3 October Races = Plantar Fasciitis

My heel was kind of hurting as I entered October. Not sure when it started, but something was wrong. Nothing hurt too bad, so why let a little heel pain stop my October race plans? First up was the October 5 Allerton Trail Ultra. I knew I couldn't do the full 5 loops (~29 miles), but I figured 2 or 3 loops would be OK. I finished with 3 loops, 17+ miles. It was a DNF, but still a good trail run. My heel survived. 

Second race was the Dam Site Half-Marathon on October 20. It was rolling roads around a lake. If I could do 17 trail miles, I should be able to finish 13 miles on the roads without much harm. I ran a steady medium pace and finished in 1:50 (8:17 pace). During the race my heel was OK, afterward it hurt more than usual. Time to ice, stretch, roll the foot and massage the calf. Another race was one week away!

My third race was the Allerton Trail 5.7 mile run on October 27. A few hills and lots of roots. But less than 6 miles. No problem! The weather was perfect and the trail was in good condition. I ran hard, but disciplined. Felt good, but the heel started to hurt within 2 miles. It continued to bother me, but I kept going...until I passed the 4 mile mark and water station which has a sharp turn. I hit a root, twisted my foot and ankle and my heel erupted. Felt like a torch on my foot. I slowed down to ease the stress on my foot, but the pain persisted. Wanted to walk the last 1.5 miles to the finish. My ego kept me going and I "ran" the best I could and finished in 48:42, good enough for 4th in age group and 33rd overall. I was happy since this was the last race in the local "Triple Crown" (Allerton HM, Kirby Derby 5K, Allerton Trail). I had my fleece jacket and was heading home. With plantar fasciitis. 

When I got home, that's when the pain really settled into my heel. I was hobbling around for days. Tried icing, ibuprofen, foam rolling, stretching, massage. It helped. A little. The pain was 8/10. Time for many days off from running. November has been a slow month. Many days off, with just a few 1-2 mile runs to check on progress. Slowly got better and I can now run 2-3 miles with pain at 2/10 level. I hope December continues the positive trend. Maybe by the new year I'll be healed? 

Any lesson learned? I'm too old to race too often. And if something is hurting, even a little, I need to take time off from running. Need to be smart. Or is it wise? 

Quadfecta Of DNFs!

Our local trail running group has a series of four free trail ultras that we put together and call the "Free Ultra Quadfecta." It consists of:

1. January Riddle Run 28 miler
2. July Backyard Ultra ("Last Man Standing")
3. October Allerton Trail 29 miler
4. December Clinton Lake Winter Solstice 30 miler

I participate in all of them, and in the past have finished them, but not this past year. Going back to last December, I am now 0-4. Stopped at 20 miles at Clinton Lake, Riddle Run, and Last Man Standing (Backyard Ultra), then 18 miles at Allerton Ultra. DNF x 4. A special "Quadfecta"! Now have the Clinton Lake Winter Solstice on December 21. Will that be my turning point? Can I finish those tough 30 miles? We'll see! I'll be at the start and I'm confident I can get my standard 20 miles...but 30 miles is a lot farther than 20 miles! 

I have the Allerton Trail race next weekend (5.7 miles), then training for the Clinton Lake Winter Solstice ultra! Good times with friends. If reasonable weather, then maybe 30 miles is possible. 

Free Ultra Quadfecta: Race #3

Our local trail running group has always liked to participate in fun social runs. Especially if they are on trails over a long distance. And free. Basically, free trail ultras! We've had a couple of formal "fun ultras" but now we have a Free Ultra Quadfecta that pulls them together and offers extra awards. Still free. The third event in the Quadfecta is this weekend:

1. January Riddle Run (28 miler)
2. July Backyard Ultra ("last man standing")
3. October Allerton Trail Ultra (29 miles)
4. December Clinton Lake Winter Solstice 30 miler

The first two events are at the Lake of the Woods trails (4 mile loop, gentle hills). Third on the rolling Schroth trail at Allerton Park (~5.75 mile loop). The final one at the hilly Clinton Lake northfork trail (10 mile loop). 

It's now time for the Allerton Trail Ultra on Saturday, October 5. Five loops of the Schroth loop. About 29 miles. No fees, no formal registration, no official awards. Some ice water at the start/finish of each loop. Otherwise, bring your own aid...and share with fellow runners. I look forward to getting in a good long run, but doubt I'll reach that ultra status. Not trained well enough and have had a cold for about a week. Hopefully the cold is gone by this weekend, but my training is still sub-par. If I get 4 loops (~23 miles) I would be surprised and happy. Three loops (~17+ miles) would be a good target. 

I'll be ready for the last event in the series--Clinton Lake Winter Solstice 30 miler on December 21. It's the hilliest, longest, and hardest of the four events. And the weather tends to be...cold. 

My VO2 Max Lab Results

Not me, but this was the set-up.

I finally had a real VO2 max lab test. The University of Illinois Kinesiology department offers lab testing for $100. I had several estimates of my current VO2 max, but didn't know if any of them were valid. Which was the most accurate? Coros watch? Garmin watch? Recent 5K race results? My "somewhat official" Cooper Test on the track? Here are how those measures predicted my VO2 max:

• Coros watch: 44
• Recent 5K race: 43
• Garmin watch: 48
• Cooper Fitness Test: 49.8

The real lab test result? VO2 max = 43.1 

I was disappointed. Thought it would be in the high 40s, maybe 48 or 49. Turns out my recent 5K race and the Coros watch estimate were the closest! Garmin was way too positive. Still not sure why the Cooper Fitness test was so high. It seemed like the most official predictor when reading the research literature. Maybe I measured the distance incorrectly? I'll try another Cooper Test in the next month. And another Coros Fitness test too! 

Here are other statistics from the test:

• Max HR = 179
• Aerobic threshold (V1) = 141 HR
• Anaerobic threshold (V2, estimated) = 161 HR
• VO2 max = 43.1 mL/kg/min
• Absolute VO2 max = 3.44 L/min
• Velocity at VO2 max = 9.5mph (~6:19 min/mile)
• Called it quits at 10mph (6:00 pace) and 374 watts!

The test starts easy enough with a warm-up and nice chatting about the process with the lab technician. Then the treadmill is paused and the mask gets placed over your face and connected to a tube so they can measure O2 and CO2 as you breathe. Now it was real! Back to easy running, then they start cranking the speed every 2 minutes until you give up (treadmill was always level for me, but if needed, they can increase the incline). Think I could have pushed a little longer, but that last 2-minute segment at 10mph/6:00 pace was brutal. Everything seemed OK until around 9.5 mph. When moved to 10mph, my legs were pumping, I was breathing hard and could feel the burn. Done.

If nothing else, I now have a good sense of my power (270W) and HR (141) at V1 (aerobic threshold, top of zone 2). My Polar arm HR band seemed to track the lab's chest strap within 1-2 beats the whole time. Good to know it's accurate. 

The university lab testing was fun. I would do it again in 6-12 months. I truly believe I can increase my number with more speed work. According to their charts, I am in the 90th percentile for my age/gender. I want more!