Jay Silvio's Blog

Jay�s Week That Was: Baltimore 7 of 16

Jay Silvio — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 23:14:16 GMT

Week 7 (8/4 - 8/10)
This entry will be different (and much shorter) because almost all of my workouts were exactly the same. No need to get repetitive with the daily details. I was away on vacation this past week with my family (including my amazing in-laws) in Massanutten, VA. We spent five straight days at a water park where my daughters were in absolute heaven swimming, sliding, and floating the hours away. There was a gym where we were staying and it had elliptical machines. They were not the style I was used to, so it took me a couple of days to get really comfortable on them, but they certainly were sufficient for my rehab training needs. I laughed when I read (and promptly ignored) the signs asking folks to limit their time on the machines to no more than twenty minutes. That just wasn't going to cut it and it didn't really matter because there was only one day when all of the machines were in use (and there were still many open bikes and treadmills). I did an hour of elliptical training (plus a five minute cool down) Monday through Saturday and after we got home on Sunday I did a 90-minute spin on my bike trainer while watching some of the Olympics. It certainly would have been nice to run on some of the mountain hiking trails or the ski slopes, but my calf was in no shape for it. As is, I probably over-worked it running up the many flights of stairs to get to the top of the water slide. It doesn't look like I'll be able to get many runs in during the next couple of months so I guess I'll have to try and gut out the marathon on my base fitness that I'll keep trying to maintain through cross-training. I have a PT appointment coming up on Thursday and hopefully that will provide me with some ways to get this calf strain healed up. Even it goes exceptionally well I am realistic enough to know that I will not be putting in nearly enough long runs for optimal marathon training. I did finally break down and order a pair of 2XU compression calf guards that should arrive by the end of the week. The Baltimore Marathon is in exactly two months, so anything to promote the healing process...
As always, thanks to my sponsors:

And let's not forget the prize at the end of the long journey:

And since I don't want people to think my life is all injury and misery, here are some pics from the water park:

Jay�s Week That Was: Baltimore 6 of 16

Jay Silvio — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 18:32:51 GMT

Week 6 (7/28 - 8/3)
This was another week that was primarily cross-training in an attempt to rehabilitate my strained left calf. It was also the last week of summer school teaching. I told my co-worker, Peter, that if I was busting my hump on the elliptical trainer every day to stay in shape so that I can pace him to a BQ at Baltimore, he darned well better be ready to run on October 11. I plugged in his time from the Frederick Half-Marathon into a race converter and it spit out a 3:04 full. Since he has increased his training, we decided to shoot for three hours as our Baltimore goal time. By the end of the week I was not experiencing any tightness or pain in my calf so I attempted a run. This was a major mistake and may in the end prove to be a very costly setback. I am currently on vacation with my family in Massanutten, VA and don't have easy internet access so I had to make some of this quick and dirty.

Monday - An hour-long elliptical session. Tired from last week's double workouts, I faded during the second half.
Tuesday - A 50-minute reverse elliptical session (+ 10 minute forward cool-down). It was a fairly decent workout.
Wednesday - An hour-long elliptical session. I tried to push since Wednesday is my usual tempo day, but I again faded during the second half.
Thursday - A 50-minute reverse elliptical session (+ 10 minute forward cool-down). I kept the effort relatively relaxed and my legs felt pretty good.
Friday - An hour-long elliptical session. Best workout of the week. I faded again but was still able to hold on for a respectable distance.
Saturday - A 2-mile swim. I had planned to swim 5K for my "long" day, but I got pulled out of the water just after 2 miles when there were rumbles of thunder.
Sunday - A 5-mile run. This run started off with my calf doing just fine. There was no pain and I was actually more focused on my stomach issues (I went out too soon after breakfast) than my legs. I felt great and my first few miles were almost effortless. I hit splits of 6:18, 6:10, 6:07, and 6:08. Then, as I pushed it in for the final stretch, I felt my calf seize up with just a quarter-mile to go. I limped in to finish the final mile in 6:03. I headed towards home with a heavy heart and a feeling like something was being ripped out of me.

