Another Short Test

Seems like every run I do these days becomes a test of how the body, and more specifically the knees, will hold up. Tonight was no exception as I got out after dark for a late run. I had eaten a big dinner a couple of hours prior to heading out and didn't know how that would sit, but I really just wanted to go slow so I figured that, if anything, the full stomach would force me to stick with the plan.

I had been out for another rollerblade last night and my legs were a bit tight, especially in the hips. That's the spot that has to work to keep my knees from taking the brunt of each step's impact so, if anything, I was hoping I could feel those glute meds working.

For some reason I wanted a nice controlled environment to run on and headed towards the track. It's a familiar place now and I do all of the rollerblading there. No traffic, no unexpected holes in surface, so little chance of accidents. Given that it was dark I didn't want to risk doing something stupid.

I ran really easy and managed a total of 8km in 47:12 for an average pace of 5:54/km (9:29/mile). A couple of kilometres I picked up the pace a little into the 5:30s/km, but other than that it was all pretty steady around the 6:00/km mark. The heart rate definitely shows this to have been an easy run, coming in at 138bpm average.

It just remains to be seen how the knees feel tomorrow. A week ago I had a good run and felt fine afterwards only to wake up the next morning to really bad pain in both patellar tendons. Here's hoping...

Garmin don't lie.

Baby Got Back... to basics

I am considering changing the name of this blog to "Running, Weak Ass and All"... It's been a frustrating month, to say the least. I've gotten completely off track with my training as a result of knee pain that flared up after a calf strain initially stopped me in my tracks. My inclination to blog, likewise, has waned. I am NOT a happy camper, and have no interest in bitching and moaning on this site since I feel it is unbecoming. After all, I don't want to be banned from the blogosphere by useless repitition like these hosers. Instead, I've been trying my best to stay positive and to find a way out of this major funk.

So, what have I been up to? Well, I've seen the massage therapist to try and relieve the strain that is affecting my knees. He's loosened up my ITB and quads, and after each session I walk out of there with much less pain. However, I know that these treatments do nothing as far as a long term solution goes, and so I've been back on the hips and ass exercises with a vengeance. I've come to the conclusion that all my lower body pain is the result of a very weak Gluteus Medius muscle. Articles like this one abound, and I am a true convert.

With this in mind, my running has taken a back seat to other forms of activity. Most importantly I've dusted off my roller blades and have been out twice for nice long sessions to try and strengthen the Gluteus Medius and other stabilizing muscles of the ass and hips. Let me tell you, I know this is doing this right thing because within ten minutes I feel the burn in all the right places. It may take some time to get back to real running, but I think that getting this in order first is the right move. Once I am stronger I can get back I can learn how to run properly to engage these important stabilizer and, eventually, to building a proper base for next year's marathon attempt. Perhaps I, too, will eventually be in good enough shape to draw amusing pictures on the urban landscape with my GPS device.

The knees are still aching, but I have faith that once the ass is fixed, the rest will follow. Isn't that how that song goes???

"Free your ass,
and the rest will follow."

Hmmmmm....

For what it's worth (and this is only for my reference, I totally understand that) here are the two roller blading sessions that I managed last week: Friday and Sunday. Garmin was along for both and remains a trusted, honest ally, even if it offers no help in the ass-strengthening department.

Still Trying

Been off from running since last Friday, partly due to pain in the knee(s) and partly because there simply was no time. Baseball tournaments all weekend meant that I had to skip my planned long run whether I liked it or not. The fact that my knees felt like lead didn't help matters any.

So, long story short, running continues to be a mystery to me. I've been doing all the stretching and strengthening stuff that's supposed to help with the knees, and I've seen the massage therapist a couple of times, but getting to a relatively pain free and happy state continues to be my White Whale.

Tonight I went out for a jog and it wasn't too bad, all things considered. I didn't feel like doing any hills and just meandered through different neighbourhoods, watching people and running past houses where "the other half " (i.e. 2%) live. As far as the run went I will reserve final judgement until tomorrow and my first attempt at walking down the stairs. I managed 10km in 56:56.78 for an average pace of 5:41/km (9:09/mile). I'm bummed about the training plan, which was going so well for the first six or seven weeks, but has completely fallen off the rails in the last four. Other than that, life is good!

Garmin don't lie.

