a number of irrational fears

I ran an fairly uneventful 12 miles yesterday, ending in the CWRU neighborhood. Some fatigue, but nothing too concerning. The last couple of miles felt encouragingly swift, a reminder that the reservoir is pretty deep nowadays.

The marathon is just two weeks away now, so thoughts about the race are becoming less and less abstract. It's exciting to think I'll be a part of such a big event, and running in a race this size will definitely have some perks (as compared to my training runs). People will be cheering as I run past, I won't have to wait for traffic lights, and water will be freely handed out (no scavenging necessary).

For the most part though, thinking about the race makes me nervous. It's all too easy to imagine things going wrong. Here are a few possibilities:

a nervous breakdown
Is there a chance that, surrounded by thousands of other runners in a sprawling metropolis, overwhelmed with the task of justifying the last four months of training, I might freak out and break down right on the streets? Probably not. But I mean, maybe it could happen.

gastrointestinal stuff
In the words of Bob Wiley, "What if I'm looking for a bathroom, I can't find one, and my bladder explodes?" Having to use the bathroom has only rarely been an issue on my long runs, but my guess is that race day nerves could play a role on October 12 (in my high school CC days , I would often have to find a restroom before the race). While I'm sure there will be stations available before and during the marathon, for the sake of comfort, convenience, and my finish time, I would rather not have to worry about it. We'll see if my innards cooperate.

the wall
I think I had my first introduction to "the wall" at the end of last Saturday's 20 miler. If not "the" wall, I think the feeling of not being able to go another half mile can at least be characterized as some sort of wall. There are several reasons why the last six miles might not pose a huge problem. I'll be fresh from the last few weeks of relatively lower mileage, there will be ample opportunity for refreshments during the race, and everyone likes to throw the word "adrenaline" around. But still, the fact remains that this will be six miles more than I've ever gone before. And when running this far, the miles at the end are never the fun ones. This frightens me. But I suppose it's just a matter of believing that the training program has gotten me to the starting line in a state of preparedness.

At this point I realize that I don't know an awful lot about this Hal Higdon character, though he seems like an all-right guy. Hopefully his running schedules are the result of years of experience and consideration. At any rate, the time for research is probably past, nothing left to do but run.

morlock

Because of a lunchtime meeting today, I decided to get my four miles in before work for the second time during this training program. It is a surreal thing to be running (a) that early, and (b) that soon after waking up, and my dilapidated legs didn't really get the joke after eight miles Wednesday evening.

Running in the dark does make you feel fast, though. And it was cool to see other go-getters out exercising that early as well.

The darkness and low temperature this morning both served as reminders that, despite the persistently warm daytime highs, autumn is on its way. Soon I will start trying to catch falling leaves instead of letting low hanging ones brush my head as I pass (which for some reason always makes me feel like an ancient Olympian). I totally dig fall running, which as you might guess has a totally different feel than spring or summer running, and I'm happy that this whole endeavor is set to wrap up in what may well be my favorite month of the year.

penultimate

So yeah, the twenty miler...

In general, I felt pretty confident in the days leading up to Saturday's workout. My weekday runs were challenging, but largely pain-free, and I had logged a 19 mile run just a couple of Saturdays before. On the other hand, the 19 mile odyssey came on a day when I had no idea what my body was going to allow me to do. I wasn't expecting to go that far, so there was no dread associated with the distance. The 20 mile run being the capstone of the novice training program, I felt it important (if only mentally) to cover the full distance, and a lot can go wrong over 20 miles. So there were some nerves. I don't recall exactly, but I think my dreams the night before were running related (this is happening from time to time now).

Here's the road map:
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2278703

Some notable happenings:

mile 8
I used the BP restroom at the Columbia intersection, then stopped at the McDonald's a couple minutes later for water after consuming my "vanilla" Clif gel. Not wanting to wait in the long line to acquire some tap water, I went over to the soda fountain and repeatedly filled and drank from a paper ketchup container. Though I wasn't really doing anything wrong, my behavior felt very shady and roguish, so as soon as I felt sufficiently hydrated I scampered out of the building and continued on my way.

mile 13
Running down Hilliard, a large bug flew deep into my open mouth. For a few moments it felt like there was something acidic stuck in my throat. I was able to eventually gag the insect out of my body, but the minute or so afterwards was moderately nauseating.

mile 15
I saw the Rosenaus (Greg's parents) exiting a parking lot in their car as I neared Joe's Diner. It was nice to exchange some waves, but as they drove away I felt alone and deserted in Rocky River, like I had missed a golden opportunity to hitch a ride home.

mile 17
As I approached a low, thick tree branch overhanging the sidewalk, I ducked, but apparently not very well. Not enough to avoid a jarring impact between the tree and my skull. I didn't realize until I was home that the top of my head was bleeding.

