Hi Steve, I don't know the answer to the corral question. Will just be surprised with where I end up.
Well, update on my running power outage and exaustion from Tuesday. I feel much better. I rested Wed, cancelled my group bike ride that day and just spun the legs out easy around 60% for an hour on the trainer reading a magazine. I also restarted my cleanse program to eat clean again. I had been slipping in the last few weeks and I could feel it in how I was sleeping and recovering.
Then Thurs I was much better and was able to do the 8 mile group run with 2x15 at tempo( 7 min pace as my program calls for marathon tempo, basically 10-20 seconds off goal MP). I still was a little more out of breath than normal. Friday I swam and ran 5 miles rediculously easy.
Then Saturday( today) ran my long run with a friend at 5:30AM!!! He and I needed to do it early and a day early than our usual group run. We busted out 19 miles by 8 am!!!! WOW! I felt so good. We ran 15 easy and the last 4 FAST!! It was so nice to feel like myself again!!
@ Carrie - Nice on the long run... I have mine tomorrow but not till after Carole and I go XC skiing....
Seems like you really got hammered between the weekend and tuesday... glad to hear your back to 'game on'.....
So far I have been able to stay with the OS as written (mostly) and fill in my runs with more volume... it is the one thing I miss the most. I like the added speed from the Z4 and Z5 efforts, but I feel I am missing something... not sure if it is just an emotional loss or if I really need to run more long runs.... will have plenty of time between now and Boston to figure that out.
So, we expect 2" of snow tonight which will make conditions on the University trails real nice for an AM ski... then after lunch I am looking at a 16 miler, mostly around 8:20 but will see about getting 4 miles at or faster than MP.
Unfortunately my Boston Marathon may have to wait for another year. A left knee issue has reared its ugly head and I had to walk home the last 2 miles of a 7 mile run 3 weeks ago. Havent run since. MRI on thurs. Still able to do the bike workouts so I havent thrown in the towel yet! I had already registered for a 1/2 in feb and a 20 miler in march for the race prep. Arghh!!!
Steve - There are 2 waves and each wave has about 12-13 corrals, making for about 25 corrals in total. Wave 1 starts @ 10 am and Wave 2 goes off @ 10:30 am. Each corral has about 1000 runners in it. Given your 3:31 time, you will probably be in Wave 1, somewhere around corral 11-13. Last year the cut off for wave 1 was a time of about 3:34. The BAA will assign you a wave and corral about April 1.
One thing to know about the start is that the athlete village (where the buses drop you off and where you have to put your gear bag back on the bus) is almost a mile from the start, so there is a nice walk you'll have to make to the start. You'll want to wear something old to keep you warm (depending on the temperature) that you can discard once you are in the corral right before before the start. Most of the walk is down hill, except for the last 200-300 yards (where the corrals are) which is a very steep uphill. So you don't want to be late getting to your corral, or you may find yourself having to sprint uphill, weaving in and out of other runners and spectators to get into your corral on time (not a good way to start a marathon).
Another thing: try to get on one of the early buses (like 6 am) that leave Boston Commons. If you get there even at 6:30 you may have to stand around for an hour or more to get on a bus to Hopkinton. If you get on an early bus, you'll have more time at the athlete village, but you can at least find a place to sit or lay down. Bring a plastic sheet to sit on to stay dry. I've even seen some people bring cheap air mattresses or plastic rafts to blow up and then lay down on. You may also want to bring plastic bags to cover you running shoes (especially if it has rained within a day or 2 of the race) as the athlete village is mostly grass and can get real muddy. Some people will wear an old pair of shoes to hang out, switch into to their race shoes right before heading to the corrals, and put the old (by now muddy) shoes in their gear check bag back on the bus.
Hope this helps. Good luck and have fun. Enjoy the tradition. It is like no other marathon.
@Tim - sorry to hear about your knee. Hope things workout for you. Its still early, so you may be able to get the marathon training done, just modified. @Bruce - thanks for the great details above. Hubby did it two years ago, but it is nice to hear someone elses comments, which are all great.
