Another 20 mile run for my log book

Pushed out another 20 mile run yesterday as part of my training plan for the Marine Corp Marathon (5 weeks to go).  My plan has been to put in at least three 20 milers, along with a couple of 18’ers, the intent being to build up and solidify my endurance.  So far I have all of my 18’ers in and two of my 20 milers – one to go.

I’ve had a long debate with myself about doing 20 mile runs (risk of injury) and asked about it on various runners forums. I asked if doing 16 miles followed by 5 the next day would yield the same benefit as doing a 20 mile run, and the prevailing thought was that doing the 20 (more or perhaps just a little bit less) was better from an endurance training perspective. The 16/5 routine appears to apply mostly to those training plans that involve A LOT of weekly miles and running 6 days per week. I’m running between 4 and 5 days per week and am limiting myself to no more than 45 miles per week – basically a nod to trying to not injure myself. As it is I’m fighting off some minor issues and I’m trying to not aggravate things.

Overall it was a great run – I ran it very conservatively, watching my fuel intake and hydration. I experimented with running with bananas, which I’ll expand on in a separate post. But I have to admit that at the end of my run I was really wondering if I had another 6 miles left in me… and to be brutally honest, yesterday I did not.

As it was, the trail that I ran on (Washington and Old Dominion Trail) intersects with roads from time to time, and although traffic is very considerate to runners and bikers that are crossing, I always come to a stop before crossing because I want to make sure that the cars/trucks are going to stop for me….  And sure enough, at mile 19.90 I had to cross a road  – I came to a stop, the driver waved me across, and it took all I had to get moving again. It required an incredible force of will to make myself start running again. For a moment I thought that the driver was going to get impatient with me and run me over.  Interestingly enough, prior to having to stop, I was grinding out that last mile kind of ok. I wasn’t a figure of elegance in motion, but I was running, perhaps somewhere between a 9:30-10:00 m/m pace. But once I stopped at that crossing, my body was not wanting to move again. But I did, and as soon as my mileage tracker said “20 miles” in my ear, I stopped in my tracks. I seriously did not think that I had another step left in me. And thus my concern.

All things being equal, I recovered pretty quick –I walked around a bit, got in my truck, went through a burger drive through for a couple of cheese burgers (yum), went home and took my dog for a mile walk, showered, a bit more food, and a nap. Then another mile and a half walk with the dog. My feet hurt from pounding the pavement and I’m a little stiff, but overall I feel pretty good.

But still, I have that nagging doubt now… can I finish the marathon?

I remember having the same thoughts two years ago for my first marathon, especially since I really struggled through my training. Two years ago I was not able to completely run a 20 mile distance; on my two attempts I had to walk at least 2 miles each time. On top of that I was struggling with cramping issues. Knock on wood, this year I have done substantially better on my long runs and have not experienced any cramping issues. I feel like I am in better shape, so why the doubts?

5 weeks to the MCM !!!

Heart rate (HR) monitoring

I jumped on the heart rate (HR) monitoring band wagon for a short bit – but I'm off of it now and I am sure that I’ll get a lot of comments back on this post….

Summary for the impatient:  I feel that while there is valid science behind the physiology and mechanics of my HR as it relates to my running efficiency, the effort required to adequately monitor it and quantify (if not also qualify) the data hardly makes it worth my effort to monitor and run to a HR bandwidth.

In other words, I am saying that I am able to judge closely enough how I am doing without having to attach devices to my body, be constantly monitoring the status of HR readings, and then adjust my effort to those readings.  In the same way that I would have to go through a data collection and analysis process if I was monitoring my HR and arrive at some quantifiable solution, over time I have been able to recognize body signals that provide me with basically the same information regarding my health status.

Don’t get me wrong - I’m an Engineer – and I love data. As it is I probably keep way too much data about my running activities, miles run, splits, cumulative, averages, pacing, hill work, miles on shoes, and so on. And at first I really latched on the idea of being able to quantify my running efforts with the status of my HR – the data could be pretty interesting – perhaps… 

But as I got into it I realized that first off, the key is to establish what my MaxHR was.  There is/are a bogus formula which needs to be expunged from the internet that uses a number minus your age or a factor of your age. Perhaps over a very, very large population sample the results average out, but at a personal level it is a non-starter. And the reason is simply because my MaxHR can be substantially different than another runner of the same age and similar health. The same can be said for the “aerobic” and “anaerobic” ranges which are said to be 60-70% and 70-80% or MaxHR respectfully. Bogus, bogus, bogus.

