INJURED (3 weeks to go.)

CeCe says, “Finally it has happened to me right in front of my face and I just can not hide it”. 

Yes, I’m injured.  And I can’t hide it. 

It’s a Posterior Tibial Tendonitis and it’s at a lighter side of it.  But, I’m off running for a bit and not gonna get a 23 miler in before CIM.  This sucks. 

Here’s what happened:

Monday, November 11.  6M on Treadmill followed by Spin class at night.  Worked a bit on my legs.

Tuesday, November 12.  Last Faster Finish class for 2013.  Can you believe it’s been a year already?  It was caterpillar run, which I’ve re-christened it Human Centipede Run for added flavor.

Wednesday, November 13.  5M.  Went clock-wise and it felt good.  I zoomed to MP on the last 3Ms and finally felt like I was “back”.  Nagging plantar issue seemed to have resolved and felt really good.

Thursday November 14.  Finally, a properly sanctioned Marathon Pace run.  Mile 3 to 6 was at MP.  I hit them and felt good and strong.  Nothing hurt.  Just a bit cold. 

Friday was off. 

Saturday November 16.  18M.  Here’s when thing started to get funky. 

First of all, it was in the 50s by the time I hit the park.  And, I was not sure what water fountains were open which resulted in my not hydrating as much.  I had stitches, which did go away once I managed to find an open fountain and guzzle some water.  Second, the asphalt was also a bit wet from the rain earlier in the morning.  This made my already tired legs take up weird form and I could tell I was running funny as my shoes squeaked and slipped.  By the time I got to mile 15, my ankle was throbbing.  I didn’t know what was happening, but I just knew that it was not good.  I broke something.  I hobbled for the last 3 miles and crawled back home. 

Sunday November 17.  I was feeling better, but discovered that “pain when running, no pain when not running’ may be a classic symptom of a stress fracture…According to this article.  And it references Dathan Ritzenhein, one of my favorite elite runners!  (Sorry Robbie, I do cheat.)  I discovered this at 4AM in the morning and continued to obsess until 1PM, when I had a deep tissue massage.  Coach Isang poked around a few parts and told me that nothing was broken.  At that moment, I just wanted to go to bed…LOL

Today (Monday November 18) would be second day in a row that I haven’t ran.  I have not done this in over 3 years.  I do take a day off but never two in a row.  This scares the crap out of me.

I went to go see a Podiatrist (I made an appointment at 5AM Sunday after freaking out about the stress fracture) and was promptly told that I have a Posterior Tibial Tendonitis.  Some PT, some rolling, some icing.  We shall see if this will clear up before CIM and we shall see how much fitness loss is involved. 

The good news is, the topical cream the doctor put on is so strong and stinky that I have no appetite what-so-ever.  At least I won’t be getting fat.  Ha.

5 Weeks to CIM.

Gah.  I hate, hate, hate to admit this but I am feeling a little, tiny, wheeeee bit of FATIGUE.  There I said it.  The F word.  I'll try to snap out of it now.

Monday 11/4:  5M on TM.  I am fighting a baby plantar facitis.  It didn't bother me too much this Monday.
PM was spin class, where I noticed that my HR was 10-20 BPM higher than normal.  Not good.

Tuesday 11/5:  Slept in.  And I enjoyed it. 
PM was Faster Finish Week 9.  30 minutes of Fartlek work on the Great Lawn.  I am not a huge fan of going in circles.  I had a sub-6 for 10th of a mile.  A new record, or something.  I think I went a bit too easy on the "easy" parts and used it as a recovery more than an easy run.  I screwed up.

Wednesday 11/6:  Midweek Mile of 6.  I was getting antsy about recovery and while I didn't try really hard, I went out way to fast that I should have.  My heart rate was all over the place and not taking things easy will definitely haunt me.  After this run, my plantar did hurt.  Ugh. 
PM:  Lunch Time Pilates goes well.  Instructor actually says I'm getting better.

