It's all about the base

So, let me throw in a figure for you to plug in to your Spring/early Summer choices.  Add 7 degrees to the average starting temp and finishing temp for each race.  Then see if that extra warmth might help in narrowing down the choices.

An idea for your next pre-race fooding.  Make you a pasta or rice meal at home and bring it with you to eat on Friday lunch.  Then if anyone shows up for a dinner, you're already covered for the day and dinner will only add to your loading.

I guess I need to write some stuff on my own blog.

ounce wrote:So, let me throw in a figure for you to plug in to your Spring/early Summer choices.  Add 7 degrees to the average starting temp and finishing temp for each race.  Then see if that extra warmth might help in narrowing down the choices.

An idea for your next pre-race fooding.  Make you a pasta or rice meal at home and bring it with you to eat on Friday lunch.  Then if anyone shows up for a dinner, you're already covered for the day and dinner will only add to your loading.

I guess I need to write some stuff on my own blog.

Yes Doug, as you know race day temp is important to me...and I like it cool.  So many things to consider when making a decision...

• CIM     12/4/22, Avg Temp 47(56-38), PR Score 100.38, Runners 7555
  
• Eugene 5/1/22, Avg Temp 53(64-40), PR Score 99.0, Runners 1488
  
• Newport 6/4/22, Avg Temp 53(58-49), PR Score 99.58, Runners 392
  

I do need to make sure that I have a better backup plan for pre-race food.  Marty and I both decided that my choice of a less expensive hotel for CIM this year wasn't worth the cost savings.  I've already booked a hotel much closer to the bus loading area/finish line.  It's triple the cost but more convenient and it has a good in-house restaurant.  I'll still have back-up food organized.  I haven't even registered for CIM yet but I have a good hotel.  

Lots to consider.  I'm communicating with Melissa but also trying to give her some time with her family over the holidays.  Lots of things keep going through my head.  Just when I think I know what I want to do I start questioning my decision.  I have a couple weeks to decide as training won't change much until the end of the month.

***
Marty and I did get our Mobility and Stability workout done on Wednesday once the internet came back on-line.

Thursday started with 45 minutes of Upper Body Strength.  Icy patches required me to dig out my shoes with screws in the soles.  4 miles @ 11:28.

Friday was Total Body Tempo for 45 minutes.  It was cold with blowing snow so I wasn't in a hurry to run.  It let up and the sun came out so I headed out with my screwed shoes and gators.  It didn't last long...blowing snow for the last 4+ miles.  6.2 miles @ 12:08.  I think 5 days of strength work had as much affect on my pace as the winter conditions.

Saturday was a gorgeous day!  Cold but minimal wind.  Wind chill was a balmy 18 and even though it was packed snow and ice it was such a pretty run that I didn't mind.  4 miles @ 11:47.  And we got our last strength workout in before my run...45 minutes of cardio.  What a great way to start the new year!!

***
So I finished the year with 1687.76 miles. I ran 249 days for a total of 323 hours (some warm-up and cool-down time included).  420 hours if you include core/strength work.
Previous high mileage was 1195 in 2020. (236 hours for 225 running days). 360 hours for all activities.
Nothing impressive in 2019.
2018 was the year I trained for my Half IM. I only ran 709 miles but my total time for all activities was 525 due to all the swimming and biking.

Pretty happy with the year.  It's really odd...I'm very proud of my training and race execution...best race ever...just not the finish I had hoped for.  I do think that I accomplished the goal I set when I started this blog and that was to build a base for future success.  So with that I'll put some thought into my next goal and start a new blog in a few days.

Wishing you health and happiness in the new year...

From what I have heard you cannot go wrong running either Eugene or Newport.   I've considered both of them since I'd love to run a "race" in Oregon besides HTC and the old Cascade Run-Off (back in 1992!) in downtown Portland because neither meet my criteria of a marathon or half in all 50 states.  I did sort of give up that goal as I got on a Boston streak - but might revisit someday.

