Running these days

We've been dominating the screwshoes hashtag on Twitter. Helen, Leo, myself – we've got pretty much all the entries. Turns out it isn't a big trender.

I'm the only one that's actually been using them. So simple, yet so effective: screw a bunch of screws into the bottom of your shoes, and there you have it: screwshoes. Run on ice, run in slush and snow. As long as you don't sink in too much, you're good to go.

Because these days, running means running in snow, running on ice, running through slush. It's a hassle, and it's harder. But overall, that trade-off is worth it. It's stunningly beautiful. Especially in the sun, with the bright snow. Forbidden Drive and most of the Wissahickon's trails are runnable. The trails aren't easy running – or, at least, they aren't fast. They're probably less technical than they normally are though.

The snow – even the packed snow – means a softer run, too. This morning was my long run; probably ran 15-16 miles, after running 9 yesterday. That makes this a big weekend for me, but I don't feel beat-up. Tired, yes, but not beat up. This despite the shoes I'm wearing, my 'screw balances,' an old pair of new balances with 400+ miles in them that never had much cushioning to begin with.

There's a lot to like about snow running.

But I miss running with Helen.

I got into this sport with Helen – she's my #1 running partner, and always will be. I'm hoping that somewhere down the line, the little guy she's been carrying around in her tummy is going to become #1a. But right now, it's an in-between period. Helen's doing a good job of running through pregnancy, especially now that her hip's better, so we still run some together. But we can't log the miles together that I'm used to, that she's used to. I know that, as far as pregnancy issues goes, this is small, and that dads-to-be aren't supposed to whine. But I'm looking forward to the day when we can hand the kid off to his grandparents and disappear into the woods together for a few hours. I hope that there's snow then, too.

Reflections on the Blues Cruise 50k

Yesterday, I ran the Blues Cruise 50k. It was my first real foray into "ultra" marathons – a category that includes anything longer than a marathon, from 50ks to 50-milers to 100-milers and up.

My main impressions:
-It was a beautiful day, a perfect day, really, blue skies and sunlight but cool and breezy.
-The course itself was beautiful, along a lake, trails that were usually runnable
-The support was great
-Toenails, though small, can cause an enormous amount of pain
-I'm happy with my finishing time
-Ultra running just isn't for me.



50k translates to 31 miles, which makes sense, since a 5k is 3.1 miles. This course may have been only 30 miles, though, which translated to around 48.3k; Bob Reynolds also ran this with me, wearing his gps, and that was what he had.
"Only 30 miles" – it was still a long, long way to run.

The race started out well. It's an out and back, on trails that are often nice, frequently beautiful, at times breathtaking. Most of the trails were runable; there were a fair amount of short and really steep hills, which were a challenge (both up and down), but they were never too long. the one real significant hill was at around mile 10 (and then 21, seeing as it's an out-and-back), but that was not quite as steep, a hill that would have been more Wissahickon-like.
I started off a bit fast – first mile around 7:30, no way that was sustainable – and then settled into what seemed like a good pace. I hit the turnaround at around 2:02. I knew at that point that I was going to positive split the race, but was hoping for something around 4:10-4:15. Running that far, even on trails, beats me up, so equal effort = positive splitting.
I hadn't prepared for the excruciating pain that I was going to have to go through in the second half. I first noticed it going up the big hill at around mile 21. I'd felt something similar the Saturday before, on my weekly long run, and chalked it up to poor sock choice. I tried to run through it, but it would keep getting worse. I took off my shoe and rearranged my sock, which helped for a bit – I'd wind up doing that 3-4 times during the race. At a late rest stop (mile 25) I managed to get some ibuprofen, which also helped for a bit. But nothing that helped lasted. I think that at the last rest stop – maybe 3.5 miles out? - if I'd known how much I'd hurt during those last few miles, I'd have DNFed. Lots of grimacing, yelling, deep breathing till the pain subsided, then starting up with the first ginger steps, till up to running pace, then I'd land wrong and the pain would begin again.
That said, I'm glad I finished. Now I've done it – I've run at least one ultra. And my time was good – 4:32. A pretty pathetic 2nd half, but an overall good time. That was good for 19th place out of around 200 runners. I'm usually in the top 5%, but I expected to be somewhere around top 10% for my first ultra. And it was around the time I'd been guessing I'd get.
But I don't think that this is for me. I can't blame the venue, can't blame the weather, because I couldn't ask for anything more. I don't know that I can blame my toes - I mean, I can, but I suspect that during most ultras I'd have some issue or another. But 30 miles, 31 miles, even 26 miles – it's just a long way to run. While running that long has the advantage of letting you see a lot of beautiful scenery, and taking this a bit easier, you don't need a race for that.

