Maine Marathon Report

Monday, October 3, 2011
About three miles total, running to BB with a loop of the field for easy form drills and strides. Hung around a bit visiting xc team, then a quick! run to White Park with the kids. It felt good to wear the fivefingers, and the legs felt fine, if a little tired with some soreness in the hamstrings. But really, I felt good, better than yesterday even. The only residual soreness, other than the hammies, is in my feet, but that's only a minor discomfort, and fading quickly.

Let me recap my last year of training: very sketchy

September-December 2010 - fairly consistent training, low mileage, good job getting back into a running lifestyle. Some good racing in late November and December (~41 min 10k).

January-April 2011 - good maintenance training early on, but more inconsistent once outdoor track began, resulting in a lot of lost fitness. I ran the Boston Marathon after taking off most of late March and early April, with the first half in about 1:45 and hamstring spasms throughout the 2:25 second half. The tips/tops of three toes were very badly blistered. I was certainly not in marathon condition, but what the hell, I had a chance to run Boston again (first time since 1993, I think) and it was a ton of fun!

May-June 2011 - I took all of May off to let the toenails heal properly, and the first half of June concentrating on coaching and working. I started some good cycling in June after buying a nice road bike, including several rides to/from work (about 40-45 hilly miles) and one or two half centuries. Running fitness decreasing, but cardio fitness still high.

July 2011 - 0 miles running. 0 miles biking. 0 miles walking. I spent virtually the entire month lying on me left side in excruciating pain from a herniated lumbar disc. Any residual fitness fades into a vague memory. My right leg is numb and very weak, maybe about 20% strength, and one of my two goals every day is not to fall down. I can stand for about 30 seconds before the pain forces me to get back into my safety position. On the positive side, though, I finally got down to a serious racing weight, under 150 pounds for the first time in about 30 years (so it's due to malnutrition, boo-hoo). An epidural cortisone injection at the end of the month works wonders, though, and I decide to start "training" to get "ready" for The Running School. At the end of the month I can walk, but my right leg is still very weak and somewhat numb, particularly on the inside of the knee. I can probably do a mile in 20 minutes, if I could do a mile. Frankly, I think July sucked ass, and I'll probably repress any remaining memories.

August 2011 - Some light running, but the funky right leg breaks symmetry and causes all kinds of secondary problems, so I spend most of my time on the bike, getting in some pretty good rides. The leg still feels way off on the bike, but I can hammer pretty good anyway. My back is very achy, as is the right hip flexor. I only did one three mile run at The Running School, other than that it was all bike. Fitness and mobility greatly improved, but actual running still negligible.

September 2011 - Very inconsistent running and somewhat less biking. After almost two months of being substantially disabled, I really needed to concentrate on work. My mobility and pain are improving, but the right leg still isn't right.

I signed up months ago, before the injury, for the Reach the Beach relay (200 miles, 12 person teams, 3 legs per runner) in the middle of the month. I was scheduled for a total of 23 miles, with a longest leg of about 9 miles. Crap, I didn't think I could even run 9 miles all at once, so a week before the relay I ran 9 miles. It hurt, but I could do it, and at about 8:30 pace, so I didn't feel like a total scrub. Fortunately, Hurricane Irene washed out one of the roads on the route, and my first leg was shortened from 9 to 3 miles. It was downhill, running southeast from Cannon mountain, and I cranked out a 22 minute three mile, the fastest I've run since about February. My second leg was about 10k in the middle of the night, and I ran very slowly and felt like doggy doo. I was probably shuffling at close to 10 minute pace by the end. My third leg the next morning was about 5.5 miles, and in the first mile my right calf (soleus) tore, and I was reduced to a combination of painful walking and very painful gimping. Not even close to 10 minute miles. Luckily, we get to the beach before nightfall and I soak my legs in the ocean.

I didn't do any running in the last two weeks of the month, except for a six miler last Monday, mainly to see if I could run on the calf without pain. And I could! My right leg is still improving, but much more gradually, almost glacially. I'm beginning to worry about the numbness being permanent. That would really suck. I was originally scheduled for four epidural injections, about 3-4 weeks apart, but I canceled all the follow-up injections in favor of more conservative treatment (pt only). Perhaps I should have gotten one more, just to calm the nerve. So I called my orthopedist. During the epidural procedure back in July, we had a long discussion regarding my usual activity levels and expectations - marathons, triathlons, cycling, mountain climbing etc. He recalled this and reassured me that he thought the chances were low of the numbness being permanent and that he also would prefer a more conservative approach. He said that as long as I didn't "overdo" it, I should be fine. Overdo it? Moi? I didn't mention the RTB relay. Or the 45 mile bike rides. But I did mention in passing that "I'm entered in the Maine Marathon this weekend." His response? "Don't tell me that."

