Week 4 - February 10-16, 2020

This was a good week. I started off back in FL, and finished with a really strong feeling treadmill run for my long run! Late to publish this post, was just slammed with work this week.

Overview:

Monday - Day off

Tuesday - 6 miles easy

Wednesday - 35 min Bike w/ 20 min Tempo
                     Lower Body Strength Routine

Thursday - 30 min Easy Bike Ride

Friday - 6 miles w/ 4 miles Tempo

Saturday - 30 min w/ 5 min/1 min INtensity intervals

Sunday - 12 miles Long (on the treadmill)

Run Details:

Easy run - this was a good recovery run from Sunday's 5K race. Felt smooth and strong. Nice to be back on the Pinellas Trail!

Light Tempo - Decided to do 4 miles of Tempo rather than 3, since I cut back my tempo run last week. Felt fairly strong. I didn't properly calibrate my Garmin to the Treadmill, so the paces are off. My actual pace was 7:20/mile for the Tempo portion.

Long Run - This was the fastest long run I've done in quite a long time. It was nice to feel my stride so consistent and solid for that length of run. Took 3 water breaks of no more than 30 seconds each. I'm really happy with how this has been feeling!

This week, I crafted my own strength routines. I took the exercises I've most benefited from over the years and aligned them with specific muscle groups and focus areas, like lower back and hamstrings in particular. We shall see how they go.

Week 2 - January 27 - February 2, 2020

This was a pretty solid week! I'm proud of how the speed work went, especially since I didn't get great sleep in the days leading up to it.

An overview:

Monday - Day off. I really needed it

Tuesday - 20 min bike warm-up. Speedwork: 1-mile warm-up, 4x1200m reps @ 6:15/mi pace w/ 400m recovery, 1-mile cool-down

Wednesday - 30 min bike w/ random interval
                      Poseidon total body workout

Thursday - Took another day off. Horrible sleep last night.

Friday - Tempo: 7 miles w/ 5 miles @ tempo pace, 7:14/mile.
               Atlas basic core routine

Saturday - 45 min bike at a moderate pace
                 Bia hip routine

Sunday - 12 mile Long Run, 8:00/mile pace

Run details:

Speed Work Day - This went well! I really HATE 1200m reps so success with these is a big deal for me. I was definitely dragging towards the end but kept my pace on the last one.

Tempo Day - not too bad. I did take a brief water stop three times, but for no longer than 30 seconds. I used a VR program on the treadmill that was really kinda fun but disorienting! Felt strong.

Long Run Day - even better than last week, with two miles longer. This was my first run in new trainers, Mizuno Wave Shadow 2. They were much more responsive and firm than the Saucony Ride Iso pair I had been training in, but they were an adjustment and my lower leg tendons are a little sore from it. The elevation profile is, believe it or not, as flat as it gets here!

Nutrition & Hydration:

Fairly good week, but can always be better. Made a greater effort to consume water throughout the days. I also tried a new post-workout protein but wasn't a big fan. I am generally happy with my energy levels during workouts.

Rest & Recovery: 

Got some good sleep early in the week, but then terrible sleep on Wednesday night and that had me exhausted on Thursday. Much better sleep over the weekend.

Next week, I do one complete workout and then prepare for a 5K on Sunday in St Pete! Haven't raced in months, very excited to see what these legs can shake out.

Tomoka Marathon FTW! Post-Race Review and Nutrition Analysis

I raced the Tomoka Marathon on Sunday March 29th...

At the finish with my biggest fan!

Synopsis:

3:18:23 (chip time), a BQ and PR by more than 16 minutes

3rd overall female, 1st in my age group (F 30-35)

Going into the race, I had the following goals:

Primary: Run sub 3:20
Secondary: Run sub 3:30
Tertiary: Run a BQ, sub 3:35

In other words, I killed it!!

Happy finish!

Pacing:

The thing I am most proud of is how I held my pace. Solid 7:25-7:30 for the first 16 miles, and slowed up just slightly during the portion on soft dirt, miles 19-21. But I resumed 7:30 pace for the entirety of the race, and actually picked up to a 6:50 pace for the last mile.

The other thing I came to realize during and following this race is that I think I could have held an even faster pace. I felt consistently good during the race, and pushed myself to the edge of my "safe zone" that I knew I could hold. But perhaps it was too safe. Perhaps I felt too good in the last 10K of the race. Perhaps I could have pushed it beyond and succeeded! This idea is hanging with me as I move into the next phase of my training for the year: getting back to shorter distances and speed. I want to test myself at faster paces held for longer intervals. I feel like I have a mental barrier on how fast I think I can run, and I want to push that barrier down.

