Wednesday Run...or the lack there of.

   Didn't run tonight. Just took the pooch for a swift walk. Family in town and gotta work tomorrow and it's Turkey day also. Just switched up insulin. I'm on Apidra now. Let's see how that goes.

Sunday Long Run

November 23rd

RUN: 12 miles
Terrain: Mostly flat road
Time: 01:48:33

Pre-Run Glucose: 100 mg/dL
Post-Run Glucose: 124 mg/dL
Intake: 1 cup Choc. Silk (pre-run), 2 gel packs during run
Run Pump Status: Suspend

   I ran a long road run yesterday with a friend. The first few miles are always not so pleasant when it's pretty cold, but after warmed up life is good. Lots of stretching. I ran a little low on fuel at one point realizing I was slowing down. Downed a gel and kept plugging away at it. Downed the second gel 5 miles to end. It makes one feel like a lab rat constantly looking down at your pump keeping a hawks eye on your trending glucose levels. Thanks to my friend for pushing me. As we both stated at the end of the run, "I wouldn't have pushed that much on my own". That's the beauty of running with others. Tomorrow, and of course this afternoon, I'll definitely be doing lots of plantar treating.

Wednesday Night Run

Wednesday 19th

Run: ~ 6 miles
Terrain: Hilly Park Trails
Time: 58 mins

Pre-Run Glucose: 112 mg/dl
Post-Run Glucose: 172 mg/dl
Intake: 6 glucose tablets (each has 4mg carbohydrate/tablet)
Run Pump Status: Suspend


   A nice run in the dark through the park. Some really steep hills, great for warming the legs up that's for sure, and mostly soft and insulated with all of the recent leaf downage. Our group (four guys) split from the larger group (a mixed group of about 10 people) and we did a slightly more challenging section of the trail. We were basically suckers for a little extra torture on the steep hills. The highlight, literally, of the run for me was when I realized I could light up the trail enough for all four of us. That Black Diamond "Icon" is the shnizzle with its 3 amp power. I recommend getting yourself one.

   Problem Spot: I've now taken care of my toe bruising sessions, thank goodness.
However, I continue to have something happen on most of my runs which I need to figure out how to address. My left heel gets quite tender to walk on the morning after a run. Throughout the next day it does feel better by about noon, but man getting out of bed and walking on that thing first thing in the AM sucks.....a little reseach shows this to be your typical Plantar Fasciitis.

Wednesday's Run

Wednesday 12th

Run: 6.5
Terrain: Mostly flat, one small hill.

   Ran @ Redoubt soccer fields with some friends and my new running buddy "Riley" (our handsome newly adopted Golden Retriever). He ran two miles with me tonight before tiring, and a total of five this week. The track surrounds the soccer fields and is a great way to get in a quick run on the way home. The loop is one mile in length. Just another ho-hum run to keep putting miles in the bank.

November - Mystery Mountain Marathon

Sunday 2nd

Run: ~2:58:00
Terrain: Very steep elevation gain and loss

Pump and Glucose Status: Read below

   Those pictures, along with a thousand others will be burned into my mind until next years M3. Let me devulge. How to BONK MAJOR! First, come to race day and have four bowel movements before you hit the start line. Yahooooo! Second, make sure your blood glucose level is about 350 mL/dL. Now start running. Your first 3-5 miles will be OK. Feelin pretty good they will. Then, your system will start dumping lactic acid into your muscle tissue because your sugar is out of line. You may have taken insulin to bring it back into line, but that won't help you know. The Lactic Acid Dump Truck already has your address and he's got plenty to dump. Now, keep hydrating because you know that even under normal circumstances you need to, but under the rules your playing with today you need to even more. No worries, the water won't help you anyway. Your getting tooo much lactic acid way to quickly. First, your calves start to feel it. "Keep it steady...pace,pace,pace. Maybe II'll run through it." you tell yourself. You probably won't be so lucky. Sure enough, mile 9 and you can now feel the lactic acid in all zones from calves to shoulders....oh shittttakeee..this is gonna hurt big time. "Keep running" you tell yourself, because you ARE NOT a quiter. Besides, you're in the middle of the woods with miles to the next aid station. "Oh look, the insulin is working, great it will bring you back in line and give an element of stability." Ah, but you will drop far faster, possibly dangerously so, than you think. Ok, stop do a finger stick....crap man you're at 81 mL/dL you better eat something like quick. Eat, walk, eat, run, eat....keep going. Man these freakin hills feel like someone tore off your calf muscles and left you to run with out them. You think to youself..."OK, I ran Wednesday night. 7 miles in 41 minutes, so I know I can keep up with this." No matter how bad you feel, and this is the worst you have ever...EVER, felt keep going. Oh and when you reach "The Decision" point of no return...let me tell you it's a million times smarter to forget your hopes of finishing an actual marathon and just limping in so you can live another day. This is a fraction of what went through my head yesterday. Truly, it was the sweetest poisoned apple I've ever eaten. Thank goodness I had someone like Cat there to back me up and watch out for me. Cat....I'd run through hell with ya. Let's do it again when my glucose is on target, and I can then actually not slow you down but keep a good click. I trained my taiil off for this and got punished pretty bad...welcome to the club officially now Mike....right!

