36 makes 82

Training Week #9 concluded with a 36km run this morning, bringing my week's total kilometers of running to 82km.

The run was local. The group was doing 2 Bet Shemesh loops but I did not want to do that. At 3:30am I headed out and ran out to Tzomet HaElah junction and back. On the way back in I ran through the new MIshkafayim neighborhood before heading up the hill. At the top I detoured on Hayarden for a couple of kilometers, then headed down to Kishon to finish 36 with 2 cycles on Kishon.

It was a bit tough this morning, but I took it easy and all was good. It is really getting chilly before the sun comes up. Soon I might need to start wearing long sleeves on these early morning runs..

38km to Rehovot

The group run to Rehovot was scheduled for 34km. I used to love this run, but the past 2 years I have not done it at all.

Back in the day, when I was training for my first marathon, I would get up early and my supportive wife would drive me to a starting point at 4am or whenever, so I could get the distance I needed. Now I don't trouble her any longer with that and if I cannot take the car for whatever reason I just start from my house even if it means I will be running a longer distance than necessary, or find a ride (rare nowadays) or run a different route and not with the group.

The group starting in Bet Shemesh was scheduled for 34km, but because I was running from RBS I was going to get 38km. That is a big jump from my longest run so far of 33km a couple of weeks ago, but I felt I could do it.

Out I went at a bit before 4:30am, timed to finish as closely as possible with the main group at the grassy entrance of the Weizzman Institute in Rehovot before getting a drink at Aroma and then cabs back home.

The new highway, which was lit up, is a vast improvement over running along the old highway. Once on the Highway 44 though it went back to being pitch black at that hour of the morning.night.

At one point I got clipped by a biker. He had no lights on his bike, was wearing a black outfit, and no lights on the road meant my neon shirt and reflective strips weren't helpful at all. I saw him coming at me at the last second and tried to jump out of the way and screamed from being startled and not realizing what it was. We banged shoulders or something. I was ok and I tried to look back and he seemed to be fine, continuing to ride. One of the other runners later told me they saw him as well and nearly crashed into him.

I carried a small water bottle with me, and all was good. I ran through all the stops, occasionally stopping for a pit stop, walking through a water break, but until Mazkeret Batya water stop, about 30km in for me, I basically had just kept running,.

After Mazkeret Batya it was difficult to get started again. Muscles tighten up and it was tough. When I entered Rehovot I was already at 34km and considered taking a bus to the final destination as I already had the scheduled distance. But, I looked around and did not see the other runners at all so I figured I had time and just kept going.  I hit the Weizzman grass and collapsed into it at 38km after a great run.

Runkeeper messed up the time tracking, but it got the distance right. So my actual stats are meaningless (even though I imported them into Endomondo). I dont know why this happened, and it is not the first time. I'll have to keep an eye on that.

My legs are very sore right now

This week closes with 80km on the week. I haven't run this amount in years, if ever.

22 that is 57

Fridays long run is scheduled for 22km through the Roglit vineyards. The group is actually running 31km because they are assuming many members likely missed some of the runs during the holiday due to schedule conflicts. I kept to the schedule so decided to run the scheduled 22km. However, due to some crazy scheduling I decided to run my 22km at 01:00 (1am) instead of at a more normal hour - the scheduling including a late night trip to Tel Aviv, an early morning Cubs playoff game and an early morning trip to the Kotel for a cousin's tefillin-donning ceremony.

I kept it simple because of the late hour and the dark. I just ran a bunch of cycles around Kishon, including a slight extension past Ayalon on the way back and down Hayarden on the way out.

22km is in the book, with a holiday week of running closing out at 57km.

.

33km!

today was tough. I really wanted to run with the group - 32km to Jerusalem - but I knew I am not yet ready for that. It is really a fabulous and fun run. But, besides for much of it being on a trail in the dark, and I once before twisted my ankle on this run, I am also way too slow right now, and I would be running 32km in the dark all by myself, on a route that I might also make a wrong turn on and not have enough water at the water stops (it has happened before)...so I decided to run local instead.