Nutrition:

I stuck with my fueling plan and it seemed to work flawlessly. For the first time, I did not hit the wall in a marathon. There was no bonking whatsoever. Even as I began to feel fatigue, I did not feel total energy depletion, and my intake of fuel was spaced perfectly for my stomach to handle.

Here is what I did in the days leading up to the race, race day, and during the race:

10 days out: Switched to 65% of calories from fat

3 days out:  Switched to 70% of calories from carbs (approx 500g carbs/day)

2 days out: Last big meal for dinner, consumed more electrolytes

1 day out: Continue complex carbs, even more electrolytes

18 hours out: Small meals every 2-3 hours. After lunch, cut out: red meat, fried foods, dairy, fats, & fiber

3 hours out: Breakfast of low-fiber carbs, small amount of protein (bagel, banana, peanut butter)

2 hours out: 12-16 oz sports drink (Gatorade)

1 hour out: Black coffee and Hammer Perpetuum

30 min out: Edurolytes, Tylenol

2-1 min out: Gel + 4 oz water

During the race: 

• 4 oz Gatorade at 4.5 miles
• 4 oz water + Hammer Gel at mile 8.3
• 4 oz Gatorade at mile 12.9
• 4 oz water + Hammer Gel at mile 16
• 4 oz Gatorade at mile 19
• 4 oz water + Hammer Gel at mile 23

I generally followed the Marathon Blueprint plan from Runners Connect, which really helped me realize how I had been under-fueling for pretty much all of my past marathons. The only thing I adjusted was the volume of fluid intake. The Blueprint suggested 8 oz of water/Gatorade at each stop, based upon my calculated sweat loss rate. But when I tried this on my "dress rehearsal" run of 13.1 miles at marathon race pace, I got a bit sloshy. So instead of taking two cups at each aid station, I took one, and never felt sloshy or thirsty during the run. While I really like the Marathon Blueprint, that is one adjustment I would make to it: it assumes that all sweat lost must be replaced, but everything else I have read, and experienced, suggests that drinking by thirst is the best way to go.

All in all, everyone's nutrition plan is going to be different and it is mostly a matter of trial and error. I can do bananas before races, some people can't. So by NO MEANS should anyone mimic my nutrition strategy with precision! I'm just documenting what worked well for me...extremely well, in fact!

Post-race fueling is a must.

It is also important to note that post-race, within 10 minutes of finishing, I took down two scoops of Endurox R4 (Pacific Health Labs), which has been my choice of carb/protein recovery drink.


My body:

My hips and hamstrings held up just fine, much to my relief. I didn't even feel the little nagging hip pain that had been sitting there for a couple of weeks. I held my form pretty well, judging by my husbands pictures and video, and my achilles never gave me a problem. Tapering definitely helped get rid of those little issues that started to hit towards the end of training. Big thanks to Dr Matt Maggio for his incredible help keeping me structurally sound!

Gear:

I don't have too much to note about gear, except that my Oiselle Mac Roga shorts were PERFECT. Didn't ride up, didn't chaffe. First time I finished a marathon without raw inner thighs!

As I noted in a previous post, I ran in my Saucony Zealots and they worked flawlessly. Exactly the right combination of low weight and forefoot cushioning for my taste. Toes splayed out in the toebox, and I still have all of my toenails!

I ran in Zensah calf sleeves, as I always do during marathons. No calf soreness or cramping, but I have no way of directly linking that to the calf sleeves.

Everything held up wonderfully!

Race Review:

The Tomoka Marathon was very well organized and set in an ideal location. The start/finish area was at Rockefeller Gardens in Ormond Beach, which was easily accessible and a beautiful setting. My family had no problem parking and finding me. The course itself is absolutely gorgeous - flat, shaded most of the way, and very scenic, especially in the latter half of the race. The first half was through residential areas mostly, after which it snaked through Tomoka Park. The beautiful, old Florida cypress and oak trees shaded the roadways. The only part of the course that I disliked was the short jaunt into a soft-dirt trail around miles 19-21. My pace slowed then, naturally, but I did regain it when we got back on paved road. The only "hill" of the race was the bridge crossing in the final mile. It actually didn't feel as bad as I had feared, especially the nice downhill side.