Which brings us to October having run about 50 miles over the past 5 months. Let's math that out. Hmm, it's about 10 miles per month. Almost 3 miles per week. I feel good about my marathon training! My injuries have been healing, my weight is good. My visualization has been splendid. I decide to go for a world record. The marathon WR was broken last week at Berlin, 2:03:38. All I have to do is run each 5k in about 14:40. I like to run the first half of a marathon about a minute or two faster than the second, so I plan to hit the first 5k in 14:20 and the 10k in 28:45, then settle down to 14:30 pace until the half, which I should hit at about 61 minutes. All I have to do then is back off the pace a little bit and cruise in at about 2:03 even. If I don't hit the first couple splits comfortably, I'll just shift to plan B.

Sunday, October 2, 2011
Maine Marathon, Portland
First of all, and to complete my October training log, I have to admit that I took yesterday off. The day before a marathon you should stick to what you know. Dance with the one who brung ya, right? I could tell that I was ready for a fast marathon, hopefully a world record, because my right hip flexor would spasm just by moving my leg as I tried to rise from reclining on the sofa. And my calves, and ITB, and piriformis were all sore without me having bothered overtraining! Oh yeah, this is gonna be great! I AM READY FOR THIS!

7:30 in the morning, with the race starting in 15 minutes. Rain is pouring down like a tropical storm. It's not cold, maybe mid-50's, but the wind is stiff from the NNE, the prevailing direction along the shore for the first half of the race. I decide to make sure I stay warm and overdress, and I'm glad I did. Keri and I start together near the back of the field and I'm comfortable with the pace as we walk to the starting line. I suggest to Keri that she aim for 5k splits just under 27 minutes. I look for the 5k split, but they only have markers at the mile splits, so I assume that I'm right on pace. I feel as if I ran a 14:20 5k, so it must have been close. There is no 10k marker either, so I estimate it based on the 6 mile marker, and it's about 52 minutes. That second 5k must have been a lot slower, so I move on to plan B, which is to pace Keri at 27 minute 5k pace for as long as possible. Seeing as we reached the 10k mark 2 minutes early, I decide to walk for two minutes until 54 minutes rolls around. The walking feels good, and I reluctantly resume running at 54. I consider turning around at the half marathon turnaround, but only for a small fraction of a second. I pass 15k in about 83 or 84 minutes, and by then it seems like a good idea to walk a little bit every couple miles. The half moseys by in 2:02, and I know that 4:24 is out of reach. My hams and calves are sending out warning signals, and I want to make sure I don't let them go into hard spasm (I'm looking at you, Boston), so I spend much of 13-18 walking. I run a bit more over the last 6 miles, though. The right hamstring tried to cramp up with about 20 meters left in the race. Seriously?!? It was the first time in the race that I actually stopped. It was only for about two seconds, just long enough to prevent the spasm, but still …. Anyway, it was 4:40 something, between 10 and 11 minute pace, with a lot of walking. I deserved that. But nothing is hurt, and nothing is particularly sore, either 24 or 48 hours afterward, and that is kind of amazing. I had absolutely no business running that marathon. Totally stupid. But it was fun, and the torrential downpour/nor'easter didn't bother me in the least. Much nicer than bright sunshine and heat. and no problems with the toes!!!!! Yippeee!

So I've decided to do the 50 marathon/50 state thing. And one more for DC, and I'll be happy to add Canada and Europe when appropriate. So Maine is out of the way. I've previously done NY (Champlain Valley 1978 or '79 3:11, Wineglass '82 2:54 and '92 2:47), MA (Boston '93 and '11) and CT (Nipmuck 1994). I'm thinking about the Cape Coral marathon in early December, maybe one in early November after the Hairy Gorilla half Halloween weekend, then try for one every 2-3 months, or more often if I'm really enjoying them and not getting hurt and have the money and time necessary.

