This is my training journal. I'm bad at titles. (Comments welcome!)

[NYC_MW]

Noooo! Sending arm healing vibes.

 

[striker1064]

Thanks everyone for the well-wishes. I hate I can't run, but one reason I love my ortho is he understands the non-physical benefits of exercise and running, and even with lower-body injuries in the past he has worked to figure out a way for me to run without making things worse. I am hopeful he'll give me good news.

Maybe a little retail therapy (new Garmin) to take the edge off the pain?

Garmin is awesome about this. I have the Forerunner 965, so I gave them a call - a replacement device is only $160. Normally, it would be a refurbished device, but because the 965 is so new they're sending me a brand new watch. Can't complain about that.

 

[avondale]

So sorry to hear about your injury! I hope you'll get the ok to run with it. Good news about the Garmin replacement - they are usually really good about that sort of thing.

I was sitting here thinking that maybe it's GOOD to be a slow runner - I don't think I'm ever moving fast enough to do that much damage!

 

[garneska]

Been there in terms of fall and break your elbow. Honestly you have a couple weeks. I think you will be able to run. you did almost all your training, I think you will be good from that stand point. This next week, yeah not going to be pretty but I think you can still do this.

 

[striker1064]

Positive update: My orthopedist says short of another fall I can't make things worse. He's a bit doubtful from a pain management perspective that I'll be able to finish a marathon but there's no reason I can't try. So I'm going for it. He gave me an elbow compression sleeve to help restrict movement while I run.

I got back out with 5 miles today and it wasn't terrible. It was at times painful. No idea if I can do it for the entire race but I have the next couple of weeks to try things out. I top out at 8 miles this Sunday, so I won't get a ton of useful data, but it's better than nothing.

 

[Naomeri]

Positive update: My orthopedist says short of another fall I can't make things worse. He's a bit doubtful from a pain management perspective that I'll be able to finish a marathon but there's no reason I can't try. So I'm going for it. He gave me an elbow compression sleeve to help restrict movement while I run.

I got back out with 5 miles today and it wasn't terrible. It was at times painful. No idea if I can do it for the entire race but I have the next couple of weeks to try things out. I top out at 8 miles this Sunday, so I won't get a ton of useful data, but it's better than nothing.

At least it wasn’t an out-and-out “no running”—best wishes for minimal pain

 

[Scootin'By]

That's good news! Maybe over the next few weeks you can see if there's anything that helps with the pain too. Hot pad, ice pack, Voltaren, something you can add to your already bulging running kit.

Just don't fall - please!

 

[avondale]

Good news that you are allowed to run the marathon! I assume you won't be going for a time target, so as the others said, add some items that may add weight but keep you more comfortable. I also think that the crowd support will help keep your mind off any pain.

My orthopedist says short of another fall I can't make things worse.

This just sounds like a challenge! But maybe not one to try to meet.

 

[striker1064]

I assume you won't be going for a time target,

Oh. I mean I know myself and unless the pain is really slowing me down, I know what I'm going to do. But it's premature to say either way at this point.

This just sounds like a challenge! But maybe not one to try to meet.

Yeah, when he mentioned that I thought "You did look at my file before you came in here right? You've treated me for multiple injuries."

 

[striker1064]

October 16 - October 22: 1 (!!) Week until Marine Corps Marathon

Total mileage: 38.3 mi
Total time: 5h 58 min

Typing is not the most pleasant thing in the world right now, so this will be a shortened version-

Monday: 5 Miles Easy
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: 2 Mi WU + 3x [400m R w/ 400m jog + 2x (200m R w/ 200m jog) + 1.5 Mi CD
Thursday: 7 Miles Easy
Friday: 6 Miles Easy
Saturday: 6 Miles Easy
Sunday: 8 Miles Easy

I'm running with a compression sleeve over my elbow. It's not the most comfortable thing in the world and it's still pretty sore to run, but it's working for now. Of course, none of these distances compare to a marathon - but I have to try. I won't forgive myself if I did all this training and I don't give it a shot.

It's way too early to make a call on weather yet, but we are going in the wrong direction. It's going to be a warm mid- to late-week, with temperatures near 80F by Thursday-Saturday. Weather Underground has us sunny at 78F for the high on Sunday, with a T+D of 61+61=122 at race start time. For me, as hot as I run, that would be brutal.

The National Weather Service disagrees... for now. They have 70F as the high on Sunday. That would be a lot better. Either way, this is looking like a hot marathon, which is admittedly a tad frustrating. Trying not to focus on that for now. Or my elbow.

This week, it's all short, easy runs, with the exception of one more Endurance run on Wednesday - 3x 1 Mi LT with 2:00 jogs. That's a surprisingly big workout for race week, but Daniels does that in all his plans.

Have a good week!

 

[avondale]

I have been looking at next week's forecast - mostly because I have a 4-hour trail run on my plan. I really, really hope that the forecast changes, so I'm pulling with you for that! Besides, I always keep my eye on the weather for MCM, and honestly, it's almost always brutal. Global warming has done MCM no favors at all.

