Trying to Run

Well, the recovery is moving forward. I'm trying to run every other day, taking walking breaks when needed. Last Wednesday, I ran 4 miles for the first time in 2 months!! This morning my plan was 40min. Trying to do time and not worry about mileage. The morning was warm and humid. At 7am it was 77F and 80% humidity, but I was not going to let the weather stop me! I started down the road and ran for about 5min, before taking a minute walk break. I then ran until 2 miles, at which time I stopped and stretched. Everything was going well, and I ran over a mile without walking!! After stretching I ran another mile at which time I was stopped by a guy who was in town visiting and wondered where he could find a good place to run. After giving him some ideas, I set off again. Around 3.5 miles, I noticed a twinge in my knee and by 4 miles I had to stop.

I walked home, and stretched and iced my knee. I've run for the last couple of weeks without any pain, but hit a roadblock today. I will continue icing and stretching and see how the knee reacts. I will probably go back and put in more walk break for the next few runs and see how that does. I also need to continue the cross-training.

Injuries do not heal overnight, I know that, but this has been the longest process I have ever had to deal with in terms of injury. I plan to run the Baltimore Half in October, and plan to follow a 12 week training plan, which needs to start a week from Monday. I'll know if its possible after the first week of training.

If its not, I'm not going to let it get me down... I'll go back to cross training heavily and give it more time. I'll let you know how it goes!

Getting better

So, as you can tell, I have not been posting. That is because I have not been running. This IT band thing has really sidelined me. For the last two months, I have been cross training; bike riding, spinning, elliptical and some swimming. I got to say that I've really enjoyed the cross-training, but I miss running. I have also been going to Physical Therapy (PT) at least once a week. My PT has me doing stretches and strengthening exercises for my hips and IT. She also has me icing my IT band at my knee with ice. Direct ice. Kinda an ice message for five minutes until its numb. Each day, like its medicine.

About 3 weeks ago, my PT cleared me to try running. She wanted me to do 2 min of running and 2 min of walking for 30min. My first time out, I got about 15min, before I had to stop. IT band pain. I was pretty discouraged. When I went back to her, and told her what happened, she asked if I tried 1 min on and 2 min off. I said no, so set off the next week to try that.

I tried the 1 min on and 2 min off.... I went the whole 30 min!! My knee ached afterward but did not hurt during the run

The next week, I did two days of 2 min on and 2 min off... I made it both days without much problem. My IT started to ache at the end, but it seemed to be ok.

Last week, I ran four days. The first two I went 3 min on and two min off. Not bad runs, my knee ached a bit after, but no real problems. The next was 4 min on and 2 off. Made it 30min with no pain!! Finally this morning I ran 5 min on and 2 min off, with running the last nine minutes with no walking. I had no knee pain!!

I feel I'm beginning to make progress, but I have to be careful not to do too much too soon. I think I'll continue running four days a week, and keep upping the time between walks. I'll also see what the PT says at my appointment tomorrow.

Maybe I'll be able to do a 1/2 this fall...... maybe

I miss running

Its been four weeks now since the marathon. Four weeks since I ran more than 1.5 miles. Four week since my training ended. Four weeks since I had a half way decent run. It does not seem to be getting any better. My IT band, or what ever it is, does not seem to be getting any better. I have not run for about 1.5 weeks now, and I still feel slight pain in my knee. As I mentioned before, I'm trying to cross train. Actually, I'm cross training a lot. Biking, elliptical, swimming and lifting weights, something most days. I'm trying to keep my endurance while my knee heals. I'm also still stretching and rolling on the foam roller.

I enjoy the cross training. Elliptical is ok, gets me sweating and the biking gets my legs working. But the swimming, oh, the swimming is tough. I'm not the best swimmer, so when I get out there, I wear myself out quickly. I'm trying to work on form, but I feel real intimidated by the folks that can swim, and swim and swim.... without stopping.. As I remember this is how I felt when I first started running!

Went back to the doctors last week, who ordered an MRI on my knee. I had the MRI, and now have an appointment next Tuesday for the doctor to look at the MRI and hopefully tell me something other than everything looks ok. He also told me no high impact until the MRI results are in, which is why I have not even attempted to run in the last week or so.

On my way to the YMCA the other day, I passed no more than 6 people running. They were enjoying the day, enjoying the weather, enjoying the workout. As I got on the elliptical that day, plugged in my earphones, and turned on "30 Days of Night" on the TV attached to the elliptical, all I could think was..... I MISS RUNNING

Recovery

Recovering from a running injury is tough. I spent all winter training for the spring marathon, and ran through snow storms, high winds and low wind chills. Now that spring is really here and its beautiful outside, I'm injured. Since the marathon, I have tried to run every other day, and each time, I can only get a mile or so and the IT band issue stops me. The pain kinda moves around, side of my knee, front of my knee, shin. I have another doctors appointment one week from Monday, and we'll see where to go from here to get this thing fixed.