Even overlooking the odd mishaps, this was a tough run. I was pretty tired by mile 15 and running on fumes by the time I got to Lakewood Park. You'll notice from my route that I stopped at W 112th, about a half-mile shy of my apartment building. At this point my legs were screaming for some relief and I figured I had already passed the 20 mile mark (though in reality I had just barely reached it). I walked the rest of the way home, retrieved some Gatorade from the apartment, and hobbled back out to the front lawn. I sat in the shade and drank around 30 ounces of Gatorade, while my hands, forearms, and face started tingling (sheer exhaustion?). After a while I headed back inside to tend to my head wound.

It's a little worrisome to me that, whether true or not, I felt that I could not run that last half mile. It would have been reassuring to get to the end of the workout feeling like I could have done a bit more. I guess now that the injury pain has subsided, fatigue is back in the spotlight, and boy, that was real fatigue. But though my body may have been ready to fall apart, I completed the 20 mile run at a quick pace (2:37 with a bathroom break and four water stops), and that's something I wouldn't have predicted a few months ago. I've planted my flag in the sand and now get to enjoy a few weeks in an oasis of tapering until race day.

natural socks

I had the idea for this picture some time ago, but thought that I should wait through the summer so that the clearest line possible could form.















The image may not capture the full effect, but you get the idea.

Though I've been focused mainly on the health of my legs these past few weeks, I'd like to give my feet some eprops. I have asked a lot of them over the last few months and they (obviously) haven't had a lot of opportunity to see the sunshine. I have come to dread the time after my Saturday runs when I have to remove my socks and survey the status of my toes. I went through a period of fighting blisters on my left foot, but that seems to have passed now. At the moment I've got a right pinky toenail about to come off, and three on my left foot at different stages of bruising. Luckily, I took the photo above before any of these developments.

rockin' the suburbs

Today's run was close to 15, from Cleveland proper through Lakewood, Rocky River, Bay Village, and a few feet into Avon Lake, almost totally on Lake Road before heading north to my parents' place. When I started the rain was steady but light, but by the end I was in the middle of a downpour and soaked to the bone. Usually, even on rainy days, there is a difference between the front and back of one's shorts. Today everything was saturated. It was like James Taylor's Fire and Rain, but without the fire.

During the week I figured I'd try a longer run without my iPod, and the rain kinda forced that to be the decision. It was probably good for me to make the journey without the benefit of music (which I think helped a bunch last week). And if nothing else, I am more prepared now to run longer distances in the rain. Nothing like getting to the point where you realize it doesn't matter anymore if you try and avoid the puddles. I just hope the kicks dry out before Tuesday.

So, a week away from the 20 miler and just four weeks from the marathon itself. I think I can objectively use the term "homestretch".

fun facts

Some selections from the "marathon" wikipedia entry:

The name marathon comes from the legend of Pheidippides, a Greek messenger. The legend states that he was sent from the town of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated in the Battle of Marathon. It is said that he ran the entire distance without stopping and burst into the assembly, exclaiming "Νενικήκαμεν" (Nenikékamen, 'We have won.') before collapsing and dying.
There is debate about the historical accuracy of this legend.
(author's note: I do not expect do die, I will be wearing Asics.)

The men's world record represents an average pace of under 2:57 per kilometer (4:45 per mile; 5.6 m/s).
(author's note: I have never run this fast for a single mile.)

Most male elite marathon runners will have weekly mileages of over 100 miles (160 kilometres).
(author's note: Next week will be my peak, and I am scheduled to run 40 miles.)

Some runners will wear an ice vest before the race to reduce their core temperature so as to avoid overheating later in the race.

While drinking fluids during the race is necessary for all runners, in some cases too much drinking can also be dangerous. Drinking more than one loses during a race can decrease the concentration of sodium in the blood (a condition called hyponatremia), which may result in vomiting, seizures, coma and even death.

Carbohydrates that a person eats are converted by the liver and muscles into glycogen for storage. Glycogen burns quickly to provide quick energy. Runners can store about 8 MJ or 2,000 kcal worth of glycogen in their bodies, enough for about 30 km/18-20 miles of running. Many runners report that running becomes noticeably more difficult at that point. When glycogen runs low, the body must then burn stored fat for energy, which does not burn as readily. When this happens, the runner will experience dramatic fatigue and is said to "hit the wall".

Due to the stress on the body during a marathon, a person's kidneys can shut down, leading to the accumulation of toxins in the blood.

It is relatively common to only come to realize that there are injuries to the feet and knees after the marathon has finished. Blisters on the feet and toes commonly only become painful after the race is over. Some runners may experience toenails which turn black and subsequently detach from the toe.

