Running Shape

With my eye on the Maine marathon in October, I started running again this week. I had an awfully lethargic winter, as it sometimes happens with folks like me who live in the northeast but don't ski or do many outdoor winter activities. I did a good amount of yoga, but before this week, my last run was likely in November, I think, maybe even October.

I decided I needed to get back into "running shape" a bit further in advance than I did last year. I won't start the real training until June, which gives me 3 months. Last year, I only gave myself a month of consistent running, which I think is what led to some of my injuries, as well as feeling less prepared overall throughout training.

This time around, I'm planning on following the Hal Higdon Training Program - Intermediate 1. I found out about this program from the Runner's World Forum, and it came highly recommended from many marathon runners. It looks great to me because I prefer to run more days than not running, and this doesn't involve any speed training, which, honestly, I really don't like and tend to half-ass. Also, it allows for cross-training once a week, which allows me time to do yoga and/or disc golf, which makes me happy.

My first run of the year was a 2-miler on Saturday. While slow, it was actually pretty fun. I was incredibly sore on Sunday, and slightly less sore today. Today I went for a 3-mile run, and let me tell you, it is still very much winter here. It's around 25 degrees, which wasn't too bad, but the wind chill was awful, particularly on the second half of the run. That coupled with feeling like I was going to lose my lunch for the last mile (my body abruptly reminding me that dairy and running are an awful combination), today's run was less than spectacular. I felt like I was crawling the last mile, barely above walking speed.

It's good to get this down so I can look back and remember that, at one time, running 3 miles was quite a challenge. But I know I'll get back into running shape in no time, because bodies are amazing like that. It's a wonderful reminder of how temporary discomfort often turns out to be, and how well I can adapt if I stick to it. Life metaphors, blahblahblah.

The Barefoot Runner

I never got around to my post-marathon-post, did I?

Well, to be honest, I wasn't happy with my marathon performance.  I was about 20 minutes slower than the year before.  I started too fast, I hit the wall earlier, and I didn't have a good time.  I felt pretty disappointed and defeated, unsure if I would ever go through this process again.  I stopped running for several months.

Fast forward to this week. LTB and I drove cross-country to see his family.  We always drive, as travel can be a lot more fun when you don't treat it like something that has to be done and over with as soon as possible.  One of the benefits is that we listen to a lot of audio books, and it's really great to experience a book with someone else in real time, pausing the mp3 every so often to share thoughts and comments.

One of the books we listened to was Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall.  What an absolutely fantastic book.  I definitely recommend it to every runner, and everyone who thinks they hate running.

I think Amazon can summarize the book better than me, but what I took away from it is that my approach to running this last marathon was all wrong. I kept trying to figure out ways to distract myself from what I was doing -- listening to music, planning out my day, writing lyrics in my head -- anything but being present in the moment. Throughout training, running felt like something I had to get over with, something in the way of the rest of my life. Too focused on times and outcomes instead of paying attention to the moment.

So completely off from where I need to be.  Today, LTB and I went for a run in the woods.  No watches, no iPods, no expectations. I took my shoes off a little ways in.  Barefoot, as in, naked feet.  It felt amazing, invigorating. My knee pain, which reappeared as soon as I hit the trail in my sneakers, disappeared as soon as I slipped my shoes off.  I felt like a kid again, and remembered that running is freaking fun and we are designed to do this.  We ran for about an hour, slipping my shoes on and off periodically, after barely working out for months.  I felt so completely in the moment.  Because, when you're dodging pointy sticks on the path, it's kind of impossible to think about anything else.  

It'll take a while before I can run with bare feet for any significant amount of time, but I am really into it.  I'm usually quite suspicious and very reluctant to follow trends. This feels right to me.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Right now, I got my eye on the Portland, Maine 2013 marathon.  It's at the end of September, so training isn't through the winter.  Maybe I'll do it barefoot.  But, I should probably run barefoot more than 20 minutes before I make any bold statements.

