Over the river, through the woods, over the hill and another hill and another hill...

So, as I recently discovered, there is a reason why they call our area "Hillandale." Compared to the swampland that was the L.J., our new home is full of small hills and some steady, gradual inclines. I won't even pretend that it can compete with Sixpack's Twin Peaks run, because it simply can't. Some days I really miss the flat, mindless run through the old neighborhood; other days I enjoy the new challenge and the fact that this kind of running forces different muscles to work. The other big challenge created by our recent move is finding a long enough route (that doesn't loop 10 times) that navigates between questionable and less questionable streets and neighborhoods. I joked with Ginifer when she gave me my Garmin that I wish it had a feature with police updates or could tell you "Crack head in .10 miles. To avoid, turn left now." (Clearly I shouldn't have watched so many episodes of The Wire before moving here.) But seriously, we found a really great area that has tons of regional parks with paved and unpaved trails. In many regards it feels a lot like the Bay Area and runs along Wildcat Canyon or Nimitz Trail.

I have been running 3 to 4 mi. runs every few days. My times are good - given the fact that I am becoming reacquainted with hills - I love the fact that uphills almost always mean speedy downhills! Nothing really noteworthy to share. I need to find some local races to get me back into the competitive mode. I'll find a few things that will help me focus and give me a goal.

That is the update from here. Let's hear from the rest of you DrunkRunners! Runs only When Chased - post about your 5k and how your training has progressed. Sixpack, any runs across Portland? Wisconsin? Forest, how are you surviving with Sixpack constantly giving you a hard time? Deetschei, keep us posted on the joys of running without a watch - I am intrigued.

16 weeks to Dublin (training again)

First off:

Dr. P.P.: Those are some great pictures of B2B. It looks vaguely fantastic, in that wonderful sort of way. Although you have heard many congratulations from me behind the scenes, let me formally congratulate you on your smoking marathon result and remind you that my only living goal left is to beat your time by exactly one hour. (Just some context: I told the good Dr. that I wanted her to beat my marathon time because I knew her competitive nature would help push her forward over the last miles. And now, my own competitiveness is well served with an attempt to beat her time. Our relationship is predictable that way. :) )

Forest: Welcome Back! Don’t sweat your marathon time in Madison, I believe you currently have the current fastest marathon record in the group. You don’t have anything to prove. ☺

I have been running regularly since my half-marathon in January, but I haven’t been posting. It is my bad. This Spring I had a fantastic amount of written work due, and quite frankly I didn’t want to risk using up all of my good words on the blog and leaving myself empty for publications. I have similar philosophies about going to the driving range before a round of golf: I know I only have so many good shots in my body, and I don’t want to risk wasting them before the game even begins. So, just know there was plenty of running, but I simply didn’t feel like talking about it.

Know what else I didn’t do? Time it. The battery on my Nike+ died a few months ago, and I have been running completely commando in the watch department. It was refreshing to not worry about anything while logging my requisite 20 or so a week. If I only managed fifteen, or even thirteen miles a week, I didn’t sweat that either. In fact, I had two decent lay offs of about ten days that occurred when I twisted my ankle in London and then slit my foot open on a rusty pipe in Mauritius. The latter left a very lovely scar that I have begun to tell people was received during an emergency foot transplant. Starting now.

Speaking of Mauritius, I have finally run in the southern hemisphere in spite of the obvious risks of falling off the bottom of the earth. It was heavenly. We were limited by lack of sidewalks and we always had to run in pairs because of gangs of wild dogs (no lie), but the fresh air and the scenery were exquisite. I wanted to eat the whole island as I hustled up and down the same hill near our house. I wish I was officially training for a marathon then, so I could mark off another country in which I have run whilst training, but its cool. I’ll keep Mauritius in my heart nonetheless.