The only way to make this really work is to gather enough data and sufficient testing to establish metrics that apply to me personally. And this is something that is totally possible. And yes, I am confident that it would make me a better runner. But no, I doubt that it will ever enable me win a race (my genetics simply aren’t there to run at a pace faster than the guys at the front of the pack or even in my age group). So given all that, I don’t see the value in going through all of the data gathering – it begins to take the fun and joy out of simply being able to run.

I’m trying to keep this post very personal and individual to me, because I realize that everyone is different, genetically, biologically, chemically, etc., and there are also mental games at play. But I’ll share one situation where I was running with someone who was tracking their HR and somewhere around mile 9 he said that he needed to slow down or walk because he was approaching the max for his targeted HR aerobic range. I’ll note that we were running pretty smoothly, conversing, laughing, and he seemed to be in a very comfortable groove, in other words, he did not seem to be approaching a higher level of exertion than he had been. I asked him if he felt ok, and he said he felt great, but that he had to keep his HR below a certain threshold. Turns out he was taking his threshold levels literally as calculations from the same internet crap that I mentioned earlier.  His MaxHR was probably nowhere near what he read he should calculate, and his aerobic range was likely substantially wider than even 60-70% of whatever his MaxHR really is…

So my conclusion to all this is to run by listening to my body. How comfortable do I feel? How is my breathing? Do I feel like I’m pressing or am I cruising? Can I run a little faster without a lot of extra effort? Should I slow down? And so on. I think it comes down to running smart, but not so much “data smart”, but rather smart as in tune with my body and recognizing signals.

I also realize that not everybody can interpret what their body is trying to tell them,  so having a device that tells them “SLOW DOWN”, or “you are good, you can speed up some…”  is important. I get it.  But I just feel that I can be a better runner, and be healthier, by being able to tune in more to what my body is saying and not stress myself out on the my current HR reading.

Side note… I still track my HR from time to time, but only because I find it mildly interesting. Plus,  I’m a data hog. But I won’t look at my HR while I’m running anymore; I’ll let my body tell give me status updates the old fashioned way…

Comments and stories welcome...

Miles and miles and miles

I’m learning many things among them being that serious, and I mean serious, marathoners run some serious miles in training. I mean like 60-80 miles a week (maybe more?). Makes my 40 miles a week look anemic. But for the time being, as I have been saying: To each to their own ability - and I’m working hard to improve mine.

I've also learned that runners that do serious miles simply do a lot of miles *everyday*, like 8-12 miles almost every day, along with a long run or two in there somewhere. Do the math and you'll see how quickly you get up to 50 miles/week at that rate. But this is also really hard on the body and definitely does not work for me. I have found that if I manage my miles, time on my feet, and apply rest periods between run days, that I can have a very satisfactory running experience. I have to be careful not to let my competitive nature take over and try to claim a 100 mile/week.

But I love running the miles. I love the feeling of just chugging down the path, that feeling of being in a groove, the feeling of my body exerting itself. It is so hard to explain. It is odd that even though I might feel discomfort in different areas, i.e. my achilles, or a hamstring starting to fire, or whatever, that as long as I get my head back into a groove I can overcome those discomforts.

I did 18 miles last week after a scheduled  down week with a long run of “only” 11 miles, and while doing the 18 miles felt good, it was hard. At mile 16 there is no doubt that I was struggling. I was tired, I was fatigued. Fortunately a woman passed me right at mile 17 and I was able to use her as a rabbit and she basically got me to my truck. Crazy how that works. For those of you that run, you’ll know what I mean. I would have made it on my own, kind of clunking along, but having someone to chase really helps.

This particular 18 miler was an out-and-back along the C&O Trail in MD. This picture has me running northwest with the canal on my right and a rock bluff on my left. The Potomac is on the other side of the rock bluff. This particular morning was after some rain, which made the trail a bit softer. When it's dry, it feels harder than cement.

It’s a weird feeling running out 9 miles knowing that I’m going to have run all the way back in order to get home. It's a trail along the river/canal, no houses, no roads. During the week the trail there are few people using it. From time to time I might come across another runner, walker, or cyclist, but not too many. There are no short cuts, no buses, no one to call. If I want to get home, I have to make it on my own. In a way it’s kind of empowering. 

