April 2012

[marathondan]

Week 15 of 18

OK, into the final stretch and the last big week. Most of which occurred in March, but let's not split hairs.

Wednesday lunchtime - back to the waterfront, under glorious spring skies, for 5 interval miles. It was three weeks since I'd run this route, and it was good to be back. Basingstoke Canal beats Sharjah Corniche I reckon, if only for the colours at this time of year. (Although to be fair to Sharjah, I was running in the dark there.)

Friday morning - 10 miles tempo around the field. Classic spring marathon weather, immaculate sky, a crisp chill in the air, the sun biding its time before unleashing a minor scorcher by mid-morning.

I managed an average of just outside 8 minute miling for the overall distance, which was a struggle to keep up at times. In such cases I try and identify what it is that's holding me back, the source of the discomfort, and in this case it seemed to be hamstrings and the copious amounts of sweat that were pouring into my eyes.

My feeling it that it will be the legs, rather than general fatigue, which will make or break my race effort. As for the sweat, you people with hair don't realise how useful it is for soaking up the acrid stuff. It really does get unpleasant after a while. So I think I might have to adopt the Phillips Odowu look this year.

Sunday night - the 20 miler, on road. I was slightly concerned that I wouldn't complete this, as I'd had a few back twinges during the day, and that's a region of my corpus that has featured unhappily in this campaign once or twice. But I stashed a supply of water bottles and Sainsbury's fruit jellies on the front drive and headed onto my regular circuit of just under 5 miles. The evening was pleasant, crystal clear yet mild, and I was to complete 15 miles in t-shirt before needing to layer up.

From the off however, I didn't feel particularly comfortable. Sometimes the legs are like springs and I can go 10 miles before I even notice I'm really running, but tonight for some reason I could feel every step through my joints from mile 1. Still, long story short, I made it. I was slightly tempted to can it after 15, but I wasn't in too bad shape and reasoned that this is the last chance to get serious miles in the legs. I did jettison the last half mile that was meant to take the total over the 20, but I reckon 19.6 was good enough.

The equivalent race pace was still a good half an hour outside my target, so that's a full minute a mile I've got to find somewhere on race day. I'm still very skeptical that I can do it, but my feeling is that I will blast out at the required pace and see how it goes. From the training I think my endurance level is good, so I think it's more likely to be knackered legs than the wall that's likely to slow me down.

Officially into taper now, the long one will be 12 miles on Easter Sunday.

Total miles for March: 107
Year to date: 325

PS - check me out on the front of the charity page linked below. The boys may have got a little carried away with my potential though.

[El Gordo]

If you want to get ahead, get a hat.

I hated the sweat-in-eyes thing -- I'm not sure how much hair improves the situation. My remedy was a running cap -- they usually have a towelly band to soak up the salty stuff. It will keep the sun off.... and help keep your head warm in winter. A hat allows your supporters to identify you in among the crowd.... and informs the world that you are not just an athlete but a gentleman.

Well done on getting to the taper.

[Sweder]

Tried a hat in Cape Town - never again. The 'towelly band' lasted less than half the race. After that the peak created a waterfall that proved infuriating over the hard yards. That said I found pouring water over it helped for the few minutes before the cruel sun baked it dry again. I reckon in England's modest climate I can get the same benefits dousing what's left of my barnet. Besides, we're likely to have blizzards by then. Apocalypse when?

And yes, well done on reaching Taperdom. It's time for angst and hypochondria to take centre stage

[glaconman]

Well done Dan on all your hard work so far. There's some interesting taper-talk on MarathonTalk that I'm sure you've absorbed. (If you can get through the 'Do you know what?s' Aaaarrrgghhhh!). I like the logic behind a 50-75-25 volume strategy.

I'm fully shorn much of the time and I find having a smooth head allows you to get rid of sweat easier. You might find a buff double-wrapped around your wrist helps clear the eyes and you also have the option of wearing it around the forehead.

Yes, I would guess Scott Whatshisname is pacing the 2:12 hopefuls so you would have to have a very good day

But I wouldn't go out at the pace you would ideally like to run. I'd say look at your training runs to get a true indication of what pace you should start. You can always make a call to push-on at 13, 18 or 20 if you feel much stronger.

[marathondan]

Hats - I'm really sensitive about temperature, and will take my hat off as soon as I feel too hot. So for me I don't think a hat is the way to go. Although if we have any more hot days in the next two weeks I could give it a try.

