1. I ran last night.
I know, since I'm working on training for marathon #5, that by now this shouldn't really need an announcement. But I'm doing so little running lately, that I feel like it deserves to be noted.
Which leads nicely into.....
2. I mentioned that I cut my long run short last weekend, due to some IT band/quad pain. I made it to about mile 3.5 last night, and could FEEL it, but it wasn't painful. I got in 5 easy pace miles, and called it a day. I probably COULD have gone farther, but I didn't want to try it.
With Eugene just 23 days away (zomg), I've put in only a handful of long runs for this training cycle....
16 miles on 2/9
18 miles on 3/3
22.5 as part of the Run4Kids 24 hour
15 miles on 3/30
That's FOUR long runs, pretty much each a month apart. WTF, me.
Which leads nicely into....
3. It has not gone unnoticed to me that this training cycle, I've had more random aches/pains than the others. And I'm assuming it's related to the shit base I've been working off of. Turns out, you can't just run willy nilly and expect to get to a marathon uninjured.
As evidenced by my dailymile logging, I've been basically running HALF of my mileage, and really only running alternate weeks.
Admittedly, I got a little cocky - I ran that 18 miler in early March, and kicked it's ass, and spent the rest of March resting on my laurels. And since that 18, I've taken a couple days for a jacked up ankle, a few days for the IT/quad thing, and a few days because, DUDE, I just ran that 18 miler, and it was AWESOME, so my work here must be done.
That was STUPID.
So, Eugene was supposed to be my PR race. I am excited for the course, because it seems pretty, and I can't wait to experience it, but I am growing more and more grateful every day that there is a generous 7 hour course limit.
And spending a fair amount of time considering my next move.
I kind of want to jump back in IMMEDIATELY and go for the full at San Francisco. It was my favorite race, I know the course, and it seems conducive to a PR for me (if I'm trained).
On the other hand, I feel like all of these skipped runs are a sign of terrible burn out, and I need to just stop training for fulls for now. 5 in a year, maybe, was too much. I love the distance - I've found 15-18 miles to be my happy place. But without the committing the time to maintaining my base, I'm setting myself up for failure. Under this consideration, I'm eyeballing CIM as my next marathon.
Aaaaaand, there's also the matter of the 50K that I'm itching to do. I know, it seems counterintuitive to schedule a 50K, if marathons have burned me out completely, but I have very happy visions of trail exploration in my mind. Maybe that will be the key to getting me back on track.
I don't know. I have a busy few weeks (SoCal Ragnar, Eugene, and PCRF Half within 3 weeks of each other) coming, and should probably not make any rash decisions.
Right?
Go for the 50k! A trail run will feel so different, plus I hear people tend to eat real food for fuel during those as opposed to GU type stuff. mmmmm, pringles!
ReplyDeleteMan, if I could just find SOMEONE to run trails with me, I think I would be a lot happier. Alone, I'd be one of those people that gets lost on a ridiculously well marked trail.
ReplyDeleteI sort of told you that I am eyeballing other crazy things as well. I sure hope I don't die during my 1/2 Saturday and we can still run together in Eugene.
Trails, baby, trails. Being in the trees is good for the soul.
ReplyDeleteI say go for the trail run too, so much more peaceful and the scenery is good for the soul. I only did one marathon last year and feel burned out on the distance I can't imagine after 5.
ReplyDeleteDo the 50K! The best thing about trail races is all the snacks!
ReplyDeleteYou're making my head spin. You SOUND like an ultrarunner already. So why don't you just DO one. Just remember, the lessons will be repeated until they are learned! Spoken by one who has been doing ultras for 22 years and still hasn't learned all the lessons.
ReplyDeleteUm yes, I'm all about not making rash decisions now in light of the insanity that is mid-April until early May. :)
ReplyDeleteUm yes, I'm all about not making rash decisions now in light of the insanity that is mid-April until early May. :)
ReplyDeleteI am old and I will be the party pooper and say that you should put the 50k on hold.....for now.....
ReplyDeleteno rash decisions! i would say finish out your marathons planned, pick a 1/2 marathon to PR since you love the mileage just above that...
ReplyDelete