Monday March 21, 2011: Noon: Condensced version of my usual strength routine at the gym + ITB routine and Planks
PM: 4.5miles (40min) Easy shakeout. Not the best run I have had lately. The left knee was a little sore. Probably should have taken the day off given the previous days effort and my still vulnerable ITBS condition.
Tuesday March 22, 2011: Nada. Easy hour walk with Meredith in the evening and a little frisbee at the field. Usual ITB routine and Planks in there as well.
Wednesday March 23, 2011: PM: 8.5miles (1:10). Solid run. Felt better as I went along and managed to tempo (ie. ran by feel) the last 40minutes or so. Saw a few sub 6:30's on the Garmin as I rolled along. Finished up with a couple of hill strides.
Thursday March 24, 2011: AM: Gym: 2.5miles (30min) On the mill at 15% gradient. 1300' vertical. Felt good. Followed this up with full strength routine. Had my legs completely shot and quivering by the end of this one.
PM: 4.5miles (38min). Totally snuck this run in. I was out at UBC for a meet and greet for Law school starting in the fall and had some time before. Pulled over by Pacific Spirit Park, changed on the side of the road- and hit the trails. Quick run but man was it nice. Just one of those days. New trails and beautiful weather.
Friday March 25, 2011: AM: Gym: 2.5miles (30min) Mill at 15% gradient. 1300' vertical. Legs a bit worked. Full strength routine to follow. Pretty bagged by the end. Off to work.
Saturday March 25, 2011: AM: 14.5miles (2:08). Started this run nice and easy, and basically just progressed from there. Probably just over 2000' of vertical and I ended up running the downhills a little more liberal then I have been with my questionable left knee. Not bad overall. Few twitches at the end. I then followed this up with 5.5miles (1:50) hike with Meredith and my parents three dogs. This was really enjoyable as the sun was shining and it actually felt like spring; although my left knee definitely felt a little achy at the end. I should have expected this given the continuous time on the feet/ mileage. Tot 19miles
Sunday March 26, 2011: AM: 9miles (1:21) The positive on this run was that I had great energy and no general soreness from yesterday. However, my left knee was not perfect and I cut the run shorter than I was planning. This was really frustrating because I felt as though I could go all day- but the left knee is still not ready. It took a lot of resolve for me to not push through more than I did. Follwed this up with 3.5miles (1:00) hike with Meredith and the dogs. Weekend obligation. Tot 12.5miles
Mileage: 55miles (10:30) Cross-Training: 2.5 gym sessions along with daily ITB rehab routine and planks. A 14-15hr week of training with all included.
Not much meaninful to say about this week. At this point I just feel like I am biding my time. My body feels ready to go, excluding my left knee of course. It is basically limiting me to a little over 2hr runs at this time. I certainly have a growing sense of frustration with this, as I am trying to prepare for longer races in the coming months. But I am also attempting to be realistic. It was only a couple weeks ago when running for any stretch of time was a chore. However, perhaps I am just selfish, but this fails to fully appease me in many ways.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Progress
Monday March 14, 2011: AM: ITB + Plank routine
PM: easy walk (60min)
Tuesday March 15, 2011: AM: 2+miles (30min) On the mill. Started the gradient at 5% and worked it up to 15%. Unfortunately, this is the maximum that the machines at the Y allow (have they never run the trails of the North Shore- we need more than 15% for cross-training). I spent the rest of the time at the gym doing my full strength routine- takes about 60min,
PM: 8.5miles (1:10). A fairly conservative and easy outing on this night. I was feeling pretty good part way through so did 2* 1-mile interval (6:23, 6:22) on the gravel path that surrounds the track over at one of the local high-schools. I much prefer doing repeats around this outer trail versus that actual track for three-fold: 1) its not a track 2) its not pavement 3) it has elevation gain and some winding turns. All of these factors make it much more appealing to me.
Wednesday March 16, 2011: AM: ITB + Plank routine.
Noon: 20* one-legged squat, one-legged sitting-to-standing, lunge-matrix
PM: 7miles (60min). Easy run, left leg felt good once again.
Thursday March 17, 2011: AM: 2+miles (30min). Same as on Tuesday morning, start the grade at 5% and work it up to 15%. Mostly powerhiking with avg pace at around 14-16min/miles. Just an attempt to keep my climbing legs strong.
PM: 2miles (18min) Easy trot to shake out the legs.
Friday March 18, 2011: AM: 12miles (1:49)- avg pace 8:43. My longest run in over two-months with no pain the entire time. Kept the pace slow and conservative and by the end barely felt like I had even gone on a run. 2000feet of vertical over the effort.
PM: Hot-Yoga (1:30)
Saturday: 6miles + (2:00). Hiked the Chuckanut 50km course with Meredith and took a bunch of photos as we caught the leaders at about the mile 26point. Great times hanging out and chatting with a bunch of other runners.
Sunday: 14miles (2:04). Another encouraging run. Kept the pace steady but never like I was working. 1,900 feet of vertical- over a nice little loop from my house- to Bridgeman Park- to base of Riverside drive- up to the Baden Powell Junction- Gazebo- Suspension Bridge- roads home. Thought I may have felt a slight twitch in the left knee near the end but nothing more. Can’t complain. Glad that I packed an emergency gel in my back pocket as I needed it about 1:45 into the effort. Also was glad the fountain at Gazebo was on because I did not take any water.
Mileage: 54.5miles (9:30hours)
Cross-Training: Two gym sessions and a Yoga class plus daily ITB rehab and Plank routine.