Dog Days - 300 and Counting

Yup, that's right. I am on the brink. As much as I hate to admit it, running is reaching the "chore" end of the scale where once it occupied the "can't wait to do it again" section. I suppose it's a good thing that I haven't even begun to contemplate the "kiss my ass, and pass me another piece of cheese cake!" portion, but it is not out of the realm of possibility if I don't break out of this funk, and fast!

Ever since my calf went mental on me a few weeks ago (for reasons I've yet to figure out, which makes it all the more frustrating) I've been either waiting to run again, or suffering through those crappy slow runs that are better classified as "jogging" (spit on it!). I'm not asking for much here, just to get back to a regular training schedule that allows me to actually feel like I've accomplished something from each run. I thought that my last run would kick start the last six weeks of training toward the Half Marathon, but instead I limped the entire day afterward with muscle soreness and knee tenderness the likes of which I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy (except Michael Vick, though he's not an enemy of mine or anything. Why the Eagles signed him is beyond me!). Bringing ice packs to work is getting old, not to mention embarrasing (or is it just me getting old, and ...).

In short: AAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!

This being my 300th post I should be celebrating the fact that I'm still running after all this time, but instead I am just frustrated. Can I have "that time of month" if I am not the proud owner of a uterus? As I keep telling my wife on a regular basis, "It's uterUS, not uterYOU!" We all suffer to a certain degree...

No matter. Just keep telling myself that this, too, shall pass (like the inevitable kidney stone that I'm dreading will eventually occupy one of my two organs at some point in my old age. Can't I just have them remove the whole kidney when that happens? Having two must have an advantage of this kind...)

Anyway, here's what I managed (and I cannot say "accomplished") on this hot, humid day:

I started off a bit apprehensive, to say the least. My legs felt like crap, and my right knee was really not good. I taped it up and hoped for the best. All I was hoping for was to slog my way through at least 10k without too much pain. Within three kilometres I was so drenched with sweat that the tape on my knee came right off and I had to toss the remnants in a garbage can. I'd have to do the rest without it and just kept on chugging along. It was slow, that's for sure, but at least I was moving. I was also happy that I'd had the foresight to bring along my own water even though it was a short run. The humidity was pretty bad and I needed to drink constantly.

As I jogged along I actually started feeling a bit better and my pace improved just slightly. It was still in the jogging and range, but at least I didn't slow down to a crawl. In the end I ended up running 10.5km in 1:04:27 for an average pace of 6:08/km (9:52/mile). Like I said, slow, but at least I didn't skip the run and didn't cut it short. Here's hoping things start looking up from here on out.

Oh yeah, almost forgot. I ran in my new pair of Asics GT2140s today. They were great, just like the pair I've been using. I've put almost 400 kilometres on the first pair and I figured having a second pair in the rotation was a smart thing to do.

Garmin don't lie.

Trying to Go Faster Again

For a change of pace, literally I tried to change the pace a little bit tonight. This calf strain that sidelined me for a bit put a real damper on my training and I've been really stuck in a rut as a result. It's one of those things that makes one feel like running at a pace that doesn't resemble "jogging" is an unattainable dream...

After work we took the boys swimming at this nice outdoor pool that we've been to almost daily since we discovered it was open on the weekend. My little guys are a little afraid of the water (and as former competitive swimmers, both my wife and I have no clue how to teach non-swimmers how to get over it) so we just try and get them to have fun in and around the water. To my great delight they've both made great strides in the past few days, and so are we are all very enthusiastic about swimming. Anyway, after that my wife was kind enough to take the boys home and start dinner while I headed out for my run.

I am still feeling a bit weak in the right calf, but thought that after a bit of a warm up it would be good to do a few faster kilometres. Nothing approaching interval speed, but rather just some pace to get the heart pounding a little bit. It was hot and humid, and so I felt that the calf would be as warm as possible, thereby minimizing the chance of another cramp.

I ran the first two kilometres nice and slow and they felt good. I then decided to alternate faster kilometres with slow recovery splits. My first split of the faster variety was a bit quicker than I'd anticipated it would be at 4:24 (7:05/mile pace). I then ran a slow click, and then got into my second fast split. This time it was a bit harder and the calf was really feeling weak. I guess I babied it a bit and ran the kilometre in 4:31 (7:17/mile pace). This brought me to the hill leading out of the valley up Beachwood Avenue and I decided to run two slow kilometres since the hill was going to take a toll on the calf and I figured a bit more recovery was warranted. I then ran the third fast kilometre in 4:25 (7:07/mile pace). By this point I was really quite drained and sweating like never before. (I do not generally sweat very much, so when I do it comes as a bit of a surprise.)

