Category Archives: Injuries

Never Say Never

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The past week has been a roller-coaster of highs and lows.  A week ago I was worried about the head-cold I had come down with for the second time in less than a month and the nagging cough.  Then after getting some meds for that I felt much better last Thursday as we all headed out to fly to Chicago for what would end up being my second chance to run the Chicago Marathon.  An afternoon of fun in Chicago with the family was ended by a freak accident in which I got my pinky toe caught in a revolving door at the hotel and once again the odds of running Chicago were thrown into doubt.

After not being able to walk on it and put any weight on that foot, Friday night I was resigned to the fact that I would not be able to run on Sunday in the marathon and consequently I posted Not Meant To Be.  After that I went as far as calling the airline to see about getting our tickets changed to fly out on Saturday instead of Monday.  However after finding out there was plenty of room on the flight but it would be $75 each…. I figured for $375 we could keep our original flight.

Nice huh?? Bruising on the bottom of my toe from getting it caught in the revolving door.

So Saturday morning Sharena convinced me that we should at least go to the expo and pick up my race packet and get my shirt.  After-all – I had paid for the shirt and should at least get it.  I was hesitant at first because I didn’t want a shirt from an event that I did not complete.  However after thinking about it for a bit I figured that if nothing else I could just use it as one of my normal running shirts since I go through them so fast.

The funny thing was that as the day progressed I figured out that I could walk on my left foot without horrible pain as long as I did not flex it very much and kept it flat.  In fact I at one point decided I would try a little jog and keeping it flat.  I found that by doing this I was able to move with an acceptable level of discomfort.

After getting to the expo (which was an adventure itself with all 5 of us in a cab) – the bug bit me that maybe I should just line up and give it a shot.  Worst case scenario if I was hurting too bad we ran right past our hotel within the first mile and I could just stop.

So Sunday at 5:45am I was up getting ready to walk to the start of the marathon.  The temps were in the upper 30s with not too strong of a breeze but enough to make you notice it.  I wore a long sleeve shirt that I would just throw off at the start but even with that my teeth were chattering by the time it was close to the start.

This year the Chicago Marathon implemented a new dual wave start.  The first wave started at 7:30 and the second wave, which I was in started at 8:00.  I don’t know if it was just imagination or real but it seemed to be much less frantic in the starting corrals this year.  It was still pretty much elbow to elbow but just not as crazy with the inching forward only to stop and wait.  There were still the annoying people that waited until 5 minutes before it started to jump the gates and said “Excuse Me” as if you could just magically disappear so they could get in front of you.  I crossed the start line at around 8:03 – so not much longer after I did last year with the single start at 7:30.

Getting ready to start!!

By this point my feet as well as most of the rest of my lower body were pretty numb from the cold.   So starting out I wasn’t really hurting all that bad.  My form was pretty bad though.  I had to try to keep my left foot landing flat which threw everything else off.  I got to the corner by Embassy Suites and saw Sharena and the kids – they were freezing I could tell and I hollered to them but they couldn’t hear me.  At this point I was feeling pretty good so I saw no need to stop.

By the time I turned onto State St. I had settled into a pretty good pace and really was feeling pretty good.  Looking back on it now I am not really sure how I was able to feel as good as I did through it except through a lot of people praying for me that I would be able to run it.  I had somehow settled in just on the heels of the 3:55 pace group – faster than I had anticipated going out – but still within my normal run paces so I decided to try to stay with them.

The route at least seemed familiar this year and I remembered several of the areas as I ran through them again.  I am not sure but it seemed like the supporting crowds may have been down a little this year compared to last year.  It may have been because the temps were so much cooler and jackets were required if you weren’t running.  But – that by no means translates to thin crowds – the streets were still 4-5 people deep in places.

I kept looking down at my race pace tattoo that I had gotten on Saturday and I was consistently staying ahead of the goal paces for a 4 hour finish.  By mile 13 I started to feel a little twinge in the toe.  Not enough to cause enough concern to stop, but enough to bring me out of my zone mentally and make me think about it.  I tried to ignore it and keep the pace going.  At this point I was half way through in under 2 hours so I was well on my way.

Mile 16-20 were the toughest for me last year and that stayed true this year.  Not sure why – but nonetheless they were tough mentally to stay focused.  The crowd support was still good and you pretty much have runners all around you within arms distance the whole race in Chicago so it shouldn’t bother me but it did.  This is also the section of the route that I noticed a lot more uneven pavement.  Normally this is not an issue but with the toe injury, every pothole and slant of the pavement caused me to grimace and limp ever slightly.

As I got to mile 19 I noticed that I had slipped a little further back from the 3:55 pace group.  My time compared to the goal time on the race pace tattoo was still about 2 minutes ahead of schedule but in the back of my mind it cause me to realize I was starting to slow a bit.  By mile 20 I suddenly noticed a very painful cramp developing in the top of my left foot leading up the the shin area.  I am sure this was due to the way I was trying to keep that foot from flexing and landing as flat as I could.  I just kept telling myself – lets try to make it to the next mile marker.

By mile 21, my pace had slowed to over 10 minutes per mile and my total time was creeping back towards the goal times on the tattoo.  Not a problem I kept thinking… I just need to keep pushing and try to get the pace back.  I did try a couple of pickups to try to re-energize the legs but each time I tried I kept getting a sharp pain in the top of my foot from the cramping.

At mile 22, things definitely slowed dramatically.  The cramp in my foot was causing me to flex my foot more.  This in turn cause me to immediately start feeling the shooting pain from my toe.  Within a half of a mile it forced me to stop and take my shoe completely off and try to stretch the foot out.  Just getting my foot out of the shoe was enough to cause me to moan.  This caused me to really worry that I might not get it back on. After about 45 seconds of letting it rest I forced my shoe back on and walked a bit to see if it would loosen up.  It didn’t.

The last 4 miles were the worse of the whole race.  By this point I saw the 4 hour pace slip by me.  My foot was cramping terribly.  My toe was starting to ache constantly and mentally it beat me up.  I kept telling myself I just had a little longer to go and I could sit down.

