Travel Day

ORN 8/31/05, zero

On the road to VA Beach and the RnR Half Marathon.

Waddle on, friends.

John

Early Morning Ride

ORN 8/30/05, 50 minutes, road bike

Well, the theme is caution and today was no different. The position on the road bike is a bit more extreme and does tend to put a strain on my back if I'm not careful. I was.

There'll be no pushing big gears or trying to be Speed Racer. I need to keep my legs moving, build a little strength, and let it go.

I'm not good at being this careful!

Waddle on, friends.

John

Easy Does It

ORN 8/29/05, 50 min, 5/1

Still not really sure about the whole back thing. I'm pretty stiff, and - to be honest - a little scared of setting myself back. So, today's run - and most runs between now and the marathon - are going to be cautious. I've got a solid mileage base, plenty of time to get in an 18 and 20 miler, so I'm going to take everything else down a notch.

This is always a nerve wracking time for anyone preparing for a marathon. The weeks and WEEKS of preparation are behind you, the few weeks left are the hardest, and it just seems like every little thing can throw it all off. And then the TAPER begins!

Waddle on, friends.

John

Lending a Hand

ORN 8/28/05, city bike, 30 min, X 2

Today was the big triathlon in Chicago and I volunteered to help. I did some triathlons years ago, but it just took too much time to be awful at all three sports! But, I still enjoy them. Plus, I think it's important to give back when we can.

I rode to and from the race site, about 6 miles or so each way. Started out at about 4:15 AM, which was a kick. Riding along the lakefront in pitch darkness is a pretty spiritual place. The city is asleep, the lake was calm. Good stuff.

By the time we got to the race site, though, before 5 AM, there was already a buzz of participants getting their stuff ready in the transition area. Quite a contrast.

A good day, all around.

Waddle on, friends.

John

Truly a Gift

ORN 8/27/05: 16 miles, 4/2, 3:52

If you had told me on Wednesday when I was in the emergency room unable to move that on SATURDAY I would be running 16 miles I would have said you were crazy. But it happened.

I dressed for the run, put a $20 bill in my pocket [for a taxi] and headed out with the intention of seeing how far I could go. I was lucky enough to have some friends for the first 10 miles, and that REALLY helped. One of the group running with me happens to be a doctor, so it was like having my own medical staff.

The truth is my back loosened up as I did the run/walk. Up to about 14 miles I was feeling about as good as ever. The last two, as my running form began to get worse, so did my back. GREAT lesson there for me on the importance of core strength.

So I've got an 18 and a 20 miler left before the marathon. My whole mindset has switched to just getting to the starting line healthy. There'll be no risk-taking of any kind in the next several weeks. Easy does it, as the saying goes.

Waddle on, friends.

John

A Bit of Biking

ORN 8/26/05; 30 min X 2, city bike

I am cautiously optimistic at this point. The pain is not gone, but it's pretty specific right now. Bicycling had actually made it feel better before the big BANG, so I thought I'd take a shot. I needed to go downtown, so I rode.

It went well. Still some lingering stiffness, but I'm going to take a shot at the 16 miler tomorrow. I may switch to 3/2 from 4/2 but still go the distance.

**NOTE** There's no way to respond to comments posted on the Blog. You can email me directly from the JohnBingham.com web site.

Waddle on, friends.

John

Down and Out: amended

ORN 8/25/05, ZERO

Day three of the back problem. As the shots wore off yesterday it was pretty clear that this was not a short-term problem. This morning, the tightness is back full-steam, although the pain seems better.

I'm avoiding taking the Vicodin. I'm not eager to put that level of narcotic into my body. I'm hoping to manage the pain with Tylenol. I am using the muscle relaxer [valium!] because everything still feels pretty knotted up. Guess I'll be even more mellow than usual.

As much as I can I am drug and alcohol free. I don't want to run the risk of abusing the drugs, so for me I'm trying to use only the absolute minimums.

But, I am moving better and that's a plus.

Waddle on, friends.

John

PS: I went out and walked for 30 minutes. What a gift. Little by little.

Injured Reserve

ORN 8/24/05: zero

Oh my. Went to the Emergency Room for the back pain. It was pretty much locked up tight.

Doc said I've got a sprained back, gave me a couple of shots and some drugs and sent me home. No telling when I'll be able to get back to running. But, it will be a few days - AT LEAST.

Supposed to go 16 this weekend, that's in doubt. Still time - I hope - to recover and get back into training for the marathon. It's like I say, the hard part is getting to the starting line healthy. Once the gun goes off, there's nothing to worry about.

Waddle on, friends.

John

My aching back

ORN 8/23/05 Zero

I've been having a little back pain for weeks, but today I was moving something and SNEEZED and ended up on the floor. The pain was debilitating.

Not sure what this will mean, but I'm off for today.

Waddle on, friends.

John

Come Back Run

ORN 8/22/05, 60 minutes, 6/1

What a difference a day makes. Or a couple of days. Today's run was as good as Saturday's was bad. The temperature was about 15 degrees cooler, which makes ALL the difference in the world.

I used a 6/1 ratio in order to get more "run" time. It's one of the ways to keep adjusting your run/walk ratio but keeping your total time the same.

