New Years resolution: get better at posting more frequently so as to avoid lengthy "catch up" posts, such as this one.
The lack of posting has largely been due to Grad. school's ability to be all consuming. I actually shouldn't really be posting now since I owe 17 pages in a writing, a poster for a conference coming up in a week, and a class project presentation by next Friday but I needed a break and what a better way to take one than to post my running complaints on the interweb?
Not much has changed with my running situation, which is another reason I've been MIA from the blogosphere. I did start running again back in August with a couple walk/run "workouts" ~3 times per week. The walk/run routine consisted of 5:00 of walking and 5:00-10:00 of running, depending on how I was feeling. The walk/runs have largely been on the treadmill and slow (~10:00 pace) which was what I needed. Unfortunately, this is still where I'm at. A healthy combination of work, illness, and injury return has kept me from my goal of getting back up to 3 miles 3-4 times a week by the Turkey Trot, which happened last Thursday. I did end up participating in the Turkey Trot but as a jogger/walker. The finishing time? 37:12. My slowest 5K yet! Surprisingly, I wasn't all that bummed and had maybe the most fun I've had at a 5K. The people in the back of the pack are way more fun then the competitive folks up front!
The biggest problem injury-wise has been the adjustment of my orthotics. Things felt good right after I first got them in August but after I got them adjusted in October, things went south. Trying to correct my excessive eversion, my orthotic guy (what is their proper title anyway?) added extra arch support. This caused me to put all sorts of pressure on the outsides of my foot resulting in a return of pain. I stopped running for a bit but did not see the pain subside. A bout with a nasty virus sidelined me for a little while longer pushing my time from running to 3 weeks. Just recently (literally a couple days ago), I had my orthotics adjusted again this time in the opposite direction; orthotics man added some wedging which corrects the food the other way. This felt good, so I decided to take to the treadmill again for a walk/run (5:00 walk, 5:00 run). So much for improvement. Though the outside of my foot doesn't hurt anymore (plus), the outside of my right leg is more tight and sore than it has been before (minus). And it gets better: no longer is it just my right leg, this week I've notice a similar soreness/tightness on my lower left leg too (double minus). My next orthotics visit is only in a couple weeks so I'm going to ride out the pain and hope that I just need some time to adjust to the changes. I've also returned to the stretching, icing and ibuprofen routine which'll hopefully help keep things from getting out of control.
The new goal is to be able to run the Runnin' O' the Green 4-miler in March 6, 2010. I ran this race last year and had a great time and would like to do it again. A super goal would be to beat last year's time of 33:56, but that'll depend on my consistency over the next couple of months. For all you avid ChelsRuns followers (and general Chelsea stalkers) interested in keeping tabs on my consistency, you welcome to view and comment on my online running log. I started it a couple months back to keep myself accountable. Your feedback is appreciated!
The good thing about this whole peroneal tendon fiasco has been that it's given me a somewhat new perspective on running. I've learned to appreciate just being able to run and to not be disappointed in how slow or short I run. I'm hoping I can keep this perspective, since I think it's key for making running a lifelong hobby.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Updated Race Calendar
With the orthotics in place and feeling good (for the most part), I'm going to take my first running steps this weekend. It'll be slow and short; the plan is to do three sets of five minutes of walking, five of running back to back. I'm nervous to start back given that every other time I've started up, I've had to stop again. But with a solid two months of no running under my belt and a plan to get back reeeeeally slowly, this time will hopefully be different.
The ultimate goal is to get back for a few fall 5Ks, the first of which falls on the first weekend in October. I don't plan to run any PRs this fall but do hope to get to a point where running is comfortable and painless again; where races aren't disappointing but fun. Hopefully by getting back into it slowly, I'll set myself up for a solid race season in 2010.
The ultimate goal is to get back for a few fall 5Ks, the first of which falls on the first weekend in October. I don't plan to run any PRs this fall but do hope to get to a point where running is comfortable and painless again; where races aren't disappointing but fun. Hopefully by getting back into it slowly, I'll set myself up for a solid race season in 2010.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
The Saga Continues... An Update
Well, I still haven't run. This, I'm pretty sure, marks the longest break from running since I broke my foot my Sophomore year of college.
At the beginning of July, I saw an orthopedist about my foot. He diagnosed me with "peroneal tendon dysfunction" AKA "I-have-no-idea-whats-wrong-with-you-but-know-the-problem-has-something-to-do-with-that-tendon". I was prescribed PT, orthotics, and Ibproufen; no surprise.
I have since finished PT where I got rid of some scar tissue. My foot feels better, but whether or not that's as a result of PT or just a prolonged absence from running I think is still undecided.
I have been fit for orthotics and will pick them up a week from Monday. I'm hoping they help but am weary. The onset of this whole issue was seemingly sudden leading me to believe that there's an element to the problem that's more than just a biomechanical issue that has built up over time.
Both the guy who's making my orthotics and the physical therapist noted that my calves were unnaturally tight and that this may be the root of the whole problem. I would have to agree, which is super frustrating because that is EXACTLY what the guy I saw back in March said. I thought I was stretching enough but the flexibility tests suggest otherwise. This is where the orthotics will come in; by adjusting the way I run, it is hoped that the pressure will be taken off my lower legs.
As expected, this whole fiasco has altered my running plan. Things aren't looking good for the Seacoast half because I just don't think I have the time to get my mileage up. I already missed one race I paid for, the York Days 5K on July 26th, and will likely have to miss another, the Fox Point 5-miler in September, for the same mileage-build-up concerns that I have for the half. This is a bummer because I was really looking forward to this races. Racing's kind of why I want to keep running and it just sucks to have the taken away for who knows how long.
The plan for now is to start running again a week-ish after getting my orthotics. By that point it will have almost been a full 2 months of not running so coming back slowly is the key. I'll probably start with some run-walk workouts on the track and then go up from there. The good thing is that I have been somewhat good about getting into the gym or pool so hopefully the comeback will be easier and quicker than it might have been had I done nothing.
