Category Archives: Chicago Marathon

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!!

Not Meant To Be

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Down in the dumps, depressed, and defeated…. that sums it up right now.  I am at a loss to accurately describe whats going on in my head right now but that’s about as close as i can get.

We(the whole family) excitedly flew in to Chicago yesterday for what was supposed to be my second time running the Chicago Marathon and what I had hoped would be a great PR for the distance.  It was the kid’s first time on a plane and they were all big eyed and having a blast.  Getting from the airport to the hotel was seamless.  We were able to hit Navy Pier in the afternoon and even got in free to the Children’s Museum and closed it down last night.  All things pointing to a great start in Chicago.

We headed back to the hotel from Navy Pier and had to stop and get some milk and supplies for the room.  As we were headed back into the hotel, I was carrying a bag of the groceries in one hand and holding my youngest son’s hand in the other.  He was super excited about the revolving doors so we opted for them to go inside just as we did when we exited.  About half way through I was worried about the people coming through the door behind us and I was telling my son to be careful when I felt the door roll over the top of my left pinky toe.  I was wearing my Vibram Five Fingers so, I felt every square inch of the door on top of that toe.  After what I am sure was a loud grunt, I was able to pull my toe out and get through door and my son out and move to the back wall.  It hurt to move, it hurt to stand still, and it hurt to know what had just happened.

My wife came through shortly afterwards with my other son and my daughter and they were totally confused as to what had happened other than to see that I was obviously in pain.  I was in pain and I was mad and scared to think about what this meant.  There were others in the lobby and on the elevator on the way up to the room that I am sure thought I was a jerk because I was scowling, and gritting my teeth and being very short with everyone.  To everyone including my family – I am sorry for this.  I really don’t remember much except the feeling of not being able to put weight on my left foot.

Back at the room I immediately went to the bed and took my shoe off and hoped for the best.  But I knew… I knew what the outcome was by the feeling of my toe.  I have only broken one bone in my life and it was in my hand next to my pinky so I knew the feeling you get when a bone is broken.  My wife and kids were super to me and got ice and tried to stay away for a bit.

After a bit my wife asked how it was doing and I told her that I was pretty sure I had broken it.  It was not swelling a whole lot but there was a lump on the outside edge towards the bottom of the toe and on the bottom of it that would send a blinding pain through me when I touched it.

I iced it, kept it elevated and went to bed last night still hoping that I would wake up this morning with it just a little sore but nothing that would affect me beyond today.  I woke up  a little after 6 when I accidentally kicked it with my other foot and it sat me straight up in bed.  I kept thinking about what my chances were that it was going to be OK and I figured the only way I could tell for sure was to put my running shoes on and see if I could run in it.  Trying to put my sock on it cause me to moan and the shoe felt like it had elastic straight on that toe.  Taking a step on it send a pain through my whole foot and I could not walk on it without a limp.  There was no doubt now.

We had lunch reservations for my daughter to go to the American Girl Store and Restaurant and the boys wanted to go to the Lego Store too.  So I still felt a glimmer of hope that maybe I could “walk it off” today and get the soreness out.  After about 3 blocks… all doubt, hopes, and last ditch thoughts were done.  I will not be able to run Chicago this year.

So… here we are..  in Chicago until Monday.  I can’t run… heck I can’t really even walk.  There are 45,000 other runners here that are all pumped up for one of the biggest races in the country.  They are pumped!  Watching them board the shuttles to the expo, it was like a kick in the gut.

I was sooo excited coming in from the airport yesterday seeing the race setup in the park and all of the race signage.  I had re-played the course in my mind from last year and had a great game plan.  I was debating in my head whether or not to sign up for one of the pacing teams this year to help me get under the 4 hour goal.  I was the most excited to see the weather… upper 30s as a low and mid 50s as a high would prove to be absolute perfect running conditions on one of the fastest marathon courses in the country.  I was positive I would be able to hit my time goal.

