I am having quite a bad run of luck over the past four months as it relates to injuries. I have spouted off about everything up to the heel injury I suffered back in early February, so everyone should be up to date. Well, wouldn't you know that last Wednesday night I was playing indoor soccer (an 11:00PM game) and I made a very innocent tackle on a ball, slipped a bit and hit my left knee on the turn. I knew that I was going to get a nice turf rash as a result, but I kept on playing and didn't think much of it. As the game progressed, my knee got a bit more sore, but it didn't seem to be any big deal. The game ended (we won 2 - 1, I played OK), my knee was a bit sore and I figured I would just ice it when I got home. Well, I iced it at home, took some ibuprofen and went to sleep.
The next morning it was definitely still swollen, a bit more than the night before. I was tight to bend it, but it didn't really hurt. I was going to make a doctors appointment but thought as long as I continued to ice it, take ibuprofen and rest it, the swelling would go away.
Here I am on Monday morning and the knee is still swollen, the pain is minimal, but I know I can't run on it. I have a doctors appointment at 3:30PM today and I just want to know what the heck I did to it. Of course I have gone and self diagnosed it (knee effusion) and fear that I will probably have to get it drained and will then be out of commission for a short while. I am hoping that isn't the case, but you never know.
Aside from my bad run of minor injuries over the past four months, I am having a tough time getting back into the training groove. The injuries are definitely making it any easier on me; it is very tough to get into a schedule when I have to amend it due to my unique and varying pain. I have all but decided I will not be running the UNITE Half Marathon on April 18th (unless I have a great prognosis today and can get back to training ASAP). It would be silly for me to run it, I would be lucky to run at 8:00/mile pace and would probably be miserable doing it.
So frustrating! I just want to be healthy and start training again. Ugh, I still don't belong to a pool yet which is killing me as well. Even P90X is tough right now because of the knew thing.
Enough complaining, time to move one. My next post will be more positive I hope. Ciao!
My NEW journey to compete in Ironman Arizona...and hopefully KONA!
Showing posts with label Unite Half Marathon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Unite Half Marathon. Show all posts
Monday, March 28, 2011
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
On the Mend
My once daily blog, became a four day a week blog and is now a weekly blog. Amazing how things gain and lose importance so quickly.
First things first, it has been 32 days since I completed Ironman Arizona and I am feeling good. I have begun to get back into the swing of things, swimming a couple days a week (albeit only ~1,000m at a time), running three days a week and riding the trainer one or two days a week. I am definitely taking it easy and you can see it on me (additional 10 lbs of mass added to my already "athletic" figure). As great as it has been to not have to follow a rigid training schedule, I think it is time to get back on one. I do miss the structure and need to have a plan.
I had originally hoped to do an Ironman 70.3 race in San Juan, Puerto Rico in March 2011, but I don't think that is in the cards right now. The expenses would be a bit too high at the present and with job stuff still up in the air, it wouldn't be a smart trip to take. Damn! I really wanted to do that race and make a nice vacation out of it.
So it looks like I am going to be focusing on the UNITE Half Marathon at Rutgers University. I did this race last year and set a PR despite being hit with back spasms the week before and having to go with no training for the better part of a week leading up to it. I am hoping to get somewhere close to 1:30:00, that is if my legs are capable of running so fast for such a distance. The training for the race will begin on January 1, 2011!
Now I move onto some specifics about my current injuries. I did go to my sports doctor on Monday and he didn't seem to all to concerned about my pain. He attributed it to going from training for triathlons, basically unilateral movements and then going and doing multilateral activity (soccer) without any training. He worked out my hip flexors pretty well and told me that I can start playing again. Funny how my right leg feels fine right now, but the night of the injuries, that is the leg that was giving me the most pain. Now my left leg is the one with the residual discomfort and even numbness on the outside of my thigh. He said it could take a couple weeks/months before it feels normal.
So that is pretty much it for now. Christmas is three days away and I am excited to spend it with my wife and kids. Merry Christmas everyone!!!
