hello? got some goals? - Page 2 - Triathlon Week

juliaberry · 04-12-2003, 12:42 PM

I have had the worst "dead legs" this week. A 4 miler yesterday was about all I could handle. I'm hoping that it was just due to the two days in a row off. Still going to try for 15 tomorrow and take it pretty easy next week. Are dead legs normal or am I more out of shape than I thought? If they are normal, is it one of those things that it will eventually go away and I'll feel better than ever when it does? How did the 12 go this am?

juliaberry · 04-13-2003, 09:08 PM

I did it! All 15 and it felt great! Finished 15 feeling better than I've felt running much shorter distances in weeks! Thanks for the suggestion!

ARZEE · 04-14-2003, 11:26 AM

Congrats!! What a difference in the tone of your last two posts. Dead legs are dead legs. They come and go. When they persist, then it may a symptom of overtraining. By the sounds of the 15er that is not the case. Doing the 15 miles actually shows that you are in better shape than you thought. As far as my 12 miler on Thursday, it was good. Not great but good. 20 miles on Saturday was great. Ran it in 2:40 and finished feeling relatively fresh. Stress "relatively". Still feeling a little tapped out today, and very hungry, but all of that is normal. Really good to hear about your effort on the weekend. Is that your farthest run?? How did the pacing go?? Did you go out fast or watch what you did at the start of it? Any friends to pass the time? What was the total time, and how fresh did you feel when you were done? What is the plan for this week? Do you feel a little off today, or are you 100%?

juliaberry · 04-14-2003, 01:20 PM

Congrats on the 20! 2:40 is pretty quick for a 20 miler--or would be for me! I can squeek out about 6 at that pace and I crash! But then again I'm not looking to run a 3:20 marathon anytime in the near future! The 15 miler went well. I didn't pay much attention to pacing on purpose until the last mile or so and that was just to see where I was at. If I pay too much attention I go a lot faster than my body can handle at this point. My goal was to just finish it, and I did! I felt pretty good after. My legs were really tired but I hopped in the ice bath for a few after and kept moving for a few hours so they really weren't too bad. Today I'm tired and STARVING. The day after a long run (even shorter 10 milers) is always rough for me! I couldn't eat much this morning either because I met with a nutritionist to test my body comp so I had to wait until 11 to really eat much! I actually feel a lot better today than I thought I would last night so that's good! I didn't manage to rope anyone into running with me and actually probably for good reason! I ran at least 8 of the 15 in one of the worst rain storms I've ever seen. It was fine when I started and about 4 miles in it just let loose. It was off and on all afternoon and I thought maybe I could catch a hole big enough to get my run in but it didn't work out! I actually debated (for about 3 seconds) on doing my run wednesday morning if it didn't slow down it was so bad! I just didn't want to start a run in that stuff, especially a long one! I ended up running it in 2:25-- or what I think was 15 miles. That would be a 9:40 average so quite possibly a little bit more than 15. It's all on bark mulch trails so I have no real way of knowing exact distances until they start paying me more and I can buy an odometer for my bike! As far as this week, I think I'm going to do a 7miler mid week and then 10 this sunday, then throw a few of 4 or 5 milers in the mix. I want to keep my mileage down so I don't completely crash where I jumped so much this week. Never thought I'd worry about running too much! Probably do the same as last weeks total (30) and call it a week. I may start doing some pool running to curb the shin splints that are trying to get me but that is just so incredibly monotonous that I don't usually accomplish as much as I would like! Congrats again on the 20 and feeling relatively fresh after--I can't wait until the day I can say that! I just realized today that really I only have 5 more miles to go until I'm there! I know it's a tough 5 but still. I'm not as far away as I felt last week! Thanks again for the suggestion!

