Week Minus 3 - Tempo (6 miles)

Target: 6 mile run: 1 miles easy, 5 miles @7:29/mile
Actual: 6 mile run: 1 mile @8:04, 5 miles @6:37/mile

Went with Chris down to the track today. Running with him always seems to improve my performance; definitely went a little faster for the warmup mile than I would have done otherwise. Happy with the tempo portion of the run. I'll bet that's the fastest 5 miles I've ever done. Mile splits were all negative - faster each mile - from 6:55 down to 6:13 for the last mile. No knee pain at all!

Week Minus 3 - Intervals (9 miles)

Target: 10-20 min warmup; 8X800m @3:13 (1:30 RI); 10 min cooldown
Actual: 1.5 mile warmup; 8X800m @3:07 (400m RI); 1.5 mile cooldown

I misremembered the instructions for today's workout, and accidentally substituted a 400m walk for the 1:30 rest interval, which would have been more challenging. So as it was the workout wasn't very hard. Knee bothered me at a few points, but more when walking than running. Seeing the physical therapist again this afternoon.

Week Minus 4 - Distance (20 miles)

Target: 20 miles @8:15/mile
Actual: 20 miles @7:54/mile

Last 20-miler before the marathon and I'm happy to have it over with. Knee hurt at a few points during the run, but only briefly. It is plenty sore afterwards, but will have the weekend to heal up. Kept under 8:00 - if I can complete the marathon at this pace I'll be happy, but didn't feel like I had much energy left at 20 miles today. Ate a Gu packet at 1:11 and 1:56. For the race, I'll try to remember to eat one every 45 minutes.

Thinking positively, I've had six twenty milers in the last 13 weeks, and 4 of them have been below the 8:00 mark. That's much faster than I've trained in the past, and in theory I should be able to race faster than that. Got my bib # for Boston - 10651 - and race information packet today.

Week Minus 4 - Intervals

6.65 miles
Target: 10-20 min warmup; 10X400m @1:35 (400m RI); 10 min cooldown
Actual: 1.5 mile warmup; 10X400m @1:23 (400m RI); .5 mile cooldown

Was in a little bit of a rush today, trying to get this workout done during lunch. Made the target times pretty easily. The intervals workout has gone from being the toughest workout a couple of years ago to probably the easiest today. Of course, that might change when the weather gets warmer, or if I were jogging the rest intervals instead of walking them. As it was, I was able to keep the 10 400m interval times pretty consistent - between 1:19 and 1:26. The first was 1:19 and number ten was 1:20, so I don't think I lost a lot of energy.

Because I lost a day with the rain yesterday, think I'll skip the tempo run this week and just do the distance on Friday. That will be the last 20-miler before Boston, and the longest distance since injuring the knee, so it's important to my mental conditioning that I do well.

Week Minus 5 - Distance (13 miles)

Target: 15 miles @8:10/mile
Actual: 13 miles @7:56/mile

Got another Central Park run in this morning. Was feeling a little weak - my hours have been turned around this week with late movies, and I didn't sleep well last night - so was two miles shy of the 15-mile goal. I think the hills in the park were good training, though. They did seem a little easier than my last run here. I'm sure the slower pace was a big factor. Should have brought a Gu gel pack to help keep the energy up. Had some yogurt and blueberries before leaving, but some oatmeal or a PB&J would have probably been better fuel.

Later Barbara, Doug and I went to see "Million Dollar Quartet" on Broadway. Dad, you would have loved it.

Week Minus 5 - Tempo (11 miles)

11.09 miles
Target: 1 mile easy, 10 miles @ 8:00/mile
Actual: 1 mile @8:09, 10 miles @ 7:34/mile

Today was the first double-digit run since my knee flared up, and it went pretty well. After the first warm-up mile I tried to feel for a comfortable long-distance pace, which turned out to be about 7:45. Tried not to push it, but allowed myself to speed up a little after the halfway point. Had plenty of energy at the end - last mile was 7:05.

Buddy Tony, a veteran of many marathons and the Marine Corps, suggested that I photograph the kinesio taping that the physical therapist did so that I could reproduce it myself. The photo turned out scarier than it looks in real life.

I really think the taping helped. It gently pulls the kneecap out of the way of the IT band that connects underneath it. IT area still felt tender after the run, but it did not bother me during, and the pain bending the knee is much less. Can walk and go down stairs easily.

Week Minus 5 - Intervals

7.53 miles
Target: 10-20 min warmup; 3X1600m @6:41 (400m RI); 10 min cooldown
Actual: 2 mile warmup; 3X1600m @6:13 (400m RI); 2 mile cooldown

Intervals workout Monday at Franklin Field. Although I was a bit tired after the weekend trip and less sleep than I'm used to - Daylight Savings Time didn't help - managed to do a decent time on the mile intervals. Beat the target by close to 30 seconds/mile.

Later had a more intense physical therapy session. He taught me some new exercises for muscles around hips, butt and back, and two days later I'm still sore. He also put some kinesio tape on the knee to nudge apart some of the things that are causing irritation. It seemed to help right away, as I was tender after the run earlier. Can keep the tape on for a few days, so will try it out for an 11-miler today.