When I ran MCM in 2017, the weather was pretty much what you said was the current (hotter) prediction for this year. It was really, really ugly. Lots of the course has little to no shade. I started alternating run/walk intervals by the halfway point and walked most of it after mile 15.

My unsolicited advice: given the forecast and the fact that you've got your fractured arm, I would really recommend running extremely conservatively and slow. There's a lot of crowd support for many sections and tons of marathoners with shirts, flags, banners memorializing fallen veterans. Enjoy the experience, finish the race slowly, and plan to train for a better marathon another time.

Crossing my fingers on the weather!

 

[SheHulk]

Sending you miracle wishes for your arm and the weather. Lots of time for the forecast to change.

 

[RuntheMouse]

Sending you all kinds of good vibes for MCM! Take care of that elbow!

 

[azrivest]

but I have to try. I won't forgive myself if I did all this training and I don't give it a shot.

Please take care of yourself, friend! I totally get why you want to race and I hope your marathon goes well, but we want you healthy and strong in January also

Do you have an idea of what you're aiming for performance wise considering the circumstance?

 

[GollyGadget]

Sorry things aren’t going your way. Have fun this weekend!

 

[Scootin'By]

I'm planning pumpkin picking and a picnic for this weekend, so maybe that will help to bring cooler temperatures. Either that or ants, which doesn't help you that much.

Good luck!

 

[striker1064]

Do you have an idea of what you're aiming for performance wise considering the circumstance?

I was still planning on attempting the sub-4 prior to seeing the weather, but the potential of a hot race is throwing me all out of whack. I'm much more concerned about that - it's been a very cool and pleasant October to this point, so I've lost all my heat acclimation from the summer. In fact, through Wednesday this week, the weather remains a very pleasant 40-50F for lows and low-60sF for highs - quite the change!

I'm still chewing on it. The forecast will change between now and Sunday, so it may depend on exactly what I'm dealing with as it gets closer. I approached training with an all-or-nothing under 4 hours, so this is a pretty sudden change in my mindset. I'll probably write a pre-race update on Friday or Saturday with what I decide to do.

 

[WillRunForPizza]

I was still planning on attempting the sub-4 prior to seeing the weather, but the potential of a hot race is throwing me all out of whack. I'm much more concerned about that - it's been a very cool and pleasant October to this point, so I've lost all my heat acclimation from the summer. In fact, through Wednesday this week, the weather remains a very pleasant 40-50F for lows and low-60sF for highs - quite the change!

I got back to Orlando yesterday and ran this morning, and WOW T+D = 130+ is an adjustment after the nice weather we'd been having in DC Fingers crossed for an improvement in the forecast!

 

[striker1064]

Dawn of the Third Day - 72 Hours Remain

I'm putting in my pre-race thoughts a bit early because the next few days will be hectic!

Weather

Unfortunately, no change. NWS now agrees with WU. It's looking like a T/D of 122 at the 8 AM race start. Even worse, that's an equal T and D, which means it's going to feel especially humid. Temperatures will rise to approximately 75F by noon, so I'm looking at a TD of somewhere between 135 and 138 by the end, depending on how long it takes me.

Training

Outside of a few hiccups here and there, this was a wildly successful training cycle. Excluding the taper this week, I ran 718.4 miles over the last 18 weeks, for a weekly average of 44.9 miles. That's being dragged down a little by missing most of the week I broke my elbow. But it also includes my highest mileage week ever at 57.3, along with 4 total weeks of 50 miles or more. Even though I didn't fully complete every workout (more thoughts on that later), the volume was there and I stayed healthy (well, no running injuries, anyway). I also included daily PT exercises, light strength training 3-5x per week (up until my elbow injury), and some cycling here and there.

Carb Loading

I'm following the Western Australian method on Saturday, aiming for about 10.3 g/kg of body weight with ~50% liquid carbs. I followed this last year prior to the Philadelphia Marathon and experienced no adverse affects. In real terms, this means I'm going for about 750g carbs on Saturday, with 395g coming from 5 Maurten 320 drink mixes. I made a slight under-calculation last year and missed my carb goal (but I doubt it made any difference on race day). Nothing special outside of the Maurten throughout the day except I'm planning my favorite pre-race dinner Saturday night - sushi!

Hydration

My usual strategy is 2 cups water per aid station on the course. That's always been fine. Given this is a marathon plus the heat, I'm considering bringing a disposable water bottle to top up my reserves early on. If the tables are long enough, I'll likely try to take a 3rd cup from most stations if I can.

Nutrition

Still chewing on this one. I've hit 80-90g carbs per hour on most of my long training runs and it's been mostly fine. That has been aided by 3 scoops concentrated Tailwind in a 5oz Hammer bottle once or twice (75g carbs per shot). However, knowing my water requirements are already higher than the average bear plus the heat, I don't think I'm using the Tailwind. I'll be switching to almost entirely isotonic gels (Maurten and SiS Beta), plus an EGel or two because the electrolytes will be important. Still figuring the amount and order of these, but I should still be able to get to at least 80g carbs per hour. Again - this is not going to be what makes or breaks me, but I'm taking every bit of help I can get.