Hills and Frills

Following last week's 16-mile run, I had a bit of a breather with a 12-mile run yesterday. It's strange to think that I'm now at the point that 12 miles doesn't feel like a big deal. However, I'm not thrilled about next week's 18-mile run. That sounds impossible. Will I ever stop thinking like this?

Poor LTB's feet are in bad shape. He went down to PA to visit some friends for a few days and returned without his sneakers. His friend will ship them back, but we still had the 16-miler to contend with. Like a rockstar, LTB slipped on his Vibram FiveFingers and hit the pavement. He got the barefoot shoes last summer and has walked all over town with him, but this was the first time he ran for a long distance.

I don't know how, but he made it 14 miles before he started walking, practically leaving a trail of blood on the sidewalk. He took pictures upon returning home, but I'll save you the gross-out and post the day-after-bandaged-feet instead.

He's managed to continue with all the scheduled runs, and he's slowly healing. Blisters are the worst. A few weeks ago, I had some bad ones on the back of my heels thanks to my fairly new Doc Martins, and then my sock slipped down my heel at some point during the run. It hurt a lot, but enough to block it out and continue running. By the time I got home my sock was soaked in blood. That's alway nice to see. Ah, the joys of running.

A weird thing happened during yesterday's run. It was a Saturday, which meant there lots of people downtown, and lots of bikers, pedestrians, dogs, etc. on the bike path. I turned the corner onto the waterfront path, and suddenly found myself surrounded by runners with bibs pinned to their clothing. I suddenly panicked, feeling for sure that I was not where I was supposed to be, and someone would be escorting me off the path at any second.

Not to worry, it was the Burlington Unplugged half-marathon. I actually ran this a couple years ago, and remembered my frustrations with the number of non-racers on the path. That's kind of the deal with this race. I thought about doing it again this year, but wanted to save the money, and completely forgot about it until I was pretty much in it.

It was kind of fun. Conveniently, I was running 12 miles, about the length of the race. People were cheering on, trying to pass me, handing out water (I didn't take any, feeling certain someone would call me a fraud. 4 miles later, when I ran out of my water and off the race path, I regretted this decision).

My times have been ... acceptable. I don't feel I'm as fast as I want to be, and I'm afraid I won't make my sub-4-hour goal. For long runs, I'm closer to 10 minutes/mile than 9:10. I know I still have time, and ultimately, I think it's more important that I finish the thing and run the whole time without any injury.

I have noticed that when I do time my runs (which I do most of the time), my minutes per mile is definitely related to the changes in elevation, which I suppose is not too surprising. I'm also not sure if I've measured my miles correctly, but that's a different story. So, when I'm running a mile that's level or downhill, I can do it under 9 minutes, even if I'm on my 11th mile (the 15th mile may be a different story). However, the hill on Battery Street? The 6-block half-mile hill that is the bane of my existence? That takes that mile up to like 10:15.

Obviously there's hills in the marathon, including the Assault on Battery. I don't even know how I managed to do the first half of the 2010 marathon in under 2 hours. But I did. Let's see if I can do it again.

I won't do what you tell me, KNEES

I can't tell if my knee is getting better or not. Well, my left knee, which was originally the reason I went to my doctor, feels great now. Now it's my right knee that is killing me. I told my physical therapist this, and we were both stumped as to how this happened.

On Tuesday, my PT put some tape on my knee in a funny design. I had not realized there was such an art to this. She used a fancy type of tape that will stay on my knee for several days, through showers and all. My Wednesday run felt a lot better. I really felt like it was all getting worked out and I could cancel the rest of my PT appointments. Today I thought I'd give LTB's knee compression wrap a shot, as he didn't need it and I was feeling desperate for quick fixes. Unfortunately, it made my knee feel a lot worse -- probably the worst it's ever felt. I've since stretched, iced, and took some Aleve, and now it's feeling fine.

I'm sick of this.

In my unprofessional opinion, I think the wrap made my knee feel worse because it forced my leg to stay straighter and bend in a weird fashion, which I think only served to exaggerate the way my foot slightly turns out when I run. But, I don't really know what I'm talking about.