I am looking back on a week that was in many ways encouraging. During my visit Monday, the doctor didn't seem too concerned about the status of my hip and gave me the green light to keep training. He gave me an anti-inflammatory prescription, which I may or may not fill depending on how my next few runs go. My three weekday workouts went relatively smoothly. I am still dealing with some pain, but definitely not to the point of limping, like the middle of last week. It seems that once I've run a few miles, the situation is under control. And if this is the way it will be from here on out, I can deal with that.

During the dejectedness of last week, there were moments when I questioned why the apparent betrayal of my legs was coming at such an inopportune time. But looking over the quoted sections above, maybe my question should have been, "how did I go so long without any sign of injury?" Marathons are insane!

out of the miry clay

My plan for Saturday was to test out the hip and stop if it got too painful. I thought up a route that would get me back to the apartment at the 7 and 15 mile marks, in case I needed to stop or walk home. I pretty much followed my typical Saturday preparation routine, but figured the chances of me actually completing the scheduled 18 miles were pretty slim. Like, 4% or something small like that.

And sure enough, a half mile in, my hip started to flare up. It looked like it would be a short jog. But, as I kept going, aside from a few moments of sharper pain, I began to wonder if the more even, dull discomfort I was feeling was something that I could work through this time around. I decided to try and make it 7 miles.

At the five mile mark at Lakewood Park, I finally decided to the try the Power Gel that I have toted with me in the past but had always shied away from ingesting (mostly because of warnings from anyone I knew that had used it). How to describe this stuff? I think this exercise will help (but really this gel tasted like it came from another planet):

1) Imagine what flavored yogurt tastes like.
2) Think about what it would taste like if someone did to yogurt what Doritos did to chips.
3) Remove any dairy component from your imagined substance.
4) Warm it up.

Pretty weird, extremely gross. All that said, I think it provided a boost. By that time, my hip was inexplicably feeling much better, and it was pretty much at pre-injury status by mile six (!). So I kept going, towards downtown.

It should be mentioned that I was powering through some My Chemical Romance songs at this point. It sometimes makes me feel like an eyelined, nail-polished, angsty teen to listen to them, but at this point, whatever works. Welcome to the Black Parade has been added to my official "good running songs" list.

Once I got downtown, I added a bit of distance to the route, so that I wouldn't feel as compelled to run into Edgewater to complete the mileage if I felt too tired once I was back on the west side. But when I did get back, I felt decent enough to head into the park, figuring that I would stop at the lower area and not run back up the park's main hill. But once there, I felt like I should at least get to the top of the hill. And once I was up there, I thought I might as well just run home. So I did.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2240016

As a child, a series of commercials for a Time-Life book series called Mysteries of the Unknown used to scare me out of my wits. They would show dramatizations of supposedly paranormal incidents as an ominous sounding narrator would describe each event and intone, "how do you explain this?"

So, in that spirit...

...and how do you explain this:
A man, unable to run more than three miles on a Wednesday morning due to a balky hip, is able to cover over 19 miles just three days later.

The effect is more pronounced if there is creepy music playing, but the fact remains: I went from hobbling a humbling few miles on Wednesday to yesterday casually ripping off by far the longest distance I have ever run. I cannot explain it, so I'll just accept that it happened and say, "thanks, God". Maybe the doctor will have some additional insight tomorrow. I was feeling pretty down in the dumps about my health earlier this week and how it might affect the marathon, so yesterday's workout came at a great time. It feels like things are back on track. Prayers would be appreciated as I'm sure there's a chance the injury could return, but for one day at least, running was fun again.

parklife

A quick post-vacation entry...

Though I took a few days off of work around the Labor Day weekend, running maintained its dogged, zombie-like presence in my daily life (but at least with a change in scenery). My Saturday workout took place in Central Park (New York, New York), with Andrew joining me for the first five or so miles. It was a pretty sweltering day, but the pleasant environment and gentle rolling hills allowed me to mostly ignore the occasional barks from my hip and knee. I covered 11+ miles, followed by a cold water bathtub soak.


















Things went south at the beginning of the week. By Tuesday I was staying with Dan & Meagan in Brooklyn, so I headed over to Prospect Park, just a couple of blocks from their apartment. Before I began, I felt that my legs had fully rebounded from Saturday's run. Alas. A few miles in, after stopping briefly to look at a park map, I felt a noticeable hip-based limp in my stride. I decided to call it a day. I tried running again the next morning, but again managed just three miles (instead of the prescribed nine).

So it's September and the pain in my hip has reached the point that it has cut into my training mileage. As I sit here typing this, it seems like I should have been able to push past the discomfort, but the situation is entirely different when I am actually running. Bad enough that I felt the need to schedule an appointment with a doctor for next week. I'll probably give it a go on Saturday, but 18 miles seems like a much longer distance than it did a couple of weeks ago.