Marathon Training Thread

[ERCougar]

I'm burning out.
This higher mileage is kicking my butt. I feel like I'm on the verge of injury all the time. It takes me 5-10 minutes every morning before I can really walk normally. I'm getting sick of running all the time. Mentally and physically, I just feel done.
I can't wait for the marathon to be over.

[BigPiney]

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/28/sp...R_AP_LO_MST_FB

Interesting read about a race that may be crazy enough for Pheid. I would love to watch the documentary they made of it.

[Pheidippides]

I'm burning out.
This higher mileage is kicking my butt. I feel like I'm on the verge of injury all the time. It takes me 5-10 minutes every morning before I can really walk normally. I'm getting sick of running all the time. Mentally and physically, I just feel done.
I can't wait for the marathon to be over.

How long until the taper? I remember feeling like that a couple of weeks.

[Pheidippides]

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/28/sp...R_AP_LO_MST_FB

Interesting read about a race that may be crazy enough for Pheid. I would love to watch the documentary they made of it.

Whoa. That's insane.

[ERCougar]

How long until the taper? I remember feeling like that a couple of weeks.

seven weeks until the marathon. I ran 22 two days ago, a little slower than my normal long runs, but finished. went canyoneering yesterday, instead of a recovery run (I've been substituting mountain biking for my shortest recovery run the last few weeks), so I thought I'd feel pretty fresh for a 12 mile LT run today. but I just didn't have it. ended up running pretty slowly and cutting out a mile early.

I'm hoping this will pass. I'm just feeling burned out. I'm also wondering if higher miles are just not a good idea for 200 lbs. seven weeks feels like forever.

[lambdacoug]

My ex finally relented and is going to "allow" (*eyeroll*) my oldest (15 years old) to run a half-marathon with me. I'm super excited to run with my daughter. We'll be doing the long runs on the weekends together and the training runs during the week will be done independently. This is my troubled child and I'm hoping that the focus provided by the running will help her in many areas of her life. This is aside from the bonding which I hope occurs. We're already close but I would love nothing more than to share the memory and experience of our first half with her for the rest of our lives.

[ERCougar]

Grr.
So last week, I was feeling pretty burned out on running. So I took a few days off of the high mileage with the plan to come back on the lower mileage program (Pfitz 40-55). I ran a pretty slow 18 on Friday, then did a sprint tri last Saturday morning and then raced a mountain bike race later in the morning. My legs were pretty smoked by the end of it, but only 3 miles of that were running and the mountain bike race was only 45 minutes or so. Took the day off on Sunday, and did 5 easy miles on Monday. Then, because of the crappy weather, I did 12 on the treadmill on Tuesday. I felt pretty good the whole time until at mile 9, I got off to grab a drink and felt this pain as I was walking to the fountain near my distal ITB insertion. Any pain around there makes me nervous, but it wasn't right at the ITB spot, and it wasn't really hurting while I was running, so I finished my last three miles. The rest of the day, walking was killing me. So yesterday, I was going to ride my bike, but the weather was crappy and cold again, so I ran an easy 5 miles, with a few 100 m strides thrown in. I felt great for the first few miles and then it started hurting a little the last few, but nothing big. Today, I was hoping to do 20, but I decided I'll just go slow and see what I can do. I felt great for the first 6 miles and then BAM! same pain hits me out of nowhere. So sudden and hard, my leg almost gave out. I walked a bit and it went away and then tried to run and it came right back. So I called and got a ride home.

I'm so irritated. This makes no sense. I've cut back on my miles and was well-rested, running-wise. I was running on a freaking treadmill when it hit. I replaced my shoes a few weeks ago, but it's the Kinvara 3's, nearly the same as the Kinvara 2's I've put all my miles on. I don't even know what to do now. I don't think this is ITBS, because the hot spot is really over my lateral distal femoral condyle, not the tibia.

I've worked my butt off for this marathon. I'm going to be pissed if this ruins it. I'm thinking I'll take off tomorrow, maybe ride instead of run, and then try again on Saturday and run until I get any pain. Maybe I just keep alternating days running and hopefully go a little further each time? Any suggestions?

[Eddie]

Sorry to hear it ER - I'm hoping a day or two off will do you good and you'll be ready to go. I was looking forward to watching you smoke me pretty bad in Ogden.

That said - I'm feeling your pain. After pulling/straining my soleus again the beginning of February, I just started running last week. My longest run to date is 4 miles, I'm going out for 5-6 (depending on how I feel) tomorrow. I haven't looked too closely at the calendar when planning my runs - I know there isn't time to do things proper. I'm kind of deciding how much of a taper I want to do (if any) depending on what I ultimately can build my mileage up to. Now I'm just looking to finish. Hoping I can still keep it under 4.

[ERCougar]

Sorry to hear it ER - I'm hoping a day or two off will do you good and you'll be ready to go. I was looking forward to watching you smoke me pretty bad in Ogden.