Okay, so 14 mile run today was not a great as I had hoped, but it got done. It called for 5 miles Z1 (I just can not keep that pace without feeling like I am walking, so I did it at Z2) followed by 3 x 1.5mile Z4. First interval I did it to fast by 10sec per min, then the second one I did it 7 sec per min to slow and then I just blew up the last one. Its really snowy on the roads and sidewalks here in Ottawa, so not sure if the work felt harder because of it, or that my Paleo way of eating is not working for me, or just because of the bike the day before. Although I have been just doing the Z5 work on the Sat bikes and coming in around 45min I do stand on my feet for 2 hours after to teach a class.
Thoughts?
Regardless, the work got done and even if I did not hit my paces bang on the effort was there.
@ Bruce - thanks for the details... it definitly helps. As far as the buses, I will be getting a ride there from family. I'll be staying at my brothers house in Bellingham and someone will be dropping me off... likely I'll have to walk or jog a ways to get to the village.
@ Brenda - I'm still having trouble remembering.. =- .... Actually the last time I had an alcohol induced memory laps was the 30 months leading to when I quit in '92.
Yesterday I skipped the run brick knowing I was going xc skiing and had a 16 mile run scheduled for today.... we did get out for a ski but cut it short after an hour to get some lunch. After eating, I started easy thinking I would do all the speed work on the 8 mile return......
Never made it that far.... about 2 miles in I felt a twinge in my left calf... within 400 yards it was a run ending cramp! Ouch! Turned around and walked-jogged home... 1 hour - 5 miles.... and a sore calf.... I just hope some massage (the stick) and compression will minimize the down time.....
What troubles me most is I didn't see it comming. No warnings, none. Could have been the VO2 bike intervals Saturday, the easy skiiing in the AM ... sure, but no indications all week that I was building fatigue.....
RICE tonight, hard rest and compression tomorrow and re-assess Tuesday......
Steve!!! Crap! Do you cross country ski often? I feel so bad for you. I hate when there is no warning and then wammo! Do you roll and stick your calves, muscles every day?
Dang Steve, sorry to hear about the surprise you got today. You sound like you have a plan, so do that and many stretch out those feet and do not forget about the hammies and hips. All those things can be connected.
Carrie - first ski this season, but yeah, one of my favorite things in winter. When snow is good I like to to to the City Forest and ski in the dark. Last year I was attacked twice by an owl. The second time he left claw marks in my scalp! Nothing serious, just scary to get hit by a 10 lb bird in the back of the head... in a kill-strike with tallons...
These past few years I have had very few injuries, none bad. The only issue I had in all of last year was 2 weeks into the OS as FTP intervals bagan to build and I started to do Z4 work on the treadmill. That was minor and involved the top of one hamstring for a few days. I am expecting this to be minor too - that is why I stopped almost immediately. By Wednesday I should know how this all shakes out. Till then, RICE for me. Yes, I would rather miss a few workouts than an entire season.... I way smarter than that... thanks for the reminders on what is important....
Brenda - interesting stretches... but can't get to the extension (b) with the toes curled under.... my ankles aren't that flexable .... too many marathons.....
@ Tim - so sorry about your knee. Keep us in the loop about recovery and your MRI? BTW my sister lives in Merrimack. I was there in October and ran on Beane rd?
@ Carrie - I think the calf is going to be OK. I am happy I bailed on the run when I did... I'm certain it would be much worse had I not.
Was very tight and sore this AM. Lots of easy stretching and full range flexion/extension before work. Made a point of walking the hallway in my office and several trips up and down the stairs too. Tonight spent some time doing heel raises, some on the flat, some on a 3" curb by the woodstove.
Tomorrow after work I'll decide if I should do the Tuesday bike session or not. Likely wont run intervals - may not run at all. Take it in baby steps... I want to be certain before I add any intensity or volume. I don't want to turn a minor pull into a full blown injury and getting to the start heathy is the most important thing for me.
@steve, back it down for a bit. You got a long year in front of you...I missed my Boston last year by pig-headedly ignoring my body....let you be smarter for my mistakes!
Intervals yesterday were okay. My left leg does not like the Z5 speed and caused me a bit of problem on the 800's, but stretching between them allowed me to complete the workout. Then at night I got a massage. Can still feel it, so am going to dedicate some time to some stretching today before I get on the bike for the Sat bike workout.
Yeah, thought about it long and hard today and decided that even though yesterdays easy 3 didn't hurt, I am not doing myself any favors pushing it now. Besides, the snow is getting good and some light xc skiing my be just the thing to get some active stretching in.... and use a different set of muscles.... I do need to get ready for my 70 mile ski trip in Feb....