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:From what I have heard you cannot go wrong running either Eugene or Newport.   I've considered both of them since I'd love to run a "race" in Oregon besides HTC and the old Cascade Run-Off (back in 1992!) in downtown Portland because neither meet my criteria of a marathon or half in all 50 states.  I did sort of give up that goal as I got on a Boston streak - but might revisit someday.

I finally made my decision.  I'm going to wait for CIM.  I just couldn't decide.  I had so many concerns running through my head and I finally realized that my inability to decide was because I realized deep down that a spring/early summer marathon was not a good idea.  Melissa listed pros and cons but was supportive of whatever decision I made.  After I let her know that I was going to wait she admitted that she thought that was probably best.  It was the right decision.  I'm so excited about running some shorter races this spring.  The pressure of jumping right back into marathon training was a stress that I don't need right now.  So the plan is shorter stuff this spring/summer and then training for CIM.  Really happy with my decision.

***
Not a lot to report.  Lots of easy running.  I started adding in a few strides and then 10x1 min fartleks today.  Ran 8 last Friday.  Recovery has been slow but running is starting to feel better.  We've had some cold and slick days.  Better today but windy.  Not worrying to much about paces.  Janice won't run in the bad weather.  I've missed running with her.  She did join me for 2.5 of my 4 mile run on Saturday.  It was slow but I enjoyed the company.

Marty and I are still on track with the 645 program.  (6 days a week for 45 minutes)  We won't be able to keep it up and that's fine.  It includes a good warmup, some stretching and mobility, and core work.  It's providing what we old people need.

I do have some exciting news...I think.  MADrass Runners hasn't been active lately.  The founders are all injured.  But...Marty recently decided to switch churches (his church got to political).  After looking around we settled on Metolius Friends.  Chuck and Janice attend church there as do several of Marty's farming friends.  And...they just hired a new assistant pastor.  His name is Mario Mendoza.  He's a runner...and an impressive one.  I watched him break the world record for a 50K on the treadmill in the Madras High school gym a couple years ago.  He does a lot of work with the local kids.  He was instrumental in getting a large donation from Brooks for the kids.  He's going to take over MADrass Runners.  He's already scheduled the monthly Eagle Bakery Runs.  He's bringing back the Mad Ass...an unsupported race that took place in Jan/Feb for several years.  It's a trail race and Mario is primarily a trail runner but they are encouraging us road runners to participate on the road.  It's pretty much a social event before and after the run and there is no single set course...just several suggestions.  He's also starting a Wednesday Workout at the high school track for the kids but has invited the MADrass Runners as well.  The track was refurbished a few years ago with Jon Bowerman (Nike) money with the understanding that it was for the community not just the high school.  Mario insisted that they open it up to the larger community.  It will be interested to see how much interest/participation he gets.  It might be really fun!!

I'll try and check in more often...

Here's an update.  I won't bore you with individual run stats.

Marty and I made it through the first 3 weeks of 645 without missing a day.  I think we're going to have conflicts coming up soon...and I'm finding 6 days of core/strength more than I can maintain as my running ramps back up.  But it is fun.  We'll adjust as needed.

Workout Wednesday started this week.  Janice, Chuck, and I joined 10 high school runners, Jess (the cross country coach), and Mario at the high school track.  It was a lot of fun.  Mario is trying to keep it at an hour so he doesn't overwhelm the kids.  We started with dynamic stretches followed by a 10 minute warm up jog.  Then strides and a pep talk.  The main workout was 8x1:00 fartleks and a 5 minute cool down jog.  Finished with stretches and another pep talk.  I'm looking forward to getting to know the kids and then watching them compete.  Mario introduced us (3 older runners) and told the kids a bit about us.  We've asked him to introduce the kids as they are comfortable.  It was really fun to run on the track!!!

Hamstring/sitting is a bit uncomfortable.  I was able to get an appointment with a better PT in Bend at the end of the month.  I need to get back to rolling...I got out of the habit.

