The Death of Sixpack Chopra

It's with a heavy heart that I am finally confessing the death of Sixpack Chopra. You all know that I was in training and really enjoying my Five Fingers shoes. I still love them. However, genetics have struck a fatal blow.
  What you don't know about the story is that I started having hip pain last summer. My right hip made it very difficult for me to do my job. Interestingly, if I went for a run, working was easier. So, I kept training and finally went to see a doctor when I could afford health insurance. That was in late November. X-rays were done and a diagnosis was made.
  The news? Degenerative Joint Disease (read Arthritis) beyond my age group in the right hip and DJD in the left hip. Yep, kids, at the age of 40, I'm already well aware that a hip replacement will likely be necessary in about 20 years, if not sooner.
  We are currently working on treatments, and I will be getting a cortizone shot next week. Yes, I know they operate on a principal of diminishing returns. If the shot works we try a new shot (Synvisc) that my mother has had much success with. Yes, my mother and I will have the same arthritis medication. I got kicked in the ass by genetics. I'm also in Physical Therapy, yet again. It's offering some pain relief, but not quite enough.
 The short version of the story is that at the beginning of training for the Madison Marathon, I was told I shouldn't run. Basically, I can run, but it's not going to help me out when I'm 70. So, I need to find another outlet. Bicycle, swimming, whatever, but I can't put my joints through that kind of strain anymore.
  This has been really tough to deal with. I'm not going to lie. I can't put into words what it's like to know that I should never run again. No more 20 milers over the Golden Gate Bridge, no more smack talk about Pooperella and Dr. Deetschei! I was really looking forward to this next race, and actually had 3 on the books for the next 12 months.
  So, with moist eyes and a sore hip, I bid you all farewell.

Peace and Beers to you all.

I Hate Colds

So, I was doing really well running. 5 straight weeks with few missed days. Then I got a cold last week. It's been a minor deal, and if I were working less, I probably would have kept running, but given my late nights I felt it was best to get some rest over the last week, which I have. The cold never progressed beyond an annoyance and hopefully won't.
I really do hope to get back on the road tomorrow and continue working toward my 5K. And there's a race next week here in Madison. It might be my first race in the Five Fingers. I have to decide whether or not to do the race, but I don't really see any reason not to.
That's all really. Just wanted to share that I've been waylayed by a cold. Something that doesn't usually happen to me. I'm not a get a cold kind of guy, but then there's a lot of germ sharing at work. I'll just have to be more careful.

Carry on Drunkrunners, Drink on!

Has Anyone Seen My Saddle?

So, here's where I'm at. I'm trying to get he mojo and motivation back up, and would like to run the Madison Marathon again next spring. The problem is that I've got a lot on my plate. I work about 40 hours per week, sometimes only 32, but those weeks seem harder to come by. In addition I try to put in about 10-15 hours per week working on my dissertation. Add it all up, and by the time I spend some quality time with the hubby, I feel like there isn't much time for running. To further complicate matters, my body isn't the type that can get up early to go for my runs. 1) I need 8 hours of sleep minimum. 2) I need at least one hour between wake-up and run start, or I'm too stiff to make the run worth my while. Oh, and I work on my feet. Yeah, I know, it's a lot of excuses.

  So, what I'm trying to do is to go running in the morning, but I may end up going in the evenings after work, once winter gets here and I can get out of work before 11 p.m.

Aside from all of this, I have re-started my running program. I'm starting with a couch to 5K program. I actually found the couch to 10-K to be too strenuous once it reached week 4, there wasn't any recovery time built in to make up for the longer runs. And that's that. I'll work up to the 5K, and then I'll find a running program somewhere to get me the next step and then the next and then the next. I've 5 months to get in shape before I need to start a 16 week training program, and it may be possible.

Yeah, Yeah, I know I've made brave and proud marathon proclamations before. Perhaps that is why this one is more reserved. I haven't "run" a marathon since 2009, and I'm out of shape. I'd like to do better on this one, than on the last one. So, I need to head into the race injury free.

By the way, this will all be done in a pair of Vibram Five-Fingers. I've been running in them exclusively for the last few months, and they are awesome. No knee pains, no leg pains, no back pains. Just a little tenderness on the foot itself, which should go away as I break my feet in to the work they have before them.

Week 3 Day 1

Holy christ is it hot out there today!!!!! At the moment it's 87, but "feels like 91". Obviously that person is not running. :-)

So week 3 seemed like a steep jump in distance. Running 1:30 and walking 4:00 minutes - ten times. Ended up running over 4 miles, and, let me tell you, my calves feel it. They feel great, but they will be sore tomorrow.

That's going to be the largest hurdle for me long term with the Five Fingers. It's a killer calf workout. Don't get me wrong. My calves look even more amazing than they used to! The calf, however, is a slow muscle to develop, so it will take some time. I'm thankful to have a standing job so that my muscles stay loose during work and I actually seem to be gaining recovery time through this.

By the way, I just need to let you all know how excited I am to be back on the trails again. It's been a year, and I had forgotten how much I missed it.

Week 2

So, I'm in week two of my training and it's going great!!!! I've decided to do the Couch to 10K. First, because I enjoy longer runs. Second, because I'm switching entirely to the Five Fingers. It's going to be a long road ahead, as this is a 14 week program. However, it's slow and at a pace that will help me get used to the shoes while also getting back in to running.

I'm headed out at noon today for week 2 run 2, which involves a 5 minute warm-up and then running 1 minute walking 4 minutes (8 times). It seems easy on paper, but those last two runs usually kick my proverbial ass. Sunday is the same work out.

So far so good. My calves hurt quite a bit. More than I remember them hurting during build ups, which I attribute to the shoes. They are training me to use my calves as the shock absorbers they were designed to be. Otherwise my body feels pretty good.

Me too

I was thinking the same thing and was wondering if anyone was still running and just not sharing the good news!

Are there any runners still out there?

I'm trying to get back on the road again. Anyone still listening? Any DrunkRunners still hittin' the pavement?