Rachel's Marathon Blog

Tackling the first marathon...

Sunday, November 28, 2004

recovery week

On the marathon training schedule I've been following in preparation for my first marathon in January, this was supposed to be my recovery week, a twelve mile run to rest up for next week's eighteen miler. Heeding the warnings of a few people that I might be in the early stages of an achilles tendon injury, I ran only six miles for my long "recovery" run, walking five minutes at the beginning, stretching carefully after getting warmed up, and continuing to do strength exercises to build up my calf muscles. It seems to be working-- unlike after my past two long runs (12 and 16 milers), I had no stiffness or pain when I woke up this morning.

Coming to terms with my own limitations has been one of the challenging parts about marathon training so far. With the added mileage, I can't just throw on my shoes and start running as fast as I'd like for a 10K or 5K distance. With increased mileage, each week brings a new obstacle-- blisters, chafing, "hitting the wall," and now the possibility of injury. I also didn't believe it when people told me that marathon training pace needs to be about a minute and a half slower than your best 10K time. But after hitting the wall last weekend, I think I'm starting to understand, and I plan to start slow when I tackle 18 this next weekend. I'll also try gels for the first time-- I've been taking a Snickers Marathon Bar along on long runs (delicious), but maybe gels, though less appealing, are more efficient.

I also plan to think more about what I eat this week. Carbo-loading with protein and lots of water in the two days prior to the long run. Any menu suggestions?

Wednesday, November 24, 2004

weather

I'm checking the NYTimes and the Washington Post for news about weather-related delays as people are traveling for the holidays. Some of the running blogs comment on the difficulties of adjusting running schedules to wintry weather. After living several years in the Northeast, I can empathize. I remember running in Fort Tryon park in Manhattan in 24 degree weather, doing a steep hill and feeling like there was no oxygen to breathe once I got to the top. After that, I decided I couldn't personally run outside when it was below 28 degrees.

Having just moved to Florida six months ago, I feel oddly out of time and so far away from that world. The temperature has not yet been less than 60 degrees when I start running in the morning, even though it's almost December, and by mid-morning it's 80. It seems ideal, being able to run year-round, but the summer heat is relentless. This is to say nothing of violent thunderstorms every afternoon and three hurricanes. Occasionally I miss living in the Northeast and feeling like I was in the middle of it all. Sometimes Florida feels like a different planet.

Achilles tendon

Although it didn't hurt during the 16 miler, my Achilles tendon has been sore the past two days. Yesterday I rode the stationary bike (boring) and attended my weekly strength training class, which is great. The teacher has run marathons before and always give me advice and good stretches. He advised not doing the recovery run scheduled this weekend (12 miles) and instead keeping the mileage light so the tendon could have time to heal. At the same time, I'll keep doing these strength training exercises my coach gave me (http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/archive/achilles-tendinitis.html), which should help to build muscles to counterbalance the problem.

It's hard, though, to take a week off from serious running, once you get started in a program like this. Today I'm taking a break and on Thanksgiving I'll try a moderate 3 miles... I'm so tempted to do a Turkey Trot but I know that with other people running around me I would push myself to run too fast, which is maybe not a good idea right now.

Dinner last night: African sweet potato and black bean stew, from October's Cooking Light. No meat, but I did get waylaid by a tempting package of prosciutto at the grocery store beforehand...

I'm looking forward to a Thanksgiving visit from my best friend, brining the turkey, making my mother's German apple stuffing, and having friends over who love Thanksgiving food but don't know how to prepare it.

Monday, November 22, 2004

ouch

S.O.R.E... every muscle aching from yesterday's run, particularly my quads and back, for some reason...

dinner last night: coq au vin from an old issue of Cooking Light... chicken in a red wine sauce with carrots and mushrooms... served over a mix of mashed sweet and yukon gold potatoes with a salad and a yogurt smoothie... I feel compelled to chronicle the diet so I don't repeat what I did this past weekend, pre 16 miler: a day at the beach with junk food, and the night before that, drinks and bad Chinese food...

Sunday, November 21, 2004

16 miles...

I ran sixteen miles this morning, my longest run yet. I was cruising along for the first ten miles, thrilled that my Achilles tendon was not bothering me, when around mile twelve, the 9:30 pace slowed to a 10:00/mile and I lost all semblance of form. My arms and legs wanted to fly off my body, every muscle was aching, and when I stopped, I felt like Fred Sanford, clutching at his back and lamenting to his late wife up in heaven: "Elizabeth! I'm coming to meet you!"

I'm wondering whether with more training, 16 miles begins to feel like ten. It worries me that the longest run on our training schedule is only 20 miles. The majority of my (little) runs in the past have always been good runs, so it's strange to have difficulty finishing a run. It also could be nutrition. After a few nights out on the town and some haphazard eating strategies, the last few days haven't been ideal.

Some things to be thankful for:

- of all my aches and pains at the end, Achilles tendon wasn't really one of them. (My coach, who is terrific, gave me some special exercises to do.)
- I finished 16 miles.
- I'm healthy.
- I'm only $100 away from my fundraising goals for the Leukemia Society.
- Next week will be easy-- 12 miles to run off all the stuffing I plan to eat.

I never thought I'd see the day where 12 miles seemed easy.

Monday, November 15, 2004

the poetics of space

The great function of poetry is to give us back the situations of our dreams.
- Bachelard

First post

This summer, when S told me she had leukemia, the first thing I did was to go for a long run. Listening to Tito Puente's "A Donde Vas?" on my iPod, my body fighting to cut through the summer humidity, I wished for something to do to combat the uselessness I felt. The thought of running a marathon and doing it for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society crossed my mind, but then the first of three hurricanes hit. After the third one passed, I contacted the Leukemia Society again, and was told that even though training was already well underway, I could jump in. For the past several weekends, I've trained with Team In Training, watching my mileage creep up from 10, 12, to 14 miles. The weather has gotten slightly cooler, I've raised 75% of my required funds so far, and each week experienced a new but minor ailment-- chafing on the collarbone, blistered feet, and just today, an Achilles tendon that started to throb when I went off for one of my easy, short runs. I promptly stopped and hit the exercise bikes at the gym instead, but all day I felt like something was missing.

I also haven't quite figured out what I should be eating-- I have several running training books, the reading of which has become a minor obsession, and I know the rules about percentage carbohydrates and whatnot, but still I'm gaining rather than losing weight. What's up with that?