Crazylegs Classic Results

I survived the 8K Crazylegs Classic on Saturday morning, but my time was a little disappointing - 52:07 for an average of 10:29/mile. I walked a lot. My left knee didn't bother me during the race, but I wore a brace and I'm sure it helped, because later Saturday night and yesterday I could hardly walk because of pain in that knee. My right foot went numb again after about 3 miles, so I'm going to need to get that figured out before the half mary on May 27th.

It was a fun experience, though. Unlimited free beer - two at a time - for all participants after the race at Camp Randall. On the positive side, I did beat beat the head coach of the Badger football team by 1:27! I guess I also beat about 2000 other runners, so finishing in 7057th place isn't so bad, right?

4 more weeks until the Madison Half Marathon, and I've got a LOT of work to do. I went to the track last night and ran some intervals - first to try shake some of the pain from my legs and second to try to calibrate the footpod for my HRM because is was over .5 miles off on Saturday. My knee was hurting at the track but the pain subsided quickly after I finished running. Tonight I went just under 6 miles on the bike, hoping to get some momentum going into week 13 of my training plan.

Good, but not Great

I did 4 miles tonight and had some discomfort in my left knee but not the serious pain I've had before. It didn't start until about mile 3, and I just ran through it. I found that tightening my knee strap helped a little, so I'll have to be sure to wear it for the Crazylegs run on Saturday. I'm considering taking the rest of the week off, but we'll see how I feel on Thursday before I make any final decisions.

I'm Back!

Tonight was pretty amazing. I went out for an EASY 3 mile run, and after the first 2.8 miles of focusing on my HR again, trying to keep it under 150, my stopwatch was at 32:04, so I was averaging 11:27/mile, which was close to my Thursday night run. Very slow, but I was walking every time the HR monitor said 151 or more in order to bring it under 150. My average HR for the first 2.8 miles was 148 so I was right on target.

The difference tonight was that I was 100% pain free and I felt like I wanted to keep running. So, I did another 2.2 miles in 22:34 which is a 10:15 pace, bringing my total time for the 5 miles to 54:38, and I was still 100% pain free after the last 2 fast miles. I haven't really kept records, but I'm guessing this was one of the first times I've truly run a negative split.

This was a big boost for me going into week 12 of my training plan, because this was the first time I've run without any pain since March 25th, which was 4 weeks ago. It looks like taking some time off may have paid off for me. We'll see how this week goes with two 4 mile runs scheduled and the Crazy Legs 5 mile race on Saturday.

All I know is that I feel great right now, and I have missed this feeling.

LIAR!

Ok, so I lied. It was beautiful outside when I got home from work tonight and I was feeling great, so I decided to do a short and easy run focusing on keeping my heart rate as close to 146 BPM as possible (my recovery ceiling). You'd be surprised how difficult it is to run at 70% or less of your heart rate reserve. I had to slow to a walk several times when it went over 150 BPM just to bring it back down!

I went 2.5 miles in 28:25 (pretty slow, but remember that I walked several times), and my average HR was 147 - almost perfect! My knee felt pretty good, though there were some occasional twinges of pain. If I focused on my form I was able to run mostly pain free, so I'm pretty sure the problem is being caused either by my running form, my shoes, my weight (185), or some combination of the three. I really need to get a new pair of shoes and start rotating them in. I'll try to do so within the next week or so. I'm also working on losing some more weight. I'd love to be down to 175 by the date of the Madison Half Marathon, which is only 5.5 weeks away. That's just under 2 lbs/week, which is very do-able at least for the first 5-6 lbs.

We'll see how I feel tomorrow and Saturday. Perhaps I'll just do another easy run but add a couple more miles to it if I'm feeling good on Saturday or Sunday. I could really stand to get on the bike a few times in the next week as well, so I'm really hoping I wake up without any knee pain tomorrow.

