Shiner Half & BCS Training Update

Training for Shiner & BCS is coming along nicely. If you remember, back in September, I wrote this awesome training plan for myself and though I’m using it as something of a guideline, it’s not getting followed, exactly. Or at all, really.

About two weeks after I wrote my training plan I left on a 16 mile run and came home 20 miles later. It had been a long week and I needed the alone time. It was more for therapy than training but after that I decided to up my long run volume this training cycle. My body is fully capable of handling the higher mileage and it seemed like a good chance to experiment. I’ve run 6, 20+ milers in the last 8 weeks. Including a 26.2 mile monster that featured 1,500 feet of climbing/decent at the Hockley Community Center. That was fun. Right?

The goal became making the dreaded 20 mile run “no big deal” and I can easily say that I was successful. Running 20 miles is no longer a big deal. BUT I’m tired. Very tired. More so than in past training cycles. I’ve learned some valuable lessons, most notably that I shouldn’t do more than two consecutive weeks of 20+ mile runs. Every three weeks I need a recovery week. Duly noted.

Speed work has been going pretty well. I skipped my last scheduled tempo run due to some emerging achiness in my knees and shins but a couple days of hot baths, targeted massage and cross training did the trick. Other than that the speed sessions have gone according to plan, with one exception…

…since I lost the Y to Harvey, I moved to a new gym. The temperature inside the new gym isn’t nearly as cold as the Y was, and sometimes it’s downright hot in there. As a result my heart rate has been higher and my tempo run paces have been slightly slower than normal by about 10 seconds per mile.

What was a 7:08/mile tempo run at a heart rate of 171 at the Y, is now a 7:19/mile tempo run at the same heart rate…which is slightly frustrating.

At first I thought it was me, as I hadn’t done any tempo runs since training for Boston and I took the summer almost entirely off from structured running. Instead I spent all summer playing with my friends and running a ton of trails.

When picking up speed work up after a layoff, you never really know how those first few speed sessions will go. They’re kinda like sticking your hand into one of those mystery feeling boxes. You never really know what is inside.

It feeeels like an eyeball…but maybe it’s a grape? 

It feels like a tempo run, kinda. From 2 years ago? It left me wondering, what happened?

Maybe my age is finally catching up with me? Maybe I’m paying the price for goofing off all summer? Maybe I’m just not as fast as I was back in April?

Thankfully there have been a couple of times when it’s gotten cooler outside and the temperature inside the gym has followed suit. I’ve had a few runs that resembled my old YMCA-pre-Harvey pace so I’m pretty sure it’s not me.

Which is good. I was getting paranoid.

Because the tempo runs have been slower, I’m slightly concerned that although my heart/lungs are in good enough shape to handle a seven minute mile, my legs may not be.

To supplement the tempo runs and work on my leg turnover I’ve been doing strides at the end of easy runs and have done a series of 2 mile intervals at 10k pace (6:45)  but if it worked remains to be seen.

I was hoping to find out on Saturday because it’s FINALLY time for Shiner! I’ve been looking forward to the Shiner Half Marathon since I finished Boston back in April. After the race I sat at the post-race party in Fenway Park, drank my special Samuel Adams 26.2 Celebration brew, and I switched the countdown timer on my watch. That seems like forever ago but it’s finally here!

Unfortunately, yesterday around 2:30 pm I was moving some firewood and dropped a piece right on my foot. It landed squarely on my big toe. I screamed and yelled a bunch of four letter words and cried a little BECAUSE IT HURT and watched my toenail turn purple – then the rest of my toe decided purple was an awesome color so it decided it wanted to be purple too. Moral of the story, don’t move firewood wearing flip flops.

I’m feeling pretty lucky that I didn’t break my toe.

I was planning on using Shiner as my last tempo run prior to BCS but right now I can barely walk, let alone race. I’m confident that I can complete Shiner on Saturday…it just may not be very fast because this HURTS. Like a lot. Badly enough that, last night, I briefly considered a trip to urgent care for something stronger than ibuprofen.

I’m disappointed. I wanted another stein. Hope isn’t lost entirely but I’m not exactly optimistic.

What is it with me and injuries right before a race? Last night when I was laying in bed with ice on my foot I realized it was the second time in six months that I had been elevating and icing an acute injury. Last time it was the mountain bike incident prior to Boston. At least this time I was doing something productive and not something incredibly stupid.

Next week is supposed to be peak week for BCS training. Peak week may or may not happen depending on how quickly my toe heals. According to the plan (that I wrote but haven’t been following), I’ve got a longer run scheduled for next Tuesday of 13 miles with 7 miles at marathon pace, one last 24 mile run on Saturday and if my body feels good I’ll do a marathon pace run on the following Sunday. Peak week mileage should be in the mid-70s. After that all I have left is a two week taper.

Regardless of what happens with my toe, I’m ready for the taper. I need the taper. I’m both physically and emotionally exhausted. Training for a race does that.

Yes, I can run fast but I don’t like it. The process of getting my body from summer-of-trail-running-fun shape to marathon race shape is uncomfortable and sometimes downright painful. Constantly pushing myself drains me emotionally. By the time I make it to peak week I’m ready to give up running altogether.

But then race day comes. Racing is awesome. It hurts but I’m rewarded emotionally and shortly thereafter I forget about the pain of training and start making plans to do it again. Because that’s what I do.

And because of marathon legs. Marathon legs are my favorite.