I'm also trying to get into Weight Watchers to start the weight loss which, while I've been told otherwise, I believe has had a role in this whole thing. I think I was running too hard for where I was fitness-wise and just had gotten to a point where my body wasn't able to recover fast enough. I have gained weight and loss a significant amount of fitness and should've been more conscious of this last year. Instead, I focused too much on the watch and the distance leading me to where I'm at today. I really hope this next round I can be better about really listening to my body and being less concerned with speed and distance.
Bring on the great return to running part 2.
At the beginning of July, I saw an orthopedist about my foot. He diagnosed me with "peroneal tendon dysfunction" AKA "I-have-no-idea-whats-wrong-with-you-but-know-the-problem-has-something-to-do-with-that-tendon". I was prescribed PT, orthotics, and Ibproufen; no surprise.
I have since finished PT where I got rid of some scar tissue. My foot feels better, but whether or not that's as a result of PT or just a prolonged absence from running I think is still undecided.
I have been fit for orthotics and will pick them up a week from Monday. I'm hoping they help but am weary. The onset of this whole issue was seemingly sudden leading me to believe that there's an element to the problem that's more than just a biomechanical issue that has built up over time.
Both the guy who's making my orthotics and the physical therapist noted that my calves were unnaturally tight and that this may be the root of the whole problem. I would have to agree, which is super frustrating because that is EXACTLY what the guy I saw back in March said. I thought I was stretching enough but the flexibility tests suggest otherwise. This is where the orthotics will come in; by adjusting the way I run, it is hoped that the pressure will be taken off my lower legs.
As expected, this whole fiasco has altered my running plan. Things aren't looking good for the Seacoast half because I just don't think I have the time to get my mileage up. I already missed one race I paid for, the York Days 5K on July 26th, and will likely have to miss another, the Fox Point 5-miler in September, for the same mileage-build-up concerns that I have for the half. This is a bummer because I was really looking forward to this races. Racing's kind of why I want to keep running and it just sucks to have the taken away for who knows how long.
The plan for now is to start running again a week-ish after getting my orthotics. By that point it will have almost been a full 2 months of not running so coming back slowly is the key. I'll probably start with some run-walk workouts on the track and then go up from there. The good thing is that I have been somewhat good about getting into the gym or pool so hopefully the comeback will be easier and quicker than it might have been had I done nothing.
I'm also trying to get into Weight Watchers to start the weight loss which, while I've been told otherwise, I believe has had a role in this whole thing. I think I was running too hard for where I was fitness-wise and just had gotten to a point where my body wasn't able to recover fast enough. I have gained weight and loss a significant amount of fitness and should've been more conscious of this last year. Instead, I focused too much on the watch and the distance leading me to where I'm at today. I really hope this next round I can be better about really listening to my body and being less concerned with speed and distance.
Bring on the great return to running part 2.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Biting the Bullet
Despite hopes that self-diagnosis and self-rehab (i.e., icing and sucking-it-up) would result in pain-free runs in the near future, I am going to see an orthopedic surgeon on Thursday. I was able to ignore the fact that my foot/ankle issue was still very present for the past few weeks since I was only running 2.5 miles every other day. Even then, though, the outside of my lower leg was always tight and the outside of my foot, while not incredibly sore, didn't feel right.
Last week I made the daring move up and ran 3.2 miles. The loop was very hilly and hard as hell, but it was my only option at the time. Afterwards, my foot was unbelievably sore and still hurts today. Needless to say, I haven't run since that run (last Wednesday).
I could continue to follow my plan of stopping for a week (or more) and then starting up again but something tells me I'm going to just keep ending up back here. I've been avoiding a doctor out of fear of being told not to run for weeks but clearly, I'm not progressing doing things the way I'm doing now.
I also have a feeling that the issue may be biomechanical given that it takes barely any running to knock me down. It may just be that running for 12 years and weight gain have left me running funny and in need of orthotics. Or a chiropractor. It'll take a real doctor to make that call though.
Last week I made the daring move up and ran 3.2 miles. The loop was very hilly and hard as hell, but it was my only option at the time. Afterwards, my foot was unbelievably sore and still hurts today. Needless to say, I haven't run since that run (last Wednesday).
I could continue to follow my plan of stopping for a week (or more) and then starting up again but something tells me I'm going to just keep ending up back here. I've been avoiding a doctor out of fear of being told not to run for weeks but clearly, I'm not progressing doing things the way I'm doing now.
I also have a feeling that the issue may be biomechanical given that it takes barely any running to knock me down. It may just be that running for 12 years and weight gain have left me running funny and in need of orthotics. Or a chiropractor. It'll take a real doctor to make that call though.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Haulted in Houston
As mentioned in my last post (which was far too long ago) I was slotted to spend several weeks in Houston, TX for air quality research. The overall experience was not as bad as expected and, dare I say, even fun (at times). As anticipated, however, the days were long and the breaks none existent; I literally worked 7 days a week 10-12 hours a day. While I liked the change in the type of work (more hands-on lab stuff rather than the paper-writing and data-analyzing I had been doing for the months pre-Houston), it was still exhausting to do it for that long. Needless to see, I'm happy to be back in the cool Northeast on a regular, less rigorous schedule.
Unfortunately and as predicted, my running suffered, though not for the reasons I originally thought. Even though the work days were long, for the first week and a half or so I was there, I was able to get my runs in. The runs I did do were on the treadmill, partially because of the heat and partially because I didn't want to run around the city alone (clearly, I am from New Hampshire), but they were runs all the same. I was starting to feel pretty good at 3 miles and was getting ready to jump up to the 4-5 range. Of course, right when I'm getting psyched about progress, my effing right foot/ankle starts acting up again. I take a couple days off and ice it, hoping it calms down. No dice. In the end, I took 3 weeks off.
