Am I Running Or Jogging?

Maximus Alexander

Neglecting the log because I've been in a bit of a running sulk. Taper is not going to plan at the moment and confidence levels are falling...

Tue 11th, 5 Miles Easy: This was a commute and I was feeling good so ended up close to PMP... 8.3km @ 5:44/km

Wed 12th, 5 Miles Easy: Another commute, feeling even better than the previous day but tried to force myself to slow down... 8.7km @ 5:46/km

Thu 13th, 5 Miles Easy: Third consecutive commute. Not as energetic this time and succeeded in slowing down. A bit. 8.7km @ 5:51/km

Sun 16th, 14 Miles LSR: Normally would have done this on Saturday and had a recovery on Sunday, but I was feeling a bit off on Saturday so I deferred it. Went out on Sunday afternoon and absolutely breezed through this run without a bother. Felt great throughout, picked up the pace for the last few miles and had plenty of energy left when I finished. 22.6km @ 6:00/km

All good at that point. At 48km that was my lowest mileage non-racing week since early July, but I had felt strong, fit and healthy throughout all of the runs and was really happy with how everything was going.

Until Monday morning.

I've been having a bit of an issue with my calf/achilles in recent weeks. For the most part it has been little more than a nuisance niggle, the type of thing that usually passes. But it flared up on Monday and I was having a lot of discomfort walking up and down steps.

This led to me missing my first run of the entire Boards plan on Tuesday, which put me into a really negative humour. Training has gone so well for the last 4 months and to trip over a hurdle at this stage is very frustrating.

It felt a little better yesterday so I had to have a crack at the planned run.

Wed 19th, 4 Miles Easy: Partial commute, hopped on LUAS once I reached the required distance. My leg felt improved, but there was still some discomfort and I spent the whole run being really conscious of it out of fear that I might make it worse. Felt fine afterwards and this morning, though I'm still trying to decide if it's better, worse, or the same as yesterday. Completely preoccupied by it. Going mad. Send help. 6.4km @ 5:52/km

There's another 4 miles on the plan tonight and I don't know if I can mentally stand to skip it so I'm going to do it. I'll be skipping the strides though...

diego_b

Max in a similar position to yourself over the last week and missed a run on Sunday, went to a physio today and she just worked out my right calf which wasn't causing me pain but felt tight. No strain and hopefully settles now in a day or two, maybe worth getting a check if even just to help with confidence.

tailgunner

Ah, I'm getting serious deja vu here. My taper was identical.

First things first, get thee to a physio! It's worth forking out for it, even for peace of mind. I had very similar problems at the same stage of the taper, and going to see someone about it was a huge weight off my mind.

As for tonight's run, just skip it. Go for a cycle or something instead if you're really stressed, but you can only do too much at this stage. I did feck all running in the last week before the marathon and it did me no harm at all.

You've been ridiculously consistent so far, and you're definitely there in terms of fitness. All you need to do is rest and recover between now and Sunday week.

Neady83

diego_b wrote: »

maybe worth getting a check if even just to help with confidence

tailgunner wrote: »

First things first, get thee to a physio! It's worth forking out for it, even for peace of mind . I had very similar problems at the same stage of the taper, and going to see someone about it was a huge weight off my mind.

As for tonight's run, just skip it. Go for a cycle or something instead if you're really stressed, but you can only do too much at this stage. I did feck all running in the last week before the marathon and it did me no harm at all.

You've been ridiculously consistent so far, and you're definitely there in terms of fitness. All you need to do is rest and recover between now and Sunday week

So sorry to hear that MA, don't loose faith, keep calm and take the wise advice given to you already. A trip to the physio will give you great peace of mind

Maximus Alexander

But if I rest too much I'll pile on the pounds and then I'll have to waddle around the DCM! :pac:

I've never been to a physio before but there's one not far from my apartment. I'll have to see if they're open on the weekend.

Firedance

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

But if I rest too much I'll pile on the pounds and then I'll have to waddle around the DCM! :pac:

I've never been to a physio before but there's one not far from my apartment. I'll have to see if they're open on the weekend.

:pac: you won't.... I can't add anything to what TG and the others have already said. You'll be okay missing a run max, in fact missing all your runs would be just fine. It will be okay...

The Muppet

Sorry to read that max but you have the miles in at this stage . Don't do anything that may make things worse for you.

Hope it sorts itself out soon.

tony1980

This might be a blessing in disguise Max as long as the injury is ok by next week, the extended rest after a perfect training plan might be exactly what you need.

Get to a physio and see what they say and dont stress about missed runs, your training is done. I have missed a nice bit at different times throughout the training but im feeling fit and think I should be fine after doing a 21 mile pmp run with no issue so I can imagine after the brilliant training you have put in, missed runs wont matter to you at this stage, just get a physio to have a look at the issue for you and hopefully then you will be perfectly fine for the day.

Maximus Alexander

It's actually feeling a million times better now after resting this week. I'd love to be able to go for a test run but now I've come down with a throat infection! I'll see how I am tomorrow, hopefully I'l be able to do a few miles for my sanity's sake but regardless, it seems to be mending itself thankfully!

I feel like I've put on a few pounds this week though, not sure how much of it is in my head! :pac:

The Muppet

I think the feelings of putting on weight is common with the reduction in miles max . I feel the same but I'm not getting on a scales to confirm it.

Good to hear the injury is healing mind the throat infection .

Firedance

The very best of luck for Sunday Max!!!! I hope the leg and the throat are fully recovered and you're ready to rock, stay positive on the day and enjoy the experience and for the love of god, get an early night on Friday and Saturday

chickey2

Best of luck! Sub 4 is the group to be in!

Younganne

Best of luck for Sunday, hope it all goes to plan for you.

Maximus Alexander

Thanks guys, think I'm in the last stages of recovery on the throat and the achilles has been well rested! I've given myself a B goal of 4:10 and a C goal of finishing without walking. Decided to ease up on the expectations a tad in light of the last week and focus on enjoying it!

Firedance wrote: »

The very best of luck for Sunday Max!!!! I hope the leg and the throat are fully recovered and you're ready to rock, stay positive on the day and enjoy the experience and for the love of god, get an early night on Friday and Saturday

I'm off work tomorrow and the only thing I have to do between now and Sunday is collect my race number so there's be lots of sleep and naps had.

diego_b

Have a good one Max, first of many I am sure!

tailgunner

Good luck Max. Your training has been very sensible, and your endurance has come on leaps and bounds as a result - you can clearly see that in your race results over the summer.

I know the taper hasn't exactly gone to plan, but it's that consistent block of mileage over the summer that will count on the day. If anything, I think you'll benefit from the extra recovery over the last week or two.

I really hope you enjoy the marathon regardless, but for what it's worth, I think you're definitely in sub-4 shape. Just play it very safe for the first half of the race, stay positive, and you'll have every chance of hitting the A-goal.

Maximus Alexander

Cheers TG, I appreciate the vote of confidence and I hope you're right!

I had been brimming with confidence after the HM and that's been shaken a bit now, but I'll still go out and give it my best and sure who knows.

tony1980

Best of luck Sunday Max, you have the training behind you for a sub 4 marathon which i'm sure you will do. I will be joining you with the sub 4 pacers, really looking forward to it now. Are you going to McGrattans afterwards, if so, hopefully i'll see you there!

FIFA2004

Good luck on Sunday Max!!!!!! Hope you get the result you want and your training deserves! Enjoy your day! Can't wait for the report... it better be epic!

Neady83

The very best of luck on Sunday MA, I hope it all goes well. You've put the hard work in and a sub-4 is definitely yours for the taking. Enjoy the atmosphere and bring it home

This Fat Girl Runs

All the best for Sunday! I'll be out cheering you on!

denis b

Best of luck Max. Really enjoyed the log and travails in getting you here. Nice and steady on the big day. Enjoy.

Singer

It's going to hurt. Enjoy your first marathon!

HS3

All the very best for tomorrow Max. I remember you saying at the beginning of the year how you'd like to give the race series a go, but you were unsure you'd be able. Now you've done it and are all set for your first marathon! Fair play for all the work you've put in. Hope you have a terrific day tomorrow.

jake1970

Best of luck tomorrow Max.

mel.b

Good luck tomorrow Max - you have put in an amazingly consistent block of training and i hope it pays of big time for you tomorrow. Most importantly, enjoy the run and i'm looking forward to reading the race report

Ososlo

tailgunner gave you brilliant advice upthread and I haven't got anything else to add except that I really hope you have a fantastic debut and major respect for the stellar training you've put into this. You deserve to do really well. I can't wait to hear how it goes for you!!!!! GOOD LUCK:D

Bluesquare

Good luck Max! Hope you reach that target!

Maximus Alexander

Thanks for all the well wishes guys. Things didn't go to plan, but hey, I'm a marathon runner now.

