First day back

It's been 3 weeks since my last run.  I think that's probably the longest I've gone between runs in over a year.  After the Bay State half marathon I came down with a nasty cold that hung around for 3 weeks.  It's still hanging around but I can deal with the symptoms now.  I've gone to the gym a few times to ride the bike but it's not the same thing. Whether it's running, biking, or hiking, there's something transformative about traveling distance under your own power that you simply don't get from stationary exercise.

So this morning I put on the tights and long sleeve shirt, hat, gloves, and MP3 player, and off I went in the standard time driven sunshine with a cough drop in my mouth and a song in my ear.  At 6:30 I could see my breath even though the day promised to warm up to the 60's. My legs weren't tight, that was a good sign, and I loped off at a steady pace.  Lord, I really had missed this, taking the turn before Harvard Yard and heading for the river.  There were a lot of crew boats on the water this morning, taking advantage of the nice weather and sunlight.  I decided to limit myself to a 3.5 mile route, no point pushing things too hard.  I turned at the Western Ave bridge instead of going on to River St and headed for home.

Not a bad day run; certainly not a record setter but it felt comfortable.  I've gotten out of my stretching routine in the past couple of weeks, and I've definitely put on a few pounds so it's time to get back to a routine.  It's also approaching winter so I want to set up a cross training program that gets me on the bike, out skiing, and even in a pool somewhere so I can prepare for a triathlon in 2012.

And so it goes.  It's good to be back, I missed it here.

Bay State Half Marathon - 10/16/2011

 So, race day came along and it was time to run.  My sister came up for the weekend, and Monica was in her usual race photographer mode. A bunch of friends who signed up weren't able to run due to injuries, and I was almost in the same boat with constant leg cramps that left me unable to do any long training runs in the past six weeks.  I felt somewhat unprepared, and was worried about how my legs were feeling in the hours before the race.  My goals were:

1. Don't get hurt
2. Try to maintain a 10:00 pace
3. No walking
4. Enjoy myself

 The alarm went off at 5:00 and I assembled my gear for the day.  I had my belt with two Gu packets and a Clif bar, one small bottle of Gatorade, plus my phone in case I dropped during the race and needed to connect with Sue and Monica. It was a shorts and t-shirt day, perfect running weather. I had my oatmeal for breakfast and ate a banana, and grabbed water and a bagel for the drive up. We headed north right on schedule at 5:45, arriving at the parking garage in Lowell at 6:30.  By 6:45 I was in the Tsongas Arena stretching and keeping an eye on the bathroom line. Sue and Monica headed out to find a Dunkin' Donuts, which, being Massachusetts, wasn't hard.




 While stretching I spotted Adam, who unfortunately wasn't feeling well. His friend was recovering from being hit by a car one week before this, his first marathon. And Miriam wasn't able to train due to injuries for this race so the whole world was suffering along with me.  I continued by stretching, started warming up a bit, and got in line for the bathroom again.  Monica and Sue came back with their bagels and tea, much happier.  At 7:45 the masses started out to the start line, which was right in front of the arena.  I wandered into the corral and started getting my brain around the task at hand.  I was relaxed, and spent some time observing all the runners around me.  It was pretty easy to spot the first time runners, the old hands, and folks like me who were wondering if they could complete the distance. The weather was perfect for the race; cool but sunny and little wind.

 We all stood silently for the national anthem and then moved forward for the starting count down. 3, 2, 1, and we were off, although it took a good solid minute to reach the start line.  I had a plan and tried to keep to it, slow and steady pace.  Compared to last year I was much further back in the corral so I wasn't passed by as many people in the first mile. Monica was easy to spot in her bright orange jacked at the first bridge so I made sure I was on the correct side of the road and clear of other runners so they would have an unobstructed shot.  I'll do anything for a good photo.  The course is a double loop, and the first part is for both the half and full marathoners so there are lots of runners.  I grabbed some water at the first aid station and took in the hill at the first major bridge crossing.  After that we said goodbye to the marathoners (showoffs) and reached the far end of the loop where we cross the river and start back towards home.