A beautiful course!

The only thing about the race that I would change:

They started the half-marathon about 30 mins after the start of the full marathon, and the half course was went the opposite direction of the full marathon, then doubled back to the same finish line. So the last 6 miles of the marathon was quite congested with the latter group of half-marathoners - many walking - and the lead group of full marathon runners. Maybe in the future, they could either start the half an hour before the full, or have the half go the same direction as the full and then double back.

The final stretch to the finish, having just come over the bridge.

All in all, I am SO happy with this race and how my preparation paid off! As we all know, marathons can be hit or miss, and often random factors can turn a very well-prepared-for race go south. This time the stars aligned for me, and I am grateful!

I'm Glad I Got Injured.

Yes, you read that correctly. I am glad for my injury, the one I had been complaining about incessantly for the past month. Why?

First of all, my sports doctor has been gradually letting me run again. Started with 2.5 miles every other day, then 3 miles every day for a week, now it's 5 miles every other day, just seeing how my body is responding to the treatment. So far, so good! Some minor twinges of pain here and there, and soreness that he assures me is mostly just from working muscles that have rested for three weeks. He is most pleased that my range of motion has greatly improved in my hip, and though he is cautious in letting my normal training resume now, he is confident that my form and function will be stronger than it was pre-injury.

That is where I have adopted a new attitude towards this particular injury.

From: HealthBalanceHappiness.com

In 3 and 5 mile runs this past week, my form feels different. A little strange even, but in the best possible way. My hip extension is light years ahead of where it was, and the funny thing is that I didn't even realize that I wasn't getting the full range of motion prior to this. I have been a mid-foot striker for some time now, not overreaching my stride, keeping decent posture. But now, I feel as if someone is pushing my feet back out in front of my during the extension to takeoff phase of my stride. Dr Maggio has had me do some hamstring strengthening exercises, which undoubtedly have helped as well. My shoulders feel more relaxed and my torso seems to lift up and forward with each push-off, rather than sink into it.

Had I not incurred this pain in my lower back, glutes and hips, I would not have discovered the dysfunction in my running physiology, or found a doc who can fix it. While there is still work to be done on it, and my body has to adapt to a new running form, I am so thankful for this improvement!

So there is often silver lining, in even the most frustrating of circumstances. Often times being injured drove me mad, sad, stir-crazy, jealous, and whiny. But the payoff is coming back so much stronger, and with much greater potential for success, than I had before. Now I am not only running again, but I am very hopeful for my upcoming races. Note to self: don't get overzealous too soon....I think I have learned that lesson before, must remind self frequently. This new lesson, that an injury (at least, a relatively innocuous one) can serve an important greater purpose, is so important for many runners to consider. What may appear to be a setback can sometimes launch you forward!

Thank you so much, Dr Maggio.

Next race - my "comeback" 5K: Florida Halloween Halfathon & 5K at Ft DeSoto on Oct 26th. Check out the lineup of their events!

Scar Tissue: Pain in the Butt

Why is it that I only really seem to blog when I am injured, or excitedly returning from injury? Maybe this has just been an outlet for frustration. Not acceptable! I need to better document my running journey, for my own reflection primarily, and maybe in hope that it can be of use or inspiration to fellow runners.

So, an update. Since settling back in in St Pete, I got a part-time job at Fit-2-Run (awesome people to work with, great to connect with other local runners) and in my training, have been following the Hanson's Half-Marathon method primarily. The premise of which: fast speed work in early phase, strength workouts in middle phase, with lots of race pace-specific mileage.

I liked it, and it was working fairly well so far. I was beginning to master my tempo pace (7:20/mile) over 3 and 4 consecutive miles, and even ran a 22:50 5K in the middle of my workout. Definitely not a fast 5K race time for me, but pretty damn good for the middle of a workout, 10 months after giving birth. I was struggling a little bit with the faster (5K race pace) intervals, though.

All was going well...so, so well...and in the midst of this, my Brooks Adrenalines were starting to feel a bit different, more lumbering and too roomy. After spending some time on the camera treadmill at my workplace, I discovered two intriguing anomalies of my post-partum body:

1) My running shoe size went from size 9 down to a size 8
2) I no longer overpronate.

What?

