The Way 10 Oughta Feel

Maybe it was that I was wearing my Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge running shirt. Maybe it was the fact that it was in the mid twenties with only a light wind. Maybe it was the fact that the Boston Marathon is only two months away. But Saturday's 10 miler was the way a 10-miler should feel this far into my run. Not bad considering my last run was on Tuesday. The reason for the gap? Once again, my left foot. I had a good 16 miler last Sunday -- right on target at about 2:20 (even if the last 1.5-2.0 were definitely slow) but my left foot started acting up toward the end. Then, on a decent 6-mile run, same problem. 

So I spent much of the second half of the week wondering how to deal with it? It's a fine line, as I've said before, between pushing through an ache, and pushing an ache into a run-stopping injury. Do I push through with my regular schedule? Do I cut back on the long runs? Hit the gym for the arc trainer? The only answer I knew for sure is that I wasn't going to throw in the towel. I decided, in the end, to adopt a schedule where I make sure I do my weekend long run, and then use the weekdays for whatever cardio work my foot can deal with -- even if that's primarily arc trainers. With this plan, I'll still get an 18 miler, and two 20-milers in before Marathon Day. Will it work? We'll see on April 19th. 

So, some observations from the last week.

10. There's a reason why they call it hitting the wall. When you hit it, it's like hitting a, um, well, a wall. And it showed up at mile 14.5 as I turned into the wind for my last 1.5.

9.  How strong was my 10-miler today? Somewhere around mile 8, I said to my running partner, "I feel like we're running downhill."

8.  Let's see, left foot has two bad toenails, two large blisters, and one nagging aching tendon. My right foot? fine, thank you.

7.  Got an email from the Boston Marathon suggesting I consult my physician before beginning on a training program. A little late for that, don't you think?

6.  Got a different email which discussed pace and time goals. Based on the numbers, assuming I can run a 5k at 8:00/mile, and a 10k at 8:30/mile -- both well within my limits -- then I should be able to run the marathon at about 9:15 - 9:20 pace, which should keep it within 4 and 4:15. Interesting theory.

5. At this point, I'm pretty convinced that it's not a question of whether my foot will hurt during the marathon; it's a question of when it starts and how bad it is.

4. That makes for an important 18-miler this Sunday. Think positive thoughts for me and here's hoping that keeping the pounding to a minimum makes for a strong foot this weekend.

3. Between that inspiration and Just over the $4,500 mark for fundraising. Thanks to all those who've supported me so far! Two months and more than $5k left to go.

2. I'm a far, far, FAR cry from an Olympian, but it is inspiring to see the athletes push themselves through injuries.

1.  Slowly, but surely, the temperatures are creeping up. I'm hoping the 10 degree days are gone, but also hoping that the 60 and 70 degree days stay away until after April 19th.

Happy running all.