With where I'm hurting and how I'm hurting, I think what's going on is peroneal tendinitis. This was my thought before, back in February, but then I was told it was just overall inflammation in my foot by a physical therapist. I'm not really sure how to go about fixing the problem except for taking time off, icing and taking anti-inflammatories. That and stretching my calves madly. Supposedly it's caused by tight calves (among other things) and, to be honest, stretching hasn't exactly been a priority in my post-collegiate training. I probably should start warming up again, even if it's walk-jogging for 5 minutes.
I ran for the first time in 3 weeks on Saturday and then again on Monday. Overall it felt good but I did notice a slight discomfort, which suggests that I need to keep taking it easy and keep on the ice/ibuprofen.
So. Frustrating. It's amazing how three years of inconsistent running and rapid weight gain can make you prone to injury. I mean tendonitis off of 3 mile runs 4 days a week at 8:45-9:00/mile when I used to run 30 miles a week at a much higher intensity? Depressing.
I'm working through it though. Hopefully I'll be able to manage the tendonitis and be able to get going again and have a solid summer of training. I really want to get in shape and get to a point where I'm not embarrassed by my body anymore. But I also don't want to try and train through the pain and get to a point where I'm so broken, I'm sidelined for months. I just have to make sure to keep listening to my body despite my impatience.
Unfortunately and as predicted, my running suffered, though not for the reasons I originally thought. Even though the work days were long, for the first week and a half or so I was there, I was able to get my runs in. The runs I did do were on the treadmill, partially because of the heat and partially because I didn't want to run around the city alone (clearly, I am from New Hampshire), but they were runs all the same. I was starting to feel pretty good at 3 miles and was getting ready to jump up to the 4-5 range. Of course, right when I'm getting psyched about progress, my effing right foot/ankle starts acting up again. I take a couple days off and ice it, hoping it calms down. No dice. In the end, I took 3 weeks off.
With where I'm hurting and how I'm hurting, I think what's going on is peroneal tendinitis. This was my thought before, back in February, but then I was told it was just overall inflammation in my foot by a physical therapist. I'm not really sure how to go about fixing the problem except for taking time off, icing and taking anti-inflammatories. That and stretching my calves madly. Supposedly it's caused by tight calves (among other things) and, to be honest, stretching hasn't exactly been a priority in my post-collegiate training. I probably should start warming up again, even if it's walk-jogging for 5 minutes.
I ran for the first time in 3 weeks on Saturday and then again on Monday. Overall it felt good but I did notice a slight discomfort, which suggests that I need to keep taking it easy and keep on the ice/ibuprofen.
So. Frustrating. It's amazing how three years of inconsistent running and rapid weight gain can make you prone to injury. I mean tendonitis off of 3 mile runs 4 days a week at 8:45-9:00/mile when I used to run 30 miles a week at a much higher intensity? Depressing.
I'm working through it though. Hopefully I'll be able to manage the tendonitis and be able to get going again and have a solid summer of training. I really want to get in shape and get to a point where I'm not embarrassed by my body anymore. But I also don't want to try and train through the pain and get to a point where I'm so broken, I'm sidelined for months. I just have to make sure to keep listening to my body despite my impatience.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Race Report
Myself, Zach's cousin Chris, and Chris' girlfriend Eileen and I managed to make it out the door Saturday morning and to the Hampton Rotary 5K in Hampton Beach. The race is usually run in August along with the Seafood Festival but was moved this year to April to avoid the usual insanity that comes with the festival. The weather was nice: warm, breezy and sunny.
The course was an extremely flat out and back. Along it were some sweet views of the ocean and some less sweet views of the dead town of Hampton Beach still in it's off season. The unfortunate aspect of the course was the lack of shade. While the sun was nice, it was not fun to run in the blazing heat the entire race with only one water stop. All in all though, a good course to run a fast 5K on.
However, I did anything but that. I suppose that's what not running a lot for the past few months will do to you. Because of the lack of training I didn't really go into it with any expectations, only hopes of finishing sub-24:00. Sadly, this was not achieved. I ended up clocking a 24:27 to finish 28th out of the field of 77. I did end up going out in a 7:35 which was much faster than I thought I would. Mile two was surprisingly faster than mile one (7:27) though I think it might have been a little short since mile 3 was 8:22 and it didn't feel like slowed down that much.
All in all, I was OK with how things went; now I have a place to start from.
The course was an extremely flat out and back. Along it were some sweet views of the ocean and some less sweet views of the dead town of Hampton Beach still in it's off season. The unfortunate aspect of the course was the lack of shade. While the sun was nice, it was not fun to run in the blazing heat the entire race with only one water stop. All in all though, a good course to run a fast 5K on.
However, I did anything but that. I suppose that's what not running a lot for the past few months will do to you. Because of the lack of training I didn't really go into it with any expectations, only hopes of finishing sub-24:00. Sadly, this was not achieved. I ended up clocking a 24:27 to finish 28th out of the field of 77. I did end up going out in a 7:35 which was much faster than I thought I would. Mile two was surprisingly faster than mile one (7:27) though I think it might have been a little short since mile 3 was 8:22 and it didn't feel like slowed down that much.
All in all, I was OK with how things went; now I have a place to start from.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Seacoast Half
Last week I signed up for the Seacoast 1/2 Marathon. Only 6 months early; no big deal. It's good to have some bigger to work towards now though. I'm actually pretty excited to run this race. I've been told that it's a fast course and has good goodies. It also draws a big crowd; the max registrant number (1200) is usually reached by mid-September. The goal time as of now is 1:43:43 (7:55/mile) which I think is pretty attainable if I meet the pre-goal goals of sticking to my training plan and losing weight. At the very least, I'd like a PR, which shouldn't be too hard, especially if I do even a fraction of the training I have planned.
My next race is coming up next weekend. I'm dragging Zach out again but this time only for a 5K. I don't really have a goal for this one, but sub-8:00/mile would be nice!