ARZEE · 04-15-2003, 10:37 AM

Julia- I noticed that you run long on Sunday. I used to also but found feeling crappy at work all day on Monday was a real downer. Monday is already a crappy enough day. Why add recovery to it? I changed my long run to Saturday last year, and it really aids in recovery. Being able to sleep in a little and do some extra time on the couch on Sunday speeds up the repairs you need to start your next week of training off strong. Far be it from me to tell when you can and can't run, but if Saturday would work, you may want to give it a shot. BTW- it is only 5 more miles to 20 as you said. Just 5. Keep thinking that way and you will have a long run like you've never had. At 15, just try to forget that you have 15 in the bank, and focus on how short the last 5 will be. It's all a matter of mental toughness. I'm not telling you to go out and run a 20 miler this weekend, but you are much closer to doing it than you think. It's all there in your mind. You just have to let it out. Seriously......
p.s.- bark mulch trails?? AWESOME!!!

juliaberry · 04-15-2003, 01:44 PM

I will probably move my long run to saturdays when the spring football season is over. Right now I work all day on saturday and a long run after that is absolutely miserable. The race is actually on a saturday too so that would make sense. Still a little bit sore today from sunday. Not terrible but a little bit. Mentally i'm good providing there aren't anymore unforseen obstacles that pop up in the next 11 weeks! The 15 miler mentally was the easiest long run I've done yet for some reason. 3- 5mile loops split it up well so really, the way I'm looking at it is one more won't be bad. It's all really flat and the bark mulch is great--unless it's a terrential downpour--then it floats and you can't see where the big puddles are! But really it's the best running surface I've found besides just dirt trails. There are probably close to 30miles of bark mulch trails here -give or take, or at least that I have found. A lot of them are very short though. We have one great 1mile figure 8 trail that the 1000 m loop is marked every 100m (going either way) and the entire thing is marked every 1/4 mile/400m. It's unbelievable for speedwork if your not training specifically for track runs. I did a lot of speedwork on it when I was messing around with short distance stuff in the fall.

ARZEE · 04-16-2003, 01:22 PM

I hope you were able to get out this morning or will get out this p.m. to shake out the stiffness. Sometimes after a long run, when you're really sore, the last thing you want is to go out and hammer your legs some more. That's usually the best time to go (as you well know I'm sure). It really must make things a little easier to have access to things like cold soakers, and all the info that must be available there at the university. Speaking of cold soaks- Paula Radcliff had a hellofarun on the weekend. 2:15!! She was only 9 minutes behind the winner of the men's race! She is very fast and CLEAN. I'm feeling alittle sore today myself as I ran a quick 14 miler yesterday afternoon and then ran a 5 mile recovery this morning. Yoga last night also as I was trying to avoid DOMS, but I still got hit this morning. Still, it would have been much worse had I not done the 30 minutes of yoga. The 14 miler was in a park that has some slight hills in it and I ran hard on the downhills. Anyway, I should be alright for tomorrow's 12 miler in the morning. The heel is doing good and the stretching is keeping it at bay. How does the training for the rest of the week look for you?

juliaberry · 04-16-2003, 01:41 PM

Didn't manage to get out for a run yesterday. Another week with 2 days in a row off. Bad idea but I was up all night on monday working on a group project and of course the dreaded taxes so morning just didn't happen and yet another long day at work (3hour practice in the pouring rain) just didn't let it happen at night. I was actually in bed at 9 last night. I did get out this morning for what was supposed to be a 7miler at race pace (or at least part/most of it) which turned into a 4 mile misery run. Ahh shin splints. I'm going to try for another 4 tonight and call it a day. Legs felt great this morning--until I started running. Probably a combination of 2 days off and not drinking enough water or eating enough before I went out. Will get out for a run tomorrow (probably 5 or so) and then try the long run on saturday this week (I only have to go in for a couple hours in the morning). May have to do sunday the next two weeks but from then on out Sat will be a good day for long runs. It is great to have access to all the modalities I could ever need. I don't use them as much as I could because it means that much more time at work but after long or hard runs I generally hop in the cold tank and always ice after every run I do from here. What's nice is the bark trail I do most of my runs on is right out the back door. Wow, 9 minutes behind the mens winner--that's impressive. I can't immagine running a full marathon that fast--honestly I don't think I could pull off a mile at that pace. Wow, you really are piling on the mileage huh? My legs (and my schedule) can't handle it yet. Can only handle one run over 10 per week right now. Will eventually (in like 4 weeks) be doing a 10mile midweek run but until then I'm keeping the majority of the week low! good to hear that your heel is doing better or at least not doing worse! Usually stretching a ton and the ice thing works as well as anything else. I've always thought about yoga and never actually made it to a class or bought a video. The cold tank and some stretching generally keep me pretty good.

