| Another Year - Another Comeback |
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September 13 - Post-Marathon Update The weather was a gift, making the unlikely possible. How often will we get a cool day and no headwind on the canal? As planned I went out at a comfortable pace and settled into a planned run/walk strategy of walking for about one minute every two miles. Even with minor variations due to hills and the scheduled walk breaks, I was consistently hitting each two mile split in under 20 minutes, reaching the half marathon point in 2:08:03. Over the next couple of miles, it slowly occurred to me that a slight negative split could get me a Boston Qualifying time of 4:15:59. Pushing a little harder, I was able to slightly increase my pace and hit 20 miles in 3:15:18. The math going through my head was simple; if I could run 6.2 miles in less than 60 minutes, I could hit 4:15 exactly. At 22 miles and 3:34:45, I needed to run 4.2 miles in 40 minutes. At 24 miles and 3:53:20, it was down to 2.2 miles in 21 minutes. At 25 miles and 4:03:07, I just needed to hold pace to cover the remaining 1.2 miles in less than 12 minutes. The 26th mile had some nice downhill and was my fastest of the race as I hit the final mile mark at 4:12:13. A few steps later and a sharp twinge hit my left calf. At the time, I thought the leg was cramping. I slowed a little and tried to get back on pace... another sharp twinge hit... and then another... I settled into what felt like a slow shuffle, watching in frustration as the seconds ticked by on the finish clock, finally crossing the finish at 4:14:40. The last 385 yards took 2:28 (11:17 per mile pace). Thankfully the leg held up until the finish was practically in sight and I was able to exceed all my goals for the race: finishing a marathon in 2010, running a smart race, finishing strongly over the final 10k and getting a Boston Qualifying time. When I finished, I was prepared for the calf to immediately cramp up. But once I stopped, I had absolutely no symptoms of muscle cramping. Now, on the day after, I have a pretty good case of overall Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) and the left calf is particularly tight. My self-diagnosis is a calf muscle strain or perhaps a minor tear. As usual, I am going to wait until the DOMS is gone before resuming running.
One of my favorite predictors of readiness for marathons and ultras is 8-Week Average Mileage, that is, the average weekly mileage run for the eight weeks before tapering for a race. For the Rochester Marathon, that number is 37.75 miles. For an unrealistic comparison, in 1976 I set my lifetime marathon PR after an eight week average of 86 miles. My last sub-3 hour marathon was in 1988 after eight weeks at a 73.7 miles average. My best marathon after moving to Rochester in 1995 was the 2001 Ontario Shore Marathon, 3:19 at age 55 on an eight week average of 54.8 miles. I didn't run a marathon last year but my last long race before a season-ending knee injury in October was the Niagara 50k in June. While still ramping up my training, I ran a 5:17 on an eight week average of 40.4 miles. My 50k time was the age-graded equivalent of a 4:21 for the shorter marathon distance.  37.75 miles 8-week average before one week taper for marathon Pre-race implications... while my 5-k times suggest it might be possible to run a 4:15 Boston qualifying time, I am clearly under-prepared for the marathon distance and will need to approach the early miles with caution. My baseline goal is to finish and make this the 36th year I've finished a marathon or ultra. My desired-state goal will be to run a smart race and finish strongly over the final 10k. August 24, 2010 - Back on TrackMy Galloway marathon training plan called for a 26 mile run the week after 10 Ugly Men and I was going to be in Florida visiting my father. I was already concerned about reinjuring my back with another long run and then there was the Florida weather to consider... in late July the daily low temperature is about the same as our high temperature except the humidity is higher, e.g., 80 degrees and 75% humidity at dawn. So, I did the distance but spread it over two days of double workouts; running at dawn and dusk. It seemed to work. At least I racked up 49 miles for my longest week of the year without upsetting my back or knees. The first two weeks of August were highlighted by a major session of repeat miles and some hard repeat kilometers. The weather was near perfect for the Jenny Kuzma Memorial Bergen 5k on August 14th. I had hopes of breaking 25 minutes and took it out harder than last year when I ran 25:01. By the end of the third kilometer, I suspected I'd gone out too fast and was going to pay for it. And I did over the last two kilos, finishing in 25:33. The time was a bit disappointing but the unexpected surprise was that I finished second in age group for 9 more RROY points.The Rochester Marathon is now rapidly approaching... last long run, another week of faster running, a last race at the Summerfest 12K and then a final week of taper. If you are interested in following my training, go to Daily Mile at www.dailymile.com/people/tperry. July 27, 2010 - "It's Always Something"My lower back started hurting on an easy run on June 29th and the next morning it was so bad that walking was painful. With more days off than days run and and very low mileage, my back is slowly getting better. I remain hopeful that this setback will be a short one. The last four weeks (on the right) in the graph below show the impact of this new injury on my training.  