It has been a long time but I am finally running pain-free. Looking back at my log, I basically have not had a comfortable run since mid-December. But it has finally happened and really only over the past 11-days. But since this point I have been able to make fairly significant progress. From barely being able to run for 30minutes without that familiar ache materializing in my left knee, to today running for just over two hours with some decent vertical and with no pain, I am more then content with the progression.
I have to remain conservative and smart over the next couple of weeks; I am far from completely done with this injury. But in saying that, the countless hours I have spent strength-training in the gym and correcting my muscle imbalances is paying dividends. I will look to keep the mileage modest but steady in its build. At this point, I am just relishing the fact I am once again doing what I love so much, being outside in nature running. With this sentiment, I am reminded of these words by the now deceased Edward Abbey from his book Desert Solitaire,
“God? Nothing moves but the heat waves, rising from the naked rock. It is somehow comforting to see, nearby, the yuccas growing from the sand and from the joints in the stone. They are in full bloom today, clusters of waxy, creamy flowers on tall stalks, supported and nourished by the rosettes of daggerlike leaves that form the base of the plant. God? I think, quibbling with Balzac; in Newcomb’s terms, who the hell is HE? There is nothing here, at the moment, but me and the desert. And that’s the truth. Why confuse the issue by draggin in a superfluous entitiy? Occam’s razor, Beyond Atheism, nontheism. I am not an atheist but an eathiest. Be true to the earth”- Desert Solitair, 1968, Edward Abbey.
A few photos I took from Saturday's race:
PM: easy walk (60min)
Tuesday March 15, 2011: AM: 2+miles (30min) On the mill. Started the gradient at 5% and worked it up to 15%. Unfortunately, this is the maximum that the machines at the Y allow (have they never run the trails of the North Shore- we need more than 15% for cross-training). I spent the rest of the time at the gym doing my full strength routine- takes about 60min,
PM: 8.5miles (1:10). A fairly conservative and easy outing on this night. I was feeling pretty good part way through so did 2* 1-mile interval (6:23, 6:22) on the gravel path that surrounds the track over at one of the local high-schools. I much prefer doing repeats around this outer trail versus that actual track for three-fold: 1) its not a track 2) its not pavement 3) it has elevation gain and some winding turns. All of these factors make it much more appealing to me.
Wednesday March 16, 2011: AM: ITB + Plank routine.
Noon: 20* one-legged squat, one-legged sitting-to-standing, lunge-matrix
PM: 7miles (60min). Easy run, left leg felt good once again.
Thursday March 17, 2011: AM: 2+miles (30min). Same as on Tuesday morning, start the grade at 5% and work it up to 15%. Mostly powerhiking with avg pace at around 14-16min/miles. Just an attempt to keep my climbing legs strong.
PM: 2miles (18min) Easy trot to shake out the legs.
Friday March 18, 2011: AM: 12miles (1:49)- avg pace 8:43. My longest run in over two-months with no pain the entire time. Kept the pace slow and conservative and by the end barely felt like I had even gone on a run. 2000feet of vertical over the effort.
PM: Hot-Yoga (1:30)
Saturday: 6miles + (2:00). Hiked the Chuckanut 50km course with Meredith and took a bunch of photos as we caught the leaders at about the mile 26point. Great times hanging out and chatting with a bunch of other runners.
Sunday: 14miles (2:04). Another encouraging run. Kept the pace steady but never like I was working. 1,900 feet of vertical- over a nice little loop from my house- to Bridgeman Park- to base of Riverside drive- up to the Baden Powell Junction- Gazebo- Suspension Bridge- roads home. Thought I may have felt a slight twitch in the left knee near the end but nothing more. Can’t complain. Glad that I packed an emergency gel in my back pocket as I needed it about 1:45 into the effort. Also was glad the fountain at Gazebo was on because I did not take any water.
Mileage: 54.5miles (9:30hours)
Cross-Training: Two gym sessions and a Yoga class plus daily ITB rehab and Plank routine.
It has been a long time but I am finally running pain-free. Looking back at my log, I basically have not had a comfortable run since mid-December. But it has finally happened and really only over the past 11-days. But since this point I have been able to make fairly significant progress. From barely being able to run for 30minutes without that familiar ache materializing in my left knee, to today running for just over two hours with some decent vertical and with no pain, I am more then content with the progression.
I have to remain conservative and smart over the next couple of weeks; I am far from completely done with this injury. But in saying that, the countless hours I have spent strength-training in the gym and correcting my muscle imbalances is paying dividends. I will look to keep the mileage modest but steady in its build. At this point, I am just relishing the fact I am once again doing what I love so much, being outside in nature running. With this sentiment, I am reminded of these words by the now deceased Edward Abbey from his book Desert Solitaire,
“God? Nothing moves but the heat waves, rising from the naked rock. It is somehow comforting to see, nearby, the yuccas growing from the sand and from the joints in the stone. They are in full bloom today, clusters of waxy, creamy flowers on tall stalks, supported and nourished by the rosettes of daggerlike leaves that form the base of the plant. God? I think, quibbling with Balzac; in Newcomb’s terms, who the hell is HE? There is nothing here, at the moment, but me and the desert. And that’s the truth. Why confuse the issue by draggin in a superfluous entitiy? Occam’s razor, Beyond Atheism, nontheism. I am not an atheist but an eathiest. Be true to the earth”- Desert Solitair, 1968, Edward Abbey.
