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The Sirens

Posted in health, rest, training, Vibram Five Fingers, tagged bikila, Odysseus, Rehab, running, Sirens, Vibram on May 17, 2010| 5 Comments »

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In Greek mythology, the Sirens were dangerous bird-women, portrayed as seductresses who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island [wikipedia]. This past week I have been dealing with my own version of the Sirens. The weather has been generally delightful, my knee has felt fine, and my new Vibram Bikila Shoes, though wonderful on the elliptical, have been whispering run, run over and over again. Yes, as I work to make sure that my knee is healthy, the Sirens have been calling me to the road, tempting me to run.

For once, I am trying to be smart about it. I want to run. I need to run. But like Odysseus, I am strapping myself to the mast (the elliptical) and having my men (the DVR) row me through temptation. Though I have to admit I did run one mile (ONLY ONE!) with my buddy Josh (@bostoncardiovet) as he made his way through an uphill mile 11 of the Heartbreak Hill Half Marathon on Sunday.

So far so good. The knee is on the mend, I’m maintaining cardio health and I can see the road just a week away. But as that day approaches, the Sirens’ song gets louder and more beautiful. The temptation to go back just a day, maybe two, early is very strong. Would it really hurt to go back to running just a day early? Probably not, but why take the chance? Right?

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Taper

Posted in boston marathon, rest, training, tagged boston marathon, running, taper on April 5, 2010| 6 Comments »

I kind of make it up as I go

– @britishbulldog (winner of the ’09 Cayman Marathon) on how he approaches his marathon training

And so it begins…the part of the training cycle many of us dread – the Taper.

Two weeks before race day and we’re supposed to drop our mileage by 20 – 40%. Since I haven’t been following a particular training program – encouraged to make it up as I go – see above – I’m not exactly sure what to do for the next 2 weeks.

My training program has essentially been “run a lot” – and I have. With 250 miles in five weeks, a little over 600 in the 16 weeks leading up to this point, I know that I need to lighten the mileage, but I also know that I need to keep using the engine to stay sharp. Maybe the plan should just be “run less”.

What to do, what to do.

Last Friday I went out for what was supposed to be an easy four miler. I came back with a non-race PR of 26:30, a hopping 6:38 pace. The weather, the rest day before, my first run of April all combined to tempt me into flying. It was a fantastic run, but I know that it wasn’t the smartest thing to do. You start running at top speed and you raise the risk for injury. I don’t want to do that right before my race.

The running gods smiled on me a couple of weeks ago. I need to respect that and be smart in these next two weeks leading up to Boston. The problem for me is, I’m not sure what that means. Right up to Eastern States I was piling on the weekly mileage, and my legs felt pretty fresh. Do I continue that approach this week? Put in 40 – 50 like I want to? or would taking it easy these two weeks make my legs feel even fresher? I just don’t know. Unfortunately, experience lies on the other side of this race.

Why do we hate the taper so much? Is it habit? Addiction? Shouldn’t our bodies welcome the reduced pounding that is marathon training? Whatever the reason, I know, KNOW, that these next two weeks are going to be the most difficult part of the training for me.

And of course, if I fail in my attempt to qualify for Boston at Boston, how do I approach the next 13 days before Providence? It’s going to be an interesting month. With 2 marathons in less than 2 weeks, I don’t anticipate April’s mileage approaching March’s. Is there such a thing as a month-long taper?

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Recovery

Posted in rest, tagged foot, knee, marathon, muscle, race, recovery on November 12, 2009| 2 Comments »

People keep reminding me that recovery and rest are part of training. I consistently have a hard time with this concept, despite the fact that I’ve experienced the negative impact of not listening to my body and allowing it to heal, rest and recover.

This last week and a half however I’ve had no choice. 26.2 miles will do that to you I guess. Today I finally went out for a run. Yes, I had gone out for a jog the Tuesday after the race and then again earlier this week, but in both cases, my run was slow and deliberate. My legs would only do so much and that was it. Any harder and my quads would have taken me back to mile 20. I started to have doubts as to whether I could actually run a decent race at this Sunday’s Chilly Half Marathon. I began rationalizing my race results, almost assuming that my original idea of trying to threaten a sub 1:35:00 was out of the question.

So I rested…until today.

And today’s run was sweet. Yes, it was only 5 miles. Yes, I was originally planning to plod along again today. And yes , the first mile was a pokey 8:45. But the moment I started mile 2, something in me revved up. The engine wanted to be let loose.

You see, over the last year I’ve discovered that when I don’t run I get antsy and cranky and grumpy. I start walking around in circles, bumping into walls, just not sure what to do with myself. I think that’s why recovery is so hard for me. I like the drug that is the runner’s high. It’s clean; it’s pleasant and when you’re down from your high, you still feel good. I needed a fix!

So I loosened up the throttle and let the engine rip. By the end of mile 2 I was feeling it. I ran completely oblivious to any pain for the next two miles and then coasted the last mile, riding the remnants of the wave. I never know how long the runner’s highs will last so I milk them for all they’ve got. I ran the last 4 miles of my run in under 28 minutes and the last 3 in 20:20. I haven’t run that fast outdoors for that long since high school, and back then I hated it!

My point is that if I hadn’t taken it easy the last week and a half, I probably would not have had this sweet, sweet run this morning. I’d probably still be trudging along, pulling at my quads and looking at this weekend’s race as a task. I still may crash and burn. A lot can happen in 13.1 miles, but at least my attitude now is that I am gonna try to crush it.

Recovery I guess, as everyone keeps telling me, is a good thing. Now I just hope I can apply the lessons I learned at Manchester and put in a smart race.