#130 Stubborn Love

Six days. 

I haven't run in six days. 

It's a different kind of streak and not one I'm at all happy with. It's now the longest consecutive period of time that I haven't run in the past two and a half years*! Tendinitis in early January and the Boston Marathon in 2013. Road2Hope Hamilton in 2012. All meant taking five days off running. Five days. Never six!

And given the persistent pain and noticeable limp in my right leg right now, it's a streak that could continue for some time.

"But I still love her, I don't really care"

What's going on? 

Unfortunately, I'm not really sure. What started as a hip flexor strain, minor and manageable, has become an all-encompassing hip/groin (and the whole right leg really) issue. It's quite literally a pain in my ass! And sure, I probably should not have kept running these past few weeks. Rather, I should have sought treatment much sooner and taken some time off. We runners are just so damn stubborn. Stupid even! 

"I can't be told, ah, ah, it can't be done"

So what?

Running is part of who I am. It's what I love to do. A day just isn't a day without a few easy miles on the MGT or a hard workout with the Lungs. It's about so much more than speed or fitness, competition or performance. It's about health and happiness, meaning and well-being, identity and belonging. And so, it's no wonder that I'm now feeling incredibly nervous, anxious, and excitable (irritable is probably the better word) without running. We really don't appreciate how much we need it until it's gone. Some call it an addiction. Right now, I tend to agree.

"It's better to feel pain, than nothing at all"

What now?

Be assured, I am well aware that a running injury is relatively minor and not really a 'big deal'. Alas, the world ("my" world even) will not end!

STWM is now less than 11 weeks away. My goal is to PB. To run fast. To run hard. To represent the Lungs. To raise some money for Alzheimer's. To enjoy the experience. And also, to win beer. To do so, I'd like to be running some 100 miles a week in preparation, including 32K long runs and long interval speed sessions. Instead, I'm stuck spinning on a stationary bike for 40 minutes at a time (because that's all I can't handle). I'm also stretching and squatting. Massaging and manipulating. Rolling, advil-ing and icing. Seemingly, to no avail. Pre-hab is looking pretty good right now. Rehab, not so much.

I could call it quits. I could bail on my goals and the race altogether. I could take the easy way out and enjoy the time off. Tell myself I need (deserve?) a break. But why? How? There's still so much time. 73 days. Time to rest, reassess, recover and regain. I'm not giving up. I'm just taking a different road. The road less traveled (and less run) it would seem.

Right now, I'll take it day by day. Later, week by week. If I don't run at all for a few weeks, that shouldn't be a problem. If I can make it to September feeling good again, I'm convinced I'll still have a shot. My next races are set to be the B&O Yorkville 5K in early September and the Army Run (Half) in Ottawa later that month. If I can maintain my fitness (spinning til I'm spun out) and recover from the injury, I'm sure I can still run a respectable marathon.

Yes, I may need to modify my goals. I will definitely need to modify my plan. But I won't quit. Not now. Not yet. There's still time. There's always hope. And there's a whole lot I can still accomplish.

"And I don't blame you dear for running like you did all these years"

We runners are so constantly looking forward. Setting new goals. Training for the next race. Rarely do we look back and reflect on how far we've come. What we've done. Instead of stressing about what we haven't yet done or possibly can't do, we should take the time to appreciate what we've been able to accomplish and the small successes along the way. Every step and every run is an important part of the journey. It all counts. 

"Keep your head up, keep your love"

*Consistency is said to be key for distance running success. Dating back to Jan 1st, 2012, a span of 2.5 years (30 months), I have run just over 16,100K (10,000+M). In that time, I have taken (only) 75 days off running. That, I call consistency.

#94 Fixing a Hole

Just a quick update to assure everyone that after having been sidelined with injury and unable to run, I haven't gotten depressed, gone crazy or done anything stupid like take up swimming for a triathlon.

In fact, I'd almost admit to enjoying the multiple cross-training sessions I've done which have included either sweating profusely on the stationary bike (to the point of nearly passing out from dehydration) or sweating profusely on the elliptical trainer (to the point that my upper body was painful to the touch... I have a seriously weak torso). I repeated these activities for five full days and even began to look forward to the next session. It was indeed quite nice to be indoors, just a few seconds from home, and in a warm and windless enclosure free from the cold and cruel crutches of Mother Nature in January. In summary, it didn't suck!