So I think I have established that Spring was a big grey area of aimless running. Summer and fall will be exactly like that, but only the total opposite. I have just started a 16 week plan for the Dublin marathon that promises to completely rock. I am a little reticent about it because it only has three runs per week, and I just don’t believe these plans have enough run days in them. Also, I know…I mean I KNOW, that nobody ever does the required cross training on the “off days” that makes these plans work. So I reserve the right to switch running plans halfway through to something else…but so far, I’m still pretty psyched. It has the tempo and speedwork I need to bring my time down, plus three savory 20 milers. I look forward to the tears.

Even though I am running with a new plan, my big focus this time around will be nutrition. I am not satisfied that I can repeatedly log sub 1:50 half marathons, complete 20 milers in under 3:10, and then show up for the marathon and only walk off with 4:52. It simply does not add up. And the more I flash back to my last marathon, the more I am convinced that the noon start, coupled with my only eating a small bowl of pasta four hours previous, conspired to my Bonking at 17 miles. In fact, I got in touch with a physical trainer a few months ago who advised me before I started training that I should run real slow in order to train my body to gain fuel from fat more efficiently, and to eat more. Lots more. So I said to myself, “Listen to THAT guy”. And I did. And I do. And I will. Food is going to be the fun part of this marathon. There is going to be a lot of it, and I sincerely hope that I put on a few pounds of blubber over the next couple of months, so that when I hit twenty miles my body just starts devouring itself like Pizza the Hut in Spaceballs. That’s when I know I will succeed.

Regular posts to come. I swear.

Bay To Breakers (aka DrunkRunners Fest) 2008

Thank you, Sixpack, for sounding the call to all Drunk Runners. I admit that I have been very remiss in posting since my marathon. Initially there was nothing to report as I was sidelined by that ever-so-annoying Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome Hoopla.

A report from Bay to Breakers is long overdue. Due to various factors: Sixpack was practically on his deathbed (despite the copious amount of alcohol we poured down his throat in an attempt to kill whatever was making him sick), my shins and ankle were still causing me a lot of pain, the copious amount of alcohol consumed across the Bay Area the day/night prior to the race, etc.... we ended up walking the race and taking in all the sights, sounds, and liquids we came across along the way to the finish line.

First there were drinks at Vesuvio in North Beach (sadly, no pics).

Then multiple Irish Coffees at the legendary Buena Vista.

Next was Jupiter, where we sat and drank beer for at least 5 hours - there might have been some pizza and live reggae in there somewhere, but I mostly remember beer:

After that it was off to our dearest haunt, Zeitgeist (again, no pics). If memory serves me correctly, we headed back to Sixpack's place at around 1:30 am and more drinks were consumed. Only Ginifer seemed fit enough the next morning to run the race; however, out of a strong sense of DrunkRunner loyalty, we all ended up walking it together. To be fair there was a bit of running at appropriate moments - at the start of the race, up the last few blocks of Hayes Street (how I hate you, Hayes Street!), during photo ops, and a mad dash toward the finish line.Lest you think us total weenies, we did consume Jello shots before 10am!

And stopped by the beer tent, post race, for refreshments after our arduous effort!

While I have opted not to post pictures of every naked person we saw, I leave that in Sixpack's capable hands, I will share these pics with you. There is something to be said for walking B2B - you certainly get to see a lot more of the colorful side of the event.

The start of the race - flying tortillas, marshmallows, and beach balls. Note the tons of yellow signs telling us we were sinners and going to hell.

A group who were apparently big fans of "Deadliest Catch"

My Peeps (This one was for Chantelle)

Vikings

My favorite: Salmon swimming upstream

My arch nemesis: Hayes Street

Who doesn't want to save the TaTas?

Seriously, did anyone actually think there wouldn't be a group of Elvises at this race?

Don's lesser known, but feistier twin

Well, it was a long 7.46 miles, but we finished and looked damn fine in our skirts - Note: Sixpack got more shout-outs from fellow skirt runners than the sistas, which was most likely due to the fact that he has the better legs!

Forest who???