I planned to run a few cycles of Kishon, up to Dolev with a few cycles of Dolev and then out on the Highways 10 and 375 to finish the distance I needed.

For water on these local long runs, I put out a couple of small bottles near my house, which I pass on my Kishon sections. Then when I go up and out, I carry them with me and drop them where I want to for the way back and for other cycles.

Today, as I was running Kishon I decided to just keep doing that. Why bother dealing with figuring out distances and where to put water - just keep running cycles of Kishon. It gives good distance, and I could mix it up a bit by running on opposite sides of streets on different cycles, and I had water at a perfect spot. So I did that. I ran 9 cycles of Kishon, giving my about 28km, and then decided to go up and finish with a run up Hayarqon, Hayarden Dolev and back, finishing at 32.5km.

It was tough, and slow, but I made it all the way through pretty well.

The one problem was my Runkeeper got messed up. Right after I started my run I had to stop for something and Runkeeper auto-paused, as it is supposed to. Unfortunately it did no restart, and I only noticed it about 1+km in when I checked to see why it was not alerting me. Still a bit later, in the range of about 2.5km in, it still had not alerted me so I checked it again and saw that it had not advanced at all. So, I turned it off and switched to Endomondo which did a good job. So, my run concluded on the clock at 30.5, but adding about 2.5km to that gives me 33km or so for the run. All the stats are worthless because of the lost 2.5km and for whatever reason (I have to check the settings) Endomondo did not auto-pause when I stopped for water or pee breaks.

added: I forgot to include the calculation of the week's total mileage. I ran about 71km in total last week. insane

mid-week 28km

Because Friday is erev yom kippur we scheduled the week's long run for Wednesday, with Friday being a medium length run (I think), so today was meant to be a 28km run out to Tzomet HaEla and back.

Being that I would be starting in RBS, I ran 7km locally before heading out to the highway, and I knew I would still need about another 1.5km of extensions along the way. I went to sleep early and woke up earlier than planned, so at about 3:30am I headed out for my run.

Across Kishon twice had me at 7 already while heading up Hayarqon to leave the neighborhood. I ran out and all the way to Tzomet Haela. Parts of it are very dark and I stopped here and there to hug the shoulders when big trucks were heading my way. I also made a pit stop, and after that my run got better.

I dont know what happened but it seemed to me my Runkeeper app tracking the run did not do such a good job. A few times I checked my progress and things looked wrong - pace, timing, and even at some point it looked like it was not advancing my distance properly. I kept going and things seemed to work itself out, though I am not convinced my time and pace are correct, and I think I ran more than 28km, but I made sure to get the 28 on the clock.

At Tzomet Haela I decided to extend it a bit so I ran a few hundred meters on the 38 and back, and then headed back on the 375. After a few extensions on the 375 and in RBS, I finished my run at 28km. I think the pace it shows me is faster than I actually ran and I think it clocked less time than it actually took, and less distance, but I cannot be sure of it. I might map it out on google maps to check the distance, but I wont be able to confirm the time and pace. I care less about that though.

Medium Long Run

Today's long run was really a medium run at 18km. The scheduled route was the Lamed Hey Loop. Being that I was not feeling up to running either the Zechariya or Tzeelim hills, I decided I would run 9km out, to nearly Tzomet HaEla, and then 9km back.

And I did. It was not a great run. I did not enjoy it and I was not a fluid run. I did not feel in sync. But I got it in and finished a short and lower mileage running week to close training week 3..

25km

Today's run was a 25km run along the winding and hilly Highway 353, and then back to Tzomet Srigim via the 38 from Bet Guvrin.

I set out the water at the water stops for the run, so I knew exactly where it was. I started about 15 minutes earlier than the group and had a great run. I ran the first half at a good speed, but the hills and the humidity got to me.

At the 12km mark, we had to cross a barrier of construction dirt to get to the path leading down to the gas station on Highway 35 near Bet Guvrin to get back to the 38. It turned out most of the group decided to not go that way but instead turnedit into an "out and back" instead of a loop and just turned around at that point, unsure of whether the path was also affected by road works or if it was just blocked off.