 I was feeling OK, not perfect but OK.  At one point I felt a little tightening up in my right calf so I slowed the pace a bit and shifted my stride, and it seemed to go away.  You can run on the dirt path along side  the road here and I did, taking advantage of the softer surface.  I walked briefly at the next two water stops, mainly so I wouldn't spill Gatorade all over myself.  I saw Sue and Monica again on the opposite side of the bridge around mile 5 and hit the downhill back to the end of the first loop.  Unlike last year, we weren't finishing at the baseball stadium so there weren't any crowds there.  Back past the starting line and on to loop #2 and I ate my first Gu.  I began feeling a bit more comfortable here, just 6 miles to go.  Monica and Sue were there again at the bridge and I knew that the next time I saw them I'd be almost done.  Miles 8-11 were fine; no pain and some nice conversations with other runners about donuts and the weather.  My pace had slowed a bit, I was running 10:15 but this is where my cramping occurred in the past and I was very leery of pushing the pace.  After seeing my cheering squad at the last bridge pass I decided it was time to eat my second Gu and pick up the pace a bit.

 But, there really wasn't anything in the tank.  I went a little faster, but not much. This is where I could definitely feel the lack of training; my legs were on cruise control and nothing was going to make them feel good.  Past the stadium and now I was smelling the finish line.  Unfortunately with the new layout of the course you can't see the finish line until the last 100 yards. I like seeing the finish line.  Not much of a sprint for me and I got passed by a few people who still had something in the tank, but I didn't really care. Monica and Sue were at the finish line too (how did they get there ahead of me?) but this time Monica didn't run onto the course. I must have looked great in my mylar blanket because a volunteer walked with me from the finish line until she handed me off to Monica.  I felt fine, but needed food and drink.  Ah, chicken noodle soup and salty chips tasted great and we sat for a bit while I ate and stretched.  Then I checked my time (2:11:03, my slowest half marathon of the three I've run) and we headed for the car.

 It was an interesting race for me.  I've been injured for a while, unable to make any long runs and always suspicious of my own body to fail.  It was in my thoughts the entire run this day, constantly checking on my legs and seeing if they were going to turn on me.  But the stretching, the pace, and the hydration all worked well for me. As I head into winter I will cut back on some of the running and try for a more balanced routine with cross training to give my legs a break.  The 1/2 marathon distance is a good one for me, and one that I can do better at with some more targeted training.  Perhaps in the spring, it'll be time again.  In the meantime it's working out my winter training routine and skiing.

You put your left calf in, you pull your left calf out

You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around...

So I changed my registration from the full Bay State Marathon on Oct 16th to the half marathon.  Three weeks ago during my long run I had more intense pain in my left calf at around mile 9 of a planned 14-miler.  I felt it coming on, I knew what was about to hit, and it happened anyway.  The three mile walk home gave me plenty of time to mull over what my future held.  The decision to drop out of the marathon was an easy one; six weeks was not enough time to recover from this and I hadn't done any runs longer than 13 miles.  I elected to change my registration to the half since I figured with some rest, stretching, and massage I could get through 13 miles even if I had to walk.

The more interesting questions centered around my relationship with distance running.  This has been a nagging injury that first showed up in the final training for Boston.  Perhaps I did something to myself that hasn't yet healed, or is my body simply not build for this type of punishment? I really don't know the answers to these questions, and they have a big impact on my training and race plans for next year.  This winter is going to be devoted to skiing, but I would like to plan for at least one big race next year. I'm actually thinking about a 50K trail run which I think would be easier on my legs, and I like the idea of walking up steep hills.  I haven't had a successful long run in a few months which makes it hard to put a lot of confidence in my planning.

I like running.  I like feeling of getting in a good workout on a summer day.  I like getting into a solid rhythm and watching the miles fly by.  I like the community, the camaraderie, the comisery.  I want to be part of it but I'm coming to grips with the pain and suffering that goes along with it. When I'm training fairly hard I can feel my legs going up every flight of stairs.  Is this normal?  And is it what I want?