A Quasi-Marathon, and some thoughts on strategy

I ran in the Trail Dawgs' Stumpy's Marathon this morning – a no-frills affair through some nice woods outside of Newark, Delaware.
I didn't fully race it, and it's not fully a race. It's a supported run, with no real clock, no sign-up, and no guarantees. It's a free race and, while they like pointing out that you get what you pay for, it's a pretty good event. They had a bunch of rest stops, and did a decent job of marking a pretty complicated course. Bob R drove down with me, and I ran with him for the first 20+ miles. He wore a GPS, and had the route at 26.6 miles. Or maybe 26.8 – I forget.

It took me just under 4 hours. I break down the race like this: first two hours were fun; the third was difficult; the fourth hour was a brutal death-march. I didn't walk (with the exception of some steep climbs, where it was a good choice), but was really feeling the pain.
For the first three hours, I'd tried to run with Bob, even though I know that he does a lot more long-distance training than I do. Seemed more pleasant to run with someone, and it was good to have help finding the mile markers. For the first two hours that was easy enough. The third was a struggle. By hour 4, he left me in the dust.

It made me think more about the races I've done recently: Double Trouble, Half Wit, and this quasi-race. I'm ok with all of my results. The one that most disappointed me was half-wit. That was the only one where I'd made a conscious choice to negative split. The thing is, though – even if it cost me some time, it was the one event where I really felt like I finished strong.

Positive Split, Negative Split... there's a lot that makes sense about positive splitting a trail race. I'm not sure that my positive splitting cost me any time in Double Trouble or today (or that I should care much about the time today). But it's hard to deny that it makes me enjoy the running less.

My next race – a real race – is the Blues Cruise 50k. That'll be the farthest I've ever run. I'm thinking I should start off slower.

The Day After

Yesterday, I ran 26 miles.
Today, I walked a mile and a half. I'm not sure which hurt more.

The plan for today was simple: head out to the bank, cafe, and drug store. All are in the neighborhood. My game plan was pretty conservative; I even left my netbook at home, thinking that the extra 2.8 pounds might make this too hard.
My original goal was to go the bank first. That's the longest walk, so I wanted to get it out of the way first. But I had to adjust my goals after I'd started. It was just too hard. So I made an on-the-fly decision – 'called an audible,' if you will – to go to the coffee shop first. There, I could sit and rest up, while reading. I could also get some more fuel in my system.
I pulled off the stop in the coffee shop fine. But the whole time I was there, I knew that I was just delaying the inevitable: the trip to the bank. It really weighed on me. So finally, I decided to take the bull by the horns, got up, and headed out.
The trip to the bank wound up being ok. But the bank isn't a rest-up spot. You're standing the whole time you're there, and you're only there for 2-3 minutes. And let me tell you, the walk from the bank to the drug store is NOT easy.
I chose the route down Durham street. I knew that there was something of a descent there, but I'd underestimated it. Somehow, it got steeper today. I tried to go gingerly. At around the point where I passed the one-mile mark, there were some fences I could hold. But when they end, I was on my own – just me, a slippery brick sidewalk, and some overgrown grass. On a hill. I mean, come on! It was step after painful step until I reached Cresheim. But I made it.
The walk from there was easier. Flat, or uphill. I stayed conservative, crossing at green lights and looking for cars. I knew, once I made it back to our block, that I was going to make it home.
In retrospect, I was right to leave the netbook at home. The walk was tough enough as it is. But I'm also glad to have gone on the walk. Not because I needed to do the errands, but because it's this sort of mental toughness that helps you through difficult times later on.

