October 20: I'm still running....

Yup, I'm still in training for the NYC marathon, I just haven't been good with logging my runs here. Here's a summary of my training "runs" since the last update.

October 1

Distance: 4.03 miles
Time: 1:05:42
Pace: 16:18/mile


October 4

Distance: 13.14 miles
Time: 4:00:02
Pace: 18:16/mile
Comments: Since my left knee was still iffy, I decided to not run but put in the "on my feet" hours that I needed. I mostly walked the whole 4 hours except for towards the end when I realized that if I wanted to complete a half-marathon distance in 4 hours I would have to run a little bit, which I did. I walked on the trail (which left me with soggy shoes), the road and the track. That was a looooong walk!


October 6

Distance: 3.32 miles
Time: 50:19
Pace: 15:07/mile


October 8

Distance: 4.7 miles
Time: 1:07:60
Pace: 14:28/mile


October 11

Distance: 16.14 miles
Time: 4:23:49
Pace: 16:14/mile
Comments: My longest run ever. If this was the NYC marathon, I would have made it from Staten Island all the way into Manhattan. But still 10 miles to go! I mostly did "run 1 min: walk 2 min" then decided to push a little bit and went "run 2 min: walk 2 min." Unfortunately by mile 14 I could feel the IT band started to ache. It wasn't bad so I continued on but by mile 16 I felt a sharp pain on the outer lateral side of my left knee and with that I ended my long run. I was thinking I was going to try for 18 miles, but 16 miles was still good.


October 14

Distance: 5.05 miles
Time: 1:13:08
Pace: 14:28/mile


October 19

Distance: 9.02 miles
Time: 2:05:53
Pace: 13:58/mile
Comments: Less miles during the last 2 weeks before the marathon. I was trying several run-walk combinations to see what works. Run 1 min: walk 2 min. Run 1 min: walk 1 min.
Remarkably I wasn't faster when I did "run 1: walk 1" compared to "run 1: walk 2." My left knee felt a little uncomfortable when I ran down a slight downhill :(

So the game plan for marathon day is:
1. Run 1 min: walk 2 min (over and over and over)
2. Run at a faster pace during that 1 minute because slow jog aggravates the IT band.
3. When the 2 minute walk starts, walk slower to catch my breath and when ready, pick up my pace to a fast walk.
4. Avoid running uphills or downhills. That will mean I'll be walking over the Verrazano-Narrows bridge at the starting point.
5. For the first 16 miles, stick to "run 1 min: walk 2 min" no matter what and not to go at it harder/faster. The goal is to cross the finish line without limping.