First things first, it has been 32 days since I completed Ironman Arizona and I am feeling good. I have begun to get back into the swing of things, swimming a couple days a week (albeit only ~1,000m at a time), running three days a week and riding the trainer one or two days a week. I am definitely taking it easy and you can see it on me (additional 10 lbs of mass added to my already "athletic" figure). As great as it has been to not have to follow a rigid training schedule, I think it is time to get back on one. I do miss the structure and need to have a plan.
So it looks like I am going to be focusing on the UNITE Half Marathon at Rutgers University. I did this race last year and set a PR despite being hit with back spasms the week before and having to go with no training for the better part of a week leading up to it. I am hoping to get somewhere close to 1:30:00, that is if my legs are capable of running so fast for such a distance. The training for the race will begin on January 1, 2011!So that is pretty much it for now. Christmas is three days away and I am excited to spend it with my wife and kids. Merry Christmas everyone!!!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
UNITE Half Marathon Race Report
The past two weeks or so have not been ideal when it comes to preparing for a race, whether it be a 5K, half marathon, triathlon, etc. I had two stretches where I didn't have a running work out for fiver or six days straight, only supplementing my relative inactivity with some swimming. Add to that the fact that I somehow committed to picking up a rather large swing set (or swing fortress) for my daughter on Saturday afternoon...and well, yeah I am not the brightest of the bright. The UNITE Half Marathon was going to be an interesting race.
Race Day Eve
I awoke Saturday morning feeling great. The two visits to my sports doc on Wednesday and Friday seemed to have done the trick. My back was good to go and I was anxious to start the day....and a busy day at that. First up was my daughters soccer game (I am the coach or her team) and it was a tough one. Plain and simple, the girls just aren't all that good right now; we have four or five girls that have never played before and it is tough to explain to them what to do (7 year olds are like that). They played hard and had fun and by the end of the game we actually were playing a lot better. I was very proud of them and I think they are improving.
Immediately following the game it was back home for a quick lunch, then off (with my father) to disassemble the GIANT swing set and transport it back to our house (only about a mile away). It tooks us about four hours of hard work before it was resting in pieces in my backyard. Both my father and I were exhausted. I don't know how I would have done it without his help (THANK YOU DAD!!!). Honestly I would probably still be over there doing it if it wasn't for him. Me, my wife and daughters then ran out to pick up a few things for the swing set (additional wood, sand paper, etc.) and grab dinner (ugh...Wendy's, definitely not the best pre-race meal). Once home I was up until around 8:30PM working on the swing set. I think got to bed around 11:00PM that night, again not early enough but it ended up being OK.
Race Morning
My alarm went off at 5:45AM and I crawled out of bed. Got in my car and made it to the College Avenue Gym parking lot by 7:00AM where I waited from my friend Chris to arrive....he overslept and showed up around 7:40AM (pretty typical for him). While waiting I downed one and half packages of strawberry Pop-Tarts and around 20 oz. of G2. The trip to the race start was only a short bus trip, very well organized. After a 20 minute wait for a port-a-pottie, Chris and I did a brief warm-up run and then made our way to the start line.
The Race
The gun went off and I felt good. Chris and I ran the first three miles together and I felt pretty solid, but then either he started to speed up or I started to slow down (I suspect a little of both). The next six miles were all at a bit slower pace than the first three, right at 7:30 pace, slower than I wanted to be but I felt like I could hold that pace for the duration. One thing that I did notice some where before mile nine was that my left hamstring wasn't completely "right". It didn't hurt, it just felt a bit tight. I tried not to think about it too much though, much easier said than done.
I made my way over a bridge to Johnson Park and right around the middle of mile nine that I could tell the wheels were about to fall off. My left hamstring was considerably tighter and I was doing everything feasible to keep it from cramping up. I hit the ten mile mark in 1:14:30 (7:27/mile average pace) and I knew that the last 5K was going to be a struggle. As I approached the Landing Lane bridge over the Raritan River I stopped for only a second or two to stretch out my hamstring, which did absolutely nothing. I continued to run. Once over the bridge and about mile 10.5 it happened, my hamstring cramped up on me and I had to stop for about 20 seconds to stretch it out. I was pissed! As I was stretching, a girl ran by me and gave me a few words of encouragement, which me being uber-competitive somehow turned it into a challenge and thus got me really pissed off. I started to run again and up the hill into the Buccleuch Park...I was never so happy to have an uphill (this seemed to help my ailing hamstring). Mile 11 was a rough 8:05 and Mile 12 was an equally sad 8:00, both the result of my trying to get my crap back together.