As you can see, the week I was first injured, I only managed to run 12 miles in three runs. The following week was a bit better with 20 miles run in four runs. The third week after the injury, I overdid it with 31 miles in four runs. The fall back to 20 miles in the last week shown was driven by worsening stiffness in my lower back and the need to cut mileage to insure I would be rested for the Ten Ugly Men 5k.If you ran the July 24th RROY race in Genesee Valley Park, you know it was warm and very humid on race day. Along with most of the field, I started too fast for the conditions and slowed significantly after the first mile when I started to feel overheated. On finishing, I was disappointed with my time (25:41, 34 second slower than I ran at the Medved ALS 5k the month before). On seeing the age group results, I was pleasantly surprised to find I have finished third in category and only 14 seconds behind the second place runner. My back did not hurt during the race or immediately after. Instead, like a lot of running injuries, the worst soreness showed up on the next two days after the race. I remain hopeful that I will be able to train enough to run the Rochester Marathon in September. A month ago the odds of being able to run a Boston Qualifier looked pretty good. With the loss of at least a month of hard training, I will be satisfied with finishing. My next submarathon race will be the next RROY race, the Jenny Kuzma Memorial Bergen 5k on August 14th. If you are interested in following my training, go to Daily Mile at www.dailymile.com/people/tperry. June 26, 2010 - Training for a Fall Marathon & Racing the RROY Series When I last posted on April 11th, Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS) was still limiting my running to about 20 miles per week and I was discouraged about my prospects for a successul running year. I was especially concerned that I might not be able to train enough to finish a marathon or ultra this year, something I've done every year since 1974. The graph below shows how things turned around in May and June. The pattern in January thru mid-April was up and down... I would have a couple of promising weeks followed by having to cut way back when the knee pain would flair up again. From mid-April to today (June 26), I've been able to successfully manage the knee pain and gradually build my training mileage and even enjoy some success in the RROY Series races.
Since mid-April I've been following a slightly modified Jeff Galloway marathon training plan. In hopes of keeping my knees pain free, the plan only has four runs each week and two knee-friendly, cross-training workouts as listed below. If you are interested in the details, you can see my training logged on Daily Mile.
My minimal goal is to finish the Rochester Marathon in September. My optimistic goal is to run a Boston Qualifying (BQ) time. I aged up in April and the 4:15 time for the 65-69 category seems far more achievable than the 4:00 I would have had to run last year. Another benefit of aging up to a new category is that you get away from the speedsters who are 3 or 4 years younger than you are. So, I'm going to run as many of the RROY Series races this year as I can fit into my schedule. The table below shows my race results through the June 20th Medved ALS 5k.
It's been a pleasant surprise to score so many points in all three RROY Series races I've done. I thought I might make the top 10 at Lilac but 6th was better than I'd hoped for. I knew from last year that scoring some points at the McMullen Mile was a sure thing (there weren't ten runners in most of the older age groups). I was pleased to run about five seconds faster than last year and was content to finish fourth and last in my age group. Finishing second in 65-69 at the Medved 5k to Cure ALS was a complete surprise. Several runners who I expected to finish way ahead of me were not at the race and I somehow managed to pass another runner in my age group who, based on his form in the previous races, should have run significantly faster than he did. Perhaps the warm day made a difference. It will be fun to see what happens in the next race. The final row in the table above shows an Age Performance Percent value calculated using Age Graded Scoring. Oversimplifying a bit, the percent grades my time relative to the world record for a runner of the same age. One nice aspect of age grading is that it is possible to compare times run at different distance races, e.g., time for a mile versus time for 10k. Notice how the Age Performance Percent shows a steady increase in race performance from April to June. April 11, 2010 - Progress Still Limited by PFPS To be very brief: As of April 11th, PFPS is still limiting my running to about 20 miles per week. The weather has been great so I’ve been carefully building cycling mileage, both as cross training for running and with the goal of being ready to do the Erie Canal Bike Tour (www.ptny.org/canaltour/) in July. The 400-mile, 8-day tour of the canalway trail has long been on my bucket list and, with my running limited, this looks like an ideal year to do it. February 22, 2010 - Progress Interrupted by PFPS On February 1st, my progress was interrupted with a recurrence of knee pain. I finished an easy six miler with a sore knee. The next day (February 2nd, aka Groundhog Day) I had to abort my run after only a quarter mile. Was it going to be another six weeks before I could run without pain? Maybe... my next run (on February 9th) of only 2.4 miles was enough to trigger the pain again. The next step was to see my orthopaedist on February 12th and see what he had to suggest. Following a reasonably complete exam, his diagnosis was PFPS (Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome).