Now… I just have to wait until Monday to fly back empty handed.  I truly enjoyed watching my daughter today at American Girl and seeing her eyes light up at all of the doll clothes, and accessories.  My boys were just ecstatic at the Lego Store.  They were overwhelmed at all of the cool stuff and couldn’t wait to get back to the room to build stuff.  So the trip is definitely worthwhile just seeing that.  There is nothing better than seeing your kids thrilled with something.  I don’t want to at all forget that or not appreciate every second of it!

But…I feel like I have let everyone down.   I feel like I have disappointed my family and I feel like I have blown a huge opportunity for me.  Seeing this race slip away hurts.  But now a bigger hurt and fear has crept in – how long will it be before I can run again??  I am supposed to run Dogwood Canyon in 2 weeks and the Bass Pro Marathon in 4 weeks.  Even if it goes absolutely great – I don’t know if either of those are still in the picture or not.

Those that know me, know that running is what keeps me sane and keep me ticking.  Being injured SUCKS… losing the chance at an awesome race SUCKS…. and the fact that this happened because of STUPID mistake on MY part SUCKS the MOST.

I don’t want a pity party…  I don’t want to whine….  I don’t want to be Negative Nancy… I want to be able to run.  But… it appears that it is not meant to be.

Crunch Time

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3 Days, 13 Hours, 47 minutes, and 11 seconds…. that’s it… that’s all I have left until I toe the line for my second time around at the Chicago Marathon.  Well actually a little longer since I am officially in the second wave of starters since I didn’t get into a decent starting corral.

Am I ready?  Not sure….but I hope so.  I have put in some decent training over the past few months.  At this time last year Chicago was this super huge event that had a lot of uncertainty around it from it being my first marathon to ongoing issues with the torn meniscus.  This year it almost seems like it got pushed back to second place behind the Ironman a couple of weeks ago.  That’s not at all to say that I am not excited about running Chicago again! I am extremely excited – it is a phenomenal race!!  It just comes in the middle of a string of events and the Ironman was kind of a big unknown for me and it had me focusing on getting through it up until two weeks ago.

I completed my first marathon(and yes I am going to buy this photo)

So whats different this year for Chicago? Well obviously I know what to expect in terms of the marathon distance as well as what to expect from the Chicago course.  It was funny to hear some of the comments last year about the hill on the Chicago course from some of the other runners.  I kept expecting “a hill”… but I never came to anything that I saw as an inkling of a hill… especially compared to our hills and the hills at the Little Rock Marathon.  So I should be a little more comfortable with the actual race this year.

Secondly I should be able to maintain a much better pace and time for this year.  Last year I had been maintaining paces around the 9:30-9:45 range during my training up until I had the meniscus issue.  This year has been great for me in that I have been able to work my average paces down around the 8:30 time-frames.  So my goal this year would be to hopefully break 4 hours.

Another change is that the family and I are flying to Chicago this year instead of driving.  Last year we drove up and made a fun trip out of it and stopped at the Lincoln Library in Springfield IL.  The kids had a great time and it broke the trip up into manageable drives.  This year we got a great deal on airline tickets so we are flying.  The kids are super excited since this will be the first flight for them.  That brings some anxiety for me and my wife simply because we hope they do OK with it and even more anxiety about getting around Chicago without a car.  Luckily it is only an hour and a half direct flight so that should help as well.

One of the biggest pluses this year is the weather forecast!  Last year it started out in the 10 day forecast with lows supposed to be in the 50s and highs in the upper 60s.  By race day that had changed to lows in the 60s with highs in the mid 80s.  I distinctly remember running by a bank towards mile 20-21 that showed 81 degrees.  I much prefer running in the cooler temps(like the upper 40s and low 50s).  This year the weather couldn’t be much more perfect if it holds to the forecast.  The lows are forecasted to be in the upper 30s with highs in the mid 50s.  If it holds – this will be fantastic weather!

