Funkadelic Happening

Note to readers:  I edited my original post during the time Michele made her comment.

I woke up in good shape, for the shape I was in.  The hamstring seemed like it was suffering a hangover.  The general area of soreness included a small area in the belly of the hamstring, which seems appropriate considering the distance.  This evening, the right quad is in the same boat, but that will pass.

I believe tomorrow would be a good day to canter the legs.

This morning it was 50 degrees with no wind.  The objective of the almost 3 mile run was to assess the ability to easily put one foot in front of the other.  I have a lot of work to do in the next 16 days.

2.93 miles, 38:39, 13:12 pace, 142 avg bpm, 159 max bpm during mile x, 166 avg spm, 0.73 m avg stride length.
1.  13:28, 144 bpm, 165 bpm, 72 sl
2.  13:06, 142 bpm, 166 bpm, 74 sl
3.  13:04 pace, 142 bpm, 167 bpm, 74

I had one of those runs where for the degree of huffin' and puffin' that I was doing, I thought I should've had a faster pace.  So, it must be a result of the race.  The hamstring was content, but above the hip flexor was some sciatica nerve discomfort.  I settled into a good rhythm around the first half mile and put the nerve discomfort under a muzzle.

I may run about 7 tomorrow, doing a stepping up progression.  Thanks for stopping by.

Don't be discouraged about how you felt in that 30K. Feeling rotten during training isn't unusual at all. With a good taper, you may well surprise yourself.

I can't tell if you did this, so please forgive me if I'm misunderstanding... but if you waited until you were feeling it before you took an S!Cap, you waited far too long. Next time, take one beforehand and take one every hour -- or one every half hour if you're sweating a lot. It can make a huge difference.

Mark B wrote:Don't be discouraged about how you felt in that 30K. Feeling rotten during training isn't unusual at all. With a good taper, you may well surprise yourself.

I can't tell if you did this, so please forgive me if I'm misunderstanding... but if you waited until you were feeling it before you took an S!Cap, you waited far too long. Next time, take one beforehand and take one every hour -- or one every half hour if you're sweating a lot. It can make a huge difference.

I'm just being realistic.  As far as the S!Cap related thing, because it was starting off warmer than usual, I consumed a 1/4 teaspoon of salt prior to leaving home.  During the Summer and prior to a run, I consumed a 1/4 teaspoon of salt.  So, I figured that I was in a good place.

This far away from the race, I think I went out too fast even though that pace wasn't a big deal before the hamstring issue.  I will have recovered most of the stamina by race day, but at what pace?!  Hmmm, The Shadow knows.

Wednesday, I went to Memorial Park with 6 miles in my mind to run.  I had ran 3 miles on Tuesday.

I managed 4 miles, instead of 6.  I probably could have ran 6, but there was no point.  I was trying to rebound effectively and 6 miles was more than I needed to run.

4 miles, 52:09, 139 avg bpm, 152 max bpm during mile 1, 166 avg spm, 0.74 m avg stride length
1.  12:26, 136 bpm, 166 spm, 78 sl
2.  13:07, 138 bpm, 167 spm, 74 sl
3.  13:09, 140 bpm, 167 spm, 73 sl
4.  13:27, 141 bpm, 167 spm, 72 sl

There was some left shin discomfort and some nerve discomfort above the right hip, but no hamstring discomfort.  Clearly, there was still some trash in the muscles.

Earlier this week, I re-positioned the electrical pads from the TENS unit from surrounding the hamstring discomfort to laying them directly on the source of the pain.  THAT really seems to have made a difference.  The hamstring isn't fixed, but the discomfort is limited to non-running activities.  And I can check the healing process at any time.

The plan after Wednesday's run was to go to yoga and try to run 9 miles, today.

Friday was my long run after the 30K race.  I was hoping to get 9 miles, but would settle for 6.66 or 8 miles, as long as it was longer than 4.  Wednesday evening, I did yoga and again on Thursday morning.  I felt good on Friday morning, but then, I felt good on Tuesday and Wednesday, too.  I received the added bonus of rain on Friday morning.  It had been raining for a few hours and when I started, it was drizzling at the start, but pouring with lightning for the last 2 miles.  57 degrees at the start with a cadence of 167.