I have had a great week of running and biking and even swam twice!! Track was Tues, 7x 1000 at 10K pace with 2:00 recoveries. Our group was working so well together. We ended up negative splitting them down to close to 5 K pace( around 6:10 for most of them , wow!!!). It feels good to feel good running!
Wed I did a brick run after a long ride.
Then Thurs an easy 12.
Tomorrow is our group long run of 16. I am excited to run it. Plan is easy to moderate pace. We picked a nice hilly course. I love hills and the downhills should help for Boston. Or at least I hope so.
Hi Carrie, was waiting to report after todays runs. Still following the EN marathon hack and Nov OS rides, so still getting in Z5 work on the bike.
Moving the Sat ride to Wed seems to make me feel fresher coming into the Sunday run. I am ahead of schedule by three weeks, so I am going to repeat weeks 6, 7, and 8 again and then move on with the plan.
Got a new bike fit and my intervals yesterday felt much better. I knocked out 5 x 2.5 at above 120% so happy about that and that was after standing on my feet for two hours presenting. Was using way to much quads with my old bike fit, but with new bike my legs feel fresher now that I am using my hammies and calves more in the cycling.
I am scheduled for 16km today as as well, with Z1-4 work but it is -37c here in Ottawa, so I might just go out and do 10miles, because I am repeating the week again, so a run is better than nothing, and I may just keep it at an easy pace as well, which is much, much slower than your peeps.
During intervals this week in runs my left leg flared up. Stretching has helped, and this coming week is a recovery week in the plan so I should be okay because the intervals are at Z4 pace not Z5 pace.
Bought the Swim Smooth Bambino program and will be drilling on Thursday mornings. We have a 50meter pool within about 3km from my house, so I go there on Thur morning and then head to the gym for a run workout and then work, so ROI is good. March I will add in a second swim, but for now I will just get in the pool one day a week to keep the feeling.
My Steve, who never posts pulled something in his calf this week and has been not running. He has been heating and stretching and rolling etc. He is going to give it a run today. I hope "our Steve" is doing okay - what up Steve. How is your calf dude?
Hey Gang, sitting here wasting time as I get ready for my first run in a while.
Tuesday was the last…. 3 miles easy. Took Wednesday off but did the Thursday bike session. Friday and Saturday were both hard rest days.
Not sure how far, or how well it will go. The calf seems to be OK, still has a tight spot that doesn’t seem to want to go away. Been stretching and some rolling with a Stick.
Aside from the calf, this week my feet have started to bother me…. Sore spots from my crappy bike shoes (entry level Specialized – first and only pair). Makes me not want to do anything. I think I’d rather have 4 black toenails than the way they feel now…. Picked up a pair of Bontrager’s yesterday…. Not sure about the fit - the heel feels loose but the LBS said I can bring them back (30 day return). Might try some LG’s tomorrow. TriathleteSports.com is here in town so I can order online and walk there from my office to pick them up…. Makes returns easy too. The only other LBS carries only Specialized and they don’t fit very well.
So, today … as soon as I am done here, I will wrap the calf and head downstairs to run…. Not sure how far or how fast…. Longer would make me happier. I really need to get my run legs back…. Between the low volume OS, time on the bike – especially the VO2 intervals, and the calf issue … I feel like I haven’t run in months…….
I’ll post again later and let you know how it went….
@ Brenda – that’s just too weird… I mean…. 2x – a guy named Steve – is a runner – gets a calf injury – happens this week – first tentative recovery run today….. Maybe I should start drinking again….. ‘cause I’m seeing double…
Just back from run. OMG it is cold here. It is -39c with the windchill, which I ran into the first 6miles and then on the way back it was toasty warm (-26c with the wind at my back). Managed to avg a Z3 pace for the entire 12miles, so it was not an entire bust.
Really glad I changed my bikes around. It seems to help me come into the runs much fresher.
@Steve, weird ah (Canadian) with regards to my Steve and similiar injuries. Well "my Steve" bailed on his first return attempt on the run. His calf hurt, so he tried to get on the bike, but it was not there either. We are meeting a bunch of running buddies for Brunch, so once we get back he is going to try it again. Perhaps it will be warmer, like -32c.