I'd like to start this re introduction by congratulating  Dr. PP on her marathon, that was an awesome time you clocked. It truly is the best feeling in the world when you cross that line, sorry it took so long but GREAT JOB!!

One other thing I need to point out right off the bat, I was feeling good in the beginning of the marathon and could have definitely went out in front but CHOSE TO STAY WITH THE CLAN. After Six Pack stretched his legs I chose to stay back and make sure Kojak crossed that line before they stopped recording times.

I think I should have ran my race, cause I ended up with IT band syndrome. I you all noticing a pattern here, all I ever do is get on here and complain of injuries. Why do we do this people why. Sybil and I are not speaking at the moment, for once I won and have taken the last month off. Things are starting to settle down and I think I'm going to try running this weekend and see what happens. This time around I'm going to come back slow. I'll build a good base work my core and do weight training and see if I can kick this injury crap. I have scheduled a half marathon for Sept. I'll see how that goes and how the body feels, I may try to do Jacksonville in Feb and carry that through to Madison again. Well folks HAPPY RUNNING hope to see you in the funny papers.

Forest F. Gump

Are We Still Runners?

I keep checking back here to see how everyone is doing and no one is posting. Are we still out there? We are 15 strong. I hope you are all running.

I will be running again soon. I've taken some time following the marathon to try to rest my ankle. The PT refers to it as shin splints, and I need to make sure it heals. In the meantime, I'm two weeks away from beginning training for Dublin. I'm still considering Berlin, but will have to cross that bridge when I get there.

In the meantime, let's hear some noise, People!

Marathons, Brasts, Tattoos

It was a day like any other day, except that on this day we were to run another marathon. It would be Kojac’s first, Forest’s second, and Sixpack’s third. None were in very good shape. Forest had had shoulder surgery during training. Kojac had had the usual ups and downs of training for the first race. Sixpack had been sick for weeks and had only logged 5 miles since his 20-mile training run.

  All knew they would cross the finish line, because they were all McClard’s and therefore stubborn as mules. Add a little German, a little Swede, and a lot of Scot together and you start to get the idea.  It was going to be a great day. So as the sun rose over Madison Wisconsin and our motley crew made their way to the starting line, spirits were very high.

The plan: A run-walk marathon that involved running four minutes and walking one. The first 8 miles were relatively uneventful. There was lots of chatter, lots of shit talking and a little bit of stretching. In this 8 miles the governor’s mansion, Malcolm Shabazz High School, and Willy Street were all observed and celebrated (not in that order).

  At mile 9 I’m afraid it was time for Sixpack to find the beat of his own drummer. I wasn’t feeling awesome, but I was starting to feel a little crampy and not well served by the running/walking pace that was being observed. So, with the permission of the other DrunkRunners I went ahead of the group, and remained there for the duration of the marathon. I crossed the 13-mile marker a full 5 minutes in front of Forest and Kojac, and the 18 mile marker about 15 minutes before them.

  Yes, I was in front, but this does not mean that my marathon was a vision of perfection. I remained crampy for the rest of the race and even wondered, while climbing the hill at mile 18, whether I would be able to re-hydrate enough to keep going. It turns out I could. I finished the race in 5:15:03 (give or take a few seconds).

  The highlights of the day were

1. running the first 1/3 with Forest and Kojac. I do wish I could have stayed with them, but most of you know how it is. There are more injuries from running too slow than from running too fast.
2. My fabulous shirt was another highlight. (Pictured below). As I would run past people would encourage me that Brats was the better option, or “Only 22 miles to Bratfest.” or at mile 23, everyone at the water station began chanting “Brats, Brats, Brats” in unison. It was like running with my own cheering section everywhere I went. Simply awesome!!!!!

1. Tattoo party with Forest.  After the race Forest and I went to get tattooed. Now, I wouldn’t normally recommend a tattoo after running 26.2 miles, but there isn’t much—besides a beer—that I WOULD recommend under those circumstances. Forest’s tattoo is an awesome design with the state capitol dome and a banner reading 26.2 underneath. The artist did a fantastic job! Mine was an addition to my existing dolphin tattoo-Before and after pictures below. Again, I have to say, I think he did a fantastic job.