Back up to 30 miles a week with a long run of 8 miles.  The weather has been a bit better.  Very cold at night but clear and dry.  It's been nice winter running weather.  I was running short of time but drove to the overlook anyway for my long run on Friday.  It was absolutely gorgeous!!

The next couple weeks are going to be hectic with family obligations...hoping I don't miss to much running.

I need to start a new blog...

nkrichards wrote:Here's an update.  I won't bore you with individual run stats.

Marty and I made it through the first 3 weeks of 645 without missing a day.  I think we're going to have conflicts coming up soon...and I'm finding 6 days of core/strength more than I can maintain as my running ramps back up.  But it is fun.  We'll adjust as needed.

Workout Wednesday started this week.  Janice, Chuck, and I joined 10 high school runners, Jess (the cross country coach), and Mario at the high school track.  It was a lot of fun.  Mario is trying to keep it at an hour so he doesn't overwhelm the kids.  We started with dynamic stretches followed by a 10 minute warm up jog.  Then strides and a pep talk.  The main workout was 8x1:00 fartleks and a 5 minute cool down jog.  Finished with stretches and another pep talk.  I'm looking forward to getting to know the kids and then watching them compete.  Mario introduced us (3 older runners) and told the kids a bit about us.  We've asked him to introduce the kids as they are comfortable.  It was really fun to run on the track!!!

Hamstring/sitting is a bit uncomfortable.  I was able to get an appointment with a better PT in Bend at the end of the month.  I need to get back to rolling...I got out of the habit.

Back up to 30 miles a week with a long run of 8 miles.  The weather has been a bit better.  Very cold at night but clear and dry.  It's been nice winter running weather.  I was running short of time but drove to the overlook anyway for my long run on Friday.  It was absolutely gorgeous!!

The next couple weeks are going to be hectic with family obligations...hoping I don't miss to much running.

I need to start a new blog...

That's really nice about the resuscitation of the MAD Runners.  I wonder if the high school runners will gravitate to you three seasoned runners for what they see in y'all.

I am curious about what the new PT will find, but remember, that's why they're 'practicing' physical therapy.  Doing CIM again, I think, is the best choice, even though I don't know squat about the other two, except that it'll be warmer (which I detest).

I would ask the therapist about continuing to do rolling.  Toodles!

ounce wrote:

nkrichards wrote:Here's an update.  I won't bore you with individual run stats.

Marty and I made it through the first 3 weeks of 645 without missing a day.  I think we're going to have conflicts coming up soon...and I'm finding 6 days of core/strength more than I can maintain as my running ramps back up.  But it is fun.  We'll adjust as needed.

Workout Wednesday started this week.  Janice, Chuck, and I joined 10 high school runners, Jess (the cross country coach), and Mario at the high school track.  It was a lot of fun.  Mario is trying to keep it at an hour so he doesn't overwhelm the kids.  We started with dynamic stretches followed by a 10 minute warm up jog.  Then strides and a pep talk.  The main workout was 8x1:00 fartleks and a 5 minute cool down jog.  Finished with stretches and another pep talk.  I'm looking forward to getting to know the kids and then watching them compete.  Mario introduced us (3 older runners) and told the kids a bit about us.  We've asked him to introduce the kids as they are comfortable.  It was really fun to run on the track!!!

Hamstring/sitting is a bit uncomfortable.  I was able to get an appointment with a better PT in Bend at the end of the month.  I need to get back to rolling...I got out of the habit.

Back up to 30 miles a week with a long run of 8 miles.  The weather has been a bit better.  Very cold at night but clear and dry.  It's been nice winter running weather.  I was running short of time but drove to the overlook anyway for my long run on Friday.  It was absolutely gorgeous!!

The next couple weeks are going to be hectic with family obligations...hoping I don't miss to much running.

I need to start a new blog...