Course

https://mcmlocator.com/map

I don't have too many concerns about the map. The first few miles will be hilly - up to about mile 8 - so that's a good motivator to go out slow and take it easy at the beginning. I hate running Hains Point, so I'm glad these are relatively early at miles 12-14. The one pain point is the bridge crossing into Arlington at mile 20-21. That's about a half-mile, with no shade and no crowd support. I'll already be fatigued, then baking in the Sun over that long bridge. Luckily, I've run this bridge a few times in the past so it won't be completely new, but this will be tough.

Bib

I don't have it yet! I have to go to National Harbor - ugh - after work tomorrow to get it.

Fitness and Pacing

So the rule of thumb for marathons is to take your half and add 20 minutes. I ran a 1:49:25 half in March, so that alone puts me right on the edge of sub-4 at 3:59. 6 weeks later I ran a 1:20:09 10-miler, which is a 1:47:06 HM equivalent (although a 10-miler is easier than a half). I elected not to do a tune-up race during my training plan, but I believe I would have taken a little more time off my HM if I had. In other words, I think/hope my fitness has continued to improve throughout the summer and fall despite not having a more recent race to compare.

All that said... I don't exactly feel great and I don't know how to interpret that. I don't feel particularly energetic and I don't see any difference in my HR that would suggest I'm peaking. I'm sure it doesn't help that I missed most of week 16 because it was so recent. My taper hasn't felt like a slog, exactly, but it hasn't been super easy either. My sleep has been uneven, so that also doesn't help. I don't really know what to think about all this, but I'm also trying to mostly ignore it and trust the training I've done.

I did mention above that not all of my training was successful. I was unable to complete a few of the harder runs for various reasons - heat, bad sleep, not feeling well - so it's hard to say if I was pushing too hard or if I'm not as fit as I think I am. Guess I'm going to find out?

When I began this plan I was sub-4 or bust. I've remained focused on that goal for the entire cycle. Every time I went out there and died in the heat, every day in the gym strengthening my legs, every speed session devoted to that one goal - sub-4. And now I have a broken elbow and the weather is suddenly turning hot after one of the most cool and pleasant Octobers I've ever experienced in my 6 years of living in DC.

I'm actually not that worried about the elbow. It's feeling better. Running isn't pain-free, but it's not bad. Obviously I cannot forsee how it'll feel at miles 15, 20, or 25, but I do feel confident that it will not be a hindrance.

The weather has thrown me completely off my game. My plan was to do exactly what I did last year in Philly and go out at a 9 minute mile. That's a 3:55:48 marathon, but of course given that no one runs exactly 26.2 I figured that would get me around 3:57-3:58 with a chance at the end to get under 4. If you had asked me 3 weeks ago, I would have told you with confidence that I have it. I even pre-ordered the FinsiherPix!

Playing with some online calculators, given a T+D of 75+62=137, I'm getting an adjusted pace of 9:21/mile, which is a 4:04:58 finish, or more realistically given the extra distance, probably around a 4:06-4:08.

I still haven't decided what I'm going to do. Obviously I can't go out at at 9-minute mile. With a starting T+D of around 122, I don't necessarily need to start at 9:21, but I can't go that much faster especially given the rising temperatures as the race progresses. My mindset for this race was to give myself a chance at sub-4 at the end, even if the time I had remaining was a little unrealistic and I didn't quite make it. I could go out at 9:20 and a consistent effort could give me a 2:02-2:03 half split. If I feel like I have it, I could try for a 9:00 pace in the second half and be very close to 4 hours - but that's a huge leap in pace that I don't think is realistic especially given the heat. I could go out at 9:15 and get a 2:01:00-2:01:30 split. If my fitness has truly continued to improve, that seems realistic, and taking off 90-120 seconds from the last few miles feels more possible if I'm close and feeling decent. Again, everything hinges on just how fit I am. A tune-up race may have been helpful here to bring things more into focus, but then again maybe not because 6-8 weeks ago the weather wasn't really comparable to what we'll get on Sunday.

A subject has come up a couple times on various journals that I've enjoyed reading and thinking about - that a marathon isn't the be-all, end-all. And I agree with that. I've enjoyed this training cycle, but it has been a lot, and running a marathon is also a lot! I don't know how many more of these I want to do. That's another reason I was focusing on the sub-4.

I am nervous. And excited! But very, very nervous. It has been a long, sometimes arduous training cycle that has also somehow flown by. I can't believe it's here. I'm going to enjoy the spectacle and - as I always do - let my body give me what it has on Sunday.

Race report to follow!

 

[WillRunForPizza]

Good luck!! I'll be very interested to read your race report. Hope you have an awesome time!