Unfortunately the week of rest didn't do anything for my shin/knee issue. I ran a short tempo run on Monday and the pain immediately returned, which is very frustrating. I attempted to play soccer on Monday night in the hope that running on the grass would help, but that didn't work out either and I ended up playing most of the night in goal.
On Tuesday I went to the gym to start strengthening my leg muscles. During the recovery from my Achilles strain I did a lot of work on my calf muscles and it is since I returned to running following my break that this pain has appeared in my opposite leg. As I mentioned in my previous post, I noticed that I had lost significant strength in my quads and have started to strengthen them at the gym and at home.
I ran 5 miles on Wednesday and Friday and kicked at the pool on Thursday. I wasn't in any shape to be able to run a long run on Sunday and went to the gym to cycle instead.
This pain in my right shin, calf and knee is annoying as I am now less than 100 days away from the marathon and should be running much more each week than I am able to at the moment. Hopefully the strength training will help address the issue!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Surprising Loss of Strength
I haven't been to the gym in so long that I can't remember the last time - it was probably about a year ago. I haven't needed to go to the gym as the weather allows me to run outside year round and I hate treadmills. This means that I haven't done any weight training on weights machines in at least a year, which isn't necessarily a problem as running and exercises at home are normally enough for most runners.
If a runner gradually increases pace, distance or the amount of hills their body can keep up and make the changes necessary to the muscles and bones and keep everything balanced. This sounds great, up until the runner gets injured and as part of the recovery focuses on strengthening one of the muscle groups, which breaks the balance and when the runner returns to running, some muscles are stronger than others and a circle of injury and strengthening certain muscles begins.
Why am I mentioning this? well, since I have returned to running following my Achilles Tendon strain I have been experiencing shin/calf/knee pain on the other (right) leg. My recovery from the Achilles Tendon problem was mainly focused strengthening of my calf muscles which it appears has broken the balance of power between my calves, hamstrings and quads. How do I know this? well, firstly the pain in my shin/calf/knee, but mainly because today I got on the Leg Extension machine in the gym and found that my right quad is much weaker than my left and that together both of my quad muscles are much much weaker than they were 12 months ago. I could barely lift 55lbs (I could lift 70lbs without a problem before) on the machine and my right leg was shaking (which is a sign that it is struggling with the weight) with my left leg performing fine.
I am going to be doing Split Squats at home and using the weight machines at the gym on non-running days to strengthen my quad muscles and hamstrings to at least the level that I can run pain free and let my body re-establish the balance.
If a runner gradually increases pace, distance or the amount of hills their body can keep up and make the changes necessary to the muscles and bones and keep everything balanced. This sounds great, up until the runner gets injured and as part of the recovery focuses on strengthening one of the muscle groups, which breaks the balance and when the runner returns to running, some muscles are stronger than others and a circle of injury and strengthening certain muscles begins.
Why am I mentioning this? well, since I have returned to running following my Achilles Tendon strain I have been experiencing shin/calf/knee pain on the other (right) leg. My recovery from the Achilles Tendon problem was mainly focused strengthening of my calf muscles which it appears has broken the balance of power between my calves, hamstrings and quads. How do I know this? well, firstly the pain in my shin/calf/knee, but mainly because today I got on the Leg Extension machine in the gym and found that my right quad is much weaker than my left and that together both of my quad muscles are much much weaker than they were 12 months ago. I could barely lift 55lbs (I could lift 70lbs without a problem before) on the machine and my right leg was shaking (which is a sign that it is struggling with the weight) with my left leg performing fine.
I am going to be doing Split Squats at home and using the weight machines at the gym on non-running days to strengthen my quad muscles and hamstrings to at least the level that I can run pain free and let my body re-establish the balance.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Marathon Training - Week 19
This week was a recovery week to allow my body to relax and heal after three weeks of full training. I did two kicking sessions and one 45 minute spinning session at the gym. The pain in my right calf has gone, but overall I don't feel any less fatigued than I did at the end of week 18! For now, I am putting that down to the hot temperatures and stress of moving house.