@ Brenda – you Canadians are TOUGH! I don’t think I could run at that pace in such cold conditions…. I’d be a ball of sweat by mile 3 and an icicle by mile 5…hypothermic by mile 8.
Well, I ran…. Wasn’t pretty, but not bad either. Started easy @ 8:49 and felt good…. As I got near the 2 mile mark I was thinking ‘this is good, maybe I can up the speed….’ Then at 2.05 the twinge in my calf came back…..
I kept going…. Kept it at the easy pace…. Then at mile 3…. It got bad enough to make me walk and I’m thinking ‘this is gonna suck!’ so I slowed to a walk…. Not sure if I need to call it or walk it off. Seemed better after a few minutes so I hit the go button and resumed my easy 8:49 pace.
At first it was a mile at a time. By mile 6 I was looking for 8 miles, at 8 I was aiming to 10. Ten miles was probably far enough and I could tell it was getting harder… not the calf, just the distance…. In the end I managed 12 miles. Nothing fancy or fast, but made me happy that get lame in the process.
I think this next week I will drop the Thursday bike, move Saturday to Wednesday and Tuesday to Saturday. Kind of like what Brenda is doing (or I think you are). I just know I need more run, more consistently and do less bike… at least for now…..Sure glad the VO2 sessions are almost done…
I must confess I rode 80 miles yesterday with tons of intervals in my team group ride. A few friends of mine added on after and I joined them. It was sunny and in the high 60's!! Can you blame me. Good new is I think my FT is over 200 now as I was working the inclines around 220 for 15 minutes at a time! Bad news... Tired legs. Go figure .
So we ran 16 today on a very hilly course. My group holds the same pace going up or down. Yikes. I would back off the pace going up and pick it up going down( same perceived effort). But man they were keeping me honest. Uuggh!
Ended up with 16 @ 7:48 avg pace. Legs tired at the end. Duh!
Need to roll and hydrate and recover.
Also need to stop riding long every Saturday. But I LOVE it. Oh the dilemma.
@ Brenda- whole run at Z3 , wow!
@ Steve- no going back to drinking. . Bleck! Your calf will be better soon.
Wow Carrie! That is an impressive run after an 80 miler! My legs weren't feeling so hot after just a simple 32 miler and 20' run yesterday and it took some will power to do my 15 miler w/ 3x (2miZ4/1miZ1) on the trails. It does feel like I'm improving rapidly after 3 wks of OS though.
I've got a question for the group. I joined EN on 1/1 and started 20 wk OS on 1/3 as well as the marathon hack on 1/3 so I was 15 wks out from Boston and following a 16 week plan. Obviously I'm going to need to miss a week of the hack at some point. Any suggestions or advice on which week to skip?
I ran Boston last year with a time goal and ended up mismanaging my nutrtion and slowing in last 8 miles but this year I'm planning to just do it as a long run on my way to my "A" race in Canada. I still plan to run to fullest of my run fitness on that day but I also plan to continue to hit all my OS bike workouts too and not sweat getting to 100% run fitness in April.
As an added complication, I've had PF since Boston last year which is kind of smoldering though it did get worse just before Clearwater in Nov. My last 3 run weeks have been 33, 28 and 37 mi w/ some decent quality but I'm planning to get ESWT on my left foot this week and I've been told not to "increase" my mileage for 6 weeks. So I guess I'll be stuck in mid 30's mileage-wise for 6 more weeks but not sweating it asI'll get some good cycle fitness and do some decent running but won't be threatening to go sub 3 this year. Still, I'd rather get my PF addressed now in Jan and be 100% for Canada build up this summer. I just took a good ice bath and stretched and heel is quite tolerable but some soreness after today's long run BTW.
Carrie, Carrie, Carrie, you do us chica's proud. Wow on all accounts. Jeff said it all. Glad you are doing so well in both your running and cycling. Can't wait to meet you hopefully in Boston. I bet your just a little spit of a thing aren't u? :-)
Oh and guys, keep in mind my Z3 pace is much slower than your Z3 pace, but glad I could do it feeling fine.
Nice work everyone! I had 10 miles, with 2 easy and 3 at HMP. I just never really warmed up; took me until about 45 minutes in to feel loose enough like I was gliding (and not forcing it). Managed to get it all in under 7:00 pace, but if you take out the wind and cold I probably would have been much faster. Such is life in NE!