Nevertheless, I was sad to miss the BLT workout on Thursday at Monarch Park and the first 30+k long run of the cycle on Sunday. I yearned for the times when running came easily and painlessly as part of my everyday schedule. My foot seemed to be feeling better each day but I was still uncertain as to what lie ahead. So, wanting to better understand my predicament and plan my course of recovery, I got an appointment to see a sports physician at the sports medicine clinic at U of T on Monday afternoon and was hoping for some good news.

After taking my history and a physical examination of the injury, I was entirely relieved to hear the doctor doubt it was a fracture. In fact, she didn't think it was bone at all. Rather, she suggested it was tendinitis (aka tendinopathy), which is the inflammation and swelling of connective tissue which connects muscle to bone. In this case, it was tendinitis of the extensor muscle that is responsible for lifting the big toe. This diagnosis (extensor tendinitis) explains the dorsal foot pain, made worse while walking, and has a far less fearful (and much faster) prognosis than any fracture. For that I was overjoyed. As suspected, the injury likely stemmed from my recent introduction of a shoe (Kinvara 3) with less forefoot support combined with the icy/slippery conditions as well as an ill-timed hill workout (last Monday). Treatment would involve RICE, ibuprofen and strengthening exercises. Just before I left, I anxiously asked the doctor whether I could/should run and she said that it was fine as long as the pain was minimal and wasn't affecting my running form/stride. Again, I was excited.

That very evening, I hesitantly went to my buildings godawful gym to test out the treadmill. I made it to 5k feeling fine but began to experience pain at 7 so called it quits at 8. It was a descent start. The next day I did 10k, again on the treadmill, and felt okay the entire time. I planned to try a second run in the evening but opted out, not wanting to push my luck too far. Today, I did a full 10 miles and felt good which makes me think I am ready to return to regular training. Tomorrow is another Thursday speed workout at Monarch Park with the BLT crew so I'll take it one interval at a time and am prepared to back off if the intensity is too much.

For now I am thrilled to be running again and am doing everything possible to stay healthy. There are now two and a half weeks until the Robbie Burns 8k on Sun 27 Jan and I plan to take it 'easy' until then and focus on remaining injury free. Full and proper Boston Marathon prep will commence with 12 weeks to go.

#35: Golden Slumbers

Post-marathon Post

It's now been more than two weeks since running the Scotiabank Marathon and while I initially was eager to get back into the thick of things for fear of losing fitness, I have thoroughly enjoyed the down-time with the added rest and relaxation (well sorta). I irrationally wanted to run on the Monday and Tuesday post race, but knew my mind was winning the battle with my beaten down body. I was able to hold off the urge but went into Wednesday knowing that I would again test my legs and I was ripe with anticipation. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a terrible evening with cold rain and winds so the fact that we were only doing about 10k actually came as a relief. Despite feeling some knee pain for the first time just before heading out on the run, it went smoothly and comfortably, but clearly I was still in need of further recovery. Thursday and Friday came and went without running and I only forced myself to run for 30 or so minutes before refereeing an afternoon of intramural soccer games at U of T on Saturday. I couldn't be bothered to get up and out Sunday morning (partly due to fully enjoying a Saturday night for the first time in months!), but did end up enjoying a long slow run in the late afternoon totalling about 16k. That put my mileage, first week after Scotia, at 32k.

The second week was similarly conservative with runs on Tuesday (a beautiful 13k run through the hills around Angus Glen); Wednesday (yet but another wet and cold one on the Lakeshore in which I foolishly tried some tempo (4:00/k) for about 15min and again my knee pain flared up and forced me to slow down; 14k total); Friday (the beer mile; it doesn't really count!); Saturday (8k easy) and then Sunday, in which I was feeling my legs again and did 12k of tempo at around 3:50/k as part of a 18k 'long' run. That put my second week at about 55k.