So, I've been trying different things to try to keep in shape. Been doing some biking, which is nice since I have not biked much in the last few years. Using muscles that I don't use running.... and boy does that seat hurt after an 8-mile ride... I'll keep doing that once or twice a week. I'm lifting weights some to build some strength in both upper body and legs. My inner thighs ache at the moment from the squats I was doing yesterday (probably too much information, huh?). I went to the Y today and did the elliptical for 20min (after my 1.25mile run...argh). I gotta tell you, that elliptical kicked my ass. It uses both lower and upper body, and by the end of 20-min, I was soaked in sweat. If it was more convenient, I'd do that more often.

I'm going to try swimming also. There is a place near my office, where I can buy a 11am-2pm membership for $175/year. During that time I can use either the lap pool, the cardio equipment or the weight room. I have not had the opportunity to look at the place yet, but I will after my travel to Tennessee next week. I think swimming will be harder than the elliptical. I can swim, but I would not consider myself a strong swimmer.

I'm also keeping up with the stretching and foam rolling. Even with the pain at the 1mile mark, I have no pain while foam rolling and my IT bands do not seem overly tight. I'm assuming I'll see a physical therapist after my Dr. appointment and she can tell me how tight they are!

So, as I heal from this injury, I plan to:

1. Bike once or twice a week
2. swim once or twice a week
3. Keep light running, but stop right when it hurts
4. Other cardio as available
5. weights twice a week
6. Stretch as usual

I'd like to run some race, probably a half later this spring before it gets to hot, but if the injury keeps me down, I will run something this fall; shorter races building back to a half.

I can hear the spring weather calling my name......

Looking ahead

Well, the big race is over. I ran the best I could and I learned a bunch about running and about myself. Here are some of those things:

• Running 26.2 miles is not double the effort of 13.1. In fact, its way more!


• I respect the marathon distance


• I underestimated nutrition and hydration during the race. The weather during the race dictated more water, etc. I just followed my plan..... I should have adjusted.


• I have never been more tired and physically drained as I was after that race.


• Injuries suck

In my mind, I keep coming back to the question about whether or not I was well prepared for this race, or if this race tells me I'm not suited for long distance running. I think from a training perspective I was prepared. I put in the miles and I kept most injuries to a minimum. I think I am in great cardiovascular shape. Where I went wrong was that I did not fully understand that long distance running is more than just running miles. Its about combining the miles with proper nutrition and hydration, its about listening to your body and adjusting when needed. But most of all, and the most important, is that every day and every condition is different. One race, one day does not dictate the level of fitness or the preparedness (is that a word?). Running is a journey that is not defined by one day. I could have done better, but I could have done a lot worse.

So, whats next.....

After the race, I took a couple of days off. The first day after the race, I was still feeling fatigued, so I took the day off from work. I had difficulty walking the kids to school because my left IT band was very sore. The day after I felt better. My legs hardly hurt. I stopped icing, but continued to use the foam roller and stretching each day. By Thursday, I was itching to run, but a late train messed up my evening, so I had to put it off until Friday (today).

I was planning on doing a couple of easy miles at lunch to check out the knee. I started out fine and felt good, but after 0.5 miles, I noticed the knee was a starting to ache. But 0.75 miles I had to walk. I walked back to the office feeling pretty discouraged.

This IT band thing is a real problem that I have to address. My next Drs appointment is not until May 24th. So until then, I will be icing, stretching, strengthening and trying to heal. I want to keep my fitness level up, so I think biking is in my future. I'd like to swim, but finding a time where the lap swim schedule and my schedule match is going to be tough. I'll run when I can, but I'm not going to push through the pain and make it worse.

I'm going to continue the journey....

Frederick Marathon

Sunday was the Frederick Marathon. It was a long time coming. It seems like I've been training for it forever. If you have read this blog in the past, you know how my training went, and the pains and fears I had leading up to this race. Well, I gotta say, what happened was unexpected. This post is my race summary.

The race was to start at 6:30am. I had my alarm set for 4:20am, but woke up about 2:30am and had a hard time falling back to sleep. I got up and used my foam roller and went down and had breakfast. I did not want to vary my breakfast much from my training, so I had a bagel and peanut butter and a bit of caffeine. My legs felt pretty good as I got ready that morning. I used the bathroom a couple of times, put on my shoes with timing chip, and headed off for the Frederick Fairgrounds. Thea drove me downtown so I would not have to carry keys, etc. We got downtown about 5:45am. We wondered around the fairgrounds a bit, watched the pace groups get their pictures taken, and saw some of the 6am worship service. By about 6:15, I headed to the start line. My plan was to stick with the 3:30 (8m/m) pace group and stop and stretch my IT band every four miles. I also planned to take my GU every 8 miles (like the training) and water when I felt I needed it. The pace group told me they planned to run the first half a bit fast (1 or 2 minutes) since the back half of the marathon was tough. I was ok with that. After the national anthem we were off at 6:30am.