I vividly remember crossing the finish line last year in Chicago.  I became immediately amped up when I made the final turn from Roosevelt onto Michigan Ave.  I can remember the elation of seeing the finish line and picking up the pace to cross.  This year was different.  I wanted to feel that again… but all I could think about was getting off of my foot.  There was no chance of me picking up the pace to sprint.  I crossed the finish line at 4:19:30 – almost a full hour faster than I did last year.  I had hoped to break 4 hours in Chicago this year with the perfect weather and what I felt like had been pretty good training leading up to it.  I can’t feel too badly – I mean I beat last years time by almost an hour and I set a new marathon PR on an injured foot.  But I am one that once I set a goal – I hate to not see it happen.

Happy it was over :)

After crossing the finish line, I texted Sharena and let her know I had finished and that I just needed to sit down for a bit.  This was the first time I have ever used one of the thermal blankets they hand out.  I was freezing sitting there on the grass.  It seemed like the wind was blowing 20MPH through there and my teeth were chattering.  After about 20 minutes, I finally made my way across to the 27th mile after-party area and found my family and after a few hugs and kisses we started to make our way back to the hotel.  I think it probably took me 30-40 minutes to get back and I was hobbling pretty badly.  Chicago was finished and what I thought was going to be my first DNS turned out to be a race I completed and will always remember.

I am incredibly blessed!  I had a family that put up with me through all of the training and even more importantly – all of the highs and lows in Chicago after injuring my foot Thursday evening.  I also can not say how much it meant for all of the friends and family back home that were praying for me and supporting me!  That was truly amazing!

Whats next?  Well I saw the Ortho yesterday and got an X-Ray.  He said he could not tell for sure from the X-Ray whether it was a hairline fracture or not or just badly bruised.  He offered to put it in a boot for me but I declined.  I asked him how soon I could be back out running and he just said – As soon as you feel like it :) – So not much more in terms of definites.

I have Dogwood Canyon 25K Trail Race in about a week and a half.  I hope to be able to run it.  Time will tell.  I have not ran since being home and worry that the extremely uneven and hilly trail might be too much – but we shall see!!

Sad Day and Diagnosis of My Ankle Issue

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I had originally planned on updating the blog last night after I got answers from the sports doc on my ankle.  However as things normally go, plans change.  The last 48 hours have been just an amplification of how the past week and a half have been.

Tuesday evening I went on my normal bike ride and had a great ride on the new Scott Sportser S10.  I really love the bike and the gearing and light weight made a huge difference!  Climbing the hills actually was kinda fun on this bike.

After getting home things took a different turn though.  Our dog Dasher(whom Santa brought my daughter when she was 3) greeted us as normal by barking as we came in the door and then wiggling and wagging his tail uncontrollably after he saw it was us.  We had dinner and he acted normal and was begging for food.  However at about 9:30 he acted like he needed to go out, and my son let him out.  After about 20 minutes of him not returning I knew that something was odd.  I found him a little bit later out in the yard just turning in circles, stumbling, and running into the walls and trees.  He had huge amounts of drool coming out of his mouth and was pretty unresponsive to my voice and even me petting him.  My wife and I immediately agreed we needed to get him to the emergency vet in Springfield(about an hour away).  I had to pick him up to get him in the van and by the time I got to the vet’s office around midnight he wouldn’t stand up or move.  Long story short – within about 45 minutes of being at the vets, he was gone.  His heart stopped and they tried to resuscitate him unsuccessfully.   I really couldn’t even absorb what was happening.  Just 3 hours earlier he was running around acting normally and now I was loading him up to take him home to bury him.  I normally put up a good front of being a tough guy and cover up any emotions but the ride home that night was tough.  I cried most of the way home talking to my wife and wondering how we were going to be able to break the news to the kids and how our life was going to be different waking up the next morning.

I finally got to bed around 3am and slept until our kids started coming in around 7.  I had a meeting to get ready for and planned on taking care of the meeting and getting back home to bury him.  My daughter ended up sleeping late that morning and it was a good thing because it allowed me to get back home before she was up and around so that I could break the news to all the kids at the same time.  That was easily one of the toughest things I have had to tell them.  They were all heartbroken and bawling.  The bright spot in it was that my 9 year old daughter reminded us that he was in a better place and that he was happy.  What an amazing girl!!

We will miss you much Dasher!!

I didn’t have much time afterward before I had my doctors appointment to find out what the diagnosis of my knee and the outlook for getting back to running.  They took X-Rays as soon as I got there.  Dr. Talley came in shortly after and greeted me and asked how things had been since the last time I was in.  I was really relieved when he told me that there were no fractures on the X-Rays.  After poking and prodding for about 5 minutes he pointed to their diagram of the foot on the wall and confirmed exactly what I had thought – Peroneal Tendonitis.  Amazing what Google can do now days in terms of self diagnosis.  One of my running buddies has suggested I give up this whole technology gig and hang a shingle out for running injury diagnosis.  Dr. Talley indicated that I should be OK within a couple of weeks as long as I don’t push it and run through any pain.  If within a couple of weeks I still have issues, he will want to put a boot on it to help settle things down.  But as soon as I feel OK I can try to run a few miles and see how it feels.

The red areas are the tendons that are inflamed

All in all – good news I guess considering I could have been told I was out of running for much longer.  And by this point in the day I was ready for any good news I could get.  So for now, I am going to plan on biking more and really concentrating on swimming to help get ready for the Sharkfest Tri in July.  At least it is not the dead of winter where biking would be out and swimming wouldn’t be as appealing.

Tough couple of days but hopefully some rest and a little calm is in store for the long weekend!

