[Day 10] - Marathon Training

After running on the track for three times with a duration of ten minutes, I decided to try the treadmill today.  Although my shin still hurts the last few run on the track, I felt there was an improvement after a long shin stretch/warm up.  

Today was a new beginning for me and it sure felt great and brought a big smile on my face.  I was able to carry on a non-stop run for 20 minutes at the speed of 6.  This was an overall improvement since the last time I was able to run.  My speed has increase to a constant speed of 6 (a .3 speed increase) and it was only 5 minutes shorter than my old time duration.  I was extremely cautious when I ran on the treadmill today.  Ironically my right shin began to hurt instead of left one within the first 5 minutes.  I am glad that I kept pushing on because the pain slowly went away after I hit the 15 minute mark.  

My workout routine consisted of:

Streches

4 minutes of my usual stretch

5 minutes of stretches focusing on just my shine

Track

3 laps around the track (walking)

Treadmill

5 minute warm-up walk

20 minutes non-stop run/jog

3 minutes walk

Track

3 laps (walking)

3 sets of 30 sits ups

3 sets of 10 push ups

         

[Day 9] - Marathon Training

For the first time in three weeks, I was able to hold a 10 minute non-stop light run.  This made me incredibly happy and brought a smile on my face.  

Although, I have to start over from scratch and build up my endurance and stamina again, I am up and ready to tackle this obstacle.  The last two weeks has been very tough on me because my shin has been failing me with tremendous painful shin-splints.  I was unable to hold a run that was longer than 5 minutes.  No matter how much I increase my running speed, my max duration was 5 minutes before my shin would begin to hurt.  I began to feel very discouraged.  

However, today I wanted to push myself to see if I could run again.  So instead of running on the treadmill, this time I ran on the track.  Although, I still felt pain in my shin, it was not as painful as running on treadmill.  

My workout today consisted of:

5-10 minute warm up stretch

10 minute non-stop run/jog (track)

3-5 minute walk

15 minute row machine

3-5 minute walk

2 High Intense Interval (sprinting)

3-5 minute walk

1 mile on the elliptical 

3-5 minute walk

My running mate today was Henry Tang.  Props to him for sprinting at an avg of 32 seconds per interval.

[Day 8] - Marathon Training

Strobist Info:
SB-900 above shot through umbrella at 1/2th
Triggered by onboard at 1/128th

In the three weeks of my training for the Marathon, so far this is the most painful experience that I have faced and felt so far. Based on my description of my pain, my friend Highlong told me it was shin splints and indeed it was. I thought it would go away after five to ten minutes of running like how it did with my knees and calves, but it did not. Thank God, I am blessed to have a close friend who is a certified orthopedic surgeon, but if his verdict come down to the lines that my legs are not meant for running or I won't be able to run. I am going to be depressed.

Based on Wiki:

"Most shin splints, known as Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (MTSS), can be attributed to overloading the muscles of the lower extremities or biomechanical irregularities. Muscle imbalance, including weakened core muscles lead to more lower-extremity injuries; also the inflexibility and tightness of the gastrocnemius, soleus, and plantar muscles can contribute to shin splints. [1] Increasing activity, intensity, and duration too quickly leads to shin splints because the tendons and muscles are unable to absorb the impact of the shock force as they become fatigued; also, the tibial bone-remodeling capabilities are overloaded...."

There are two types:

1) Anterolateral shin splints where the pain is located on the anterior and the lateral of the shin (on the front and outside of the shin). It is usually felt during running when the athlete’s heel touches the ground.

2) Posteromedial shin splints where the pain in the leg is on the inferior medial portion of the lower leg (the inside of the lower leg above the ankle) and can be triggered by standing on the toes or inverting the ankle.

I believe I was having Posteromedial shin splints.

Today my running exercise consisted of:

A five minute brisk walk at the speed of 3.7 and jog for 20 minutes non-stop.

The original workout following the program:

A brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:

Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)

Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)

Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)

Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)

Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)

Via Flickr:

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[ 27th AIDS Walk in LA ]

It was still pitch black outside filled with fog and cold air.  The only sound that disrupted the silence was the sound of my alarm that was set to 5 o'clock in the morning.

Tired and sleep deprived from the previous night, I crawled out of my bed to get ready to join my teammates from CSUF-CSA.  Only to find out that my carpool mates were still asleep and not awake.  

As you enter Annie's home, you can instantly smell the aroma of fresh baked donuts and fresh toasted bread filled with egg and bacon.  Soft mumbles and yawning were heard in the dinning room along with loud sounds of crunches and slurps.  Silence was then broken by the arrival of the dynamic duo.  They filled the room with their giggles and smiles.  However, all that was received back were faces of sleep deprived individuals.

LA, a place filled with smog that looks like fog along with heavy traffic and terrible parking space.  Crowded with people from left to right.  As the sun began to rise, droplets of sweat began to fall.  Traffic lights flicker from red to green.  Then came a little push with a little shove.  The 10k walk began the day.

   

[Day 7] - Marathon Training

Strobist Info:
SB-900 above shot through umbrella at 1/2th
Triggered by onboard at 1/128th

[Nike Free Run V2] 04, a photo by http://ainguyenphotography.photoshelter.com/ on Flickr.

Today was actually my break day from running; however, I decided to join my new running mate, Jacob. Will I run again next Friday? Probably not. Because I don't want to over-exhaust my muscle; even though, I felt no muscle soreness afterwards. Running three times a week is good enough for me, especially if I am slowly increasing my distance.

I notice that I had completely depleted my B supplements and Vitamin C or my intake was not enough to allow my muscles to recover. However, after trying out jelly beans loaded with electrolyte (Sodium and Potassium), B supplements and Vitamin C my muscles rejuvenated. Now, I do not know whether this was a placebo effect, but I did not felt exhausted after my running exercise routine.

My workout today consisted of:

A Brisk five-minute warmup walk at the speed of 3.5-3.7, then jog two miles (or 20 minutes) at the speed of 5.7 with no walking.

After completing my 20 minutes jog, I held a run for 4 minutes at the speed of 7.

Memo to self:

Start drinking vitamins supplements.

Via Flickr:
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I absolutely love these shoes.
J'adore Nike Free Run V2

[Day 6] - Marathon Training

I was actually somewhat anticipating for today's exercise training.

My exercise consisted of:
A brisk five-minute warmup walk, then a jog for two miles (or 20 minutes) with no walking.

During my first week of training I was able to hold a 15 minutes constant jog.  So I assumed that adding an extra 5 minutes should have not been a problem for me.  I did not have any problems during my first 5 minutes of running.  However, it began to get harder (as in a mental challenge) after the 5 minutes.  By the 18 minute mark, I was ready to increase my speed to 6.1 to finish my last two minutes.  Then again, I pushed myself and ran for 23 minutes.  Originally, I was actually hoping to push myself to 25 minutes, but I became extremely dehydrated and my contacts was getting fuzzy and dry.

Today marks my first time being able to run 20 minutes non-stop and running over 2 miles non-stop!

[Day 5] - Marathon Training

I don't know why, but I always get the jitters before running.

Today my workout routine consisted of:
A brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:

• Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)
• Walk 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
• Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)

However, during the the last jog, I pushed myself to a 15 minute jog.  During the last two minutes I raised my running speed to 6.8, where I was able to hold for 1 minute.