Being that I was ahead of the group, I ran the path, and only one other guy had caught up with me at that point and he did as well.

When I got back the rest of the group had just finished their run and I discovered they had gone out and back instead of loop.

The humidity was really tough. I was thoroughly drenched. The runner who had caught up with me is a far better runner than I and he was really struggling. I just took it slow and steady and finished my run, but it was tough. I ended up finishing at my normal slow pace.

This concludes Week 2 of training with 66km. That is a big jump for me.

22km long run

This morning's run was scheduled by the group to be a 22km run. And I ran 22km. Tghe weather was nice and cool. Overall pace was decent, a touch faster than my long runs have been recently. I ran the middle 10km of it at a pace slightly faster than 6mpkm.

I ran the Lamed Hey loop, starting in RBS with 3.5km. I actually never saw the group. I started my run 15 minutes earlier than they did and I expected them to pass me after Tzomet HaElah, but I never saw them.

The best part of this run was that I had done this route and distance a few times recently, but today was the first time it was not a struggle but a nice run. Even the Zechariya and Tzeelim long hills, though tough, were not a struggle.

That puts me at about 55km or so on 4 runs for the first training week...

First Long Run Of The Marathon Season Ends Not Well

This past Friday was the first long run of the marathon season. The run was scheduled to be 22km, but since I have not run more than 15km all off-season, and even that only a few times, I decided to alter the route slightly. My altered route would total 19km, and depending on how I was feeling at the end I would possibly extend it a bit. I call it a long run, because it is my longest since my last marathon. However, my coach does not call it a long run - he says long runs are only called long runs if they are of a distance of more than a half-marathon (21.1km). Anything less is only a medium-long run at best.

I met with a couple other guys who were going to run part of it and then turn around, as they were not going to be running more than 14km. We were running the Lamed Hey route from RBS, being starting in RBS across Road 10 to the 375. Up 375 to Elah Junction. Across 38 to Bet Shemesh, and up to RBS. The run includes two major hills, one being the hill of Zechariya and the second being the Tzeelim hill up to RBS.

After my running partners broke off a bit after Tzomet Aderet, I continued the rest of the way on my own. We were getting a good run. I have not run with a watch in a long time, but now that marathon season is back I decided it was time to start monitoring my speed and distance more accurately again. A few quick glances at my watch let me know that were were running at a pretty fast pace. It is not unusual as that stretch of road is at a slight downhill angle and it is easy to not pay attention and run much faster than normal without realizing.

After they broke off and I continued on towards Elah Junction, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my left calf. It felt almost like a small bruise, but I am pretty sure it was a slight muscle pull. Nothing specific caused it - I didn't misstep suddenly or trip or anything that i noticed. The pain just suddenly appeared. I stopped and stretched it out a bit, and then kept going. it still hurt, but I had to get home, so my only option was to keep going.

The only thing I could think of that caused it was perhaps running too fast, It is a classic mistake at the beginning of the season. Thankfully, it was not bad. I was able to continue on, slowing down a bit. i made it up the entire Zechariya hill respectably.

Only when climbing the Tzeelim hill did I have to stop and walk a bit as the pain increased with the hill. I got to the top and finished the run at 19km and did not extend it. Obviously the pain increased over the day, but then over Shabbos it began decreasing. i still feel it slightly, but it mostly gone. I expect by tomorrow I should be running again.

Besides for the pain, the timing worked out after I turned at the Elah Junction that I saw a beautiful view of the mountains just after sunrise with the sun over the Elah valley and the mountainous backdrop. It was stunning and the air was beautiful and cool. The run was beautiful, albeit slightly marred by the slight muscle pain. If everything goes well, it looks like it should be a great season.

A killer 33km

Today's run started off great and turned into a killer. Me and my running buddies wanted to get another long run in before the Jerusalem Marathon. After some scheduling issues, we decided today would be the day. We were shooting for a run in the range of 32km.

We look super fast, don't we? Photo courtesy of Jonny

Heading out at about 8:20 AM, we right away felt the unseasonable heat, and knew it would only get hotter. We ran out of RBS, across Road 10 and up 375. We made our first water stop, at 10km at the gas station at Tzomet Ha'Elah. 