-
So, listing the pains:
1) Thighs.
Mostly, the quads, but both thighs are sore. This really comes out walking up stairs, walking down stairs, walking on flat land, and sitting still.
This I expected. It hurts, but I expected it.
2) The bottom of my right foot.
This really hurts when I'm walking, specifically when I land on my right foot.
This one I expected, too. I've got some weird corn/callous/growth right where under the ball of my foot. By the end of the race it was really hurting. And today, yeah, I still feel it.
3) My right ankle.
This one I didn't expect. It hurts when I bend my ankle, when I rotate it. Monitoring this one.
4) My lower back.
I don't think that's from the race. I think it's from walking around since then, trying to control my body and taking smaller steps.
All in all, I'm doing around how I expected. Sore, but I can move. I've even been going up and down stairs. I just do it one at a time.

let the taper madness begin!!!

Ok. I'm now officially in my taper.
In some sense, I'm over a week into the taper. I went with a 3-week marathon taper; the first week is pretty mild, though, more like a light week during the training. I had had some pretty big weeks – a few over 50, and one that even peaked over 60. Last week was down to 40, so that's still a whole lot of running. And it included a 15 mile run this weekend.
That should be enough to keep me sane, right?
Maybe. Maybe not.
On the one hand, I don't remember yelling at anyone, picking any fights, or generally being disagreeable to the point where strangers would notice.
On the other hand, I did drag Helen all the way to the Bryn Mawr Running Company, because I was convinced that I didn't have the right kind of shoes for the race.
And that was in a week that still had a fair amount of running.
This week will be far less running, more like 30 miles. I don't know why that seems so light, lots of weeks this summer were like that. But it does seem light. No more running home from class, no more running to class from home. No more 20 milers, no more yasso-800s, no more 2-mile repeats at the track. Whaddameyegonnado?
And all the symptoms are there. I feel sluggish. I feel slow. I'm convinced that I blew my training. That I peaked too early. That I'm just not gonna be ready. I even felt a little under the weather the other day. Luckily that passed.
But with close to 2 weeks still to go, I just don't know. I'm hoping that my taper tantrums are mild. That I don't burn any bridges. But I just don't know.

Instead of a dog, we got an oven

No, there will not be a race report on the Philadelphia Distance Run. We ran, we finished, we got best times by a few minutes. Moving on. Noah's training for a marathon, and I seem to be stuck rehabbing a minor injury that refuses to heal completely. At least I still get to run.

Other than running and working, we have been indulging in our other love: eating. You see, we got our kitchen redone over the summer, and now we have two ovens. Our new toy is a 24 inch electric oven with convection function made by the Spanish company Fagor (known for pressure cookers), and it's a gift from my mom's brother and sister. They are very cool!

Here it is, posing with some strawberry peach crumble:

More examples of the oven's good deeds:

Nutella-swirl Vanilla cupcakes (before icing)


Peach Upside Down Cake


Pizza

Dinged Up

Two runs so far this week, as I head towards Sunday's Philadelphia Distance Run.
On Monday I went for a tempo run... did around six and a half, with four of them the tempo part. I averaged 6:35 on those four.
On Tuesday, when walking to class, something in my left leg – hip? groin? – seized up.
Yesterday I went on a five mile run down on Forbidden Drive. Managed to average just under nine minutes per mile. The first mile took me just under ten minutes. And it didn't even feel that easy.
So, yeah, I'm dinged up.
My pattern, these last few years, has been to get dinged up some, but not actually get injured. I'm hoping that's the case right now. Worst case scenario, I'm guessing, would be that I've given myself some kind of groin pull. Best case scenario would be that this goes away quickly, and I can still kick butt on Sunday.
As to why this happened, there are two explanations.
The first explanation Helen can't stand... see, when I woke up on September 1, I didn't say Rabbit Rabbit. Since then, I've broken a tooth, banged my right thigh - hard – into a railing, and now this. I haven't had that kind of string of bad luck in ages. Coincidence? Could be... but I don’t know.
The second explanation is more traditional: too much hard running. Volume is up as well, which would be a contributing factor. But at last Thursday’s trail run I went pretty hard, esp. at the end. Then on Saturday Helen and I ran 17 miles, with miles 15 and 16 at the track, trying to go at marathon pace. Then the tempo run. So that's three hard runs in five days. So I'm making a note not to repeat that – to give myself more time between hard runs. But come October 1, I’m saying Rabbit Rabbit just in case.