Pictures of Dasher

 

You Gotta Have The Right Ankle

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This past week was a killer week – not in terms of training but in terms of just sheer volume of commitments and activities.  I had my 84 year grandfather in town, my mom in town, my 5 year old’s preschool graduation, my 3 year old’s preschool orientation, my daughters normal 8 hours of dance each week, dance pictures, a dance recital, and to top it all off the last soccer game for my son to coach.  So you might expect that I was not able to get in a normal week of training due to the schedule but you would be wrong.  I didn’t get in a normal week of training but it really had nothing to do with all the other activities.  As much as it pains me to say – I think I am going to have to admit that I am injured again.

As of tomorrow it will have been one week since I last ran.  That may not seem like a big deal but that is the longest I have gone without running since last Thanksgiving.  A week ago last Saturday I met the normal group for a quick trail run before I had the soccer games and the rest of the crazy weekend schedule.  This is a trail we have all ran multiple times before. However Tim went down within the first mile and was able to just roll, and then Kendall went down right after we crossed the first mile and fell hard on a rock.  His wrist immediately swelled up pretty badly.  Needless to say we were all a little more cognizant of the rocks at this point.  Within the last mile of the run though, I was on a quick little downhill and rolled my ankle pretty good… not badly enough that I fell, but enough that I turned the air blue when it happened.  I kept running and finished up the run without much complaint, especially after seeing Kendall’s wrist after we got back… it was getting much bigger.  It turns out Kendall actually broke his wrist when he caught himself on the rock.

The rest of the day I was limping around thinking it was just a simple ankle roll.  Sunday and Monday I still was walking with a limp, but by Tuesday I was able to walk without noticing it much and I was itching to go for a run so I asked Devra if she could meet on Wednesday morning for a run.  Turns out I should have probably waited another few days.  I started out limping on the run but fully expected it to loosen up after I got going.  By the 2 1/2 mile mark it was aching with every step I took and the limp was much more noticeable.  At this point I even thought I might just walk back but since I had talked Devra into meeting me there I didn’t want to bail out.  I ended up finishing up the 5 1/2 mile loop but by the time I got back I could hardly walk on my right foot.

For the rest of last week it didn’t seem to get any better.  The weird thing is that when I get up in the mornings, it does seem to feel somewhat better,  but after I get to walking on it it starts swelling on the outside ankle and just behind the ankle.  By mid-afternoon it is starting to ache and by bedtime it is throbbing and hurting along the outside edge of the bottom of my foot as well.  So I figured it must just be that I didn’t give myself time to heal from the ankle roll and needed a few days off again.  That was last Wednesday and I haven’t ran since then.  The frustrating and concerning thing is that it doesn’t seem to be getting any better in the past week with no running.

So now I am starting to worry.  It is not swelling like an ankle sprain/roll has in the past and there is no bruising around it.  The area right behind the ankle bone has a very noticeable knot that is sensitive to the touch and swells throughout the day.  I had told myself that if it wasn’t better by yesterday morning I would make an appointment with the sports doc.  As luck with have it, he couldn’t get me in yesterday and I had to wait until tomorrow to get in.

My lovely ankle

At this point I have no idea what is wrong.  I have googled everything I can think of around this subject and get all kinds of issues that might be the culprit. None of them are anything I want to mess with since they all say that I would need to be off of it several weeks.  The closest thing I can see that matches up is Peroneal Tendinitis.  There are apparently a couple of tendons that run right behind the ankle that connect to the bottom of the foot and it is somewhat common after an ankle sprain for these to be come inflamed.  I don’t know… sounds like it might be it but who knows.  The only thing I know for sure is that I am going batty without being able to run.  I know it has only been a week but it seems like I have totally given up running.  My major concern is that I don’t want to lose any of the progress I have gained in terms of distances and pace over the past 5 months.  It finally seemed like I was really making progress and actually running without any issues or pains.

At this point, as I mentioned before on my post before seeing the doc on my meniscus issue – all I can do is wait and hold my breath hoping for good news.  Hopefully I will have a post tomorrow evening that outlines just that – a plan for a quick recovery and to be back out running in the next week or so.  Until then I will just mope and feel sorry for myself.

Little Rock Marathon Recap

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Finally getting around to the Little Rock Marathon Recap - FAIR WARNING – post will be a little longer than normal for a full recap.

We drove down to Little Rock on Saturday and got in mid-afternoon and over to the expo.  I wasn’t too sure of what to expect since the expo in Chicago was so huge.  The expo was actually very easy to get in and get around but still had enough vendors to offer gear.  I mainly had 2 missions – get my race packet and meet up with Terri Ayers – Chair of the Little Rockers Kids Marathon.  I really want to highlight how great the staff of the Little Rock Marathon program is!  My kids wanted to run the Little Rockers Kids Marathon, but due to typical winter sickness they were not able to get all of their miles in before we went down.  After checking with the staff, Terri was very kind and let me meet her at the expo and get the kids medals so that once they complete their miles at home, we can present them to them.  They have no idea that we did this and it is going to be a great surprise to them once they get to that point.  The staff went above and beyond for us on this and I can’t say enough how much that means and it is just a example of how great the staff of the Little Rock Marathon are!

Picking up the race packet was pretty uneventful and painless.  The only issue I had was that I ended up with the wrong size on the race shirt which was promptly exchanged without any issue.  I did pick up a t-shirt as well and was pleasantly surprised that they dropped the price by the time we got there around 4pm.  The only thing I would liked to see more of is a little more selection in terms of short sleeve t-shirts but – that’s just being nick-picky now.

So after picking up the race packet and heading back up to the room we chilled out and waited until time to go find something to eat.  A lot of the running group from Branson got together for dinner but we missed them because they were meeting at 4pm for dinner and we had just gotten to the expo then.  We had thought we would try to eat at Loco Luna based upon a recommendation from a friend that had lived in Little Rock but after not even being able to find a parking space we opted to look elsewhere and after trying 3 different restaurants found a place to try to get some carbs.(Note to self – get reservations ahead of time if we plan on running this again next year!)