That's really nice about the resuscitation of the MAD Runners.  I wonder if the high school runners will gravitate to you three seasoned runners for what they see in y'all.

I am curious about what the new PT will find, but remember, that's why they're 'practicing' physical therapy.  Doing CIM again, I think, is the best choice, even though I don't know squat about the other two, except that it'll be warmer (which I detest).

I would ask the therapist about continuing to do rolling.  Toodles!

Workout Wednesday continues to be fun.  One of the boys was running along side me for a bit and introduced himself.  I'm looking forward to getting to know the kids better and watching them compete this spring.  And running on the track is fun...and fast!!

Not much progress reviving MADras Runners other than including us in Workout Wednesday.  Last Saturday's Eagle Bakery group run was cancelled with poor communication so I showed up and waited a few minutes before heading out for a solo run.  And the MADASS run that was scheduled for Feb 5th has also been cancelled...at least they communicated that well.  I'm not surprised as COVID cases are soaring in our community.

Speaking of COVID...Marty tested positive on Thursday.  He was pretty sick Thursday evening but woke up feeling well enough to workout Friday morning.  He was really only sick for 24 hours.  To complicate things the two big boys were staying with us for the week while Kevin and Natalie vacationed in Mexico.  Of course once they were exposed they couldn't go to school or to their sporting practices even though they felt fine.  The plan had been to drop them off with Natalie's parents (they kept the 3 younger kids) after basketball practice Friday evening so they would all be there when their flight arrived home late Friday night.  I was concerned about exposing Natalie's parents but they wanted them to all be there so I dropped them off after breakfast on Friday.

So my plans for an early morning frosty 10 miler after I dropped the boys at school morphed into a hectic morning and a gorgeous 10 miler that afternoon...in short sleeves!!  The run went very well...to well in fact.  My pace was 11:08.  It was a negative split run but overall the splits were pretty consistent throughout.  HR Avg 141...impressive for me for a 10 miler at that pace.  Cadence was 157.  I noticed that my cadence had really fallen off since returning to running after my marathon.  I hate the gnome but wanted to make an effort to bring it up at least a bit.  I counted my steps and coordinated with my breathing during my easy runs on Tuesday and Thursday with evidence of some improvement.  So I decided to try to do the same for my 10 miler.  I also wanted to make a conscious effort to practice my forward lean.  I took off like a bat out of hell...no where near my easy pace!!  I dialed back a bit hoping to maintain the improved cadence and lean without causing my HR to spike to much.  It was interesting to try and find the balance.  Definitely want to continue to work on cadence and lean during this portion of my training.  Postponing my goal marathon till December should give me time to do so without compromising my training.

Woke up this morning feeling a bit off...wasn't sure if I was getting sick or just recovering from a tough 10 miler later in the day yesterday.  Marty and I went ahead and worked out this morning but I didn't go full effort...maybe 90%.  I have 4 mile recovery run on my schedule but I'm definitely not feeling quite right...sore throat, headache, starting to feel a bit feverish and chilled...as the day progresses.  I hate to miss a scheduled run but I think I'll go the cautious route and try to rest this afternoon  Hopefully I won't get to sick and/or will recovery quickly.  We have plans to take Marty's Mom to the beach for her birthday next week.  She shares a birthday with Marty and they both enjoy the beach.

Marty will be home for lunch soon...I think I'll take a nap when he heads back to work.

Definitely COVID.  Didn't waste a test as it was obvious.  Glad I chose not to try and run Saturday.  Never got really sick but it was obvious I wasn't well.  Mostly chills, body aches, sore throat, and headache.  Felt better Sunday but still not good....mostly just extremely tired.  Woke up with chills again last night but felt better this morning so Marty and I did our 645 workout.  I felt good afterward.  Janice and I plan to get together later this morning for an easy run/walk together.  She was also sick...we caught it from different contact...it's rampant in the community.  She was a bit sicker than I was even though she had it earlier.  We'll do whatever she's able.  It will help me not got to carried away.

