Slight Setback

On Friday night, I had to head over to urgent care.  Surprisingly it had nothing to do with my running.  I hadn't fallen, broke anything or felt chest pains (not that I have ever had that problem).  Nope.  My left elbow had swelled up to the size of a golf ball.  I don't recall having ever whacked my elbow on anything in the past couple of weeks.  It was a puzzlement. The pain was acute enough to make me want to have someone look at it.

My wife (Beverly) took me to the closest urgent care facility.  I signed in and actually didn't have to wait more than 15 minutes before they called me back.  When the nurse practitioner looked at it, she said it was a hematoma which would have been caused by some trauma to the elbow.  A
hematoma is an abnormal collection of blood outside of a blood vessel.  It occurs because the wall of a blood vessel wall, artery, vein, or capillary, has been damaged and blood has leaked into surrounding tissues. The hematoma may be tiny, with just a dot of blood, or it can be large and cause significant swelling.  Mine had some significant swelling.

They decided to try and drain a little of the blood from the area to see if it would help.  I received some deadening medicine to help relieve any pain before they tried to drain it.  Once it was numb, the nurse practitioner took a pretty large needle and stuck it into my elbow.  Even thought it had been numbed, it was extremely painful.  She was able to get some of the blood out of the area and it did seem to relieve the pain.  But it was still pretty large.

She wanted to go into it one more time.  This time after she had drained some more of the fluids from the area, I started to feel sick to my stomach.  I have never been afraid of needles but this was too much.  Apparently I was pale and started to feel dizzy.  They made me lie down and put a cold compress on my neck.   I started to feel much better.  The good thing was that my elbow was significantly smaller and the pain was slightly less.  I had to stay there for about 1/2 an hour because I wasn't too steady on my feet.

They finally brought Bev back to sit with me.  I had initially turned down a pain reduction injection.  But Bev told me that I should do it so that I could sleep better.  As usual, she was right.  I told the nurse who was helping out that I wanted the injection.  He said he would do it for me.  I asked if he was going to do it in the same room I was in.  He laughed at the question.  I told Bev, I guess he didn't want me to drop my pants in the hallway or the waiting room to get my shot.

Once I had the injection, I was released to go home.  They told me to wait until the morning to decide whether or not a run was advised.  I was able to get a good night's rest.  When I woke up the next morning, I was feeling better.  Still some elbow pain but not too bad.  I decided that I wanted to get in my training run.  My goal was to go out slow and see how I felt.  If it was causing too much pain in my elbow, I would break off the run and simply walk home.  To my pleasant surprise there was limited pain and I was able to complete my 10 miler and at a much faster pace than expected.

Today I got up to run the second of my weekend long runs.  I was scheduled for another 10 miler.  I headed out with the same plan in mind.  I found a comfortable pace and was able to complete the run even faster that yesterday.  I did notice a little swelling around my forearm and elbow.  I got into the house and iced it down which reduced the swelling.

I am hopeful that it will heal quickly and I will be 100% soon.  My training has been going really well and I am feeling good about where I am as far as speed and endurance.  I would like to break 4 hours once more before I retire from marathoning.  The key is always getting to the starting line healthy and fully trained.  This little set back is upsetting and frustrating.  All I can do now is work hard at getting healed and not let it negatively affect me in any way.

"To keep from decaying, to be a winner, the athlete must accept pain--not only accept it, but look for it, live with it, learn not to fear it." - Dr. George Sheehan, running author

Sept. 19 – 10.50 miles (1:35:31, 9:06 pace) - Mile Repeats (8:27 pace)
Sept. 20 – 6.20 miles (58:45, 9:292 pace) - Atlanta, GA
Sept. 22 – 7.20 miles (1:10:35, 9:48 pace) - Greenville, SC
Sept. 23– 10.20 miles (1:27:32, 8:35 pace) - Tempo Run
Sept. 24 – 10.10 miles (1:31:41, 9:05 pace)
Sept. 25 – 10.20 miles (1:32:02, 9:01 pace)

Total Miles:  54.4 miles
2016 Total Miles:  1,534.8 miles

Time for Mile Repeats

This week's training was the week where I would switch from speed work at my 5K pace to mile repeats.  This would mean my weekly mileage was going to increase significantly as the repeat workout ends up being the equivalent of a 9.5 mile run.  I can remember dreading these workouts when I used the Brooks Hanson Training program for the first time.  You can read about it in my post from June 21, 2009.  The strange thing is that I was actually looking forward to mile repeats this time because I knew that they would help make me stronger and faster.

This time around I am starting off with a 1/2 mile warm up (10:00 per mile pace).  Then I am doing 5-1 mile repeats at and 8:30 per mile pace.  Between each mile repeat, I do another 1/2 mile at a 10:00 per mile pace.  The 6th repeat I try to run at least an 8:15 per mile pace.  I decided to run the last repeat at a faster pace because I believe it will better simulate the end of the marathon when it is difficult to hold onto a steady pace.  I finish up the session with one final 1/2 mile at a 10:00 minute pace.  It is a tough but rewarding work out.

I have found over the years that I can always lock into a steady 8:45 to 9:00 minute per mile pace when I am out on the road in my neighborhood.  But when I have tried to do this work out in the past outdoors, I tend to run the first couple of repeats too fast.  Because of this tendency, I switched my mile repeats to the treadmill.  I find that I can set the pace and not worry if I am going too fast or too slow.  Plus I have an even harder time slowing down to a 10 minute pace.  The treadmill allows me to better regulate the pace and therefore gain the maximum benefit from my training session.

