Hello Runners,
Short update on my recovery from the Richmond Marathon on November 16th....and a couple additional comments on my experience.
I had a great run at the marathon, my legs held up really well. I was able to close well. I was anticipating my my recovery would go to plan as well (I mean, why not?).
Oh, My Aching Back
Although my legs did hold up well, my lower back / SI joint was SUPER stiff and tight. To the point that I had trouble rolling over in bed / getting out of bed. It started to get tight the week leading up to the race as well. Interestingly, this problem doesn't seem to affect my running, but I suspect it eventually will, and it's always nice to be able to get out of bed not feeling like I'm 80 years old.
One week after the race my back calmed down. I think the issue might be tight hip flexors which "pull" on my back because my range of motion is not enough (side note, The Balanced Runner website has some good information on mechanics - I'm not sure about the overall message on the sight - but I find she has good information regarding this kind of topic). I focused on hip flexor / back flexibility in the days following the race, I think that helped.
Running The First Week After The Race
The race was Saturday, and I didn't do any exercise besides foam rolling and stretching until Friday. I could have run some, or got on the bike, etc., but I really just didn't feel like it.
I needed an emotional break as much as physical break after the race. I was (and still am) so happy with the result, I felt/feel this big satisfaction, and decided to 'rest on my laurels' (such as they are) for a few days.
I also took this time to sleep more and eat 'All the things' (as the kids these days say). I needed the sleep, I realized after the fact - partially because the race was over and I could relax (kind of like after studying for an exam and you realize afterward all you want to do is sleep).
My diet is not great, but the last 3-4 weeks before the race I did try to clean it up a little (less sugar, more veggies, the usual stuff people might do). I told myself during these weeks that "after the race I will be able to eat what I want" - and that's what I did. The side benefit of cleaning up my diet was that I lost a couple of pounds, so when I did my 'carb loading' leading up to the race I was still at/slightly below my normal race weight. One week after the race and my weight is back up a couple pounds above 'race weight' - and I don't care.
Friday I went for my first run for about 50 minutes - very slow and still sore afterward. Sunday was about an hour, same result - but not as bad.
Second Week After The Race
Ran Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday this week. Total of 28 miles, all easy. Longest run was 10 miles on Saturday, and I'm starting to feel - well - "recovered" in my legs, but my back is still bothering me. I did my first post-race strength work on Saturday as well. Foam rolling and stretching after each run.
PT appt. on Friday - I went to the "local" PT by my house Friday after Thanksgiving, sort of on a whim, to have them check out my lower back SI joint. Received confirmation it's just something that needs minor therapy and adjustment. Given the okay to continue running "unless it makes it feel worse". I do feel better after the appt. and I've scheduled a few appts over the next two weeks. The PT is not "sports specific", but they seem to know what they're doing. If I get frustrated with lack of "running specific" experience I'll go elsewhere, we'll see.
Comment on Cadence
Looking back at my marathon stats, I noticed my overall cadence is recorded as 183, with an average pace of 6:49 (I use a Garmin 920 watch, which has some kind of doo dad that records the cadence. No foot pod, or any other non-sense, so accuracy might be suspect - but is likely consistent across runs).
My "normal" Easy day cadence (7:30 - 8:15 pace) is around 180. But, my cadence in the marathon build-up for 'MP workouts' has been around 190-193 (usually about 6:45 pace). And - the cadence didn't change much based on shoes (Sketchers Speed 3, Adidas Boston, Nike Turbo 2, 4%, Next %). So, what the hell?
I'd "like to think" my cadence could be lower on race day at MP because I was rested and able to put more "power" into my stride, increasing stride length. My stride length on race day - per Garmin software (from watch noted above) was 1.29m. In my MP workouts, my stride length is 1.24-1.26. I like that I can run MP at 183 cadence, makes me "feel" like I'm more efficient than 190 - but who knows? So, there you go - I'm sure you were dying know about these details.
Richmond Marathon / Pace Group Comments
The folks that organized and volunteered for the Richmond Marathon were all "REALLY" nice. The race is advertised as "America's Friendliest Marathon", and from my sample size of 2 marathons - I can say it was quite friendly.
A big benefit that I didn't expect was that the hotel on the corner of the start line opened up their lobby to all runners to hang out and keep warm prior to the start. It was great! 'Feels like' temp at the start was about 32 degrees, and my wife and I were able to sit at a table and be warm in the lobby until about 5 minutes before the start (no, I didn't have a good warm-up). Then, I "hopped" the Corral barrier (with no complaints from the folks already crowded in there) and was in sight of the 3:00 Group sign when the gun went off. REALLY nice.
We had water / Gatorade every two miles. I only stopped once, at mile 14 to refill my water bottle. When I shoved my water bottle (with top off) in front of the first volunteer and requested "Please fill it up", he said "Yes, sir" and in about 2 seconds I had a full bottle - all the while the volunteers smiling and offering me "good luck". REALLY nice.
Being in the 3:00 Pace Group was REALLY nice too. I had instant friends (at least thru 20 miles) to commiserate with, cheer up, help out, talk about the weather, etc. It was great. As the group got smaller and smaller toward the finish the talking became a lot less, but I felt great support to "keep going". The Pacers were FANTASTIC.
Yes - I reached my goal for the race, so I'm sure I have 'rose tinted' glassed from the day. But, I would recommend Richmond to anyone looking for a 'medium sized' marathon and a friendly experience. Not the fastest course, but not bad. And, logistics and cost (at least for me living in Virginia) was pretty easy.
Next week - another week of recovery and slowly transition into some faster stuff, probably starting off with extended strides, maybe a few minutes Tempo.
Onward.
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