The "what the hell do I call my training log?" training log...

ncmc

Very eloquent C, I'm so glad someone else feels that way, because I was thinking it was just me being lazy! I feel the same. I just don't feel motivated to spend tens of hours running hundreds of miles just to knock 5 minutes off my marathon time. I just don't have that push any more. In some ways, I feel I've ticked the marathon box to some extent and now I want to try something different. It's a pity, I would love to give tri a go but I don't have a bike and can't swim! So it's safe to say, I would find a triathlon challenging!

I have provisionally signed up to do a cross country event next month. Haven't a clue what's involved, all I know is that it's short (good) and fast (bad) but it's something different and it sounds fun. I want to get the love of running back and not have it all about endless, boring, double digit, lonely runs.

That book sounds very interesting, must look it up.

blockic

Dilbert75 wrote: »

Btw the Jim Stynes book is well worth a read. But if you're emotionally unstable tread carefully - it's pretty harrowing in places. Must have a look for the documentary - I missed it when RTE showed it.

Savage documentary.....defo recommend it....I've ignored the rest of the stuff you are saying... :pac:

Nah, after the marathon I'm looking forward to steping back a bit for the winter and doing some cross country races for pain fun.

Gavlor

Dilbert75 wrote: »

Btw the Jim Stynes book is well worth a read. But if you're emotionally unstable tread carefully - it's pretty harrowing in places. Must have a look for the documentary - I missed it when RTE showed it.

The documentary is very good, but I think the book/diary gives a great insight into the mind of person battling to save his life despite being kicked again and again. Really inspirational stuff.


*My advice would be to steer clear if you have anybody close suffering from that awful illness.

RedRunner

I found the documentary very emotional alright as my own Father passed a few years back from Cancer. It was a great insight though into a great man in so many respects.

On the running question, I haven't reached anywhere near my potentional yet but after I've cured my marathon ego, I do have an urge to do some ultra "soul" running!

Dilbert75

Gavlor wrote: »

The documentary is very good, but I think the book/diary gives a great insight into the mind of person battling to save his life despite being kicked again and again. Really inspirational stuff.


*My advice would be to steer clear if you have anybody close suffering from that awful illness.

Good advice. Just watched the documentary - it is very good indeed.

Dilbert75

So I was in with the physio this morning for a course of dry needling. No impact exercise before Saturday, though with work there's little chance of that. So the question is: I ran 83km in Wk 35, 32km in Wk 36, 11km in Wk 37, 16.5 in Wk 38 and 9.7km so far in Wk39; if I can run again (long and slow only) what are my chances of making it round DCM?

EDIT: Here's my distance pattern for 2013

career_move

Dilbert75 wrote: »

So I was in with the physio this morning for a course of dry needling. No impact exercise before Saturday, though with work there's little chance of that. So the question is: I ran 83km in Wk 35, 32km in Wk 36, 11km in Wk 37, 16.5 in Wk 38 and 9.7km so far in Wk39; if I can run again (long and slow only) what are my chances of making it round DCM?

What pace are you thinking of running at? Are you going to be satisfied with just finishing in a slow time?

Dilbert75

Probably less dissatisfied to finish in a slower time than to not finish in a quicker time or to bail on the second one altogether!:D It'd be a bit of a shocker to put in 2000km of running in a year and not finish one marathon. But I can't see myself flaking it either. Mrs. D will be holding onto the house marathon record for another while.

career_move

Dilbert75 wrote: »

Probably less dissatisfied to finish in a slower time than to not finish in a quicker time or to bail on the second one altogether!:D It'd be a bit of a shocker to put in 2000km of running in a year and not finish one marathon. But I can't see myself flaking it either. Mrs. D will be holding onto the house marathon record for another while.

Well you'll finish it no bother. I'd say if your leg was better you could go out tomorrow and run 26 miles at a pace. Just remember "Speed kills"

ncmc

Dilbert75 wrote: »

So I was in with the physio this morning for a course of dry needling. No impact exercise before Saturday, though with work there's little chance of that. So the question is: I ran 83km in Wk 35, 32km in Wk 36, 11km in Wk 37, 16.5 in Wk 38 and 9.7km so far in Wk39; if I can run again (long and slow only) what are my chances of making it round DCM?

EDIT: Here's my distance pattern for 2013

It’s really tough to comment on other people’s injuries because obviously, none of us know how bad it is or how much discomfort it is causing.