9 miles, 1:56:41, 12:58 pace, 140 avg bpm, 157 max bpm during mile 1, 166 avg cadence, 0.74 m average stride length.
1.  12:58, 139 bpm, 166 spm, 75 sl
2.  12:57, 137 bpm, 166 spm, 75 sl
3.  13:31, 138 bpm, 165 spm, 72 sl
4.  13:06, 142 bpm, 166 spm, 74 sl
5.  12:53, 140 bpm, 166 spm, 75 sl
6.  13:35, 138 bpm, 166 spm, 71 sl
7.  13:04, 140 bpm, 166 spm, 74 sl
8.  12:39, 145 bpm, 166 spm, 77 sl
9.  12:30, 147 bpm, 166 spm, 77 sl

This was a good run.  Only a little nerve discomfort above the right hip flexor.  The HR is also reducing and getting back into the fold.  Looking good for a high teen long run on the 26th.  The upcoming marathon may just be my first marathon where I can run knowing that I'll have an official finish without worrying about it, but can't hit my goal time.  Time will tell if I can have any type of PR (12:22 pace).

Glad you and your body seem to be back on speaking terms. Did the lightning help you pick up the pace in those last two miles?

Mark B wrote:Glad you and your body seem to be back on speaking terms. Did the lightning help you pick up the pace in those last two miles?

I was hoping that I would beat the rain.  After all, the lightning was 2 miles away.  Nope.

Well, I didn't have much to say, this week, because I didn't run.  But I did apply the TENS unit to my hamstring.

Today was another story.  Last Friday, I successfully ran 9 miles, with minimal hamstring discomfort.  The idea was to run 15-17 miles today to see if the hamstring would tolerate it, along with the sciatica discomfort above the right hip flexor.  I was targeting a 13 minute pace.  This Sunday marks 3 weeks to Houston.

It was 59 degrees, a dewpoint of 56 degrees, and the cadence was 167.

16 miles, 3:33:01, 13:19 pace, 146 avg bpm, 163 max bpm during mile14, 166 avg cadence, 0.73 m avg stride length, 1st half pace 12:58, 2nd half pace 13:41.
1.  12:58, 136 bpm, 166 spm, 75 sl
2.  12:50, 140 bpm, 167 spm, 75 sl
3.  12:49, 142 bpm, 167 spm, 75 sl
4.  12:58, 144 bpm, 167 spm, 75 sl
5.  13:06, 144 bpm, 166 spm, 74 sl
6.  12:50, 143 bpm, 166 spm, 75 sl
7.  13:07, 144 bpm, 167 spm, 74 sl
8.  13:03, 142 bpm, 166 spm, 74 sl
9.  12:57, 146 bpm, 166 spm, 75 sl
10. 13:32, 146 bpm, 167 spm, 71 sl
11. 13:31, 147 bpm, 166 spm, 72 sl
12. 13:09, 154 bpm, 167 spm, 73 sl
13. 13:18, 152 bpm, 166 spm, 73 sl
14. 13:40, 155 bpm, 166 spm, 71 sl
15. 14:25, 153 bpm, 165 spm, 68 sl
16. 14:47, 152 bpm, 158 spm, 69 sl

There were some good results and some bad results.  The bad results are in the numbers.  I know what some of the issues are and will be correcting them.  Although, it's not a good thing that I'm bleeding time like I am.  The good results are there was no sciatica pain and a very slight hamstring discomfort.  In fact, I think I figured out how to keep the hamstring from hurting on an incline.  I chose a 13 minute pace because that's what I think I should run the marathon at, so I can have an official finish.

Now, I'm debating whether to run another long run next Friday on the order of 17-20 miles.  That would be approximately 17 days from the marathon.  Many think that 2 weeks is sufficient tapering, but I've always taken 3 weeks because I think it best at my advanced age to take the extra time.  Thoughts are appreciated.

Overall, it was a good run, in spite of the bleeding.  Thanks for your time.

59 degrees sounds so great right about now. 

I think 17 days would be enough. It's just between 2 and 3 weeks and as long as you're feeling healthy before, I would go for it. Then again, if you're having some discomforts, which it sounds like you are, maybe I wouldn't...not to be indecisive but if you're having hammie and sciatia pain then you might err on the side of resting and healing. I have regretted running more miles when a little injured than resting more, when it comes to race day.

Howdy, Julie, and thanks for your thoughts.  I am more of a cautious person.  Over the weekend, I decided to not do a 17-20 mile run, but to do another 12-15 mile run because, if I had run 20 last week, this week's taper long run would be around 12-15 miles. 

Without further adieu, it's taper week #1.  Last year, I did the TAPER MADNESS 2.0 based off of Lisa's 2007 Chicago Marathon.  It had started back in October, 2013 for the various Fall marathon runners.
http://www.365runners.com/t2476-taper-madness




So, here is where my TAPER MADNESS part for 2014 Houston started:
http://www.365runners.com/t2476p325-taper-madness
and enjoy.  Since the spacing is now going from 1 line to 2, I'm going to end this post and start another for my run.

This morning was the first run of taper's week 1.  Instead of a 10 mile run, I decided to do an 8 mile run at a different location.  This park's trails roll much more than the route to and around Memorial Park.  And really, it's good exposure for the marathon's rollers in the last 6 miles.

Our cold front came through on Saturday, with rain.  This morning, it was 41 degrees with a slight breeze and cloudy skies.  I was wearing two long sleeved shirts, gloves, a Buff,  and a Sweatshop beanie.  I could've gotten by without the Buff OR the beanie and maybe a shirt.  It was expected the skies would clear, but that didn't happen.  Cadence was set at 167 and my goal was to start out at a pace and hold it for the entire 8 miles.

8 miles, 1:37:09, 12:09 pace, 146 avg HR (skewed by under recording heart rate), 168 max HR during mile 1, 168 avg cadence, 0.79 m avg stride length, 1st half pace 12:10 and 2nd half pace of 12:08.
1.  12:15, 166 spm, 79 sl
2.  12:20, 165 spm, 79 sl
3.  12:01, 166 spm, 81 sl
4.  12:08, 166 spm, 80 sl
5.  12:22, 167 spm, 78 sl
6.  12:05, 168 spm, 79 sl
7.  11:58, 171 spm, 79 sl
8.  12:02, 174 spm, 77 sl

My first mile was 12:15, so that was the general pace I wanted to maintain for the other 7.  I was really surprised at the pace because it was so onerous to try to maintain a 13 minute pace on Friday, plus the residual stiffness over the weekend was not too fun.  But, 12:15 was the pace.  The last 2.5 miles, I really tried to focus on it being the last couple of miles of the marathon.  I guess after achieving an official finish for the marathon, I'd like to show some late splits at being faster or no slower than the early splits.

With the additional rollers on this asphalt trail, it caused no during-the-run major hamstring or hip flexor pain.  A little discomfort, but not too bad.  Afterwards as the day wore along, the hamstring was complaining, but simmered down as I walked to loosen it up.  Tonight, I'll slap the TENS unit on it to help out.

An encouraging run!  Thanks for reading.

If your goal is to blow your PR out of the water, 17 days might be insufficient taper. If you want to do pretty well, 17 days should suffice.

Nice to see a 11:XX in a split! I think going for an even split, or even a negative split, would be great for your marathon.

Gosh, hi, Mark!

Nothing but the slightest of PR's, if I'm lucky.  Really, I'm working on a 13 minute pace (11:10 was the PR pace, alas it ain't there).  The hamstring issue is such that I can't lean into the stride like I could at the Houston Half in October.

So, this is the drop-the-mileage, but-not-the-intensity taper program.

How's that taper madness going? You seem much quieter than previous tapers.

nkrichards wrote:How's that taper madness going?  You seem much quieter than previous tapers.

Howdy, Nancy.  There's nothing to be nervous about.  Now, I'm targeting an official finish (something less than 6 hours).  I'm pretty comfortable that I can do it, as long as the parts and pieces stay together.  I should know by mile 18, if that will happen.  But, you'll have to stay tuned.

-30-

Yesterday evening (instead of this morning), I ran 3 miles because it was going to be cooler this morning.  A runner has to be flexible.    This run followed Monday morning's 8 mile run and I will run 12 miles tomorrow morning while the hangovers are still keeping people in bed.  The purpose of the 3 was to make sure the legs remembered what to do.  I somehow feel like I need to give them a 'mini-camp' of sorts.

It was about 47 degrees out there, yesterday, and the cadence was to be 167.

3 miles, 36:57, 12:19 pace, 149 avg bpm, 167 max bpm during mile 1, 168 avg spm, and 0.78 m avg stride length.
1.  12:18, 149 bpm, 166 spm, 79 sl
2.  12:07, 147 bpm, 169 spm, 78 sl
3.  12:32, 152 bpm, 168 spm, 77 sl

I was starting to get a little sore on the right hip flexor during the last mile and the time showed it.  Still looking forward to tomorrow's 12 mile.  I did yoga, today, too.

Y'all have a great New Year's Day and a better 2015.

No madness for this taper? Pish-tosh. NOT A CHANCE!

You may not feel it yet, but I'm sure you'll be going off the deep end sometime between now and race day.

Here's hoping the body cooperates and you do better than you hope.

And happy new year!

Mark B wrote:No madness for this taper? Pish-tosh. NOT A CHANCE!

