Jose's Flat Foot Blues

I just completed my first ½ Marathon race.  I am very excited about the accomplishment and glad I took on the challenge.  Here are some pros and cons about the race:
 
Pros
 
Beautiful course
It wasn't too cold at the top
Lots of port-a-potties at the top
Lots of people
Great volunteers
Nice downhill grade along river trail after Bridal Veil Falls
Lots of spectators at the end
Great band at the end
 
Cons
 
No port-a-potties at end (ridiculous!!)
Virtually no port-a-potties throughout the course
No timing chip (my "official" time was off by more than a minute)
Started with 4 miles of steep downgrade
Course changed to include uphill on pavement between Vivian Park and Bridal Veil.
Never-ending loops at Riverwoods
Crappy cotton t-shirt (nice design but cheap thin cotton)
Started race fifteen minutes late
I injured my right foot (this one was my fault)
 
Overall Impression
 
I should have chosen Hobble Creek instead of this one as my first ½ Marathon.  Curt organizes this race like if it was a 5K fun run.  The ½ marathon distance deserves a bit more organization, structure and rewards that what it gets in this event.  I may run it again but there is no doubt that organizers need to change things.  Curt needs to get with the times and offer a nice t-shirt, use timing chips, get good sponsors for the race, and definitely increase the number of aid stations and port-a-potties.  That being said, I am glad I ran the race and I appreciate all the volunteer effort.  Very gracious volunteers and wonderful fellow runners.  Overall it was a good time.

Well, I finally gave in to technology.  I bought myself a Garmin Forerunner 305.  This thing is awesome.  Since my foot is still healing I have not been able to run with it but I did go on a bike ride today, mostly to test it out.  Having time, distance, pace and heartbeat all in one easy to read screen was very nice.  The HRM was especially interesting.  Biking definitely does not get me the same workout as running by a longshot.  I am sure that under the right conditions and effort I can get a good workout on a bike, but running definitely does it faster and more powerfully.  I haven't tried out the computer interface so far but even without it the purchase would be worth it.  No more riding around in the car to measure distances or relying on obscure landmarks in Gmap-pedometer.  I'm sure I'll still use Gmap-pedometer but I won't have to guess at the landmarks for accurate distance .  Sweet.

As far as my foot goes, it is feeling much better. Tomorrow I go in to pick up my orthotics and I am hoping that they provide me with much needed relief.  My flat feet will need all the help they can get to complete my training for the TOU marathon. 

Well I am finally back in the game.  I tried running an easy 3 miles on Monday and while I felt ok through the run my foot hurt quite a bit at the end. So, once again, I took it easy on Tuesday and Wednesday and rested.  I finally couldn't take it anymore and today at 4am I went on a 10 mile easy run.  I am glad to say that I felt great through the run and my foot actually feels a little bit better than it did yesterday.  If things keep going well I will do my scheduled 17 mile run on Saturday.  We'll see how that goes.  I am trying to build up to 20 miles before TOU and I hope I can do it without totally tearing up my foot.  I must say that it really looks like the orthotics are making a big difference.

I am also totally stoked about my Garmin Forerunner 305.  This thing is so easy to use and so convenient.  I could adjust my pace throughout my run according to my training pace and it is great to know how far you have run without depending totally on landmarks.  However, my all time favorite feature is the Garmin Training Center.  I love being able to see all the stats of my runs in one page and being able to see graphs of Pace, Heart Rate, Elevation, and Distance.  The thing is worth its weight in gold.  My only gripe is how little the heart rate monitor display is on the screen.  If anyone knows how to get a larger display of the BPM please let me know.  Anyway, I had a good running day today.  Tomorrow I am doing elliptical and we'll see how Saturday goes.  Wish me luck.

Last Saturday I ran 17 miles.  I made the mistake of finishing the last 3.5 miles in an uphill (going up 134 S from 2700 W).  And while I was able to run the whole distance those last 3.5 miles sucked!!!  I ended up running the whole thing in a little under 3 hours, which is OK considering the fact that I was only running for the miles.  I then did elliptical on Monday.  Then 5 X 1 mile speed intervals on Tuesday and an 8-mile tempo run on Thursday.  I am feeling a bit sore today but I think I will be able to run the 20-miles tomorrow morning (I will make sure to avoid the hills).

Dale, thanks for the advice on the 305.  Are you replacing your 305?  If so, what are you getting and how does it work for you?  Mattrow, good luck on your 20 mile run tomorrow.  Hopefully it doesn’t set you back on your injury.  I probably won’t be posting a picture any time soon but I will let you know what I will be wearing at TOU  (the fact that I am Latino should also narrow the field significantly!).  I’ll try to post on Saturday after my 20-mile run.

I finally ran my 20-miler and it was pretty tough.  I did it in about 3:30, which was a good training pace for me.  The last four miles were pretty tough because my left foot was really hurting.  It is interesting that my right foot, which had been giving me PF problems, really did not bother me all that much.  So after the run the only real damage was the arch area on my left foot.  This actually took a few days of rest and icing to take care off but it eventually got better.  One thing I learned in my run is that my 20oz handheld water bottle is not going to do the trick.  I ran out of water at mile 18 and was in desperate need for hydration over the last two miles.  So, I went and got me a 1.5 liter Camelbak.  I will give a report on how this is working out on my next entry.

Overall, I feel really good about my preparation for the Marathon and I am looking forward to September 20 when I will run the TOU.