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Bad long run during 1st marathon training...

Dragonfly1996
Dragonfly1996 Posts: 196 Member
edited November 12 in Social Groups
Hi just posting as interested in other peoples experiences of having a bad training run & how you overcame it?

I am training for my first marathon at end April & am technically up to 16.5mi. I am due to do 20 this weekend. I have done two HM before & the 1st was hampered by trainer issues & blisters but the 2nd all went to plan & I had a good race.

I am not a natural runner & am quite slow (appx 12 min/mile) which does frustrate me sometimes & I try not to compare to other people!!

I am having problems with ITB pain at the moment & have regular massages but am a bit slack on doing my home stretches & using my foam roller - which I will be addressing from this week on as well as taking ibuprofen.

Yesterday I was scheduled to do 15 mi but as I had missed my 19 the weekend away due to a holiday, I decided Saturday I would
do 18 instead. However, I don't think I was mentally prepared enough as it was the worse long run I have ever had!!! My knee was hurting which made my back & hip hurt (probably running funny) then randomly the soles of my feet joined in like walking on stones with no shoes - never hurt before!!! I got to 15 after a couple of brief stops to rub my knee, had a bit of a paddy & got upset & hobbled / walked the last 1.5mi home. I think I just got frustrated with running slow, hot, thirst (ran out of fluid tut tut I know!), fed up with my ITB & generally the whole thing felt like a chore!! I got home & nearly decided to throw the towel in as didn't see the point if I wasn't enjoying the experience!! Funny that I got to 15 though, being what I was scheduled to do in the first place :ohwell:

I felt better about it all last night & am sticking with it despite my frustrations as I don't want to quit. I know I have moved forward as I couldn't have run 15mi a year ago so I have improved!!! I think I would enjoy it more if my ITB stopped hurting even a little bit!!!

I appreciate that a lot of trying to run a marathon must be about the mental state - mind over matter & all that!! I also probably shouldn't be too hard on myself & perhaps stop thinking about it all too hard. So I had a bad training run, so chalk it down to experience & move on - right?

Still would be interested to hear of any struggles, injuries etc anyone has had & then gone on to run one or more marathons or could offer any advise on how to deal with the "down" moments!!!

Thanx for listening :flowerforyou:

Replies

  • Dragonfly1996
    Dragonfly1996 Posts: 196 Member
    PS sorry forgot to say I did run 16mi (with about10 x 1 min walk breaks) 3 weeks ago in wind & rain which was much more successful (& 6 mins faster than this weekend!!!) perhaps the walk breaks helped?!!! :wink:
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    Everyone has bad runs, absolutely everyone! Personally accepting that and moving on is one of the hardest things I've done, and in the past I've used it as an excuse to skip the next session or make it easier (split it over two days, go to the running club to do a short, hard session instead etc.). I know, I'm a eedjit!

    Trust the plan, the plan is wise! Also trust the physio - keeping that ITB healthy is vital these next few weeks. Make your date with your foam roller part of the routine - no dinner until you've rolled, for instance.

    For your 20 miler, the miles and only the miles are important. Take it really, really steady - up to two minutes a mile slower than your normal pace. Don't make a lunch appointment you need to get home for! Stretch when you have niggles, don't run through them. Get your nutrition spot-on in the run up. Use it as a dress rehearsal for race day, with your running kit, gels, water etc.

    I've screwed up on a few of my long runs now and I only have two left, 18 this week (which will be an hour and 20 mins jump from this weekend just gone!!!!) then 20 two weeks later. And that's it, no more mileage to fall back on, scary!

    But with a bit of planning, sticking note-perfect to my training plan for the next few weeks and with the support of my lovely MFP friends, especially you with whom I know I share a lot of training gripes, I know I can do it. And so can you.

    The marathon isn't to be take lightly - even Lance Armstrong said it was the hardest thing he's undertaken - but you've done great prep and been flexible when life gets in the way. We'll be better prepared than a good 10% of people at the start line.

    Only a tenth of one percent of people every complete a marathon. But only one percent of the people who make it to the starting line drop out. And it won't be the ones who've done their very best with their preparation despite jitters and niggles.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/522516-um-would-you-wear-this

    Feel better? Me too! Now go get 'em Tiger! *high 5*
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    And yes, take walk breaks! Doing run 2/walk 1 intervals has been an absolute breakthrough for me. Who'd have thought I could slow to a walk for 1/3 of the time yet end up faster than trying to run constantly? But plan them and take them regularly right from the start, don't just do random breaks when you're already tired.

    Here's Jeff Galloway. Worship him as your new walk-break god.
    http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/walk_breaks.html
  • grinch031
    grinch031 Posts: 1,679
    My first marathon I underestimated the importance of training. I would sometimes go 5-7 days without running at all. Anyways the longest run I'd done was 14 about a month before and decided one weekend I was ready for an 18-miler. I made it about 12 miles and then hit "the wall". I was on a trail and was 6 miles away from where my car was parked. It took me probably 2 hours to walk the last 6 miles, and I had to periodically sit down and rest because my legs were so tired. I have never felt so helpless. The very next weekend I ran another 18-miler and it was relatively easy, go figure.
  • jbrinda1
    jbrinda1 Posts: 153 Member
    So you've figured out that everything is related. :wink: If something is hurting you on a run, calf, hamstring, heel, whatever, it won't be long before something else starts hurting...why? because when something hurts, we tend to overcompensate, to protect the injured area, if you are running lighter on one side, you're shifting weight bearing to the other side. I have been struggling with plantar fasciitis for nearly a year and on some of my longer runs, it would start out as heel pain around my 7 and then gradually would add tightening of the calf and then tight hamstring. Try to be religious on the stretching and also google PT exercises for the specific pains you are having. If you are having a painful run, sometimes it is best to cut it short and call it a day rather than risk aggravating the injury. You won't kill your marathon by missing one of the scheduled long runs. Also, it might make sense to see an orthopedist or chiro to tell them what you're experiencing and make sure it isn't anything serious.