Pace - hmm, not sure about that. For the last three marathons I've followed a carefully planned pace to get me to a target finish time, and hit it within a couple of minutes. The difference here is that I don't know if I'm capable of finishing in that time. I just looked back at my logs for 2009, the last time I ran in anything resembling normal dress (the year of the tutu). I finished in 3:57, and apart from one bad run at 4:14 pace, my last long runs were completed at 3:55, 3:54, 3:57, 3:57, 3:54, 3:55 and 3:59 pace. Startlingly consistent. So the fact that most of my long runs have been coming in around the 4:10 mark this year suggests that I'll be lucky to hit sub 4, let alone 3:45. YET... long runs are supposed to be 30-90 sec slower than race pace. Is the converse true - that race pace should be 30-90 sec faster than training pace? That scrap of information is all I have to hang on to. One thing's for certain - I've never, ever, planned to start slow and get faster, and if that is indeed the way to go for me then I think I need to leave that experiment for another year.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

I'm a hat fan. I also hate the sweat in the eyes thing and find a hat stops that problem, and if you wear a proper, lightweight mesh runner's cap it should wick sweat away from your hair thus keeping you surprisingly cooler. Plus the peak keeps the sun off your face cooling you again. They also keep rain (and sweat) off your glasses/sunglasses if you run in them - another big plus for me.

Don't go too mad during your taper!

[El Gordo]

I'm a hat fan. I also hate the sweat in the eyes thing and find a hat stops that problem, and if you wear a proper, lightweight mesh runner's cap it should wick sweat away from your hair thus keeping you surprisingly cooler. Plus the peak keeps the sun off your face cooling you again. They also keep rain (and sweat) off your glasses/sunglasses if you run in them - another big plus for me.

Don't go too mad during your taper!

Yes - you've reminded me of why I first started wearing a cap. Running in the rain with glasses is horrendous, and particularly on an uneven surface. That's why I started using a cap, and I quickly got used to it, discovering the other benefits afterwards. Like you, I've found a cap keeps me cooler - but horses for courses. I've tried and failed wearing a woolly-type hat in winter -- just impossible. As soon as the sweat arrives it becomes horribly itchy.

But then I'm the same with leggings. Can't wear them, except on the most bitter cold of winter days. Too constricting.

[marathondan]

OK. Sounds like choice of headgear is my main mission for the next two weeks. Which is a nice state of affairs.

And avoiding injury. Managed to run over my big toe with a sofa this week and take about a quarter inch off the nail. Haven't run on it yet, will try tonight and hopefully not return with a shoe full of blood. Just shows how easily it can all go wrong. Also left ankle is now a bit sore, so happy to be reducing the miles.

As regards taper madness - I'm happy to still be running regularly, but over shorter distances. Once the long runs get over a couple of hours, it does start to become a bit of a drag. They'vebeen taking their toll on my back as well, so will be happy to be easing the load on that.

[El Gordo]

OK. Sounds like choice of headgear is my main mission for the next two weeks. Which is a nice state of affairs.

And avoiding injury. Managed to run over my big toe with a sofa this week and take about a quarter inch off the nail. Haven't run on it yet, will try tonight and hopefully not return with a shoe full of blood. Just shows how easily it can all go wrong. Also left ankle is now a bit sore, so happy to be reducing the miles.

As regards taper madness - I'm happy to still be running regularly, but over shorter distances. Once the long runs get over a couple of hours, it does start to become a bit of a drag. They'vebeen taking their toll on my back as well, so will be happy to be easing the load on that.

What about a shoelace tied around your forehead? Seriously. You sometimes see people doing this. The sweat runs down your scalp and then sort of along the lace rather than down your face into your eyes.The more 'square', the greater the efficacy I'm told. I guess you have to get it in just the right position.

[marathondan]

What about a shoelace tied around your forehead? Seriously. You sometimes see people doing this. The sweat runs down your scalp and then sort of along the lace rather than down your face into your eyes.The more 'square', the greater the efficacy I'm told. I guess you have to get it in just the right position.

?!?!?

It's not still April 1st is it?

[Bierzo Baggie]

I favour the buff approach mentioned by Glaconman but I’m also impartial to a nice cap when it’s sunny. The glasses are always a problem. Sometimes it’s like running blind...I've ended up walking down hills just because I couldn't see properly.

I'd never heard of the shoelace solution before.

[marathondan]

Week 16 of 18

Wednesday - on Easter break now, so fitted in a teatime interval session around the field. Not the fastest ever, but did the job.

Saturday - intended a long run (12 miles) last night, but was ambushed by a large Italian meal and bottle of red. Not heavy enough to prevent me getting up at 6 to get it out of the way though. However, everything is creaking like buggery now, and first thing in the morning isn't my best running time. I set out at a gentle pace - my mantra being that there's nothing to prove now till race day - but initially I couldn't even run, experiencing a plantar fasciaitis type pain in my left foot. I walked for a couple of minutes and it soon loosened up, and I was able to complete two five miles laps, with the second at quite a decent pace (without leaving the gentle zone). I stopped at 10 miles, feeling I'd done a decent job in the circumstances.

Little Emma has had a horrible cough for a while, and she's now given it to the rest of the family. So I'm streaming, coughing and suffering a sore throat right now. Still, better now than in two weeks' time. It gives me further excuse to take it very easy for the next fortnight, to ensure I'm well for race day. My joints feel like they've been pushed to the limit, so they need rest more than anything else.

