I don't have a race to write about today, but in a way, it will directly impact any races I do. I have discovered the trials and tribulations of marathon training. The more miles you log, the more aches and pains you get. In the last two weeks, the pain in my left foot has gone from "deal with it" to "unbearable" while I am running. On my 18 mile training run this past weekend, I had on my brand-spankin' new shoes, was totally psyched to get going, and convinced 100% that the shoes I had worn down to nothing were the culprit of my toes burning so bad they feel like they are on fire, around mile 8.
So, there I went through scenic, hilly, Waterfall Glen with my CARA pace group for our Saturday morning long run. I felt a little sluggish at first, just needed to get the old legs warmed up, get the blood flowing, and get going. We hit our 8:30 pace right on, then sped up a bit, then got back on pace. This followed suit for the first several miles, and I was fine with it. I like to vary my speed a bit on my training runs, just to get my legs used to the tempo changes. Around mile 6, I started to feel the slightest hint of a pain in my left toes. I disregarded it because it was minor, but, it didn't go away. We stopped at our water stop, and my toes immediately felt better. Good news. Once back on the trail, about 1/2 mile in, there were the toes again. This time, they were in full force inflammation. I decided that I needed to be tough and learn to "run through" this pain. By the last two miles of this run, yes, 16-18, I was in a tremendous amount of pain. I couldn't wait to get back to the trail head because I knew we had a physical therapist on site that day. Once we stopped at 18, my legs almost instantly cramped up, my toes were killing me, and all I could think about was....GEEZ! How am I going to make it to 26.2 with everything falling apart at 18!
Once back at the trail head, I talked to the physical therapist, and he immediately knew what the problem most likely was - Morton's Neuroma. A tightening of the nerves in the metatarsal arch. It causes pain up into the toes, and can require surgery to correct. He gave me some pointers, and this week, I am going to concentrate on keeping my feet healthy. I ran my 5 mile training run today, had some discomfort, but finally went out and bought the metatarsal inserts for my shoes. Tomorrow will be a big deal. If my toes still hurt, it's off to the podiatrist I go...but one thing is for SURE. I WILL FINISH THIS MARATHON!!! (And do it in under 4 hours......)
1.5 Miles? Not Really. Well, OK. Sort of.
2 years ago
2 comments:
One thing that currently intimidates about racing a marathon is training for one. I just bought Higdon's book on it, and am confident I could do well -- IF I survive the training itself. Even at my modest 30 miles a week, I am flirting with a stress fracture. It might be nothing, but if that's really it, I'll be seriously bummed.
And that's just my shins. You point out toes. Then, there are achilles, hamstrings, and so on.
My long runs have not exceeded 11 miles, and usually hover around eight, making thoughts of an 18-miler a concern.
My 30 miles are pretty intense (lots of quicker 4-5 milers with mild hills)), with a hard track workout once a week. In the winter, things wll be more about building base. Maybe this will reduce the impact. I dunno. I hope so.
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