What is your main concern with regards to DCM, is it the lack of mileage in the last few weeks or is it that the calf might not hold up for the 26 miles?

If it is the former, then I wouldn’t worry if I were you. You have more than enough quality mileage done this year to get you around DCM in a respectable time.

However if you are worried that the calf won’t hold up to a 26 mile run, well that’s a trickier one. I think it would be a massive mistake to run if you are unsure about the calf. You could do long term damage and for what? To make it around Dublin in a time you are not particularly happy with? I think psychologically, having a bad race could do more damage than making the decision not to run. Please don’t use words like ‘bail’ you are being too hard on yourself! It’s not ‘bailing’ to take the difficult decision not to run due to an injury. When push comes to shove, we can do all the training and do everything right, but we are really at the mercy of our bodies ‘playing ball’ so to speak and staying uninjured.

So it’s really down to whether you think the calf will hold up or not. Again, I wouldn’t worry about the lack of mileage, as CM says, you could probably go out and run 26 miles tomorrow if the calf was up to it. But no one will think any worse of you if you decide not to run, I don’t know if you follow Running King’s log, but he’s made the decision not to run DCM and I think it’s the right decision for him. I wouldn’t make a decision just yet though, you still have four weeks until DCM, you could put off the decision for a couple of weeks, maybe wait til work calms down a bit and you can think straight.

Sorry, didn’t mean this reply to be so long!

Runchick

Ah no...I leave boards for a few days and you're dropping like flies :eek: I totally agree with the 'good for the soul' stuff though - if you lose the love then what's the point? Personally I am still in love with it all plus I have demons to banish (limerick- induced)...if you think the calf can hold up you could always jog round in 4 hours and bring a cattle prod to keep me ahead of you in the last few miles - belly laughing is good for the soul you know

Seriously though sorry to hear the calf is still a problem, hope you find the love again and don't disappear to the dark side

Dilbert75

Thank you all for the encouragement - I guess I'm asking based on the assumption that the calf is good to go. If it's not, I'm out - no question.

When I sit back and think about it I guess it's no surprise either that I'm getting a bit worn out with running or that I'm lacking confidence at this stage. I've missed a good few long runs now so I know that will hurt my potential. More than that I've missed a good few midweek runs too and should have anticipated that - I'm doing both my own job and my boss' (literally) until mid-January, so it's 10 & 11 hour days every day. By the time I get home in the evening I'm fit for nothing.

The other thing is that this is my fourth marathon plan since I started running 21 months ago. It's a huge amount of running to undertake from scratch so, especially knowing I was going to be swamped with work, I really should have given Dublin a miss. Meh, never mind. If I do it, I'll run to a HR of 150-160bpm until RTE and then see what's left in the tank.

Gavlor

Dilbert75 wrote: »

' Meh, never mind. If I do it, I'll run to a HR of 150-160bpm until RTE and then see what's left in the tank.

That's the spirit!!

upthe19th

Sorry to hear about all the bother injury-wise C.

You know the crack yourself and you're no stranger to making tough, sensible calls on things.

Never under estimate long working days and fatigue. Somethings got to give. You've gotten through a serious multitude of training.

The bucket list will keep things interesting, I predict :). Wetsuit eh? Here we go..........

Dilbert75

All hope of a competitive DCM have pretty much evaporated now and my chances of any kind of pb (i.e. less than 3.54) finish to DCM are receding quickly. Indeed my chances of starting and finishing are receding quickly.

Just been out for my first run since last Sunday, having rested for a few days after dry needling. From pretty much the off I knew it wasn't going to be right but persevered. Stopped a few times to stretch out and kept it very tame in between. Still coming to 17 or 18k the medial area of the calf was tightening. Ended up walking up about a km of the hill near the end but jogged the rest of the way. Was quite sore by the time I got home.

Marathon stick is getting to the point but not really giving relief - neither is the foam roller. Three visits to Physio haven't worked, though the left leg and the outer right leg were fine. Sad faces all round here.

Steroo

Sorry to see this. Sounds v frustrating. All I'd say is dont run any more on that calf... Few weeks off might be good idea.

Then regroup and see how you feel when work is back to normal.

