25K Fallout

25K - 15.58 miles according the watch, 1:41:11, 6:29 pace, Max HR about 170 Zone 4.9(bad data at the beginning), Avg HR after dropping first three miles = 157 Zone 4.2
6:23, 6:27, 6:31, 6:15 (mistake to run this fast), 6:36, 6:23, 6:15 (another mistake), 6:30, 6:28, 6:38, 6:35, 6:23, 6:38, 6:42, 6:37, 6:17 for final .58

Typically I like to give a detailed race report, but I won't be doing that this time. I ran this race in a zone and I was more internally focused than any other race I've ever run. I paid close attention to form, stride length, breathing, drafting, endurance, cardiothoracic activity, and running the tangents. Because of that, I was rarely outside of the zone and didn't make any mental notes about my surroundings. I guess that makes for a boring race report.

A fellow runner wrote me about Lea Carruther's performance -- here was my reply:

I ran with Lea for about 6 miles. During that time we had about a 6:26 pace. Jeff Eisele was holding her back, telling her to take the first two easy and hammer the third. But as we rounded the first lap (five miles), Jeff dropped his watch and had to go back to pick it up*. The small group never saw him again. I guess Lea figured it was her get out of jail free card at that time because she started inching forward afterwards. I couldn't hold on (and didn't want to) and she left me in her dust. There was some confusion as to whether she was in first or not -- at least two girls were ahead of us but we weren't sure if they were in the relay or not. I guess they weren't, because I don't recall passing any girls after the first loop**.

Regardless, I don't know what she did to reduce her overall pace to 6:05 after running with me so long, but I wish I could have watched her surge. I'm sure it was a sight to see. I wonder if she was pushing to catch up with a phantom girl ahead of her.

Diana passed me right after we turned around at Shepherd for the last time. I was feeling pretty low at that point and made no point to hold on. My last five were run at 6:35 average -- not much a finishing kick.

As for my time -- I'm pretty happy. I hoped to be no slower than a 6:30 pace, but my 6:31 is good enough to put me where I want to be. Unfortunately my splits were mostly positive, making me think that it will get worse over longer distances. I'll have to be really smart about not going out too fast.

Edits --
* - Jeff was sick that day and it affected his performance. He's on top of his game, and regularly gives me a butt-kicking. He ran a 1:22:34 (6:18 pace) at the Koala/Luke's Half.
** - As it turns out she was in second at that point, behind the person who would eventually finish as the first masters woman.

The big news about the 25K, which isn't so pretty, is that my left Achilles tendon is now seriously injured. I've been feeling some discomfort, so I didn't run at all for the four days prior to the 25K race. I felt good at the starting line, and it didn't bother me much during the race. But after about 20 minutes of inactivity I started on a cool-down run and couldn't take a step without pain.

After referencing my blog for the last time I had issues with my Achilles, I determined that it took four weeks of just about no running before the other leg healed. This time I can tell it's injured a little worse. Hopefully four weeks is enough recovery time, though.

Loosely following the RICE theory (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation), I medicated with ibuprofen, rested, elevated and iced my leg several times over the past couple of days.

Obviously with the Houston Marathon 67 days away, I can't sit idle while I lose all of my conditioning. So I joined the UT Medical School Recreational center to stay in shape.

Yesterday I did 15 minutes of aqua jogging (before they closed the pool due to weather), 45 minutes on a cardio arm cranking machine, and about 10 minutes of weights. Today the pool was closed again, so I did 30 minutes on a bike, 15 minutes on the arm crank, another 15 minutes on the bike, and 20 minutes on weights. I'll keep posting about my workouts, and I'd appreciate any feedback from those of you who may have been in a similar boat.

Comments:
10/30/08 - Viva la Vida -
bill said: 100 miles in a week? I'd have to say you are definitely hard core. I think you will probably reap some good benefits if your body holds up. Are you training for the marathon?

How prophetic . . . "if your body holds up". I was dumb to run 100 miles in a week, but even dumber to run it sandwiched between some 70 mile weeks. That's why I'm in this situation, and I'm wondering if I'll be able to bounce back in time for the Houston Marathon. It's just like the blog entry -- one day you're on top of the world, and the next day you're nursing an injury. I guess I flew too close to the sun. Check out Bill's blog at: http://bigrunningengine.blogspot.com. He ran a 1:19:06 at the Koala/Luke's Houston Half Marathon late last month.

Anonymous said: Don't worry, buddy. You've got quite a few years before you wake up with that horrible realization.

LOL. I suppose you're right about the age thing, but I wasn't just talking about age. It's about the inevitable downward spiral, and the relatively small amount of time during our peaks even when we're on the upside. You can't always be on top of your game.

11/9/08 - 2008 HMSA 25K -
kayry said - Very nice race Jonathan - quite an improvement since a year ago.

Thanks! I knew an improvement was in the works. I ran that race last year on only eight months of running from scratch. Hopefully I can knock off another 10-20 seconds per mile next year, but that might be too ambitious. Check out John's blog at http://kayry-john.blogspot.com/. Interestingly enough, I was searching for some Houston Marathon routes on motionbased a few weeks ago and stumbled across your id there -- before I even knew about your blog. A few days later I found the blog and I've become a fan. Keep up the excellent work.

I don't know what I did to get a couple of speed demons to read my blog -- certainly not because of my speed, and I can't imagine it's because of my skill with the pen . . .errr, keyboard. But thanks for reading.