re: Official Running Log/Marathon Training Thread

Jesus.

Build coming along nicely. Week 4 of Pfitz 18/55 plan complete. Feeling good.

Honesty not really sure. I think I’m just gonna focus on training as best I can the next couple months and seeing where it takes me. Since college I’d tell myself I’m gonna go for a certain pace or something and get frustrated when my training didn’t line up with where I thought it should be and psych myself out of it. I think I just want to focus on actually enjoying running (competition at least I love coaching) again and whatever comes with it is just lagniappe.

I didn't have pain per se, but my right hip was getting real stiff about mile 6. Seated goodmornings and Romanian deadlifts fixed it.

Some of y’all probably saw on Strava, had my half marathon yesterday in Gulf Shores. I still managed to narrowly set a PR by maybe a minute but talk about a disappointing race.

Goal A was 1:44:00
Goal B was 1:39:59
Result was 1:50:17

I know I had the fitness for goal A, goal B was if I was feeling really good I felt like I could hit a 7:38/mile average. I jumped in with the 1:40 pacing group, with the intent on hanging on as long as I could. First 5 or so miles were going pretty well then a problem that’s been plaguing me hit - right foot starting going numb, by 5.5 felt like I had a peg leg. By 6 or 6.5 I had to stop unlace, loosen, re-lace, walk until I had feeling again then get moving. Numbness tried to come back around mile 7.5 or 8 but I ran through it…but by then my hip started bugging me and the heat got to me. Just couldn’t hold on. I think part of it was I may not have been as fit as I thought and the other part is not having the mental tenacity to grind through pain - though I also didn’t want to get injured. Could sum it up by saying I’m an experienced runner, but an inexperienced racer.

Anyway, I need to figure this foot thing out. It doesn’t happen every time I run, but it does happen often and always by mile 4 or 5. At first I thought it was socks being too snug. Now I think I was in denial and it’s something with my foot or my running form. Going to try to see a PT about it or a podiatrist - not sure which is better.

Overall race experience was good. Race production was impressive and starting/ending at the beach was nice. Course is boring and has little crowd support, but it’s a nice path through the Gulf park. Does run by a sewerage plant which didn’t smell great at a few spots. Also has a grueling run up a highway overpass at mile 11 or 12. I think I’d do it again. Another perk is that it doesn’t draw too many runners so easy to place in age group if you have the legs for it lol.

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I've been dealing with this a little bit on my runs. What shoes are you wearing? The two things I've pinpointed that cause it are lacing too tight and having tight calves/achilles. I stopped halfway through my long run yesterday for the same reason as you said and massaged out my calves, soleus, Achilles areas and it got better.

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Daily trainers are ZoomX Invincibles, raced in New Balance RC Elite v1 yesterday.

I’m thinking, like you, it’s mainly to do with tightness in my calves. I lace my shoes pretty loose as is due to this issue and it still happens.

Thanks! Yeah, I probably don’t stretch as well as I should but I typically do stretch out my calves and I have a scraping tool I’ve been using. Seems to be hit or miss when it happens. I had two 6 mile runs just before taper that were perfect - no issues. Then I had two 3 mile runs where my foot was starting to go numb right when I finished.

Yeah, the outsole design is not ideal for over pronation. I was between the RC Elite and Vaporfly - did an 8k race in the NB’s and had no issues. Did a 10 mile workout in the Vaporflys and wasn’t crazy about them. Based on that, I chose NB because I like the ride better from the FuelCell but perhaps they exaggerated my pronation to the point of going numb? I get the same numbness in Invincibles, Vaporfly, and Endorphin Speed. Haven’t pushed distance in my NB Rebels to see if the pattern continues with those. I suspect it would.

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grueling run up a highway overpass


Careful- AubieSpr will be here shortly to shite on your flat race

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I laughed a lot.


Foot numbness? Slantboard to stretch your plantar and calf. Lots of foot exercises like heel raises. What's helped me the most is dragging a weighted sled backwards.