Here is my Week 20 plan:
Monday: Soccer
Tuesday: Spinning 30 minutes
Wednesday: Run 5 miles
Thursday: Spinning 30 minutes
Friday: Run 5 miles
Saturday: Rest/Kicking
Sunday: Run 14 miles
Here is my Week 20 plan:
Monday: Soccer
Tuesday: Spinning 30 minutes
Wednesday: Run 5 miles
Thursday: Spinning 30 minutes
Friday: Run 5 miles
Saturday: Rest/Kicking
Sunday: Run 14 miles
Monday, July 12, 2010
Marathon Training - Week 18
This week was my third consecutive week of increased mileage (27 miles in total) and my body certainly made sure that I knew it was time for a recovery week after my long run on Sunday. I had already planned for week 19 to be a lower mileage week, so that isn't a problem.
My weekly soccer game wasn't held this week as Monday was the vacation day at IBM for July 4th. I wasn't disappointed as my right calf was tired and painful after my long run on Sunday.
On Tuesday I went to the pool and kicked for 30 minutes.
On Wednesday I ran for 7 miles on a relatively cool morning (72F, 22C with 73% humidity at 7am and 78F, 25C with 62% humidity at the end of my run). My calf loosened up during my run and was pain free, but the tightness returned later in the day. I debated running with my fuel belt as the quick stops at the water fountain don't result in much more than a couple of sips of water, but I decided to do a sweat-test instead. I weighed myself before the run and then immediately after to see how much weight I had lost. I had lost 36oz in one hour! Of course, some of that 36oz had been fluids that I had taken on before I started my run (which in this case had been around 20oz of water that I drank before I weighed myself for the starting weight), but that still meant I was 16oz down at the end of my run and that is too high.
On Thursday I went to the pool and kicked for 30 minutes.
On Friday I ran for 7 miles. Although the temperatures were close to Wednesday, it was more humid (73F, 22C with 81% humidity at 7am and 76F, 24C with 71% humidity at the end of my run). I wore my calf guards in the hope that they would help minimize the pain in my right calf, but they didn't really seem to have any effect as my calf was painful later in the day. I ran with my fuel belt this time, and performed another sweat test. I consumed less water before the start of my run (10oz) and sipped Gatorade each mile at the rate that I have typically used in the cooler months (two sips each mile). At the end of the run I had consumed 12oz of Gatorade and found myself 16oz down in weight. Adding the 16oz lost to the 12oz consumed gives me a total loss of 28oz in the hour and a deficit of 18oz - I still didn't drink enough during my run!
Saturday was my rest day and on Sunday I ran for 13 miles on a hot and humid morning. I started my run at 7am and it was 75F, 23C with 90% humidity and at 9am it was 80F, 26C with 75% humidity at the end of my run. I paid more attention to my hydration during my run and took sips of Gatorade or water every half mile. However, I forgot to weigh myself before my run, so I don't know what difference it made to my overall weight loss. Even with my moisture absorbent clothing, the sweat was dripping off of me at about the halfway point of my run. It was a tough run for a variety of reasons - the weather conditions didn't help, but my calf and Achilles ached the entire run and I struggled throughout to find a comfortable rhythm. My body was tired and was making sure I knew it!
Week 19 will be a recovery week following three consecutive weeks with mileage increases (21 miles, 24 miles and 27 miles). Given my aches and pains, I am going to make my running sessions optional and drop my long run this week.
Monday - Soccer
Tuesday - Kicking
Wednesday - optional 3.5 miles
Thursday - Kicking
Friday - optional 3.5 miles
Saturday - rest
Sunday - rest
My weekly soccer game wasn't held this week as Monday was the vacation day at IBM for July 4th. I wasn't disappointed as my right calf was tired and painful after my long run on Sunday.
On Tuesday I went to the pool and kicked for 30 minutes.
On Wednesday I ran for 7 miles on a relatively cool morning (72F, 22C with 73% humidity at 7am and 78F, 25C with 62% humidity at the end of my run). My calf loosened up during my run and was pain free, but the tightness returned later in the day. I debated running with my fuel belt as the quick stops at the water fountain don't result in much more than a couple of sips of water, but I decided to do a sweat-test instead. I weighed myself before the run and then immediately after to see how much weight I had lost. I had lost 36oz in one hour! Of course, some of that 36oz had been fluids that I had taken on before I started my run (which in this case had been around 20oz of water that I drank before I weighed myself for the starting weight), but that still meant I was 16oz down at the end of my run and that is too high.
On Thursday I went to the pool and kicked for 30 minutes.