The first half of the marathon was through a good portion of downtown and and was relatively flat. The first two miles took us from the fairgrounds to Baker park. Felt good after the first water stop. Mile three and four took us around Baker Park, the crowds were good and cheering, and everyone was feeling pretty fresh. Mile 4 marker was another water stop. Pace was holding strong at about 7:50m/m. I stopped quickly and stretched my IT band

Mile 5 and 6 took us through Hood College which is a pretty area, and my legs were feeling really good, so I just enjoyed the area. Mile 7 took us past the hospital and started to head north. My average pace was still about 7:50. Mile 8-9 took us to the furthest north of the route and around a Wal-Mart, which was packed with people cheering on the runners. It was really nice to see all those people. My IT band started to feel a bit funny at this time, so I changes my pace slightly, and it was feeling a bit better. I stopped and stretched the IT bands again at 8 miles and took a GU.

Mile 10-12 were down a long stretch of road, with not much activity. It was bit boring, but I knew the half was coming up and looked forward to that. My legs were feeling pretty good, with only the occasional tweek from my IT bands.

As mile 13 approached, I knew the half marathoners would be peeling off to the finish and the marathoners would be continuing on. I ran next to a half marathoner who was very happy to be finishing and he wished me luck as he turned toward the finish. I crossed the 13.1 mile timing mat at 1:43:46 (7:55m/m) I was feeling good and right on pace.

We turned back downtown and ran part of the scenic Carroll Creek, which was nice. We then headed back down to the fairgrounds. At mile 15 I passed the fairgrounds again and saw my family. They were screaming and yelling and it really picked me up. I was feeling good about the race.

As we headed out of town, I knew the hard part of the marathon was ahead of me. Heading east on 40, I knew the first big hill was next. Mile 16 was about 150 feet incline. It seemed like a long way. I slowed my pace some, but I knew I was getting tired. I stopped and walked through the water station, but the heat was starting to get to me. The entire 2.5 miles down 40 were directly into the sun, and by this point it was about 80F and very humid. My pace was now about 8:15m/m through this stretch.

At mile 18 we entered Springvalley subdivision. At the entry is a 275 foot rise in elevation over about 3/4mile. This kicked my butt. I ran about a quarter of it, but then had to walk. I continued to run walk to the top of this hill. This mile was 10m/m due to the walking. At mile 19 we were in the subdivision, but the damage was done. I was pooped and worse, my calves started cramping. I'd walk a bit, they would seize, and I'd have to walk. I did this until about mile 22, averaging about 10m/m. I crossed the 21mile timing pad at 2:56:38 (8:22 pace).

After mile 22, we headed out of the subdivision and back downtown. By now, my calves were bad. I walked a lot and probably could not run more than about 0.25miles before cramping. I tried stretching, but nothing helped. I also started to get tingling in my fingers, which scared me a bit, so I slowed down and took it a bit easy. I was able to keep the 10m/m pace till about mile 24, at which I could only walk.

Mile 24-26 were bad, my calves cramped while walking. I walked with another marathoner, who was having the same problem. It was his eighth marathon, and he contributed it to the heat and not being prepared for that. At mile 24 I passed a bank that read 85F. Through mile 24-26, I ran when I could, but it was not very long. I passed a guy and gal who were running the relay, and they were in bad shape. The gal was ready to quit due to the heat and humidity (at mile 25), but her friend kept pushing her. People were along the side of the road yelling things like "only mile to go", an "looking good". Where it helped me at mile 8 and 15, it just kinda annoyed me now. I wish they would have stopped. Mile 24-26 average 12m/m.

After 26, I started to run to the finish. As I turned into the fairgrounds, I could hear people screaming. I got two steps into the fairgrounds and my right calf cramped really bad and I almost fell. People started to scream for me to keep going (there were not many other runners near me at his point). I walked a few steps and then started running again. Once I hit the track, I actually felt ok as I ran to the finish. I crossed what I thought was the final timing mat and stopped. However, it was not the timing mat, but protective covering for the cables they strung across the track. I looked up and a gal was screaming at me to keep going I was not finished. I took off running, and within two steps, my calf cramped really bad. I passed the finish line at 3:56:58. Turns out that I was the 120th finisher out of 734 finishers (16%), 20th out of 94 in my age group (21%). Not too bad for my first marathon.

I grabbed some water and got my finishers metal, and went to stretch my calves. I was done. I walked off the track and saw my family waiting. I talked to them a bit, but then had to sit down. I was dehydrated, and spent. After a bit of water, and a banana, I felt better, but not good enough to walk around. Several times I had to sit. Thea said my color was really bad. We got to the car and went home.

I was pretty worthless the remainder of the day. At one time, I started to sweat profusely and felt as if I would pass out. It scared me. I laid on the ground and after a few minutes I felt better. Felt better later that day. Enjoyed a good dinner and talking about the race with family. The next day I was pretty sore. My left IT band was really sore, and my calves ached. The funny thing about the IT band is that it never really bothered me during the race.

