Stalking 50

I've never gone longer than 50K and after that I felt pretty good and ran a marathon 4 mos later and then another on about 2 mos after that and felt great. I think I read a long time ago that it takes your body almost a yr to recover completely from a marathon. I don't know if it's true but I do think you do some pretty good little muscles tears during a race. Even if you didn't push yourself as hard as you think you might have, 50 miles is a lot to ask your body to run at any pace, more than most humans will ever do, that's for sure. I just hate to see long-term injuries come out of being overly ambitious. It seems like our brains recover a lot faster than our joints or muscles. Do you have a typical spot that is prone to injuries or are you pretty solidly injury-free?

Julie wrote:I've never gone longer than 50K and after that I felt pretty good and ran a marathon 4 mos later and then another on about 2 mos after that and felt great. I think I read a long time ago that it takes your body almost a yr to recover completely from a marathon. I don't know if it's true but I do think you do some pretty good little muscles tears during a race. Even if you didn't push yourself as hard as you think you might have, 50 miles is a lot to ask your body to run at any pace, more than most humans will ever do, that's for sure. I just hate to see long-term injuries come out of being overly ambitious. It seems like our brains recover a lot faster than our joints or muscles. Do you have a typical spot that is prone to injuries or are you pretty solidly injury-free?

Good points, all, and I've seen other friends run themselves into the ground by being too ambitious, too soon, after a race. And yes, the brain (and especially the ego) bounce back much faster than the rest of the body. At least I've learned that lesson over the years, even though I learned it the hard way.

As for typical injuries, I have been pretty fortunate since switching to low HR training. Most of my major running injuries have been traumatic, like rolling an ankle or kicking a root, rather than cumulative.

That said, I do tend to get tight in my right hip -- where I probably tore something years ago -- in the area around the tensor fasciae latae , which I probably try to recruit as a hip flexor when I shouldn't. I know to stretch to loosen up the hips and try to keep that area from getting out of hand. I can also get a little creaky in the ankles/feet, usually the peroneal tendons that run on the outside of the lower leg and attach to the side of the foot.

I was exceptionally sore in a different muscle (extensor digitorum longus) after the race, presumably due to the root kicking and the eccentric load from landing on my forefoot for all those miles. I suspect I was relying on that muscle too much when I should have been using my calf muscles. At any rate, that soreness went away in a couple of weeks.

I'm hoping to work on that calf issue - and that might be one of the reasons I've been getting a bit more sore lately. I guess I should recover more before doing too much strength building there.

Maybe be a little extra cautious and do whatever exercises and stretches you know target your past issues. Which reminds me, I need to get out my PT exercise sheet and at least think about doing them before I blow out a knee again.

Julie wrote:Maybe be a little extra cautious and do whatever exercises and stretches you know target your past issues. Which reminds me, I need to get out my PT exercise sheet and at least think about doing them before I blow out a knee again.

Good idea, Julie. I'd rather err on the side of caution than take myself out again. No fun at all!

And blowing out a knee again? Bad idea. Definitely find that PT sheet!  

Yes, definitely take it easy.  Especially since you are not that far out of a very draining race.  Take it easy and you'll be fine...

Walk: About 2 miles

Weather: Sunny, mild. 72

Alec goes back to school tomorrow, but Alita started work at school today. So it seemed like a good day for a father-son trip to the Oregon Zoo. Alec had been wanting to see their big cats since visiting the snow leopards in Seattle.

It was a nice afternoon for a walk, which was nice, because most of the animals were taking a siesta.



Still a fun afternoon, though.

Barefoot Run: 3.1 miles

Weather: Overcast, mild, muggy. 62 degrees, 91% humidity. Gear: Bare feet, shorts, T. Fuel: After breakfast.

Today's the first day of school, so this was a test of what I can squeeze in between getting them ready for school and me ready for work. I managed to get in just over three miles barefoot.

The run was pretty good. I worked on keeping relaxed and letting my HR stay low. I was pretty successful, and the paces weren't bad, either.

A few parents/grandparents were still outside after getting the kids to the school bus, so I got a few comments. A group of middle school kids went by and they did their best to ignore me.

Average HR for entire run: 136


Alec, seventh grade, vs kindergarten. (Yipes!)

I see he's wearing the same pants in both pictures! 

mul21 wrote:I see he's wearing the same pants in both pictures! 

 

Well, you know, a journalist's salary and all that...

He looks a lot happier to be going to kindergarten than seventh grade

Nick Morris wrote:He looks a lot happier to be going to kindergarten than seventh grade

 +1

Funny though, my daughter seemed very happy to go back to college.

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:

Nick Morris wrote:He looks a lot happier to be going to kindergarten than seventh grade

 +1

Funny though, my daughter seemed very happy to go back to college.

Funny how their perception of school changes as they get older...

Nick Morris wrote:

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:

Nick Morris wrote:He looks a lot happier to be going to kindergarten than seventh grade

 +1

Funny though, my daughter seemed very happy to go back to college.