1. Beer, beer, and more beer.  After the race we all went to Mom & Dad’s for “brats”* and beer. It was a wonderful way to finish out the day. Simply amazing.
2. Dying for some relaxation I took a bath in mom and dad’s jacuzzi tub. The most unfortunate part of which was having to cut it short in fear of falling asleep and drowning. It was so comfortable and relaxing I hoped I would never have to leave.
3. I KICKED FOREST'S ASS SO BAD HE TOOK SECOND TO LAST IN OUR AGE GROUP!!! - Love ya, bro.

* To clarify for those in the know. What we were initially told were Brats, were actually chorizo and Italian sausages. It seems that in the past few years, as Johnsonville has expanded their product line, the word “bratwurst” has come to mean any coarsely ground sausage roughly six inches in length. I don’t understand it either. However, I’m sure you can imagine our surprise when we were served “Mexican and Italian Brats.”  Next year I suspect we will be eating Irish Quesadillas, Guatemalan Moo Goo Gai Pan. You never know.

Please Do Not Attempt This At Home!

This post will detail how one should not train for a marathon. I've got some experience in this department, although, by the numbers, I'm the most seasoned veteran of the group.

1) Do not try to pile on too many miles too fast.

I'm convinced this is what happened with my ankle, and it qualifies as injury #1. With a rather sedate winter (flues, Christmas, Semester start, etc.) I believe I piled too many miles on too fast, and just stressed the heck out of my ankle.

2) Be careful with your ankle brace or you could develop a rash over your entire body.

Yes, it was on my feet, my left ankle--the one with the brace--the right ankle, my hands, my elbows, and who knows where else. No one knew what it was, but they gave me some steroid cream and sent me on my way.

2) When you injure your ankle give it rest, but please try to not catch a cold.

3 weeks ago, I set the shoes aside to allow my ankle to heal, and to give the rash a little time out of the brace. At the end of the this week, just when I thought I was going to be getting back on the road, I came down with a cold. That was 11 days ago. A ton of Nyquil, Dayquil, and whatever other Quil I could buy on a street corner to make it through the day, and I was starting to feel better.

3) Saturday last, day 8 of the cold, my behind started to hurt. I'll spare you the details, but somewhere between the massive dehydration brought on by the drugs, and a diet that is not so fiber friendly, I ended up in the doctors office on Monday and was sent home limping.

4) Sunday, just when the cold was ending, I came down with the flu. Fever, chills, congestion and three days on the couch. I'm now feeling better, but not sure when the congestion is going to clear entirely.

This all means that I have not run in almost a month. Dr. PP will be here with Ginifer this weekend, and we will most likely drink the Bay to Breakers, I don't have much hopes that I'll be able to run before then.

Which brings me to the marathon training. After all of this, I am still registered for, have raised money for, and bought a plane ticket for a trip to Madison for the Bratfest Marathon (my name, not theirs.). I will still be doing the marathon, even if I walk most of it and don't finish. I'm looking this week and next at Run-Walk programs--You know, run 4 minutes, walk 1--to see if I might be able to stretch what fitness I have at least into a finishing time and a medal. I knew I shouldn't have gotten all cocky and hung up my medals two weeks ago. Now they stare down at me in disdain as I write this. They know they are the true medals, the ones where I went in to the race at least half way trained and ready to finish.

 Next week, I just hope to not kill myself while still crossing the finish line. I'm working on an extra long race mix for my iPod.

Wish me luck. Oh, and I promise to post Bay to Breakers pictures, including me in the sassy running dress.

Put that horse down

That's how I've been feeling lately. I decided to take a week off to offer time for my rash to heal and for my ankle to recover a bit. Then this weekend I was struck with a wicked cold/allergies (it's so hard to tell the difference).