Light duties only from now on.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Hmm, quite possibly it is plantar fasciitis - the pain often goes once you warm up. Shouldn't be a problem for race day but give it plenty of rest afterwards. A bugger to get rid of if it is PF.

Best of luck with it all!

[marathondan]

Just back from an attempted short early morning effort, but just couldn't run. Definitely feels like PF in my left foot, the one that's never given me any trouble till now. Seems like I have two weeks to rest and stretch it.

My thoughts therefore are daily walking (in trainers), stretching, golf ball massage. No running till race day (except a few hundred m to test the water, next week only).

Thoughts anyone?

I'm encouraged by the fact that a couple of days ago I couldn't run on it, and then I went to do 10 comfortable miles. Worst case I could walk the first couple of miles of the race and then run / walk the rest. Not what I had in mind though.

[glaconman]

I won't bore you with my experiences of PF.

The only clinically proven treatment I'm aware of is to put your foot on the other knee and pull your toes towards your shin. Hold this for 10 seconds. Repeat 10 times on each foot. Do this 3 times per day. Including first thing in a morning before you take a step. The rational is that PF is micro tears in your fascia and keeping it stretched lessens the damage.

I also recommend ice daily (I favour putting the whole foot in iced water rather than gels etc) and avoiding stiff shoe soles.

I'm not sure if anybody knows the root cause. Tightness somewhere else in the lower limb? Ankle flexibility?

Good luck. Keep us informed.

[marathondan]

Thanks GM, I've been doing informal stretching but that sounds like a good regime. My bank holiday has consisted of attending a barn dance in brand new shoes, and then today walking a few miles, some with a small child on my shoulders, at Ickworth. I also sneaked in a small kickabout with some 10 year olds. I was wearing old runners, and got in a couple of crafty jogs of a few yards, which on Sunday morning would have been impossible. There was no PF feeling as such, just the general stiffness which has been a constant since the training miles have significantly increased.

So I count that as a decent cross training and flexibility day, and I'm feeling more confident about getting to the start line. After that who knows, but GM's recommendations can only help.

[Sweder]

Happily it doesn't sound like full-blown PF. That bastard takes residence for weeks if not months and requires heaps of rest to clear. Like G-Man I have the round-necked casual garment.

[marathondan]

Went out for a quick tarmac mile last night to check progress. The "foot issue" is still definitely there, twinging with every step, although I was able to run evenly and fairly comfortably. So I think I'm going to go with Plan A and just hope it holds out for the day. I guess I'm not the first person to go into a marathon with a touch-and-go injury worry, and I won't be the last. I'm aware that such stories often don't have happy endings, but there's a time to be conservative and a time to go for it, and I feel this is the latter. With all the other twinges I've had this campaign, it wouldn't hurt to have 6 months off running, if I can just make it through the day.

After starting gently I moved up to a steady clip, at what felt like target race pace, and the speed didn't seem to have much effect on the foot. But it is affected by steep cambers, nasty bumps and sudden changes of direction. That might not be compatible with the ducking and weaving I need to do to make quick progress in the early stages of London. But Sweder's heroics at Brighton have re-convinced me that it's possible to go out at a much quicker pace than in training, and hang on. That is, if I have the staying power of the "Lewes Machine".

It's surreal that this wasn't even on my radar until a fortnight before the race. Until then, I had my back earmarked as the likely cause of breakdown. But these things happen, in running and in life.

But after a week of no running, and another such week to come, I feel fresh as a daisy. Let's just hope I can do the basic thing of putting one foot in front of the other on Sunday.

[Sweder]

I can recommend a blend of bravado and ibuprofen, though be warned this can have repercussions if my attempts to descend the stairs this morning are anything to go by. My money's on triumph but should disaster have the final word it won't be for lack of courage or commitment in what has been so far a most admirable campaign.

Hours after my ordeal, a restless night at last behind me, I'm already plotting my next assault. Just don't tell Mrs S else her furrowed brow might completely eclipse her lovely face.

A thought. I saw a lot of folks using this strapping tape on thighs & calves yesterday. Would that help in this case? Doubtful I know, for PF lives deep within the foot. Try it maybe, on a short shuffle?

[marathondan]

Glad to hear you've been re-bitten by the bug - although knowing you, I wonder how many multiples of 26.2 the "next assault" will entail - either that or some hellish, hillish terrain.

I haven't thought of ibuprofen, because it doesn't hurt when I'm not running. But I still have some equine-strength tablets from my last back strain, so a course of those this week wouldn't hurt. (After a course of those, sticking my hand in a fire wouldn't hurt...)

The strapping isn't a bad idea; I could go for another tiny half-mile to try that out. Everyone of course says "heel inserts", but I don't think I can go changing the profile of my footwear a week before the race, without testing it over a long distance.