Layoff, Schmayoff

Saturday was Helen's long-awaited return to racing.
After her injury last fall, and her months of rehab, she rejoined the ranks of local racers at a 10-K race at Tyler Arboretum.

It's a nice race – 6.2 miles of rolling hills out in the woods. A trail race, but not nearly as technical as the other trail races we've done (or as the Wissahickon, for that matter). 300 or so runners. Helen did this race last year, and came in 3rd – behind fellow wanderer Sharon, and some other woman that we didn't know.

We weren't sure what to expect with the race. Helen was worried about running hard, after so much time off from racing. I tried to explain to Helen that she might not need to run hard, if she was going to win anyway! Maybe I was overly optimistic, though... No, alas, Helen did not come in first in the race.

She did come in 2nd, though. Not too shabby! Especially for the first race of the season! And the time was within a minute or so of her time last year, which bodes well for her overall fitness.

For me, this was the first time doing the race. I came to cheer Helen on last year, but it came one week after my marathon, so no way I was going to try running it. I liked the race, though. Boy, is it ever rolling! I was around 3-4 miles in when I realized just how rolling it was. The hills were never that steep, never that long, but they were pretty relentless.

I was pleased with my own race. I finished 18th overall. 43:35, I think, which is my new 10-K pr. (The streak lives!) I was hoping for some sort of age group award, but it wasn't meant to be. (The organizers, who did an awesome job otherwise, did manage to screw up the handing out of awards, but that didn't change anything for me. I think I was 7th in my age group or something? Prizes three deep. And next year, things don't get any easier for 40-year-old Noah either). But I don't think I could have run much better than I did.

Next up for Helen? Maybe Clean Air, maybe not. Then on to Broad Street.
For me? Not sure. Maybe I'll actually run one of these 10-Ks on the road some day.

I'm right-legged

Here's a brief update on my formerly strained left hamstring.

Glass half full update: I'm back on the roads and trails.

Glass half empty update: My left leg is not really running, still.

Thanks for everyone's concern... it seems like this will take some more time to heal completely.

Audacity of Mope

I am injured. I can't run. And I will not be racing in the marathon anymore.

And here's the long story:

Since mid-July, I've had issues with my left leg. I was in denial then and didn't make a big deal about it. I ran through the pain, finished a race, banked some long runs, but kept my weekly mileage steady. My runs were fine and I was feeling good overall, but the knee area hurt when I'm not running and that pain was sharp.

In late August, I got an appointment with my sports doctor, who figured out that I pulled hamstring. I then spent two weeks doing stretching exercises at home, avoiding any fast running and staying off the trails. That didn't help enough. Even though my legs did hurt less, my stride was still uneven from not really bending my left knee, and I couldn't kick back without some pain.

So, not wanting to risk permanent injury by pushing through, I decided to take a week off running. I thought I would heal up if I just stop running for a week, and I could then return with two months to get back on track for the marathon. Shutting down made my knees less stiff in the morning, but one leg was still weaker, and I could feel the difference even when biking. And I felt like a blob and was miserable.

Last Monday, I went back to the doctor, who advised that I start physical therapy to rehab the hamstring. However, PT appointments were full for 4 weeks at this place. I called around and got an appointment sooner at a different location near campus. Still have to wait two weeks. I decided to go back to running, but only a few miles here and there, all flat, all slow.

I have no idea when this will heal. The beautiful Fall season is passing by me, and I miss running around all morning in this weather. I also miss the feeling of being a good shape, the feeling of being ready for anything.

At this point, I'm pretty sure I won't get to run in the marathon in November. Even if I run, I definitely won't make my goal of average 7 minute miles. Let's hope I regroup in time for Boston.

National Marathon – LBRR

Yesterday I ran in the Suntrust né Wirefly National Marathon.

Overall, I thought it was a fun race. 26 miles is a long distance to run, and that .2 at the end doesn't help anything. But I had a good race. I was pleased with my time, enjoyed the course, and generally, things went well.

As an excursion, the whole thing was a bit much. DC just isn't that close, and the drive down was a hassle (getting out of Philly took forever). The expo itself was totally lame, made me worry about the race itself. Helen's been to far more expos than me, and she agreed that it was a lame expo. I'd say that the single biggest improvement they could make to the race would be mailing out chips/race numbers.