Thursday 11/7:  Thursday Tempo on East River.  I screw up the workout.  Coach Terry wants a 20-30 second negative split on an out-n-back.  I somehow decide that this is a 20-30 pace difference.  So out at 7:30, back at 7:10 or faster.  I nearly die because my HR is still high, air is dry, and I've got the coughs.  I cheat and stop for some air at the end of "out" and then cough some car fumes out in middle of "back".  I don't realize that Coach prolly meant that this was not pace, but TIME, so something like 12 minutes out, 11:30 minutes back.  Meh, it's OK.  It was a hard 11:40 out, 11:18 back.  22 second negative split.

PM:  Evening Pilates goes bad.  Instructor singles me out for being lame.

Friday 11/8:  Delicious, delicious rest day.  I nurse my plantar all day.

Saturday 11/9:  14M!  I try to relax, but everything just.feels.so.hard.  I remind myself this is how it's going to feel at mile 19.  "Don't stop" becomes the riot cry.  I struggle to mile 7, and I feel like crap.  I'm angry and hating the fact that I have 7 more to go.  But when I hit mile 8, suddenly things feel better.  Yes, my foot still hurts, but I feel a little lighter.  Ha, whaddaya know.  It was my typical midway blues, where I lose interest half way into a long run - I have to remember this, or it takes over me, making my runs miserable.  If I'm conscious about and warn myself, it never happens.  I had forgotten about this weird mental trait. 

There's so much to remember when doing long runs.  Form, fueling, mental state and all the other tricks.  Ugh.

Sunday 11/10:  45 minutes Elliptical.  Nursed my plantar, had a hot bath, and got a really painful massage, courtesy of husband.

So heading into "4 weeks" to go mark, I'm not feeling the greatest.  Bit on the overtrained-syndrome side, where everything is starting to annoy me, I'm a little depressed, and I just have no appetite.  My stupid foot still hurts.  I have a MP pace run coming up and a long run of 18.  Need to snap out of this like yesterday.  This is just a part of training and I know I was getting into this when I signed up for CIM, so just gotta push through! 

Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon Round 4.

Race Recap, Yo.

This took a while because I didn't really have much to say that was all that interesting.  It was a good race.  Perfect weather. I actually enjoyed bit of scenery.

Before the race, I excitedly exchanged Twitter with Rob Watson.  I think this was the highlight of the race and I wasn't even running.

All weekend, I OD'ed on nooodles.  Toronto has a really good ramen scene going on, and since it wasn't subzero weather, we lined up for noodles at Santouka. I had the shoyu ramen and it was deep in flavor and totally delicious. I declared it one of the best noodle joints in Toronto.  But then it turns out there's one of these right in NJ.  Not sure how I feel about it.

Anyways, yes, the race.  First, I get interviewed by not one, but two Canadian TV (CBC & CityTV) networks, while hopping around in the corrals doing my dynamic stretches.  Maybe my weird moves got their attention?  Or maybe it was my appropriate red-white outfit?  I was the token Asian chick that they needed?  They asked about my pre-race superstitions.  Kids, I'm more superstitious than a hockey player - I mean, right down to the lucky sports bra and panty combo.

Then right before the start horn, I experienced something you rarely see in Canada.  RUDE Canadians.  A controversial person related to an even more controversial politician was there to start the horn and this resulted in the loudest collective, "booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo".  Wow.  They really don't like this dude.  I wonder why...

The race started and I decided to follow the 3:25 pace bunny, as that was my dream goal.  As usual, folks following the pace bunny turns into a giant 8X8, plowing through the crowds.  I ditch him at mile 1, since I can't deal with a guy in Skns Zentai with a Camelbak, overstriding.  I fall back and decide it's all on me.

Toronto is a weird race.  It has a giant half marathon portion of 20,000+ folks, then a smaller full marathon portion of 5000 or so peeps.  If you get sucked in some strange competition with a random dude that's running the half, your full is done.  That guy only has 13.1 to go, you have a whole 26.2 to go.  He's going to go all out, while your objective should be to save until the last 4 miles...I've got sucked into this 3 years in a row, so this year, I was determined not to compete with anyone until all the Halfers broke off. 