One thing that is clear to me is that I'm more comfortable and get more enjoyment when I do more cross training.  Biking, swimming (triathlons?), rowing, hiking; these all need to be part of my regular routine.  If I can add biking to work some days in the summer, or an after work headlamp fueled ski tour mid-winter I think my week will have more balance.

And that's what it's all about.

Diary of a Crappy Run

Perhaps the day a tropical storm is scheduled to arrive isn't the best day for a long run.  It's pretty darn hot out here, and the humidity is awful.  I hope my two water bottles will be enough.  I probably shouldn't have waited until 9:45 to get out here; an earlier start would have been much better.  Oh well, too late to worry about that.  Since tomorrow will be worse I'd best get going.  Hrmm, the legs aren't feeling very good. But they never feel good when I start out, once I warm up they'll get a little better.  Even though I'm just getting back at training after my injury, doing a 13 miler today shouldn't be that big a deal, right?  I did 11 last week and although it wasn't a great run I survived.  Just two more miles shouldn't cause any problems.  At the river and headed inbound.  The legs should be loose by now, but they're still feeling sluggish. This could be a painful run.

Let's take the little path around Magazine Beach.  I think this is it, nope, that's just the parking lot.  How about this path?  Well, there's where I want to be over there, I'll just cut across.  OK, that wasn't worth it.  Past the BU bridge, at least there's a water fountain coming up.  Just a short break for water, and since I'm stopped I'll stretch the legs a bit.  That didn't feel better, but I'm sure it helped. On towards the Mass Ave bridge, gee it's pretty hot out here today.  The dirt path by the river feels good, too bad it doesn't go the whole way around Esplanade.  Approaching Mass Ave, if I slow down just a little I'll miss the light and get to rest for a bit.  Perfect, that means I get 90 seconds of rest and it doesn't look like I'm being a sloth. What?! The walk signal already?  OK, keep moving.  Longfellow or Museum of Science?  Suck it up, do the distance, MoS it is. Why am I getting passed by everyone? And especially by these tiny women who are running twice as fast as me?  Ah, the turn at the Museum, things should get better soon.

OK, how far is it to the water fountain in front of Community Boating?  I'm dying here, this is much hotter than I counted on and my Gatorade tastes like hot tea.  Finally! Stop the watch because this is going to be a few minutes.  Water, Gu, stretching; all needed.  I'll walk back and forth so it doesn't look like I'm about to collapse.  Why is everyone else still running?  At least one or two should be stopping for water.  Bastards.  I can at least make it to then next water fountain, get moving. I love this area and I wish I were feeling better today.  Lots and lots of people getting in their workouts before the storm.  I hate them all.

Ah, this feels a little better.  Wait, no it doesn't.  It still sucks. On the Esplanade at least, there's a small breeze from the river.  Yikes, I need another break because my legs are screaming.  I'll stop here in the shade, at least I made it past another bridge.  It's not that far to the next water fountain, get moving you lazy bum. Good, there's a dirt path here that should help.  Look, up ahead, it's a water fountain.  Why is there a line of runners waiting for water?  Finally someone else is showing the effects of the weather.  Lots of sweaty people, all fitter and faster than me, but sweat is the universal equalizer.  Gatorade and Gu are gone, but all this water will do the trick, I should be fine from here.

This stretch has always seemed too long.  Under the BU bridge and past the MIT students cleaning up the river bank, pardon me for not saying "thanks" but I don't think my voice would be audible right now.  OK, lets settle into a pace and try to reclaim this run.  Thank god the light is against me and I have to stop.  Why are things spinning?  Yikes, I'm getting dizzy!  OK that's it, cutting the run short right now.  Passing out isn't an option.  Stop the watch, I'll just stand here a bit.  I'll just lean on this light post.  I'll just sit on this support.  Drink your water you idiot!  Let's check my fancy heart rate monitory, hrmm, 135.  When it gets down to 110 I'll start again.  135.  134.  134.  135. That's not right.  Deep breaths, relax, calm down.  127. Better.  125. 120.  OK, we're headed in the right direction, finally. 119, getting closer. 115, 112, 112, 112.  That's close enough, right?