I had 1.1 miles left and I was determined to finish strong, so I put my head down and did my best to tough out that last stretch . I made it without any more leg cramps, finishing in 1:38:38 (see mile splits below).
1 - 7:26 - 0:07:26 - A little crowded but not bad
2 - 7:17 - 0:14:43 - Feeling good
3 - 7:02 - 0:21:46 - Downhill, it's all good
4 - 7:30 - 0:29:16 - Back to reality for next six miles
5 - 7:33 - 0:36:50
6 - 7:30 - 0:44:20
7 - 7:33 - 0:51:53
8 - 7:29 - 0:59:23
9 - 7:27 - 1:06:51
10 - 7:38 - 1:14:30 - hamstring starting to bother me
11 - 8:05 - 1:22:35 - Ouch! Leg cramp
12 - 8:00 - 1:30:35 - Recovering from cramp, uphill
13 - 7:17 - 1:37:52 - Trying to finish strong
13.10 - 0:45 - 1:38:38
Post Race
Chris was waiting for me at the finish line, having run it in 1:32:50 (awesome race for him). We hobbled back to our cars to get some money for a post-race meal, along the way I saw Yasi coming down the home stretch with a smile on her face and gave her a shout. Chris and I finished the day by getting some cheese steaks with egg from the grease trucks....oh so good!
Post Race Analysis
Overall I am happy with my race, especially considering the events that led up to it, e.g. back spasms, swing set, etc. I felt good early on and I think I would have run it a minimum of two minutes faster had I not lost all of those training days. I don't know that I could have kept up with Chris, but I think a sub-1:35 was doable. Next up is the Broad Street Run in Philadelphia on May 2nd, a fast 10 miler that I think I can get close to 1:10 (7:00/mile)...well, maybe 1:12:30 (7:15/mile).
Work time!
Race Day Eve
I awoke Saturday morning feeling great. The two visits to my sports doc on Wednesday and Friday seemed to have done the trick. My back was good to go and I was anxious to start the day....and a busy day at that. First up was my daughters soccer game (I am the coach or her team) and it was a tough one. Plain and simple, the girls just aren't all that good right now; we have four or five girls that have never played before and it is tough to explain to them what to do (7 year olds are like that). They played hard and had fun and by the end of the game we actually were playing a lot better. I was very proud of them and I think they are improving.
Immediately following the game it was back home for a quick lunch, then off (with my father) to disassemble the GIANT swing set and transport it back to our house (only about a mile away). It tooks us about four hours of hard work before it was resting in pieces in my backyard. Both my father and I were exhausted. I don't know how I would have done it without his help (THANK YOU DAD!!!). Honestly I would probably still be over there doing it if it wasn't for him. Me, my wife and daughters then ran out to pick up a few things for the swing set (additional wood, sand paper, etc.) and grab dinner (ugh...Wendy's, definitely not the best pre-race meal). Once home I was up until around 8:30PM working on the swing set. I think got to bed around 11:00PM that night, again not early enough but it ended up being OK.
Race Morning
My alarm went off at 5:45AM and I crawled out of bed. Got in my car and made it to the College Avenue Gym parking lot by 7:00AM where I waited from my friend Chris to arrive....he overslept and showed up around 7:40AM (pretty typical for him). While waiting I downed one and half packages of strawberry Pop-Tarts and around 20 oz. of G2. The trip to the race start was only a short bus trip, very well organized. After a 20 minute wait for a port-a-pottie, Chris and I did a brief warm-up run and then made our way to the start line.