By the way, the only good thing about the Halfers is that they shield the headwind for you once you get o the Lakeshore.  There's always a headwind here either going out west or coming back east.  With the Halfers, I can always find a giant dude to duck behind. 

Once I get to the Lakeshore, I keep on looking for the elites.  This is the most exciting part of the race because it's so fun to see them just fly through air.  And this year, I was determined to cheer Rob Watson.  Now traditionally, he has worn a black singlet.  I'm looking and looking for a tall dude with black singlet.  I see a tall dude in a red and white Canadian singlet zoom away.  OMG, that's him, that's him, that's him and before I could get a breathe in to say something, he's gone.  WTF.

The rest of the course was uneventful.  I rode the legs of three Quebecois who had their own cheering dude/coach person.  At around mile 15, the trio started to falter so I said "Merci Beaucoup" and moved on.  I didn't find anyone my pace so I just kept on going steady, passing one person after next.

By the time I got in to Beaches area where all the hills are, my Central Park legs were so glad to get a break from the flatness.  I plowed uphill, passing one sad dude after another.  I put myself in low gear, using my bum muscles for this and boy, it felt so good.  I knew this had been a trouble spot in the past, and I was determined to get through smoothly this year.  I felt a little victorious as I headed into mile 20.

Here I was almost by myself and I started facing that headwind from the west.  I pushed to catch up to a taller guy to duck behind, but then I instantly felt bad.  This guy was suffering and I just couldn't ride him.  I passed him and decided to take on the wind full force.  I should've trained more along the Hudson in prep for headwind running...

As I turned into the odd bit along Don Valley Parkway, at mile 22 or so, my legs were no longer into this.  I broke into my emergency stash of gels which I immediately regretted, cuz I got nauseous.  I had to dig deep here.  I tried to talk to myself about all the sad Wednesday 5AM alarms to run the 10M after a tough speed workout in 90F weather.  I recalled the heavy feet going up the subways stairs every Saturday AM.  All those summer days where I had to turn down boozy Fridays cuz I had to do a long run the next day. YOU TRAINED FOR THIS, I said.  I know, it's cheesy.  It's so cliche.  But man, I had to use every trick in the book to get through it!

Then at the turnaound point on the Don Valley thing, the dude in front of me suddenly stops.  CRASH.

I'm enraged.  I channel my sister who runs angry, "OUT OF MY WAY DUDE!".

As I go through the last mile, I dig even deeper and decide that I shall pass every younger and skinnier chick. I find a chick in a Mexico Tri Top.  All skinny and pretty.  I rhino her down.  Then it's dudes, dudes, dudes.  I then see the Zentai dude from earlier!  I pass his ass.  He aint overstriding no more.  ha!

I pass some people that were doing the 8X8 with the 3:25 bunny so I'm feeling good.  Maybe I'll catch up to him? (Spoiler:  No)  The last mile is really hard, but I try to imagine it as a track workout and push it out.  I swear,  I'm using all the trick in the book!! At final 400m, I try to imagine Coach Terry at the corner of the track, all smiling and waiting.  I am determined to pass this one last chick in a pink shirt. 

And I'm in!  3:27:14.  And here's the Garmin.

Not a PR, but it was a good strong run and for the first time in four tries, I didn't walk...not one step.  I'm 11th in my age group and since the 10th person has a time of 3:23, I think I did really well for where I am.
And I was feeling really good about it.  I got goofy pic to prove it. 

One thing about this round that was different from the last 3 was that I was conscious all the time of my form, condition, speed, people around me, thoughts.  I didn't lose myself in that weird haze where I can't think at all.  Maybe it was the colder weather?  Maybe it was the caffeinated gels?  Maybe because it was my fourth damn attempt? I don't know...but hopefully I can have this clear state of mind all the way into Boston 2014.

Next stop, California Int'l Marathon.  5 WEEKS TO GO!