From there we continued on, planning to turn up at Zeqa Junction, and run up another 2-2.5km, and back down to the 38, adding 4-5km to the total. The reason is that the perimeter run we were doing, the perimeter of the whole Bet Shemesh, is only about 28 or so km, so we wanted to add to it.

We took a bottle of water with us from Tzomet Ha'Elah and dropped it at Tzomet Azeqa, for when we would return from our detour.

After that we ran up Zechariya and back down continuing on to the entrance to Bet Shemesh. At 25km, when we arrived at the Paz gas station at the entrance to the city we took another water break.

5 minutes for Gilad Shalit. Photo courtesy of Jonny

Continuing on, we hooked around the BIG mall, hooking up with the end of Road 10, and ran up Road 10. At the main entrance to the city, out side of the BIG mall, there was the 5 minute protest for Gilad Shalit holding up traffic.

Road 10 was difficult. It was a killer. It is all uphill, it was hot and dry, and there was strong headwind against us. At this point I was struggling.

At Zanoach we decided to take a detour instead of continuing on Road 10. We cut through Zanoach and ran along a beautiful soft trail that took us to the edge of RBS B, right before the junction where it meets up with RBS A. The only problem with this detour is that it was a serious uphill. It was a struggle, and I had to walk the rockier parts, but we conquered it.

From there we split up, and I ran home along Nahal Kishon, finishing at the shopping center at 33km. There I bought myself a Freezee and walked another block home, nursing my drink.

I think my Vibram FiveFinger Bikilas have seen their last days and last runs. I have been getting holes around the toe area. So far thye have been small and I have been able to ignore them. Today they got much bigger. Pebbles were getting in and disturbing me, but even worse, for about the last 4km I could feel a pinching on one of my toes every time I stepped down, and it hurt increasingly more as it went on. Turns out that the hole by that toe had gotten pretty large, and my toe was scraped up and bleeding from the striking against the pavement.

Good thing my sis is bringing my new pair next week!

Ran a great 34km to Rehovot

Friday was a long run day. The scheduled run was 34km to Rehovot.

The Rehovot run is one of my favorite, if not my actual favorite. I am not sure because how can anyone love such a run of 34 kilometers (or more, depending on the starting point), but as long runs go, this is one of the best that we do during marathon training season.

The course is beautiful, and after some hills in the beginning, the rest of the way is mostly flat (still the occasional hill, but mostly).

The weather was perfect for a long run. Cool, slightly overcast with a subtle breeze. I left very early, because I am slower than everyone else and I wanted to arrive in rehovot at around the same time. I started my run at about 4:15 in the morning, and it was pitch black out on the highway. I dont know if I will do that again - I will have to weigh it against the other options, and it will depend a lot on the timing of the scheduled taxi home and other things. It felt dangerous but there were just a few cars out on the highway at that time of day/night.

I started off at a good pace. If it was lighter out I might have tried to run a little faster, but I didnt want to trip over anything i could not see, so I took it a bit easy. The first hill was ok, as it is just a short, albeit steep, hill, but the hill up to presidents Forest is the most intimidating hill on this run. That was coming up and I would hit it at about 11km or so, as I started my run in RBS.

By the time I got to Tzomet Shimshon leading up to the Presidents Forest hill it was already getting light. I was feeling strong and running at a great pace, a pace I did not expect to be able to keep up for very long, and I attacked the hill. I ran up the hill slower, obviously, but still a great hill pace for me. This is a long and steep hill and is very difficult.

At the top was a water break, and after about a minute or so I continued on my way. From there it is mostly downhill and flat until Tzomet Nachshon, except for one more hill, and a serious one but nothing like Presidents Forest, by the Kibbutz Harel.

At the top of the Harel Hill the first other runner passed me. I was a bit surprised as I had scheduled my run to expect runners passing me only much later, and I was also running a better pace than expected. Then I was reassured because he had also left earlier than the rest of the group, so his passing me did not portend anything about the groups location.