Steve, you wrote - I think this next week I will drop the Thursday bike, move Saturday to Wednesday and Tuesday to Saturday. Kind of like what Brenda is doing (or I think you are). I just know I need more run, more consistently and do less bike… at least for now…..Sure glad the VO2 sessions are almost done…
I am doing the following: Monday - Tuesdays bike ride Tuesdays - interval run from Marathon hack Wednesday - Saturdays long bike ride with no run after Thursday - swim drills followed by Key workout run in Marathon hack Friday - REST DAY - ya baby Saturday - Thursdays short bike ride with no run after Sunday - long run from Marathon hack
Seems to be working well. Managing to get all my bike workouts in as assigned (glad V02 are over soon as well) and all the runs in the Marathon hack I am able to run as assigned, but starting to have some difficulty with the long run Z4 work.
@ Brenda - thanks for the detailed breakdown. Looks well tuned but I am having troubles settling on a firm plan due in part to my current calf issue and fatigue (which is likely at the root of my injury).
Some basic muscle stiffness today after yesterday's 12 miles but no calf pain. Yes it is tight and doesnt like to be stretched but otherwise seemed to handle the run fine. Glad of that. Hard rest today and see what tomorrow brings on the deadmill.
How are all the " Steve's" doing? Mine had a little HS cramp last Thurs mid run. He got home somehow. We rolled and massaged it out and he is still in the game. Poor dear. He has had a rough go with his body not co-operating. We go week to week praying we will make it to Boston un- injured.
We did our Team Chavez Tuesday AM Track today with our team. 3 x 2000 @ 10K pace. My legs were still tight from the weekend. Steve hooked me up Sunday and Monday nights with calf massages and I was good to go!! Love that man!
Got the intervals done in times of 8:04, 7:59 and 7:55 ... All around 6:20-6:30 pace!!! It felt good but not easy.
I still have hopes of making it. MRI review with doctor today. I do have a meniscus tear but it on the inside of the knee. All my issues and pain is on the outside of the knee which looks healthy with exception of alot of inflamation. No knife. PT prescribed. Haven't run in 7-8 weeks and only doing the OS bike workouts. Will follow the PT and see when they think I should or could start running again. Running out of time grrrrrrrr!
Comments
Well, update on my running power outage and exaustion from Tuesday. I feel much better. I rested Wed, cancelled my group bike ride that day and just spun the legs out easy around 60% for an hour on the trainer reading a magazine
Then Thurs I was much better and was able to do the 8 mile group run with 2x15 at tempo( 7 min pace as my program calls for marathon tempo, basically 10-20 seconds off goal MP). I still was a little more out of breath than normal. Friday I swam and ran 5 miles rediculously easy.
Then Saturday( today) ran my long run with a friend at 5:30AM!!! He and I needed to do it early and a day early than our usual group run. We busted out 19 miles by 8 am!!!! WOW! I felt so good. We ran 15 easy and the last 4 FAST!! It was so nice to feel like myself again!!
Seems like you really got hammered between the weekend and tuesday... glad to hear your back to 'game on'.....
So far I have been able to stay with the OS as written (mostly) and fill in my runs with more volume... it is the one thing I miss the most. I like the added speed from the Z4 and Z5 efforts, but I feel I am missing something... not sure if it is just an emotional loss or if I really need to run more long runs.... will have plenty of time between now and Boston to figure that out.
So, we expect 2" of snow tonight which will make conditions on the University trails real nice for an AM ski... then after lunch I am looking at a 16 miler, mostly around 8:20 but will see about getting 4 miles at or faster than MP.
Run Strong
Steve - There are 2 waves and each wave has about 12-13 corrals, making for about 25 corrals in total. Wave 1 starts @ 10 am and Wave 2 goes off @ 10:30 am. Each corral has about 1000 runners in it. Given your 3:31 time, you will probably be in Wave 1, somewhere around corral 11-13. Last year the cut off for wave 1 was a time of about 3:34. The BAA will assign you a wave and corral about April 1.
One thing to know about the start is that the athlete village (where the buses drop you off and where you have to put your gear bag back on the bus) is almost a mile from the start, so there is a nice walk you'll have to make to the start. You'll want to wear something old to keep you warm (depending on the temperature) that you can discard once you are in the corral right before before the start. Most of the walk is down hill, except for the last 200-300 yards (where the corrals are) which is a very steep uphill. So you don't want to be late getting to your corral, or you may find yourself having to sprint uphill, weaving in and out of other runners and spectators to get into your corral on time (not a good way to start a marathon).