So, I'm going back to square one in my training. To make it easier to avoid doing too much too soon, I'm following a Jeff Galloway 'beginning runner' training plan. The plan for this week calls for three days of running (30 minutes of a run 4 minutes, walk 1 minute routine), three days with a 30 minute walk and one day off. The run 4 minutes, walk 1 minute routine is like an old friend... that was my strategy for a 24 hours on the track I did back in the 1990's. Also, I've gone back to square one with my orthotics and shoes. Back in 2007, in hopes of avoiding surgery for a Morton's Neuroma, my podiatrist prescribed Sole Supports orthotics which have a much higher arch ("holding the foot in an optimally corrected position") compared to conventional orthothics which are cast with the foot "in a neutral position." I wrote about my initial experiences with Morton's Neuroma and the Sole Supports orthotics in August 2007: http://www.grtconline.org/images/stories/eclectic-blog/eclecticredux-pdfs/eclectic-2007-08.pdf. My comeback last year was the first time I was able to consistently train for more than a couple months with the Sole Support orthotics. Since that comeback ended with major knee pain and since I had no episodes of serious PFPS with the older conventional orthotics, I've gone back to using them and a shoe model that also worked well in the past. It is too early to tell if this change with help but so far the knees feel better both during and after running.  The past few months of recurring knee injury have been a real drain on my morale. Looking for some inspiration, I've been rereading Again to Carthage by John L. Parker, Jr. The book is a sequel to Once a Runner, widely recognized as the best novel ever written about the world of the serious runner. Again to Carthagepicks up on story of Quenton Cassidy with the depression that followed his Olympic silver medal and retirement from serious running. The first half of the story describes his seeming success in building a professional career and comfortable life until the deaths of his best friend and several close relatives lead him to question whether he has given up a special part of his life too soon. The second half of the book tells the story of his comeback, culminating in the 1980 Olympic Marathon Trials... remember the trails in Buffalo to pick the three runners who wouldn't get to go to the Moscow Olympics. Perhaps because of my pre-occupation with getting back to competitive running, I've found much in Again to Carthagethat speaks to me. Following is a snippet that I especially like. It's from the text of a letter from Cassidy to Andrea (the love of his life who married the other guy). In the letter Cassidy is attempting to explain to Andrea and to himself why he is going to drop out of his successful legal career to again pursue the Olympic dream.
I don't think I would go as far as Parker does attributing a spiritual dimension to training. Often the pursuit of racing fitness seems fundamentally obsessive and selfish. However, I do know that I am happiest when fully committed to a training plan and seeing a steady improvement in both training and race results over the season. And, in that happier state, I find I am more productive and effective in all aspects of my life... so Parker's "slipstream" effect may well be real. Of course, as I near age 65 after almost 40 years in endurance sports, I've long given up notions of consistently getting better year over year. However, thanks to our long winters enforcing an off season, each year brings the opportunity to begin again... to begin again with a training plan that will bring improving results over the racing season and the opportunity to set new age group personal records. January 27, 2010 - A New Year... ... and the beginning of Another Comeback Starting Over. After two months lost to synovitus (inflammation of the lining of the knee), I got cleared by my orthopaedist just before Christmas to cautiously return to running. Two short months was enough time to lose almost all of my running fitness. At the end of November, I was able to run reasonably fast for my 64 years (24:31 at the Hospice 5K) and was ready to run a competitive race in my age group at the Rhode Island 6 Hour. I was just starting to taper for the race when the injury hit. My first runs after the long layoff were discouraging... my gait felt awkward, my heart rate was elevated even though my pace was a minute or more slower than what was comfortable previously, and, even with walking breaks every half mile, I was done for the day after only 3 or 4 slow miles. I had hoped for a swift comeback but it quickly became clear even to me that this comeback from two months off was not going to be much faster than my 2009 comeback from two years off. I was going to have to slowly rebuild my base mileage, regain running efficiency and then put in the speed work to get faster. Over the last four weeks, I've made some progress. I'm up to 20+ miles per week with no recurrence of the knee injury. Goals for 2010. First and foremost, I want to return to injury-free, competitive running. I believe that a slow and patient approach to ramping up my training will be a key to being successful. I have two more specific goals for the year: 1) Finish at least one marathon or ultra to keep intact my streak of having run at least one marathon or ultra every year since my first marathon in December 1974. A stretch goal will be to run a Boston Marathon qualifying time, i.e., a 4:15 or better. 2) Take a moderately serious run at making the top 5 in the 65-69 Age Group in the RROY Series. I age up in late April so my first series race will be the Lilac 10K in May. 2009 Recap. Last year I came back after being unable to run for most of the previous two years. I finally had surgery for a Morton's Neuroma on my left foot in October 2008. By Christmas I was cleared to beginning running. Starting from zero, I consistently gained fitness over 2009, completing four Freezeroos, five RROYs and two ultramarathons. But, a badly timed knee injury ended my season in early November two weeks before my target race for the fall (Rhode Island 6 Hour, http://ri6hour.com/). When the pain in the back of my left knee wouldn't go away and stay away with about a month off from running, I got a referral to a running orthopaedist in a sports medicine practice. After a very complete physical exam and X-rays of both knees (for comparisons between the injured and good knees), the doctor's diagnosis was that the cause of pain as either meniscus tears or synovitus (inflammation of the lining of the knee joint). Since the treatment for synovitus is cheap and quick compared to that for meniscus tears, the orthopaedist put me on the standard treatment for synovitus: a 3-week course of anti-inflammatory meds, no running and physical therapy. If knee gets better, synovitus is confirmed. If not, then meniscus tears are suspected and we proceed to an MRI and possible surgery. Fortunately, the knee got better and I was cleared to resume normal activities just before Christmas. After approximately two months off, I was back to square one. |
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