You may not feel it yet, but I'm sure you'll be going off the deep end sometime between now and race day.

Here's hoping the body cooperates and you do better than you hope.

And happy new year!

I guess that you don't mean definition 5 in Urban Dictionary.

Oh, I could probably do another version of it.  And as the days move along closer to the 18th, if my body continues to mend, then I don't think TAPER MAAAAAADNESS will be a factor.  I sure hope I can maintain a 13 minute pace for most of the race.  At this point, I just want an official finish.

Happy New Year to you and the family, Mark. 

-30-

This morning was the previously advertised 12 miles.  It was pretty chilly at 9 a.m. with a 39 degree cloudy sky and a steady, less than 10 mph, northeast wind.  I wore the same clothes as Monday's 8 mile with 50 degrees.  The clothes were more appropriate for today's run.  The cadence was 167.

12 miles, 2:32:01, 12:40 pace, 151 avg bpm, 165 max bpm during mile 12, 166 spm, 0.76 m avg stride length, 1st half pace 12:42, 2nd half pace 12:38.
1.  12:51, 142 bpm, 165 spm, 76 sl
2.  12:43, 147 bpm, 167 spm, 76 sl
3.  12:41, 150 bpm, 166 spm, 76 sl
4.  12:54, 150 bpm, 166 spm, 75 sl
5.  12:28, 150 bpm, 165 spm, 78 sl
6.  12:33, 149 bpm, 165 spm, 78 sl
7.  12:45, 148 bpm, 165 spm, 76 sl
8.  12:42, 153 bpm, 166 spm, 76 sl
9.  12:31, 153 bpm, 166 spm, 77 sl
10. 12:23, 155 bpm, 167 spm, 78 sl
11. 12:46, 156 bpm, 167 spm, 76 sl
12. 12:45, 160 bpm, 170 spm, 74 sl

This was a good run and somewhat surprising, in that all of the splits were sub-13.  Further, my right hamstring whined just once.  So, maybe my hamstring will be healed enough to make it 26 miles in a couple of weeks.  Things might be looking up, but I won't try to run faster because it's just not worth not finishing.

I ran 23 miles this week.  Comments are welcome and Happy New Year to the rest of you folks.

Happy New Year. Hope tapering is going well. I'm quite surprised by how quiet you...

Hmm, I'm with Nancy - hope all is well.

nkrichards wrote:Happy New Year.  Hope tapering is going well.  I'm quite surprised by how quiet you...

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Hmm, I'm with Nancy - hope all is well.

Well, I think everything is going well and thanks for the concern.  There's nothing out of kilter in the 2nd week of taper that I know of.  I can say that I'm not all wound up with TAPER MADNESSSSSSS since I'm not targeting a faster time.  Instead of a sub-5 hour time, I'm hoping for an official finish (sub-6).  A 13 minute pace will accomplish that.

My hamstring is behaving, although I'm not going to push it until I get to the double underpass during mile 23.  Whereas I would like to go faster, I don't want to risk not getting an official finish.  So, I hope the body holds up for 26.4 miles.  I think that it will.

Again, thanks.

*30*

As y'all probably know, it's cold up north!  Tomorrow is our turn to receive the cold.  Today will be the last day in the 60's for the next 10-12 days (which just happens to be marathon weekend).  Right now, it's a seasonable 63 degrees with an unseasonable dewpoint of 29 degrees.

But yesterday, it was around 53 degrees in the late afternoon when I ran the 6 miles at Memorial Park.  The objective was to find a pace and stick with it, which seems to be the target for this tapering session.  And the sun was out, so I got some adjustment to sunlight.  167 was the target cadence.

6 miles, 1:14:09, 12:21 pace, 154 avg bpm, 171 max bpm during mile 1, 167 cadence, 0.78 m avg stride length, 1st half pace 12:30, 2nd half pace 12:22.
1.  12.26, 155 bpm, 166 spm, 78 sl
2.  12:32, 150 bpm, 167 spm, 77 sl
3.  12:30, 153 bpm, 167 spm, 77 sl
4.  12:20, 153 bpm, 166 spm, 78 sl
5.  12:16, 156 bpm, 167 spm, 78 sl
6.  12:04, 156 bpm, 168 spm, 80 sl

This was pretty nice.  No hamstring trouble, a bit of left lateral shin tightness for the first 2 miles, and a real nice pace.  Though it's odd that over the past few runs, my heart rate really start out high, then slides to a normal heart rate.  And a few times, the max HR is in mile 1.

(Let's see if Mark reads this and contribute as to a possible cause.)