So are there any negatives to the differences this year?  Unfortunately yes.  I am not sure if it is due to the stress I have been under with training or work but I have come down with another cold to make it 2 within the last month.  This time it seems to be more focused on my chest.  I started getting congested about 2 days ago and really started coughing yesterday.  I woke up around 4am this morning with a dry hacking cough and a tight feeling in the chest.  Normally I would just take a few days off and let it run it’s course(no pun intended).  However with Chicago just a little over 3 1/2 days away, I decided to get into the doctor today preemptively.  He was nice and understood the concern and agreed to give me a prescription to try to help.  Hopefully I can kick this and feel better by Sunday morning.  It would really stink to get the perfect weather they are forecasting and not be at least 90% on race day.  I think I can get there… hopefully!

So for now… I just need to count it it being an awesome race, enjoying the cool temps, and enjoy the trip and excitement with my family.  That is really one of the coolest things I have come to appreciate about these type of events – it provides our entire family an excuse to do things together.  We fly out in the morning and I hope to be able to update things as it progresses closer to Sunday.

Push the Limits

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It’s been almost 3 weeks since I last posted anything.  Partly due to the training schedule I have been trying to keep up with and partly due to the kids starting back to school and getting the routine worked out, but probably more due to the fact I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go with the next post.  I have had several posts in mind over the past month or so but never felt like one was pulling me to put it out there yet.

This post may end up a rambling mess but is probably more of what is going on internally with me.  As of this coming Sunday, I will be 2 weeks out from running the Chicago Marathon again.  I have had a couple of people ask why I wanted to run it again.  The short answer is that it was an amazing experience as my first marathon.  The long answer is a little more complicated.

This time last year, I was pretty much filled with doubt and anxiety over whether or not I could complete a marathon.  I had just torn my meniscus and training had gone downhill in a hurry and Chicago was even a limited possibility for a few weeks.  In March I lined up on the chilly streets of Little Rock for what I hoped to be a new PR on a marathon.  Then just a short 5 weeks later I joined a crazy bunch of runners that all thought running through the woods and up a mountain for 31-50 miles that day sounded fun.  In April I also jumped in a lap pool for the first time ever and made a fool out of myself with the  “serious swimmers” thinking… “Is that guy OK?!”.  In July my first shot at a triathlon was hugely intimidating but yet thrilling at the same time.

Over the past year the triathlons have become a little more comfortable, and the running miles, a little quicker and longer.  What I didn’t realize sitting on the side of the starting corrals in Chicago last year waiting to line up, is that I was starting something that had no finish line.  Sure, I crossed the finish line in Chicago that day in a humbling 5 hours and 18 minutes, but the bigger picture was that I had started something much bigger and more important…. figuring out what drives me.

These sports/activities(I really don’t like to think of them as sports since that implies athletes and I still don’t really consider myself an athlete) have been an amazing addition to my daily life.  They have taught me a lot about the way that I work and what keeps me moving forward through times when I would rather just sit it out and tell myself “Ahhh you gave it a heck of a try”.

Through this process there have people along the way that have helped me challenge the ideas of what is really possible and more importantly – what I am possible of doing.  I think that is one of the biggest things ANYONE can have – regardless of what they are trying to do!  A few years ago, a marathon seemed like it was something completely past my limit of possibilities, much less an ultramarathon.  Heck – I hadn’t even really heard of anything like that.  But yet, through this process it has become clear that there really is no limit.  I know… there will be the analytical types that will say… yes … yes there is a definite limit to everything.  I would still challenge that!

I recently watched a special on David Blaine and why he keeps pushing himself to do these crazy stunts.  Now whether or not you like the guy or not, you have to give it to him for pushing past the conceived limits of what we can do.  Whether or not you buy into the illusionist side of him is a different story, but just the feats he has completed and his drive to never have someone tell him he can’t is amazing.  Dean Karnazes is another one that I think has helped masses of people believe that you are only limited by what you believe is achievable.   Again – like the guy or not you have to give him credit for bringing the idea of ultra-running to the mainstream and thus helping folks believe that a marathon is not the longest distance the body can withstand.  I also find it extremely amusing and disturbing that females WERE NOT ALLOWED to run marathons up until just about 40 years ago because it was believed their bodies could not hold up to it and their “innards” would fall out!  There are an awful lot of women that blow past me running and I have yet to see any innards laying on the asphalt… but I guess I will keep a look out.