Devra and Vickie before the start. Tim was in the restroom :)

On Sunday I had my alarm set for 6:30 which actually allowed me to sleep in a bit from my normal running days.  I had planned on meeting Devra, Vicki and Tim in the lobby at 7:25.  After meeting up we all headed down the street to the start.  It was 39 degrees out when we left and I was just in a pair of shorts and my IRC(Idiots Running Club) short sleeved shirt so it was a little chilly waiting on the start but once in the crowd it cut down the wind considerably.  The energy of the crowd was great and getting in place was pretty uneventful.  I also spotted another “Idiot” in the crowd who sought me out based on the shirt.  Turns out it was Charley Hogue, who I later found out was one of the founders in the Idiots Running club.  David said he was FREAKISHLY fast(he finished LR in 3:00!)

I ended up lining up with Vickie and we were back behind the 5:10 pacers which was quite a bit further back than I would have liked but Vickie and I talked and decided it wasn’t really worth trying to fight to get up further.  Once the race started it only took us a little more than 4 minutes to get across the start mats and my second marathon was underway.

Lined up and ready to go!

The first couple of miles were a little frustrating since I started further back than I wanted mainly due to the fact of blindly running up on folks that were walking and having to try to navigate around them(but that was my fault).  With the slow start and weaving in and out of traffic I figured my time would be really slow starting out.  Turns out I was averaging around a 9 minute pace and on target.  Miles 3-5 were pretty easy with just a small uphill over the bridges and the supporters were great.  By this point the crowd was easing up a bit to allow for pretty clear running.

I had thought I might see Sharena and the kids around mile 6 after we went back over the bridge and back towards the hotel.  However I didn’t see them and figured since the roads were closed it was a little too much to navigate through for them.  I kept looking at my Garmin to see how my pace was tracking and to my surprise I was getting faster and keeping around and 8:45- 8:50 pace.  This worried me a bit since I was wanting to track around a 9:10 pace with hopes of getting under a 4:15 finish with a optimistic goal of 4:00.  However I figured that since I had some uphills in the race that it might actually work to my favor to be a little fast on the flat sections.

I had hoped to catch a glimpse of the family again at mile 8 since it looped back around a few blocks from the hotel again but still didn’t see them.  However it was somewhere in this area that we ran by the state capital and that was pretty cool to experience during a race.  And again – the supporters were great!  It was right around the 9-10 mile mark when we had the first incline with was about a 70 foot incline and my pace didn’t drop a bit so that was encouraging.  We were running through neighborhoods at this point and it was awesome to see the people out on their porches playing music through loud speakers and several out playing instruments.

Around the 11 mile mark I caught up with Daphne who was running her second half marathon and judging by her pace at that point I knew she was going to get a new PR.  I told her she was doing awesome and to keep it up and shortly thereafter the half marathon folks split off from the full.

When I hit the half marathon point, I checked my Garmin and I had held a pretty darn good pace.  In fact if I were running the half I would have gotten a new PR on the half by more than 2 minutes.  So at this point – I am still feeling good and not tired at all.  That was all about to change and change QUICKLY!

At the 13.5 mile mark is where the real uphill started.  At first we climbed for maybe half a mile and up about 120 foot and leveled off.  I slowed a bit to about a 9:30 pace and was feeling the climb in my quads but thought that when it leveled off that I had this beat!  I really thought that was all of the climbs!  Then turning the corner, we started climbing again and it stretched out for the next 2.5 miles – ALL UPHILL.  It seemed like I would never get to the top of that stupid hill!  My quads were on fire and my pace had slowed to about a 9:50 pace.  Finally I got to the point where there was no more climbing and it turned to the right and leveled off before heading down.  At this point, I was ecstatic to not be going up anymore and a little bummed that my pace dropped so much but still thinking that I was feeling pretty good considering.

The next 9/10 of a mile was where my pace for the race went in the toilet.  During that 9/10 of a mile we lost all of the elevation that we spent the last 3 miles gaining.  Meaning – it was a fast downhill!  The thing I was not really prepared for was the effect it would have on my knee.  It was a killer on the torn meniscus and by mile 19 there was a shooting pain with every step on my right leg.

At least by this point we were at the flat, out and back section so I thought I could make up some time.  I had planned for this race to do a better job of maintaining my intake of water and calories with GU.  I had packed 9 GUs in my SPI Belt and had been pretty consistent with water and GU every 30-40 minutes.  However with the pain in my knee it still slowed my pace to around a 11 minute pace.  By the 20 mile mark I had to stop and walk a bit to try to get a little relief on my knee.

From this point forward it was pretty painful both physically and mentally.  With the on and off walking that I was forced to do, I had to admit to myself that a 4:00 time was no longer in the cards – and that SUCKED!  My last 20 miler leading up to Little Rock was right on target for a 4:00 finish so I had it in my head that it was a reality.  I just didn’t plan for the effect the hills would have.

Miles 21 through 24 were pretty much a blur.  My knee felt like a knife was stuck in the joint with every step, and mentally I was beat up.  However I did enjoy getting several runners recognizing the IRC shirt and got several “What’s up Idiot!” and many comments about the shirt and the club – so even through the pain it was nice to be recognized as an Idiot.  Vickie caught up with me around  this point and helped encourage me and got me back in a better place – THANKS VICKIE!  So we ran together for mile 25 and I finally told her to go on around the 25.5 mile mark because I knew I was holding her back.  She went on and I kept my head down and pushing.  I did finally see the family about 1/10 of a mile from the finish line and it was AWESOME to see their faces.  I didn’t get to stop like I did in Chicago because I still was hoping to break a 4:30.

I ended up crossing the finish line at 4:31:18 which was a 47 minute PR over Chicago.  So while it was a little disappointing to not hit the time goal I had in the back of my mind – a PR is nothing to be disappointed with.  The medals from Little Rock are HUGE so walking with that around my neck was almost work at this point but a proud badge of determination.

All in all the Little Rock Marathon was a great experience and a very neat race.  The course was very challenging for me but yet very scenic and enjoyable.  Next year if it fits on my schedule I will just have to do MUCH MORE hill work.  I definitely recommend the race if you have not done it – great job on the organization and a fun race!