On Friday I ran for 7 miles. Although the temperatures were close to Wednesday, it was more humid (73F, 22C with 81% humidity at 7am and 76F, 24C with 71% humidity at the end of my run). I wore my calf guards in the hope that they would help minimize the pain in my right calf, but they didn't really seem to have any effect as my calf was painful later in the day. I ran with my fuel belt this time, and performed another sweat test. I consumed less water before the start of my run (10oz) and sipped Gatorade each mile at the rate that I have typically used in the cooler months (two sips each mile). At the end of the run I had consumed 12oz of Gatorade and found myself 16oz down in weight. Adding the 16oz lost to the 12oz consumed gives me a total loss of 28oz in the hour and a deficit of 18oz - I still didn't drink enough during my run!
Saturday was my rest day and on Sunday I ran for 13 miles on a hot and humid morning. I started my run at 7am and it was 75F, 23C with 90% humidity and at 9am it was 80F, 26C with 75% humidity at the end of my run. I paid more attention to my hydration during my run and took sips of Gatorade or water every half mile. However, I forgot to weigh myself before my run, so I don't know what difference it made to my overall weight loss. Even with my moisture absorbent clothing, the sweat was dripping off of me at about the halfway point of my run. It was a tough run for a variety of reasons - the weather conditions didn't help, but my calf and Achilles ached the entire run and I struggled throughout to find a comfortable rhythm. My body was tired and was making sure I knew it!
Week 19 will be a recovery week following three consecutive weeks with mileage increases (21 miles, 24 miles and 27 miles). Given my aches and pains, I am going to make my running sessions optional and drop my long run this week.
Monday - Soccer
Tuesday - Kicking
Wednesday - optional 3.5 miles
Thursday - Kicking
Friday - optional 3.5 miles
Saturday - rest
Sunday - rest
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Where I Run - Part 1 (Bent Creek Trail)
The majority of my training runs start and finish on the Bent Creek Trail which runs behind our house. The map below shows the nearly 1 mile trail that runs from Longstreet Drive to Shelley Lake.
The trail is mostly flat with a few small rolling hills. The entire distance is paved and is surrounded by trees which provide welcome cover from the sun during the hot summer months.
The trail goes under two main roads (by passing under a bridge and through a tunnel) and is quiet year round (I often run along this trail and don't see any other people).
The trail is mostly flat with a few small rolling hills. The entire distance is paved and is surrounded by trees which provide welcome cover from the sun during the hot summer months.
The trail goes under two main roads (by passing under a bridge and through a tunnel) and is quiet year round (I often run along this trail and don't see any other people).
Monday, July 5, 2010
Marathon Training - Week 17
This week was another good week! I ran 24 miles, played soccer and went to the pool once for a kicking session.
I have been a bit concerned about doing two sessions of Heel Drops every day as my calf muscles have already grown and become much more defined. This would be fine if I was also strengthening the other muscles in my legs to maintain a balance, but I have only been focusing on my calves. I experimented with only doing Eccentric Heel Drops before running instead of doing the exercises twice a day to see whether I would notice a difference - and I did. My Achilles continues to be pain free during running, but I did notice pain and tightness on a couple of mornings, which is a regression in the improvement I had been seeing. I am going to try one session of the Heel Drops each day with an extra session before running to see whether that makes a difference.
I played Soccer on Monday but didn't manage to make it to the pool on Tuesday due to a busy work day and a thunderstorm in the evening.
On Wednesday I ran 7 miles on a hot, humid morning which was surprising following the storm the night before. It was 73F, 23C with 90% humidity at 7am. I had planned to run 9 minute miles with my new low arm carry and I did fairly well over the first 5 miles (9:03, 8:26, 8:46, 8:41, 8:49) at which point the urge to stretch my legs and test my new stride at a faster pace began too much and I threw in a 7:42 mile. I checked my stride count a couple of times during the faster mile and both times I was above 180/minute.
On Thursday I went to the pool for 30 minutes of kicking. My legs were tired and this was probably my most difficult kicking session so far. I did manage to get through the 30 minute session, but it was hard work.
On Friday I ran another 7 miles on a cooler day. It was 60F, 15C with 80% humidity which was a nice change from the recent weeks. I targeted 9 minute miles and ran 9:03, 8:49, 8:43 and then a 7:58 faster mile followed by 8:51, 8:34 and 8:21.
