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Tuesday, May 31, 2011

1:54:21

I would do that. I would PR after feeling like junk for several weeks before. Actually, this proves two things to me:
1. Tapering is just as important as anything else. It allows your body adequate time to recover/repair/rejuvenate and makes you feel great on race day.
2. Experience is power. I knew exactly how I would feel if I kept up with the pace I was at. I had a pretty good feel for when my knees would start to nag. I also knew exactly what to do pre-race to stack the odds in my favor.
This just proves that I have so much more in me in terms of lowering my finish times. Imagine if I had done speed work!
I'm excited to see what I can do in my next one in October.

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Sunday, May 22, 2011

Uncle!

OK. I get it. I'll stop. I'll listen now. I'm a beginner marathoner and I should be doing beginner marathoner training.
I got hurt again on my long run last week. Yea, the one below. Actually, I think I hurt myself the prior week, but thought it was just innocent soreness, so I just ran through it. I did feel like junk all week so we had actually already decided to cut it down to 13.5.
Its pain in the back of my knee, on both of the tendons on the outside. About 10 miles into the 13.5, I started feeling a shooting pain on every third step. It continued until eventually all 3 of the friends I was running with demanded we stop because my form was all screwed up and I was yelping every few seconds.
Since then it has gotten a bit better but it is still bad enough that I have needed to take Ibuprofen to help with the pain even when I'm not running.
The best part is that I'm now 1 week away from a 1/2 marathon and I'm junk. All my friends are peaking right now and I'm junk. I hate it.
But I'll get through it. All you can do is RICE constantly, reassess your training, and give it your best without making things worse. Thats a fine line and much easier said than done.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Friday Night 17



Saturday, May 7, 2011

Great Info about Hitting the Wall

Taken from Wikipedia


Athletes engaged in exercise over a long period of time produce energy via two mechanisms, both facilitated by oxygen:
via fat metabolism and
via breakdown of glycogen into glucose, followed by glycolysis.
How much energy comes from either source depends on the intensity of the exercise. During intense exercise that approaches one's VO2 max, most of the energy comes from glycogen.
A typical untrained individual on an average diet is able to store about 380 grams of glycogen, or 1500 kcal, in the body, though much of that amount is spread throughout the muscular system and may not be available for any specific type of exercise.[2] Intense cycling or running can easily consume 600-800 or more kcal per hour. Unless glycogen stores are replenished during exercise, glycogen stores in such an individual will be depleted after less than 2 hours of continuous cycling or 15 miles (24 km) of running. Training and carbohydrate loading can raise these reserves as high as 880 g (3600 kcal), correspondingly raising the potential for uninterrupted exercise.

Tomorrow's 16



Thursday, May 5, 2011

Tips for Novice Runners, from a Barely-Intermediate Runner

1. The faster you run, the faster you get hurt.
2. The faster you increase your miles, the faster you get hurt.
3. Frozen veggies make great cheap ice packs. Wrap them tight with an ace bandage as often as possible.
4. Long runs are not negotiable.
5. Mid-week long runs are crucial for progress- both physical and mental.
6. Buy expensive, well-cushioned shoes.
7. Fellas- band aids work fine for avoiding nipple chafing. Under Armour does the same for avoiding thigh chafing.
8. Look up and follow a reputable training plan. Make little tweaks here and there, but try to stick as close to the plan as possible. I personally buy in to Hal Higdon's plans.
9. Don't over-carb-load. Definitely eat carbs, but if you eat too much, you'll feel bloated all day. Eat the same the night before a race as you do before all long runs. Also, carb-loading is pretty much unnecessary for anything less than a half marathon.
10. Do your long runs in the morning. having to do a 3 hour run sucks if you start at 2pm. And you spend all day beforehand groaning over the impending doom. I always do it that way, but it sucks.

Bonus: