Cheesecake Orbit Revisited

This is my first 13.5 miler since my full marathon...and, judging by how my legs feel, it will be some time before I feel up to entering another half marathon (note that I have registered for one in 2009).

Resuming Lunch Hour Dog Runs

My crazy ultra running coworker has been trying to get me to run with him since I left for my Maui Marathon vacation in early September, but today is the first day that both of our schedules have allowed it...and, perhaps more importantly, my legs have felt good enough that I can try and keep up with him.

Unfortunately, Santa Ana winds are present today, accompanied by wildfires (fortunately, the one in nearby Sepulveda Pass is extinguished before lunch hour) and 90+ degree dry heat. My coworker and I mutually decide to shorten today's run to only 7 miles...and we allow ourselves to stop at every traffic light on the way back to the office.

Despite the harsh conditions, I am able to clock my fastest post-marathon run and one of my faster lunch hour runs. Even better, I do so with absolutely no pain at all in my left knee, not even a slight tingle. Flat sections of my previous post-marathon runs have bothered it, so I am pleased. And this workout features more than two miles on concrete!

Out-and-Backs

I believe I have mentioned before that I am not a fan of out-and-backs. I hate to retrace my steps. I hate running laps too (800m - two laps - is my threshold on a track). That said, both can be means to an end.

For instance, today I am still trying to test my post-marathon limits...unsure if my legs have sufficiently recovered to complete the distance of a half marathon. By planning an out-and-back, I can simply turn back when my legs are starting to have issues.

I am also trying to push my wife to run longer distances, hoping I can get her to consider running an 18km trail race in November. By planning an out-and-back, we can start together, she can find her distance threshold within mine. When she needs to turn around, I can head back, meet up with her, and we can run the rest of the way together

I strongly encourage my wife to run all the way to Miramar Park (4 miles from our home), fully expecting that I can reach Cheesecake Factory (6.5 miles) in the same amount of time it takes her to get there. I tell her to call me as soon as she reaches the park at which time I will turn back regardless of how far I get. She should not have to wait more than 15-20 minutes for me to get back to her...a good amount of time for stretching before the uphill climb home.

I am shocked by how quickly she reaches the park. I receive her call as I approach Knob Hill...which is only 5 miles from home. She has not run many sub-10 minute miles in her training, but, this morning, has already averaged such a pace for three of her four miles! I am actually glad she has called me when she did though. I have been feeling some slight discomfort in my left knee after my run flattened out, so attempting a 13 miler today is probably not a good idea anyway.

I meet up with her and we immediately start our climb. Now that we are running together, I decide to make some course alterations so we can cross Palos Verdes Blvd at a controlled intersection...which adds a little distance. I am pleased that my wife is keeping up with me (I am not intentionally holding back, but I am not pushing my pace either). She is not running like someone who has never run 8 miles before.

As we get closer to home, the road gets steeper for roughly a half mile. My pace really drops here, but my wife needs to walk. She has held a great pace for over seven miles, so she deserves a break.

When we complete our run, she has managed to average 11:19/mile for 8.31 miles...a better pace than many of her shorter runs and a longer distance than she has ever attempted! I am impressed!

Wife's data:


My data:

2008 = 600 Miles (and Counting)

Well...today's run may not have gone as well as I had hoped, but the 5 miler pushed me across another significant milestone: 600 miles in one year! What amuses me is that I have run about as many miles as my crazy ultra running coworker (I must apologize for not running with him today...my wife wanted me to run with her instead).

I may have postponed my next marathon until next year, but I am certainly not done running in 2008. My last planned race for the year is still substantial - a 30km trail run in the mountains overlooking Point Mugu, so I cannot afford any more breaks in my training.

Pace Recovers

On the heels of once again feeling comfortable running 8+ miles, I am also regaining my pace. It helps having a rabbit...my wife is running the same five mile orbit and has a good head start. I first see her around 3.1 miles into the run and need the next 0.65 miles to overtake her.

I am pretty excited that my wife has run five miles today since she did nearly the same orbit on Saturday. Even better, she did so while improving her pace (two sub 10 minute miles!). Now if only I can convince her to up her mileage in time for an upcoming 18km trail race....

Wife's data (she started more than seven minutes before me):

My data (note how my pace improves between miles 3 and 4...when I could see her):

Adding Mileage

I have just returned from running 8.37 miles in 1:22:21...not great, but not bad either. Averaging near 10 minutes per mile is actually pretty decent considering the amount of elevation change. Even better, I did it without walking.

Having totaled more than 16 miles for the week without significant pain, I can say with certainty that I have recovered from the injuries. Next week should be over twenty with at least one half-marathon distance run.

No More Pain, No More Endurance

Well, I survived five miles on my favorite local trail without aggravating any of my joints. I just had a few issues with actually running the whole distance. That said, this was the most elevation change I have faced since leaving for Maui and this morning was particularly hot (Burma Road happens to be very exposed to the early morning sun)...so I really should not let myself get too down about it.

I am happy the pain is gone and thrilled my first miles were sub 8, but I am left wondering how long it will take to build mileage for a second marathon attempt.

Recovery Update

Despite having issues with my joints all last week (enough discomfort that I could not risk running), I wake up this morning feeling pretty good...so my wife and I decide to run our basic three mile orbit.

It is unexpectedly hot and humid this morning, but I manage to complete the orbit in 27:52. More importantly, I did so without aggravating any of my joints. I finish my last mostly downhill mile in 8:07 (the last 0.2 miles is a steep incline), so, even having taken so much time off, I have not really lost much speed.