What's the shortest way home?  Cross the Charles here or take the foot bridge?  More dirt if I take the foot bridge.  Not bad, slow the pace way down. Stairs up the bridge, ooh, that doesn't feel good.  Let's walk across the bridge.  Let's walk to the stop light. I could cross as there's no traffic but I'm going to be good and wait for the walk light. Running again, to the one hill.  Ouch, a slight calf cramp, we'll walk up that sucker as well.  Home isn't that far away now, I can feel it. Nice easy pace, I must look like hell. Take it one block at a time. Try to concentrate on the sidewalk right in front of you.  Ooh, better obey the traffic light and wait for the walk sign.  Just a few tenths left, I'm not taking the usual detour to add a little distance.  This is close enough, I can see my house from here. I need to cool down, I can still feel my heart racing.  Just walk, keep walking.  God this run sucked.  What's wrong with me?  I don't see how I'm going to do a marathon in 8 weeks! 10.75 miles, at least I did 10+.  How many times did I stop?  Doesn't matter, the run is over and we're on to recovery mode.  Lord knows I need it.

The Simple Life

Running appeals to me on a number of levels.  It can be solitary or communal, depending on my mood or available running partners.  Although it is somewhat weather dependent you can run in pretty much any conditions provided you are willing to suffer a bit, and after all what is exercise but organized suffering? You can run anywhere from city streets to mountain trails to a hotel treadmill on a business trip.  It requires nothing but a pair of running shoes and some comfortable clothing; you don't have to put the bike in the car, or drive to the mountains, or find a place to store your rowing shell.

When I started running I had a pair of shoes, some shorts and cotton t-shirts, and my one piece of specialty gear - a pair of white cotton gloves for cold weather.  Packing my bag to run at lunchtime was simple and quick. I was living Thoreau's maxim - "Simplify, simplify."  I decided to get a new pair of running shoes and got fitted properly and had my gait analyzed but that just meant a new pair of shoes to replace the old ones.  The next big purchase was my Garmin GPS watch (with heart monitor) that tracks my every move and presents me with reams of information for study and analysis.  A small MP3 player was needed for the long training runs. Then I got some gels to eat while running; not really gear but something else keep track of and pack.  My exercise shorts really weren't the best for running so I got new ones, plus some running tights for the cold weather.  Since I was at the New Balance factory store I picked up a new top and a running jacket for rain and bad weather.  At this point I was often running after dark so I found a reflective vest with a matching blinking light for visibility.  My dark running jacket wasn't enough so I found a bright orange one with reflective patches.

Then I suffered my first real injury, a bout of ITB tendinitis that left me unable to run for a few weeks.  That lead to getting The Stick and a foam roller for stretching and massaging my sore and stiff muscles and tendons.  Somewhere in here I got a belt for long runs so I could carry water, some food, and my cell phone.  My collection of shirts grew until I had a weight for each possible temperature range, plus several from my races.  During my training for Boston I added monthly professional massages to work out the kinks and help stave off injury. Special trail shoes for trail running, plus a pair of Dirty Girl gaiters for the proper look.  Recently I've had a problem with my calf so I bought a special calf stretching aid that gets used several times a day.  Last weekend I bought an IKEA cabinet to store all of this gear in my guest room, although to be fair it also holds hiking, biking, and skiing clothing as well.

Two nights ago after my long run I finished stretching and was headed over to the kitchen when I stubbed my toe on the calf stretching device.  I wonder if there are protective toe socks that would have saved me from this?  My once simple activity now has lots of gear and packing and choices.  I do love the gear (I'm a gear hound, I admit it) but I sometimes want to head out wearing any old pair of shoes and a cotton t-shirt with nothing but the sun to keep track of the time.

But I'm scheduling a massage session for next week and I need to pick up a new pair of shoes.  I wonder what color the t-shirt is for the Bay State?


UPDATE - 8/22/2011
How could I forget my compression socks?!  They have been on my legs for pretty much every run in the past 3 months and I'm not sure how much they help prevent injury and recovery but they look wicked cool. At least that's what I keep telling myself.