A few photos I took from Saturday's race:
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Cognitive Dissonance: Where I have been
The last two months have represented a significant period of struggle. Looking back, it was on December 15th, 2010 where the first notable signs of trouble began. After an easy 7miles in the predawn morning, I felt an almost indiscernible ache in my left hamstring. I had to specifically focus to really notice it, so naturally I did not think much of it and merely chalked it up as some morning tightness from the previous evenings run. So after a day of work I headed back out later that evening for a scheduled track workout in what was a typical Vancouver winter mist (for some reason I can recall daily weather conditions quite well; it is one of the things I tend to tune into when running). Things started well and I actually recall feeling quite spry. But as I worked my way deeper into the mile repeats I was losing push in my left leg. Like it was falling dead, I was getting sporadic twinges down the leg. But this would dissipate as I continued into the stride and thus, I progressed on. The following morning there were remnants of this similar nerve-like sensation and I found myself with the ability to recreate them via certain stretches/ movements. Clearly there was something not right.
After a couple of weeks of IMS and Fascia release coupled with reduced/ easy mileage I felt as though I was coming around. I was far from 100% but as long as I kept my stride easy I was able to keep the nerve under control. Unfortunately, during this time I felt growing tightness along my left ITB. In retrospect this was undoubtedly a by-product of the surrounding muscles having to react to a less-than-fully-functioning left leg; picking up the slack so to speak. Finally, my bull-headed stubbornness caught up to me and I was reduced to a pathetic limp after ascending/descending 3000feet of vertical in snowshoes and running 12miles the day earlier. I knew I had screwed things up. Since then there has been very sporadic/ little running and a lot of cross-training. My day has been reduced to something like this:
AM: 5:30am Gym: Medicine Ball warm up (20* hay-bails, 20* single leg squat/ pistol squat, 20* double leg squat with full extension at top, 20 * 90degrees to 180degrees, 20* Russian twists- I do two sets for all of these). ITB rehab: taken from here. Pedestal Routine: taken from here- with my own slight modifications. Quick session of upper body work. Stationary High Knees with resistance-band around ankles: 30seconds on 15seconds off for 3minutes. Stairclimber 30minutes or alternatively 45min pool running (vary throughout the week). Total time 1:30-2hrs
PM: Yoga + another set of ITB rehab and pedestal. I have now built up to walking for 45min to 1hour followed by 10-15* 50meter strides on grass surface followed by lunges and side-steps.
During this time I was still attempting to run every odd day but I usually had to get on the mill and run for 30-45min with an incline of 6-10% to reduce the strain on the left ITB. Eventually, after pushing it a little too hard on one of those runs, I resolved to the fact that this was not doing me any favours and I have now taken a more measured approach. I am finally seeing the progress I was seeking over the past week or so. It is coming around and I am actually feeling pretty strong (dividends of hours in the gym and the X-work at home I suppose). Running of any real significant is not an option yet but I am at least moving in the right direction. It is frustrating because my leg is a compete non-issue throughout the day and during regular routine/ cross-training, but as soon as I try to break out in to a lengthy run, the pain slowly kicks back in.
It is easy to sit back, retrospectively ponder, point out the mistakes and dwell. Should I have taken 2-weeks completely off in December? Would I have avoided all of this? If I had taken some time off this fall would I have started the year off fresh and fit? Intuitively this seems like the appropriate thing to do. When you make a mistake you are suppose to learn from them. Naturally, this involves giving them a certain amount of thought and consideration as to what went wrong. And indeed I have. But while I agree with this approach, I find it problematic to over analyze. I know I made some mistakes but it is a futile endeavour to continually nurse these notions. I recognize them and now it is time to move forward.
In a similar vein, I often read other runners approach as they go through periods of injury (read: non-running). A common theme is to justify in a sort of after-the-fact method. This is a usual psychological tactic that we as humans engage in within a variety of settings-I believe it falls closely under the confines of cognitive dissonance. Psychologists have done numerous studies outlining this concept wherein they ask participants to rate their likeness for let’s say 10CD’s. They then offer them one of these CD’s as token for taking part in the study. Later, they measure the same participants likeness for the CD’s that they were given and find that it has gone up a statistically significant level from before. Essentially, despite all other variables remaining consistent, they have suddenly developed a stronger like for the CD that they were given. Applying this to the case of not being able to run there are two conflicting ideas: wanting to run and not being able to. This leads to a strong sense of dissonance and resulting uncomfortable feelings; hence, we are motivated to reduce it. We do this by offering up a variety of different forms of reasoning that justify the conflicting ideas or simply that reduce the dissonance. For instance, I needed the time off to recuperate, the weather has been terrible, it’s the middle of winter why do I want to run anyways, this time will give me the opportunity to build strength and cross-train. While indeed all of these may be accurate and actually how one is feeling, they are spurred by the fact that one cannot run. If one were able to, they would not have such feelings.
What’s the point of all this? Not much, other than to show the applicability of psychological concepts to the everyday life of runners. And to gain some grasp on the feelings I have been having as of late. However, no matter how much I try to reduce the dissonance, at the end of the day I just want to run. It has become so innate to my self-concept that I feel unlike my “self” when I cannot, as cliché as that may sound. In a lot of ways, I feel a lot less like me. As will be obvious from this, I will not be running the Birch Bay Marathon this weekend. This is disappointing but I will get over it. At this point I just need to get healthy and be smart and measured in my progression back to significant running.
