It was the strangest thing. I was in a "step back" week of Hal Higdon's Advanced I marathon training program - a week of 41 miles between weeks of 54 and 55. I did not need Hal to tell me to take it easy, though. Running 54 miles in a week takes a lot out of a guy, so it was a welcome chance to relax a bit.
But by the end of yet another too-warm winter week, I was feeling great. I did my six-miler at a 6:46 pace (way too fast for my marathon training) on the Friday. The next day, on a 13-miler, after blasting through the first nine miles at my goal marathon pace (7:01), I suddenly felt a throbbing pain in my extensor tendon.
Panic set in as the pain got worse in the tenth. Extensor tendinitis is what did me in two years ago and forced me to cancel plans to run the South Jordan Marathon in Utah. I quickly slowed the pace to an 8+ crawl. Every step brought more ache, more pain and more worry.
That's it, I thought, I ruined it. I never seem to learn my lesson that when it is time to take it slow, I should TAKE IT SLOW.
Finishing out the 13 in agony, I immediately began injury care with the RICE method:
Rest - I took Sunday off from running...and from doing about anything at all except laying on my sofa.
Ice - all day, for two days.
Compress - using an Ace compression sleeve, for several hours on Sunday.
Elevate - see the aforementioned sofa.
Monday began the second heavy training week. I did the 10 miles, but very slowly.
I made sure that Tuesday's easy five was just that for a change.
And by Wednesday, I was back to doing hill sprints, albeit not at full speed. I gave it about 90 percent, cranking out those five tortuous sprints up the .3-mile hill at just over two minutes a piece, with the two downhill at just under two.
My Friday pace run was at an exactly perfect 7:01 pace and, heeding my lesson, my 20 miler on Saturday was at a controlled 7:35 pace (more about that later).
I am once again feeling really good about this upcoming race. April 14!
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