So the beer mile. An event we've been trying to get done for the better part of 6 months. It happened at Riverdale Park at 5:30 since we were losing daylight. It almost didn't happen when I purchased a case of Pabst Blue Ribbon only to discover a few minutes later that it was only 4.9% (the beer mile must be done using a minimum of 5% alcohol beer). We headed back to the beer store and grabbed some Bud instead and then rushed to the track hoping not to be too late. Most of the guys and gals I knew from Longboat, but there were also a handful of others who knew Johanna (the unofficial organizer). We warmed up with a few easy laps and I tried to pysch myself up for the task at hand. I used to think that the mile alone was tough. At quarter to 6, we (about 15 participants) gathered at the starting line and received our final instructions. Then, on the count of three, it began… The first step is to down a can of beer (at least 355ml). The first one went down fairly easy. The second one with some slight difficulty. It was the third one that caused problems. The alcohol was settling in fast (having not eaten since noon) and I am not a good drinker to begin with (I'm all about endurance NOT speed). I think I tried to make myself vomit at one point but couldn't do it. Finally I forced it down and headed out on my penultimate lap. I don't really remember much about the actual running of the mile since it's not very fast and your mind is firmly on the drinking aspect of the event. When I made it back to the transition (drinking) zone, I knew that this last beer would not go down easy, so I simply tried to take small sips in order not to vomit and thus not have to run an extra lap. I'll admit that I definitely spit up some pretty frothy stuff during my third beer so probably should have been penalized with an extra lap or DQ'ed outright had there been more race officials or had I maintained my integrity (the alcohol wiped that clear). I certainly didn't set any records on the day so I guess it really doesn't matter in the end (others might disagree). The final beer eventually was consumed and I was thinking I'd try to run the last lap hard. It didn't happen; I was drunk! My finishing time was 11min something, so pretty much no significance. This is the one running event where just finishing actually means something (and yes, I am now indicating that merely finishing a marathon means absolutely nothing...anyone can do it!). Of particular significance and worthy of mention was the spectacular performance of one Melinda Campbell who finished fourth overall and beat me by well over a minute. She's quite a catch. Wesley (who is as Irish as they come) finished first in a time of 7:10 and Doyle not too far behind in 7:50. Fair play to all participants; this event is among the hardest I've ever experienced. The fun didn't end there on the track; that was merely the beginning. We eventually made our way back to Casa Byrne Campbell (the CBC; which seems to be throwing weekly and wonderful parties) for some post-drinking drinking, and finally to a bar (whose name now eludes me) for even more drinking. Yup, post-marathon recovery is definitely rough!

I was only slightly hung-over the next morning when I had to referee a 10am intramural game but luckily it was defaulted so I took a short nap instead. The rest of the weekend went by in a blur that saw some crazy Halloween costumes (not from me), fine dining and re-invigorated running. On Monday, Halloween, we carved a pumpkin and I ate plenty of candy!

Now it's Tuesday and this weekend is set to showcase a number of Hamilton races as well as the Angus Glen Half which some close Longboater's are also doing and gunning for PB's. I have volunteered (ie committed) to pace the half in 1:30 (4:15/k) which will be a struggle to stay on pace what with the generous downhill located from 5 until 10k (holding back will be the biggest challenge). I am also extremely tempted to 'race' the 10k on Saturday as I am again feeling fit and fresh but would likely not be able to muster anything spectacular and may well end up compromising my ability to do the Half the next day. I'm hoping that some friends, with much more sense and experience than myself, can talk me out of it. Canadian running sensation, Reid Coolsaet, is planning to also run the 10k and had indicated that he will do it in a cool and controlled 40min (a literal walk in (Confederation) Park for him) so it would be awesome to say that I could beat him in a race.

Needless to say, the past two weeks post-marathon have been interesting. With no need (or desire) to run nearly as much mileage, there was plenty of extra time and energy for other things, which had sadly been ignored for far too long. There is already talk and excitement of the upcoming training cycle which won't begin until mid-January but will require a solid base building/maintenance phase, and this is enough to temper my temptation to run fast again this year. Next year will be a good one in terms of running (key races include the Robbie Burns 8k, the Chili Half, ATB and a Spring marathon TBD) so it is now more important than ever, to enjoy these "down" weeks and take care of the body (and the mind) so it's ready when it all starts up again (A continuation of commitment or return to relapse?!).