  It is now 2.5 weeks to the marathon and I haven't run in just as long. I'm a little concerned, but knowing the first 20 is under my belt, I'm confident I will be in good shape. If only I can get some running in this week.

"Well, When I Ran MY Marathon...."

Warning: This is a loooooong post. As I am not likely to EVER run a marathon again (although never say never), I fully intend to milk this post for all it is worth!

As you know from last week's post, I was skeptical that I would be able to run or even finish last Sunday's OKC Memorial Marathon. Busting my big toe open on the front steps of my dad's house within 20 minutes of arriving caused me to question whether I was subconsciously sabotaging myself. After much gushing of blood, application of Neosporin, and pushing the flap of skin back down, things seemed to be under control.

GROSS! This picture doesn't really do the nastiness of this injury justice, but I thought I would share it anyway.

The next day the entire gang went to the Expo to pick up running bibs, to activate chips, and to pick up complimentary t-shirts. Ooooh, I also discovered this thimble-sized container of Body Glide, at Fleet Feet, which I promptly purchased but ended up not needing.

Better safe than sorry when it comes to chafing!

That evening the sistas, Ginifer and Runs Only When Chased, and family gathered for mounds o' pasta and lots of hydration. I admit, I had a sip, literally a sip, of wine with dinner. Runs Only When Chased decided to show off the Fuel Belt she had received for her birthday last month:

Who knew hydration could be so sassy?

Needless to say, the evening ran long which meant late bedtime for Dr. Pavement Pounder and her crew. I'd say that between going to bed late and the excitement and anticipation about the race, I probably got about 2 real hours of sleep before the alarm went off at 4 A.M.!!!! Does anyone know of a marathon that starts around 4pm? I am not so much the morning person... However, the adrenaline kicked in and I was in unusually high spirits. After oatmeal, a cup of coffee, my anti-inflammatory, and a glass of water, I was feeling on top of the world. I even had time for interpretative poses of what I anticipated pre and post-marathon Dr. PP to look like:

Ready to kick some marathon ass!

Anticipating the physical wreck that would be Dr. PP after the race.

I know, I know. Get to the actual race already, right? Okay.

The weather for the start of the race totally sucked: 48 degrees, raining, and a wind chill in the 30s. However, by mile 20, the sun had started to come out and things had warmed up mildly, or at least it felt that way. I'll take cold weather over hot weather any day of the week for running. It wasn't until I made a stop at the Port-o-Potty around mile 8.5 and had a hard time closing the door that I realized my hands were numb.

Speaking of Port-o-Potty's (although not really), no one mentioned how difficult it is to catch back up with your pace group after a bathroom break! Yikes! I had decided to stick as close to my pace leader, Paul, as possible, which was made easier by the fact that the poor man was forced to carry a stick with yellow balloons tied to it for the entire 26.2 miles. What a saint! Upon exiting the Port-o-Potty, I really wished I had stuck with my speedwork. After 1.5 miles uphill at a fast clip (well, fast clip for me), I managed to catch back up with the group. Never underestimate the psychological factor a pace group can play. I kept telling myself that as long as I was either ahead of my pace group or had the balloons in sight, I was gonna make it to the end. Of course, my mistake came when I spent a good 8 miles ahead of my pace group, during which time I had teamed up with a woman named Cami who had also run ahead of the same pace group - only to be passed and left in the dust by the pace leader at around mile 20. Cami and I had a nice chat until I could tell that she clearly had more fuel in her tank and I wished her well and sent her on her way.

Oh, did I forget to mention that Oklahoma, "where the wind comes sweepin' down the plains," is actually quite hilly, unlike the flat swampland that is the L.J.? You would think that after 18 years of growing up in Oklahoma this thought might have registered with me prior to the race... Well, it was made all too clear, especially when forced to run over highway overpasses!!! You can check out the elevation chart here. This was excellent training for B2B. Hayes Street, I'm comin' for ya!!!!