After a couple of weeks of IMS and Fascia release coupled with reduced/ easy mileage I felt as though I was coming around. I was far from 100% but as long as I kept my stride easy I was able to keep the nerve under control. Unfortunately, during this time I felt growing tightness along my left ITB. In retrospect this was undoubtedly a by-product of the surrounding muscles having to react to a less-than-fully-functioning left leg; picking up the slack so to speak. Finally, my bull-headed stubbornness caught up to me and I was reduced to a pathetic limp after ascending/descending 3000feet of vertical in snowshoes and running 12miles the day earlier. I knew I had screwed things up. Since then there has been very sporadic/ little running and a lot of cross-training. My day has been reduced to something like this:
AM: 5:30am Gym: Medicine Ball warm up (20* hay-bails, 20* single leg squat/ pistol squat, 20* double leg squat with full extension at top, 20 * 90degrees to 180degrees, 20* Russian twists- I do two sets for all of these). ITB rehab: taken from here. Pedestal Routine: taken from here- with my own slight modifications. Quick session of upper body work. Stationary High Knees with resistance-band around ankles: 30seconds on 15seconds off for 3minutes. Stairclimber 30minutes or alternatively 45min pool running (vary throughout the week). Total time 1:30-2hrs
PM: Yoga + another set of ITB rehab and pedestal. I have now built up to walking for 45min to 1hour followed by 10-15* 50meter strides on grass surface followed by lunges and side-steps.
During this time I was still attempting to run every odd day but I usually had to get on the mill and run for 30-45min with an incline of 6-10% to reduce the strain on the left ITB. Eventually, after pushing it a little too hard on one of those runs, I resolved to the fact that this was not doing me any favours and I have now taken a more measured approach. I am finally seeing the progress I was seeking over the past week or so. It is coming around and I am actually feeling pretty strong (dividends of hours in the gym and the X-work at home I suppose). Running of any real significant is not an option yet but I am at least moving in the right direction. It is frustrating because my leg is a compete non-issue throughout the day and during regular routine/ cross-training, but as soon as I try to break out in to a lengthy run, the pain slowly kicks back in.
It is easy to sit back, retrospectively ponder, point out the mistakes and dwell. Should I have taken 2-weeks completely off in December? Would I have avoided all of this? If I had taken some time off this fall would I have started the year off fresh and fit? Intuitively this seems like the appropriate thing to do. When you make a mistake you are suppose to learn from them. Naturally, this involves giving them a certain amount of thought and consideration as to what went wrong. And indeed I have. But while I agree with this approach, I find it problematic to over analyze. I know I made some mistakes but it is a futile endeavour to continually nurse these notions. I recognize them and now it is time to move forward.
In a similar vein, I often read other runners approach as they go through periods of injury (read: non-running). A common theme is to justify in a sort of after-the-fact method. This is a usual psychological tactic that we as humans engage in within a variety of settings-I believe it falls closely under the confines of cognitive dissonance. Psychologists have done numerous studies outlining this concept wherein they ask participants to rate their likeness for let’s say 10CD’s. They then offer them one of these CD’s as token for taking part in the study. Later, they measure the same participants likeness for the CD’s that they were given and find that it has gone up a statistically significant level from before. Essentially, despite all other variables remaining consistent, they have suddenly developed a stronger like for the CD that they were given. Applying this to the case of not being able to run there are two conflicting ideas: wanting to run and not being able to. This leads to a strong sense of dissonance and resulting uncomfortable feelings; hence, we are motivated to reduce it. We do this by offering up a variety of different forms of reasoning that justify the conflicting ideas or simply that reduce the dissonance. For instance, I needed the time off to recuperate, the weather has been terrible, it’s the middle of winter why do I want to run anyways, this time will give me the opportunity to build strength and cross-train. While indeed all of these may be accurate and actually how one is feeling, they are spurred by the fact that one cannot run. If one were able to, they would not have such feelings.
What’s the point of all this? Not much, other than to show the applicability of psychological concepts to the everyday life of runners. And to gain some grasp on the feelings I have been having as of late. However, no matter how much I try to reduce the dissonance, at the end of the day I just want to run. It has become so innate to my self-concept that I feel unlike my “self” when I cannot, as cliché as that may sound. In a lot of ways, I feel a lot less like me. As will be obvious from this, I will not be running the Birch Bay Marathon this weekend. This is disappointing but I will get over it. At this point I just need to get healthy and be smart and measured in my progression back to significant running.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Heraclitus
It was approaching 8:00pm. I had been at the university since 7:30am that morning when I first walked up the long set of steps with the rising sun perfectly framed by the stoic cement building of Arthur Erickson. Although controversial, I came to develop a fond appreciation for the integrity of his design and his commitment to his architectural principles. But I digress.
By this time in the evening my focus was surely non-existent. The intellectual vigour that I started the day with had morphed into a disfigured blob of haze, barely recognizable as a inanimate entity itself. Seven plus hours of lectures and tutoring can do that to you. But it was on this evening that we studied Heraclitus in my Philosophy class. And it is one particular proverb that he is credited with that to this day stands firmly in my mind. “One cannot step twice into the same river”.
The idea behind this proverb is fairly rudimentary but also brilliant. Since the waters that compose a river are forever changing as it flows, it is a different river each time you step into it. Taken to the extreme, rivers then as we ordinarily conceive them do not exist. If there is a Colorado River for instance it only exists for a fleeting moment before it becomes a completely different river. This is obviously a ridiculous proposition but the message that Heraclitus was attempting to promote is most definitely valid. Broken down to its essence, there is nothing that is truly stable and permanent; rather everything is always in flux or change.