For whatever it's worth, all of the taper runs, including a 12 mile run, had zero 13:xx minute mile splits.  So, I just need to keep motoring along and continue to build the case that a 13 minute pace on the 18th will work.  Thanks for stopping by.

ounce wrote:Though it's odd that over the past few runs, my heart rate really start out high, then slides to a normal heart rate.  And a few times, the max HR is in mile 1.

(Let's see if Mark reads this and contribute as to a possible cause.)

For whatever it's worth, all of the taper runs, including a 12 mile run, had zero 13:xx minute mile splits.  So, I just need to keep motoring along and continue to build the case that a 13 minute pace on the 18th will work.  Thanks for stopping by.

Ooo! I know this one.

In cooler and dryer temperatures, it takes longer to sweat. That means your HR strap doesn't make as good a contact, which shows erratic results until you finally start to "glow" and complete the circuit more consistently. I encounter that a lot, even when I lube the strap with aloe vera gel. It can be quite alarming at first, like a bout of tachycardia, but it's just instrument error.

Still, those splits? Those heart rates? Very, very nice! I can't assess your hamstring, but your overall fitness looks great.

I don't remember instances like that ever.  Learn something new, again.  Thanks.

-30-

Thursday, I ran 3 miles as part of the 2nd week of taper.  Again, the objective was to find a pace, then stay at the pace or faster for the rest of the run.  It was 40 degrees in the afternoon and I ran the 3 mile loop at Memorial Park.  The cadence was the standard 167 steps per minute.

3 miles, 35:14, 11:44 pace, 158 avg HR, 167 max HR during mile 1, 168 avg spm, 0.81 m avg stride length.
1.  11:54, 159 bpm, 166 avg spm, 81 sl
2.  11:42, 155 bpm, 167 avg spm, 83 sl
3.  11:39, 161 bpm, 172 avg spm, 80 sl

Well, this was an exercise in giddy up.  And I was pleasantly surprised.  Nothing hurt (but for only 3 miles, nothing should have hurt).

Today was a 9 mile run as the last long run of this training cycle.  And this 9 miles is an old, reliable route of running from home, the 3 mile loop at Memorial Park + 1-440 yard turn at the track, then 3 miles back home.  AND the 220 has been registering an accurate distance, too!

It was 36 degrees with a 7 mile NE wind.  Chilly, chilly but I won't call it cold out of respect to those living up north in the tundra.  I looked at the 10 day forecast to see what the initial temperature spread for Houston would be.  And while we won't have seasonal high temperatures until next Saturday (63 degrees), at first blush the low temp on the 18th might be in the mid-50's...subject to change.  THIS Sunday, it's supposed to be 43 with a 70% chance of rain.  I'll take mid-50's start even though it'll be much warmer.

Now, what I wanted to run was a 12:50 pace, which is the race pace I want in 8 days.  I did want a 13 pace, but over the past few runs, a sub-13 pace has been the norm.  So I think a few seconds under 13 will be fine for race pace.  A 167 cadence was ordered, as well.

9 miles,1:54:48, 12:45 pace, 148 avg bpm, 161 max bpm during mile 7, 166 avg spm, 0.76 m avg stride length.
1.  12:24, 136 bpm, 165 spm, 79 sl
2.  12:38, 148 bpm, 166 spm, 77 sl
3.  12:49, 147 bpm, 166 spm, 75 sl
4.  12:51, 150 bpm, 166 spm, 75 sl
5.  12:52, 150 bpm, 165 spm, 76 sl
6.  12:45, 148 bpm, 166 spm, 76 sl
7.  12:45, 149 bpm, 165 spm, 76 sl
8.  12:48, 151 bpm, 166 spm, 76 sl
9.  12:54, 150 bpm, 166 spm, 75 sl

THIS was pretty much a nice run.  Rather than keeping an eye on the run's average pace on the 220, I kept my eye on the 'pace right now' number (not sure what Garmin calls it - instant pace?), then verify the number at the mile split.

Of course, it's quite possible the temperatures for the race will be warmer and I've probably lost most of the warmer temperature (up to 63 degrees) acclimatization.  But I'm really comfortable that a 12:50 marathon pace is a good pace for me at this time in my training.  A 12:50 pace for 20 miles allows me to do the last 10K at a 16 minute pace.  Very doable.  Blood ketone level as been consistently in a good range and I need to continue that until race day.  Post-race food might just be pizza followed with the traditional post-race dessert...ice cream.

Thanks for stopping by, but the 3rd week of taper merits a $2 charge for commenting as TAPER MAAAAADNESSS inoculation charge.