I did my report in the novices thread so it's here.

Singer

Epic race report. We had similar enough days (with a side order of cramp) except you toughed it out!

So, where and when are you breaking 4:00?

Maximus Alexander

Was thinking Connemarathon in April?

tailgunner

Sorry things didn't go to plan. I was following on the tracker, and you were pacing it perfectly. I was convinced you had the sub-4 in the bag when I saw your halfway split, and was gutted when the 30k split eventually appeared.

I actually don't think you did much wrong. Yeah, maybe you could have dropped back a wave and gone with a different pace group, but it's easy to say that in hindsight, and you'd have had no guarantee of a different outcome anyway. You didn't know your heart rate was up, and you couldn't have accounted for the cramping.

It's cruel how much of this marathon-running business comes down to sheer luck on the day. All you can do is train hard, prepare well, run sensibly, and hope that things go your way.

Glad to hear you're already considering future marathons. I've no doubt you'd have run sub-4 on another day, and you'll be in far better shape again by April.

Neady83

A very honest and humbling report Max, fair play for being so honest. It's a report that I won't forget in a hurry and one that will remind everyone just how tough 26.2 miles really is, it's a distance that demands utmost respected. You did the hard work, you did all the miles you were supposed to but everything didn't go right on the day. For any race, things need to go right for us on the day - I've no doubt that you had the training done for a sub-4. It will make it all the more sweet when it does come 

I think there's a few boardsies aiming for Connemara in April, including myself so you'll have company. It's a tough race though, the second half is very hilly, there's little support and the weather can be unforgiving so it's one where you would get to practice adjusting your target to the conditions. The scenery is spectacular though 

denis b

Max.... you did your absolute best and I firmly belong to the camp that feels that we need a certain amount of luck for everything to go right in a race of these proportions. There is simply no escape with that sort of distance. You did the preparation but the vagaries of health cannot all be planned for.

+1 for the very readable and informative race report. Seems as though your reflection will bring about a more satisfactory result for you in the future. Congrats on your epic finish.

Bluesquare

Max - congrats on your marathon - you finished it despite all the obstacles on the day ! The running gods weren't on your side for this one - they are an awful fickle bunch .

Im sure you will settle the score and have your revenge providing I don't get the beepers first!

HS3

Aw man....so sorry things didn't go to plan. Wouldn't know how this marathon business worked...but maybe if you'd dropped back to 4:20 you'd have cramped anyway and you'd be back to 4:50/5:00 wishing you'd given yourself the best of chances by sticking to 4:00? So unlucky to be ill on the day after everything you put into it.

HigginsJ

As race reports go that was a real tear jerker, on a positive note you went through hell and came out the other side, I am really impressed by that.

FIFA2004

Ah Max, only getting around to properly reading your report now, so honest but so hard on yourself! Not much to add to why everyone else has said. You did incredibly well to tough it out when things weren't going the way you wanted. When you do get sub4 it will be all the sweeter for the tough day on Sunday! Congratulations on running a Marathon!!!

This Fat Girl Runs

Max, you did what you had to do when you had to do it. You adapted to the day and the situation and that shows a great mental ability which will stand you in good stead for the next one. Well done you marathon runner, you!

Maximus Alexander

Guys I just wanted to say thanks for all of the above comments. You're all very kind and it has definitely helped me look at things from a different perspective. I'd probably still be beating myself up over it if I didn't have some kind and sensible input from my fellow runners but instead I'm gonna take the positives, take the lessons, and throw away all the bad vibes. There's plenty more running to be done, and I'm sure plenty more highs and lows too. Sure my next marathon will probably feel easy by comparison! :pac:

On that note, I'm turning over plans in my mind. Before Sunday I had a vague idea that I'd revert to shorter distances for a while and perhaps take another run at the marathon come DCM 2017, but I can't leave my business unfinished for that long. I was talking to a colleague today who recommended Tralee in March, as it's less hilly than Connemara, so that might be a goer.

In the mean time, sights are set on Jingle Bells in December, provided my achilles heals up. There should be a 5k pb there for the taking. Oh and breaking 1000 miles for 2016; I'm only about 30 short!

Maximus Alexander

I'm trying to invent a plan to bridge between now and Jingle Bells. Does this make any sense or is it a load of crap? Any input is welcome.

tailgunner

Just going by my own recovery experience, I wouldn't have been able for that third week. Maybe move the intervals session to the following week and leave the long run at 10 miles?

jake1970

I agree with tailgunner, that 3rd week looks like too much. Leave the LSR at 10 miles and the day after the 8x400 either run 3 mile recovery or rest. Make sure that all your easy miles are easy(5k + 2.30-3 min per mile).