Wednesday Night Run

Wednesday 5th


Run: 4.5
Terrain: Mostly flat around lake

   Tonight, was the first night I've had to really depend upon my headlamp. Unfortunately for me, I hadn't found my Petzl Duo yet and decided to grab what I had...a $10 3 LED bulb light. I was not amused or impressed. It slowed me down. I felt like I was walking on air to clear the roots and terrain. A friend ran behind me to make-up for the lack of adequate light. Thanks to him for that. I will buy a better light and have it for the next night trail run. I'm not playing with my safety like that again. Lesson learned. I'm thinking a Black Diamond 3amp will do just nicely!

Catch-up

   So, my first real post here is kind of a catch up for things I've been doing and have just done.

First, I've been training with some great folks Wednesday nights on some great trail runs. This has helped me to get much better at runnig. I love trail running and it's great to do it with some groovy folks. This would be thanks to the encouragement of irondreama. This has helped me to get some needed extra miles in the bank also.

Second, was my first (attempt) at a trail marathon (Mystery Mountain Marathon - M3). For reasons uncontrollable I was able to complete 13.1 half marathon, but could in no way complete the full 26.2 as I had so wished and trained for. That's ok. I will nail it next year. The following is my post on the SCV forum about that event.

Cat took a few pics along the way that I hope she doesn't mind me stealing.

   "Those pictures, along with a thousand others will be burned into my mind until next years M3. Let me devulge. How to BONK MAJOR! First, come to race day and have four bowel movements before you hit the start line. Yahooooo! Second, make sure your blood glucose level is about 350 mL/dL Now start running. Your first 3-5 miles will be OK. Feelin pretty good they will. Then, your system will start dumping lactic acid into your muscle tissue because your sugar is out of line. You may have taken insulin to bring it back into line, but that won't help you know. The Lactic Acid Dump Truck already has your address and he's got plenty to dump. Now, keep hydrating because you know that even under normal circumstances you need to, but under the rules your playing with today you need to even more. No worries, the water won't help you anyway. Your getting tooo much lactic acid way to quickly. First, your calves start to feel it. "Keep it steady...pace,pace,pace. Maybe II'll run through it." you tell yourself. You probably won't be so lucky. Sure enough, mile 9 and you can now feel the lactic acid in all zones from calves to shoulders....oh shittttakeee..this is gonna hurt big time. "Keep running" you tell yourself, because you ARE NOT a quiter. Besides, you're in the middle of the woods with miles to the next aid station. "Oh look, the insulin is working, great it will bring you back in line and give an element of stability." Ah, but you will drop far faster, possibly dangerously so, than you think. Ok, stop do a finger stick....crap man you're at 81 mL/dL you better eat something like quick. Eat, walk, eat, run, eat....keep going. Man these freakin hills feel like someone tore off your calf muscles and left you to run with out them. You think to youself..."OK, I ran Wednesday night. 7 miles in 41 minutes, so I know I can keep up with this." No matter how bad you feel, and this is the worst you have ever...EVER, felt keep going. Oh and when you reach "The Decision" point of no return...let me tell you it's a million times smarter to forget your hopes of finishing an actual marathon and just limping in so you can live another day. This is a fraction of what went through my head yesterday. Truly, it was the sweetest poisoned apple I've ever eaten. Thank goodness I had someone like Cat there to back me up and watch out for me. Cat....I'd run through hell with ya. Let's do it again when my glucose is on target, and I can then actually not slow you down but keep a good click. I trained my tail off for this and got punished pretty bad...welcome to the club officially now Mike....right!"