I have held onto this notion dearly for the past month. Like a child desperately grasping their favourite stuffed-animal, I have taken this idea wherever and whenever I go. Each time I lace my shoes, and step out the door I am a new person, I remind myself. With a new cellular structure, and a new chance to get it right, perhaps. Remember the message of Heraclitus I dutifully posit: the world is always in a state of flux. I try to convince myself that my ITB won’t hurt as much this morning and that I will not be relegated to a few measly miles and another week of the pool and elliptical.
I turn the corner, hop-stepping over the chipped curb with a damp rain soaking my body. I am only thirty minutes into my run and my mind is racing; hyperactive. Increasingly, I become ever conscious of the growing ache above my left knee. I try to block it out, put it in the cage as they say, relax and feel the stride and just breathe. I tell myself that it will fade. It works. Momentarily. But that is all.
Frustrated. I turn around and follow my footsteps home. My stride has become awkward and unpleasant as I complete the necessary final miles, not wanting to submit to what my mind is telling me to do: walk. I cringe as I approach the undulating slopes that aggravate the already worsening situation. The time crawls by as I juxtapose this to how easy the miles felt a short time ago. Where it took me forty minutes just to warm up and find my stride before I began to click off the hours. Everything is in flux.
As I make my way back up the steps to my apartment, wet from the hazy mist on this early Saturday morning, I cannot help but feel a growing sense of displeasure. Displeasure with myself and my body that has so obviously let me down. But in nearly the same exact moment, the words of Heraclitus enter my mind as I gently remind myself that things are changing. Whether for better or for worse remains to be seen, but I grasp at the sense of comfort that these words provide. Knowing that stagnation and stability are just a fleeting moment and flux is the true principle of control.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
2010 Year in Review
This was the first year that I have logged my running in any significant detail. Realistically, I have only been running for the past couple years and I would still consider most of that to have been fairly recreational in nature. In 2009 I dipped my toes into the world of ultra running. I ran a couple 50km's and headed down to Transrockies for a multi-day stage race; I have had the bug ever since. However as is usually par the course, 2009 ended disappointingly as I spent the entire fall (Sept-December) rehabing a stress fracture in my tibia sustained over the summer months. With that, 2010 was in many ways starting from scratch. Building the proverbial base and forming that necessary anaerobic base and muscular-skeletal capacity to sustain a running lifestyle.
Here are my numbers for the year:
January: 125miles 23hours
February: 150miles 23hours
March: 260miles 41hours
April: 261miles 37hours
May: 337miles 43hours
June: 280miles 42hours
July: 295miles 47hours
August: 145miles 26hours
September: 206.5miles 33hours
October: 203.8miles 32hours
November: 254.8miles 37.5hours
December: 191.9miles 23hours
Totoals: 2710 miles 407.5hours
A quick brainstorm of the positive/ negative elements of 2010:
Positive:
1. most mileage I have ever run
2. the consistency of my running; in other words, no serious injury
3. the incorporation of ancillary work as part of my weekly routine; I did not included this in the numbers above. But I was at the gym doing cross-training/ weights nearly 100times this year. No doubt in my mind, this is part of the reason why I was able to ward off any significant injuries
4. Reincorporating speed work through the fall months- something I will look to continue in 2011
5. the many hours of solitude in the mountains/trails- without a doubt the best aspect of the year and quite honestly, the reason I run. Period.
Negative:
1. did not race as much as I would have liked to; and when I did, I struggled and mostly had crappy days
2. health/nutritional issues. I mostly have this issue back on track but I certainly had trouble with it during the spring/summer where I had a few health setbacks as a result.
3. my girlfriend fighting with injuries for a good portion of the year and thus, we were unable to share as much running as I would have liked. Fortunately, she is a workhorse and has managed to come back stronger than ever this fall and is looking poised to have a solid/smart year in 2011
I have not fully determined my goals for 2011. I don't like to put too much excessive thought into it- I am preferential to a more organic approach. With that said, I have mostly decided on my race schedule at this point and will post something soon on that. Other than that I will look to continue to do what I love- get out the door nearly every day, run and explore my body's limits. Pretty simple but for me, inspiring stuff.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
A Childhood Thought
I recall having a toy as a child. It was nothing special. In fact, it was fairly unsophisticated by the standards of the day. There were no bells and whistles or lights and explosions. But this is what made it so intriguing to me. I could not help but be drawn to the simplicity of its workings. The toy consisted of a metallic figurine, holding a convex dumbbell-like object across his chest (for the sake of argument, let’s assume it was indeed a male). His feet were pointed as though they were golf pegs, perched and balanced on a perfect tee. When upright, you gently swayed the object and initiated its mesmerising shift. Back and forth it went, remaining perfectly balanced and in total equilibrium. It swayed like this, almost hitting the surface at each end of its journey, under its own force and weight until eventually falling to the end of its initial momentum and coming to its standing rest. As a child it was amazing to witness this. It seemed to defy many of my intuitive (and apparently unfounded) understandings of gravity and balance.
Recently this memory came to mind when thinking about my running as of late. After an o-so-brief period of subdued running-performance and a slight lull in mileage and intensity I have been building over the past 6-weeks with my next running goal in mind. What many will refer to as a sort of condensed ‘base-phase’ the objectives were simple: reacquaint the body to the higher mileage; introduce a steady amount of interval work coupled with strength/ speed sessions; and lastly, to build up the muscular-skeletal capacity to bash pavement for a considerable period of time. At face value I must say that I believe I have approached a certain level of success on most of these points. Firstly, I have maintained at a minimum of 100km of total running a week. Secondly, I have consistently embarked on at least one form of interval session per week including a set of shorter strides or hills for strength over the same period of time. And lastly, I have run the majority of these sessions on roads or compact dirt paths. This period has felt comfortable and in many ways invigorating. The personal revitalization that a new form of challenge or goal can have is always significant. Even if the ultimate goal itself is never actualized I find the motivation that merely setting it as a purposeful target uplifting at a minimum and empowering at a maximum. But I digress.