Maximus Alexander

Thanks guys. I'd reckon you have a point; I was trying to go with Hal Higdon's idea of a reverse taper but I was going to go for 2 miles last night when I realised that even walking home from work was tiring me out :pac: So yeah those 14 miles are probably a bit soon.

Maximus Alexander

A little post DCM log update. Ran once last week, aggravated the achilles again. I decided to finally have some sense and take advantage of the post marathon break to actually recover properly.

A week later and I have been going a little crazy with the lack of activity so I headed over to the gym for 30 minutes on the stationary bike and a sneaky test on the treadmill. The signs are good! There was still a tiny bit of something there but it seems to be well on the mend and I can probably gradually ease back in to things soon.

Sat Nov 5th: 5.0km @ 6:04/km.

Thu Nov 10th: 30 mins bike at ~160bpm heart rate. 2.6km on treadmill at 5:56/km.

It felt pretty good to have the heart pumping again. I may head out and try a couple of miles over the weekend but I'm going to remain cautious.

Maximus Alexander

So in great news my achilles finally seems to be healed and I am chomping at the bit to run. On the other hand, I somehow managed to injure my foot by sitting. My girlfriend was away for the weekend and I had no other commitments really, so I spent the majority of the weekend sitting around watching movies and playing video games, and somehow during the course of such wild activities, the heel of my foot got injured and is sore. :rolleyes:

Anyway, I'm not going to stand for it so I went for a run anyway. Did 6k at 6:06/km. It was great to be back out there but it felt like much more work than it ought to have for such a modest pace. It feels like the last month has not been kind to my fitness level!

HS3

You were playing Dance Party weren't you?

Maximus Alexander

My secret shame!

Maximus Alexander

My weird sitting related foot injury is improving and I was back out tonight for another few miles. Jesus it was awful out there. Freezing cold and a strong enough wind, quite the contrast from the tail end of marathon training and in such a short space of time! Did 7.2km (4.5 miles) at 5:55/km. Felt a little less out of shape than Tuesday, but still nothing like pre-marathon.

Maximus Alexander

I was away in the Canaries for a bit of winter sun last week and I got a bit of running in while I was at it.

Sun 20th: We arrived on Saturday and I went out as the sun set on Sunday to explore the coast. We were in Playa Del Ingles and I headed down towards the neighbouring resort of San Augustin until the footpath ran out. The intention was an easy run, but with the heat it didn't work out that way. Also the coast is lined with cliffs with a promenade running along the top most of the way, but there are parts where you've no choice but to descend a couple of large sets of steps and head back up the other side. Let me tell you; this was exhausting work. On the way back my HR hit 197 at the top of a set of steps. I realised I was doing easy wrong and decided to leave it there and walk the last km back. :pac: Total: 8km @ 5:57/km

Tue 22nd: Back out in the evening but with no lessons learned. A shorter easy run was the plan, exploring the opposite direction where the Dunas Maspalomas provide a rather stunning view. The path ran out sooner than expected though and I was back to the steps. I learned nothing and ran up them again. :pac: Total: 6.4km @ 5:54/km

Thu 24th: This time I copped on a bit and avoided any steps, kept to the shade, and ran mostly away from the windy coast through streets filled with villas. It actually felt easy, and I was satisfied that I still knew how to run properly. I also passed 1000 miles for the year on this run! Not bad for my first full calendar year in this game, I was feeling pretty pleased with myself and had reward of lots of beer, cocktails and food. (Who am I kidding I would have had those anyway) Total: 7.4km @ 5:55/km

Sun 27th: Back home. The 26 days of marathon recovery are officially over and with the much cooler temperatures I decided to get out and run with some semblance of pace for a change. I started out easy but then gradually picked it up until I was going faster than (what was supposed to be) my marathon pace. Coming to the end I decided to pick it up some more and give it a bit of a blast at a comfortably hard pace. At 4:43, it was probably the fastest kilometer I've run in about 6 months. Felt nice and was kinda reassuring to find I could still run at that pace without keeling over. Total: 8km @ 5:32/km

Next up is Jingle Bells on Saturday and I'm hoping for a big PB, considering the last 5k I raced was Jingle Bells last year! I have literally no idea where my expectations should be, so I'm just going to go as quick as I can, hang on, and see what happens.