Uh-oh

I haven't been sleeping well for over a week and finally caved to drugs. I bought some Unisom and took one last night. I still woke up early, and with a very sore throat. I thought it might just be a reaction to the Unisom, but now I'm convinced that I am indeed sick. Hopefully it's just a cold...but even if it is, they tend to hang on for awhile. So...my last bit of training leading into the Spokane Half Marathon is up in the air. I've got an easy 4.5 mile run scheduled for tomorrow, then a 10-miler at race pace scheduled for Friday, with an easy 8 on Sunday. If I can't get those in, I'll just go into taper mode next week and hopefully have enough strength to run well at the race. I don't have a tremendous mileage base built up, so I'm a little nervous about missing the rest of this week's training. Fingers crossed...

Duct Tape - So Far, So Good

Thanks to all those who sent recommendations on how to tape blisters. I went with duct tape for today's hilly 6-mile run and it held up perfectly. I rubbed some bodyglide on the actual loose skin where the blisters are before taping my feet so it wouldn't stick and pull off the skin (thanks L.J.). I taped from the top left side, under, then over the top right side of each foot (in other words, just short of a full wrap-around). When I got back from the run, my feet were just sweaty enough to make for easy removal of said tape.
As for the run, it was mostly to get in some hill work. The pace was between an easy run and a tempo run: 6 miles, 48:27 (8:04 pace). Even though the blisters may not be an issue now, I have a new concern. The past couple of weeks, I've noticed an increasingly sharp pain directly under my left knee cap. It's mostly noticeable going up and down stairs (or steep inclines), and when squatting or lunging. I don't feel it too much while running, but I'm a bit worried about it. Other than that, the half marathon training is going well. Less than two weeks away now!
Oh, as for last week: 4 runs, 27 miles.

Any Ideas on Dealing With Blisters?

I did a little 3.5 mile run this morning (with my new Garmin 305 - very cool), and I'm still dealing with the blisters in my arches from Friday's long run, where I ran with new inserts in new shoes for 14 miles. My half marathon is 2 weeks from today. I'm going to keep training as planned (so "stop running" isn't an answer I'll consider). If you have any suggestions on how I might tape the blisters or anything that might help me avoid making them worse (I've already switched back to my old inserts), I welcome your comments. Thanks!

Long Run - Blisters (cont'd)

Look upon the ugliness, my friends, but don't cry for me, Argentina. I actually started feeling the rubbing and discomfort at about mile three of this 14 mile run. At that point, I could have turned around, made it an easy 6, gone home with tiny blisters and re-scheduled my long run. But nooooo! I was feeling really good (aside from the blisters, that is) and decided to take a chance that the damage would be minimal in order to get the run in on schedule. This year, my "comeback" to running, I've been pretty diligent in training properly and nursing my body along gently to avoid any injuries. The incidences of me being a bonehead are fewer and farther between, but alas they still exist. Oh well. Guess I'll drain & dress these and hope they don't interfere too much with the remainder of my training before the race. Live and learn.

Long Run: Confidence (and Blister) Builder

"Wed, Dec 23, 1987: 14 miles (4 x 3.5 mile loop) in 1:45:00 (7:30/mile pace)."

That was taken from my running log back in 1987. It was my longest run ever. It only took me 22 years to match that distance...because I did it today, albeit quite a bit slower (1:59:02 - 8:30 pace). I went out slow and ran a very manageable and steady pace, wearing my fuel belt. I drank Heed 3-4 times during the run and ate a couple of Shot Blocs at mile 7. The only negative to this run was the decision to wear my new shoes (Brooks Defyance 2, same as my previous pair) with new green Superfeet inserts. I wore that same combination for 350 miles previously without problems, but for some reason, these new inserts rubbed pretty bad blisters into the arches of both feet. Hopefully putting my old inserts into the new shoes will work. Don't want to miss any training leading up to my half due to this blunder. They're pretty sore and tender right now. I'll take tomorrow off and run short on Sunday and see how they feel. Aside from the blisters, this run was a good confidence builder, as my endurance was good and I know I could have run it at a faster pace.

Weigh-In

I haven't posted any of my "weekly weigh-in" stats here in a couple of weeks because, frankly, it's boring. But I thought I'd post a quick update today. Here were this morning's stats:

Weight (lbs): 147.0
Waist (inches): 30.2
Bodyfat %: 9.5
Resting HR: 43

I'm pretty happy with these numbers. Two weeks ago, my weight had dropped to 145.4, which is borderline for where I want to be (between 145 & 150). Last week it bumped up to 145.6. It's been several weeks since I've seen 147. The better news is the bodyfat percentage, which is the lowest ever. My scale probably isn't 100% accurate with that measurement, but I just compare it to itself. Back in January, it said I was 14.3% bodyfat. Currently, I'm carrying 132.9 lbs. of mass and 14.1 lbs. of fat. In the last two weeks, my mass has gone up exactly 2 lbs. while my fat has dropped by .4 lbs. I credit that to doing deadlifts during that time. I used to do them frequently (getting up to 305 lbs. max), but not much this year. I think they'll be a good core exercise, as long as I keep the weight fairly light and don't injure my back. And it looks like it might keep my mass from getting too low.

Today is a rest day before running my 14-mile long run on Friday.

Nice Interval Run

For the most part, the soreness in my legs is going away. I can still feel it a bit if I get up to walk after sitting for awhile, but during my run today it was a non-issue. Ran a warmup mile, then 1 mile fast, 1/2 mile slow x 3, then a mile cooldown. Felt strong during the fast miles.

I'll take it easy tomorrow, either with a bike ride or short, slow run, then a 14-mile long run on Friday.

Easy Run With Sore Legs

After taking yesterday off, I went out for an easy 3.5 mile run this morning. My quads and calves are still pretty sore from Saturday's 10k race and Sunday's romp up and down Tiger Mountain. The plan is for a fartlek run tomorrow.

Initiation

Got my first "Trail Runner's Badge of Honor" this morning. Nothing major, fortunately. I bit it (on a root) while running down Tiger Mountain, near Issaquah, WA. I ran with my friend Arthur. About a 6 mile round trip. My quads and calves were feeling it on the way up (partially due to yesterday's race, partially due to not being used to running a lot of hills). Got pretty steep near the top. Really enjoyed it, though. I can see myself eventually transitioning into more of a trail (ultra?) runner in the future. As far as long distance trail runs are concerned, I want to work into them gradually. So far, I've avoided any major injuries this year. I hope to keep that streak going for a long time!

I ended the week with a very modest total of 21.7 miles of running and 20 miles on the bike.

Race Report

Ran the Airport Run for Hope 10k this morning in Arlington, WA. Flat course, mostly on trails. Wet and muddy! Rained hard before, stopped during race, then a little rain afterward. Went out a bit fast, but met goal of breaking 45 min (barely) with a time of 44:59 (7:14/mi pace). Still not feeling very strong after a week of some kind of crud & had bad side stitch from miles 3-5.
Splits:

• 7:01
• 7:08
• 7:03
• 7:36 (enter the side stitch)
• 7:23
• 7:15 pace for last 1.2

Fun race, though. Finished 8th overall and 3rd in age group. Met ultra runner Tim Stroh (friend and competitor of my ultra friend Arthur). Tim took 2nd in my age group and beat me by about 2:50 (he's coming off the Plain 100 mi ultra race last weekend). Next up: Spokane Half Marathon on 10/11!