Less than 7 weeks to the Olympic Marathon Trials: Last week's training

I hope everyone is taking advantage of the Holidays to get some extra mileage in, especially those of you in the Northeast enjoying record breaking December temperatures. In Portland we have been experiencing record amounts of December rainfall. Rain in December feels relentless on a normal year, so this has been particularly dreary, and I've only been here for half of it. Sun is in the forecast for the next week, however, and it will feel incredible! I only have to make it a few more weeks before heading down to Chula Vista for what will hopefully be nearly ideal training weather.

I am continuing to progress at a fairly rapid pace with another step up in volume and intensity last week. I was able to cross the 100 mile barrier for the first time in many months, and I did it over the course of 6 days. It is still a far cry from my 150 mile weeks in the past, but my daily average is approaching solid marathon training. With such a short build-up and a long ways to go in terms of fitness following the injury setbacks, the focus is on quality long runs at this point rather than overall volume. Last week saw two runs at 18+ miles, and that will continue in the coming weeks as well. I was particularly happy with my Sunday 20 mile effort as I was able to average in the 5:30s, feeling smooth, with a rain/snow mix and gusty winds. It was as close as I've been to my pre-injury self since the summer; I felt like Forest Gump busting free from his braces!

With only 6 and a half weeks to go until the trials, I still have a lot of ground to make up, but I am seeing tangible progress every week, and my confidence continues to grow. Even though I am feeling pressured by the lack of time, I am enjoying training more than ever after being stuck on the sidelines with back to back bone injuries. Thanks again for reading, and all the best in 2016!

Week 5	AM	PM	Strength/Drills	Mileage
Monday	9 + drills and strides	5	40 minutes	14
Tuesday	6 x 2km w/2 min rest starting @ 4:54 pace down to 4:38 pace	4.5		18
Wednesday	10	6	1 hour	16
Thursday	12.5 + drills and strides	4.5		17
Friday	9.5 mile moderate run, 4 mile tempo @ 19:21, 4.5 mi moderate run	off	40 minutes	18
Saturday	XC skiing cross training	off		0
Sunday	20 mile run in 1:52, 4 mile push from 13-17 @ 19:48	off		20
TOTAL				103

Less than 8 weeks to the Olympic Marathon Trials: Last week's training

I got a little behind on my weekly blog with the holidays this week, but the training is below. The week was another step in the right direction, and most importantly, I'm still healthy. I have still been waiting for the day that I am going to wake up and have my sacrum or navicular start hurting again, but that day hasn't come even as my volume starts to jump back towards normal levels and the intensity is returning along with it. Last week consisted of my first measured threshold style effort with a 4 mile tempo coming after 40 minutes of moderate running. While 19:34 for 4 miles is not particularly fast for me in this type of workout, I am still pleased given it came during my 4th week back to ground running. The goal will be to get to 2 x 4 mile tempos under 19:00 about a month out from the race. I think I can get there.

I'm going to keep this update short as I am just finishing off my coffee and getting ready to head out for a long Christmas Day workout! Happy Holidays and Run Happy!

Week 4	AM	PM	Strength/Drills	Mileage
Monday	aqua jog 75 minutes	70 minute run	1 hour	11
Tuesday	Fartlek: (5 min, 4,3)(4,3,2)(3,2,1) w/equal recovery jog	off - travel to PDX		14
Wednesday	9 miles + drills and strides	5 miles		14
Thursday	9 miles	5 miles	1 hour	14
Friday	Aqua jog 90 minutes	off		0
Saturday	40 min run, 4 mi tempo @ 19:34, 30 min run	off		17
Sunday	10	aqua jog 1 hour	40 minutes	10
TOTAL				80

Less than 9 weeks to the Olympic Marathon Trials: Last week's training

We're less than two months away from the Olympic Marathon Trials, and I am starting to feel my fitness return. I still have a long way to go, and I don't know if I have enough time to get to where I need to be by February 13th, but this past week of training has left me optimistic. In my first timed workout back on the ground, I put together a 10-mile tempo at 5:16 pace with 25-30 mph winds on a soft surface. That is not an impressive workout, but I am surprised considering I have been back to running for less than 4 weeks. It is not unreasonable to think that in another 4 weeks I will be doing longer tempos at marathon pace.