Ok, on to the race.

We got there bright and early. I was totally spazzing out! Real case of the nerves. Cold. I had on my grey sweater over my running jacket, gloves, that weird hat/tube thing, tights, wool socks. Not what I was planning on wearing to a March 29 race!

The race start was corral-based, and I was in corral 3. Truth be told, I could have started anywhere I wanted, as there were no corral police, but 3 seemed right – basically, it was for people running in the low to mid 7s. The website said that there were pace teams, so I wanted to start with the 3:10 pacers, but neither of us could see them. Helen suggested I move up some, so I started to do that, but then the whistle went off and we all started trudging to the start line.

She was right – I was a bit further back from where I should have been. A fair amount of weaving at the start. I tried to take the first mile easy, as I'd been kinda beat-up lately and it was cold. 1^st mile at 7:35 ish, which I knew was ok, but still bugged me. But when I saw the 3:20 pacers start to pass me, I knew I should speed up. OTOH, I now knew what the pacers looked like - no signs, just young guys with crew cuts and orange shirts.

The next few miles were the real "welcome to DC" miles – past the Library of Congress, National Gallery, etc. (We did them twice, actually; 1-4, 14-18). This part was nice, but I didn't really find my groove. My times were ok, but just wasn't feeling good – one thing after another kinda hurting or feeling tight. I didn't feel like I was banking miles.

Around mile 4, I caught up with the 3:10 pace group. This was right around the point that the largest climb started. I kept up with them well. I didn't find running in the pace group that fun, though. Helen had really liked it in Philly, so I figured I'd give it a try, but being crowded with people who weren't really talking didn't help. The pacers kept a steady pace up the hill, which kinda surprised me, esp. as they'd banked 15 seconds in the first couple of miles. Finally, by around mile 7 or 8, when the downhills started, and they kept the steady pace, I decided to go ahead of them. I saw no reason not to use gravity to speed up a bit.

The next miles were when I really felt like I hit stride. It was one of my favorite parts of the run, through the 'transitional' areas of NE DC. A fair number of observers, although the highlight was at around mile 9 when I passed the Howard University marching band. That was awesome.

Full disclosure: I originally took this to be a high school marching band, showing how little I know.

My miles from 8-12 went well. Felt good. Probably ran a bit too fast – some were sub-7, although those were downhill. As mile 13 approached, a lot of half-marathoners started passing me, but I managed to stay calm. I think I passed the halfway point at around 1:34 or 1:35? Something like that. Website doesn't have the splits.

At mile 14, the marathon winds up back at the first miles of the marathon – the Tourist DC part this time. It was different the second time around, though, because, well, I was more tired, there were far fewer runners on the course… and because Helen joined me! She met me at mile 14, and would run with me for the rest of the marathon, except for the final stretch.

This was not without a certain controversy… not only because of standard banditing issues, either. I'd done the same with her at the philly marathon (or kind of – I didn't go for nearly as long). But I was just some guy. Helen was woman #4. Except, she wasn't. Although she would have been, had she run it… But people kept telling her that she was #4, and she'd say, no I'm not… knowing that she could have been.

Meanwhile, we kept running mile after mile. The part of the run across the Potomac was really nice, if a bit sparse. Scenic. Although by this point I was getting tired. Helen started keeping splits, which had been around 7:12, and then started getting down into the 7:20s. I'd taken some advil around 2 hours in, which helped some, but it was getting rough. As we entered the home stretch we were pretty much on our own… I was running down, and struggling. I knew that I ran better when angry, and tried to get Helen to piss me off. This was a bit more psycho-drama than she'd been hoping for, I think, but finally she managed to convince me that this guy we'd been running with a few miles back had been checking her out. That helped.

In the very last stretch, Helen dropped off and I entered the crowds gathered in the 100 yards or so approaching the finish line.

Boy, were those crowds weak! Totally silent. I was counting on their cheers to give me energy, and that just wasn't happening. So I had to yell at them! They at least had the decency to yell back. On the plus side, my right calf, which was on the verge of cramping up for the last mile, never did. I made it across the line in 3:08. 20 minutes faster than Ocean Drive last year, 7 minutes faster than I needed for Boston,

That's right, I'm now a Boston Qualifier. Never thought that would happen.