Since I ran the final 6.2 mi. alone - I dispute the course's claim to only be 26.2, since my GPS Garmin watch posted my total distance as 26.47 - which, by the way, gave me a waaay better pace ;) - I tried to mimic Deetschei's technique of dedicated miles to people. This, however, failed because all I could do was think about how Deetschei had done this. Instead, a catchy, inspirational German song, appropriately titled "This is for everyone" popped into my head. I was kept preoccupied by trying to remember the lyrics for the next 4 miles. I also tried to focus on Sixpack's statement that "as long as your are passing people, you are doing good." Now, this was made decidedly more complicated by the fact that there are marathon "runners" who use a technique known as "Five-Oners" or something. Basically, you would see people walking, you would just be about to pass them and then they would take off. You'd start to catch up to them as they walked again and just as you were about to catch them, they took off again - alternating sprinting 5 minutes and walking 1, or something close to that. I totally felt shafted, especially since I had decided NOT to walk, except for 10-15 sec. through the water stops. Somehow it felt so unfair. However, once I finally passed a girl who had been taunting me with her "5-1s" between miles 22 and 24, I felt vindicated! Ha! Who says I'm not competitive?!!!

As I approached the finish line, I was surprised by how many people hadn't left enough gas in the tank to finish strong. Now, I might have been in pain, but I was certainly not about to be caught walking across that finish line. As I hit the final straight away toward the finish line, I heard my name, glanced over and saw Ginifer and Runs Only When Chased, who had successfully finished their half marathons about 2 hrs earlier and were cheering me on from the other side of the barricade. Ginifer challenged me to pick up the pace, so I kicked it into high gear. However, I started to fear that I had wasted my final reserve a bit too soon. Once I saw the finish line, I knew I could keep up the pace to the finish line while passing several people along the way (including shirtless dude - Sixpack, I included this just for you). I know it doesn't look fast (even though it was an 8:56 pace) and it certainly isn't pretty, but I got the job done!

Dazed, confused, and utterly exhausted, I was greeted by my family on the other side of the finish line. Much rejoicing was done by all (involving some tasty J Brut sparkling wine thanks to Ben).
I am happy to report that my Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome didn't play a significant factor in my race thanks to rest, ice, and some fab-tab-ulous insoles purchased the day before the race. After the race, Ginifer treated the sistas to massages. Helga* proceeded to pluck my shin muscle like a banjo string, pretended to break wood blocks with her hands like Bruce Lee on the back of my calves, and ended with what I can only surmise were voodoo jazz fingers in an attempt to minimize the pain she had just inflicted on my post-marathon quads and calves. Needless to say, it is now day 3 post-marathon and I still have to lower myself to sit and assist myself in standing. Don't even get me started on stairs! And while I am not certain I will do another marathon (although the Phoenix Rock-n-Roll marathon does sound appealing), I am looking forward to B2B, and I am starting to entertain the thought of a half marathon this fall!

I just want to thank all you Drunkrunners for your words of wisdom and votes of confidence. I couldn't have done it without ya. Now I get to give advice and preface it with "Well, when I ran my marathon..."

Distance: 26.2 (or 26.47 depending on who you believe...)
Time: 4:46:25
Avg. Pace: 10:55
Observations: Don't believe it when a race says headphones aren't allowed. I learned the hard way; however, I also learned that I can run with my thoughts for 4:46:25 without going crazy!

* All names have been changed to protect the identity of individuals.

Done and Done

This is just a quick post to let you know that I completed the OKC Memorial Marathon on Sunday in 4:46:25 and my legs are still intact. Despite the fact that I thought they were threatening to secede from my body like Texas from the Union, they have stuck with me, although they are throwing quite the temper tantrum at the moment. Details about and photos from the race to follow soon! Thanks for all your advice and support, Drunkrunners!

Not Running With an Ankle or a Rash. No, I'm Not!!