Another thing: try to get on one of the early buses (like 6 am) that leave Boston Commons. If you get there even at 6:30 you may have to stand around for an hour or more to get on a bus to Hopkinton. If you get on an early bus, you'll have more time at the athlete village, but you can at least find a place to sit or lay down. Bring a plastic sheet to sit on to stay dry. I've even seen some people bring cheap air mattresses or plastic rafts to blow up and then lay down on. You may also want to bring plastic bags to cover you running shoes (especially if it has rained within a day or 2 of the race) as the athlete village is mostly grass and can get real muddy. Some people will wear an old pair of shoes to hang out, switch into to their race shoes right before heading to the corrals, and put the old (by now muddy) shoes in their gear check bag back on the bus.
Hope this helps. Good luck and have fun. Enjoy the tradition. It is like no other marathon.
@Bruce - thanks for the great details above. Hubby did it two years ago, but it is nice to hear someone elses comments, which are all great.
Thoughts?
Regardless, the work got done and even if I did not hit my paces bang on the effort was there.
@ Brenda - I'm still having trouble remembering.. =-
Yesterday I skipped the run brick knowing I was going xc skiing and had a 16 mile run scheduled for today.... we did get out for a ski but cut it short after an hour to get some lunch. After eating, I started easy thinking I would do all the speed work on the 8 mile return......
Never made it that far.... about 2 miles in I felt a twinge in my left calf... within 400 yards it was a run ending cramp! Ouch! Turned around and walked-jogged home... 1 hour - 5 miles.... and a sore calf.... I just hope some massage (the stick) and compression will minimize the down time.....
What troubles me most is I didn't see it comming. No warnings, none. Could have been the VO2 bike intervals Saturday, the easy skiiing in the AM ... sure, but no indications all week that I was building fatigue.....
RICE tonight, hard rest and compression tomorrow and re-assess Tuesday......
Love this foot stretch
http://www.usms.org/articles/articledisplay.php?a=222
Keep up posted and do not rush your re-entry.
http://www.bangordailynews.com/story/News/bOwls-Attackb-Warnings-posted-at-Bangor-city-forest,101028
These past few years I have had very few injuries, none bad. The only issue I had in all of last year was 2 weeks into the OS as FTP intervals bagan to build and I started to do Z4 work on the treadmill. That was minor and involved the top of one hamstring for a few days. I am expecting this to be minor too - that is why I stopped almost immediately. By Wednesday I should know how this all shakes out. Till then, RICE for me. Yes, I would rather miss a few workouts than an entire season.... I way smarter than that... thanks for the reminders on what is important....
Brenda - interesting stretches... but can't get to the extension (b) with the toes curled under.... my ankles aren't that flexable .... too many marathons.....
BTW my sister lives in Merrimack. I was there in October and ran on Beane rd?
@Steve- how is your calf?
Was very tight and sore this AM. Lots of easy stretching and full range flexion/extension before work. Made a point of walking the hallway in my office and several trips up and down the stairs too. Tonight spent some time doing heel raises, some on the flat, some on a 3" curb by the woodstove.
Tomorrow after work I'll decide if I should do the Tuesday bike session or not. Likely wont run intervals - may not run at all. Take it in baby steps... I want to be certain before I add any intensity or volume. I don't want to turn a minor pull into a full blown injury and getting to the start heathy is the most important thing for me.
@ Tim - any news about your knee?
Yeah, thought about it long and hard today and decided that even though yesterdays easy 3 didn't hurt, I am not doing myself any favors pushing it now. Besides, the snow is getting good and some light xc skiing my be just the thing to get some active stretching in.... and use a different set of muscles.... I do need to get ready for my 70 mile ski trip in Feb....
Quiet here in our little bity thread here
I have had a great week of running and biking and even swam twice!! Track was Tues, 7x 1000 at 10K pace with 2:00 recoveries. Our group was working so well together. We ended up negative splitting them down to close to 5 K pace( around 6:10 for most of them , wow!!!). It feels good to feel good running!
Wed I did a brick run after a long ride.
Then Thurs an easy 12.