I've been doing ok with training though a death in the family last week resulted in no miles run for the week. It's been getting much more enjoyable to get out the door now that it's warmer out and lighter later. I'll only get to experience the nice Spring running for a couple more weeks though, which is a major bummer. I'm heading to Houston for the essentially month of May for a field project which'll mean a lot of treadmill running to avoid death by heatstroke and/or pollution inhalation. I'll also have to probably do most of my running in the early AM due to the workload demands of fieldwork, which is a drag. I'll have to get used to it though I guess; morning runs will probably be my reality for the NH summer which just might be worse than May in Houston minus the constant pollution problem.
My next race is coming up next weekend. I'm dragging Zach out again but this time only for a 5K. I don't really have a goal for this one, but sub-8:00/mile would be nice!
I've been doing ok with training though a death in the family last week resulted in no miles run for the week. It's been getting much more enjoyable to get out the door now that it's warmer out and lighter later. I'll only get to experience the nice Spring running for a couple more weeks though, which is a major bummer. I'm heading to Houston for the essentially month of May for a field project which'll mean a lot of treadmill running to avoid death by heatstroke and/or pollution inhalation. I'll also have to probably do most of my running in the early AM due to the workload demands of fieldwork, which is a drag. I'll have to get used to it though I guess; morning runs will probably be my reality for the NH summer which just might be worse than May in Houston minus the constant pollution problem.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Road Race PRs
Instead of doing work that I really need to do, I decided to try and come up with a list of my road race PRs. I know my cross-country and track PRs pretty well from high school and college but haven't never really taken the time to look at my road race times until now. After an exhaustive google and cool running searches, here's what I came up with:
Road Race PRs
5K - 19:01 - 2002
4 mile - 26:56 - 2000
5 mile - 31:34 - 2004
10K - 50:53 - 2008
1/2 Marathon - 1:59:42 - 2008
Because I was competing on a team for 3 seasons, there wasn't much time for road racing in my younger years. Funnily however, many of my road race PRs are from early 2000 when I was competitive. This isn't surprising, considering I was in good shape during this time. PRs from longer distances (namely the 10K and 1/2 marathon) are not surprisingly from my later years since I didn't attempt to race farther than 5 miles (and that was pushing it) when I was on the team. These times are also slower than what might be expected by looking at my other road PRs which, again, is not surprising given my post-competitive fitness level.
What's kind of cool however is that none of the times are outstandingly fast and are actually quite reachable; I believe I could hit new PRs in the near future for all distances given a bit of consistency on my part (Well, except for maybe the 5-mile and the 5K; aiming to go much faster than those times right now, might be a bit of a stretch right now, though maybe not impossible). This is something I hadn't really thought about until I saw all the times written out. Looks like I have a new running-based goal!
Road Race PRs
5K - 19:01 - 2002
4 mile - 26:56 - 2000
5 mile - 31:34 - 2004
10K - 50:53 - 2008
1/2 Marathon - 1:59:42 - 2008
Because I was competing on a team for 3 seasons, there wasn't much time for road racing in my younger years. Funnily however, many of my road race PRs are from early 2000 when I was competitive. This isn't surprising, considering I was in good shape during this time. PRs from longer distances (namely the 10K and 1/2 marathon) are not surprisingly from my later years since I didn't attempt to race farther than 5 miles (and that was pushing it) when I was on the team. These times are also slower than what might be expected by looking at my other road PRs which, again, is not surprising given my post-competitive fitness level.
What's kind of cool however is that none of the times are outstandingly fast and are actually quite reachable; I believe I could hit new PRs in the near future for all distances given a bit of consistency on my part (Well, except for maybe the 5-mile and the 5K; aiming to go much faster than those times right now, might be a bit of a stretch right now, though maybe not impossible). This is something I hadn't really thought about until I saw all the times written out. Looks like I have a new running-based goal!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Back in the Game.. For Now
So according to last week's PT appointment I do not have tendonitis but rather irritation to both the soft tissue and the bones in the 3rd and 4th metatarsal region. The physical therapist said this was likely caused by substantial inflexibility of my calve muscles. He said I should take two weeks of no-impact exercise (this is in addition to the 10 days I took off prior to the appointment) and gave me instructions to do calves stretches twice-daily, holding the stretch for atleast 60 seconds and repeating 5 times.
As a result of the appointment, I ended up taking Tuesday-Friday off. I also tried the stretching routine but ended up with sore achilles in both legs. I haven't done the stretches since.
Even though I was told not to run, I still went ahead with running the 4-miler on Saturday. Zach was running it and I figured we'd run it slowly together and, if it hurt, I'd walk. It had also been two weeks since I'd run so I thought maybe I'd be healed. The race actually went way better than expected. Firstly, both Zach and I ran sub-34:00 watch time which, while slow, was much faster than either of us had planned. And it felt good; I was barely sore and winded the entire race. My foot also didn't hurt during the run nor did it hurt afterwards. This was actually quite surprising, but definitely a good thing. As a result, I've decided start running again this week, despite the physical therapist's wishes. It'll be a slow return but I'm looking forward to running again.
As a result of the appointment, I ended up taking Tuesday-Friday off. I also tried the stretching routine but ended up with sore achilles in both legs. I haven't done the stretches since.