So whats next….?  Well I wanted to wait and see how I felt after a few post runs to make any decisions … but I think I have another race picked out… stay tuned!

Running is BAD for you!

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Did you know that running was bad for you??  At least that is what every non-runner loves to tell you.  So if you are reading this and you are a runner – you may want to skip this one because you know exactly what this post is about(or maybe you should read it and chime in and help support the cause).  If you are NOT a runner – then this post is just for you :)

It is humorous to see and hear all of the times that, we as runners get the statement that “Running is bad for you” or “Running will destroy your knees”.  Almost every single time we hear that it is coming from someone that has never had the desire to run and is almost irritated that, we as runners don’t quite see things their way.  Now I believe that in a lot of the cases, these comments are coming from very well intentioned and loving friends and family.  Nonetheless – there is probably nothing that can irk a runner more than having someone smugly tell you “Running is bad for you” – especially if they are not and have not been a runner.

Several of the folks that I run with on a pretty regular basis have been injured at some point over the past few months.  It has almost been a game to watch and listen to how many times I see a Facebook post or overhear someone lecturing them about the dangers of running.  Each time, the runner will typically just smile and ignore the comment but any runner will tell you – our internal reaction isn’t all smiles. Top that off by the fact that if we are injured we probably don’t even want to admit it in the first place because we might have to stop running for a few days aaaaannnd this all just make us more grouchy because we have not been able to run!

So why is there the need for a non-runner to always jump on that bandwagon.  I have yet to see a single runner respond with – “Holy cow… are you sure… wow.. THANK YOU!”.  Maybe I am just hanging out with the wrong crowd and there are some very appreciative individuals that like this type of unsolicited,(and most of the time baseless) advice.  Ever wonder why runners don’t respond to those comments positively?  Well consider this;

  • Runners that are passionate about their sport, will run anywhere between 3-6 days a week and can average anywhere from 20-100 miles per week(or more).
  • Runners that are passionate about their sport, will set alarm clocks for 4:30am to make sure they can get a run in before work or run after the kids are in bed at night to make sure they get their run in.
  • Runners that are passionate about their sport, will spend hours each week reading and researching the latest shoes, clothes, running technique, breathing techniques, routes, times, miles, – you get the picture?
  • Runners that are passionate about their sport, connect daily with other runners that are equally as passionate about the sport and share information, stories, etc.

The point here is that most runners spend huge amounts of time on a daily basis either running, planning running, thinking about running, and/or the gear and techniques of running.  So there is A LOT of research that we do on a daily basis about our sport.  Contrast that with the individual that has just smugly told you – “Maybe you should give up that running stuff and do something more sensible… I told you it was bad for you”.  How many hours have they spent researching what running form is best?  Ok … maybe not that topic… how about “Is barefoot running better for you than shod running?”. NO??? – well surely they at least know whether or not a motion control shoe is needed to correct a pronation in gait.  Still striking out here huh?  The fact is – most of the people that give that look and suggest that you should have listened to their advice before… have NO IDEA whether running is good for you or bad for you… they are just chiming in unsolicited.(Disclaimer – I know I can not blanket every possible scenario and that there might be one person that used to run across the Sahara twice each day to get food from the market to their remote location that you feel has some reliable input… I will exclude them from this statement)

Fact is – there are some studies(like the linked article here) that dispute the notion that running is bad for you and even go so far as to say it has NO IMPACT on your joint health and is a huge health advantage.  I also believe that you can find a study to support any position you want to take – so take that for what its worth.

I am not sure what drives people to want to get on the soapbox about running and their thought on how it affects health.  However I do know that between a runner and a non-runner – I will take the advice of a runner 10 out of 10 times in regards to whether running is good or bad for your health!  Just if for no other reason – the amount of time we put into our sport and learning more about it.

So the next time you have a friend or family member that is a runner who is passionate about their sport and is injured…. please don’t get that look on your face and tell them about how many times in the past you have told them running is bad for you.  Instead, try this out – “Man that really sucks!!  I know it has to be driving you crazy to have to take some time off… hope you can get back out there soon!”

I promise you – you will be amazed at the response you get from the runner and they will truly appreciate your concern!

*** Final Disclaimer – this post is made in good fun and we as runners do know that there are those that truly care about our health and are not just jumping on the bandwagon

Supplemental Outcome

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Courtesy of Cherryflex.com

Don’t you mean supplemental income?? No – I mean supplemental outcome. Is that really even a valid use of the words… I don’t know… but if not I will submit it to Websters. Supplements… that’s what I am talkin bout!! And the hope that the outcome of using them will benefit me from a health perspective in the long run(pun intended).

I was recently talking to a good friend and we were both laughing about the fact that it seems that we feel like old men with the handful of pills we take each day. Not because we need medication to treat a health issue but because we want to to make sure we are doing everything we can to help our bodies stay healthy.

This is a fairly recent addition for me. After I tore my meniscus last August the sports doctor suggested that I might consider taking some Glucosamine/Chondrointin to help strengthen the joints and that it might help with the pain I was experiencing in my knee. I was skeptical at first but when the pain continued past a few weeks I thought I had nothing to lose and bought a bottle. Over the next few weeks I noticed a decrease in pain in the knee(not total elimination but a reduction). After I finished my marathon in October, the skeptic in me took over and I thought – this is ridiculous and the only thing it is reducing is my bank account. So I stopped taking it. After about a week and a half, my knee pain returned. So, maybe there was something to this after all. Once I started taking it again, within a week my knee was feeling a lot better.

So over the past 3 months I have been researching everything I could find on what I could include in my daily intake that would help keep me performing at my best but yet keep everything a natural supplement. The second thing I ended up adding was a product called CherryFlex. My mom had been trying to get me to take this for months and swore by it’s benefits for natural pain relief and joint support. The product is made from all natural cherry paste and has been featured in Men’s Health and Shape Magazine. After taking this for about 2 weeks I noticed a big difference in pain after long runs or tough workouts. So much so, that I went from taking Ibuprofen before and after every long run to only having to take it once in the past month total(and that was for a headache more than anything).