Funny how their perception of school changes as they get older...

I can see why you would think that, but the look was more about getting his photo taken than going to school. (He wasn't remotely self-conscious about how he looked in a photo when he was 5; now, it's a different story.)

As far as school goes, he's been looking forward to it pretty much all summer. Part of it is that he gets to study life science this year, another is a certain girl he sits next to in band. 

Walk: 2.2 miles

Weather: Mostly cloudy, warm, muggy! 

My second activity of the day: a lunchtime walk down along the Columbia River. We're supposed to have some wet and stormy weather heading our way, and I could feel the humidity building even while I was out there. Not such a great scenario when you're in your work clothes. 

aww, cute pics! They grow up so fast! I have already figured that out and it's kind of sad sometimes.

Julie wrote:aww, cute pics! They grow up so fast! I have already figured that out and it's kind of sad sometimes.

Watch out! Those two cuties will be teenagers before you know it. I suggest investing in a meat locker.

Weird transition day today. Both Alec and Alita are off at school, and I'm on the evening shift. That means its just me and the cats for much of the day.

I'd thought about going for a run, but I'm still playing it conservatively (I'll run tomorrow), so I found a bunch of little chores that needed doing. It was nice getting those taken care of, I suppose. But jeez. It's so quiet!

Mark B wrote:

Julie wrote:aww, cute pics! They grow up so fast! I have already figured that out and it's kind of sad sometimes.

Watch out! Those two cuties will be teenagers before you know it. I suggest investing in a meat locker.

oh mercy. Our food budget keeps increasing and we eat very little meat because of the price but man I know we're in trouble in the next few yrs and I can't think about teenager appetites!

Turn on the radio or something? I hope they're enjoying school.

Julie wrote:

Mark B wrote:

Julie wrote:aww, cute pics! They grow up so fast! I have already figured that out and it's kind of sad sometimes.

Watch out! Those two cuties will be teenagers before you know it. I suggest investing in a meat locker.

oh mercy. Our food budget keeps increasing and we eat very little meat because of the price but man I know we're in trouble in the next few yrs and I can't think about teenager appetites!

Turn on the radio or something? I hope they're enjoying school.

Go vegan now, and they'll never know the difference!

Alita got a good (non-violent) student assigned to her this year as a 1:1, which is nice. Alec was thrilled to go back to school, and I don't think his enthusiasm has faded yet!
 
I'll adapt to the quiet again (being that I have a half dozen working police scanners within earshot at work, quiet is a nice change of pace), and I'll be getting out running more as the weeks go by. This sort of situation is why I ended up training for the ultra - I actually had time to do it and not impose on anybody else's time. 

Low HR Run: 6.25 miles

Weather: Overcast, mild, humid. 62 degrees, 95% humidity. Gear: Instincts, shorts, T. Fuel: Breakfast a couple hours earlier. Carried nuun in handheld.

I was expecting to do a run in the rain this morning (we finally had some significant rain overnight), but it petered out before I got out the door. That left mild and pretty muggy conditions, with a welcome breeze.

My legs felt springy and light when I first started out, and I was bopping along at a decent clip with a low HR in my first mile. Alas, my legs weren't so peppy that they could *maintain* that clip. I slowed consistently each mile and had a tough time keeping my HR in the proper zone. On the upside, it did feel like I was maintaining good form.

In retrospect, I probably should have eased into the run a little more gradually, letting my HR come up even slower than it did. I might try that next time... though I can't make any promises.

All in all, it was still a decent run.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 133

Low HR Run: 7.29 miles

Weather: Sunny, mild, humid, breezy. 60 degrees, 94% humidity. Gear: Instincts, shorts, T. Fuel: Grape Nuts and coffee before. Nuun in handheld during.

My legs felt sludgy this morning, so it wasn't difficult to throttle back to a lower intensity/speed this morning. I'm glad I did. After a mile or so, my legs warmed up and relaxed into the run. It meant running slower -- but at this stage of the game, I'd rather have comfort than speed.

I went out on my Llama Ridge route (no llamas this morning, only cows) and enjoyed a gorgeous morning. It was sunny and very humid, but I had a nice breeze in my face for my outbound leg. On the return, I had the wind at my back, which meant some pretty prodigious perspiration. It felt good -- almost cleansing.

My average HR for most of the miles was below my official MAF target, which was exactly what I needed today.

Here's how it looked:



Walked first and last 5 minutes (or so). Average HR for entire run: 132

So if I ordered a 62 degree morning, how long would it take to get delivered?

ounce wrote:So if I ordered a 62 degree morning, how long would it take to get delivered?

To you? Oh, I'd say about four months.

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:So if I ordered a 62 degree morning, how long would it take to get delivered?

To you? Oh, I'd say about four months.

Do you take a check or is it COD?

Looks like things are coming back after your 50 miler.  Some pretty decent runs, even with the humidity.