It's easy to get excited and ambitious now that running is starting to click again, but I know it is very important to remain vigilant in my strength exercises, cross training, and awareness of my body in order to avoid another injury. I have put my body in a vulnerable situation by coming back so fast after back to back bone injuries, and I need to remain aware of the risks I'm facing. I will move forward with aggressive patience.

I picked the perfect time to train in Stillwater as I was running shirtless most days in December and skipping the flooding going on in the Pacific Northwest. I am now back in Portland, and the rain persists, but to a manageable degree. I'm looking forward to getting a solid 6 weeks of training at home before I head to Chula Vista in late January to acclimate to the potentially warm weather at the Olympic Trials in Los Angeles. It may end up in the upper 60s to low 70s by the end of the race, and if I'm coming from a wet 40 degrees, that will add a degree of stress to my body. It may well be cooler than that, but at this point I need everything to go perfectly, and heat acclimatization is an easy way to manage risk. Plus, who doesn't want to spend a couple weeks running in southern California mid-winter?

Thanks again for reading, and feel free to check out last week's training below.

Week 3	AM	PM	Strength/Drills	Mileage
Monday	75 minutes aqua jogging	7 miles		7
Tuesday	80 minutes aqua jogging	9.5 miles + strides	1 hour	10
Wednesday	Fartlek: 6 x 2 min on, 2 min off	1 hour elliptical		11
Thursday	11 miles	off	1 hour	11
Friday	10 mile tempo @ 5:16 pace	1 hour aqua jogging		15
Saturday	90 minutes aqua jogging	1 hour elliptical	40 minutes	0
Sunday	16	off		16
TOTAL				70

Less than 10 weeks to the Olympic Marathon Trials: Last week's training

With the trials already so close, it's a challenge to stay patient and methodical in my comeback. With so much uncertainty and a short time frame, I am forced into a different state of mind that I haven't had to endure in the past. Numerous other athletes have been put in the exact same situation, so I certainly don't want to sound like a martyr, but I do want to share the road back to fitness as I have heard some heroic efforts from other athletes that have motivated me.

My running took a step forward this past week, not with a great deal of mileage, but I was able to extend my longest ground run to 83 minutes. I am very close to being in a place where I am confident that the healing process is complete and that my body is ready for some added intensity. This current week may represent on opportunity for my first workout if all goes well over the next couple of days. From there, it's full steam ahead.

This has been a great time to be back in Stillwater. Being around my coach has been a big mental relief as I can turn my brain off and simply do as I'm told rather than overthinking every single run and cross training session. It has also been fun to see the OSU team start to gear up for their ambitious 2016 goals after coming off the cross country season. I truly miss the team atmosphere and collective goals of NCAA cross country and track and field. It's energizing to be around even though I haven't been a part of it for quite some time now.

With the next 9 and a half weeks mapped out, I'm looking forward to getting aggressive with the long runs in the near future. I know I won't be able to safely return to the big volume weeks that have typically defined my marathon blocks, but I think with an emphasis on quality long runs every week, I can get myself where I need to be by February.

Thanks again for reading, and feel free to check out last week's training below.

Week 2	AM	PM	Strength/Drills	Mileage
Monday	70 min Alter-G	60 min elliptical		N/A
Tuesday	60 min run	90 min aqua jog	30 min
Wednesday	20 min ground running, 10 mi tempo Alter G @ 4:50 pace, 75% body weight, 20 min ground running	off
Thursday	70 minute run	70 minute aqua jog	1 hour
Friday	60 minutes Alter-G + 35 minutes running	60 minutes aqua jogging
Saturday	2 hours aqua jogging	off	45 minutes
Sunday	83 minute run + 8 miles Alter-G including 5 miles @ 4:50 w/ 3% incline, 75% body weight
TOTAL				N/A

Less than 11 weeks to the Olympic Marathon Trials: Last week's training

It’s been quite a while since my last training post, and unfortunately the reason for that has been another injury set back.  After healing from a navicular stress reaction over the summer, my return to running lasted about 7 weeks before suffering a completely different stress fracture.  What started as mild back tightness quickly turned into stabbing pain that left me barely able to walk, and I soon discovered with an MRI that I had a sacral stress fracture.  The most likely explanation seems to be the weakness in my foot from being in a boot for a month with the navicular stress reaction changed my gate just enough to put more pressure on the opposite side of my body.  I wasn’t pushing off fully, and the result was another bone injury. After being healthy for most of the last decade, this has been a difficult time for me, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

