Sunday, November 15, 2009

Hal Higdon Training: 12 Mile Run + Time to HTFU!

Today was the hardest, most exhausting run I have had in my life. It was harder than any of the Triathlons. It was harder than the 10K I ran at a 7:20/mile pace. It was harder than any wind sprints or laps I ever had to do playing football. It was even harder than the 16 miles I did seven days ago!

Now everyone has bad days while training and you should just chalk it up to that, but this was somehow different. And Annie had the same experience. We both were sucking wind the entire run. Our nutrition and hydration were spot on and neither of us can figure out why it was so hard. The only thing we can come up with is that it is actually part of Mr. Hal Higdon's training plan. Last week he had our long run set at 16 miles and we slowly had worked up to that distance and did quite easily. Then this week it was only 12 miles. We went into this morning's run thinking this run was going to be a breeze, no problems, and we were horribly mistaken!

So just to give a recap: We got out of bed a little late and started around 8am. We walked outside and it was hot and humid. My sunglasses immediately began to steam. It usually takes me about 2 miles to find a nice groove and this did not happen the entire run. About 4 miles into the run my right foot was numb. I have been having some minor comfort issues with my right foot since I bought new shoes. I have been adjusting how tight I am tying the laces and today I think the were a little too tight! So I stopped running and adjusted the laces. It felt a little better but overall I am not very pleased with this pair of Asics. I cannot remember the type of Asics and I am not at home to check but I will let everyone know later.

After about 8 miles of struggling I told Annie we just needed to Harden The F*** Up and finish the run. She agreed and we sucked it up for 4 more miles. The last half mile almost ended me. It was only 5 minutes long but felt like an eternity. I could not have done another mile. My legs were sore, my ankles were pounding, my breathing was all over the place .... I was toast. This was the first time since I began running seriously that I felt like I was going to vomit while running and it happened on multiple occasions today!

As I sit here my legs feel beat and I am going to go home and take a nap before I go to bed!

Tomorrow is an off day and I imagine that it will be much needed. Then on Tuesday we do 4 miles, Wednesday is 9 miles, Thursday is 5 miles, and the weekend long run is 18 miles. I am dreading the 18 miles right now!

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

7 comments:

  1. The new shoes that are bugging you...are those the new trail runners you just bought?

    That's wild that both you and Annie had the same running experience. Kudo's to both of you for slugging it out and sticking with it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Steve - These shoes are Asics - Nimbus Gel 11 - My trail shoes are awesome! I was thinking about running with them on the roads but am afraid I'll tear up the treads.

    the only thing that Annie and I can figure out is that the training plan we are following expected this out of us today.

    My legs, hips, knees, shins and feet all still hurt right now. Very weird, tomorrow morning is going to suck!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey Jeff; I've been following your blog for a little over a year and just want to say keep it up! I'm excited to see how you'll do with your trail run, but I'm sure you'll be fine. I'm starting a second round of P90X today after a break of several months, and though I know it will be painful, I'm looking forward to it. My one question for you is regarding supplements and vitamins. I know you have shared some things that have worked for you, but I'm curious to know if you are taking anything while on your current training plan?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Tim - Good luck with your second round of P90X!

    As for the Supps, I am only using whey protein and muscle milk during this current training. When I began running I was using Cell Mass and Nitrix but I really was not getting any benefits from them so I stopped.

    My diet is extremely clean right now so my energy level is good. If I do feel fatigued from a hard workout I usually just up my carb intake and that does the job.

    Now for you, if your goal is weight loss then you may want to go the whey protein route. But if you are trying to gain muscle/definition then I highly recommend the Cell Mass, Nitrix, NO Xplode and maybe even some Creatine. When I take these supps I gain 10 pounds in a couple of weeks and look ripped!

    Let me know how the 2nd round goes!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Tim - Good luck with your second round of P90X!

    As for the Supps, I am only using whey protein and muscle milk during this current training. When I began running I was using Cell Mass and Nitrix but I really was not getting any benefits from them so I stopped.

    My diet is extremely clean right now so my energy level is good. If I do feel fatigued from a hard workout I usually just up my carb intake and that does the job.

    Now for you, if your goal is weight loss then you may want to go the whey protein route. But if you are trying to gain muscle/definition then I highly recommend the Cell Mass, Nitrix, NO Xplode and maybe even some Creatine. When I take these supps I gain 10 pounds in a couple of weeks and look ripped!

    Let me know how the 2nd round goes!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow, good job sucking it up! Yeah, I just think that bad days do happen and, in this case, your body has just been pounded so much that it pushed back. The good news is you are still on schedule. Wish I could say the same.

    HTFU!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Boomer - Think you are right about my body "pushing back". ... It has been getting abused pretty bad for the last year or so and I shouldn't be surprised that my performance finally suffered.

    I am looking forward to your insantiy review, everyone says it is a hell of a cardio workout.

    ReplyDelete