juliaberry · 04-23-2003, 12:18 AM

You didn't get a chance to watch Boston did you? I was ridiculously busy all day and didn't get to see any of it. Talked to someone a little bit about it today but they really didn't know what was going on. Women's winning time was around 2:27? I guess heartbreak hill really is bad huh? Did you say you ran at boston? So how did the weekend treat you? What did you do for a long run this week? I only did 10. Trying to keep the shin splints as quiet as possible, if not get rid of them!

ARZEE · 04-23-2003, 08:38 AM

Shin splints... ya, they are creeping in on me also. I did 21 miles on Saturday. The weekly mileage is also creeping up on me. Looks like I may hit 70 miles this week. If I can get enough rest and food, that is. As far as the shin splints go, I just accept that the shins are going to be tender in the time leading up to a marathon. My son knows this and takes pleasure in hitting them every chance he gets. No Boston for me.. yet. I will qualify in 2004 ( the group I run with wants to go in 2005). Looks like I will run Chicago this year. I have heard that heartbreak hill is bad, but will have to wait to experience it.
M-8 miles w/ 10x100 m strides.
T- 14 miles
W- 5 miles (recovery)
T- a.m.- 11 miles with 6 @ marathon goal pace. p.m.- 4 miles (recovery)
F- 7 miles (recovery)
Sat- 21 miles
S- rest
What do you have on tap for this week and weekend??

juliaberry · 04-23-2003, 10:07 AM

Good old shin splints! Never had them before surprisingly, with my ridiculous mechanics. Like your son, my football guys know just how to launch a roll of tape or a water bottle so it hits right on the spot. They (the shin splints, not the football guys) are killing my motivation though. On one hand I know that I can run through them and they are part of life, on the other hand, I'm a certified athletic trainer and I know what a nightmare they can become if left untreated or treated improperly (ie steadily increasing weekly mileage) especially being a female who get's about zero calcium outside of the multi I take and the history of severe osteoporosis in my family. I'm definitely motivated to run, but the atheltic trainer side of me knows better some days, which is why I'm only actually pounding the pavement so to speak 4 days/week and lifting/cross training another 2 days. Boston (even just qualifying) is my dream--as it is for anyone who runs marathons! I would love to qualify first go (ridiculous goal #1) despite not being able to get there to run it. I think that right now, since I've now heard one horror story about this particular race I'm running, I'm just focusing on finishing hopefully in the neighborhood of 4 hours--under would be great but the neighborhood would be fine too! The nutritionist I'm talking to ran the half there last year and said she was absolutely miserable for the last 11 miles--- not promising. So, the plan for this week:

Wednesday: 6mi (30-45 minutes at estimated race pace-- 8:45?)
Thursday: Pool running for 45-60min
Friday: 4mi Moderate pace (8:45-9)
Saturday: 16miler
Sunday: Rest/easy cross-training

Will hit 30 this week. Seems like childsplay compared to your 70 but a big milestone for me! I think I only go as high as 45 or so but really I don't know that my poor legs will handle much more than that. I'm going to see how the 16 miler goes and register for this thing next week. That makes me nervous! So Chicago this year huh? I've heard that one is great. One of the staff I work with is running New York this fall. She's nuts. Offered to run with me a few times but she went by me like I was walking in the 5miler I ran in the fall and I was running at a 7:20 pace. Really the people I can run with here are either insanely fast (which I'm not and will never be) or insanely slow, which is great at times but doesn't accomplish much. I love running with my roommate, she's just an 11minute miler. Don't get me wrong, it's great that she's out running but it's tough to do all that much with her.