Well, the big question is will I do it again?? I enjoyed the training, hated the injury, but enjoyed the race (except the last 6 miles!). I probably will, but I think I will have to rethink nutrition, which probably caused me some of the problems. But honestly, I'm looking forward to a few days off to heal. We'll have to wait and see what the next race will be.

One week to go

Well, I'm in my last week of tapering and one week before the marathon. This past week, I went back to the doctors about my knee. He basically said he did not want to do anything right now, but put me on some anti-inflammatory drugs until the race. So, I'm taking Aleve twice a day. The runs I went on last week were ok, the knee would hurt a bit, but it never got worse. So, I'm still stretching and resting, and hoping for the best.

This week, I only have two runs before the race, so its all about rest. I ran 31 miles last week, which is the shortest mileage in about 2 months. I think this week, excluding the marathon, I have only 10 miles to run. Big difference.

I look back at my training log and I've run over 30-miles a week for the last 32 weeks, and many of those weeks were over 35 miles. I've run a lot in the last year, 1,591.6 miles to be exact. I think I'm as ready for this race as I can be.

So here is my plan. Run. Finish. Enjoy myself. If it hurts, I'll stop and stretch. If it hurts too much, I'll walk. I've done all I can do to get ready.

Another Doctors Appointment

Well, ran twice so far this week, and had knee pain both times. Yesterday, I felt a pulling sensation in the side of my left knee, which went away after a bit, but then came back toward the end of the 5-mile run. Today, the pulling sensation was there the whole time. It did not get worse, but it did not get better either. This past weekend, I felt the pulling, but also my right IT band was hurting at the end of my 12-mile run. I'm still rolling and stretching each day, but not doing my leg exercises. So starting tomorrow, I'm back doing the exercises.

I'm freaking out a bit since the marathon is a week from Sunday. I'm considering pulling out of the race and concentrating on getting better, but Thea suggested going to the doctor one more time.

I called and luckily they had a cancellation and will be able to fit me in tomorrow. So, I'm going to go, explain the issues, and see what he says. Wish me luck!

Taper - Week 2

So, I've made it through my first week of tapering, and I gotta tell you, I feel more tired than I did during the heavy weeks of training. I'm not sure what it is, but my runs have been tough and body just feels worn down. Last week, I ran about 35 miles, which is about 75% of the week before. My long run was 12 miles, and I was really pooped after it.

In fact, my IT bands were really tight and my knees were sore after that run. I have not changed anything. I'm eating the same, still rolling the IT bands twice a day, and sleeping the same (which is not enough probably), but that run messed me up. My left quad near my IT band is still sore today.

Of course these pains and my performance this past week discouraged me. I fear I'm not going to be able to finish, or that I'll be hobbling across the finish line. I've decided I don't want to just finish this race, I want to be happy with my performance. This may be hard to accomplish since I'm so critical of myself, but I think if I can finish the race the way I've finished the 20-mile runs, I'd be happy.

I also want to enjoy the race. I think back to many other races, and they are such a blur. I'm thinking about pace and catching the person ahead of me instead of soaking in the experience. In my training lately, all I've been thinking about are the pains I'm feeling instead of enjoying the experience and dealing with the pain. I have to remember that running, like life, is a journey that is to be experienced and enjoyed and not just pushed through until the finish.

As I start my second week of tapering, the miles drop even more. My total this week is to be about 30 miles, about 60% of two weeks ago. I need to run slow and consistent. I need to deal with the pain, stretch when I have to, stop when I have to, and enjoy my final preparation. As I was driving last night, I could not believe that in two weeks it will be done. Now is the time to start enjoying it.

Time to taper

Well, I have three weeks left until the marathon. I've been running hard and am a bit tired. I had my last 20 mile run this past weekend and it went pretty well. I ran the back half of the marathon route first and then a portion of the front half. The back half is pretty hilly, so I wanted to test it out to see how bad it might be. I did ok, but I hit the hills at about mile 5 instead of mile 17 like I will during the race. I'm sure those hills are going to kill me come race day.

I have not really been having any IT band issues, but did have a "new" pain form in my knee near the end of the 20-mile run. This time the pain is on the inside of my left knee below the knee cap and was pretty sharp. It hurt for a second or two, then went away. After about 19 miles, it hit again, caused me to slow, but again went quickly away. I ran a recovery run on Sunday and did not have any problems. We'll see how this week of running goes.

Anyway, as for the taper, I've been reading a lot about tapering and why its necessary. Most say tapering is needed because a runners body/muscles are being broken down during heavy training and the taper allows the body to heal. I read somewhere that it takes three weeks to fully recover from a 20-mile run... yikes... and I've done three in the last seven weeks.. I guess I need that tapering.

From what I've read, for the three weeks proceeding the race, the weekly mileage should be cut. The first week, the mileage should be cut by 25%, the second 50% and the third 70%. That's a lot less running. I need to keep the intensity and pace up, but just cut the mileage. I've been running a lot of miles around race pace, so I figure, its time to cut that back a little and try and run a bit slower. The last thing I want is to get hurt during the tapering phase.