Tomorrow is our group long run of 16. I am excited to run it. Plan is easy to moderate pace. We picked a nice hilly course. I love hills and the downhills should help for Boston. Or at least I hope so.
I hope all your runs go well.
Steve- how is your calf? Have you run?
CC
Moving the Sat ride to Wed seems to make me feel fresher coming into the Sunday run. I am ahead of schedule by three weeks, so I am going to repeat weeks 6, 7, and 8 again and then move on with the plan.
Got a new bike fit and my intervals yesterday felt much better. I knocked out 5 x 2.5 at above 120% so happy about that and that was after standing on my feet for two hours presenting. Was using way to much quads with my old bike fit, but with new bike my legs feel fresher now that I am using my hammies and calves more in the cycling.
I am scheduled for 16km today as as well, with Z1-4 work but it is -37c here in Ottawa, so I might just go out and do 10miles, because I am repeating the week again, so a run is better than nothing, and I may just keep it at an easy pace as well, which is much, much slower than your peeps.
During intervals this week in runs my left leg flared up. Stretching has helped, and this coming week is a recovery week in the plan so I should be okay because the intervals are at Z4 pace not Z5 pace.
Bought the Swim Smooth Bambino program and will be drilling on Thursday mornings. We have a 50meter pool within about 3km from my house, so I go there on Thur morning and then head to the gym for a run workout and then work, so ROI is good. March I will add in a second swim, but for now I will just get in the pool one day a week to keep the feeling.
My Steve, who never posts pulled something in his calf this week and has been not running. He has been heating and stretching and rolling etc. He is going to give it a run today. I hope "our Steve" is doing okay - what up Steve. How is your calf dude?
Tuesday was the last…. 3 miles easy. Took Wednesday off but did the Thursday bike session. Friday and Saturday were both hard rest days.
Not sure how far, or how well it will go. The calf seems to be OK, still has a tight spot that doesn’t seem to want to go away. Been stretching and some rolling with a Stick.
Aside from the calf, this week my feet have started to bother me…. Sore spots from my crappy bike shoes (entry level Specialized – first and only pair). Makes me not want to do anything. I think I’d rather have 4 black toenails than the way they feel now…. Picked up a pair of Bontrager’s yesterday…. Not sure about the fit - the heel feels loose but the LBS said I can bring them back (30 day return). Might try some LG’s tomorrow. TriathleteSports.com is here in town so I can order online and walk there from my office to pick them up…. Makes returns easy too. The only other LBS carries only Specialized and they don’t fit very well.
So, today … as soon as I am done here, I will wrap the calf and head downstairs to run…. Not sure how far or how fast…. Longer would make me happier. I really need to get my run legs back…. Between the low volume OS, time on the bike – especially the VO2 intervals, and the calf issue … I feel like I haven’t run in months…….
I’ll post again later and let you know how it went….
@ Brenda – that’s just too weird… I mean…. 2x – a guy named Steve – is a runner – gets a calf injury – happens this week – first tentative recovery run today….. Maybe I should start drinking again….. ‘cause I’m seeing double…
Really glad I changed my bikes around. It seems to help me come into the runs much fresher.
@Steve, weird ah (Canadian) with regards to my Steve and similiar injuries. Well "my Steve" bailed on his first return attempt on the run. His calf hurt, so he tried to get on the bike, but it was not there either. We are meeting a bunch of running buddies for Brunch, so once we get back he is going to try it again. Perhaps it will be warmer, like -32c.
How did your run go Steve?
@Carrie, how did your run go you animal.
Well, I ran…. Wasn’t pretty, but not bad either. Started easy @ 8:49 and felt good…. As I got near the 2 mile mark I was thinking ‘this is good, maybe I can up the speed….’ Then at 2.05 the twinge in my calf came back…..
I kept going…. Kept it at the easy pace…. Then at mile 3…. It got bad enough to make me walk and I’m thinking ‘this is gonna suck!’ so I slowed to a walk…. Not sure if I need to call it or walk it off. Seemed better after a few minutes so I hit the go button and resumed my easy 8:49 pace.
At first it was a mile at a time. By mile 6 I was looking for 8 miles, at 8 I was aiming to 10. Ten miles was probably far enough and I could tell it was getting harder… not the calf, just the distance…. In the end I managed 12 miles. Nothing fancy or fast, but made me happy that get lame in the process.
