In my last post I went over my mileage and training for February. For tracking purposes February ended on Saturday for me. But on the calendar February is still rolling along.

Last week I ran a grueling 14.6 mile long run. It was just awful in so many ways. Looking ahead to this week’s 18.1 mile run left me apprehensive. I knew I made some mistakes but some of my issues were physical and not easily addressed.

February Wrap up Run

One of my big problems last week was improper fueling and hydration. To address those issues I ate a high carb dinner Saturday night and had two beers in the afternoon.

Sunday morning I had a large bowl of Grape-Nuts and even put some sugar on top. A half-cup serving has 47g of carbs. I had well over a cup and added sugar on top of that. So my carbohydrate stores were pretty well stocked.

I made an extra pot of coffee on Saturday afternoon and put a quart into a sport cup and put that in the fridge. Sunday morning I added some milk, but no sugar. I really need caffeine to get me going in the morning and 32oz of high octane juice really hit the spot.

Stretch This

Last week I did a nice stretch and yoga session Saturday night. I’m pretty careful, but I did manage to over do it a little bit. With the issues I already have, a little over stretching didn’t do me any good. This week I sat on my glutes and watched some TV. The result was positive.

I also did no stretching before my run. Instead, I took the first mile to warm up and loosen up. This worked out well for me also.

After the run I did some stretching. I was really surprised how easy the IT band stretches were. I didn’t think I would be able to bend over like that and my back didn’t hurt at all.

When I got home I rolled my glutes and hamstrings. When I rolled my calves the pain was amazing. I could only bear about one minute of that business.

My left knee is still a mess. I tried some stretching but it was painful. I decided not to push it as I really was concerned I’d break something. Knowing when to say when is very important.

Stretching before a run has seen some controversy. I tend to agree with the no stretching before a run camp. I do a few moves to loosen up my ankles, knees and hips that Terrance Mahon showed me at a BAA clinic a few years ago. Sometimes even stretching the day before can effect your run.

The moves that Terrance showed us are enough to get the “kinks” out. You know, those snapping sounds your joins make sometimes?

Final February Run

This week the course was 18.1 miles. I really had no idea how this was going to go. I took a few precautions and planned well, but 18.1 is a lot more than 14.6.

I was a little stiff for the first mile or so, but I had planned on this. By the time we hit the hills in Breakheart Reservation in Saugus, I was attacking the hills. I felt pretty good. The hills began just after we hit 5 miles. My legs were warmed up, but not fatigued.

I was worried that poring it all on for those hills would make the hills on Main Street difficult. We hit the Breakheart water stop a second time on the way out and I grabbed a GU. As we ran down the driveway to The Fellsway I could feel the carbs hitting my system.

My shoulder didn’t give me much trouble at all. A few twinges late in the run, but nothing like last week. Around mile 10 my left knee spoke up and about the same time my back chimed in. Physically I was not exhausted at this point, but those aches had me concerned.

Getting the legs to move that first 100 yards or so after the last three water stops was increasingly difficult. At the last stop knowing that our last hill was just around the corner didn’t make getting started any easier.

After the last water stop and hill it was pretty flat for the last three miles. My knee and back were just killing me at this point.

15 miles was further than I ran last week, and no walking this week. Somewhere along Main Street in Wakefield I managed to will my knee pain out of my mind. All of a sudden it just didn’t hurt so much.

I ran the entire 18 miles with Don Keren. Early in the run he pushed the pace but eventually he settled into a pace that I could run. We ran a pace of 9:16. Last week we ran a 9:56 pace for 14.6 miles. I was a wreck last week but my friend stuck with me even though I slowed him considerably.

Preparation for next week

Next week we run the 20 mile Mystic Lakes Route. After this week’s run I’m more confident about this run. My fueling and hydrating worked out well this week and I’ll continue that.

Consistent training is important. Last week I had two 5 mile treadmill runs. Nothing grueling, but enough to help me build up for this week’s 18 miler. I’ll do two 5-6 mile treadmill runs this week also. Again, nothing grueling, but good consistent miles that will allow my body to recover and be prepared for the 20 miler.

By running inside last week I was also able to recover substantially from my chest cold. Congestion is not good for running! I’ll probably skip the Tuesday night club run and just do the two treadmill runs again this week. It worked well last week, and perhaps I can kick this thing.

• How is your training going?
• Any tricks for running an abbreviated marathon plan?
• Are you running Boston this year?

Run well my Friends!

Andy

© 2016 andrew nagelin