18: further proof that hal higdon is a scheduling genius ... by abby
a long time ago, when gerlinda signed up for the marathon, and then i signed up for it too, i went scrounging for the training schedule i'd used in my last marathon. because: well, it worked the first time, so i figured it would work this time too. and my run on saturday was proof of just that. i think the reason the higdon training works so well is because it builds you up and steps you back in good intervals, so that you are ready for the next big push.
i also like that he only has you do 20 miles before the race. gerlinda -- i've been reluctant to tell you not to do more than 20, because you gotta do what you gotta do, but really, i promise you, you will not be any better off for having done more than 20 before the race. you might even be worse off, because it will take your body longer to recover from those runs. after reading about your 20-miler, i would encourage you to do 14 as scheduled this weekend, and then 20 again as scheduled the following weekend. you are going to make it through the race -- you are, even if i have to drag you across it with my own two hands, which won't happen b/c you'll get there on your own -- so you shouldn't abuse yourself too much beforehand. you've trained well, and the last thing you want to do is get injured this close! i swear if you don't cross that finish line with only 2 20-milers under your belt, you can hold me personally responsible.
anyway. this past week say below zero temperatures for most of the weekdays, so i did 4-6-5 on the treadmill (6 miles being the most i can tolerate on those things). the higdon schedule has like 10-milers on wednesdays now, but i'm not doing those. i'll do 7 or 8 at most. i just don't have time to work in the longer runs, and plus i'm not sure they really benefit me that much.
my 18-miler was really as great as an 18-mile run can be. it was FREEZING cold, about 8 degrees when i started, and probably about 12 when i finished 2:51 later, with a wind-chill of who-even-knows-how-cold. anyway, i dressed warmly, but my right hand would not warm up, so i kept balling it into a fist and pumping it like that to keep blood flowing. the cold made my eyes water, so i kept getting these ice balls frozen to my eyelashes, and i was slowed considerably in places by bad road conditions -- snowy/icy patches that are tricky to navigate in sneakers. i broke the run up into 3 6-mile segments and took splits for each. my last split was only about 3 minutes slower than my first split, so i feel pretty good about that.
i stopped to walk for a minute or so at mile 8, planned to eat a gel at mile 10 and actually remembered to eat it at mile 11. i really felt pretty good. my iliopsoas/hip is still an issue, but i can work through it. at mile 16 i realized the tube of my camelback was frozen, even though it was *inside* my vest. so no gatorade for the last two miles. then i started getting this weird opthalmic migraine thing that i get, with repeating geometric patterns across my field of vision. it's never a headache, it's like this weird eye thing. it lasted the rest of the day, but i think it was more a stress thing than a running thing, since i don't get them very often. when mile 18 came, i felt like i had a good 2 or 3 miles in me still, and that's a good sign.
i ran faster than i thougth i would, so my ride didn't show up for another 10 minutes, which was actually good, because i walked some and stretched and worked out a kink in my right calf. i was so cold though, that i couldn't stop shivering. my hands and feet were without any color -- these totally sick-white appendages. it wasn't until i got in the shower that i started warming up, and i just stood there forever under the hot water, which was so hot it hurt but also felt good at the same time. yesterday i was a little sore, and today my calves still protest at certain activities, but mostly my muscles feel okay. i was already fighting the beginning of what feels like a nasty sinus infection, so i'm sure spending 3 hours outside in arctic conditions only furthered that and i fully expect to fall out with a cold any minute now. my ears are gone already; i can barely hear.
anyway. i feel good about the run. i feel ready for the 20 coming up in two weeks, even though i'm freaked that i have to run it in a different city. i feel like my training is working and that my body is responding the way it should. it's supposed to be warmer this week, so hopefully i can do some of my weekday running on the road instead of the treadmill.
i also like that he only has you do 20 miles before the race. gerlinda -- i've been reluctant to tell you not to do more than 20, because you gotta do what you gotta do, but really, i promise you, you will not be any better off for having done more than 20 before the race. you might even be worse off, because it will take your body longer to recover from those runs. after reading about your 20-miler, i would encourage you to do 14 as scheduled this weekend, and then 20 again as scheduled the following weekend. you are going to make it through the race -- you are, even if i have to drag you across it with my own two hands, which won't happen b/c you'll get there on your own -- so you shouldn't abuse yourself too much beforehand. you've trained well, and the last thing you want to do is get injured this close! i swear if you don't cross that finish line with only 2 20-milers under your belt, you can hold me personally responsible.
anyway. this past week say below zero temperatures for most of the weekdays, so i did 4-6-5 on the treadmill (6 miles being the most i can tolerate on those things). the higdon schedule has like 10-milers on wednesdays now, but i'm not doing those. i'll do 7 or 8 at most. i just don't have time to work in the longer runs, and plus i'm not sure they really benefit me that much.
my 18-miler was really as great as an 18-mile run can be. it was FREEZING cold, about 8 degrees when i started, and probably about 12 when i finished 2:51 later, with a wind-chill of who-even-knows-how-cold. anyway, i dressed warmly, but my right hand would not warm up, so i kept balling it into a fist and pumping it like that to keep blood flowing. the cold made my eyes water, so i kept getting these ice balls frozen to my eyelashes, and i was slowed considerably in places by bad road conditions -- snowy/icy patches that are tricky to navigate in sneakers. i broke the run up into 3 6-mile segments and took splits for each. my last split was only about 3 minutes slower than my first split, so i feel pretty good about that.
i stopped to walk for a minute or so at mile 8, planned to eat a gel at mile 10 and actually remembered to eat it at mile 11. i really felt pretty good. my iliopsoas/hip is still an issue, but i can work through it. at mile 16 i realized the tube of my camelback was frozen, even though it was *inside* my vest. so no gatorade for the last two miles. then i started getting this weird opthalmic migraine thing that i get, with repeating geometric patterns across my field of vision. it's never a headache, it's like this weird eye thing. it lasted the rest of the day, but i think it was more a stress thing than a running thing, since i don't get them very often. when mile 18 came, i felt like i had a good 2 or 3 miles in me still, and that's a good sign.
i ran faster than i thougth i would, so my ride didn't show up for another 10 minutes, which was actually good, because i walked some and stretched and worked out a kink in my right calf. i was so cold though, that i couldn't stop shivering. my hands and feet were without any color -- these totally sick-white appendages. it wasn't until i got in the shower that i started warming up, and i just stood there forever under the hot water, which was so hot it hurt but also felt good at the same time. yesterday i was a little sore, and today my calves still protest at certain activities, but mostly my muscles feel okay. i was already fighting the beginning of what feels like a nasty sinus infection, so i'm sure spending 3 hours outside in arctic conditions only furthered that and i fully expect to fall out with a cold any minute now. my ears are gone already; i can barely hear.
anyway. i feel good about the run. i feel ready for the 20 coming up in two weeks, even though i'm freaked that i have to run it in a different city. i feel like my training is working and that my body is responding the way it should. it's supposed to be warmer this week, so hopefully i can do some of my weekday running on the road instead of the treadmill.
posted by August at 12:11 PM
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