Through this period I have had a pronounced internal dialogue with my body. Likely because I have been exposing it to things it has not had to respond to for some length of time (speed and longer intense sessions near threshold; roads; etc), this conversation is ever so marked. Over the past week I have noted some familiar yet disdained aches and pains; remnants of past injuries rearing their ugly head. But I was quick to take the appropriate steps and managed to quell any of these concerns. Like the metallic-figurine of my childhood, I swayed back to the side of safety and found my balance once again.
But inevitably, other issues have arisen. Nothing that would cause me to immediately halt my steps, but the type of pain that reminds me I am not invincible and must always be conscious and connected to my body and its desire for a state of equilibrium. That is, the balance between training at capacity to maximize improvement while warding of injury, exhaustion, and the detriments of over-training. Finding this is not easy. Indeed, it is one of the most challenging aspects of developing a training regime. How often do I run, when do I run hard, when do I run easy, what even is easy for me today… the questions are endless but critical. I envision this process as nicely represented by the toy from my childhood. We as endurance athletes are constantly flirting with the prospect of injury or over-training but at the same time, must always be approaching this point to extract the most from our training. It is a fine balance no doubt. It is about learning what we can ignore and mostly “push” through, as being distinct from what we must react to. To bring the point full circle, this Wednesday I headed out my door at 4:30am for an easy 6 miles. The previous evening’s effort was solid but nothing that left me for worse. On my morning run I did not feel superb. My left leg was having some peculiar nerve-like sensations but I was mostly able to ignore them. By the end I was just OK physiologically but perhaps more importantly, awakened and buoyed by a beautifully lonesome early morning run. After a day of work, I headed back out the door at 5pm to the track for a session of half-mile repeats. I had not done this particular workout for a few weeks and was pining to see some improvement. And indeed, the improvement was there. Without a greater perceived effort, I was knocking 10-15seconds off my previous half-mile times; more than I was expecting and vastly encouraging. But this was not without its detriments. By the end of the session my left leg was revolting and I had a few moment were it was essentially going completely “dead”. I knew it was a nerve, just unsure exactly what. As I trotted the 15+minutes back to my apartment the discomfort subsided and was essentially nonexistent but my mind again drifted to the image of the swaying metallic toy. I thought, perhaps my metaphorical figure was in full swing and tilting its way to the side of injury. Perhaps I needed to give myself a day or two to reorient. In retrospect, I have run the most miles I have ever run before this year and have not taken many days “off” this fall. The dialogue has been pronounced and I should heed the words. With that, I sit here feeling much better after a day of rest and a painful treatment of fascia release. My metaphorical toy has relaxed and is hopefully on its way back to equilibrium and findings its state of harmony.
Recently this memory came to mind when thinking about my running as of late. After an o-so-brief period of subdued running-performance and a slight lull in mileage and intensity I have been building over the past 6-weeks with my next running goal in mind. What many will refer to as a sort of condensed ‘base-phase’ the objectives were simple: reacquaint the body to the higher mileage; introduce a steady amount of interval work coupled with strength/ speed sessions; and lastly, to build up the muscular-skeletal capacity to bash pavement for a considerable period of time. At face value I must say that I believe I have approached a certain level of success on most of these points. Firstly, I have maintained at a minimum of 100km of total running a week. Secondly, I have consistently embarked on at least one form of interval session per week including a set of shorter strides or hills for strength over the same period of time. And lastly, I have run the majority of these sessions on roads or compact dirt paths. This period has felt comfortable and in many ways invigorating. The personal revitalization that a new form of challenge or goal can have is always significant. Even if the ultimate goal itself is never actualized I find the motivation that merely setting it as a purposeful target uplifting at a minimum and empowering at a maximum. But I digress.
Through this period I have had a pronounced internal dialogue with my body. Likely because I have been exposing it to things it has not had to respond to for some length of time (speed and longer intense sessions near threshold; roads; etc), this conversation is ever so marked. Over the past week I have noted some familiar yet disdained aches and pains; remnants of past injuries rearing their ugly head. But I was quick to take the appropriate steps and managed to quell any of these concerns. Like the metallic-figurine of my childhood, I swayed back to the side of safety and found my balance once again.