I've also heard that my body will begin to ache a bit more during this period. As the body repairs itself, it will hurt. They say don't freak out at each new pain... do they know who they are talking to???

Well, I get to run an easy 5-mile run today. I'm looking forward to getting out there and testing out that left knee. Hopefully everything will go well, and I can enjoy this tapering.

What a doof

The Frederick Marathon organizes two training runs to allow folks to meet other runners and have a chance to run part of the course. This weekend was the second scheduled training run. I missed the first due to other commitments, so I was excited to run in this one. They had two loops planned, a 10-mile and a 20-mile option. Since I ran 20 miles last weekend, my plan called for a 14-miler this weekend. So my plan was to run the 10-mile loop and then continue on for an additional 4 miles.

The advertisement for the training run said water and Gatorade would be available throughout the course, but I had to bring my own GU. So, as I got ready, I packed my GU, and hydration pack. I was not planning to run with the hydration pack, but brought it just in case. The weather was calling for pretty cold temperatures, 28F at 7am maybe warming to 35F by 9am, so I wore long pants, long sleeves, my hat and gloves. I also brought along a print off of the turn-by-turn directions for the 10-mile loop.

I got to the parking deck about 6:50am and gathered my stuff. The directions said to meet outside the parking deck near Carroll Creek. So as I headed to the creek, I noticed the town was very quiet and peaceful. The sun was just starting to rise, and the breeze was rather cool. When I got to the creek I looked for the people. I could see no people, anywhere. As I wondered why no one was around, I remembered the direction said outside the West Patrick parking deck... and I had parked at the Court St deck. So I ran down Patrick a bit to the deck. As I made my way back to the creek, I noticed it was just about 7am.

But when I got to the creek again there were no people.... it was kinda eerie, , absolutely no people. I began to wonder if I missed everyone. I had RSVPed for the training run, and responded to a post on Frederick Steeplechasers site, but the funny thing was I was the only person to respond... maybe no one else was running this training run???

So, I went back to the car, got the hydration pack, and started out on the course myself. Since the advertisement said there would be aid stations, I would stop at the first one and ask if I was the only one to respond.

The first mile took me down Market street to 5th, then onto Bentz. This was the same route I took during my first 20-mile run several weeks ago. Heading down Bentz took me to Baker park, where I knew I would see the other runners. As I circled Baker park, again it was totally dead... not a single runner, but the day was beautiful. After circling around Frederick High, I came back toward Baker park down 2nd. After about 4.5 miles I knew I had to be wrong about the day.

I stopped and stretched the IT band after mile 6 somewhere near Hood college. Mile 7 and 8 took me through a new subdivision and right by Thomas Johnson high school. I took my GU at 8miles and passed Emma's pre-school at mile 9. By mile 10 I was back at the parking deck down town.

At this point, I knew I had to be wrong, or someone had forgotten to tell me the training run was cancelled. I looped Baker Park one more time for the last four miles and finished in about 1 hour and 50 min. My left knee kinda started bothering me at 13.5 miles, but I stopped and stretched and it seemed ok after that. I realized I had not stretched it since mile 6... If I don't stretch, I can't make it...

When I got back to the car, I used my phone to go back to the website. The training run is scheduled for March 28... I knew I was right....I just kn.... wait..... today is March 27th.... damn, I am such a doof

2nd 20-mile run

In my training schedule for the Frederick Marathon are three twenty mile runs. The first was about three weeks ago and the details are here. At the end of that run, I was pretty sore and my IT band ached the last 5 miles. I could barely run for a couple of days and my next long run had to be cut short. So, as I prepared for this run, I was nervous.... about the distance, about my knee, about my attitude. I had gone to the Doctor about my knee and he gave me a cortisone shot, which was suppose to help and last for three months. I'm also suppose to start working on core exercises, which I am.

I got up at 6am to prepare to run. After dressing, I had a bagel and some caffeine. I got my hydration belt, my two GUs, my sunglasses, and my (extra) knee strap and got ready to go. I also taped my left knee with the KT tape. Kinda felt like batman with so much stuff strapped to my waste. I hit the road at 6:50am.

My plan was stop and stretch my IT band every 4 miles whether I needed it or not. I wanted to hydrate and take a GU every 8 miles. I had a 10-mile loop worked out, and I planned to run it twice.

First four miles went easy... I stopped and stretched... no problem

Second four miles went pretty easy... I stopped and stretched and had water and GU. Every once in a while, I felt something in my knee... but not bad... I was having tightness in my right hamstring, but the stretching helped.

I stopped at 10-miles to turn around. I stopped and stretched. So far feeling good.

At Mile 11, left knee started bothering me... my first thought was "shit!" and I almost stopped and turned toward home. I stopped and stretched, shorten my pace, and my knee stopped bothering me.

Mile 12, my right knee was getting achy... so i stopped and stretched... seems like a trend

Mile 14, felt pretty good, but still decided to stop and stretch.

Mile 16, stopped, had water and GU and stretched... my legs were tired, but nothing hurt

Mile 18, felt pretty good, but by now I was paranoid, so I stopped and stretched.