Perhaps I should revisit my training, though. I thought everything was is place for the world record, or at least a big victory, but I wasn't even close. It's not that I mind running marathons in over four hours. All marathons hurt, it's just that slow marathons hurt longer. And I really ought to be running under 3:30, easily. Maybe I'll try adding more running to my training. I'm considering switching from 3 miles a week to 3 miles a day. Let me think on this

Tuesday, August 9

My right leg is pretty sore today, mainly in the hip flexor/groin area. I haven't taken anything today, so as not to mask any damage I may do by overdoing things. Still, the progress from last week is dramatic. Last Tuesday I couldn't walk 100 yards without having to lay down and recover for half an hour. Last week, if I used stairs, I kept a two-handed death grip on the railing because my right leg was completely numb. Last week I spent most nights writhing, unable to find a comfortable position. On Wednesday, I had an epidaural cortisone injection, and that has greatly improved my mobility. On Thursday, much of the pain had subsided, although my right leg remained weak and numb. On Friday I was able to walk into town and back. Twice. I ran a bunch of errands and did a little shopping. It was more walking than I had done in the prior three weeks combined; I felt liberated! Saturday I dared to get onto the bicycle and coasted around the block a couple times, watched the bike races. Now that I was mobile again, I might as well start training, right? It has an interesting starting point - literally starting from zero, unable to walk or run.

My leg is definitely getting its feeling and strength back. I don't use the railing anymore and tingling is replacing numbness. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to do any real running today, because, as I've said, there was a lot more soreness in the leg. I took a spin on the bike around the old state hospital grounds. Owie owie owie. Pain in a few places. Down to the track for GSRT practice.

I started with three laps walking, until warmed up. After 3 ¼ laps, I started running and ran for 1 full mile, all in a row. It was probably about 11 minutes.

The Running School starts one week from today. It would take a miracle.

I'm probably not supposed to run or ride the bike. I'm pretty careful, though, always having my core set and performing actions as smoothly, gently, and impact-free as possible, keeping the head and shoulders high and the spine stretched out. I also still spend the greater part of the day reclining. I can't sit, but at least I can water the garden, and do laundry, and cook and compost and all those other little things which haven't been done in so long. But still, I'm pretty much physically incapacitated. And don't even get me started about the brain thing.

Except that I can RUN!

biking distance: 4.0 miles
waling distance: 1.0 mile
running distance: 1.0 mile

Monday, August 8

Monday morning, very early. My back is aching, regardless of position. I took an oxycodone and two ibuprofen tabs at about five. Another dose in afternoon, last one at bedtime. That's the plan.

It is difficult using the computer in general, and typing specifically. Even feeling as good as I do right now (compared with 2 wks ago), I still spend most of the day trying to keep my lumbar vertebrae separated (=lying down). Yesterday was the first time I did any typing, but it hurts more today. About three weeks ago I began to ponder the possibility of living with this as a permanent condition. I had mobility scarcely sufficient for the most basic of life's activities. I could barely sleep, and was able to stand or shuffle for about 30 seconds, and then my leg would catch fire, at which point I had about 30 seconds to get horizontal, into my "safe position." I was spending 23 3/4 hours a day lying perfectly still, on my left side, curled into a gentle "C" shape, with a thin cushion between my knees. What would I do were this the only position I could maintain? I can wait. I can think. I can read. I did all three. Lots.

So I spent the better part of three weeks reading. Every few hours I'd get up for a minute, moving from couch to couch to bed to bed, every room with a place to recline and a library in every room. Which is great. I can live like this. As long as I don't need to have any human contact or perform any sort of job. I decided that this would be a good opportunity to start using my little tape recorder. If I ever have the time and inclination, I'll transcribe the tapes. In the meanwhile, I've got to reconnect with the world. I have email that I haven't checked in nearly a month. There are so many people I wish would call me, instead. Kerry, Matt, Karen, Lorelei, LJ, Bart, Sean, Keith, Zander, Diane, etc., etc., etc. That's just me looking for the easy way back. I shut myself away from the world then resent feeling isolated.

Last Wednesday I had an epidaural cortisone injection. It helped a lot, but even just prior to the procedure I could tell that the back was finally starting to make progress. I would rate the progress as equivalent to moving from a 2 to an 8 on an arbitrary comfort/mobility scale (0-100). Right now I'm at 8! Here's what I consider an "8," yesterday's workout:

1.5 mile bike ride to Memorial Field
very gentle stretch
2 miles walking on track/grass - 28:56
1.5 mile bike ride back.