The week has been anything but uneventful, and this post is long. Read at your own risk.

Tuesday: Doctor's appointment about my ankle. Dr. Dixit took X-rays and said they looked fine, but wanted to do an MRI, because my issue was perplexing him and he wanted to see it a little better. Later I got a call that they found something in the X-ray and wanted to redo them because they found something weird in them. I'll find out soon if that weird thing was in my body or not. They decided not to redo the X-rays when I told them I already had the MRI scheduled.

Wednesday: Wellness exam. Yes, the physical has been replaced with the euphemistic Wellness Exam, where my doctor actually sat down and asked me how I was feeling. No, I don't mean as part of the conversation, he really wanted to know. It was a situation so strange I almost responded inappropriately with information about blaming it all on my mother and hating my father. :-) The exam went well. I was deemed healthy, blood was drawn (Time to check the cholesterol), and for those keeping score, I coughed well, my testes are healthy and the prostate is doing fine. It seems the older I get the more places my doctor wants to stick his finger. Or was he just a gay doctor? I may never know.

Thursday: MRI completed. The MRI was uneventful. Lay down, put in these earplugs and we'll wake you when you are done. Yes, I fell asleep. An MRI is an incredibly loud procedure, though not as loud as a Velvet Revolver concert. However, the rhythm of all the noise is quite soothing and I was out like a light.  I have the films and they will be interpreted Monday.

Friday: Thursday afternoon actually I developed a rash. I thought at first it was athlete's foot in a strange place, because the ankle brace was creating a bit of a moist environment around my ankle especially if I walked a ways and perspired a little.  However, by the time I got up in the morning I had a rash on my hands, elbows, knees, and ankles, and my head itched. So, it was back to the doctor. I debated even going to the doctor, but the advice nurse thought it would be a good idea. So I missed a talk by a Belgian author in order to go to the doctor. This entailed a 45 minute nap in the visitation room while I waited for the doctor to show up. She arrived and was completely perplexed. Using words like eczema, scabies, and psoriasis I thought she was just going to tell me I had cooties. I could have handled that, but she didn't.  She called in a doctor--she was actually a nurse practitioner--and he didn't know what was going on either. The usual advice was then given: take this steroid creme (I've already got 3 tubes at home) and call us if it doesn't get better. Just once I would like someone to tell me what this shit is. All I can find is that it's an environmental or food allergy. If it's a food allergy it's not a food I often come in contact with, for this happens only about once per year. Was it that cheese danish I ate before the MRI?

All of this is to explain that I haven't run this week, trying to give my ankle some rest. I will try a short run tomorrow, while trying to avoid hills. Then I'll find out what is going on on Monday.

Peace out!

The Tentative Two

The first quarter of a mile was a little iffy, but things started to loosen up after that. While the pain did not completely disappear over my 2 miles, it lessened to a nagging dull ache. Now, a nagging dull ache for 2 miles is one thing, that same ache for another 24.2.... that is another matter entirely: a matter which I am excited about undertaking. Who knew someone could be so excited about a dull ache? I'm icing as I type this and will be vigilant with taking my anti-inflammatory. I hope to try another 2-3 either tomorrow or Friday. OKC, here I come!

Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome

I learned today that Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome is just one big, ol' fancy-pants way of saying "Shin Splints." Doesn't it sound so much more impressive and dire?

Well, after approximately 45 minutes in the waiting room, a few x-rays, and another 10-15 minutes waiting in an exam room, I learned this 5-Dollar phrase. I also learned that I am slightly knock-kneed, although the Dr. had another big word for that, too, which sounded less pitiful. I wish I could remember it.