Saturday was my rest day.
On Sunday I ran 10 miles on another cool day. It was 62F, 16C with 80% humidity at 7am and 70F, 21C with 67% humidity at the end of my run. I made a point of sticking to the 9 minute mile pace and ran 9:11, 8:51, 8:54, 9:08, 8:56, 8:50, 9:05, 9:00 and finished with a faster 8:18. The pace felt comfortable and my heart rate stayed in a zone between 151 and 157 until I got to the hill at 8.5 miles (at which point I only hit a peak of 165).
The 7 mile runs at 9 minute mile pace seem to be a good replacement for the speed and tempo sessions at the moment, and I am going to continue with them for a few more weeks as my focus at the moment is on increasing my long run distance. Given that my goal is simply to finish the Marathon in October and that my pace goal will be 4 hours (9:09/mile), I really don't need to do much speed work as I am doing all of my workouts at Marathon Pace.
This coming week (week 18) I plan to add 3 miles to my long run for a total of 27. Week 18 will be my third consecutive week of mileage increase, so I will be running a recovery week in Week 19 with fewer miles to give my body a chance to recover ready for another three weeks of increased distances.
Here is my plan for Week 18:
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Kicking - 30 minutes
Wednesday: Run - 7 miles
Thursday: Kicking - 30 minutes
Friday: Run - 7 miles
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Run - 13 miles
I have been a bit concerned about doing two sessions of Heel Drops every day as my calf muscles have already grown and become much more defined. This would be fine if I was also strengthening the other muscles in my legs to maintain a balance, but I have only been focusing on my calves. I experimented with only doing Eccentric Heel Drops before running instead of doing the exercises twice a day to see whether I would notice a difference - and I did. My Achilles continues to be pain free during running, but I did notice pain and tightness on a couple of mornings, which is a regression in the improvement I had been seeing. I am going to try one session of the Heel Drops each day with an extra session before running to see whether that makes a difference.
I played Soccer on Monday but didn't manage to make it to the pool on Tuesday due to a busy work day and a thunderstorm in the evening.
On Wednesday I ran 7 miles on a hot, humid morning which was surprising following the storm the night before. It was 73F, 23C with 90% humidity at 7am. I had planned to run 9 minute miles with my new low arm carry and I did fairly well over the first 5 miles (9:03, 8:26, 8:46, 8:41, 8:49) at which point the urge to stretch my legs and test my new stride at a faster pace began too much and I threw in a 7:42 mile. I checked my stride count a couple of times during the faster mile and both times I was above 180/minute.
On Thursday I went to the pool for 30 minutes of kicking. My legs were tired and this was probably my most difficult kicking session so far. I did manage to get through the 30 minute session, but it was hard work.
On Friday I ran another 7 miles on a cooler day. It was 60F, 15C with 80% humidity which was a nice change from the recent weeks. I targeted 9 minute miles and ran 9:03, 8:49, 8:43 and then a 7:58 faster mile followed by 8:51, 8:34 and 8:21.
Saturday was my rest day.
On Sunday I ran 10 miles on another cool day. It was 62F, 16C with 80% humidity at 7am and 70F, 21C with 67% humidity at the end of my run. I made a point of sticking to the 9 minute mile pace and ran 9:11, 8:51, 8:54, 9:08, 8:56, 8:50, 9:05, 9:00 and finished with a faster 8:18. The pace felt comfortable and my heart rate stayed in a zone between 151 and 157 until I got to the hill at 8.5 miles (at which point I only hit a peak of 165).
The 7 mile runs at 9 minute mile pace seem to be a good replacement for the speed and tempo sessions at the moment, and I am going to continue with them for a few more weeks as my focus at the moment is on increasing my long run distance. Given that my goal is simply to finish the Marathon in October and that my pace goal will be 4 hours (9:09/mile), I really don't need to do much speed work as I am doing all of my workouts at Marathon Pace.
This coming week (week 18) I plan to add 3 miles to my long run for a total of 27. Week 18 will be my third consecutive week of mileage increase, so I will be running a recovery week in Week 19 with fewer miles to give my body a chance to recover ready for another three weeks of increased distances.
Here is my plan for Week 18:
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Kicking - 30 minutes
Wednesday: Run - 7 miles
Thursday: Kicking - 30 minutes
Friday: Run - 7 miles
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Run - 13 miles
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