Last two miles were not bad... no real pain except for expected achy legs. And I never used the extra knee strap!

So, I did it, and without too much pain... afterwords, I showered, ate and went to the park with the kids. Ended up playing Trac Ball for about two hours. As I sit here and write this, my legs are tired, but feel good. I think I'll be able to run tomorrow!!

This run gave me a bit of confidence and made me think that I may be able to do this marathon thing..... which is in about 43 days... yikes!

Mental focus

As I mentioned in my last post, I've been having this knee issue. I'm pretty sure its IT band problems, but I'm no doctor. So, I have an appointment with an orthopedic doctor on Tuesday to get an evaluation of my knee. In the meantime, I have been stretching, rolling (with a hard foam roller), and using KT tape to aid in healing. I guess it must be working since I ran my runs this week, including 12 miles today, without any knee pain. But as I have read, doing what I'm doing is fixing the symptoms but not solving the problem. So hopefully the doctor and his physical therapist will be able to help me solve the problem. I'll let you know..

Having this knee issue is kinda taking the fun out of running. I find myself thinking way too much about my knee and not enjoying the run. I realize that keeping good form will help me to be injury free, but the running where my mind wonders or enjoys the surroundings is what I'm looking for. But my hypochondria has always got the best of me. For example, I went to the dentist, who took an x-ray of my mouth. After looking at the film, she informed me I had a tooth with extensive decay inside, with no apparent decay on the outside. I also had no pain. She took another x-ray to be sure, and this time the x-ray was clean. She still wanted to do something due to the issue in the first film. She decided to wait until my next visit and look again, but since then my tooth has hurt. The more I think about it, the more it hurts.... typical...

The point is that I have to unfocus my mind on the particular issue of my knee, and refocus my mind on the enjoyment of running. I should be encouraged that my knee was pain free last week, and look forward to better runs this week. I have a big week ahead of me. My next 20-mile run is next Saturday and I'll do the best I can..... as long as my mind cooperates!

Injured...now what?

Last weekend I had my first 20-Mile run. As I mentioned in a previous post, I felt really good until about 15 miles, when the outside of my left knee started to hurt. I kept running. By the end of the run, my knee was pretty sore. Now, I've had this problem before. The pain is usually above my knee and to the outside and occurs after long runs. The first time was on the towpath after a 15-mile run. It happened again on a a 14-mile run near home. Just recently, it happened near the end of the Cloud Half Marathon. In each of these cases, I rested, iced, stretched and continued to run. Of course, I did Internet searches and diagnosed myself with IT band issues. I bought a foam roller, and did the crazy stretches, and it seemed to get better.

After this 20-mile run, I tried to run the day after, and my knee was too sore, but by the second day, I seemed to run 3-miles fine. I then travelled to Albuquerque, and ran 6, 8, 6 mile runs with no apparent problems. On Saturday was a 14-mile run, and about 6-miles in, I felt some pain in my knee. By mile 7 I had to stop. I turned around and walked the 5-miles home. This has never happened before, I never had to stop and walk home.

I iced and rested, and tried to run on Sunday. I felt a twinge at 4-mile and by 5 I again had to stop. This time the pain was a dull ache and was lower on my knee, but still on the outside.

So, I'm bummed. I need to go to the doctor and figure out what this really is. My marathon is only about 8 weeks away.... not sure what will happen, but Thea keeps telling me to not give up.

I'm calling the doctor on Monday to see if he can get me in. I'll post an update soon.

Longest run to date

I've been running for a long time, but never considered myself a long distance runner. But my decision to run a marathon forces me to run distances I have never run before. This weekend, I ran my first 20-mile run. I was a bit anxious since I've been having a bit of a problem with my IT band causing pain in my left knee after long distances. I've been stretching the IT band and watching that knee, so I was hoping all would go well.

I chose a route that did not start from my house. I first did that because of the snow and how dangerous the sidewalks were around my house, but as the sidewalks were cleared, I kept the route since it was more exciting (kinda like a race) to drive to the start line. I had mapped a 10-mile loop starting and ending at Baker park, and winding around downtown Frederick.

After having a bit of breakfast, I started running about 7am. It was about 30F and a bit windy, but not too bad. Here was what I was thinking during the run

Mile 1 - Boy its kinda cold, maybe I should have layered more.
Mile 2 - I wish the roads were better labeled, I think I'm lost
Mile 2.1 - Ok, now I know where I am. Damn, I'm hot, I wore too many layers.
Mile 5 - Oh no, no sidewalks, I hate running on the shoulder
Mile 6.3 - Shit, I should have turned right on Patrick not left.... better turn around
Mile 8 - Should I stop for a drink and GU, no, I'm good
Mile 10.5 - One loop done, feeling good, will have water and GU
Mile 12.5 - Whoa, whoa....... damn I did not see that ice, I hope I did not hurt anything in that fall
Mile 14 - I feel slight pain in my left knee - better stop and stretch
Mile 15 - Knee is bothering me, but not getting worse, but whats going on with my right Achilles
Mile 17 - Only three more miles
Mile 18 - Need to stop.... will have water and GU.... need to stretch that knee again
Mile 19.5 - This has been the longest mile ever, and both my knee and Achilles are sore
Mile 20 - I did it, who can carry me back to my car??