Having people that you know and have personal experience with that push the limits of what’s possible is incredibly important.  I am fortunate that I can say I have friends that have a never quit mentality, friends that bike back to back 100 mile days,  friends that run 100 mile races like they are going out for a morning stroll, friends that compete at an elite level, friends that compete in world championships, but most importantly friends that even though they compete at those levels still go on a run with me.

So as I look to Chicago in a couple of weeks, I am running it again to remove the doubt I had in my mind last year, and to push the limits of what I thought I could do on that course.  It was an amazing experience last year, but even after finishing it I still had doubt.  I am hoping to break 4 hours this year if all the pieces come together.  I still have one more triathlon for the season coming up this weekend as well and I hope to push the limits of what I thought I could do.  Then after Chicago I will switch on the training mode to get ready to try to complete the 50 mile race at Rocky Raccoon in February.

The big thing that I have learned is that I wont cross the finish line with any of these races.  I am simply just pushing the finish line a little farther and farther and I hope to never say that was the limit.  Having people around to help you believe that you can achieve the next (Fill in the blank) is critical and I hope to always have that and hope that you have someone that you can look to for that!!

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.

40

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I thought it only appropriate that I do a post on turning 40 since despite my best efforts I was not able to avoid it this past Tuesday.  I seriously think I should request a recount on that because there is no way I can possibly be 40…. there has to be an error in the formula somewhere.

Our pastor puts a interesting perspective on birthdays, especially as you get older.  His comment is that is seems weird that as adults we continue to celebrate a holiday that we had absolutely nothing to do with and that points out that we made it another year without dying.  He does have a point….

I’ve got to admit… I am having trouble with this one.  I mean when I turned 30, it really didn’t have a lot of impact on me.  However – 40 is really weighing on me.  I know, I know… there’s the old cliche that it is just a number and you are only as old as you feel.   Truth is.. that saying was made up for people that are getting old!   As the events are playing out… I am getting old!  And I hate it!!

Don’t get me wrong, I am not one of those guys that is going to go through a mid-life crisis and trade my car in for a convertible two seater and start dying my hair.  That is one of the things that I have always sworn I would not ever do.  But, I am struggling to accept that I am really 40.  I can honestly say that I don’t feel anywhere close to 40.  I feel like I am in the best cardiovascular shape I have ever been in my life(and still hoping to get stronger). Maybe being the father of young children helps keep me of the mindset that I can not be as old as the number looks.(Or maybe that just means I will be one of the only parents that gets confused as a grandparent when my kids are in high school).

There are those days that I can definitely tell I am not in my 20s any more.  Falling asleep by 10pm now is not uncommon if the kids are up and out of bed 5 times a night.  Taking the handful of pills each day (multivitamin, Bio-flex for the torn meniscus, and Aleve again for the meniscus) kinda puts a damper on the mind-washing of myself that I am in my 20s.  Having the torn meniscus in the first place makes me a little older just in and of itself.  It is also irritating to not be able to keep the training schedule I would love to have and run every day.(But I guess even runners in their 20s struggle with that)

If I must accept the fact that Tuesday really was my 40th birthday, then I guess I might as well focus on the upside.  Running really has made a huge impact on my life and it is something I hope to be able to do for many years to come.  The upside now is that I am in a new age bracket for any races.  This means my times are now all slanted to my favor at least for a few years.