**NOTE** I appreciate the comments, thanks. But, because of the way the come to me I cannot respond to them.

**ANSWER** The question yesterday was how to go about adjusting your training schedule when life intervenes. The most important part of a marathon or half-marathon training program is the "long" runs. You've got to get them in, one way or the other. But, as important is to keep the sequence. You can't plug in TWO long runs in a single week, for example.

Waddle on, friends.

John

Riding in the Dark

ORN 8/21/05 60 minutes, city bike

Not to put too fine a point on the bicycling part, but there is a 3rd bike in the stable. This is my "daily" bike. It's what they used to call a cross-over, I think. Skinny tires but flat handlebars. It's what I use to get around most days. It's got lights, but no fenders [although, I'm thinking about fenders!!]

The only time I had to get out was in the evening, at about 7:30 PM. The weather was perfect, and it felt great to just get in an after-dinner ride. By the time I was headed home it was pretty dark, so the lights came in handy.

It was a nice change of pace. Riding in the dark is another childhood throwback.

Waddle on, friends.

John

Running Ugly

ORN 8/20/05 10 miles, 4/2

Well, it happens. Today was supposed to be a 16 mile run, but the weather intervened. There was a big storm in the area so the morning run was cancelled.

That left me to run a 10 miler on my own in the middle of the afternoon. It was NOT pretty. In fact, it was UGLY. Probably the worst run I've had in 4 or 5 years. It was very hot and humid, I had gotten "up" at 4:30 AM for the 16 miler, and then didn't get to run it, and I think I just was emotionally let down.

But, it happens. You just gut out that kind of run. I slowed down [even more, for me] and focused on just moving forward. This was one of the few runs in my life that I can say I didn't enjoy.

Waddle on, friends.

John

Rest Day

ORN 8/19/05 Rest

Today is the scheduled rest day. Taking two days off in a row isn't a bad idea since I have the 16 miler tomorrow.

I'm hoping my legs feel better than they do today!!

Waddle on, friends.

John

Blowing in the Wind

ORN 8/18/05: Rest

This was an unscheduled rest day. There were severe tornados in the area and it just wasn't possible to get out.

After the week of hilly running and riding, it wasn't a bad idea to take the day off anyway.

Waddle on, friends.

John

Another hilly run

ORN 8/17/05: 60 minutes, 5/1

Sheesh! I would be a much better runner if I ran these hills all the time! It's actually pointed out a big gap in my training. I should probably be trying harder to find hills on a regular basis.

Waddle on, friends.

John

Getting in Gear

ORN 8/16/05: 50 minutes, road bike.

Holy COW is it hilly! I was hoping to get in some rolling hills but never expected to find myself having to stand up on the pedals. I also didn't expect to be wishing I had bought a road bike with triple front chain rings.

It's not a bad thing. Actually, the standing and pedaling is a pretty good way to build strength in my legs without pounding them like I would if I was running uphill. It's also a good way to get a serious cardi workout without a lot of impact.

I'm trying to be a little careful as the week goes on so that I'm ready for the 16 miler on Saturday.

Waddle on, friends.

John

Over the Hill

ORN 8/15/06 5 min w/u, 50 min 5/1, 5 min cd

GREAT run. GREAT. I'm in a hilly area and it was fun to get a chance to go up and down a little bit. I was glad to be able to get in some modest hill training without killing myself.

Even though my goal marathon [Chicago] will be pancake flat, it's important to get in some hill training just to balance out my legs. I'm not ready for serious hill running, but a little rolling out-and-back was perfect.

Waddle on, friends.

John

Safety First

ORN 8/14/05: REST

The bigger the miles, the higher the risk. From here to race day is really a balancing act. Train as much as you can but not too much. Rest as much as you need to, but not too much.

Originally I had planned to do a recovery bike ride today, but thought better of it. I'll be doing a 16 mile run NEXT Saturday, so this is a transitional week between the two longest runs so far. All I have left is a 16, and 18, and a 20 and then the marathon. I want to get all I can from each of those long runs. They best way to do that is to be rested.

Waddle on, friends.

John

Over the Hump

ORN 8/13/05: 14 miles, 4/2 [3:33]

The alarm went off at 4 AM. I was out the door at 5. Have I mentioned that I am NOT a morning runner? I'm not a morning PERSON. But, these are the sacrifices we make in marathon training.

The training group was running a cut-back, 8 mile run today. Since I am out of sequence because I ran the San Francisco half marathon two weeks ago, I needed to get in my 14 miler today. I ran the first 6 on my own and met up with them for the last 8 miles.

The lakefront path is pretty empty at 5 AM. By 5:30, though, the runners are starting to gather. By 6 AM the path is alive with training programs and by 7 AM the path is packed. It worked well. I enjoyed the peace and quiet of the first hour or so and the company on the last hour or so.

I'm over the "half hump". The miles get bigger, the runs longer, but the marathon distance closer. So far, so good.

Waddle on, friends.

John

Change of Plans

ORN 8/13/05: 57 min, 5/1

OK, this is how it works. Yesterday I was going to run an 8 and 8 Friday and Saturday, for a total of 16 [just in case you can't do the math!!] But, the plan was changed to running a solid 14 on Saturday and 4 on Friday for a total of 18.

Coach Jenny [alias wife Jenny] rethought the plan, and since I am now scheduled for 16 NEXT Saturday she thought it was better to go ahead and run the 14 tomorrow.

Training programs are works in progress even when they are IN progress. Rigid flexibiliy. That's the key!

Waddle on, friends.

John