A secondary benefit of the CherryFlex is that it also helps with cardiovascular health. So after reading up on that I decided that I wanted to focus on this as well since a good cardiovascular system should definitely return great rewards in term of running. What I found when researching this was that the number one recommendation in terms of a supplement was fish oil and/or krill oil. Since we already had some fish oil from when my wife was pregnant – I could easily add this. However after researching, it appears that krill oil may actually even pack more punch than fish oil so I may give it a try after I run out. The next supplement I found was a product called Beta-sistosterol which is made from plant sterols. Plant Sterols have been shown to increase heart function, lower total cholesterol and LDL, as well as help improve recovery in endurance athletes. Again – all good things to help with running as well as overall health.

So what does my daily dosage look like?

  • 2 CherryFlex capsules
  • 2 Glucosamine/chondroitin capsules
  • 2 Beta-Sitosterol capsules
  • 2 Fish Oil capsules
  • 1 Daily Multivitamin
  • 1 Prilosec OTC(to address my long term Acid Reflux)

So after taking all of these on a daily basis it can very much seem like I need to get one of those pill boxes that my grandmother had to keep track of what pills have been taken(but I am not going to do that!). I also respect the fact that you shouldn’t just add these type of things to your daily intake without first checking with a doctor. In fact after researching all of this, I found several supplements that would be good to add at first glance but after checking with the doctor found there were interactions with the others so – make sure you check with your doctor FIRST!

Do all of these work as promised? I can not say with any scientific degree of certainty. However, at this point they do not appear to be hurting anything other than just being a chore to take all of them and the expense of them. So I figure I don’t have anything to lose and may just be helping my overall health and performance in running.

But… each night when I take the handful of pills… it’s hard not to feel like I am 80.

Fortunate

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I just wrapped up my last 20 miler before Little Rock and this week begins “the taper”.  Last Saturday was a challenge to get the 20 miles in.  First of all we have had a really mild winter so far, but for whatever reason last Saturday was the coldest day of the year so far(at least prior to Sunday).  I knew it was going to be rough getting out early to get my run in before the kids basketball games.  I had originally thought my son’s basketball game started at 11am, so my plan was that I needed to start my run by 6:30am to get my distance in and have time to get a shower and to the game on time.  However I realized Friday night that I had read the schedule wrong and it actually started at 10am.  So my start time got pushed up to 5:30am.

Since I had to start so early, I ended up running solo for the first 8 miles.  It was pretty tough to get out of the car at 5:30 with the temperature at 12 degrees and a stiff North breeze to make it worse.  At that time of the morning I got some pretty strange looks from the delivery trucks coming in staring at me in my full face mask and headlamp on.  I imagine they couldn’t figure out if I was going to rob a convenience store or if I was just an idiot.(I showed them!)

Starting out solo was pretty nice actually despite the cold temps.  It gave me a change to really focus on my pace and listening to the feedback my body was giving me.  My goal for Saturday was to try to maintain a 9:10 pace for the full 20 miles, with the hopes that it would give me a good idea of whether I could come close to a 4:00 – 4:15 finish in Little Rock.  I ended up getting a 9:12 pace so I will take that and be happy.

At 7am, the rest of the group joined up with me and they were jealous that I had 40% of my run out of the way.  Tim, one of my regular running buddies was there after sitting out for a week due to an injury so it was nice to have him back with the group.  However after about 6 miles he had to stop because his hamstring was really not much better and he was hurting pretty badly.  Another one of the guys who is hoping to qualify for Boston this race was also missing as well due to a back injury.

By the time I finished up my last mile to round out my 20, my knee was really starting to hurt.  In fact for the rest of Saturday, I could hardly bend it and even with Ibuprofen the whole meniscus issue was at the top of my thoughts.  I talked to one of the other runners that normally runs on the weekends with us who was supposed to run the Jacksonville Marathon on Sunday.  He ended up having to drop back and run the Half Marathon due to a worsening case of Plantar Fasciitis.

By the end of the weekend, my thoughts were pretty much consumed with all of the injuries that seemed to have happened in the past few weeks.  Now all of these runners are not newbies by any means.  In fact all of them are pretty seasoned runners with multiple marathons under their belt and even a few ultra-marathons.  So this was not an issue of over-training or not knowing how to train.  These were just straight bad luck injuries.

This caused me to reflect a bit and realize that I am indeed fortunate to be able to run.  To a non-runner, the idea that you have to stop running for a few weeks to heal or recuperate seems miniscule – but to someone who is passionate about running – it plays massive head games with you.  I can remember right after I tore my meniscus the feeling that all I wanted to do was be able to run again.  Then I remember after having some time off and getting the steroid shot that I just wanted to be able to run pain free again.  Gradually over the past 5 months I have been able to get to the point of running relatively pain free.  I mean there are always the recurrent pains and issues but nothing so far as to be a show-stopper for me.

This has led to me to forget how fortunate I am to be running relatively pain free.  My focus has been completely on how fast, how far, and what will be my next challenge after Little Rock.  That’s not to say those are bad thoughts and plans.  Just that I need to remind myself each and every time I run that I am fortunate.  Fortunate to have found this sport, and fortunate to be able to participate in it.  Fortunate to have a supportive family that puts up with the craziness of all of it.  Fortunate to have a job that allows me to travel to these races.  Fortunate to have the drive to continue even when I am tired and don’t feel like getting out of bed, or finishing that last mile of the 20 miler.  Truth is – there is a lot in my life that I can overlook in the hectic schedule and forget that I am fortunate.

As I go into the taper phase of training there will be all kinds of mind tricks that will happen after having to cut back the training and rely on the hope that I am ready.  Again – to a non-runner,  this is not something you can really explain.  However I am going to make it a point to try to remember how fortunate I am to be at this point and still running.  Here’s to hoping that Tim, Dathan, and David have a speedy recovery and can again feel like they can run pain free.