    Also, as you get closer to marathon, it seems to be pretty normal for people to start to feel phantom aches and pains that never seemed to bother them before. Just about everyone experiences bad runs and strange pains at some point, hard part is separating the real injuries that need to be treated from the everyday aches and pains of putting in a hard workout. Don't let it get you down to much, you body just might not quite be ready for all stress being put on it.

    Have you run any shorter races prior to signing up for the marathon? It's surprising to me how many people just up and decide to do a marathon without every having tried a Half, 10K or even a 5K first. Hopefully that's not the case. Just keep putting the miles in, dont worry about speed, and listen to your body. Adequately fuel and hydrate for the effort, not doing so could be contributing to your problems. Good luck!
  • Dragonfly1996
    Dragonfly1996 Posts: 196 Member
    Thanx for all the comments & advise - I have been doing between 14 & 22mi a week since mid Jan plus one spin class & one kettle bell class a week. I dont think I ate enough proper carbs in the few days before & also it was a lot warmer Sunday & I did run out of fluid after 13 mi. My ITB only plays up after I have been running 6-8 mi & only when running. No problems walking or spinning etc. My trainers are ok still but will need changing later in the year. I have started using my foam roller this morning again & taking ibuprofen. I take an assortment of supplements Inc glucosamine, carnitine & glutamate.

    Hopefully the ITB pains will decrease over the next 6 weeks!!

    I am looking in to compression capris as I have sox & they helped my calves. Also going to fit in sone gym resistance work as strength training.

    Thanx again guys
    :flowerforyou:
  • Dragonfly1996
    Dragonfly1996 Posts: 196 Member
    PS I have also run a few races prior to this training - 5 x 5k, 2 x 10k & 2 x HM.

    Cheers :flowerforyou:
  • millionsofpeaches
    millionsofpeaches Posts: 372
    For your ITB pain, I would get a knee strap. Running stores sell them and it will go around the top of your knee/leg where the muscle comes down on the side. It holds the muscle while you run so you do not strain it. I had problems with my ITB and a friend suggested one of the bands. I slapped it on and it made a huge difference.

    As for a "bad" training run... Everyone has them. It happens, just don't get down on yourself. It may be what you are eating that is making you feel like crap or perhaps it is something mental. I used to psych myself out for long runs and wouldn't be able to complete them. I found a few friends to run with that run at a similar pace to me. I found it helped a lot! Even if you have a more experienced/fast runner go with you. Tell them you need some help. Ask them to slow down and support you through.

    Good luck, you can do it.
  • tnrunningnurse
    tnrunningnurse Posts: 549 Member
    I was just wondering if you have had your gait analyzed to make sure you are in the correct shoe for your heelstrike. When I was training for my first marathon I started having aches and pains after I started my long runs. Went to my running clubs message board and posted a message about it and everyone told me to get my gait analyzed....and sure enough....I was in the wrong shoe.
  • Dragonfly1996
    Dragonfly1996 Posts: 196 Member
    I was just wondering if you have had your gait analyzed to make sure you are in the correct shoe for your heelstrike. When I was training for my first marathon I started having aches and pains after I started my long runs. Went to my running clubs message board and posted a message about it and everyone told me to get my gait analyzed....and sure enough....I was in the wrong shoe.


    Thanx but I can't blame my trainers!!! Went to proper shop & got assessed & fitted. Trainers fit lovely & never had any problems with them. My previous ones were very wrong though so I know what that's like!!! :wink:
  • Katniss12Peeta
    Katniss12Peeta Posts: 29 Member
    Well, I have never run, nor plan to run a marathon or half marathon, so first off that is AMAZING!! I would die, dude!! Be proud of yourself just for running 13 miles. That is awesome!
    I have a story to tell you that might inspire you or something.
    Last year around this time, I was running about 5 or 6 miles a day, and doing quite well. I was in great shape. Weighed 140, and playing college softball. Then, one snowy day, my coach decided to have us run stairs in the concrete gym for an hour. I got terrible shin splints, that ended up turning into 4 stress fractures within 2 days. I got a fracture in the middle of each shin, and then near my knee on each leg. I had to be in a wheel chair because the swelling was so severe. After 10 weeks, I was able to walk freely again, but running felt like some thing I would never be capable of again. I weighed 166 from being so stationary all the time, and I felt terrible. I gave up for a few months. But today, I ran 3 miles and I'm running a 5k race in May. I am losing weight slowly, and even though it is always going to hurt my shins to run, I can do it!
    So I guess the moral of this story is just be happy and proud of yourself for what you CAN do, feel blessed that you can even run at all, and mostly, just realize that just about everything is possible to get through, including a bad run. Rest for a day, ice, massage, and get your mental fitness in order! You can do it! Get out there! You are amazing!!
  • jbrinda1
    jbrinda1 Posts: 153 Member
    Wo that is crazy about the stress fractures....you must have brittle bones. Must have sucked, glad you are on the road to recovery.
  • Dragonfly1996
    Dragonfly1996 Posts: 196 Member
    Katniss - amazing story & good for you that you are able to get back into running!! Thanx for your post & good luck for the future!! :flowerforyou:
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