The last 8 weeks have consisted mostly of a great deal of cross training. I’ve been putting 2 – 2.5 hours a day between the Alter-G, elliptical, and aqua jogging. Fortunately I was able to start ground running a couple of weeks ago, and so far things are progressing well. I am forced to push the envelope a bit with the Olympic Marathon Trials coming up in February.  This time around, I have been able to cross train with much greater intensity as the sacrum is low-risk compared to the navicular. The month of Alter-G running before I took my first steps at full body weight on the ground has helped ease the transition greatly. I already feel fairly fit and natural early on in my return.

I will have a 12 week build-up to the Olympic Marathon Trials, but it will be much different than the past.  At the 12 week mark this time around, I was doing my first few minutes of running on a turf field. The scenario is far from ideal, but I have to give it a shot. I expect to have about 8 weeks of solid training heading into the race. I am hoping deep down that time off has been beneficial, and that fitness will return very quickly. This will have to be a much lower volume training block than the past, but if I focus on getting the quality long run in every week, I’m confident that my last 10 years of 100+ miles a week will continue to serve as a base.

My training log moving forward will look a bit different for a while as I will continue mixing cross training in. I’m not going to count the total miles at this point as I don’t want to pressure myself into coming back too fast. The log below is from last week, and I’ll be putting out another post on Tuesday with this week’s training, which has taken a significant step forward. I’m heading into unknown territory, but I’ve been fortunate to be surrounded by a great support group of coaches, athletes, and doctors sharing their wisdom and expertise.  I just arrived in Stillwater last night in order to take advantage of the cross training facilities here, spend time with my coach, and put myself into training camp mode.

Thank you for following my training, and thanks to all those who reached out to me during my long period of silence. I’m very happy to be back in training mode, and I’m going to do everything I can to get to the line on February 13^th in Los Angeles. with a shot to make the 2016 US Marathon Team. 

Week 1	AM	PM	Strength/Drills
Monday	80 min alter g	70 minutes aqua jog
Tuesday	75 min alter g	1 hour aqua jog	1 hour
Wednesday	30 minute jog	95 minutes aqua jogging
Thursday	40 minute jog	90 minutes Zero Runner	1 hour
Friday	off	off	30 minutes
Saturday	50 minutes jog	75 minutes elliptical
Sunday	40 minutes jog	80 minutes ellipitical	30 minutes

The road back

It's obviously been a while since I've posted an update, but I'm happy to report that so far, all is progressing well. After six and a half weeks away from running, I have now been back to light jogging for just over two weeks. It has been a difficult couple of months between the crutches, the boot, and uncertainty regarding the particular injury (navicular stress reaction). Unfortunately this bone does not heal as well as others in the foot, so it's important to have a very conservative approach. I am certainly not in the clear yet, but signs are positive. As anyone who has gone through a stress fracture or reaction can attest to, coming back is not an easy or exciting experience. Having my foot in a boot for so long has brought along tightness in almost every muscle in the injured foot as it has been stationary for so long. My days still go between absolute panic and calm as I over-analyze the different tensions around the foot looking for any sign of a return of pain in the affected area. What I can say for certain is that my jogging is increasing, and no pain has returned. Next week could be a different story, so I need to remain vigilant, but right now, I am very optimistic and letting myself get excited about the Olympic Trials again. Fortunately I have more than enough time to be as conservative as possible over the next 6-8 weeks.

I was much less aggressive with cross training during this injury period than I've been in the past as the injury is the most delicate I've had. I was still able to get a nice mix of aqua jogging, biking, and rowing machine, mostly in order to stay sane through the process.

While there is nothing impressive about my first two weeks back in terms of training, I thought there may be some interest in the progression from an injury of this nature. This is very similar to my progression from my tibial stress fracture about 8 years ago. The comeback is, and will continue to be humbling, but I can say I desperately miss training, and this experience is going to provide me with the focus and motivation necessary to have my most productive marathon build-up yet. Los Angeles will be here before we know it! Thanks again for reading, and feel free to check out my first two weeks below.