I have an awesome family and being a part of that at any age is irreplaceable.  In fact the best birthday present I have ever gotten was on my 31st birthday when my daughter was born.  Sharing a birthday with her it is really cool to see the excitement in her eyes every year and makes it easy to ignore the fact that I am yet another year older.  So I have decided that I am going to forfeit my birthday from this point forward and just celebrate hers as the only event on that day :)

One of the neatest presents my family gave me this year was a video recap of the Chicago Marathon that had several still shots of me throughout the race in it, as well as a plaque with photos and the official medal from Chicago.  I will always remember those gifts, not because of the Chicago Marathon but because I got to share the experience with them.  If I can have those type of memories each year, I will take the additional numbers added to my age without grumbling in the slightest.

So for now, I will await the official recount to fully accept the number 40.  Until then, I will continue to believe I am nowhere near that age and push to keep the old cliche alive – Hey, I feel like I am still in my 20s!

Lessons Learned From My First Marathon

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I said in my last post that while I was not happy with my time from the Chicago Marathon – that I definitely learned some valuable lessons.  Those I hope will help me come back fast and stronger for the next one.  The lessons learned though span all the way back to the first of the year when I first set the goal to run a marathon this year.

Some of the lessons I have learned along the way are;

1. Yes – you really do need a training plan!  As I started out the year with the goal of running Chicago, I kinda just had it in my head that I would just run 3-4 times a day and try to work my way up to 26.2 miles.  While that sounds simple, there really is a method to the madness.  It takes more than just adding more and more miles to your normal runs.  I really had no idea of recovery time and the different types of training runs.  I just ran… ran until I got tired and stopped with the thought that at some point I won’t get tired until after I have completed at least 26.2 miles.  The reality is, that is not a logical method to get the marathon distance simply because it really is a tremendous exertion on the body to go that distance and you need to TRAIN specifically for it.

2. Injuries can and will happen.  Up until this year I have really only had a minor issue with Plantar Fasciitis and really didn’t think that I would ever have to worry about injuries.  I just assumed that I was pretty healthy and therefore injuries would never happen except in the case of an accident or if you pushed too far too fast.  The torn meniscus hit me hard and really had me a low point 5 weeks before Chicago.  Not knowing if you will be able to physically tackle something that you have worked and trained for for months had me pretty depressed and in a serious funk.  Luckily I was able to work with several doctors that understood and helped me work through this(Thanks again Devra for the referrals!)

3.  You really do need a race weekend plan!  For Chicago the entire family made the trek for me and I really just winged it in terms of plans for the marathon.  The days leading up to the marathon I tried to drink as much as possible and eat rice and pasta.  However the day before we went to pick up the race packet and did some sightseeing which incidentally resulted in me only drinking 2 bottles of water that day and skipping lunch(horribly detrimental!) The morning of the marathon I only had one of the sample sized Cliff Bars for breakfast(again – pretty detrimental).  When I lined up for the marathon I felt hungry but thought I would take that over having stomach issues during the run.  During the run I only used 3 Gu packets even though I was soaking wet with sweat(lots of lost potassium and magnesium!).  All these set me up to hit the wall early during the marathon.  For my next one, I will plan on getting my race packet early and spending the day before just resting and hydrating.  On race day I will make sure to get up and eat a good breakfast to properly fuel before trying to run this distance.  Finally I need to spend some time in my next training to determine my caloric burn so that I know exactly how many Gu packets to plan on for the entire race to keep from the cramping and drastic energy drops.

4. Lastly and probably most importantly I have learned quite a bit about me personally, professionally, and athletically.  I have learned that while I really do like the solidarity of a solo run at times, a running group really helps push me in terms of pacing, distance, and even socially.  By setting a goal to shoot for and not letting anything stop me from getting there, it has really given me a new sense of confidence.  I really doubted myself in several phases of the training and particularly during the marathon.  However after fighting through all of those, I am confident that I can tackle whatever I want as long as the desire to achieve it is there.  I really loved having my kids take part in the whole process. It is really an awesome feeling to see your kids see you succeed at something and for them to be proud.  The big picture now is that I know that the goals I set, are my drivers, both personally and professionally.  I have come to the realization that I NEED goals in front of me or I feel lost.