Being familiar with the treadmill also allows me to get this work out in even while I am travelling.  I am certain that I would not be able to hit the splits while running in unfamiliar areas.  I can get up early before I have to meet the rest of my work colleagues and get in my training with minimal hassle.  They all think I am crazy to do this while on the road.  While I agree, it actually helps me more than just building up my running, I sleep much better in strange hotels than I otherwise would.

What this runner has found after including mile repeats in my marathon training for the last 3 marathons is that they work because of how adaptable they are to my specific goal.  They have allowed me to teach my body what a slightly faster than race pace feels like.  It has helped me to develop mental toughness which I did not have when I first started running races.  Finally they have taught me how to remain focused and allow me to stay at my specific pace during the race.  I believe that with the tweak I discussed above I will be able to maintain pace during the miles of the New York Marathon. I am hopeful that it will make the race pace feel more comfortable and natural on race day.

I have 6 more mile repeat workouts before I start to taper for the race.  I am going to continue to train hard.  The weather is finally starting to be cool enough where I don't have to slow down on my long runs.  I just need to stay focused and injury free.  I am a running animal!

Sept. 12 – 8.20 miles (1:30:14, 11:00 pace) - Hill Repeats
Sept. 13– 9.50 miles (1:25:46, 9:02 pace) - Mile Repeats (8:27 pace)
Sept. 15 – 8.20 miles (1:10:28, 8:36 pace) - Lexington, KY Tempo Run
Sept. 16– 7.10 miles (1:07:08, 9:27 pace)
Sept. 17 – 11.20 miles (1:42:41, 9:10 pace)
Sept. 18 – 16.20 miles (2:28:14, 9:09 pace)

Total Miles:  60.4 miles
2016 Total Miles:  1,480.4 miles

Travel and Training

 

Sorry I didn't post last week.  My family and I took a weekend trip up to Sedona for the Labor Day Weekend.  We decided to celebrate my 55th birthday all together.  We had rented a house in the southern portion of Sedona.  It was a really nice weekend and the weather was much cooler than we have been experiencing in Scottsdale the past several months.  This meant that my morning runs would be so much more pleasant.  Yes, I got in all of my training runs while on vacation.  It was never a question.  It just took a little more planning on my part so that they did not take away from our family time.

Since I am in the midst of prepping for the New York City Marathon, I knew that even though I would be on vacation I needed to get in my training runs.  I have to do the same when I am on the road for work which is frequent.  If I am going to successfully train for this marathon, I need to adhere to a specific training schedule and meet my required mileage even when I am on the road.  While my personal life and work requires some sacrifices to get in my runs, I need to always find balance when traveling especially when it is a family trip.

Thinking of my family time, my goal last weekend was to make sure that I could get in my training runs without sacrificing any family fun.  Before heading up to Sedona, I took the time to research where we were staying and looked at potential running routes near where we were staying that would not interfere with any plans we had as a family.  I decided to get my runs in very early in the morning so that I would not stress out about them.  My intention was to return from each run with a smile on my face, fully stress free and ready to take on the rest of our plans.

As I alluded to above, to get in my training runs I had to do some research and planning.  The good news is that we now live in an era where there are any number of apps that help runners find routes and enable us to plan our runs even before we leave on our trip.  The application I use the most  is MapMyFitness. It is so easy to plug in the address of where I am staying and see potential routes.  I then map out a couple of different routes nearby where I am staying.  If I am traveling for work and I don't have to get in more than 4-6 miles, I sometimes just head out from the hotel and see what happens.  I have found that getting lost can add to the fun and allow me to discover more about the area.

There was a really great out and back route I found in Sedona.  I could leave the house we were renting and get in as little as 5 miles and as much as 16 miles.  The views from the route were spectacular.  The route was somewhat hilly but nothing I couldn't handle.  Plus the 60 degree weather felt like heaven.  There is really nothing better than running in a place where the vistas are so beautiful that you forget about the effort and just run.  It is pure joy.

I will be traveling the next two weeks for work and will have to get in my training runs.  Training is my way to recharge and reduce stress while traveling for work.  When I head out, I try to concentrate on my breathing and empty my mind.  The goal is to remove all nagging thoughts of deadlines at work.  I try not to let my mind wander too much.  I want to be gentle with my body and to simply improve my health and wellbeing.  I have found that no matter how far or long I run, the longer I can stay in a meditative space the more ready I am to take on the day.

As you can imagine, travelling can be an easy excuse to skip your run.  You tell yourself, "I don’t have the right gear"; "it’s too hot or too cold"; or simply "I don’t have time".  The truth is that with just a little forethought you can overcome all of these excuses.  It is as easy as just getting up, lacing up your shoes and heading out the door.   That's what I do and you can too.

Aug. 29 – 8.20 miles (1:28:24, 10:47 pace) - Hill Repeats
Aug. 30 – 6.20 miles (57:34, 9:17 pace) - Speed Work
Sept. 1 – 10.20 miles (1:30:05, 9:01 pace) - Tempo Run
Sept. 2– 7.10 miles (1:05:49, 9:16 pace)
Sept. 3 – 8.20 miles (1:16:15, 9:18 pace)
Sept. 4 – 15.20 miles (2:20:37, 9:15 pace)
Sept. 5 – 6.20 miles (59:49, 9:39 pace)
Sept. 6 – 6.20 miles (57:34, 9:17 pace)
Sept. 8 – 9.70 miles (1:25:22, 8:48 pace)
Sept. 9 – 6.20 miles (55:51, 9:01 pace)
Sept. 10 – 12.20 miles (2:02:02, 9:59 pace)
Sept. 11 – 10.20 miles (1:34:39, 9:17 pace)

Total Miles:  105.8 miles
2016 Total Miles:  1,420.0 miles