The shits

Kurt has the shits, an intestinal bug run amok. He's paranoid of falling down the stairs and twisting an ankle or stubbing a toe or wrenching a knee doing something routine. Hey, it's nearing showtime and, well, shit happens. Count on it. With 11 days to go, Kurt is feeling the extraordinary time commitment and effort he's made since February. How many miles? How many hours? Doctors visits, spinning classes, time trials, 20-milers? Add it all up, man, you're vested. You've made the sacrifice. Paid the price. Now you want the payoff. Why the hell put your body through that grind without the money run? The sub-4. For 12 months now, that notion of a marathon with a "3" to define it seemed so compelling, it ruled his free time. No, it was his free time--beyond dog school. It wasn't always fun but it wasn't always that bad either --especially when you could feel yourself getting faster, stronger, leaner. That part was good, very good, maybe even surprisingly good. He may have liked running more than he ever imagined. So the road to the startline was it's own reward, and there were so many obstacles along with way that were avoided or side-stepped. That was good too. Just watch out for those stairs and doing something stupid. Because at this point, the biggest enemy to a sub-4 is something you can't control: Weather.

Taper Time, Week 1

Taper Time is a wonderful time. You've done the work, now it's time to coast. Eat your protein steak and eggs to repair damaged muscle. Get as much rest as you can, shake the fatigue. Run progressively less. De-stress, feel good, no pressure. Plan a massage. Hey, it's been a haul, but you sidestepped through the minefield of injuries, illness and natural disasters and you're almost ready to go.

Week 1 of a 3-weekTaper, however, still "counts." It's a good week to get in a final mid-distance marathon pace run and maybe a final 5K time trial. I did the 5K time trial yesterday, midweek, and ran a 7:43 (in low 80s temp), which was one second faster than what I ran in June, but 40 seconds faster than two weeks ago; this past weekend, I tried a 5K and had to walk the last mile home. That was Pre-Inhaler. The 7:43 time suggests, according to Coach Bensen, a sub-4 hour marathon, but it's a razor-thin close call. 5K trials aren't as accurate as 10K trials, which aren't as good as Yasso 880s (10 of them would be the best test). Also, 75% of the last 150 miles spent on a treadmill will be an interesting test to see how road-rugged my legs are.

I have one hard run left -- a 10-12 mile MP or 10 Yasso 880s? I need a track for the 880s, which could result in more muscle damage than you want to take on two weeks out. My mileage this week is 75% of peak-- around 30 miles. Next week half, around 20. Most of the runs next week will be 3-6 mile marathon pace runs. That's the plan.

I'm starting to look at weather in Chicago this week. By this weekend, I'll be able to see 15 days out and begin the ridiculous exercise of freting over temperature changes on race day as posted on Accuweather. It's tradition.

Puff That Magic Dragon

Bring on my inhaler. After a month of bending over to suck air only 15-30 minutes into every run, we now have an answer why. It's exercise-induced asthma, which I suspected a year ago but it never raged like this year's month-long episode.

Having puffed my new favorite running aid yesterday, I ran the treadmill for 8 miles at 9 and 8:30 paces comfortably. I even experienced a "second wind" -- a squirt of endorphins -- which has been non-existent in my miserable, breath-sucking, death runs this summer. Thank you, Dragon....

My doctor, who was reluctant to prescribe the inhaler until I saw a pulmonolgist (in two weeks!), will appreciate the numbers (I love being right with doctors!): Comparing Sunday's pre-puff run to yesterday's post-puff run, my heart reached 145 BPM at 10:42 and 9:13 paces, respectively. Yeah, incredible. My heart was working much, much harder with my bronchial tubes constricted, inflamed, engorged, and gooked with mucus. Two puffs 30 minutes before running, and I was clear to go. There's still irritation in there from Sunday's 18 miler, but it's ridiculously better.

Did I lose training time? Sure. About of a month, at the worst possible time. I still averaged brutal 40 mile weeks (except for the flu bug week), but at very slow paces, with no improving intervals or tempos that would drive down my overall pace and improve conditioning. In fact, I kept getting slower. Inexplicably slower. From that standpoint, it was a waste. However, on Sunday, I realized I might only be able to complete a half-marathon. Now I can run the full.

Most important, I'm enjoying it again. Puff on, man....

Peaking Ugly

It's peak season for this year's fall marathon, and I'm experiementing with a new tactic during these few critic weeks when you really want to racchet up your conditioning and get your head ready to meet all physical and mental challenges on the big day. I'm laying down. Why run and tire myself out, it never made me faster before. Labor Day, the day I always put in a 18 to 20-miler, I slept for, oh, 18 to 20 hours. Oddly, I felt about as good I usually do after the long run-- fatigued to the point I layed down again.

If this summer went from good to bad to ugly, I'm deep in ugly now. On the back side of my stomach flu and still trying to shake an upper respiratory infection that's been dogging me for three weeks, I'm at the point where I can now run a day then need a day(s) to recover after my body revolts. When this cycle ends, I don't know. Meanwhile, me and the hours whither away till race day. Let me lay down and think about it.

Running into trouble

Less than three weeks till the taper begins. Both Kurt and I are battling physical problems.

Kurt, who was running lights out with a sub-46 10K and blistering 10-miler at 8:20 pace in San Francisco last week, is now hobbled with shin splints. Last week's dazzling SF runs were on asphalt, his first off the relatively cushy dirt trail he's been running all summer at home. Changing surfaces can do it. My recommendation was to return to ice, ibruprohen and bike spinning for a week. His shins should be fine, without losing any conditioning. The only issue is skipping his first 20 miler this weekend. He could run just one 20 as scheduled before the taper -- or go to a two-week taper, opting for two 20s, on the second and fourth weekends out. Depends on how the shins feel in 10 days. Problem on the latter option, if he injures anything with only two weeks to go, you have less time to recover. Worse case may be he lines up with one 18 under his belt and possibly only one 20; the endurance side of the equation would be less than ideal but manageable.

Lingering fatigue from long runs in the heat, a touch of IT band, and a strained hamstring are bothering me. I should be okay with rest, although the R-IT that tightened this week is troublesome. I never like to see that pop up at this late date. I'm taking a couple days rest and planning on 15 this weekend.

Perhaps more threatening is the new tropical wave developing slightly north and east of the Leewards. Hate to see storms brewing in that area.