I think this next week I will drop the Thursday bike, move Saturday to Wednesday and Tuesday to Saturday. Kind of like what Brenda is doing (or I think you are). I just know I need more run, more consistently and do less bike… at least for now…..Sure glad the VO2 sessions are almost done…
I must confess I rode 80 miles yesterday with tons of intervals in my team group ride. A few friends of mine added on after and I joined them. It was sunny and in the high 60's!! Can you blame me. Good new is I think my FT is over 200 now as I was working the inclines around 220 for 15 minutes at a time! Bad news... Tired legs. Go figure
So we ran 16 today on a very hilly course. My group holds the same pace going up or down. Yikes. I would back off the pace going up and pick it up going down( same perceived effort). But man they were keeping me honest. Uuggh!
Ended up with 16 @ 7:48 avg pace. Legs tired at the end. Duh!
Need to roll and hydrate and recover.
Also need to stop riding long every Saturday. But I LOVE it. Oh the dilemma.
@ Brenda- whole run at Z3 , wow!
@ Steve- no going back to drinking.
Carrie
But WOW! 16 miles, sub 8, on hills, after a massive ride? Clearly you are a machine! Awesome stats.....
Wow Carrie! That is an impressive run after an 80 miler! My legs weren't feeling so hot after just a simple 32 miler and 20' run yesterday and it took some will power to do my 15 miler w/ 3x (2miZ4/1miZ1) on the trails. It does feel like I'm improving rapidly after 3 wks of OS though.
I've got a question for the group. I joined EN on 1/1 and started 20 wk OS on 1/3 as well as the marathon hack on 1/3 so I was 15 wks out from Boston and following a 16 week plan. Obviously I'm going to need to miss a week of the hack at some point. Any suggestions or advice on which week to skip?
I ran Boston last year with a time goal and ended up mismanaging my nutrtion and slowing in last 8 miles but this year I'm planning to just do it as a long run on my way to my "A" race in Canada. I still plan to run to fullest of my run fitness on that day but I also plan to continue to hit all my OS bike workouts too and not sweat getting to 100% run fitness in April.
As an added complication, I've had PF since Boston last year which is kind of smoldering though it did get worse just before Clearwater in Nov. My last 3 run weeks have been 33, 28 and 37 mi w/ some decent quality but I'm planning to get ESWT on my left foot this week and I've been told not to "increase" my mileage for 6 weeks. So I guess I'll be stuck in mid 30's mileage-wise for 6 more weeks but not sweating it asI'll get some good cycle fitness and do some decent running but won't be threatening to go sub 3 this year. Still, I'd rather get my PF addressed now in Jan and be 100% for Canada build up this summer. I just took a good ice bath and stretched and heel is quite tolerable but some soreness after today's long run BTW.
Thx in advance for any adivce guys! Jeff
Carrie, Carrie, Carrie, you do us chica's proud. Wow on all accounts. Jeff said it all. Glad you are doing so well in both your running and cycling. Can't wait to meet you hopefully in Boston. I bet your just a little spit of a thing aren't u? :-)
Oh and guys, keep in mind my Z3 pace is much slower than your Z3 pace, but glad I could do it feeling fine.
I am doing the following:
Monday - Tuesdays bike ride
Tuesdays - interval run from Marathon hack
Wednesday - Saturdays long bike ride with no run after
Thursday - swim drills followed by Key workout run in Marathon hack
Friday - REST DAY - ya baby
Saturday - Thursdays short bike ride with no run after
Sunday - long run from Marathon hack
Seems to be working well. Managing to get all my bike workouts in as assigned (glad V02 are over soon as well) and all the runs in the Marathon hack I am able to run as assigned, but starting to have some difficulty with the long run Z4 work.
Some basic muscle stiffness today after yesterday's 12 miles but no calf pain. Yes it is tight and doesnt like to be stretched but otherwise seemed to handle the run fine. Glad of that. Hard rest today and see what tomorrow brings on the deadmill.
We did our Team Chavez Tuesday AM Track today with our team. 3 x 2000 @ 10K pace. My legs were still tight from the weekend. Steve hooked me up Sunday and Monday nights with calf massages and I was good to go!! Love that man!
Got the intervals done in times of 8:04, 7:59 and 7:55 ... All around 6:20-6:30 pace!!! It felt good but not easy
Onward toward Boston!!
Baby steps everyone!
CC