That said - I'm feeling your pain. After pulling/straining my soleus again the beginning of February, I just started running last week. My longest run to date is 4 miles, I'm going out for 5-6 (depending on how I feel) tomorrow. I haven't looked too closely at the calendar when planning my runs - I know there isn't time to do things proper. I'm kind of deciding how much of a taper I want to do (if any) depending on what I ultimately can build my mileage up to. Now I'm just looking to finish. Hoping I can still keep it under 4.

Thanks.
Just reading on line, it looks like this is a pretty common place to get ITBS. Which sucks. Last time I had that (like seven years ago?) it floored me for a couple of months, although I ran on it for a while before I figured out what it was. It also happened after I got new shoes. That's the only thing I can think of. My other shoes, even though they were the same model, were pretty shot, so maybe a new shoe was just really different.
Anyway, good luck to you too. Maybe we'll both be aiming for sub 4.

[BigPiney]

Thanks.
Just reading on line, it looks like this is a pretty common place to get ITBS. Which sucks. Last time I had that (like seven years ago?) it floored me for a couple of months, although I ran on it for a while before I figured out what it was. It also happened after I got new shoes. That's the only thing I can think of. My other shoes, even though they were the same model, were pretty shot, so maybe a new shoe was just really different.
Anyway, good luck to you too. Maybe we'll both be aiming for sub 4.

So horrible. How long is it till Ogden? I see that it is a month away still. So close yet so far. This is about when I started to fall apart when I ran my marathon and the crushing defeat is part of the reason I have not tried again. I still think that you have the miles in so far to rest and ride for a few weeks and still do really well in the marathon. But what do I know, it didn't work for me, though mine was a bone spur on my foot, that really wouldn't get better with rest. It took a chisel, or however they removed it. Major bummer. You have worked so hard and put o many miles in.

[Dwight Schr-ute]

Thanks.
Just reading on line, it looks like this is a pretty common place to get ITBS. Which sucks. Last time I had that (like seven years ago?) it floored me for a couple of months, although I ran on it for a while before I figured out what it was. It also happened after I got new shoes. That's the only thing I can think of. My other shoes, even though they were the same model, were pretty shot, so maybe a new shoe was just really different.
Anyway, good luck to you too. Maybe we'll both be aiming for sub 4.

Wow ER, I feel awful for you. I haven't been following this thread as my running has pretty much fallen off the map since St. George in October/birth of my son/being lazy and making excuses, but I have no doubt that you've been training your ass off for this. My question after reading your description is if you run on the treadmill much? If not, then suddenly running 12 on one may have been what sparked the pain. Or even a combination of treadmill and new shoes that altered your motion just enough.

Here's to a quick recovery!

[Pheidippides]

ER, that sucks. I think the underlying cause is that we're just getting old (which is what I'm sure you wanted to hear). But if it is ITBS, there's hope. I've only had it once, but it was exactly a month out from the race. I rested completely until the race and finished it pretty well, although not as fast as I would have liked.

[ERCougar]

Thanks for the thoughts, everyone.
This sucks pretty bad. If the marathon were a couple weeks sooner, it wouldn't be as big a deal. And I don't think be as pissed if it had happened on a high mileage week, for some reason.
Oh well. I'll do a foam roller a few times a day, run every other day as far as I can until it starts hurting. Maybe I can build up again in the next few weeks.

[Moliere]

Bummer ER. Hope you get some rest and kill the marathon. I know a bit (emphasis on bit) how you feel since I was two long runs away from finishing my training before the taper and my first marathon when my Achilles gave out. Keep your head up!

[bluegoose]

the hot spot is really over my lateral distal femoral condyle, not the tibia.

Thanks.
Just reading on line, it looks like this is a pretty common place to get ITBS.

You got it, brother. My experience is that this site is actually more common than at Gerdy's Tubercle (One of the more fun anatomical terms to say).

It is a friction problem. Regardless of the cause (I suspect it was the slight mechanics change on the treadmill, based on the description), the treatment is the same. You gotta rest it, stretch it, and get the inflammation down. Some people believe it is more of a bursitis-type of problem. I tend to consider it as more of a tendon problem, and treat it as such.

Lots of foam rolling, gentle ITB stretching, and cross friction massage. If you've never done a friction massage, look it up - it can be a really effective technique for speeding up the recovery of muscle and tendon injuries. Like the foam roller, it is really painful the first few times that you do it (if you do it right), but it improves dramatically within 2 weeks or so. I would find a good doc (I said a GOOD one!) in the area that can get you started on a good AI med. One of the orthos I know here tends to use Meloxicam a lot for this. If that doesn't work, you can always try the old "give yourself a cortisone injection mid-race" technique that worked out well for you in StG.

Side-lying hip abduction leg lifts and standing hip hiking exercises would also be helpful to start for strengthening the glut medius.

Like nikuman said, getting to the starting line is a very good possibility. But its not a given, as ITB can be a deal-breaker if it is not well controlled beforehand. I agree with whoever said that you have plenty miles in you to finish and there is a good chance that you can fix this thing quickly and still have a really good race.