Running For My Life

I guess I have no other choice than to take it easy now.  I ran 4 miles this morning and my Achilles felt fine, but then it got tender and “creaky” during the day, and still has that “lump” in it.  The frustrating part is that it isn’t affecting the quality of my running.  I think that means that I nearly have this thing licked, but I need to take some more time off, and maybe start doing some of the strengthening exercises they say are good for Achilles injury recovery.  I have also been icing regularly, but I guess that’s not enough.

The sad part is that I know it’s going to take me months to get back to where I was at the end of last season - running PRs at every distance.  But then I think of the Boston Marathon and everything that meant to me, and the injury takes on a whole different meaning.  I consider it a “battle wound”.

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 04/30/2008
• Time: 05:00:00
• Total Time: 00:35:08.00
• Distance: 4 miles
• Average Pace: 8:47.09/mile

Workout:

• Type: General Cardio
• Date: 04/29/2008
• Time: 05:00:00
• Total Time: 00:09:50.00

Workout:

• Type: Walk
• Date: 04/28/2008
• Time: 05:30:00
• Total Time: 00:34:46.00
• Distance: 2 miles
• Average Pace: 17:23.48/mile

Even though I promised myself 2 weeks off after the marathon, I couldn’t resist hitting the streets for a 3-mile run this morning.  I was in recovery mode, doing only 9-10 minute miles.  I used the run to do an inventory of my aches and pains post-Boston.  The Achilles was actually much better than I thought it would be, but still a ways from being healed.  The only other area of concern was my right quad, which is suffering from some sort of muscle strain that will need another week or so to heal.  All in all, I felt pretty good and hopefully will be back to normal training within a month.

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 04/26/2008
• Time: 08:00:00
• Total Time: 00:27:39.00
• Distance: 3 miles
• Average Pace: 9:13/mile

Workout:

• Type: General Cardio
• Date: 04/26/2008
• Time: 07:00:00
• Total Time: 00:10:08.00

Below are my 5K splits for the Boston Marathon.  You will see right about where my hamstrings started misbehaving.

5K - 24:40 (7:58 pace)

10K - 24:17 (7:50 pace)

15K - 25:19 (8:10 pace)

20K - 26:02 (8:25 pace)

25K - 25:08 (8:07 pace)

30K - 25:49 (8:20 pace)

35K - 28:26 (9:10 pace)

40K - 31:38 (10:12 pace)

Final .45K - 14:32 (10:21 pace)

Total Pace: 8:39

Looking at my splits helps me to re-trace my footsteps and keep the race fresh in my memory.  You can see that in the 30-35K range (18.6 to 21.7 miles) I started slowing down due to the hills.  Then from 35K to the finish my pace really took a beating due to the cramps in my hamstrings.  I stopped at the medical tents three times to get sprayed and also stopped several times to stretch, which also contributed to my slower pace during that final portion of the race.

Joy is:

• finishing the marathon in 3:46 despite not training for the final 6 weeks
• finishing the marathon at all due to the hamstring cramping I was having over the final 5 miles
• getting through the final mile. I had stopped to stretch and couldn’t start going again. Finally, after about 30-45 seconds, I willed my legs to move forward and was able to make it the last mile, praying the whole way.
• seeing all of the incredible fans along the course….it was like a 26.2 mile parade route. At some points, the crowd noise was almost deafening.
• the beautiful weather on race-day (and the entire weekend).
• getting to spend three days in Boston with my family. What an incredible city….full of character and history.

Pain is:

• my left Achilles tendon, which is tender and swollen. It may be awhile before I can run again.
• the sunburn on my shoulders and face. I never thought to pack sunscreen.
• the welts on the top of my left foot from the Achilles taping.
• the blisters on both feet.
• my hamstring, calf and quad muscles, which are experiencing more than the usual post-marathon pain due to my lack of training. I can barely walk or stand up.
• having to wake up at 2 a.m. the morning after the race to travel back to Milwaukee. Getting the first flight out of Boston seemed like a great idea a couple of months ago when I made the reservation, but it sure didn’t yesterday.

Workout:

• Type: General Cardio
• Date: 04/23/2008
• Time: 05:00:00
• Total Time: 00:20:00.00

I finished!!!! My time was 3:46:51. What a fantastic experience it was. Just amazing. The entire weekend was great….Boston is such a neat town and the weather was perfect.

Thanks to an amazing tape job by the Athletic Trainer in the medical tent prior to the race, my sore Achilles held up. However, with about 5 miles left I started cramping and it was very difficult the rest of the way. I nearly had to drop out in the final mile as I was cramping and had to stop to stretch, and could not get going again. Finally I mustered up the courage to move my legs and was able to get to the finish line, although very slowly. I had a 8-mile pace going to about mile 20. I hit the medical tents three times over the final 5 miles so they could spray my hamstrings (with what, I don’t know) to help with the cramping.

I will report more on the whole unbelievable experience when I get back to home to Wisconsin tomorrow. In the meantime, thanks to everyone for their support and encouragement. I could not have finished the Boston Marathon without you!!

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 04/21/2008
• Time: 10:00:00
• Total Time: 3:46:51.00
• Distance: 26.2 miles
• Average Pace: 8:39.48/mile

It’s always an emotional experience to get in that last training run.  Typically I do a 3-miler the day before a marathon at race pace, but I wanted to give my Achilles some time to rest and heal before the marathon on Monday so I did my final run this morning.  I went an easy 4 miles and experienced only slight pain.

Here are my totals for the 20-week program (although I will still do another workout on my exercise bike tomorrow a.m.):

Running:  686 miles (633 in weeks 1-14, 53 in weeks 15-20)

Cycling:  1,107 miles (all done on exercise bike in my basement)

Elliptical Machine:  56 miles

Pool Jogging:  3 hours, 55 minutes

Walking:  12 miles

Weight Lifting: 5 hours (estimate based on 15 minutes per week for 20 weeks)

As you can see, it’s been a busy 20 weeks!!  Hopefully all that hard work will pay off on Monday.

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 04/17/2008
• Time: 06:00:00
• Total Time: 00:35:00.00
• Distance: 4 miles
• Average Pace: 8:44.78/mile