After a momentary water stop at Tzomet Nachshon, I continued on my way to Tzomet Chulda and then across the 411 highway to Rehovot. There is one hill right at the beginning of the 411 and then another, more serious one but not long, shortly after. After that it is flat the rest of the way. I was still running at a better pace than planned and still feeling strong. I was averaging on the flats a pace of about 5:25 per km, and on the hills about 6:30 per km, both much better paces that what I am used to running.

Eventually I hit Mazkeret Batya, still feeling great. The break there that i took was a couple of minutes, and I already started to stiffen. Starting again after Mazkeret Batya was a little more difficult but a few steps in I settled down and got back into a rythm. My pace slowed a tiny bit at that point. The next two sections fo the run, the last two, are the least pleasant of the whole run - from Mazkeret Batya until Tzomet Brenner (or even until the entrance to Rehovot - Tzomet Bilu), is a few kilometers directly out in the sun and heat, and it is a concrete jungle over there with shopping centers, cars and large asphalt highway rather than fields and trees.

As mentioned, I was nearing the end already because I started at RBS so Mazkeret Batya was already 30km for me. I started to run a little slower at that point, and I concluded my run at the entrance to Rehovot, registering 34km.

That was a bit of a bad move, as I had to then walk nearly 4km in Rehovot. The Rehovot section of the run is the worst part of the whole thing. There is uphill through the main road of downtown Rehovot, you are dodging people and cars out starting their early Friday shopping and it is just an unpleasant strip of 4km. Walking it is horrible as I was stiffening up and starting to feel the soreness settle in. Even worse is that I was wearing my Vibrams and walking on all that cobblestone was very unpleasant, especially already starting to feel sore form the run. But I had time to kill so I took it easy and took my time. The runners started to pass me as I started walking in through Rehovot.

My final average pace which I checked at this point was 5:45 per km, which is a great pace for me on a long run.

only 22 today

I really need to get orthotics. I think that will solve my problem.

The last could of long runs were 25 and 26km each. At about 18km or so, my feet got very sore. I happened to be by a podiatrist this past week and asked him about that and he looked at my feet and said "you need orthotics". he told me some calculation about how many steps per kilometer and explained that when your foot is stepping crooked for that many steps, it makes things hurt.

So I gotta get that taken care of..

This Friday's long run was in the Bet Shemesh area, scheduled for 25km. We met at the top of Nofei Aviv and ran down to Road 10. We turned right and ran towards the 375. We were supposed to have a water stop at the entrance from Road 10 to RBS. That was about 5.5km. After that break we were meant to have a fast tempo run for 8km in which we run at a faster pace - the pace expected for running a half-marathon, rather than an easy paced run. Unfortuantely the break did not happen, because the water one of the runners had placed there overnight had been taken by someone.

We started the fast paced run, and I was falling back a bit. I realized I could be running faster, and there was no reason I should not. So I took off, At the end of the 8km, which ended up in Tzomet Ha'Ela, I had averaged 4:50/km for that 8km, which is a very good pace for me. What was really good, was that I felt myself closing the gap between me and the group of runners running ahead of me. They had been running at a faster pace than me, but when I sped up I felt the gap closing. Eventually I passed the final runner at the back of the group, and felt great! I had closed the gap and run into the group that was running faster than me. I only stayed ahead of one of those runners, as the others had sped up also and were by now further ahead.

After a water break at Tzomet Ha'Ela, we ran the toughest part of the route. From Tzomet Ha'Ela to the entrance to RBS on the 38. That is tough because it is a seriously long and tough hill. By now my feet were very sore and I was running slower.

We had another water break at the RBS entrance, and then we continued on toward BS. We were supposed to enter Bet Shemesh Darom, run up the hill, and back up to Aviv. By the time I got to Park Ha'Plastic, my feet were so sore, I could not imagine taking the hill in Bet Shemesh, though my legs and body were fine. So I turned in by Park HaPlastic, ran the trail behind Aviv and cut the run short at a bit more than 22km.

The final numbers were 22.34km at an average pace of 5:39/km. That included the patch of 8km that I ran at 4:50/km.