Day 75C--Lambeau Field

I've been lax in my running and my blogging the last two weeks. The lack of running was because of pain in my IT Band and the rest of my right thigh. It got so bad on Wednesday that I was barely shuffling around, and that still hurt so bad that I was wincing in agony every few steps. The lack of running fed into my laziness and led to a lack of blogging.

The one thing that I really want to share was my experience with the 5K I ran on 7/30/11. As a Packer fan, the opportunity to run near Lambeau was really tempting. Luckily, this run actually runs into the stadium, down the player's tunnel and around the field on the track. That made it impossible to turn down. The Packers Cheerleaders (UWGB and St. Norbert squads) were on the field cheering us on for the final stretch. There were cameras set up so I could see myself running on the big screen. (Not a Jumbo Tron, I just learned.)

Aside from the sheer awesomeness of the run, it was really well organized. They said it would start at 10am, and it started at exactly 10am. Even though it was only 4,000 people, they had 6 different bibs/corrals. I was passing some people during my run, but most of the people around me seemed to be similarly paced to me. They kicked off the run with the National Anthem, and I actually heard the last line of it for the first time in ages. The fans/runners didn't cheer until the singer had ended.

The run wasn't perfect, though. Although it started on time, a 10am start is too late for July. It was super hot by the time we kicked off. I believe I could have clocked a better time if we had started earlier when it was cooler. The race shirt was cotton instead of a performance material. I ran in one of my regular running shirts instead. The bag they gave away for the race also seemed to be cheap.

Overall, I was happy with the race, though. I have recommended it to several people already and would suggest others try it, too. With any luck, I can get a caravan of Packer fans to make a Green Bay pilgrimage for the race next year.

Day 74C--16 Miles

That is how far I ran on Saturday. A new personal record in both time and distance. Luckily, the heat and humidity broke a bit, so I didn't want to die right away. I did want to die about mile 12, though. My legs were starting to get super sore and did not want to keep going. The only thing that got me through the rest of the run was sheer stubbornness. I was not going to fail at my run. Here are my mile splits:
14:08--mile 1 (I have no idea why this was so slow.)
11:40--mile 2
11:36--mile 3
11:34--mile 4
12:23--mile 5
15:10--mile 6 (this included our first gatorade/water stop)
11:24--mile 7
11:43--mile 8
12:02--mile 9
12:48--mile 10
14:06--mile 11 (our second gatorade/water stop. Also lots of stretching)
13:11--mile 12
12:07--mile 13
13:51--mile 14 (third gatorade/water stop with hosing off.)
12:44--mile 15
11:49--mile 16

Because of the heat, we ran a 4:1 interval, instead of 5:1, so our overall pace was slower. Although, looking at the splits, I see that miles that we didn't stop for food or water were run at our normal 11:30 pace.

I wanted to cry when the run was done. My legs were so sore that driving was difficult. I had a hard time moving my right leg between the gas and the brake. I had to push it with my hand. Luckily, I was in really slow traffic and a short drive, so I didn't have to switch back and forth very often. I went home and spent much of the next hour soaking in a cold bath, which helped a lot. I was able to get out of the house later that day and walk to the train & to the movies.


This weekend's run has led me to discover a new muscle. It's commonly called the IT band, which is short for iliotibial band. I think mine became problematic from walking and running unevenly because of my tight calves. I will be spending the next few days stretching that out so I can continue to run comfortable. I will also make sure to keep my calves and thighs stretched so they don't put excess stress on my IT band.

Day 73C--Hot

It's hot out there. It's supposed to still be hot tomorrow for my 16 mile run. And it's been hot all week long. That, and sore calves, kept me from my mid-week runs. I tried the treadmill, but that actually hurt more than running outside. I tried the stairmaster, but that hurt, too. I'm hoping that won't hurt me too much tomorrow. Because of the heat, our run won't go south 8 miles & then back to start like normal. We will be doing laps this week. It allows us to have access to water more often during our run, without having to set up many water stations. It will be boring & a little bit crowded, but safer. Also, the path that we're looping on is mostly shaded, so that should keep us a bit cooler, too.

Day 72C--Weight

No, not my weight, just my observations on weight in the US. It is clear that the US has a severe problem with obesity. On the other end of the spectrum, we have 8 million Americans suffering from Anorexia. These are both bad things, but not what I've noticed today.

Unless you're an obese person, society does not allow you to complain about your weight. Even if you are obese, courtesy will prompt many people to placate any talk about your weight. This is not good for any of us. Many people who are not obese could benefit from losing weight. We need to stop telling people (unless they're way underweight), "You don't need to lose weight" "You look just fine to me." or other things meant to make them feel better about themselves. I know we mean well, but it's not helping anyone.

As someone whose weight has been right at the high point of normal to the lower end of overweight, I get this often. I know that I'm overweight. I can see it when I laugh and my stomach shimmies like Jell-O. I know people are being nice and possibly honest when they tell me I don't need to lose weight, but the reality is that I will be healthier if I lose about 20 pounds. When I tell people that, it leads to more placating, but that's 14% of my current weight.

I know I'm not alone in this situation. There are plenty of skinny-fat people out there. Or people who are overweight, but not what people would consider "fat." Fat is not a medical term, it's a totally subjective term that seems to have changed meanings as America has become more overweight. Being overweight is a health risk and we should stop placating people about their weight unless we know for sure that they are at a healthy weight. That is not something you can know by looking at someone.

Day 71C--7 miles

Today was a recovery run of just 7 miles. It was shockingly easy. Luckily, the heat wave hadn't hit yet so it wasn't too warm. There wasn't any difficulty at any point during the run. I know this makes for a really lame blog post, but there's nothing to say about today's run. It was 7 miles, 1 hour, 21 minutes of non-eventful left after right. It was over as quickly as it began.

Updated: Here are my splits:
12:51
11:20
11:33 (forgot to reset chrono after mile 3, so this is an average of mile 3 &4)
11:33
11:37
11:28
11:04

Day 70C--Calves

I've mentioned my tight calves before and I had gotten used to them. They've been tight since I started training at the beginning of May. Yesterday, my calves took a turn for the worse. Instead of just being tight and uncomfortable when I walked or ran, they are now sore all the time. I'm visibly limping all the time. My right knee & hip are starting to hurt because of the limping caused by my tight left calf. I have called the physical therapists that work with T2 and hope they can help me out. I don't want to miss tomorrow's 7 mile run, but I don't want to make things worse and miss the 16 mile run next week.

Day 69C--Hills

Last night was a drill run and it fit my schedule, so I went. I walked the mile to the lakefront and then walked along the dog beach for about 30 minutes before heading over to Cricket Hill. It was not snow covered, but that's the best picture I can find to show how big the hill actually is. I ran up and down the hill six times, then did some core work, then up and around the hill four times. Total workout time was about 45 minutes, but it was a very hard workout. Hills are difficult. I'm really glad that the marathon is basically flat.