But inevitably, other issues have arisen. Nothing that would cause me to immediately halt my steps, but the type of pain that reminds me I am not invincible and must always be conscious and connected to my body and its desire for a state of equilibrium. That is, the balance between training at capacity to maximize improvement while warding of injury, exhaustion, and the detriments of over-training. Finding this is not easy. Indeed, it is one of the most challenging aspects of developing a training regime. How often do I run, when do I run hard, when do I run easy, what even is easy for me today… the questions are endless but critical. I envision this process as nicely represented by the toy from my childhood. We as endurance athletes are constantly flirting with the prospect of injury or over-training but at the same time, must always be approaching this point to extract the most from our training. It is a fine balance no doubt. It is about learning what we can ignore and mostly “push” through, as being distinct from what we must react to. To bring the point full circle, this Wednesday I headed out my door at 4:30am for an easy 6 miles. The previous evening’s effort was solid but nothing that left me for worse. On my morning run I did not feel superb. My left leg was having some peculiar nerve-like sensations but I was mostly able to ignore them. By the end I was just OK physiologically but perhaps more importantly, awakened and buoyed by a beautifully lonesome early morning run. After a day of work, I headed back out the door at 5pm to the track for a session of half-mile repeats. I had not done this particular workout for a few weeks and was pining to see some improvement. And indeed, the improvement was there. Without a greater perceived effort, I was knocking 10-15seconds off my previous half-mile times; more than I was expecting and vastly encouraging. But this was not without its detriments. By the end of the session my left leg was revolting and I had a few moment were it was essentially going completely “dead”. I knew it was a nerve, just unsure exactly what. As I trotted the 15+minutes back to my apartment the discomfort subsided and was essentially nonexistent but my mind again drifted to the image of the swaying metallic toy. I thought, perhaps my metaphorical figure was in full swing and tilting its way to the side of injury. Perhaps I needed to give myself a day or two to reorient. In retrospect, I have run the most miles I have ever run before this year and have not taken many days “off” this fall. The dialogue has been pronounced and I should heed the words. With that, I sit here feeling much better after a day of rest and a painful treatment of fascia release. My metaphorical toy has relaxed and is hopefully on its way back to equilibrium and findings its state of harmony.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Week in Review: December 6- December 12
Monday December 6, 2010: AM: Gym- lifted for about 30min then did some weighted rowing reps at near max capacity (weight such that I could only pull 6 times before losing form)followed with some balancing and a medicine-ball core routine. Felt OK this morning. Mind was into it.
Tuesday December 7, 2010: PM: 10miles (1:25) Ran with Meredith on the roads over to Pemberton Heights. We did 8.2miles in 1:08 including a climb up Keith Road and some initial shorter climbs. Stomach was jostling on me so I unloaded in the bushes and then continued on. Lost about 5 pounds. Legs felt decent but nothing spectacular. I finished up the session with 10times 30seconds of uphill strides at about 95% effort. It was absolutely pouring rain by this point in the run and I was soaked and cold but just wanted to get these in. Should have probably done 15 but I could not feel my feet and was hungry.
Wednesday December 8, 2010: AM: 7miles (1:00sh) Tempo session on the rat-wheel at 5:30am. Did 1.5miles of W/U then 4miles all at 6:58min/mile pace followed by another 1.5 C/D all at 1%. This was the first time that I have done all 4 miles of tempo at sub-7minute pace for this workout which I was happy about. They felt pretty comfortable which was encouraging. Heart rate was in the range of 162-166 for the 4miles of tempo and actually dropped down progressively for each mile. I finished the workout off with a quick medicine ball routine and easy squats. Quickly showered and off to work. My right leg was a little sore throughout the day however- started to get some weird twitching through my right tibia that had me quickly reminiscent of my stress fracture in the identical area last year. Iced it when I got home. It did not get any worse and seemed to feel better as I rolled out my right calf.
Thursday December 9, 2010: Noon: 5miles (45sh) Ran during my lunch break at work. I was eager to see how my right leg was going to feel after yesterday's scare. It seemed fine, not 100% but nothing to freak out about yet. I ran along the water front which was nice. Miraculously it wasn't raining. I then casually ate my lunch over the rest of my day at work.
PM: 7miles (58min) It progressively cleared up throughout the day which made this run really enjoyable. The moon was out and it was warm. Rocked the short-shorts and simple long sleeve top. Meredith and I headed from our apartment up to the entrance to Lynn Headwaters in a fairly tempoed sub30min then just kinda cruised our way back down the hill but managed a few sections of fartlek's in there as well. Great run despite my right leg still not feeling great. It twitched on me a couple more times near the start of the run then faded only to do it again near the end. Not sure what to make of it.
Friday December 10, 2010: Noon: 6.5miles (55min). Ran during my lunch break again. Had planned to head out early in the am but it was raining and my legs were not feeling great when I woke up. This was a really easy run that felt OK. However, once again, after the run as I had to run around the rest of the day for work, my leg felt worse. Not sure it is enjoying these mid-day runs but had to fit something in today and had no time post-work. Probably will avoid them for next week. Further, I was pretty sweaty at the end of this run and simply just put my work-clothes back on. But I am rustic and grungy like that.
Saturday December 11, 2010: AM: 9.5miles (1:15) Ran with Meredith in the am. This was bizarre run for me and started that way from the get-go. My right calf/tibia felt tight and awkward. I tried to roll with it and it did progressively fade but it was noticeably there for the first half. The route was an out-and-back and for whatever reason on the return things seemed to improve quite dramatically to the point that my right leg was of little concern. Managed a few quicker miles- overall 8:00min/mile pace with decent hills throughout. Iced my leg multiple times the rest of the day- it did not feel any worse. GS routine in the afternoon.
Sunday December 12, 2010: AM: 15miles (2:07) Getting up this morning I was completely unsure as to how I was going to feel and hence what I was going to be able to run. I surely had no expectations and was psychologically prepared to take the day off completely if that is what my right leg was telling me to do. I often fumble with this commitment but today I was ready to listen to my body. With that said, I decided to avoid pavement and stick to mainly trail/groomed gravel path. I also pulled out my old Brooks Launch that must have close to 800miles on them oppose to my racing flats. I also put on my calf-compression for my right calf only. Whatever it was my right leg felt fine from the start and was not a bother for the entirety of the run. There were a few moment were I certainly felt something but nothing that would indicate that I was doing any serious damage. Just the usual aches that come along with this type of run. I ended up running from my apartment up Grand Boulevard to Loutete Park- down to Bridgeman park, looped around there- then headed up to Gazebo via the trail that parallels Lillouette road- Richard Jurgyn- then just basically followed my footsteps home. Because I was completely unsure of how long I was going to run for I had no water or fuel with me and the taps were turned off at Gazebo. Because of this I ended up bumming some off a guy who was just finishing up his run. Needed it badly by this point. But notwithstanding, I was pretty bonky by the end and was relegated to a fairly pathetic grunt up the 500foot climb back up to Loutete park. Despite this I was really pleased with this run given how the last few days had gone. At this point, after chatting with my physio/fascia system guru Leah Davis, we are pretty sure that it is just a case of shin splints coupled with a tight soleus. Lets hope so.