On the day after, my left knee is sore and my right Achilles is really sore and tight. I'm not sure I'll be able to do my recovery run today, but I'm glad I got through my first 20-mile run. And the best part, I get to do it again in three weeks!

A week of rest

This marathon training program I'm following calls for a week of rest every third week of training. Rest is defined as less running, not no running! At this point, the training weeks consist of about 20 miles during the week and about 20-25miles on the weekend. The runs during the week are staying constant, but the long run on Saturday is building to reach the marathon goal. The week of rest is basically cutting the mileage in about half, allowing the legs to recover for the upcoming increase in mileage. This week calls for about 25 miles total since next weekend is my first 20 mile run.

Running 25 miles in a week seems like a breeze now, after building to about 40 miles per week. Actually, a couple of days this past week I felt a bit antsy because I was not running. Friday was such a day. So, I decided to take an unscheduled run outdoors. Please realize this was the first run outside in about 2 weeks due to the crazy snow we have been getting this year. I also wanted to get out to check the road/sidewalk conditions knowing that I really wanted to do the 20-miler on the road next week. So, I bundled up and hit the road.

There is still a lot of snow out there. The streets are clear, but there are no shoulders and many of the sidewalks are not clear. So, it was a bit of a challenge. I ran around the neighborhood, keeping to the street when the sidewalks were covered. I left the neighborhood on my normal path to the adjacent neighborhood and quickly realized I do not like running on the street with no shoulder. Those cars move very fast! I turned around and headed back to my neighborhood.

I got just over 4 miles in, and while it was nice to be outside, it was very hard to keep pace. In addition, I had to keep looking at my feet to make sure I was not stepping on snow/ice chucks or black ice. I kept thinking that running the neighborhood was not so bad, but if I was tired at the end of a long run, I may not be as careful, and would probably hurt myself.

Looking forward to next weekend, I need to find some place with sidewalks/streets plowed well so I don't have to worry about my footing. Running 20-miles is a challenge enough without having to worry about jumping over snow banks and slipping on black ice. I know the downtown area is more maintained than the location I'm at, so I may start there.

How hard can it be to find 20-miles of road/sidewalk with no snow or ice only two weeks after the 50+ inches on snow dumped during the Blizzard of 2010??? Argh...

Running with Captain Kirk

As you know from my previous posts, we got a ton of snow in Maryland. To be precise, we got about 50 inches of snow in about a week of time. Government offices (where I work) were closed for 4.5 days. We did not see a snow plow for a week. Needless to say I've been spending time on the treadmill. Typically this would be ok with me, but I'm also training for a spring marathon, so this means I have to spend a lot of time on the treadmill.

Saturday was my long run for the week. I was scheduled to do 18miles. On Friday, I took a walk to assess the neighborhood and local streets and knew I'd have to do this run on the treadmill. The sidewalks were not plowed, and the roads, though slightly cleared, had no shoulders and in many cases only one lane was plowed. So I knew I'd have to start mentally planning for this indoor run. The only way I've been able to get through the long treadmill runs was to watch an action movie. Chick flicks just don't do it for me (not sure they ever do), and dramas are too boring. Comedies work sometimes, but can also be too boring. Action/adventure movies seem to keep me interested enough to get through the long treadmill miles.

For today's run I chose Star Trek. I saw this movie in the theatre and loved it. I love origin movies, and this was one of the best. In fact, with the time travel and all, it actually re-wrote the Star Trek history and opened the door for many more movies. Anyway, this is not suppose to be a review of Star Trek, just an example of the type of movie that gets me through 18 miles on the treadmill. Great characters, great interactions, great story, and great action..... just what I needed. I started the run kinda slow (8.5 m/m) and kept it that way for about 5 miles. I then pushed the pace to about 8.2 m/m and the incline to 0.5%. I ran this was until about 8 miles. At this point, I stopped to get some water and a GU ( less than 1min). I then increased the incline to 2% for the next mile. After mile 9 I deceased the incline to 0.5% and upped the speed to 8m/m (I was feeling pretty good at this point). After mile 12, I stopped for some water (less then 20 sec) and a short stretch. Between mile 12 and 15 I played with the pace, upping and lowering it as it felt natural. Never less than 7:30 m/m and never greater than 8:30 m/m. At Mile 15, Spock and Kirk beamed aboard the Romulan ship and the real action began!!. At 16.2 miles the movie ended and I quickly stepped off the treadmill to put in a CD from the Big Bang Theory (great sitcom) to finish the run. Finished 18 miles in 148 min and 25 sec. an 8:15m/m. I'm pretty happy with that.