Week Minus 6 - Tempo (6 miles in Central Park)

Target: 6 mile run: 1 mile easy, 5 miles @ 7:29/mile
Actual: 6.01 miles @ 7:28/mile
Garmin Link

In all the years we've been making the short trip to New York City to visit Barbara's father, I've never managed to do a run in Central Park. Julian passed away a year ago, and now that his apartment recently sold, we are spending this weekend and next in New York before the closing.

This weekend I am seeing a yakuza (Japanese mafia) film series at the Japan Society, which is midtown near the UN building. It might be a very sober evening there tonight, after the disastrous earthquake in Japan today.

I had heard that Central Park is an excellent place to run, and it lived up to expectations. Was planning to run the perimeter of the park, but when I got to Columbus Circle, about a mile in, saw some joggers on an interior road, and set out after them.

The park is surprisingly hilly, which is something you don't get in Philly, so it made for a good workout. Hit six miles near the Museum of Natural History.

No pain at all in the knee! God bless Dr. Sennett and cortisone. If all is well, might try a distance run in the park Sunday morning.

The Knee

Had an MRI done Monday and saw the doc Tuesday. All the MRI pictures were on the computer in the examining room and I got to go through them while waiting. There were about 25 shots with an impressive amount of detail. Almost like black and white photos. Didn't get to keep a copy, but they looked pretty much like the picture at left, but in very sharp detail. The horizontal cross-sections looked exactly like a ham hock. Dr. Sennet confirmed that my problem was just inflammation of the IT band and not a stress fracture, and gave me a rather painful shot of cortisone. The next day was quite painful, much less so yesterday, and today I'm hoping to run again. Keeping up with the physical therapy and stretching, which I'm starting to actually enjoy. Doctor seemed confident that Boston was still a very realistic goal and asked me to send him an email after I finish!

Week Minus 6 - Intervals (8 miles)

8.11 miles
Intervals:

Distance   Target   Actual
1000m      4:08     3:42
2000m      8:26     7:44
1000m      4:08     3:48
1000m      4:08     3:45

Beautiful day for getting back on schedule - temperature in the high 40s with a brilliant blue sky. Ran down to Franklin Field and warmed up for two miles before starting the intervals. Made good time - beat all target times significantly. While I could feel some pain in the knee the whole time, it wasn't bad, and did not get worse during the workout. After the intervals I stopped and went through about 10 minutes worth of stretching routine, then cooled down for a couple of miles. Iced up after returning to the office. Have MRI appointment in a couple of hours, and seeing physical therapist and doctor tomorrow. I think the doctor is going to give me a cortisone shot.

Took this photo between intervals. The building shown is Weightman Hall, where the sports medicine clinic is, and where both the doctor and physical therapist are located. The radiology department is in the hospital right across the street, so I'm lucky that it is all so convenient.

Recreation Runs

Taking it easy while knee is recovering, but did manage to do a couple of recreation runs - slow runs of four or five miles - with friends. Friday Chris, Raminder and I went down to the Schuylkill river path and did a little over five miles. The weather was beautiful. Saturday Paul and I jogged from his place to the summit of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, which connects Philadelphia to Camden, NJ over the Delaware River. I had never been over the bridge on foot before. There is a pedestrian path about 20 or 30 feet above the roadway, so it is very scenic and pleasant - the traffic isn't rushing right by you. The bridge is nearly two miles across (9,650 feet, or 1.8 miles) so it might be a good place to train for hills. Outside of a few places in Fairmount Park, there aren't that many places to run hills around here.

Going to try a regular sprint workout at the track today. Been icing and doing the stretches assigned by the physical therapist faithfully. Getting MRI tonight and seeing both the physical therapist and the doctor tomorrow. As long as the MRI shows no stress fracture, I think the doc is going to give me a cortisone shot, which he thinks will take the inflammation right down. I am anxious to get back on track with the regular training schedule - already lost three weeks.

Sidelined

It's been nearly three weeks since my last post. The knee problem came back with a vengeance on that last 20-miler, and did not go away as quickly as I had hoped. With a schedule to keep, I decided to see a sports doctor. He says - barring a stress fracture - he's going to get me to the marathon. He thinks it is irritation of the IT band, that runs from the outside of the knee up to the hip. Won't get an MRI to eliminate the stress fracture possibility until next week, but in the mean time, I've gotten a little running in. Did a six-miler at about an 8:00 pace with Chris on Friday, but it left me so that I couldn't finish a mile jogging with Paul on Saturday. Didn't try again until yesterday, and was able to do 3 miles at a 7:19 pace with little pain. Saw the physical therapist today - he pulled and twisted, and taught me a bunch of stretching exercises. Immediately after, I did four miles at the track at a 7:01 pace and felt very little pain except at the 1.5 mile point. Will do my stretches again tonight and tomorrow morning and if still in no pain will do a 5 or 6-miler at a slower pace tomorrow.