Working through injury

Again.

Three weeks ago during a morning run I felt some pain in my right calf but it wasn't bad enough to make me stop.  The next morning I called off my run a short way into it and decided that it wasn't worth getting hurt right before my week long hiking vacation (NH, Baxter, Acadia) so I decided to rest for a few days. I figured it was the heat.  For the hiking I wore my compression sleeve on my calves which seemed to do the trick.  We had a bunch of great hikes including a nice long loop over the Knife Edge to Baxter and Hamlin Peaks.  We were tired at the end of the day, but my legs were OK.

Skip ahead to the Tuesday after the vacation when I went out for my first run in two weeks.  About one half mile into an easy run at my sister's house in NY I felt a familiar pain in my right calf and pulled up to a stop. I can't tell you how frustrating that was.  My plan was to go into the long run part of my marathon training right after the vacation but this was putting my race in October in jeopardy.  Even a full, quick recovery might not be enough to get the miles down in time.

So, the first thing I did (after moping) was to schedule a massage with my guy, but that wouldn't happen until the following Monday.  After I got back from NY I went for a bike ride after work to make sure that I could still exercise at all.  That ride was difficult because of the all runners I was passing and wishing I were with them.  Still, it was good to be out and active.  I ran into Jackie who was doing the regular Thursday night Charles River run and we chatted a bit and I felt a little better about my recovery plan.  On Saturday Monica and I went for a ride on the Mountain Bike Loop in the Fells which went really well.  I need a better mountain bike. :)  That will have to wait.

Monday comes and after work I have my massage with Nolan.  Boy, that hurt a lot but I think it really did a good job.  He worked on my calves for nearly 30 minutes with painful instruments of destruction and I had a bit of a hard time walking right after but I could tell it was good for me. We talked about the injury and he suggested I get something to stretch our my calves and use it many times a day. After false starts at two stores I found what I was looking for at City Sports. I'm now using it 5-10 times a day, every time I get up from my desk I try to stretch for a minute.

This morning (Wed) I went for my first real run in 3 weeks.  I stretched a bit before heading out and ran at a slow steady pace.  There was no pain, but when I got hurt there wasn't any pain until all of a sudden there was.  I crossed the Charles, taking the steps on the footbridge gingerly to avoid any unnecessary strain. At two miles I stopped and stretched again, no point being silly about this.  The final mile back to the house I could feel a little tightness so I slowed the pace (how could I go any slower?) and finished pain free.

Now it's a routine of ice, stretching, compression, and rest.  I'll try a run again on Friday, then a longer one on Sunday.  Perhaps the marathon isn't a lost cause yet.  If I can run a 12-14 miler in the next few weeks then I'll feel much better about mid-October.  Until then I'll just take it one day at a time, and try to work against my normal instincts and not overdo things.

Starting the Week right

Monday mornings set the tone for the week, but I guess that goes without saying.  For my workout schedule, if I don't get a run in on Monday morning the whole week feels a bit off kilter. I always fear falling behind my goal of running or exercising 5 times per week.  Missing the Monday workout means I'm behind the eight ball and can only miss one other day all week!  That's too daunting and makes it easier to rationalize that I can write off this week and concentrate on next.

But if I get my early morning run on Monday then I get to work with the feeling that I'm already ahead of the curve.  I don't need to rush home and try to get a run in before dark, or break up my day with a lunchtime visit to the fitness center for a boring treadmill session.  The little pains I feel climbing the stairs to the 3rd floor each morning remind me that I've already accomplished something today, this week, this year.

From a fitness standpoint it's probably not a huge thing.  I often hike both days of the weekend, so I'm already getting a good amount of exercise.  Sunday is really the first day of the week according to my software tracking but that's not they way my lazy self rationalizes it. I've found that I can't give my self a sliver of justification to avoid exercise.  The best Monday mornings are: wake up, put on running gear that I set out the night before, put on the MP3 player to some loud fast music, and be out the door less than 10 minutes after the alarm goes off.

After that, the rest of the week is up to me.