Still on a Break

I haven't run since last Tuesday, and I'm going to continue my break. I have only felt a few twinges of pain in my knee in the last 4 days, and usually after 6-8 hours with no Ibuprofen, so I'm going to continue my hiatus and get back to the training plan next week.

Time Off

My left knee hurt so badly during my easy 2 mile run on Tuesday that I've decided to skip my 7 mile intervals tonight and probably my 8 mile long run on Sunday so I can give it some rest before going into the final 6 weeks of my training. Also, since week 12 is an easy week with only three 4 mile runs scheduled, I may take next week off too (week 11), only cross training on the bike, and then I'll have 5 solid weeks to get ready for race day plus Crazylegs on Saturday 4/28 (in place of my Sunday 4 miler).

I suppose I should see a doctor too. I've been trying so hard to avoid that...

Week 9

On Monday I did 30 minutes on the stationary bike because it was just too cold to ride outside. I'm saving the new bike for the warmer weather.

On Tuesday I did a 2.5 mile easy run. (See blog post from 4/3/07.)

On Wednesday I did 30 minutes on the stationary bike again, focusing on keeping my HR between 134-146 BPM, which is my "easy" range. It was actually hard to get it that high and keep it there without having it feel like I was doing more than an "easy" workout! My average HR for both rides this week was 126 BPM.

My Thursday run was a 4 mile tempo run plus a 1 mile warm up and 1 mile cool down. It was friggin' cold outside - only about 34, but with the wind it felt like 24. I wasn't happy about it at all as I'm a big puss when it comes to cold weather, but I refuse to run on the treadmill anymore. I lived, but my left knee was killing me after about 2.5 miles. I learned something, though - if I pick up the pace and lean forward a bit it's less painful. I actually ran the 5th mile at an 8:00 pace, which is very fast for me, especially this late in a difficult run. Of course, I had a 20 mph wind at my back and I was going downhill, but considering the pain I was in the mile before that I was very pleased.

I skipped my Friday bike ride and rested for two days. Today I had a 7 mile long run scheduled at a 10:55 pace. I decided to try something different, and I planned to run the first 3/4 of each mile at a 9:53 pace and then walk the last 1/4 of each mile at a 15:00 pace for an average of 10:55/mile. It actually worked quite well, and I went 7.4 miles in 1:19:37, which is an average pace of 10:47.

My knee hurt pretty bad starting at about 4.25 miles, and like Thursday my right foot started going numb again. I stretched out after 4.75 miles and continued my run. I decided to try picking up the pace, still maintaining my cadence, and somehow miles 6 and 7 were my fastest miles of the day (10:34 and 10:22). The feeling came back in my right foot after stretching, and the left knee still hurt, but it was more of a nagging pain than the usual sharp pain I get when it first comes on.

So, this week was a success as I ran my longest training run ever (7.4 miles), and ran a weekly high 16 miles. Next week I have 18 miles scheduled, so there's no time to rest.

Knee Update

I did a 2.5 mile easy run tonight (11:00 pace) to start the second half of my 16 week training plan, and my left knee was completely pain free. It felt a little heavy or tight for the last half mile or so, but nothing to be concerned about. I am convinced it has to do with the treadmill. Tonight was only my 2nd run outside this season. I will be forcing myself to run outside from this point forward no matter what the temperature is. I just run so much better and more naturally outside that it's foolish for me to even step on the treadmill.

My Thursday run is a 4 mile tempo run plus a 1 mile warm up and 1 mile cool down, so that will be the next hurdle. I'm very hopeful after today, so we'll see what happens.

Oh, I've also done some more research and it actually sounds more like Chondromalacia Patella (Runner's Knee) than ITBS, because when I do have pain it's usually after sitting for a long period of time or when going up and down stairs. I picked up a Glucosamine & Chondroitin supplement that is supposed to help with joint lubrication. We'll see in a month or so if it's making a difference, because it takes a while to actually realize the benefits.