400 m splits: 4:13, 7:53, 11:xx, 15:17

15:20
13:36

I reached a maximum comfortable walking speed of about 13:30/mile. I tried to break into a very gentle run, but my knee collapsed on the first step, and the break in rhythm reminded me how precariously balanced was my speed walking stride. There was no back or leg pain while riding and walking! It feels great to be on the bike, but it feels very weird, with the right leg feeling somewhat detached, passive yet massive. I think I'll assign a "10" (out of 100) to "is barely able to run." I'm getting close.

Before the injury, I had ridden 62, 45 and 65 miles over three days. My ride to work is about 41 miles, and includes a Cat 5 climb near the start. It's a great ride! Yesterday's ride actually includes a couple pretty steep sections. Oddly enough, I climbed these sections very easily, with my right leg exerting a force barely greater than its weight. I think I've lost weight. My legs look like sticks and my clothes all fall off. If I can ever run again, I'm already at a great racing weight. I'd guess that I weigh about 153.

My knee is tingling. I think the numbness is slowly receding. There is definitely increased sensation on the skin surface of the inside of the knee, which was completely numb last week.

I'm going to try running again today.

...

I ran! It wasn't pretty, but I can do it!
Easy 2 mile ride to the track. Start walking. I start as quickly as I can walk comfortably. It takes a couple laps to smooth things out. In the interest of science, I took splits every 100 m for the first mile:
73 sec (about 19:30 min./mi.)
67
61
58
55
53
53
49
50
49
47
47
47
47
46
45 sec (12 min./mi.)

So it takes about 3 laps to warm up to a comfortably fast speed-walking pace. Even though my HR is barely elevated, it still requires intense concentration - the slightest misstep and I'm going down in a hurry. For the second mile I tried to maintain a steady 12 minute pace. Splits:
4:19
3:30 7:49
3:13 11:02
3:05 14:07
3:01 17:08
3:00 20:08
3:01 23:09
2:55 26:04
2:56 29:00
2:52 31:52
2:42 34:34
2:41 37:15
1:07 38:22 (5000 m)

After 8 laps, I walked 100 m, then RAN the next 300 m!! Because my right knee is still on sabbatical, I found that if I stayed completely on my toes (all ankles/calves, no knee/thighs) I could maintain a nice rhythm, with a top speed of about 9 minutes/mile. I could tell my right leg was getting stressed by the end, but I actually ran the last half mile continuously. Two miles on the bike home. I hope this doesn't hurt me too much later.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

It's Sunday afternoon in early August, 2011. I'm not sure of the date, something like the 8th. I'd like to "start training" today. The plan is to bike to the track, walk a mile and bike back. Along with some gentle stretching, perhaps. I think I can break 20 minutes in the mile, but I'm not going to hurt myself. Yesterday was my first day daring to get on the bike in exactly four weeks. That was a hilly 65 miles in about four hours, including a couple short stops with a top speed of 42 mph. Yesterday I rode 3.0 miles with a top speed of 14 mph. I was also on my feet a lot watching the bike races next door throughout the day. I was really feeling it last night. Including all the walking I did on Friday, I've been more active in two days than over the entire previous month, since herniating a lumbar disc a day or two after the aforementioned (comfortably fast) bike ride. The weeks since then have passed in a vague blurrr, a vast sea of fire with the occasional oases of relative relief. Although I did not recognize it at the time, my life was greatly simplified. Within days my singular goal for each day became to stay as comfortable as possible. In other words, to stop the pain, please stop the pain. For a couple weeks my goals every day were: 1) don't pass out when you stand up; and 2) don't fall down.

Aim high. And to think, it was just April when my goals included holding back to eight minute pace for the first half of the Boston marathon. Today I'm hoping to be able to walk a mile. Two weeks ago my attempt to walk to the law school (less than 100 m away) became an Everestian struggle. I even take pride that, despite failing to reach the school, I was able to make it home and inside before collapsing in a quivering mass of agony. I feel weak, and shaky, and tentative. Terrified, even. Is my right knee always going to be numb? Again, it's much improved over two weeks ago, when I'd say my right leg was at about 20% strength. Yesterday it felt like about 40%. On the bike that is. It feels weird, riding with one leg you can't quite feel. Still, it's easier and more comfortable than walking. Running seems more natural, but I am nowhere near that.