Whats this about a wetsuit?!

career_move

Bummer

Runchick

No way, that must've been so disappointing. Did the physio give you the ok to run? Any ideas of the cause? If the bike doesn't affect it you could stick to 2 wheels for a week or so and see....

Tom Joad

Sorry to hear that - sounds like you need a few to rest up the calf and get back on the horse (horse not bike!! )

Dilbert75

Physio was ok with me running after the few days. Think she sorted the outside but not the inside. It's just very frustrating. And knowing I don't have the option of getting a run in after work is leading me to stay longer in work in the evenings - though I'll probably end up missing runs anyway because it's mental and will be till the new year.

And Ste the wetsuit is intended to give me one more option of something to be mediocre at!

RedRunner

That's crap Dilbert sorry to hear of your troubles persisting. Good luck over the next few weeks.

Gavlor

How are you feeling about dcm now?

Dilbert75

Gavlor wrote: »

How are you feeling about dcm now?

Honestly? It's 90% certain to be a spectator event at this stage. Booked with Physio for Tue am for a final throw of the dice but I've missed so much now that I can't see it being feasible at this stage.

But sure stuff happens. How are you fixed?

Gavlor

Dilbert75 wrote: »

Honestly? It's 90% certain to be a spectator event at this stage. Booked with Physio for Tue am for a final throw of the dice but I've missed so much now that I can't see it being feasible at this stage.

But sure stuff happens. How are you fixed?

Ah f€ck, that's a tough break. At this rate there will be more boardsies watching it than running in it!

I'm being held together by tape at the moment. Once I get through the 20 miler next Saturday I should be good to go. The icing, stretching and rolling after each run is becoming a bit of a chore

Dilbert75

Good news and bad news.

Good: Something running-related happened to me today.

Bad: It was that my baby toenail fell off.

Runchick

Dilbert75 wrote: »

Good news and bad news.

Good: Something running-related happened to me today.

Bad: It was that my baby toenail fell off.

Toenails are overrated I'm keeping my positive head on and hoping for good news from your physio visit on Tuesday

Dilbert75

It's my first one to go though, so at last I qualify as a real runner. Apart from the fact that I can't run!

career_move

Dilbert75 wrote: »

It's my first one to go though, so at last I qualify as a real runner. Apart from the fact that I can't run!

Now that's progress :D

Dilbert75

8am - torture time. Explained to Physio that the outer calf was fine but medial side wasn't and that I can feel it if I hunker down. Also explained what I was doing to try roll it out. She had a shot at it and broke the news that my calf is grand.

But it's my anterior tibialis that's injured as a result of tight calf. She rubbed it hard, I screamed hard. Then she announced that the needles were coming out. When I screamed a bit more than last time she explained that, due to the shape and size of the muscle, she's poking the same point each time and that she was poking through the muscle to the bone to stimulate the natural healing response.

The upshot is that this is slower and more awkward to treat than lateral shin splints and healing is very individual, so it's hard to predict how it'll go. I've to ice it and roll it with a small ball (to get in at it - it's behind the tibia), try some gentle exercise on Thursday and give her a call towards the weekend. My feeling is that I'm a little further from DCM13 than I thought I was this morning. Tick tock, tick tock - I might just have lost this race.

On the up side, my new TT has shipped.

Gavlor

Dilbert75 wrote: »

8am - torture time. Explained to Physio that the outer calf was fine but medial side wasn't and that I can feel it if I hunker down. Also explained what I was doing to try roll it out. She had a shot at it and broke the news that my calf is grand.

But it's my anterior tibialis that's injured as a result of tight calf. She rubbed it hard, I screamed hard. Then she announced that the needles were coming out. When I screamed a bit more than last time she explained that, due to the shape and size of the muscle, she's poking the same point each time and that she was poking through the muscle to the bone to stimulate the natural healing response.

The upshot is that this is slower and more awkward to treat than lateral shin splints and healing is very individual, so it's hard to predict how it'll go. I've to ice it and roll it with a small ball (to get in at it - it's behind the tibia), try some gentle exercise on Thursday and give her a call towards the weekend. My feeling is that I'm a little further from DCM13 than I thought I was this morning. Tick tock, tick tock - I might just have lost this race.

On the up side, my new TT has shipped.

Given the lack of mileage over the past few weeks I think Dublin could be 4 hours of torture even if the injury heals (don't look it up on google images!)

Is it a TT bike or a turbo trainer?? Either way, nice one.