What I Think About During Recovery Runs

Hal Higdon's Intermediate II plan has two "recovery" runs per week. By recovery, Hal means they should be leisurely, fun and relaxed. They're designed to help rejuvenate your muscles and spirit, while increasing your running economy. All of which will help you focus and perform better on your key days. I think recovery runs do all of these things. Except they also suck.

The worst part, I've found, is that without putting myself into either a "zone" or oxygen debt, my mind has time to think about a lot of things. But what it thinks about mostly is how this isn't much fun.

When I do a marathon pace run, I don't have time to worry if a dog's on a leash. If he's not, I'll just out-run him. I don't worry about the strange twinges in my knee or shin or foot because all of that will be dealt with only after I've put those marathon pace miles in the bank.

But on the recovery runs, I just feel like an old guy with ADD shuffling through suburbia. It's these feelings, I suppose, that cause such runs to be labeled as "junk" miles by others and it's hard not to agree because that's exactly how I feel on them: like complete and utter refuse. However, the alternative is the three days of hell approach favored by those like Nitmos. I've done that and it's good stuff except for one thing: speed kills, at least in the case of my legs. Truth is, I'm an endurance guy. This is what I can do without hurting myself. My blessing, my curse, to quote Peter Parker.

There are bright spots, though. As a diabetic, I think about my blood sugar a decent amount on the key runs, because nothing derails a 20 miler faster than hypoglycemia. On a recovery run, I think I could go into a diabetic coma and still handle my pedestrian pace.

And, of course, recovery runs do work. When I get to my next key workout, I find that the scatter-brained slowpoke has been momentarily replaced by a relatively focused Boston-bound age grouper, ready to take on the day's pain. At least until the next recovery run comes around.

World's Worst Morning Runner

If running were only allowed to be done in the morning, I would not be a runner.

There, I said it.

Not only that, but I'm incredibly jealous of those you who bop out of bed at 5am (or earlier!). How do you do that?? When do you sleep??

Here's my deal: I'm mostly a lunchtime runner, thanks to shower facilities at my employer. The only time I get out of bed to run early is on the weekend. Most weekends, that's only one day and on that one day, I find it crazy crazy difficult to do. The creativity of the groggy whining in my head at 7am on Saturday surprises even me.

Today, however, I had a client coming to the office around lunchtime. Tomorrow, I have a morning long run planned. Running after work would mean barely 12 hours between two hard workouts, which meant: a morning run for me today, too.

I should also mention that while walking the dog PRIOR to my run at 7am, my neighbor drove by on the way home from his 5:30am run, playing loud music and waving frantically. God, morning people tick me off.

By 7:15, I was on the trail and at 8:30 I was done, with another marathon pace workout in the can. But I didn't like. Not one bit.

That being said, this was the exact run on my last marathon build where I realized I was injured and right now, my shins are feeling great, even at 6am. It's just the rest of me that wanted to be in bed.

Supplements, Pepper Doping and Getting Faster...

Until yesterday, I'd never taken a supplement for my diabetes.

Mind you, I munch on a small handful of pills with my breakfast. Things that promise optimum recovery, endurance, etc. The types of pills one finds when wandering the drug store aimlessly while one's wife and daughter decide whether they want to buy autumn chestnut or summer sunset to give their hair a little something-something extra.

But I've never bought anything specifically for my diabetes simply because most of those supplements say they help you even out your blood sugars, and (thankfully) I got that covered.

But then commenter Jed from yesterday suggested I add Cayenne pepper to my program, saying that he uses it and it reduces the amount of insulin he needs. Truth be told, I wouldn't care how much insulin I need, except for the crux of my argument, which was: more insulin = more weight retention = heavy marathoner. Here's a link from a guy who seems to think Cayenne fixes pretty much everything except the economy.

Because I'm very impressionable, I stopped on the way home and bought two bottles of Cayenne pepper tablets and have added it to my routine.

Thus far, all I know is my ambient temperature seems to be elevated and I appear flushed. But here's hoping it brings down the insulin and weight a little.

What supplements do you take, either for running or diabetes?

Harder Than an Ironman?

I don't know about that, but I think the Vermont Death Race might be trickier to train for. Here's hoping it's a sweet t-shirt.

Naked in the New Nike Free

I'm currently rotating three pairs of shoes: Asics Hyperspeed II racing flats, Asics DS Trainers and the Nike Lunar Trainers. I've been totally out of my orthotics for nine months now.

Shin-wise, I'm in a good place. Haven't been injured in a few months, which I chalk up to rotating shoes and keeping the miles fairly slow.

That being said, I didn't really want to buy the Lunar Trainers, but I needed a new pair of shoes a few months ago, and the New Nike Free wasn't out yet. It is, now, and I can't wait to need a pair.

That being said, I might train differently in them than the crew in this hilarious Nike spot:

The Flipside of the Dexcom

So I've been on the Dex for nearly three weeks now. My blood sugars have never been in better control. The machine is mostly reliable and I've learned how to feel like less of a robot with a second thing plugged into me. I've got one complaint and it's a complaint I wouldn't have (I don't think) if I wasn't a marathoner:

I've gained 4 pounds.

Before I sound hopelessly anorexic, I know that this gives me a theoretically "ideal" BMI. I also know that my wife also likes this me at this weight and no longer feels she's "cuddling an ironing board."

But if you've run marathons, you know what I'm getting at. Carrying 4 extra pounds (on top of the 4 I planned on shedding at the start of marathon season) means I've got 8 pounds that are gunning to keep me from a sub 3:15 Allentown marathon, and the Dex is somewhat to blame.

The reality is this: insulin causes weight retention. The more insulin you use, the heavier you'll be. (In one line, I've told you what the Atkins diet is all about.)

When I went on the insulin pump, it was a far more efficient use of insulin. My insulin requirements went down and I dropped 12 pounds without doing anything.

But it stands to reason that if my A1C is 6.5, the only way to get it down lower is through a bit more insulin. And the Dexcom has been telling me when and how to take that insulin. And in return, I've found 4 pounds.

This isn't a panic post, mind you. Based on my diet and my forty miles a week, I doubt I'll gain much more. And I'd also bet you my next A1C will be substantially less than 6.5. But in the meantime, I've got 4 (ideally 8) pounds to consider. And it appears the Dex won't necessarily be helpful in shedding them.

Of course, I could start by cutting out the beer, but it's too early to get silly. In the words of Lance Armstrong, it might be time to start "skipping lunch and drinking shakes."

Oh, wait. I do that now. Marvelous.

Well there's always "light" beer.

In other news, you know what I just realized? June was the first month in I don't know when when I didn't miss a single workout. I planned on running five days per week and I did that. I moved a couple workouts around but didn't flat out miss a one. Most months life gets in the way 1-3 times, but not in June. That's mighty cool heading into a mileage-full month or two.