I'll keep on doing the exercises and stretches recommended by my PT. Tomorrow is a rest day, and I plan on practicing some serious yoga. Even with the pre and post-run stretching, my legs feel so incredibly tight. It's ridiculous. I have to think that this is part of the problem.

I'm glad my PT hasn't recommended that I stop running completely, and didn't tell me to cut down my runs during the last visit. My doctor didn't seem too concerned, and didn't do any x-rays or MRIs. Of course, I have to go and read a bunch of medical articles on the internet, self-diagnose, and convince myself that I need surgery and I'll soon be unable to walk. The internet is a dangerous place, people. I suppose I should trust the professionals to do what they do.

As for running times, even when I'm in pain I'm hovering around 37-38 minutes for the 4-mile run. I had one 35-minute run last week, which I was happy about and felt like I could have continued if not for these frustrating joints. I'm stubborn about running the entire time, and I've nearly made it through the month of base training - just two more 4-mile runs this week. The real training begins next week.

I realize I haven't shared the training plan with this blog yet! So, I'm going with the 3 days a week, "Train Less, Run Faster" program. Yup, only three days a week, with cross-training 2-3 days a week. I plan on doing A LOT of power yoga. I really think this plan will be beneficial for my joints, and I'm excited about the transition. I have definitely noticed that my knee(s) feel a whole lot better after taking a day off, and this program will allow for 1-2 days off between every run. Never running 2 days in a row. I think this is what my body wants.

Let's not forget about the music. No contest, the best music for running through the pain like the obstinate runner I am: Rage Against the Machine.

I swear, this song comes on my mp3 player and I my legs turn from agonizing stumps to limbs of an olympic athlete. I also appreciate how long this track is, as compared to my playlist's bookending 2-minute punk rock tunes.

Oh, Tom Morello, you slay me.

two steps back

Sometime between my last post and now, I developed some knee and ankle pain. I don't exactly know what's going on, but I'm not happy about it.

Running outside in the winter is hard on the joints, no doubt. I'd usually spend more time running on the grass next to the sidewalk when possible, but the frozen ground is just as tough on the joints as cement this time of year. Perhaps worse, it seems, as the ground is uneven and ankle rolls are more likely.

Except for the anticipated soreness, my joints were fine for the first couple weeks. Then the pain slowly crept on, mostly in my left knee and right ankle. It hurt the most going down hill. The pain never got excruciating, but it was enough to slow me way down (too stubborn to ever stop and walk). It's kind of hard to describe, but it wasn't always the pain that slowed me down, but often my lack of stability, like my bones were all out of alignment. In the hours following runs, I could barely climb stairs, or bend my knee to get in my car. Walking became quite a chore.

In the last week, I've spent a bit more time stretching after runs, and I've been icing my joints. Ibuprofen is magical - although I've been trying to run without it so I can actually tell if I'm hurting myself or getting better. It has improved a bit, but I still don't feel 100%. The feeling that you could go faster, if only it weren't for joint pain, is really frustrating.

So, as it was clear it wasn't going to go away on its own, I made an appointment with my doctor. My doctor referred me to a physical therapist. I had my first meeting with the PA on Tuesday. She observed how I walked, testing my flexibility and strength. I learned that one of my feet slightly turns out (although not enough to require orthotics), my hips are tight, and my knee is creaking. She recommended some stretches and strength building exercises. She didn't tell me that I needed to stop running (*phew*), but did suggest that I cut back a bit. I don't know, you guys... it sucks to hear this. I'm scheduled to see the PA every week through February.

Today was a rest day, and I did some hip-opening yoga. It felt amazing. I'll see how I'm feeling tomorrow and decide whether or not to do the full 4-mile run. I'm not intentionally trying to rebel or hurt myself, but I stubbornly believe I know my own body. I'll take it day by day.

So frustrating. I just want to go back to improving my times.