Training - Week 4

After finishing my third official week of training I am feeling much better than I have the previous two weeks. I have not been able to run outside due to the weather with temperatures in the low twenties and snow and ice covering the ground including the three inches of new snow that we got today. Instead I did my weekly miles on the treadmill. Tuesday through Thursday were three miles each. They were all slow but steady and I was happy to be able to run pain free again. I didn't want to go too fast and re-injure myself. Yesterday I was able to do my six mile long run for the week.

I also spent about two hours at the running store taking my new Asics Nimbus back. I am happy to report that Road Runner Sports stood by there word and took the shoes back with no questions asked and were very patient and helpful as I tried on multiple pairs of shoes. I am not trying to turn this into an advertisement, but I do recommend them to anyone. After trying on and running in about seven pair of shoes I decided to buy another pair of the Nike Structure Triax. They seem to be the most comfortable for me and I guess there is something to be said for familiarity as this is my third pair.

This coming week will be very similar to last week. I will be running a total of seventeen miles and have one day of cross training. As long as my legs continue to feel good, I will start to build back up to my running pace. Now that my legs are feeling better, I am becoming more confident that I will be able to complete the necessary base miles to run in Cleveland. Regardless of how fast or slow I go that day, it will be a great experience. One which I will use to help understand how my body reacts to completing that kind of miles, and understand how certain clothing and nutrition choices effect my performance. The idea will be to use this experience and improve on them for Columbus in October. I would love to make it to Boston someday!!

-bgw

Training - Week 3

First let me say that I am feeling much better this week. I have continued to take it a little easy but have been able to start running again. For the previous two weeks I was barely able to jog for five minutes even though I had given my legs plenty of rest which has not happened to me before. I have had my share of aches and pains but none of them seemed to last this long without getting better. After looking back at any changes that I have made to understand what the difference might be, the only thing that comes to mind is the fact that I just picked up a new pair of shoes.

I have been told by a few different running stores that my ankles role out when I run so for the last year I have run in Nike Structure Triax which are somewhat stiff and more supportive to prevent pronation. This time around I went through the inspection by the salesman which included having me stand on a sensored mat to analyze my arch as well as a short jog on a treadmill which was recorded and my strides were then played back and reviewed. The results were that I didn't pronate but I was actually a farely neutral runner. (I did learn that I am apparently bowlegged which gives the "illusion" that I am pronating) After seeing it with my own eyes, I followed the salesman's advice and went with a pair of Asics Nimbus which is a neutral shoe with much more cushion. They felt comfortable on my feet but after about 20 miles in them I started having the troubles with my legs. I have already admitted that I over trained and the soreness was unavoidable because of that but I couldn't understand why they were not feeling better even after rest. So this past week I went back to the old shoe just to see what would happen. I don't know if it is all mental or not, but as I said earlier, I am feeling much better. I was able to run for twenty minutes on Thursday pain free and I ran three miles yesterday. Today I got on the bike for 45 minutes and did some spinning to get my heart rate up and keep my legs loose. The great news is that the Asics had a 60 day money back guarantee so I can exchange them for a more supportive pair if my legs continue to improve in my old shoes.

So this coming week as I work my way back up to speed I have a rest day tomorrow. Tuesday through Thursday are 3 miles each, Friday is a rest day, Saturday is 7 miles and Sunday will be a cross training day. I am excited to get back at it but know I need to be careful so that I don't over do it again. Now if I could just do something about the five degree temperature and the ice on the ground so that I can go outside and use my new Garmin 405 I will be all set. The treadmill gets a little old but I am happy to be running again!!

-bgw

Training - Week 2

Well if I can say one thing about this past week of training, I have learned that when everything you read and hear says to increase your mileage gradually, LISTEN to them!! I was definitely overly confident in my own personal fitness levels and had initially decided on a training program that was above my current abilities. I ran fourteen miles between Sunday and Monday and then an additional three on Wednesday. This third run was very uncomfortable and I was not able to run for even five minutes on Thursday. Friday was a scheduled rest day and I was forced to walk for thirty minutes again on Saturday. Today I walked for about forty five minutes. I have had severe pain my in my knees, shins and calves (only when attempting to run). After each exercise I have been applying ice to my legs for thirty minutes and taking ibuprofen to deal with some of the pain and swelling. I am not mentioning any of this to get pitty or make excuses for not training. I want any other beginners like me who read this blog to learn from my mistake and take it easy. The key is to build the miles slowly.

This is not the end of my training!! I still have nearly eighteen weeks until Cleveland which is plenty of time to complete enough base miles to finish the 26 miles 385 yards. If anything, this has acted as an eye opener for me and has taught me to listen to my body and to choose more appropriate training plans. This coming week I will continue to take it easy and begin to do some light jogging on Tuesday based on how my legs feel. I will also get on the bike and do my best to maintain my cardio without the impact on my legs. My new plan will consist of much fewer miles in the beginning with gradual increases and a fall back period every third week to rest my legs before the increase the following week. The key will be to get back to running and making conservative but consistent increases in mileage. Hopefully the legs are feeling better soon and I can get back to normal.

-bgw

Training - Week 1

About this time last year my brother-in-law Brian asked me if I would be interested in running a marathon with him in the fall. Most sensible people would have said thanks, but no thanks and would not even attempt it. I reluctantly agreed to give it a shot and this past October I completed the Columbus half marathon.( http://www.columbusmarathon.com/ ) While I did not run a full marathon, I was definitely bit by a bug and have now set a goal to complete my first full marathon in Cleveland this May. I have created this blog to help me track my training progress and to share my experience with other runners, novice to experienced, in order to get their feedback and share their experiences as well.

This is the first week of my nineteen week program and today I had to complete an eight mile run. This was the longest run I have done since the half and it felt like it. While it wasn't a fast run by any stretch, it was great to get out and put in some real miles. Here are the details from my effort. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/1703904 I will keep you posted on my progress. Hope everyone has a happy and safe 2009!!

-bgw