Turn down that music!!

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So one of the more interesting things(well interesting at least to me) that has happened with my running since Chicago is that I have not had a single run with my iPod in tow.  The weird part is that it really wasn’t intentional.  When I ran in Chicago I had my iPod loaded up and ready to go with a full playlist of songs to get me through however many hours it took me to plod along through it.  It was just a given that I would run with my iPod.

To illustrate just how tied to my iPod my running was before, consider this;   I went to a Cisco conference in Las Vegas in July of last year and on the flight back I inadvertently left my iPhone in the cab getting out at the airport at 5am that morning. Now up until this point, every run I made included my armband, my iPhone and MapMyRun.  I did not own a Garmin at the time so I was sold on the iPhone and the related apps.  After getting off the plane without my iPhone the biggest fear I had wasn’t what if someone calls me(even though email was really the biggest issue without it) – but what really worried me was – How am I going to run now without having my iPhone and the integrated iPod?  In fact once I got home it only took about a month before I ended up replacing MapMyRun with a Garmin since I was relegated to using an older and much slower iPhone that kept crashing while trying to use MapMyRun. Eventually I replaced the armband and iPhone all together by using an iPod shuffle.  All the way through the Chicago Marathon I kept my iPod on.

Then after getting back from Chicago I started reading ChiRunning.  One of the things it really pushes is being in tune with your body and aware of every aspect of your form while running.  Music tends to distract you from listening to your body by having you listen to well….music.  So for the first few runs after Chicago since I was only going 3-5 miles I decided I would ditch the extra gadget and run without it. Then as I started back training for Little Rock and running with our running group I didn’t end up using an iPod either(because that would be rude to put on earbuds after meeting friends to run).

This past week I ended up running an 8 miler by myself because rain cancelled the group run(well not completely but I can’t stand the treadmill and opted out of the group treadmill run).  About 4 miles in I found myself really engrossed in the hills and woods by the local route I run and was amazed at all of the sounds I was hearing.  I kept telling myself, it has really been a long time since you have ran this route because I can’t remember hearing those things.  Then I realized – it was because I was running without the distraction of music.  I hadn’t really started out with the intention of ditching music, but the habit of running with the group left me running without it.  What I realized was that where in the past I was totally numbed by the playlist, now I felt every movement and step as well as the environment around me.  It finally made sense… without the distraction of the music I could focus on running and the feedback my body was giving me.  I immediately tried to think of the last time I ran with music and it was in Chicago – which I consequently left with a good case of Plantar Fasciitis.

When I got back and analyzed my Garmin data(I love looking at the data!!), what I found was that I had ran my fastest pace ever on that 8 mile route.  Now back when I was training for Chicago by myself I was running that route 5 days a week.  So to have just ran it for the first time in months and for the first time without music and to have ran it faster than I ever had – was an eye opener.

Now I am not saying that running without music will prevent injuries or will make you faster.  I am just noticing a correlation between focusing fully on the feedback from your body while running and the overall performance.  And I am sure at some point or another I will probably end up with earbuds in again while running but I do think that there is some legitimacy to the notion that running with music causes you to block out what your body is telling you.  The biggest benefit I saw was that I really enjoyed experiencing the run and the route. Sure there were the cars that passed by distracting me but it was an awesome run along the hills.

So who knows… give it a shot… run without your iPod for a run or two.  Pay attention to your body and see what you think.  It may not be a fit for everyone – but then again it may really make a difference!

 

Torn Meniscus and Plantar Fasciitis Updates

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Just a quick update since I have had several people ask over the past few weeks how the injuries are going.  The good news is that I feel relatively good in terms of running.  My mileage is back in the low 40s on a weekly basis now, my long runs are going pretty well, and my pace is slowing increasing(nothing very fast by any means).  Little Rock is now just a little over 5 weeks away and right now – I feel pretty good(knock on wood).  As long as I can hold it all together I hope to redeem myself from my Chicago Marathon time.

The nagging voice in my head though keeps reminding me that it was exactly at this point before Chicago that I tore my meniscus and my training plan went out the window.  So I have to keep pushing to be ready for Little Rock, but at the same time cautious to avoid any further injuries.  I am hopeful that at this point I have a better read on understanding the signs my body is giving me in terms of running and how to adjust.

But this post was supposed to be about updates on my injuries from the past… not avoiding injuries in the future.  The torn meniscus seems to be in pretty good shape right now.  I did end up getting the steroid shot in the knee back before Chicago to help me continue training and get through Chicago.  The funny part is that my knee never really bothered me during the Chicago Marathon or afterwards.  Whether or not that was due to the steroid shot, or just the tapering allowing me to rest more – I don’t know.  The doc did think that the meniscus was manageable without surgery at this point since it was not causing any huge issues.  As I mentioned,  I have been able to learn the signs from my body a bit better now.  Just last week I had a really bad run in which I started out feeling really tired and my form was just bad the whole run.  I knew I was going to be sore afterwards and that night, my knee really started hurting.  It even got bad enough that it woke me up in the middle of the night.  Luckily once I took a day off and iced it – I was back to normal the following day.  I also have noticed similar pain in my other knee over the past few months which leads me to believe I may have a meniscus issue in the other knee as well and need to be mindful of it as well.

So the key for the knee now is going to be

  • a.) Proper form – this has been a big focus over the past few months after reading Chi Running.  I can really tell a difference when I am closer to using a mid-foot landing as opposed to a heel strike both in terms of performance as well how my body feels.
  • b.)  being mindful of any pain and trying to adjust training or schedule to allow for rest.  I have really come to respect the rest days and what they can do for your overall training.