Today, I'm sore as hell. I don't think I'm quite as sore as after Ocean Drive last year, but it's close.

So thanks to Helen, not only for running with me and coming down to DC with me, but for all the advice and all the training runs and for everything, esp. encouraging me to not worry about getting hurt during taper week; thanks for all the wanderers who ran with me over the last few months; thanks to Deb, who put us up in DC. For anyone who wants to run a marathon, the National Marathon is a good race, esp. if you have a chance to take advantage of what DC has to offer.

My Taper-Induced Consumer Madness

I went out and bought a The Stick yesterday.

For people that don't aren't familiar with it, there's a difference between a stick and "the" stick.

A stick is free, and made of wood.

A The Stick is made of plastic, and costs around $30. I probably could have gotten it for cheaper, but it all seemed like it was in crisis mode.

See, the taper's not going well. Not for any vague or general reason, or because I've been missing the running or yelling at people whom I shouldn't be yelling at. Rather, it's because I managed to hurt myself while going on a trail run last Thursday. Nice, easy, trail run. What could go wrong? But I managed to jerk my left leg up to the side, resulting in an uncomfortable sensation. I thought that it would go away, and even continued the run; things felt fine, I wound up running the next few days. But Saturday night it was hurting just to walk around. This was worrisome.

So taper turned to extreme taper. A 10-mile run, with a few marathon-paced miles, turned into an easy 30 mile bike ride. Followed by a rest day. A rest day on which I went to Philly Runner and bought The Stick.

I've often been critical of the stick (which I'm going to stop capitalizing). I've been using "the dowel," which seems to serve the same purpose, and we have one in the house. I've also pondered using "the rolling pin," which could double up for baking purposes. But with Saturday's race bearing down on me, my thigh hurting, and me stressed out, the thought occurred to me: can't I solve this by spending money?

Ok, so the thought didn't present itself quite like that. But that's what it came down to.

Has it worked? Well, I ran seven miles today. Some discomfort, no pain. Did the stick help? I think so. But did it help enough?

I’m pretty sure that, on Saturday, I'll be ready at the start. I'm also confident that, at some point, my leg will start hurting, in exactly the place that's hurting now. The question is, when and how much.

Tight Hammie

I should have known that trouble was coming yesterday afternoon, when I was walking around center city. Nothing that happened, just a fatal thought: "you know, I've really been very healthy lately."

By ten that night, on an otherwise normal train ride home, I realized that my right hamstring had knotted up. Didn't seem anything that troublesome, more like a cramp than anything else. It just hasn't gone away, though.

I'd been planning on doing some speedwork today, but decided not to. Marathon training has been going very well. I did a 16 mile run on Saturday, including the weekly Saturday morning Wanderers run, and a "fast finish" where I did the last 5 miles at around 7:10. I knew it was taxing at the time, but maybe this is a bit of a hangover. I was still able to run today, a nice relaxing 8 miles on Forbidden Drive. The hamstring didn't keep me from running, but it never fully loosened up either.

Status: no pain, some tightness. To be monitored.

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

Oh yea! I graduated from physical therapy yesterday. Moreover, after playing Rii all last week, my patella is not contused anymore.

To celebrate, I ran an unmentionable distance last night -- ain’t no stopping me now. I strolled through all my usual sights (except the evil Gun Loop where I fell) and waved to cars who failed to stop at stop signs. Even though I didn’t have the spark to speed, I could run forever. Once in a while, my thoughts got stuck in a “I’ll never be fast again” rut, but I held back those tears and had a freeing and happy run. And I ran somewhere -- I finished at the train station just as Noah was getting off the train, and was greeted by a “what are you doing?” expression (which I tried to ignore.)

Dude, I’m running. I don’t know what else I’d be doing.

More prescribed rest

I think my spring season is shot. I met with my doctor today for the 6-week check-up on my foot, ankle, and thigh, all of which are operating at 99%. I asked him to take a look at my right knee, which since falling have hurt whenever I run. It's not screaming pain, but the pain is moderate and present at every step, running or walking.

After an hour of flexing and four x-rays, he's reasonably sure that what I have is a bone bruise. It's not a fracture and there's no ligament or meniscus damage, but it's the swelling and bruising inside the knee that makes it painful to run.