The Race
The gun went off and I felt good. Chris and I ran the first three miles together and I felt pretty solid, but then either he started to speed up or I started to slow down (I suspect a little of both). The next six miles were all at a bit slower pace than the first three, right at 7:30 pace, slower than I wanted to be but I felt like I could hold that pace for the duration. One thing that I did notice some where before mile nine was that my left hamstring wasn't completely "right". It didn't hurt, it just felt a bit tight. I tried not to think about it too much though, much easier said than done.
I made my way over a bridge to Johnson Park and right around the middle of mile nine that I could tell the wheels were about to fall off. My left hamstring was considerably tighter and I was doing everything feasible to keep it from cramping up. I hit the ten mile mark in 1:14:30 (7:27/mile average pace) and I knew that the last 5K was going to be a struggle. As I approached the Landing Lane bridge over the Raritan River I stopped for only a second or two to stretch out my hamstring, which did absolutely nothing. I continued to run. Once over the bridge and about mile 10.5 it happened, my hamstring cramped up on me and I had to stop for about 20 seconds to stretch it out. I was pissed! As I was stretching, a girl ran by me and gave me a few words of encouragement, which me being uber-competitive somehow turned it into a challenge and thus got me really pissed off. I started to run again and up the hill into the Buccleuch Park...I was never so happy to have an uphill (this seemed to help my ailing hamstring). Mile 11 was a rough 8:05 and Mile 12 was an equally sad 8:00, both the result of my trying to get my crap back together.
I had 1.1 miles left and I was determined to finish strong, so I put my head down and did my best to tough out that last stretch . I made it without any more leg cramps, finishing in 1:38:38 (see mile splits below).
1 - 7:26 - 0:07:26 - A little crowded but not bad
2 - 7:17 - 0:14:43 - Feeling good
3 - 7:02 - 0:21:46 - Downhill, it's all good
4 - 7:30 - 0:29:16 - Back to reality for next six miles
5 - 7:33 - 0:36:50
6 - 7:30 - 0:44:20
7 - 7:33 - 0:51:53
8 - 7:29 - 0:59:23
9 - 7:27 - 1:06:51
10 - 7:38 - 1:14:30 - hamstring starting to bother me
11 - 8:05 - 1:22:35 - Ouch! Leg cramp
12 - 8:00 - 1:30:35 - Recovering from cramp, uphill
13 - 7:17 - 1:37:52 - Trying to finish strong
13.10 - 0:45 - 1:38:38
Post Race
Chris was waiting for me at the finish line, having run it in 1:32:50 (awesome race for him). We hobbled back to our cars to get some money for a post-race meal, along the way I saw Yasi coming down the home stretch with a smile on her face and gave her a shout. Chris and I finished the day by getting some cheese steaks with egg from the grease trucks....oh so good!
Post Race Analysis
Overall I am happy with my race, especially considering the events that led up to it, e.g. back spasms, swing set, etc. I felt good early on and I think I would have run it a minimum of two minutes faster had I not lost all of those training days. I don't know that I could have kept up with Chris, but I think a sub-1:35 was doable. Next up is the Broad Street Run in Philadelphia on May 2nd, a fast 10 miler that I think I can get close to 1:10 (7:00/mile)...well, maybe 1:12:30 (7:15/mile).
Work time!
Friday, March 26, 2010
Unscheduled Rest Day
I like that I am bummed at not being able to get in the pool this morning. When my wife got home last night from jury duty and told me she had to go back again at 7:50AM this morning because they had unfinished business, I was bummed because it meant I could get in a fourth swim this week (my weakest discipline). So because of my dear wife's third day of jury duty I am not going to be able to get into the water today, it is now an unscheduled rest day for me.
I suppose that I could get on my bike tonight once the kids go to sleep and put in an hour or so, but then again, I am supposed to do a 10K race (or ride an hour and twenty minutes) on Saturday and then an easy eight mile run on Sunday. I am thinking that getting on the bike tonight might be the way to go....we'll have to wait and see.
As for everything else that is going on, things are good. I feel like my swimming has really improved this week, my running is much more solid and I am handling faster paces better, and my bike could improve which will come with more time in the saddle. My off-season has been far more productive than in years past, meaning that I haven't just focused solely on running, but have incorporated a lot of swimming and spinkled in some riding as well (albeit in my basement). I think that my goal of 1:36 for the Unite Half Marathon is a definitely reality and that there is a chance that I could even lower that time a bit if I have a good day.
