So I got over my strange injury. My doctor had me not run for two weeks. It really wasn't a big deal not running. I just turned my focus to strength training three times a week for the two week period. Instead of hitting the trails and roads, I hit the gym. Ab wheel work, weighted planks with a 45 lb. weight on my back, box step ups holding a 50 lb dumbbells in each hand, resistance band movements, wide grip pull ups. rear foot elevated split squats while holding a 45 lb plate, squat rows with a ginormous resistance band, etc.... My plate was full while I was on doc's orders not to run.
I felt like my foot was fine about a week and a half into the "rest" period. I figured it wouldn't hurt anything to just not run the whole two weeks. I was more than content on putting my focus on the anaerobic work outs that I was replacing running with. When the running moratorium ended I drove to McCormick's Creek State Park to give myself a nice soft trail to run on. I went six and three quarter miles and the foot was fine. The next day I did a run around my neighborhood on roads and my foot was fine. I was back !!!
The first week back I did about 34 miles total. My legs felt stronger from all the weight work I did in the layoff. I gained strength and I was running up hills with less fatigue. The first couple of runs showed that my aerobic base suffered a little but my anaerobic running was improved. I started to abandon the heart rate training I had been doing all year on my long trail runs and run by "feel". I kept doing runs by heart rate on my road runs though. I figured three runs a week on roads and then two on trails without the HR alarm would be good. My aerobic base was improving. I was knocking a minute or so off my mile time while my heart rate was staying at or below my set rate (143 bpm). My second week back and I did over 49 miles. Not a twinge from my injured foot.
I've ran this way for the past two weeks. Heart rate alarm on roads, no alarm on the trails. This was great and freeing, but then I stumbled upon a website called "the sock doc" by a doctor that does all kinds of articles and work with aerobic conditioning. http://sock-doc.com/2013/09/aerobic-endurance-superiority/
http://sock-doc.com/sock-doc-training-aerobic-intervals/These articles have caused me to rethink my training strategy and return to the aerobic building training I've been doing up until the brief injury.
Which brings me to my current conundrum. On December 7 I have a trail marathon coming up. It's the Tecumseh Trail marathon. A point to point run on some hilly trails here in South Centrail Indiana. Part of my thinking during the two long runs on the trail without using my HR alarm was that I would run the race by feel. Now I am second guessing this plan because I wonder if it would be wiser to stick to the HR training and continue to develop my aerobic base.
I just want to run the race for fun anyway. The Tecumseh Trail is a trail I've always wanted to run and a point to point supported run on it will be awesome. I just don't know if I want to have my garmin watch buzzing the whole time because I'm pushing my HR too much while climbing a hill. I can always take the hills easy instead of attacking them though. Part of me wants to challenge myself and my discipline by running the event aerobically though. Then the pressure of failing myself through a lack of self-control will be there. Gah !!!
I guess my problem at this point is physically I'm more than capable of doing the distance. My last long run of 18 miles I did on an empty stomach and didn't "bonk" or even come close. Mentally I'm a fucking wreck for this. I've been flip flopping on tactics ever since my foot injury cleared up. I don't have anything to prove except to myself. Man, this is why I hate races !!! Why do I even do them !?!? After this race my schedule is clear and I really don't have any desire to sign up for any because of the brain fuck the preparation this race is doing to me.
So basically I have a little more than a week to decide if I want to use this race as an opportunity to stick to my aerobic building training or run the race by "feel". I have no idea what "strategy" to go with or try to come up with a happy hybrid of the two. Honestly, I just want to get this thing over and done with, take mental notes of the terrain so I have a better idea of the area for runs there in the future, and just get back to training without all this bullshit of an organized event. Oh, and have fun.