Even though I was told not to run, I still went ahead with running the 4-miler on Saturday. Zach was running it and I figured we'd run it slowly together and, if it hurt, I'd walk. It had also been two weeks since I'd run so I thought maybe I'd be healed. The race actually went way better than expected. Firstly, both Zach and I ran sub-34:00 watch time which, while slow, was much faster than either of us had planned. And it felt good; I was barely sore and winded the entire race. My foot also didn't hurt during the run nor did it hurt afterwards. This was actually quite surprising, but definitely a good thing. As a result, I've decided start running again this week, despite the physical therapist's wishes. It'll be a slow return but I'm looking forward to running again.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Stepping Back
Still no official diagnosis on my foot. I ended up taking all of last week off in part to give my foot a good rest but also because I was sick with a bad cold turned sinus infection. The unfortunate part is that my foot still hurts. While the pain has gone down significantly since Sunday (i.e., I'm no longer limping about), I still notice a very dull, subtle ache every so often when walking. I'm still convinced it's tendonitis (BAD tendonitis) but am considering the possibility of something more severe like a stress reaction or *gasp* fracture. I have a physical therapy appointment tomorrow morning where I hopefully will not only get answers on whats going on with my foot, but also a rehab routine.
I have officially dropped out of the 1/2 marathon. I feel pretty badly abandoning Kara but just don't think it'd be wise to try and wing another 13.1, especially since I'm already injured. I am still planning to run the 4-miler this weekend partially because I already have paid for it (I fortunately hadn't sign up for Great Bay yet) and partially because I'm going home to NY to visit my parents anyway, but also because Zach's running it. He's been training a lot these past few weeks and has made incredible improvements and is pretty excited to run a race with me. I figure I can swing a slow 4 miles and if I can't, well I guess I'll walk it.
I'm considering taking a bootcamp class offered at a local yoga studio starting this week. My dad takes a similar class at the local YMCA and loves it. The class offers a lot of variety in terms of exercises and is a killer workout. I do still plan to run 3-4 days a week, but for the next few weeks, the focus will likely be this bootcamp class. The hope is that this class will get me in shape, both in terms of weight and strength, and to a point where running won't hurt as much. Once the class wraps up at the end of April, it will be back to running full-time and hopefully consistently.
I have officially dropped out of the 1/2 marathon. I feel pretty badly abandoning Kara but just don't think it'd be wise to try and wing another 13.1, especially since I'm already injured. I am still planning to run the 4-miler this weekend partially because I already have paid for it (I fortunately hadn't sign up for Great Bay yet) and partially because I'm going home to NY to visit my parents anyway, but also because Zach's running it. He's been training a lot these past few weeks and has made incredible improvements and is pretty excited to run a race with me. I figure I can swing a slow 4 miles and if I can't, well I guess I'll walk it.
I'm considering taking a bootcamp class offered at a local yoga studio starting this week. My dad takes a similar class at the local YMCA and loves it. The class offers a lot of variety in terms of exercises and is a killer workout. I do still plan to run 3-4 days a week, but for the next few weeks, the focus will likely be this bootcamp class. The hope is that this class will get me in shape, both in terms of weight and strength, and to a point where running won't hurt as much. Once the class wraps up at the end of April, it will be back to running full-time and hopefully consistently.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Uh Oh Spaghettio...
Last Sunday I ran 6 miles--the longest run I've run since the fall. Dear lord was it painful. Of course the fact that it hurt so much and wasn't even that "fast" (51 minutes and change) was frustrating but I got over that pretty quickly.
What I haven't been about to get over is this pain on the outside of my right foot. The pain is a dull ache and extends from just above my ankle to my pink toe. It aches even when I walk on it. It doesn't necessarily hurt while I'm running but after words, holy @#%!.
I've done a little web research and have asked some of my friends who are versed in human anatomy and athletic injuries and it sounds like it might be peroneal tendonitis. One website said it's onset usually occurs "when the patient returns to activity after a period of time of." Hmm. Sounds a smidge like myself. I'm considering going to a doctor and/or sneaking into seeing a trainer to get a proper diagnosis but i think it's atleast safe to say I have some type of tendonitis in my foot that may be related to the pick up in training I've done. Another possibility is my new shoes. This would be odd however since I've run in the same model for years now, though it should not be ruled out.
Sick last week with a moderate cold, I took an extra day off from running which gave me 3 days in a row of no running. My foot was feeling better to walk on so I thought maybe I had nixed the tendonitis and that maybe running today wouldn't be so bad. Wrong. I just finished icing it but am wondering if it's worth it to proceed with training. If I were working towards a 5K or 10K, maybe I could take a week of rest, but because I'm planning to run the half marathon, I'm a little nervous to take that much time off since that didn't really work out for me so well last time. I don't necessarily have a tremendous desire to run the half except for the fact that it would be fun to do it with Kara. She's still really up for it and I would feel pretty bad letting her down like that.
I guess my dilemma is that I want to run the half marathon because I want to run it with Kara but I don't know that I can train at the level I need to to get to a place where finishing a half marathon in one piece over these next few weeks. Kara doesn't have any interest in going fast or have any goal time so if we dogged it and ran 10:00 pace, I'm sure she'd be just as happy as she would be if we ran 8:30's (my goal). I guess I'm just stuck on the fact that it's 13-frekkin'-miles and if running 6 miles leaves me with foot pain, what would 13.1 do? The other thing is that I tried the running-a-half-marathon-with-no-training thing. While running it got me a PR, it also floored me for several weeks with IT and quad problems. I'd like to avoid that so as to avoid yet another set back and to progress with running. I guess the bottom line is that I probably shouldn't run the Great Bay half. The problem now is how to tell Kara. Bah. I hate these situations...
What I haven't been about to get over is this pain on the outside of my right foot. The pain is a dull ache and extends from just above my ankle to my pink toe. It aches even when I walk on it. It doesn't necessarily hurt while I'm running but after words, holy @#%!.
I've done a little web research and have asked some of my friends who are versed in human anatomy and athletic injuries and it sounds like it might be peroneal tendonitis. One website said it's onset usually occurs "when the patient returns to activity after a period of time of." Hmm. Sounds a smidge like myself. I'm considering going to a doctor and/or sneaking into seeing a trainer to get a proper diagnosis but i think it's atleast safe to say I have some type of tendonitis in my foot that may be related to the pick up in training I've done. Another possibility is my new shoes. This would be odd however since I've run in the same model for years now, though it should not be ruled out.
