The Road To 2012 NYC Marathon – Summary of T-22 Week (Crisis Point).
Wow – what a week. Two crises! Deciding to do it chronologically even tho the second is more critical.
Test of Will – Saved by the Security Mall Guard
During Wednesday’s 8 mile run, real crisis of will-power. I was supposed to do something fun with a buddy Wednesday so had shifted the schedule around and run mid-week long run on Thursday, but it got cancelled the night before so wound up not going. I decided to go back to my normal schedule and run Wednesday, but wasn’t especially in the mood. It was also a later start than I really wanted for 8 miles. Add in that I thought my phone’s runkeeper wasn’t working (it was but it turns out I had muted the phone and forgot to unmute it), and sweat kept going into my eyes at exactly the worst times (while trying to cross busy roads) and that I overdid it the first few miles (I was doing close to 7 min miles than 8) and by 3.5 miles I was ready to throw in the towel.
I tried a brief early walk (I would have normally taken a quick drink break at 4 or 5) to regain my spirit and said I’d turn earlier and revisit it as I got to the local mall (it’s a big mall, not a strip mall) where I could turn a couple of ways to either end early or keep going. By 4.5 when I got to the mall, I was fed up and I decided to call it early and started to run through in a loop that would take me towards home. I figured I would max out at 5-6 miles which wasn’t really what I wanted, but I clearly was not feeling it.
Thankfully, about 2/3rds of the way through a security guard drove up next to me and started honking to get my attention. He told me there was no running on the grounds (it was 10:15pm, the mall was closed it was just workers getting out and going home). So I said OK and kept running – I was heading towards an exit anyway. He honked at me again. I looked at him and said ‘what, I heard you, I get it, but I’m running out of here. I’m almost out, and it’s not like my car is here for me to go to anyway.’ Then I shot off a way he couldn’t follow (in the car) and left the mall a few minutes later.
But the whole incident riled me up and gave me the energy to finish the full 8 miles to blow off the steam of the situation. Saved by the security guard.
Test of Planning and Pain
The second crisis of the week occurred on Sunday’s long run. I mentioned earlier that I was experiencing a bit of a knee issue the last few weeks towards the end. Well this week, it started at 5 miles. I walked a bit, I jogged a bit, I tried focusing on my gait a bit, but by 8 miles it was clear it wasn’t going to clear up if I kept going. Since my whole plan has been to avoid serious injury I stopped. No sense making it worse. Unfortunately, I still had a 4 mile walk back to the car (as a side note, the total trip time was not a lot shorter than if I’d been able to run the whole 18!). I was definitely feeling it even with just a walk.
Coming home, I’ve crashed into research mode. I’ve pretty much determined it’s almost certainly ITBS rather than PFPS (aka runner’s knee). Some initial thoughts are:
- I already noted I was foot-striking differently (and worse) with the foot in question
- I let it go too long with my shoes. I was under mis-impression that 500 miles was the point to replace them – further reading says anywhere n 300-500.
- I’ve definitely increased my hill-work and mileage as part of increased training
- My work related sitting posture and leg crossing could also be contributing
Weekly Highlights:
- Northern Iowa Week 13. 5,8,5, 18. Well 5,8,5,8/12 (8 run/4 walk) for me.
- New shoes! Racked up 450 miles on the old ones. (I just happened to replace them this week, not because of ITBS). Too late tho, since I was actually wearing them for first time when ITBS struck (and I don’t think they caused it – same shoe – the signs have been there).
Metric | Last Week | In Total |
---|---|---|
Mileage Run: | 32.18 miles | 561.16 miles |
Longest Run: | 12.11 miles | 18.52 miles |
Longest Run Time: | 2:18:32 hh:mm:ss | 2:47:44 hh:mm:ss |
Longest Run Pace: | 11:26 min/mile | 9:04 min/mile |
Posted on June 11, 2012, in Marathon and tagged 2012 nyc marathon, itbs, marathon, problems, running, weight loss. Bookmark the permalink. 2 Comments.
All the best with the enforced rest. I know it was hard for me to cut back with my ankle. It’s better now, but I haven’t been on the treadmill since my half. I’m sticking to the elliptical as recommended by one of the guys at the gym! All the best going forward!
Pingback: The best laid plans … « 52 Weeks, 52 Pounds