Isn't everything supposed to get bigger after having a baby? Not smaller and more efficient? Whatever, I'll take it! So now, am in a soft, comfy neutral trainer - Brooks Glycerin 12 - and am doing speed/tempo runs in Saucony Kinvara 5 (see left). I never could wear Kinvaras before, as they were always too narrow and didn't support my pronating feet, but due to my body changes and the wider toebox in the newest model of the Kinvaras, they are perfect! Fast and light, could even be a racing flat.

I was finally starting to feel like my old running self again! Fast, confident, and had trimmed down to about 6 lbs lighter than I had weighed in years. Couldn't wait for my trip with baby Jack to NY, and the 10 miler race I was planning on running there.

Then it happened. Low back pain on the left side this time, which initially felt like I just didn't sleep well on it (with an 11 month old, it happens. A lot.) But the pain persisted, and started traveling down into my glutes and hip.

Too. Damn. Familiar.

I knew right away why this was happening: with our new family schedules and Jack needing me as soon as I walk in the door from my runs, I was neglecting my strength training, and post-run stretching/rolling. Basically I was doing little to none. And I should know better. Definitely, should know better.

So I engaged in typical foam rolling, denial that I should take it easy, icing, heating, more denial, and then two days before the race in Nyack, my cousin (an amazing massage therapist) worked on me a bit, and she suggested some strengthening exercises. Called Foundation Training, these were lower back, glute, and hamstring exercises, that would also improve my posture and stabilize my core. Great exercises, though too late for my 10 miler. The day before the race, I did a test run, which did not go well. It didn't feel exactly like before - possibly not the piriformis - but definitely hip and lower back pain. Part of me wanted to grit through it and race, but the other part knew better. So I didn't run. I moped, I cried, I watched other runners gleefully run through town on a beautiful, perfect day. And then we went into NYC as a nice consolation prize. A wonderful day! Where else could Jack and I hang out with Teddy but at the Museum of Natural History?

Upon returning to St Pete, I grappled with what to do next: see a chiropractor, see a physical therapist, find another ART practitioner? A coworker gave me a recommendation for a sports doctor who practices Manual Adhesion Release - distinct from ART in that it takes a more targeted approach to soft tissue problems by analyzing motion, rather than a shotgun approach to the symptoms. My coworker said Dr Maggio at Peak Performance Sports Therapy worked wonders on her, so I set up an appointment with him. He was able to diagnose my issue fairly quickly based on my range of motion: scar tissue buildup on my hip, interfering with proper muscle contraction in my "deep 6" muscles.

Now we get to work...his techniques are similar to ART, taking my leg through a range of motion while he works to break up the scar tissue. It hurt like hell, and afterwards I was sore in a part of my body I didn't think I could be. But I trust his assessment, and trust that the process will take time to fix my issue for the long term. He assured me that I would most likely be able to resume training for the Women's Running Half Marathon in November, my near-term goal race.

I am grounded from exercise of any kind for the rest of the week, going on 1.5 weeks of no running now. While I am, of course, going a little bit crazy (especially working at a running store), I am able to keep better perspective than before. Though I am still sore when I rotate my hip at all, my range of motion has been improving.

No less than 2 days after my first appointment with Dr Maggio, the Women's Running Half Marathon was cancelled. Very sad about this for lots of reasons, though maybe its a blessing in disguise for me. I can fully commit to getting my body healthy and stronger, so that I can make a powerful comeback at the Tomoka Marathon in March.

This injury, here is what I have learned thus far:

- Scar tissue can build up over years of muscle stress, not just from acute injuries
- Scar tissue can be cleared fairly quickly
- The "deep 6 muscles" are a real bitch to massage and treat. They are the hip's external rotator muscles and are shown below (piriformis, gemellus superior, obturatur internus, gemellus inferior, obturatur externus, quadratus femoris)
- Back pain can be attributed to hip dysfunction and muscle compensation
- Improvements in my posture and back strength will significantly help my running (once my hip is healthy)

None of these things are surprising, they do make a lot of sense. I am now committed to getting this pain in the butt healed, and committed to better strength training to prevent future injuries. Stephen and I joined LA Fitness just three blocks away from our home, and I have established a stretching routine that works with Jack's schedule. We shall soon see how the recovery goes, and how quickly my fitness returns to normal...

In other news, today I became a member of the Oiselle Flock! Very excited to be connecting with this awesome group of women in their running pursuits. It already is great to see them on Twitter, and they have been so welcoming and warm to the new members. Helps me feel less alone during my runless days. Can't wait to get my singlet, and more than that, I can't wait to be "Fit-2-Race" once again!