So the next question is – what is my next goal?  I want to get my marathon time down to a 4:30 time at the next one and would love to be able to run under a 4 hour marathon at some point.  The big goal is to work my way up to Ultra Marathons(for the non-runners – anything over 26.2 miles qualifies but I have some specific ones in mind).  The sports ortho doc that was really supportive of helping me get through Chicago told me I was crazy on that goal.

First things first – I meet with the sports ortho doc tomorrow to determine whether or not he wants to go ahead and schedule the surgery for the meniscus or if he is satisfied that I can live with it for a while.  If he is OK with it for now, I will most likely shoot for the Bass Pro Half Marathon next month and go ahead and book the Walt Disney World Marathon in January as my next full.  If surgery is required now, I will most likely have to push my next marathon out until later in the spring.  In any case, this was just the first of many marathons!!

2011 Chicago Marathon Recap

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I completed my first marathon(and yes I am going to buy this photo)

I am writing this sitting in the airport waiting to take off for the Florida Keys, so not much recovery time for me.  So I just got back home last night from Chicago and a great weekend that was capped off by the marathon.  So I can now say that I have officially completed a marathon.  It was TOUGH!!  My time was nowhere near where I wanted it to be.  In fact my time was a disappointment – however – I finished and I am proud of that!

The entire weekend was an experience that I will never forget.  It was great to have my family there with me to experience the sheer magnitude of the event.  I have never been involved with a sporting event that encompassed so many others.  To say there were 45,000 runners is one thing.  To be in the middle of them is something you can really not believe unless you are there.

Shoulder to shoulder with 45,000 runners at the start line

Sunday morning I woke up at 5am after a very restless nights sleep.  I think I only managed about 2 hours of continuous sleep – guess the nerves were getting to me.  I ended up just walking from the hotel down to Millennium Park.  As soon as I went downstairs there were runners all getting ready and outside I was able to just follow the groups of runners.  As we got closer and closer to Millennium Park the crowds continued to get thicker and thicker.

It was easy to tell which way to go to get to Millenium park

After finding the open corral and finding the 10 minute pace section I had about an hour to wait before the official start.   I waited about 30 minutes before actually lining up and I am glad that I got in the corral when I did because 10 minutes later it was shoulder to shoulder with many runners still lined up trying to get in and couldn’t.  The energy in the crowd was great and everyone seemed ready to go.  When the start gun was announced(since we could not hear it way back where I was) it was still another 20 minutes before we were able to edge our way forward probably 1/3 mile to cross the starting line.

I started out feeling pretty good – legs were fresh and temps were still pretty comfortable(mid 60s).  The first 3 miles I started too fast but it was pretty much impossible to get a good pace from my Garmin due to the tall buildings and underground areas we ran through.  As a result my first two miles were in the 9:30 range.  I knew I had to slow it down and made a focused effort to slow down during the 3rd mile.

I ended up averaging around a little over a 10 minute pace for the first half of the run.  My goal had been to shoot for a 10:20 pace for the entire race so that I could finish somewhere around 4:30.  I knew after the first half that I was still a little fast to maintain that for the entire run.  By this point I had used a couple of Gu gels and had tried to stop at most of the water stations.  Sharena and the kids had thought they would try to see me at mile 13 and but I never saw them.  Turns out that they were on the opposite side of the street than I was running and they got the text that I had already passed them when they were watching.