Onward...

Last post in "It's all about the base" and first post in a new blog.  It's a good time.

COVID just would not go away.  I would feel better for a day or two and then my fever would return.  First symptoms on Jan 22nd.  Fever was gone and didn't return after the 4th so just under two weeks.  But I'm still extremely tired and my stomach is just not right yet.  I tried to run off and on when I felt better but finally we did a complete reset.  I've got all easy runs at very low distances on my calendar for this week.  I'm getting through them and glad I'm not trying to do more.

To complicate things...I was symptom free and tested negative on the date of my PT appointment so was able to keep the appointment.  Official diagnosis is Proximal Hamstring Tendinopathy.  He didn't order a scan as he was pretty confident in his diagnosis.  He did indicate that he would expect to see significant scar tissue as the issue has been going on for so long...off and on for nearly 40 years.  We ran out of time to discuss some of the details.  I left with instruction not to do strides or deadlifts.  He did give me a couple exercises that he wanted me to do daily...supine hamstring stretch and bridge walkouts stopping at the point of discomfort.  He indicated we would talk more about the exercises I could do safely during recovery at my next visit and gradually increase the intensity as healing progressed.  For now I've stopped doing my strength workouts...partially because I haven't had the energy and partially to wait and see what he thinks I can safely do as I heal.

He also did a quick video of me on the treadmill revealing...no surprise...a slight heel strike.  It's mild but he wants me to work on it.  Once again we didn't get into specifics...for now he just wanted me to be aware and try for a more mid-foot strike.  He did mention that it was unreasonable to expect to run at a cadence of 180 at the pace I'm running.  So some improvement may be warranted but 180 may be unreasonable.  They offer an in depth Runner Analysis and I'd been considering asking for this service.  I'm going to talk to him and see what he thinks.  Will the analysis help me make the long term changes needed to help this heal and keep it at bay or will it just complicate healing?  It would be a supplement to my PT treatment...not a replacement.

Apparently tendon injuries are tough as the area does not get good blood flow.  He encouraged me to continue to roll daily and mentioned a couple things he may do at future appointments to help with the blood flow issue.  He briefly mentioned Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment but indicated that he wanted to see how healing was progressing before talking more about that option.  It's not covered by insurance and is not a guarantee...mixed results.  He said if I'm not seeing progress in a couple months and get frustrated then we'll discuss it.

First impressions of Peter were positive.  He seemed thorough.  He seemed to take me seriously and indicated that he/we should be able to work toward a resolution that was sustainable.  He's a marathoner...off and on.  He was pleased I was in kind of a down cycle and not training for a marathon this spring/summer.  That will give us time to deal with this without the pressure to increase running to quickly.  As I mentioned we ran out of time to discuss some of the specifics and communicate a plan moving forward.  I didn't have any questions when I left but I have several now that I've had time to research and think about it.  I'll have a better understanding after my appointment on the 16th.

So...I'm ending my blog in recovery mode with a less than positive finish at my marathon.  But I do want to acknowledge that overall it's been a positive training cycle.  I developed a good relationship with Coach Melissa.  I learned a lot and do really feel like I accomplished my goal to build my base...and I gained some skills that will help me continue to maintain and build moving forward.  If I'm totally honest I have to admit that the original plan was to build and prepare for a goal marathon in 2022 or beyond...so I'm still on track.  And it was a good marathon when put in the proper perspective.


And...I'm starting a new blog in recovery mode.  The goal will be to deal with my long ignored hamstring/tendon/sitting issue.  I think that the plan will include an effort to address some long ignored running "problems".  I've dabbled with cadence and foot strike but I've never been willing to pause training long enough to make any significant changes/improvements.  The goal of this training cycle will be to take enough of a step back to deal with the tendinopathy...including cadence and foot strike...while maintaining my base so that I'm ready for a marathon training cycle later this year.

Ultreya...