Things Fall Apart

I was riding high after the Club Challenge Ten Mile. I trained through the race, running approximately 90 miles in the seven days leading up to the race weekend. Although I didn't feel sharp or fast on race, I managed to run 54:23 on a hilly, windy course on a windy day. After a couple of easy 60:00 runs in the days following the race, I began increasing my mileage and running lengthy, challenging tempo workouts. Everything seemed to be progressing well.

On the Tuesday before the National Half Marathon, I developed tendon issues in my left leg, and my legs, in general, felt extremely flat and unresponsive; I had overtrained and crossed the "red line" into dangerous territory. Despite reducing my mileage (slightly) in the days before the National, my body was overly fatigued on race day. I was far off my goal time, but I was pleased that I managed to run as fast as I did under these circumstances.

After the race, I was jazzed, ready to heal and begin the final push, this time more cautiously, for the Pittsburgh Marathon. By Tuesday, my legs were recovering, and I comfortably logged 14.25 miles for the day, including several 30-second surges. I had planned to run easy on Wednesday because we were going to the Ben Folds concert in the evening, and I had little time after work. Throughout the day, I developed a nasty cold, with splitting headaches and joint pain. I felt terrible on the run. As the evening progressed, my condition deteriorated. I didn't run on Thursday, hoping a day off would shorten the duration of the cold. Perhaps it will, but, as of Saturday morning, I am still suffering from one of the worst colds I've experienced.

I ran paltry 47:30 yesterday at a fairly light pace. I haven't had an intense workout since the race last Saturday. I'm not sure when I'll be able to manage a workout again, and I may have to forgo or significantly shorten my long run tomorrow.

I am uncertain as to how this will impact my marathon. Perhaps the forced rest will allow me to take full advantage of the fitness I've built over the past several months. That would be the best scenario. Currently, I've scrapped all of my plans for the coming week, and I intend to train day-to-day to avoid additional injuries, burn out, and sickness. My only definite plan is to run the Annapolis Striders' Cherry Blossom 10 Mile as part of a marathon-paced, 13-mile tempo run on April 11. This is an essential workout.

After encountering these problems and running a disappointing race last Saturday, I began to question my training and approach to the season. Surely, if I had run 70 to 75 miles a week, instead of building to the high-80s and low-90s, my fitness would have improved from this past fall and I'd be primed for PRs throughout the spring season. However, I am happy that I challenged myself with higher mileage, double sessions, and longer tempos and long runs. I've found the red line. Now, I have to adjust my training, giving my body time to adapt and strengthen, and slowly build to 90-mile weeks, therefore establishing a higher level of fitness conquering the territory immediately beyond my current "red line."