In a previous post I've mentioned the mental negotiation that I go through as I run the miles: only 3 miles until I get to turn around and head back, 2 more miles to a Gu, only 6 miles to the end, and so on. On this particular occasion I had a very scary thought which I am sure I am destined to relive: It occurred to me that at the pace I was running (~9-9:30m/m) that once I got to my turn-around spot that I had another 1hr20-25min or so to get home. For some reason, the time bothers me more than the distance. And when I start fixating on how long it is going to take me to finish, I start wanting to run faster in order to get it over with. This is a problem for me since for longer distances makes it more difficult for me to finish strong.

Miles and miles... run, run, run...

6 weeks to the MCM

2 more 20milers on the schedule and then it’s downhill from there!! I am jazzed

CAN I do it vs do I WANT to do it

While doing an easy 6 miles over a somewhat hilly route (not crazy hilly, but several 150+ft elevation transitions), I started thinking about the “can I” and “do I want to” conundrum.  In other words, “can I” run this route over these hills, and assuming that the answer is yes, “do I want to”?

Yes, I can, and Yes, I want to. 

But then I took it to the next level such as running a marathon.  And the answer remains the same: yes, I want to, and yes, I can.  But I noted that I switched the order, wanting to do it, which then led me to being able to do it.  Which interestingly is in line with the concept of being goal oriented.  If you have a goal in mind, the chances of achieving that goal are pretty good. Of course it always helps if you include a plan on how to achieve that goal. But still, if you believe in it, then it becomes a self fulfilling prophesy.

And not to beat this to death, but obviously if there is something that I don’t want to do, then the likelihood of me being able to do it diminishes significantly, even if it is something that I “can” do. You get the drift.

Want to, can do.

A tough 20 miles capping a 45 mile week

Today’s 20 miler capped a 45 mile week for me, 13 miles more than last week.  Oddly enough I did this to myself on purpose in order to push myself beyond my normal comfort zone.  I also realize that 45 miles is chump change for a lot of marathoner’s but as the saying goes, to each their own ability… 

I ran on the C&O Trail again, starting right at sunrise.  It was a little gloomy under the trees without the sunlight, but things brightened up quickly.  Within my first couple of miles I came within 10 feet of a deer that was standing right on the edge of the path. I slowed to a walk so that I wouldn’t spook it any more than I was going to and hoped to take a picture, but she quietly slipped back into the forest and out of sight.  It’s kind of amazing how easily they can disappear amongst the trees.

I was also running with my heart monitor (and I’ll have a separate post on this) and my intent was to keep my heart rate within my “burn and churn” range between 125 and 143 bpm, and I pretty much did.  My average HR was 131 with a max HR of 143. I was hoping that if I ran within “the limits” that I would feel strong in the last few miles, but possibly because this was a really hard run week, I didn’t. The last 3 miles were really, really hard! On top of that, my feet were starting to hurt. The trail is basically crushed rock and I sought to run along the edges that were a bit softer and had more soil than rock content.  In some places I was able to run on the sort-of low grass. But with little recent rain the ground was very hard, and boy did I feel it.

Another by-product of getting tired is sloppy running and posture failure. As I got tired, particularly as I was entering mile 16, I noticed that my footfalls were flatter and I felt that I was pounding the ground vs stepping through. I would try to adjust my stride and body posture, but my legs were simply tired – I was running out of juice. As I got tired and failed to maintain my posture and form, my knee’s started to bother me. In addition, I could feel my that hamstrings were tightening and I felt like I was edging ever so close to cramping. I sucked down another Gu at mile 17 and I sipped my water/Gatorade mix throughout. Interestingly enough, between thorough miles 16 and 18 my HR was fairly nominal (mid 130’s), but as I got to mile 19 my HR started popping into the 140’s. I found that by managing my breathing I was able to manage my HR some, but obviously I was reaching a point of fatigue. I should also mention that it was getting warm (mid 70's) and about a 90% humidity. I was dripping sweat and my shirt and shorts were soaked. The good news is that I didn’t cramp and I finished my run successfully with a nice 9:30m/m pace average. Of interest to me is that last weeks 18 miler average pace was 9:00m/m, on a week that I only logged 33 miles. Obviously I was tired from the start for this 20 miler.

Earlier in the week I had a marvelous (and hard) 10 mile run around DC – across the Key bridge, along the Potomac all the way around East Potomac Park and then back across the Memorial bridge. It was a good run and the weather was great.

8 weeks to the MCM !!   Next week is a “down” week with my longest run closer to 10 miles. I am looking forward to that!