So I kept plugging along still maintaining around a 10-11 minute pace with water stops.  At mile 17 the wheels came off.  I thought it was too early for me to be hitting the wall but I was.  By this point I was right at 3 hours in and the temps were starting to get really warm.  My energy levels plummeted and I started having pretty bad calf and hamstring cramps.  These forced me to stop and move off to the side and stretch to loosen things up.  At this point I was probably at my lowest point in the race.  I still had over 9 miles to go and I could see the 4:30 time slipping away minute by minute, the cramps were getting regular, and the temperature on one of the banks we ran past said 82.  I finally resolved myself to forget about the time and just make sure that I finished one way or the other    I ended up calling Sharena between mile 19 and 20 to let her know that I would not be finishing as soon as I had hoped so that she would not worry.  To my surprise she said they were at mile 21 in Chinatown hoping to see me.  This picked my spirits up a bit and I plugged along looking for them.   Luckily they were actually almost at mile 22 so that kept me moving faster for a bit longer.  Seeing them and the signs the kids had made really helped motivate me to keep going.  Seeing the kids eyes when I came running up was the best!!  I am certain that it was because of them that I was able to push through from mile 20 on.

Mile 23 on to the finish was honestly a blur.  I ended up walking on and off and trying to stretch to stop the hamstrings and calf cramps.  However the cramps would come back within about a half a mile after stretching.  I just remember seeing the 880-meter sign and thinking…. I am almost there – keep pushing.  When I crossed the finish line it still had not really set in that I had just completed 26.2 miles.

It was really sad to learn that a 35 year old firefighter had died after collapsing just 500 yards from the finish line.  It really brought perspective to how fortunate we are to be able to participate in this sport and the family and friends supporting us that we do.

There were a lot of lessons learned from this marathon.(another post on those to come)  and over the past two days I have had a chance to reflect and diagnose a bit to see how I can learn from this and improve for the next marathon.  Yes – I am already trying to plan out my next one.  I need to meet with the sports doc again next week when I am back in town to see if surgery is going to be necessary for the meniscus and that will affect which one I can target next.  One thing is for sure – I definitely made the right decision choosing Chicago as my first marathon and I am absolutely ecstatic that I finished it and can now say that I run marathons.

The Night Before

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I am busily getting everything in order for tomorrow morning to come bright and early.  I plan on trying to leave the hotel around 5:45am but have yet to decide the mode of transportation I am going to opt for getting to Millennium Park for the start in the morning.  It is just a little over a mile so I may walk but I hate to waste precious energy and may end up opting for the Metro Train instead.

Earlier today we checked out the Expo and MAN…. WAS IT PACKED!  I did get to catch up with Amy, Devra and Vickie and talk strategies for tomorrow.  It was also really cool to see Dean Karnazes there signing autographs too.  He was shorter than I expected(not that I have a lot of room to judge) and was really cut(legs looked like just pure muscles).  If you ever wanted to get motivated to run – just read one of his books!

We went to Shed Aquarium for the kids to see all of the exhibits.  It was a neat place and the kids had a great time.  However we were so pushed with time that we missed lunch.  So tonight we just ordered pasta dinner in the room since we were all tired and I wanted to rest.

I am still pretty nervous about tomorrow and the weird part is that I still don’t feel like a real runner yet and like I was out of place there today with all of the veteran marathoners.  I guess if all goes well tomorrow I may feel like I am “in the club”.

I am nervous about the distance but probably more importantly – the distance in the heat.  The forecasted high is supposed to be around 80 degrees tomorrow.  I have seen several posts by folks that argue that 70-80 degrees is nothing to get excited about.  However I am a numbers guy.  The numbers show that running in any temperature over 75 uses up to 20% more energy to cool your body.  That’s 20% less energy that I will have to run the additional 30% longer than I have ever run before.  Additionally it is recommended that you slow your target pace down as much as a mile per minute.  So while 80 degrees is not uncomfortable to just be outside in – it does affect running more than most people would imagine.

I ran through the heat of July, August, and September.  At times starting out the run at 5:30am with temps already in the mid 80s with humidity so thick I needed windshield wipers.  So I guess what I need to focus on is that is will be much cooler than those runs and I just put one foot in front of the other.

I still have a few preparations and need to get to bed but if you get a chance and want to watch more on the marathon as it happens – you can watch online at NBCChicago.com starting at 7am tomorrow.