I just finished off back to back double days, which also turns out be back to back long days. These back to back days are key cornerstone to any ultra marathoner's training regime. This is the second B2B longs in less than two weeks. The last one (17 and 17) kicked my ass so much, my immune system was hampered and I came down with a fever/sinus issue. This time around, I up'ed the anti. My long runs were 15 and 18, but I threw in 4 miles morning sessions each day. My Tuesday and Wednesday total: 41 miles.
As a quick reminder - I ran a training marathon on Saturday. My recover play was 4 miles Sunday and Monday. My heart rate stats were saying that I hadn't recovered. By Tuesday AM, my morning low HR was still 7 beats higher than the week prior. My Orthostatic Heart Rate (OHR) was flagging me as my 2 minute cycle was well over the 5+bmp increase over my 3 week norms. I elected to forge ahead thinking it wasn't significant enough of a variance, despite the fact that my legs were still tight from the weekend's effort. The numbers don't lie - I simply elected to ignore them.
Tuesday's run forbode the hell I was to enter Wednesday. I struggled to keep my heart rate in my target zone 2 (131 max). Little did I know, Tuesday struggle to manage my heart rate was nothing to what Wednesday presented. I felt comfortable for the first 95 minutes before the first sign of mild fatigue arrived. I was disappointed, as this 90 minute juncture is a routine intersection of pure bliss and ease, and the arrival of minor discomfort. I don't know how much of this is mental now, versus physiological. I am fully aware of the limits of glycogen storage and have associated it to my arrival at that intersection. My training and diet have been focused on burning more fat, so I am expecting the glycogen storage to last longer - so either the training isn't working or I have a mental problem (pile it on to the other mental issues I have). I finished the 15 mile run at a brisker pace than norm, ignoring the heart monitor over the last mile. I was experimenting - can a slight pick up actually loosen the legs. First attempt, seemed to work. Will need to add this to the routine.
Wednesday started with a lengthy stretching session. My legs have been super tight these past few days as I have been ignoring any flexibility routines. It was needed - I felt so much better after that session. I took Ainsleigh with me for 4 road miles near the house, and noticed a slight uptick in heart rate, but attributed it to the morning blues. After, I loaded up with nutrients and water throughout the day in preparation for the dreaded 18 miles. The doctor's visit didn't help one bit either. I walked out of there feeling a) violated and b) achy from the tetanus shot. I tried to stay positive, but my body was reminding me how fatigued it was. The 7 hours of sleep Tuesday night wasn't enough. I kept reminding myself that 18 miles is well within my training capabilities. I didn't believe I was extending myself to a challenging distance. All my positive thoughts were against the stacked Army of Suck.
I had my heart monitor on for the drive to the trail. My resting heart rate was 64 bpm. Couple of facts - a) My normal daytime resting heart rate when fatigued is 55. b) before my tetanus shot, the nurse registered a resting heart rate of 53. Either I was dealing with some stress (anxiety), or the damn tetanus shot was effecting my body. I didn't need this thought hanging out in the back corners of my mind. Perfect excuse for cutting the run short had already started before I had arrived at the park. In hindsight, that jump in heart rate should have been accepted as fact - that my body was struggling to deal with the drugs. The run should have been modified.
Upon parking at Bluff Point, it hit me. The one saving grace out of all of this. While the Suck troops have overrun me to all the negative thoughts, it dawned on me that this run will replicate the sheer joy and energy of the finishing miles of an ultra. I realized that over a 24 hour period, I will have run 37 miles and this is an excellent training opportunity. It still meant it would suck - and I didn't know the magnitude it would be achieved.
Bluff Point + Haley Farm is a relatively flat 7.4mile looped, off road run by the ocean. So two loops plus another 3 miles and I will have achieved the mark. My only hope was that I could get deep into the second loop before I attempted to cross my intersection. Much after 90 minutes.
I WAS WRONG.