Thursday: Yesterday was a good day of training....tiring but good. I was up and out of the house at 4:58AM, yes a pre-5AM departure and was in the water swimming by 5:45AM. The pool was a bit crowded again with each lane occupied and two already doubled up. I eventually got one swimmers attention and was able to start swimming. I did a very good 2,200M (500M warm up, 3 x 500M, 200M cool down), the 500s were are pretty consistant for the most part, but I did start to slow during the last 200 of the final set. I am still not fast, but I am definitely getting more efficient in the water. I am going to get the Total Immersion CD next week and hope to strengthen my swimming a bit more.
My Thursday run is always a tough one, and yesterday was no different. It was 4 miles (including 6 x 1:00 at 5K pace) followed by 4 x 100 strides. I actually did the first two miles was Chris (he had a longer work out planned that I didn't have the time to do) and we ran those at around 7:15/mile pace. On my way back I had to mix in my on minute speed bursts over the remaining two miles, so I ended up doing on minute fast, then two minutes slower, one minute fast, two minutes slower, and so on. What a tough two miles that was. I think my overall pace was sub-7:00 as I was really trying to push on the one minute bursts and not slowing too much on the recovery. The came the dreaded 4 x 100s, which I was very close to bailing one....but I didn't. The were tough and my quads were pounding, but I finished them and I am faster because of it (I think). Then it was time for a deserved shower.
This weekend should be a good one, weather is supposed to be nice, sunny and cool. I don't have a lot in the way of mileage since this is a step back week for me and my half marathon training. Lots of birthday parties for my girls to go to...three actually! Should be fun! Sayonara!
I suppose that I could get on my bike tonight once the kids go to sleep and put in an hour or so, but then again, I am supposed to do a 10K race (or ride an hour and twenty minutes) on Saturday and then an easy eight mile run on Sunday. I am thinking that getting on the bike tonight might be the way to go....we'll have to wait and see.
As for everything else that is going on, things are good. I feel like my swimming has really improved this week, my running is much more solid and I am handling faster paces better, and my bike could improve which will come with more time in the saddle. My off-season has been far more productive than in years past, meaning that I haven't just focused solely on running, but have incorporated a lot of swimming and spinkled in some riding as well (albeit in my basement). I think that my goal of 1:36 for the Unite Half Marathon is a definitely reality and that there is a chance that I could even lower that time a bit if I have a good day.
Thursday: Yesterday was a good day of training....tiring but good. I was up and out of the house at 4:58AM, yes a pre-5AM departure and was in the water swimming by 5:45AM. The pool was a bit crowded again with each lane occupied and two already doubled up. I eventually got one swimmers attention and was able to start swimming. I did a very good 2,200M (500M warm up, 3 x 500M, 200M cool down), the 500s were are pretty consistant for the most part, but I did start to slow during the last 200 of the final set. I am still not fast, but I am definitely getting more efficient in the water. I am going to get the Total Immersion CD next week and hope to strengthen my swimming a bit more.
My Thursday run is always a tough one, and yesterday was no different. It was 4 miles (including 6 x 1:00 at 5K pace) followed by 4 x 100 strides. I actually did the first two miles was Chris (he had a longer work out planned that I didn't have the time to do) and we ran those at around 7:15/mile pace. On my way back I had to mix in my on minute speed bursts over the remaining two miles, so I ended up doing on minute fast, then two minutes slower, one minute fast, two minutes slower, and so on. What a tough two miles that was. I think my overall pace was sub-7:00 as I was really trying to push on the one minute bursts and not slowing too much on the recovery. The came the dreaded 4 x 100s, which I was very close to bailing one....but I didn't. The were tough and my quads were pounding, but I finished them and I am faster because of it (I think). Then it was time for a deserved shower.
This weekend should be a good one, weather is supposed to be nice, sunny and cool. I don't have a lot in the way of mileage since this is a step back week for me and my half marathon training. Lots of birthday parties for my girls to go to...three actually! Should be fun! Sayonara!
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