Week 1	AM	PM	Strength/Drills	Mileage
Wednesday	3 x 3 minutes jog, 3 minutes walk	off	20 minutes	1.5
Thursday	4 x 3 minutes jog, 3 minutes walk	off		2.5
Friday	2 x 8 minutes jog, 3 minutes walk	off	20 minutes	2.5
Saturday	off	off
Sunday	20 minutes jog	off	20 minutes	2.5
Monday	25 minutes jog	off		3.5
Tuesday	28 minutes jog	off		4
TOTAL				16.5
Week 2	AM	PM	Strength/Drills	Mileage
Wednesday	off	off
Thursday	30 minutes jog	off	20 minutes	4
Friday	30 minutes jog	off		4
Saturday	32 minutes jog	off	20 minutes	4.5
Sunday	off	off
Monday	35 minutes jog	off	20 minutes	5
Tuesday	40 minutes jog	off		5.5
TOTAL				23

USA Track and Field Championships follow-up

I know it's been a few weeks since the US Track and Field Champs, but I encountered some unforeseen circumstances following the race that I wanted to resolve before writing. I'll start with a quick recap of the 10km race. Not unusually, I was somewhat pleased but not elated with my 5th place finish. It was a very competitive field, maybe the best in terms of depth and PRs that I have raced in. Looking back, there were several other athletes that could have beaten me had they not had a down race. With 200 meters to go, I was confident that I had 4th place locked up, but fellow Oklahoma State alum, Shadrack Kipchirchir, came flying by me around the last curve, and I did not have the wheels to go with him. It was fun to have two former Cowboys go 4 and 5. Admittedly, this was one of my better US 10km champs tactically speaking; I did my best to put myself in the race, moving up at each break. Although I missed the final break, I closed the best I could. Had the race been run later or the weather cooler, it could have been exciting to see how fast we could have run in a championship setting.

During the race, I began experiencing tightness on the top of my foot. The pain never became extreme, and it did not effect my race in any way. I simply noticed it. After sitting down for a few minutes after the race and standing up again, the pain became unbearable immediately and I could barely walk. Obviously I was concerned, but the swelling that surrounded it had me convinced I just aggravated a tendon. I took the next several days off, and each day it improved significantly to the point that it was nearly undetectable. I started running again, and after three days the pain returned to as bad as it had been following the race. My coach, Dave Smith, strongly advised me to get an MRI right away as he was concerned about a navicular stress fracture, which often requires surgery. The MRI didn't bring the worst news, but it certainly could have brought better news. I was diagnosed with a navicular stress reaction. Fortunately it had not progressed to a fracture, and after consulting with several doctors in the Portland area, the consensus is 4-6 weeks away from running. I was overwhelmed by the great deal of support from local coaches, doctors, and friends in aiding in my diagnosis. The running community is tight, and especially tight in Portland. It has now been nearly two weeks since my last run, and I am finishing up my recommended time on crutches, although I will still lug a boot around for a bit longer. Cross training will start on Monday and will mostly include aqua jogging, but I do plan some cycling as well. The timing could have been significantly worse. No matter how long I take to heal from here, I will have more than enough time to train exactly how I want heading into the Olympic Marathon Trials in February. I will also be able to get in a half-marathon between now and then, but I haven't chosen one yet. Had this happened in a couple of months, I would have been completely devastated.

I haven't had a serious injury in about 9 years, but I do recall the mental process that went along with it. It starts with denial heading into the MRI machine. The diagnosis then brings a strange combination of anger and sadness, and the next several days are spent wallowing in self-pity. Soon, however, I get a spark of defiance that gets me excited to hit recovery and cross training and intelligently and intensely as I can. The spark this time around came as I arrived at my in-laws' home

in the Czech Republic. I had several races planned for this European trip, so I was especially bummed out. After receiving sympathy for the last week, I greeted my father in-law, who was a 2:13 marathoner some time ago, and his first words to me were an unsympathetic "this is a normal part of the sport Ryan." And that was the end of that conversation. He's right. I do what I do knowing full well that injuries will happen at some point, and I have been fortunate to be nearly unbreakable over the years, even through marathon weeks of up to 150 miles. Nearly every elite runner has been exactly where I am now, and the best come back better than they were before. I am going to do my best to take these next few weeks to rest my entire mind and body, reflect, and prepare myself mentally for the smartest and toughest marathon training block yet.

I'll keep everyone posted. Thank you for all the support, and thanks for reading. Follow me here on Twitter for more updates.