As you can see from my DailyMile sidebar, I had a fabulous run today.... until mile 12 when my knee started to swell. By mile 13, I could only run a few steps at a time, and by mile 14.5 I couldn't even do that anymore. I couldn't even manage the last 200 meters; once I got to the car, I was done. Annoying! I had actually been doing really well until then, nice even pace, right around 12 minutes per mile, on track to finish in 3:30. But nope! Took me forever to walk that last mile; it's hard to walk when your knee doesn't want to bend anymore. I was trying not to limp so as not to cause any other problems, and I thought I was doing pretty well until my hamstring started to cramp in sympathy. Luckily it was the same leg; I mean, if your knee won't bend and your hamstring is going to cramp it would really suck to have the latter on the other leg. I RICEd my leg for the rest of the day and while it is still stiff I can walk mostly pain-free.
I did end up cutting back my miles for Week 10 since Week 9's miles were so low. Here's how Week 10 ended up:
Mon/Day 64 - Rest. Tough, but I got the job done.
Tue/Day 65 - 5 miles. Skipped this one. Felt like I needed to practice my rest days some more.
Wed/Day 66 - Rest. Yep!
Thu/Day 67 - 8 miles. I had a fabulous run. Logged 8.01 miles at a good pace.
Fri/Day 68 - 5 miles. Skipped this one too. Wish I hadn't, but I was worried I'd have a crappy run after the great run the day before. Silly, eh?
Sat/Day 69 - Rest. I had a thoroughly leisurely day and it was great. The most I did was mow my lawn.
Sun/Day 70 - 16 miles. Needed more water and maybe a little more fuel and, oh yeah, a functioning right leg. Logged 15.89 miles.
Question for the readers about fuel during long runs: do you ever eat something more solid than Gu or shot bloks? I'm finding I get nauseous around the third fuel up -- about 1:30 into my runs -- from the straight sugar. I'm thinking I want to try a Clif bar or some other power bar at 1:30. That's where my energy starts to gradually slow as well, and I expect I need more fuel but the idea of more Gu and even more gatorade after that point makes me more nauseous. It was a little better during the Shamrock when I was able to drink about 8oz+ of plain water at that point. Today, however, none of the water fountains on the trail had the water turned on yet. I was ready to dive into the creek and risk intestinal parasites.
Week 11 is the same schedule as Week 10. If my knee cooperates, I plan to be fully on plan for this week. Six more weeks until Eugene! At least they'll have water.
Well, I've got plans to hook up with some Tylenol PM and a fabulous mattress. Here's looking to a great week!
Cheers,
the CilleyGirl
how often are you fueling? If you're at your 3rd fuel at 1:30, i'm not surprised you're nauseated. I would recommend fueling no more than every 45 minutes. I've never wanted solid foods during a run, but obviously we're all different & now is the time to experiment w/ what works for you.
ReplyDeleteWay to go on the runs! Sorry to hear about not feeling the best! Have a wonderful week :)
ReplyDeleteClearly I can't do math! I have been fueling every 40-45 minutes, so it would be at 2:15 for the third one. But right after the third is when I start to feel nauseous, like I'm on sugar overload. I tried shot bloks only for one run, thinking a solid might sit better, but had the same reaction. Maybe I need more water?
ReplyDeletehow much water are you taking in? I know I never take in enough!
ReplyDeleteI know a few people SWEAR by pb&j during the run. Here is the link to one runner's method.
http://chicrunner.com/peanut-butter-and-jelly-time/
She also got nauseated on long runs w/ the Gus, shot bloks, etc.