Sick last week with a moderate cold, I took an extra day off from running which gave me 3 days in a row of no running. My foot was feeling better to walk on so I thought maybe I had nixed the tendonitis and that maybe running today wouldn't be so bad. Wrong. I just finished icing it but am wondering if it's worth it to proceed with training. If I were working towards a 5K or 10K, maybe I could take a week of rest, but because I'm planning to run the half marathon, I'm a little nervous to take that much time off since that didn't really work out for me so well last time. I don't necessarily have a tremendous desire to run the half except for the fact that it would be fun to do it with Kara. She's still really up for it and I would feel pretty bad letting her down like that.
I guess my dilemma is that I want to run the half marathon because I want to run it with Kara but I don't know that I can train at the level I need to to get to a place where finishing a half marathon in one piece over these next few weeks. Kara doesn't have any interest in going fast or have any goal time so if we dogged it and ran 10:00 pace, I'm sure she'd be just as happy as she would be if we ran 8:30's (my goal). I guess I'm just stuck on the fact that it's 13-frekkin'-miles and if running 6 miles leaves me with foot pain, what would 13.1 do? The other thing is that I tried the running-a-half-marathon-with-no-training thing. While running it got me a PR, it also floored me for several weeks with IT and quad problems. I'd like to avoid that so as to avoid yet another set back and to progress with running. I guess the bottom line is that I probably shouldn't run the Great Bay half. The problem now is how to tell Kara. Bah. I hate these situations...
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
More Bleepin' Changes
My race schedule has changed yet again. A few months ago I emailed a bunch of UNH women xc/track alums about running a team in the Reach the Beach relay. Initially there was a good amount of interest but that seemed to wane as people checked their schedules and bank accounts. This includes myself who's bank account is not exactly in the best shape right now. With RTB off the schedule, September opens up in terms of races. As I have it now, I plan to run the Fox Point Sunset 5-miler in early September (official date yet to be announced) and the Eliot Festival Day 5K on the last weekend of the month. I ran the Eliot Festival Day 5K last year and loved it; it was a great course and great atmosphere and the food spread at the end of the race was unbelievable! Needless to say I'm pretty happy I'll get to run it again this year.
I got my new runnings shoes Monday and am looking forward to taking my first run in them. That was supposed to happen today but have decided to take today off. I am incredibly sore as a result of some harder runs at the end of last week (Kara kicked my ass! -- in a good way of course though) and dodgeball. Yes, dodgeball. The first game of the new season was last night and, while it was fun, it was surprisingly (read: embarrassingly) hard on the bod. In addition to my legs, my 3rd toe on my left foot is also sore. Why? In a act of grace, I dropped the base of my blender on it. All I wanted was a milkshake and I ended up with a bruised and potentially broken toe. Fortunately it doesn't bother me when I walk since it's in the middle of the toe line and doesn't get used all that much. It should therefore be ok to run on, but I figured and extra day away from running couldn't hurt. (For the record I did still make the milkshake and it was delicious).
I got my new runnings shoes Monday and am looking forward to taking my first run in them. That was supposed to happen today but have decided to take today off. I am incredibly sore as a result of some harder runs at the end of last week (Kara kicked my ass! -- in a good way of course though) and dodgeball. Yes, dodgeball. The first game of the new season was last night and, while it was fun, it was surprisingly (read: embarrassingly) hard on the bod. In addition to my legs, my 3rd toe on my left foot is also sore. Why? In a act of grace, I dropped the base of my blender on it. All I wanted was a milkshake and I ended up with a bruised and potentially broken toe. Fortunately it doesn't bother me when I walk since it's in the middle of the toe line and doesn't get used all that much. It should therefore be ok to run on, but I figured and extra day away from running couldn't hurt. (For the record I did still make the milkshake and it was delicious).
Sunday, February 1, 2009
No Race, But Motivated
So last weeks Inauguration Day 5K didn't happen for me or Zach. The alarm went off then it was turned off and then it was 8:30--an hour before the start. Since it takes 20-30 minutes to get to Durham and there were still things to be done (walk the dog, eat breakfast, etc) we decided to nix the race. That and it was freezing outside and the bed was warm. I was a bit disappointed I guess but in a way I was relieved; Knowing the race wasn't going to be pretty awful I figured I spared myself some frustration and embarrassment.
I did do most of the running I had planned for last week though despite not having a slow 5K time to motivate me. Running this 1/2 marathon with Kara is proving to be motivating in itself, especially since I'm meeting Kara to run two days a week, one of which is today. It also didn't hurt that I was in Virginia Beach last week for a conference. On Wednesday, while NH was getting slammed with snow and freezing rain, I ran along the beach in 70-degree weather wearing a t-shirt. It was glorious.
I have updated my race calendar yet again as well as my training program. I hoping it doesn't continue to change this drastically again (i.e., that another random 1/2 marathon sneaks it's way into my race calendar). I'm also updating my shoes this week. I've had my current pair since May (yikes) and am starting to notice shin splints and foot pain which I can only associate with old shoes. I ordered my new pair a couple weeks ago (birthday gift from mom and dad) and am expecting them this week. I'm hoping the new shoes and the new running buddy are enough to get me running consistently again. They atleast can't hurt my training!
I did do most of the running I had planned for last week though despite not having a slow 5K time to motivate me. Running this 1/2 marathon with Kara is proving to be motivating in itself, especially since I'm meeting Kara to run two days a week, one of which is today. It also didn't hurt that I was in Virginia Beach last week for a conference. On Wednesday, while NH was getting slammed with snow and freezing rain, I ran along the beach in 70-degree weather wearing a t-shirt. It was glorious.
