Last Sunday, I ran my longest outdoor run since the weather warmed up. 11.5 miles. It was a great run, I felt really great during it and was super pumped up about the half marathon after. Then Monday came. Apparently during the night, my legs got together and decided to have a mass protest against all things running. I was so damn sore. I sat out Monday, Tuesday and even Wednesday. Thursday came along and feeling a bit panicked, I decided to give it a go. Like a total idiot, I took the hilly route. About a mile and a half in, my legs started really aching from the knee down. I slowed down and just tried to think of something else. By mile 3.5, I was trying to convince myself not to stop and that that pain I was feeling down the front of my calves (shin splints??) wasn't happening. But then at mile 4, I had to stop and walk. As soon as I stopped, the pain just shot up and down the front of my shins like something I've never felt before. I was seriously close to tears and definitely on the verge of a massive melt down. I walked for about a block then stared a very slow jog which I managed to keep up, with much less pain, the rest of the way home for a total of 5 miles.
The rest of the day Thursday I wandered around saying "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit" and "what did I do??" and basically freaking out. I took Friday off and then this morning, decided to try it again. My husband was really pushing me to run on the treadmill if at all but since I'm rather bull-headed, I shrugged him off and headed out. The good news: I felt pretty good. Around mile 2 or 2.5, I stared feeling the aching a bit but I just slowed down which really helped. I ran 7 today and so far, am breathing a heavy sigh of (hopefully not temporary!) relief.
So what's the deal now? I'm 14 days out and totally clueless as to how to handle these last 2 weeks. When do I start to taper? Should I try for one more long run of 10 miles or so or is that pushing it? And before you start laughing at how clueless I am, just remember, I'm training for this thing alone and the only advice I get is from Runner's World Magazine and other blogs so be kind.
2 comments:
Others may advise otherwise, however, when I did my first half in March I did the following (at least this is what I wrote down I did - I think I snuck in another run on my first off day but not sure) for my last 2 weeks...
Sunday - 12 miles
Monday - off
Tuesday - 3
Wednesday - 4
Thursday - 3
Friday - off
Saturday - 10
Sunday - Cross train (just to wag off the stiffness mostly)
Monday - 3
Tuesday - 2
Wednesday - 2
Thursday/Friday/Saturday - off
Sunday - RACE DAY :-)
You're a hell of a lot more/better trained than I was, you're going to do great!!!
One way I kill the shin pain is to slow down, start picking my legs up (quick march-like), and just focus on not letting my poor toes push me off or my heels strike and just as delicately as possible place my mid/forefoot on the ground. Usually shakes it in a minute or so.
Everyone told me 2 weeks prior that I shouldn't be afraid to walk during long runs at that point. So, I did three mile run(easy), one mile walk, two mile fast, one mile walk, two mile target pace, one mile walk for my last 10 miler.
Also, make sure you practice your water intake during one of the last runs. Find a map of all the water stops during your race and only drink during your training run after your mileage to the next spot has been attained. I was really happy to know I was cool with skipping a couple of water stops and didn't have to bring my own hydration method. It just sucks carrying extra crap that you don't need during a run, so if you can do without a hydration belt, the better. But, if you drink more water than that it's better to know you need it before you go.
I started getting odd pains just before the race... stuff never seen before in training too, just start taking advil regularly now, ice your shins/knees every day regardless of pain, I even recommend taking a 5-10 minute cold cold cold bath (just enough to cover legs) after as many runs you can (time permitting).
Relax, tension is unnecessary and is only going to cause you more pain. You deserve this, you trained for this, and darnit you're going to finish smiling :-).
Chia's plan sounds like a good one. From what I understand, you don't need to taper for a half-marathon, especially in your case b/c you know you can do 13 miles (if you can do 13 on a treadmill, you can easily do a 13-mile race). Some people run further than 13 the weeks before so they can run faster on race day. But, because you have some weird nagging aches and pains, I'd take the next two weeks more conservatively. If you feel amazing all week, you could probably do more than 10 the Saturday a week beforehand, but only if everything feels great that week. Otherwise, go easy, listen to your body, and have an amazing time in two weeks!
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