Weekly Mileage: 60miles (9hrs) + 1gym session
Tuesday December 7, 2010: PM: 10miles (1:25) Ran with Meredith on the roads over to Pemberton Heights. We did 8.2miles in 1:08 including a climb up Keith Road and some initial shorter climbs. Stomach was jostling on me so I unloaded in the bushes and then continued on. Lost about 5 pounds. Legs felt decent but nothing spectacular. I finished up the session with 10times 30seconds of uphill strides at about 95% effort. It was absolutely pouring rain by this point in the run and I was soaked and cold but just wanted to get these in. Should have probably done 15 but I could not feel my feet and was hungry.
Wednesday December 8, 2010: AM: 7miles (1:00sh) Tempo session on the rat-wheel at 5:30am. Did 1.5miles of W/U then 4miles all at 6:58min/mile pace followed by another 1.5 C/D all at 1%. This was the first time that I have done all 4 miles of tempo at sub-7minute pace for this workout which I was happy about. They felt pretty comfortable which was encouraging. Heart rate was in the range of 162-166 for the 4miles of tempo and actually dropped down progressively for each mile. I finished the workout off with a quick medicine ball routine and easy squats. Quickly showered and off to work. My right leg was a little sore throughout the day however- started to get some weird twitching through my right tibia that had me quickly reminiscent of my stress fracture in the identical area last year. Iced it when I got home. It did not get any worse and seemed to feel better as I rolled out my right calf.
Thursday December 9, 2010: Noon: 5miles (45sh) Ran during my lunch break at work. I was eager to see how my right leg was going to feel after yesterday's scare. It seemed fine, not 100% but nothing to freak out about yet. I ran along the water front which was nice. Miraculously it wasn't raining. I then casually ate my lunch over the rest of my day at work.
PM: 7miles (58min) It progressively cleared up throughout the day which made this run really enjoyable. The moon was out and it was warm. Rocked the short-shorts and simple long sleeve top. Meredith and I headed from our apartment up to the entrance to Lynn Headwaters in a fairly tempoed sub30min then just kinda cruised our way back down the hill but managed a few sections of fartlek's in there as well. Great run despite my right leg still not feeling great. It twitched on me a couple more times near the start of the run then faded only to do it again near the end. Not sure what to make of it.
Friday December 10, 2010: Noon: 6.5miles (55min). Ran during my lunch break again. Had planned to head out early in the am but it was raining and my legs were not feeling great when I woke up. This was a really easy run that felt OK. However, once again, after the run as I had to run around the rest of the day for work, my leg felt worse. Not sure it is enjoying these mid-day runs but had to fit something in today and had no time post-work. Probably will avoid them for next week. Further, I was pretty sweaty at the end of this run and simply just put my work-clothes back on. But I am rustic and grungy like that.
Saturday December 11, 2010: AM: 9.5miles (1:15) Ran with Meredith in the am. This was bizarre run for me and started that way from the get-go. My right calf/tibia felt tight and awkward. I tried to roll with it and it did progressively fade but it was noticeably there for the first half. The route was an out-and-back and for whatever reason on the return things seemed to improve quite dramatically to the point that my right leg was of little concern. Managed a few quicker miles- overall 8:00min/mile pace with decent hills throughout. Iced my leg multiple times the rest of the day- it did not feel any worse. GS routine in the afternoon.
Sunday December 12, 2010: AM: 15miles (2:07) Getting up this morning I was completely unsure as to how I was going to feel and hence what I was going to be able to run. I surely had no expectations and was psychologically prepared to take the day off completely if that is what my right leg was telling me to do. I often fumble with this commitment but today I was ready to listen to my body. With that said, I decided to avoid pavement and stick to mainly trail/groomed gravel path. I also pulled out my old Brooks Launch that must have close to 800miles on them oppose to my racing flats. I also put on my calf-compression for my right calf only. Whatever it was my right leg felt fine from the start and was not a bother for the entirety of the run. There were a few moment were I certainly felt something but nothing that would indicate that I was doing any serious damage. Just the usual aches that come along with this type of run. I ended up running from my apartment up Grand Boulevard to Loutete Park- down to Bridgeman park, looped around there- then headed up to Gazebo via the trail that parallels Lillouette road- Richard Jurgyn- then just basically followed my footsteps home. Because I was completely unsure of how long I was going to run for I had no water or fuel with me and the taps were turned off at Gazebo. Because of this I ended up bumming some off a guy who was just finishing up his run. Needed it badly by this point. But notwithstanding, I was pretty bonky by the end and was relegated to a fairly pathetic grunt up the 500foot climb back up to Loutete park. Despite this I was really pleased with this run given how the last few days had gone. At this point, after chatting with my physio/fascia system guru Leah Davis, we are pretty sure that it is just a case of shin splints coupled with a tight soleus. Lets hope so.
Weekly Mileage: 60miles (9hrs) + 1gym session
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