I have updated my race calendar yet again as well as my training program. I hoping it doesn't continue to change this drastically again (i.e., that another random 1/2 marathon sneaks it's way into my race calendar). I'm also updating my shoes this week. I've had my current pair since May (yikes) and am starting to notice shin splints and foot pain which I can only associate with old shoes. I ordered my new pair a couple weeks ago (birthday gift from mom and dad) and am expecting them this week. I'm hoping the new shoes and the new running buddy are enough to get me running consistently again. They atleast can't hurt my training!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Identity Crisis
I confuse myself sometimes when it comes to what I want out of running. Yesterday I had lunch with a former teammate of mine, Kara. While Kara is still a student at UNH, she is not running on the team this year. She however still runs (sort of) and, as I found out yesterday, wants to run a half marathon before she graduates in May. She then proceeded to tell me we were going to run the Great Bay 1/2 Marathon on April 5th. I liked the idea and agreed to do it. Hold the phone, you might be thinking, aren't you running like 9 miles a week right now? How do you expect to get in 1/2 marathon shape in 6 weeks? A good point. I guess I don't expect to get in good 1/2 marathon shape, but have managed to write up a little program that, if followed, I think could get me a 1/2 marathon PR. Kara and I also will be training together for this atleast 1 day a week which should encourage consistent training on my part.
The fact that I want to jump into a 1/2 marathon without much training isn't all that strange, in fact the enthusiasm required to make such a commitment can be seen as positive. The weird thing is is that same day, I was supposed to go out and run 3 miles. Three miles. What didn't I do? Run three miles. Why? I just didn't feel like running. I had been up late the previous night working on a presentation for a conference I'm going to next week and was exhausted. I also was cranky for reasons unknown but a bad mood rarely makes me want to run.
This "runner schizophrenia" has consistently been an issue for me and has consistently made me frustrated with myself. On one hand, I want to take on the world of running by challenging myself but on the other hand, I am incredibly lazy and view running almost indifferently. I would love to be one of those people who just LOVE running. One of those people who, if they don't run, their day is ruined. But I can never get to that point. Truth is, I really don't enjoy training all that much. In general, I do like the way I feel after I run in that I feel healthier but never do I just want to go on a run to run. The one thing I love is racing. I love to compete and be fast and love the atmosphere of road races. The only thing that sucks is that without training, I know I won't do well at races and, if I don't do well at races, I get super disappointed. I guess I just wish it was easier for me to get out and train and that I could find something that motivated me to do it. While trying to run fast again should do it, it doesn't. I've signed up for races thinking have something on the horizon will get me going and it doesn't. The only thing that kind of works is running races and seeing how slow I am. That and sometimes the fact that many of my clothes from even last year don't fit anymore and that the scale reads over 180 lbs when I step on it. These are usually temporary motivators though; I'll usually train solidly for a few weeks after a race or "weigh-in" and then get bored/tired/busy/stressed and take a week+ off. I just wish I could take the enthusiasm I have about challenging myself in races and apply it my training.
This weekend's the Inauguration Day 5K. I know it's going to be awful (current goal: break 26:00) but the proceeds benefit UNH Track and Field and there's free wings and beer afterwards so I predict the morning won't be so bad. My boyfriend, Zach, is running the race too and it'll be his first (but hopefully not his last) 5K which I think'll be fun. Atleast it will be for me. Hopefully it'll motivate me to train these next 6 weeks.
The fact that I want to jump into a 1/2 marathon without much training isn't all that strange, in fact the enthusiasm required to make such a commitment can be seen as positive. The weird thing is is that same day, I was supposed to go out and run 3 miles. Three miles. What didn't I do? Run three miles. Why? I just didn't feel like running. I had been up late the previous night working on a presentation for a conference I'm going to next week and was exhausted. I also was cranky for reasons unknown but a bad mood rarely makes me want to run.
This "runner schizophrenia" has consistently been an issue for me and has consistently made me frustrated with myself. On one hand, I want to take on the world of running by challenging myself but on the other hand, I am incredibly lazy and view running almost indifferently. I would love to be one of those people who just LOVE running. One of those people who, if they don't run, their day is ruined. But I can never get to that point. Truth is, I really don't enjoy training all that much. In general, I do like the way I feel after I run in that I feel healthier but never do I just want to go on a run to run. The one thing I love is racing. I love to compete and be fast and love the atmosphere of road races. The only thing that sucks is that without training, I know I won't do well at races and, if I don't do well at races, I get super disappointed. I guess I just wish it was easier for me to get out and train and that I could find something that motivated me to do it. While trying to run fast again should do it, it doesn't. I've signed up for races thinking have something on the horizon will get me going and it doesn't. The only thing that kind of works is running races and seeing how slow I am. That and sometimes the fact that many of my clothes from even last year don't fit anymore and that the scale reads over 180 lbs when I step on it. These are usually temporary motivators though; I'll usually train solidly for a few weeks after a race or "weigh-in" and then get bored/tired/busy/stressed and take a week+ off. I just wish I could take the enthusiasm I have about challenging myself in races and apply it my training.
This weekend's the Inauguration Day 5K. I know it's going to be awful (current goal: break 26:00) but the proceeds benefit UNH Track and Field and there's free wings and beer afterwards so I predict the morning won't be so bad. My boyfriend, Zach, is running the race too and it'll be his first (but hopefully not his last) 5K which I think'll be fun. Atleast it will be for me. Hopefully it'll motivate me to train these next 6 weeks.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Training for Something
I realize how silly it is of me to make a training plan for an entire year. Since my last post, I have already made changes to it and will likely make changes to those changes as the year progresses. The latest changes involve adding a fifth day of running in May to get some more mileage and to better prepare for the 200-mile 12-person relays I plan to run. This addition bumps my weekly mileage up in the summer without requiring me to run more than 5 miles on weekdays, which is good.