At this point it is hard for me to write about how things are going. After the Frederick Marathon I had hoped to create this blog as a way to provide advice and motivation to my fellow members of the running community (and to help promote the Maryland Double). Now my calf injury is three months old and I may have put my healing process back to day zero. It is frustrating to grind out mind-numbing elliptical, pool, and spin sessions for so many days in a row only to have to reset the rehab routine without even making it all the way through a single run. Knowing that much of it was due to my own foolish mistake of pushing the final mile (it felt so good to run again and my calf gave me absolutely no warning signs that it was going to tighten up) does not help with my sense of despair. Having recently completed my best ever season of running at age 38, I feel like a brand new gift has been snatched away from me. Self-pity, however, will not help me cross the finish line in Baltimore on October 11. Be prepared to read about more cross-training next week...

Jay's Week That Was: Baltimore 5 of 16

Jay Silvio — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:45:36 GMT

Week 5 (July 21-27)
This week I had an orthopedist visit and x-rays on Monday, an MRI on Tuesday, and a podiatrist visit on Wednesday. The x-rays were negative (thank goodness!), but the MRI revealed a "Strain injury of the myotendinous junction of the lateral head of the gastocnemius muscle." I guess it's nothing I didn't already know, but it's good to know there are no other issues (no stress fracture, tendon or ligament damage, etc.). The bad news is that I have been told that if I want this strain to fully heal (which I obviously do) I will need to rest it for 5-6 weeks.��Since my wife and daughters were away at the beach for the week, I had plenty of extra time for training (and preparing lots of whole-grain vegetarian meals and banana-strawberry-avocado smoothies).��What does one do when training for a marathon but not allowed to run?��Why cross-train, of course.��I decided to make it my goal to complete a full week of two-a-day workouts.��Here's how it went:

Monday - A 60-minute elliptical session and a 2500m swim.��I started off my week with a solid elliptical workout before teaching.��I maintained a decent pace throughout, but I had little left for any sort of "kick" at the end.��After work I went to the pool for a swim.��I didn't time it, but it usually takes me around an hour to complete 2500 meters.��I'm not a good swimmer but I know that swimming can be a great workout.��I took this one fairly easy.
Tuesday - A 50-minute reverse elliptical session (plus a 10-minute cool-down) and a 2500m swim.��I was tired and struggled early on in my morning elliptical session.��The afternoon swim went much better.��My body seemed to be trying to figure out how to deal with double doses of exercise.
Wednesday - A 60-minute elliptical session and a 90-minute spin on my bike trainer.��Wednesday is typically my tempo run so I tried to push my morning elliptical workout.��Unfortunately, I started out much too hard during the first 20 minutes or so and by the final 20 minutes I had nothing left.��It was probably a mistake to try and push any of these workouts.��In the evening I put in a very easy spin on my bike trainer while watching the new version of "Planet of the Apes".
Thursday - A 50-minute reverse elliptical session (plus a 10-minute cool-down) and a 2500m swim.��This day was very similar to Tuesday.��I was finding myself pretty low on energy and motivation in the morning, but I managed to grind out a below average elliptical session.��The afternoon's swim went a bit better, but I was defiantly starting to get bored of looking at the bottom of the pool (plus it's pretty gross when you're wearing goggles and you can see all the gunk that's floating around in there).��At least I can wear my iPod when I'm on the elliptical.
Friday - A 60-minute elliptical session and a 90-minute spin on my bike trainer.��I had another slow start on the elliptical as I continued to have a tough time getting going in the morning.��I managed to put in a pretty decent workout all things considered, but I was certainly glad it was Friday and I wouldn't have to wake up early the next day.��My shoulders had been feeling rather sore so I decided to hit the bike trainer rather than the pool, especially because I wanted to go for a long swim on Saturday.��I put in a relaxed 90 minutes while watching "Coach Carter".
Saturday - A 5K swim and a 90-minute spin on my bike trainer. I got to sleep in a bit and I went to the pool around noon. Saturday is my usual long run day, so I decided to make it a long swim. Given my pace and a couple bathroom breaks, it took over two hours and my back got a pretty good tan. In the evening I did a bike spin while watching UFC. I ate pretty much anything that caught my eye that day.
Sunday - A 90-minute bike spin and a 2500m swim. I did my bike spin in the morning while watching Sports Center and body was feeling fairly rough from Saturday's swim and over-eating. In the afternoon I went to the pool before dinner. I thought I was swimming at a relatively decent pace until another swimmer got in next to me and kept passing me like I was doing doggie paddle. I became even more humbled when I noticed that she wasn't even using her legs! Still, it was a good swim for me and it marked the completion of my final workout of the week.