Immediately - I mean to the full definition of immediate (watch read 0:00:01), my heart rate shot up significantly higher than normal. I hit the small rolling hills just before 1.5miles, and pulled back to a shuffle up the hill. Despite the reduced effort, the heart rate monitor beeped. I was outside my target zone. Due to the lack of any hills in my program, any incline will impact my heart rate. Given how quickly I jumped above my zone, was concerning. This was too soon.
After finishing up the rollers, I attempted to glide around the trail with the least effort possible. I finished in that first loop in 1:09, the same split I hit for all my laps during my marathon run through this park a few weeks ago. So, we have a positive. A quick change of bottles and refueling (Vitargo + Endurolytes), and I was off for lap 2. Little did I know I was starting my run right into the Army of Suck trap. They must have had scouts out on trail for that first loop, as I wasn't prepared.
Within a mile, before the rollers, my heart rate played around the top of my zone. "Crap, I can't go any slower without walking.". It was only 8 miles in...10 more to go. This looks like the miserable day I had forecasted.
I was committed to staying in the target aerobic zone. So, for the first time in my running career, I introduced walking into a solo training run. As I hit the rollers at 9.5 miles, I began to walk. It was the only way to manage the heart rate. It was turning into a very miserable run - and it was getting worse by the minute. Partially through the rollers, I decided to do something that can at least pick up my spirits. I stopped my training, and took a side trail to a little ocean side beach. I sat and enjoyed the scenery for a few minutes. I forgot about the run for 10 minutes and just enjoyed where I was.
Once back on trail, just over half done - it hit. Suck Special Forces.
In order to stay on target, I was slowing down on the flats. Occasionally on a slight downhill the watch would beep. I began to check on the watch to see where I was with my heart rate. I had tossed out the notion of a strong pace. This was about managing to my zone. Typically my target HR zone translates to a 9mpm effort (+/- 15 sec). I was now hovering around 10mpm while 'running'.
As I approached finishing off the second lap, my walking percentage had increased. I was now incorporating some walks along the flats. By 15 miles, I would walk every 1/2 mile for 20 - 40 feet. It was interesting to see how quickly, and how far, my heart rate dropped while walking. I was holding firm to the rule that I walk only when the watch said to...and start whenever I was back into the low side of the zone.
...and the Army of Suck dropped the Nuclear bomb.
Did the Army of Suck win? I finished. Suck didn't stop me from my objective. However, immediate adjustments are necessary or illness will ensue.
I was keen on seeing my OHR and resting heart rate the next morning (Thursday) before making any final decision to modify the training schedule. I knew what my body was telling me. It was tired. It was sore. It was run down. I wanted the numbers so I have a better benchmark for future training flags. In the end, the stats supported what the body was telling me. In fact, the flag went up after Day 1, and the warning flares were launched after my Tetanus shot. I ignored them and paid harshly for it during this last run - and unfortunately through the next day. You can see my resting low heart rate started the jump (45) the morning of the second day (when this run was done). I didn't attached the OHR for that day. The OHR for the morning after the double speaks volumes. The delta between that morning's heart rate and the 3 week and 5 week was ridiculously off course. I was hitting 100 bpm, when norm was in the 70s and 80s. The yellow, 5 day stress is ~10 bpm higher than the 3 week, which is a big sign the training load from the past few days is significant. To then have the current heart rate (7 Aug, Orange line) be 20 - 30 bpm is a clear warning that I am about to break down. Or that the collapse was already underway.
I honestly believe the Tetanus shot played a significant role here. That night was a difficult sleeping situation. I went through both hot sweats and freezing cold shivers. The next morning, when the above test were performed, I was completely worn out and very lethargic. I took a mid-day nap, which helped for a few hours, and skipped the training session. My shoulder continued to throb throughout the day, causing so much discomfort. 100 miles isn't in the cards this week, but I am not giving up on running a 50k personal best this coming weekend. I have walked away from these few days with some lessons learned. While I ignored te signals, I can't imagine the damage if I continued on this 100 mile attempt. Missing one day of training is nothing to what I believe would have been the result if I kept going. Hopefully my running friends learn to not ignore their body's signs of distress like I initially did.
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