in order to further investigate the shadow. I choose the injection and agreed to follow up in 4 weeks. At that time we will take another X-ray and perhaps and MRI and discuss.

So why not stop my training and get the MRI? Why not stop for 6 weeks and heal up naturally. That's all it would take, this is nothing more than an over-training injury, something that mother nature and time will certainly take care of.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 says:

24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Paul was writing to the Corinthian church about what it takes to be a Disciple of Christ. The marathon is just a derivative of this passage and outlook on OUR race to Christ. Read the passage to yourself, and you will understand WHY I do what I do to achieve my GOAL of 26.2. I know I won't win the race, but if I don't train for THE RACE i can't finish, in the marathon or in life.