I have also decided I want to run a half marathon in the fall. The chosen race is the Seacoast 1/2 Marathon slotted for November 8, 2009. My original plan to stick with 5Ks this year was boring and left me with nothing to really work towards; I know I can finish a 5K but also know that I won't be running any PRs this year so there were few goals to set. On the other hand, I have only run one half marathon (The Sun 1/2 Marathon) and did it without the proper training. I'd like to drop my 'PR' from 1:59:42 (9:08/mile) to sub-1:45:00, or sub-8:00 pace. I think this is more than doable especially if I actually train for this half marathon. Another goal would be to not walk. I ended up walking a significant portion of the last 7.1 miles of the Sun half mostly because I had absolutely no endurance at the time (my longest run prior to the Sun half was one 8-miler with most of my runs between 3-6 miles). As I have it planned, I will have run several 10-milers and several weeks at 30 miles prior to the Seacoast half which'll hopefully help that problem.
In other training news, I have been doing well following my training program these first few weeks of 2009. There were even a couple days that I absolutely did not want to run but made myself. Interestingly enough, these were some of my best runs in a while. I also feel really good physically; my IT band issues that flared up after the Sun half are gone and I'm feeling strong and energized. The only quasi-lame thing is that my runs have essentially all been on the treadmill because of the conditions of the roads and sidewalks. Fortunately, I've loaded my iPod with some new running tunes that are keeping me entertained on the 'mill for now.
I have also decided I want to run a half marathon in the fall. The chosen race is the Seacoast 1/2 Marathon slotted for November 8, 2009. My original plan to stick with 5Ks this year was boring and left me with nothing to really work towards; I know I can finish a 5K but also know that I won't be running any PRs this year so there were few goals to set. On the other hand, I have only run one half marathon (The Sun 1/2 Marathon) and did it without the proper training. I'd like to drop my 'PR' from 1:59:42 (9:08/mile) to sub-1:45:00, or sub-8:00 pace. I think this is more than doable especially if I actually train for this half marathon. Another goal would be to not walk. I ended up walking a significant portion of the last 7.1 miles of the Sun half mostly because I had absolutely no endurance at the time (my longest run prior to the Sun half was one 8-miler with most of my runs between 3-6 miles). As I have it planned, I will have run several 10-milers and several weeks at 30 miles prior to the Seacoast half which'll hopefully help that problem.
In other training news, I have been doing well following my training program these first few weeks of 2009. There were even a couple days that I absolutely did not want to run but made myself. Interestingly enough, these were some of my best runs in a while. I also feel really good physically; my IT band issues that flared up after the Sun half are gone and I'm feeling strong and energized. The only quasi-lame thing is that my runs have essentially all been on the treadmill because of the conditions of the roads and sidewalks. Fortunately, I've loaded my iPod with some new running tunes that are keeping me entertained on the 'mill for now.
Monday, January 5, 2009
2009 Training Plan
I've been taking my running slowly, running 3 days a week, 2 miles a day for the past two weeks after a semi-unplanned 3 weeks away from running ('semi' since I was aware that 1) finals + holidays = little time to train and 2) holidays + several rounds of bad weather=university closure=no gym/treadmill access and 'unplanned' because I had hoped to work around all of that). These 6 mile weeks are the first two of my 2009 training program, a self-designed running schedule that runs through December 2009. My program calls for the same 6 miles this next week but will add a mile each day the following week (Jan 12-18th). I run this 9 mile week for three more weeks before adding a mile to Sunday's run (my long run day) as well as a 4th day of running (2 miles), bumping my weekly mileage to 12 miles the first full week of February. As it's written, I continue to gradually progress, to a maximum mileage of 24 miles by mid-July. I sustain this mileage until the 2009 Turkey Trot at which point I drop to what I'm calling my 'winter' mileage (15-20 miles). Throughout all of 2009, I run only 4 days a week, cross-train on 2, and take the 7th off. I don't plan to start workouts until the first full week of April, running only fartleks and tempos until mid-June when I add hills and track workouts. Dotted in the plan are races I hope/plan to run, most of which are listed in the column to the right with the exception of two adventure 12-person relays I hope to run (Spokane to Sandpoint in August 2009 and Reach the Beach in September 2009) provided the money's there to fund them.
Why I like my plan:
Why I like my plan:
- Four days a week of running - I've shown myself that I get bored and tired very quickly and think aiming for four days a week of good running with two days open for other forms of exercise is a good and perhaps more attainable goal than shooting for 5 or 6 days of straight running.
- It drops my mileage in the winter - I'll admit it, I am more of a fairweather runner. This is largely due to the fact that I have exercise-induced asthma that flares up when running in the cold, but I also just generally don't like running in the cold with a million layers on. There's also the New England factor. While it is beautiful here, the winter brings short days and frequent, debilitating storms making running outside challenging. Basically what this all means is that most of the time between December and March I'm running on a treadmill and, since I can't really stand the treadmill for more than 4 miles, lower winter mileage is inevitable.
- No more than 5 miles a day a weekdays - I'm a busy grad. student who gets paid to do her research and, while I'd like to, I really shouldn't be taking more than an hour (run+shower) out of my day to run (though apparently it's acceptable to take 9 hours to blog during the workday!).
- No more than 9 miles for a long run - Any longer and I get bored.
- No accountability - I wrote it, who's going to care if I don't do whats written?
- Super slow progression - This is actually really frustrating. Most of me feels like I should go super slow to stay injury free. However, a lot of me is also impatient and eager to get out there and knock out a good, long, hard run. Looking at my program I sometimes think I wrote it as if I have never run in my life, where in fact, I have been running for sometime.
- Low weekly mileage - While the mileage comes with the fact that, at my max, I'm running 5 miles 3 days a week and 9 miles one day a week, it's a bit frustrating to stay below 30. At 24 miles/week I don't feel as though I can really run a 10K+ well. While I enjoy 5Ks, I like the idea of getting good at the 10K. I also would like to take on another half marathon and try to run it well, though that would mean stepping up the long run, which is not likely to happen this year. And that marathon I talked about earlier? Definitely not going to happen on this plan (which is probably for the better).
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