My left knee only bothered me slightly, and the quick stretch really helped it. I was tired and my shirt was soaked and salt stained, but I did it. Not only was this my longest treadmill run, but my longest run ever. I'm pretty proud of myself. My training calls for a recovery week next week, and my first 20-mile run in two weeks. Hopefully the roads will be better by then, but if not, I'll have to find another good action movie, and hit that treadmill again!

I see a treadmill in my future

In Maryland, we got about 25 inches of snow as of Saturday afternoon. Now thats a lot of snow. Growing up in Illinois, I remember many large snow storms, but not many top this amount of snowfall. When I was in the 8th grade, my family went on vacation to Florida (where my grandparents lived) in January (1979), and came back to a huge amount of snow. I don't really remember how much we got, but we had to crawl over the snow to get to the house. We parked the car down the road at the neighbors and our fresh Florida oranges froze while we tried to dig out our driveway. I think I went to school only a few days that January. Well here we are in 2010 and the snow fall amazed me. This picture was taken Saturday morning, and shows my patio table with about 24 inches of snow on it. The black pole next to it is a broom handle I stuck in the ground to get a feel for the level of snow. Only about 30 inches of the 65 inch handle is showing. My wife went out to measure the handle and almost did not come back because the snow was up to her waist in the backyard.

So, needless to say, my outdoor running will be a bit limited in the near future. The first issue is how to shovel 24 inches of snow?? I tried, I really did, but its a ton of snow. Thankfully, my neighbor has a snowblower and after she blew some of my driveway, she let me have a turn and I finished the driveways. In this picture, I'm actually snow blowing the street. I look way happier than I really was. I did get it finished, but it shows just how much snow is on the street. One of the guys I worked with asked if I was going running, and whether I plowed an eight mile path before hand. I told him I plowed a 0.1mile loop on my driveway and planned to run 80 loops!

In reality, treadmill running is all I'm going to be able to do in the near future. I don't mind the treadmill, but I'd much rather run on the road. The treadmill forces you to go at a constant speed and is not forgiving. When I run on the street, my pace picks up and drops off as I feel necessary. Pushing a button does not work as well. But I do it and I typically watch TV to make the time go quicker. So for the next week, I'll be watching a lot of sitcoms and movies on DVD. I hope the snow get cleared somewhat by next Saturday, since I have that 18 mile run planned. I'm not sure I'd survive 18miles on the treadmill, but if i gotta do, I'd do it.

Why did I choose winter marathon training?

A 16 miler

Ok, I did it. I ran my 16mile run and it was not too bad. The weather was very nice and felt pretty good for the most part. Here is how it went.

I started out at about 10am. My plan was to run an 8-mile loop from my house, stop and get a drink and GU, and then do another 8-mile loop. The first few miles were kinda tough, nothing hurt, just felt a bit sluggish. The wind was a bit stonger than I expected. weather.com said it was about 10mph. The sidewalks in the area are only partially cleared of snow, so in some cases I ran on the street, or parking lots, and other time I just ran over the snow. As the run progressed I kept a 7:50m/m pace, which felt comfortable. I stopped after 6 miles to stretch my legs and at 7 miles to tie my shoe.

Got back home, got a drink and a GU (and some nipple protection I forgot), and was back out. I felt fine for miles 9 and 10. I stopped and stretched the IT band at mile 11.5. At mile 12 I was running over snow, when I slipped and twisted my knee, twice. I swore so loud I think the passing cars slowed to make sure I was ok. I slowed the pace down, but my knee was ok. I stopped again to stretch at mile 14, but still no pain in my knee. My IT bands felt tight, but no pain. I finished the run at 16.08 miles with an average pace of 7:56m/m. The garmin said 2:07:33, but I was out for about 2:15 including all stops.

Overall, I'm very happy with this long run. I'm also happy my knee was pain free. I think the stretching and foam rolling really helped. I also think going out slower made a difference. I still need to go to the PT, but it'll have to wait until after the big snow storm this weekend.

Next weekend I'm suppose to do 18miles on Saturday. Yikes

Long run on the wrong day

I'm going to run my long run today. I know today is only Thursday, but i have to do it. This weekend (Friday and Sat) we are suppose to get 2 feet of snow, and I really want to do this run on the road. So I'm going to do my long run on Thursday. This goes against everything I've done in the past. I always rest before my long run. Not this time, ran 8 miles yesterday. So we will see how it goes.

My goal is 16 miles. Again I have to run this slow and easy. I used this calculator before (Runbayou) and it says with my race pace, my slow runs should be around 9m/m. I will try and run this slow.

I worry about my knee. During many of my long runs (>13 miles), the outside of my left knee hurts. I have not been to the doctors, but the folks at RunningAhead say its probably IT band problems. It only hurts during long runs, and stops when I stop running. So, I've been stretching, strengthening, and rolling on a foam roller to try and loosen the band up. If I continue to have this problem, I'm afraid I will not be able to do the long distances. A trip to the Doctors and Physical therapist is on order, and I will do that soon.

I have to beat that snow and get this run in. Wish me and my knee luck and I'll let you know how it goes.