In the end I ran a total of 10km in 54:35.98 for an average pace of 5:27/km (8:47/mile). The calf is alright, but we'll see if there are any adverse effects tomorrow. Here's hoping that it's all good and I can get back to training properly again. It was fun to just run a bit after all the jogging I've been doing. I realize that I like running, but hate jogging. Just seems pointless in so many ways...

Garmin don't lie.

Long, Slow, and Humid

As I type this there is a wicked thunderstorm happening right over my head. Well, I'm indoors, but the time between the lighting and thunder is zero at the moment and I am a bit worried that our house will get hit at some point. I suppose this has been brewing all day, given how humid it's been. We had a pretty big rain storm earlier, but right now it's like nothing that I've ever seen. The lighting is going off every second, though mostly cloud to cloud. It's like a fireworks show really.

Anyway, I did run this morning once more in my return from that pesky calf strain. Got up a bit later than I wanted to, so by the time I was out it was well past 8am and already hot and sticky. No real problem given that I wanted to run slow, but I was sure happy to have a bottle of Gatorade with me. I didn't bring any water, but did stop for a big drink at a water fountain in Taylor Creek Park. Other that that it was OK. Early in the run I had to adjust my stride a bit since I was feeling just a hint of that calf, but the tightness went away gradually. Towards the end of the run the outside of the left knee tightened up and I stopped a couple of times to stretch, which seemed to help make the discomfort go away for a couple of kilometres each time.

I ran a total of 20km in 1:58:57 for an average pace of 5:56/km (9:34/mile). The heart rate averaged out to 149bpm, raised mostly by the last few kilometres when I was really running out of steam. This evening, after swimming with the boys and then coaching yet another baseball game, the calf tightened up a bit more, which is worrisome. It may mean no more running until Wednesday, but I'll have to see how it feels tomorrow.

Garmin don't lie.

Running Again!

Just a short post since it is late and I am tired. I finally made it back out running after nine full days off on account of the calf strain. Happy to report that this was not an issue tonight at all! The knees felt kind of kinked, but I'm hoping that's just rust after the lengthy lay off.

I ran 10km in 57:50.84 for an average pace of 5:47/km (9:18/mile). Average heart rate was 143bpm, and overall the run was easy. The last couple of kilometres I felt a bit sluggish, and coming out of the Don Valley up Pottery Road I slowed down quite a bit, but still finished feeling pretty good. I certainly wasn't spent or anything and look forward to another run on Sunday. Hopefully a long one.

Garmin don't lie.

Thaaaaaat's Better

The view from the same office window is MUCH better this morning. I got totally soaked on the way home yesterday, but at least it was really warm out and in the end I really don't mind that much (you know, not being made of sugar and all that...).

And since I've been asked a couple of times to clarify what a Twoonie is, and given that my running has been on hiatus for the past week, I'd thought I'd fill your brains with semi-useless information. Semi-useless because you might find yourself up in the Great White North someday asking how much a power bar costs and get, "A Twoonie and a half," in response. So...

A 'Twoonie' is our beloved $2 coin:

It is called thusly because our $1 coin is called a 'Loonie' on account of the loon that is prominently displayed on the reverse side of the Queen.

We couldn't rightfully have called it a 'Queenie' since all our money has her on it, but I think it might have been kind of nice to have done so. If Lambchops ever becomes King then we could easily switch to 'Kingy', but since this is not the case we're stuck with 'Loonie'.

This afternoon I am seeing the massage therapist for some pain treatment at $100/hr. As I foam roll, stretch, use a rubber ball to roll my calf, and generally inflict pain upon my person in a variety of ways, I ask myself more frequently, "Why do I do this to myself again?" So far, no concrete answers have come to mind...

They Call it Stormy Tuesday

Still recovering from the calf thing, so no running. Been keeping busy with non-running activities (sit ups, push ups, other "ups", and such), but am trying my best to stay positive. Hoping to get back to running end of this week (Friday - optimistic, Sunday - realistic).

Just snapped a photo of a storm coming through Toronto from my office window. Here it is for your enjoyment. (I just hope it passes before I have to bike home! The raindrops are massive, though you can't see them in the photograph. We're also watching for twoonie-sized hail, but no sign of that stuff yet...)