That all said, I am fairly certain I will rollover my entry fee for this year's Long Beach Marathon to next year. I now know what can happen over 26.2 miles when my legs feel like they are in perfect health at the start of the race...I do not need to learn what can happen when they are not.

BTW, for those of you who are infrequent visitors to my blog, you should check my earlier posts for the Hana Relay and Maui Marathon because I have been adding details and links to photographs as they become available.

Recovery / Safe Mode

A week and a day has passed since I completed my first marathon, but only today have I dared to run again. On Saturday, I went for a nice four mile walk with my mom on Burma Road (my better half ran the full five mile out-and-back), but I have been afraid to run because a number of my joints and/or muscles still ache...and I do not want to risk a more serious injury.

That said, I do need to resume my training because I have a second marathon within the next few weeks (I registered for the Long Beach International Marathon before I ran the Disneyland Half Marathon simply because I wanted the bonus technical shirt...greed will be my undoing).

I do my favorite five mile loop because, though it starts uphill, it features a longer gentle descent. I take it easy at first...and my legs feel okay (breathing rhythm is off, but not horrible). I let my stride naturally open up as the hill crests, and my pace easily improves. By the third mile, I am back under nine minutes per mile (wondering why I did not try running again earlier). I have no difficulty sustaining this pace for the rest of the run, but I feel my left knee twinge over the fourth and fifth mile. I do not experience the same painful sensations I did during the marathon, but the tingling implies a potential setback could occur at any moment given harsher conditions (steeper grade, angled pavement, concrete, longer distance, stepping on a rock the wrong way, etc.).

As soon as I return home, I realize that the discomfort I have been experiencing has definitely increased. My right hip and right ankle (both of which first got tweaked during the Palos Verdes Half Marathon) are definitely worse for wear, likely due to over compensating to protect my injured left knee. My right foot's arch/heel pain (possibly plantar fasciiatus) is also more pronounced, but strangely continues to bother me only when I walk. Rolling my foot over a tennis ball usually relieves the latter pain, but now not nearly as much or as instantaneously.

If these issues do not go away any time soon, I may have to postpone my second marathon attempt until next year.

The Day After

My crazy ultra-running coworker sent me this video awhile ago...I can now fully appreciate it!
This morning, I wake up at 1:15am...probably because I was asleep last night by 7pm. Still, I would have expected to need more after yesterday's ordeal.

I try to get out of bed. OMG! My legs don't work! I must use my hands to shift each leg off the bed and on to the floor. I try to stand up, but it is slow going and requires a lot of upper body strength. For some reason, I thought I would avoid a lot of this by getting a post-race massage (an amazing deep tissue massage at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua's beautiful new Waihua Spa), but apparently my muscles will need a bit more time to recover.

I lie back down and try to fall asleep. I re-watch one of the videos I put on my PSP before the trip. It helps...I probably am out again by 3:30am.

The alarm goes off at 5:30am. I must have slept oddly because my neck now hurts. I still need to assist my legs out of bed. The bottoms of my feet feel like they have no padding whatsoever, so my first steps are painful. At least I am able to walk somewhat normally. Yesterday, when I first attempted to stand after sitting down to consume my post-race snacks, I was wishing for a wheelchair. It was damn near impossible to get up. At that time, I could not even fully extend my legs when I walked.

Somehow I manage to walk up a hill and climb a few sets of stairs to reach my rental car and then drive myself to Gazebo for breakfast. This is one of the rare times I am glad to be driving a car without a clutch.

While waiting in line for the restaurant to open, I am soon congratulated by an older guy who is wearing the same "Maui Marathon Finisher" T-shirt as I am. The fun thing about wearing a shirt only awarded to those who actually finish the race is instant recognition...for most, completing a marathon seems a significant enough achievement that times do not matter (although I find it strange how few people realize that marathons are 26.2 miles long). That said, this particular gentleman claims to have run 91 marathons (this being his first on Maui)! Two of the women he is with ran the half. None of them are hobbling around like me. In fact, this guy even ran three miles this morning! I feel humbled.

I need protein, so I order an Spanish omelet instead of my favorite banana-mac nut-pineapple pancakes (I'll be back tomorrow for those). The waiter congratulates me...mentioning that she saw us runners while driving between here and Kahului yesterday.

As I leave the restaurant, another lady approaches to congratulate me. She did not run this marathon, but has run several others. I find out she will be participating in next month's Long Beach Marathon...my next marathon (crossing fingers that I will be ready for it).

This is funny. Marathoners seem to form an instant bond. I also noticed this in conversations I overheard while sitting on the shuttle bus yesterday morning. This reminds me of when I took up snowboarding. The first days are painful. Everyone who tries the sport has had to endure the same and makes it easy for everyone to relate to one another. Marathoners must endure more. Perhaps that's why this acknowledgment and encouragement seems all the more genuine.

When I return to the hotel, a member of the staff asks me how the race went. Between running the Hana Relay with two guys who work here and meeting those who work with my wife, word has definitely gotten around. Yesterday, the waiter at one of the hotel's restaurants even presented me with a congratulatory platter of chocolate covered strawberries and truffles. Here I do not need to wear the shirt.

This definitely helps me get over the frustration I had with my knee.

As the morning continues, I focus on loosening up my legs. I alternate between spending time in the jacuzzi and swimming in the pool...by the time I am done, I am walking much more normally and can handle stairs with ease. I will probably head back down this afternoon, but first I must blog!