So, I was able to get in 14 workouts in a week!��By the end I was pretty wiped out and was eating almost constantly, but I'm glad I did it.��I'd better get used to all this cross-training because 5-6 more weeks recovery for my calf doesn't give me much time before I need to start my taper for the Baltimore Marathon. It looks like I'll be running the race to finish so that I can complete the Maryland Double rather than shooting for possible prize money as one of the top Maryland resident finishers. If I can maintain my fitness through cross-training, I plan to try and pace a couple of friends who are hoping to run BQs at the marathon. Six weeks of elliptical training, bike spinning, and lap swimming, however, may just drive me insane...

Jay�s Week That Was: May 5-May 11, 2008

Jay Silvio — Mon, 12 May 2008 15:13:16 GMT

A week of recovery from my marathon. My quads especially were sore early in the week. Stairs and chairs were pretty rough for a few days. I tried to get in quality workouts without putting too much stress on my running muscles so I did a lot of elliptical training. Here's how it went:

Monday - A 30 minute session on the elliptical trainer in reverse (followed by a 15 minute forward cool down period). The first few minutes are just brutal, but once I get warmed up I'm surprised that it actually goes pretty well. I pleased that my legs still work even though I'm still having trouble going up and down stairs.
Tuesday - A 45 minute elliptical workout. I wake up this morning with a sore throat and runny nose. I feel awful most of the day, but I decide to try and see how it goes on the elliptical. After a few minutes I get a sweat going and my passages open up a bit. It's not a great workout, but it's probably the best I feel all day.
Wednesday - A 30 minute reverse elliptical session (followed by only 5 minutes of forward cool down). I have to rush this one since I have to get to a meeting so I cut the cool down short to make sure I can get it in with limited time. To make up for it I blast through the main half hour and tie my best distance for this type of workout. I don't think that's supposed to be part of a recovery week.
Thursday - A 7 mile run on a treadmill. I decide to stick with the treadmill to avoid hills and reduce the shock to my legs that would come with running on the roads. For whatever reason, (still recovering from the marathon, legs tired from yesterday's fast workout, or maybe it was that beer I had the night before - my first in about two months) it's much harder than I had hoped. I feel tired and struggle to keep a decent pace, but I get it done.
Friday - An hour long elliptical workout. I get back into my usual (pre-taper) routine. I don't push too hard and have an almost average session. I'm pleased that I'm feeling pretty good at this point.
Saturday - A 10 mile run. My first "real" run on roads. It goes alright, especially during the middle miles, but I have some slight aches and pains. My stomach doesn't feel quite right and my left calf flares up near the end. I'm glad to know that I can still get it done.
Sunday - A 90 minute of easy spinning on my bike trainer. My rest day for the week. I just keep my legs moving and break a light sweat while I watch the season finale of Survivor. There are 5 months to go until the Baltimore Marathon!

I'm glad I was able to continue to exercise throughout the week. I feel that staying active speeds up the recovery process. I've still got some lingering soreness in my calf when I try and run, but the rest of my body seems to healing up. I plan to increase training volume a bit next week if my body feels up to it with hopes of being back to my regular schedule by the end of the month (in time for a 5K on the 31st to finish up my running club's Grand Prix series).