2009 August mileage and re-evaluating Saturday's 24-miler

August Miles

Runs - 23
Miles - 242.83 (personal best by .2 miles)
Time - 33 hours, 32 minutes, 49 seconds
Pace - 8:17 min/mile
Avg distance per run - 10.56
Avg mileage per day - 7.83

2009 Mileage

Runs - 175
Miles - 1,573.41 (I'm just 27 miles from besting my 2008 mileage)
Time - 8 days, 21 hours, 9 minutes, 57 seconds
Pace - 8:07 min/mile
Avg. distance per run - 8.99
Avg. mileage per day - 6.47

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Re-evaluating Saturday's 24-miler...

I was not too happy that I cramped real bad in my right quad which did not allow me to go the entire 27 miles. But beginning Sunday afternoon and into today, I feel much better mentally. Much better.

By not completing the entire run, I got an in-close look at what my weaknesses are and where I need to get better during this final month before the marathon. I won't spend too much time here dwelling on what I need to do better because I went over that in my last post. But I do have some extra thoughts on why I constantly cramp in my right inside thigh (abductor muscle).

I used to be a big-time weight lifter before I became a runner. On leg day, I'd do tons of leg presses, and some squats. I did lots of work that strengthened my quads, not so much work on my hamstrings, and virtually no workouts that isolated the inside of my thighs. Looking back now, I can see I developed a leg imbalance.

Now, when I run particularly long distances, my quads and hamstrings work much harder than they should because I have virtually no inner-thigh strength. And at the end of Saturday's run, my inner right thigh cramped so bad that I couldn't walk. (No such problems with my inner left thigh, however. I think its because my right leg is my dominant leg and it does more than 50 percent of the work).

So, as we enter the final month of marathon training, I need to develop some more strength in my right inner thigh area. More stretching. More exercises that isolate the muscle.

I'll also work on the obvious stuff: Think about pacing and stick to the paces I'm supposed to run. Nutrition. Hydration. Limit the alcohol consumption.

Yep - that means less cabernets in 5ksandcabernets. Already, I've unplugged my home wine cellar. It sits empty and hot with not a single bottle inside. I'll have a glass or two at a restaurant, but I won't drink at home until the marathon is done.