ARZEE · 04-23-2003, 10:36 AM

Julia- don't believe everything people tell you about different races. How was their preparation leading up to the event? Did they do a proper taper? Someone who suffers for 11 miles in a half (sorry about this) wasn't prepared or was ill at the start line. Proper training will NEVER let you down. Think positive and that will be the result.
Try to set a time goal (for the marathon) in your mind and run the rest of your race pace runs at that pace. Don't waver in your commitment to this. Like the 15 miler of 10 days ago, it's all in your head. Don't let anyone else in there.
30 miles IS a milestone!! Downplaying it only lessens it's importance. Wasn't long ago that 25 or 30 was a MAJOR milestone for me also. Over time the miles rise, but every milestone is as important as the last. Your shins will get stronger and sooner than you realize your weekly base will increase.
As far as running in Boston- anyone can run a marathon, and anyone can run Boston. If you commit to it as one of your goals it will become reality. Stay positive Julia.

juliaberry · 04-23-2003, 11:36 AM

I'm definitely positive about the race itself. I will run this race if it kills me, I can do it and the only thing that will stop me is a broken leg (or something of the sort). Really I don't see that happening so I'm good to go. As far as the tales from the nutritionist, I don't know how she prepared or if it was just something she did for fun. She kept harping on the altitude (which really is my only concern at 4000 feet). I'm not necissarily worried even, I'm just still trying to determine what is a good pace and what is a reasonable goal time for the training I am doing (which, according to every "training plan" I've looked at is very minimal). I want to get my mileage up as quickly as I can but I also know that the 10% rule (give or take a little) is a good one and I don't want to stray too far for fear of not being able to run it at all because I'm injured. Bad negative thoughts but that is what happens when you are in your 6th year of school and 5th year of working in a program/profession that only deals with injured people! I am so excited to run this marathon. It's all I can think about sometimes. I want to prove to myself that I can do it and really I just keep jotting things down to do next time--yup, already planning on the next one. Well, maybe I'll shoot for the 3:40 I would need to qualify--too lofty? We'll see I guess. Really over 26.2 miles the pace isn't that much faster than I had planned. Just have to work that much harder!

juliaberry · 04-23-2003, 08:08 PM

Had an amazing run this evening. It's because all I did was eat all afternoon!! Had a huge lunch and about 4 pieces of cake this afternoon at work--now that's what I call staying fueled!! It didn't hurt that it was cold and raining either-- my best running weather (the "I'm freezing and wet and I want to be done" kind of fast run!). 6 miles around an 8:20 pace with no pain at all-- not even my shin. How did the recovery run go today? I like recovery days. It feels good to just run the stiffness off sometimes.

ARZEE · 04-24-2003, 09:42 AM

My recovery run was alright. Fairly sore from Tuesday's 14 miler. Today is another story. Feeling quite run down and didn't get up for the 11 mile run I had scheduled. I did bring my shorts and GPS unit to work. I'll probably hit the park on the way home and knock off the run then. Cake! That's fuel for sure. Jelly beans on the run also give the same kick. Just watch out for the drop in NRG as it feels just like the WALL. Ouch. Improperly timed some last week and the last 1.5 miles were tough. Mental training for the actual WALL that most likely will hit in the 23 mile range. That's when I usually hit it. Although the proper training can rid you of it. One of the guys I run with told me about the time the concrete came up to meet him as he attempted to finish a marathon. He said that as the concrete came toward his face he was asking himself what the concrete was doing up in the air. It wasn' t until he had completely face planted that he realized he had passed out while still conscious!! Now that's a cool story! Feels like I just motivated myself to get that run in this p.m. See ya.