When it comes to Plantar Fasciitis, I feel like I am on the tail end of it as each week seems to be a little better.  Having battled it before and fighting it for months, I really wanted to take it seriously and do all that I could to avoid any increase in the damage.  The sports doc basically told me that if I would just stretch at least 3 times a day and use the proper stretching technique it would go away on it’s own.  He mentioned the wall stretch that everyone thinks is the best stretch for it, is actually not doing a lot for the Plantar but rather focusing on the Achilles.   So I stuck with the stretches he recommended of bending the big toe backwards up until the point of discomfort and holding it for 10-15 seconds and doing 10 repetitions of this.  Since then, I also found a device from http://prostretch.com that has made a huge difference.  It really did not do anything that I was not doing with the manual stretches – it just made it more convenient and easy to do.  There is really nothing magical about the device – it just puts your foot in the correct position to stretch the Plantar and with it’s curved bottom you can rock your foot back and forth standing on that foot to get a great stretch.  Since using it, my Plantar Fasciitis has improved to the point that it is about 90% gone.  The only time I really notice it is on my long runs over 16 miles.  Normally, if I use the Prostretch as soon as I get back from the long runs and through the afternoon – the next day it is fine.

So as it stands right now, all of the injuries are at bay.  However that does not mean it is not top of mind.  In fact if anything, I am more focused now on injuries than I have ever been.  The difference is that I am focused on trying to detect them before they become issues and to avoid them at all costs.  Keep your fingers crossed….

 

 

You should stop running!

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Image courtesy of http://aolanswers.com/questions/eric_stromer_home_improvement_951782291809318/

Yep – you read that correctly… You should stop running!  That is IF your body is telling you that you need a break.  I think I kept telling my body to shut-up and deal with it instead of listening.  When I finished the Chicago Marathon, I noticed that my left heel was hurting really badly, but I was hurting everywhere and didn’t really give it a lot of thought.  I took 6 days off after completing Chicago and started back running the Saturday afterwards.  During that first run back, my heel started hurting when I first got going but subsided about a mile into the run.  Again, I didn’t give it a whole lot of credence since I had just ran 26.2.

A month later I was trying to maintain somewhat of a normal schedule of running and hoping to get at least 3 days a week and a target of 20-25 miles per week in.  Problem was, my heel had now gotten worse and even more concerning to me, my lower calves were achy and hurting every time I ran and for hours after I ran.

I ran the Bass Pro Shops Half Marathon exactly a month after the Chicago Marathon and set a new PR and felt pretty good while running it.  The week after Bass Pro, things slowly started going downhill.  My heel was now a full-on case of Plantar Fasciitis.  I have battled this before so I knew it was normally not a quick recovery and one that in some cases can end up resulting in months off.  I was determined that I could beat it and just run through it.  The Friday after Thanksgiving I headed out for what I had planned on being about an 8 miler.  The weather was great, and I really needed to get that run in to help offset the Thanksgiving feast and for my mental well being.  After running less than 200 yards, I had to stop and limp back to the house.

Talk about total defeat… I was as deflated as you can be.  Less than 60 days prior, I had ran my first marathon, and 4 weeks after that set a new PR for my half marathon and now… 200 yards in and had to limp back into the house.  My heel felt like it had been hit with a ball-peen hammer and the lower calf on that leg ached for a good part of the afternoon.  Depression set it and even though I tried to offset that with a raging weights workout, all I ended up with is a sore chest to go along with my aching legs.

That’s when I decided … I needed to stop running.  No, I am not talking stop all-together, but I needed an extended rest.  I took the rest of Thanksgiving weekend and the entire next week completely off from running.  I made an appointment with the sports doc again.  Mainly because I was worried that it could be something other than the Plantar Fasciitis causing my heel to hurt and especially concerning was the aching in my lower legs.  I read a great article on the Physiology of Marathon Running. Turns out, it can actually take up to 3 months for your body to completely heal.  I was just too dumb to listen.

I saw the sports doc the Monday after Thanksgiving and he confirmed that I did have a pretty good case of Plantar Fasciitis.  More importantly he informed me that the aching in my lower calf and leg was primarily due to me compensating for my heel pain by running and walking out the outside edge of my foot.  Additionally the sports doc pointed out that the stretching that I had been doing to supposedly stretch the Plantar was really not doing anything for it.  I had been mainly doing the “wall stretch” prior to any running activity.

Image courtesy of http://www.fitness.gov

However he pointed out that while that stretch is great for the Achilles it really did not stretch the Plantar effectively.  Instead he indicated that I needed to stretch my foot by pulling the big toe back as far as comfortable and holding and doing a set of 10 of these 3 times a day.  Another uh-oh moment was when he told me that it was more important for me to stretch after my runs and throughout the day than prior to running.

So has it worked?  Well this past Monday was my first run after taking 10 days completely off in entirety from running.  Some may say, well that is not really stopping running and I agree.  However that is the longest stretch that I have gone without running since February.  I have to tell you it drove me nuts!!

Secondly I ordered a Pro-Stretch Plus from @Medi-dyn.  They sponsored the last runchat that I participated in and I received pretty good feedback on the product which is targeted for runners that experience Plantar Fasciitis.  It arrived last Friday evening so I have had 4 days using it for stretching.  I can tell a big difference already!  The stretch that is puts on my foot zeros in on the Plantar as the sports doc indicated.(Will give a full review once I have had more time with it but so far – I am impressed)  Combine that with a full 10 days off from running and my first run back from the time off was great yesterday.  I imagine that part of that was the exhilaration of being able to get back out there, but I felt great the entire run and afterwards had no pain in my heel the rest of the day.

I am continuing with the stretching using the Pro-Stretch and am going to try to keep this week an easy week in terms of mileage(really hoping to stick to that).  However based upon my first run back on Monday – I feel totally renewed.  So was 10 days off enough for my body to rest and repair?  Only time will tell.  With Little Rock now just 12 1/2 weeks away… time is going to be very important.

I do see now that your body really will tell you when you need to rest.  I simply kept telling my body to shut-up and if finally told me to shut-down.  So the lesson that I take forward from this … Stop Running if you body tells you to!!  And make sure you incorporate the proper stretching for your body to keep you moving forward.  As hard as it was to go 10 days without running… the thought having to take months off is unimaginable for me at this point.