Kids can fall and scrape their knees and cry and get up and run around again. Adults, assuming I am one, falling the same way apparently would scrape their knees AND suffer a bone contusion. No fair.

How do you treat a bone bruise? I knew it before he uttered the words "rest, ice, and ibprofen" - the Rii in the age of Wii. How much rest? 1-2 weeks or until it doesn't hurt to walk. :(

Given how little I have run since the Philadelphia Marathon, it's clear that I won't be ready in time for Wirefly (March) or Boston (April) this year. I also won't be seeing spectacular times (for me) for a while. I might even shake Ed's hand at Broad Street this year if I bonk out early enough. 2007 was my one hit wonder. I'll have to take time to regroup.

ode to my knees

Ever since I hit the pavement
My knees have behaved different
Even after taking IBprofen
They squeak in bend and movement

If only I could inject WD-40
Knees'd be free and I'd be cheery
I guess I could ask my PT
Whom I will see Wednesday

What, do I have to wear knee pads now?

Clumsy Helen skidded on her feet
Not so gracefully fell onto the street
She now has pains inside her knees
And bruises that has Agnes beat

Weee!

Injury Update -- it's just an -itis

So, I took that week off from running, and whatdya know, the problems on my right foot and thigh lessened. But they're still there. So, I went back to running and saw a different doctor last Monday. This doctor is an ortho guy in a sports medicine practice that is well-regarded, and my thought was that he'd understand that runners need to run.

After a lot of pressing and x-raying, the doc and his resident determined that I have peroneal tendonitis which is causing the pain on the foot. The tendonitis is in turn caused by ankle sprains that weren't properly healed. The clicking quads are just clicking quads that have been clicking less and less. It was probably a strain. Actually, as I'm writing this post, my quads now have the full range of motion. So, it's no big deal anymore.

So, I am to see a physical therapist and do ankle rehab and quad strenthening exercises for six weeks. In the mean time, I can run as long as the foot doesn't get worse. (I did 15 on Saturday and the only thing that's sore afterwards was my back.) So, I am going to take it easy for a little bit and run just to run. Boston is off the calendar for now, and it's okay.

Step 1: Admitting I have a problem

I'm sure Bob Loblaw will continue to blog here, but Positive Splits is taking a week off from running to heal the nagging pains on her right foot and right thigh. I haven't quite accepted the reality that my good podiatrist uttered the words "no running" to me in broad daylight, but I paid $80 for that advice, so I better try it... this rest thing...gosh what was he thinking... It sure will be harder than running 26 miles.

At least X-rays show that nothing is broken or fractured.

Oh, and apparently, I have an extra bone in my right foot. Anyone want it? I don't need it anymore.

Today, I got one of those comments that we runners often hear: "Was that you running at Evergreen and something last night at around 9:30?" Oh yes, that was me. You thought you saw me, right? Last night, a car actually came to a complete stop at an intersection, flashed its brights, and let me cross first before taking the foot off the brake pedal. Wow, right?! Turns out to be an old coworker who was excited to finally recognize someone out of context in the dark. But it'll be a week before I run into any more people.

Ode to an ankle sprain --> boo!

I had planned on writing about the marathon taper today, three weeks from the Philly Mary, but since I haven't signed up for the race yet, I will blog about why I might not be able to race. Because why not? I have another sprained right cankle.

Yesterday, I was 10 minutes into a road 11-miler that just passes through half a mile of trails, when my klutzy self could not manage the footing underneath, and then #&$&*%#$&%#, my right ankle rolled out. OW, it hurt. OW, it hurt to put weight on it. OW, it's wobbly unstable. OW, I was stuck in the woods.

I hopped on one leg to Forbidden Drive where the ground is flat and soft. Then, I decided to jog the rest of the loop. The downhills were not fun, and my left leg which had to do more work wasn't smiling about this decision, but the rest of the run was mostly okay.

Any semi-regular reader of this blog knows my drill with ankle sprains:
1. intermittent icing
2. sporadic double Advil
3. bust out the ankle protection program -- wearing hiking boots at work
4. skip a day of running and return to the roads
5. tape the ankle up for trails and tennis for a month