In another twist of fate, the Dr. inquired about my ACL scars. For those of you not in the "know": I tore both ACLs on Texas A&M's sh*tty excuse for a playing field in college. Did I mention that I tore my left and right ACLs on the SAME field, at the SAME end of the field, in the SAME spot on the field, and what I suspect was the SAME hole in the field, two years apart? I swore A&M my lifelong enemy after that. So what is the twist of fate, you ask? Well, after telling him my story, I said "Tell me you didn't go to A&M!" [Imagine the sound of silence with only crickets chirping in the background.] He quietly admitted that he had, indeed, attended Texas A&M. But I decided to forgive him and let him continue the exam.

No visible fractures, breaks, bone spurs, bone chips, NADA on the x-ray. But then again I really didn't expect him to see any. However, unlike Sixpack, I was not sent for an MRI. Boooo! I really want to meet your Dr. someday. He sounds like a very, very thorough. Because my Dr. couldn't locate one specific area of soreness on my leg/ankle during the exam, he deduced that I had not yet developed a stress fracture. He did, however, read me the riot act about my knees (although those were not the painful body part in question) and seriously suggested I start taking Glucosamine and Chondroitin to stave off arthritis later in life. But that is another blog post entirely.

Needless to say, I was sent home with photocopies of stretches for shin splints, a prescription for an anti-inflammatory, the suggestion that I should buy some gel inserts for my shoes, and that I should wait until I can walk without pain before running again. However, I don't really have pain when walking (only the evening of/day after a long run). He also advised me to stop running if the pain persists and to VERY VERY SLOWLY work back up to distance running. At no time, I will have you know, even upon direct questioning, did the Dr. say that I could not run the marathon. Now, he also didn't say, "Hell ya, go out and kick that marathon's ass!" I also didn't ask him about the chances of longterm, serious injury if I ran the marathon in pain.... I think that was pretty much a no-brainer. He also suggested that I go for a short jog and see how my leg is feeling, since I haven't run on it since last Thursday. So, after I finish this post I am going to do some stretches with my little Theraband, slip on my shoes with my new inserts, and see what half a mile and maybe even a mile feels like. I will probably be testing the waters up until the day of the marathon before I make my final decision. Deetschei scared the hell out of me with the "you can break your leg if you run with severe shin splints." Yikes! So, depending on what happens and how I feel after the marathon, I might go back for a follow-up visit and talk orthodics with him. I gotsta fix these aching legs o' mine.

So, my friends, I feel a little better about the prospects of Sunday's marathon, but at the same time, and this is totally the Debbie Downer inside of me, I worry that he wasn't very thorough. He seemed to totally block out my complaints about my ankle hurting.... But then again, I am just a fake Dr. What do I know? ;)

Bitter Sweet

Seeing as how I am not currently running and my last post was titled "Running with a Lower Body," I suppose this post should be titled "Sitting Around with a Lower Body." But that just seemed too depressing less than a week before my first marathon.

After the disastrous 20-miler-that-was-really-a-17.55miler, I have put in a few more runs without much consequence. By that I mean that I ran through the pain and completed an 8 and a 12 miler. I thought that the leg/ankle injury I had sustained had either stabilized or at least wasn't getting worse. Sadly, on last week's scheduled 5 mile run with Ben, I had to stop at 2.5 and walk home. I can say unequivocally that instead of the pain disappearing after a few miles (common for minor cases of shin splints, I have read) the pain remained the same, if not worsened, (a sign of severe shin splints and lots of other potentially unpleasant injuries).

Since I am only a fake Dr., I made an appointment with the Orthopedist. In light of the pain and all the info I could find on the internet, I decided to skip my remaining runs and to rest, ice, and take anti-inflammatories until the marathon.

My hope: the Dr. will give me some voodoo wonder drug and tell me I am good to run on Sunday.

My fear: the Dr. is going to tell me that if I go ahead with the marathon that I will do irreparable damage to my body that will mean the end of running. That would be a hard pill to swallow.

However, and this may come as a shock to those of you who know me well, I have decided that I would rather be able to run for the next 30 years than finish 26.2 miles and risk a longterm injury. While the thought of 4 months of training all being for nothing is too depressing to really entertain, I realize that I have still benefited greatly from the training.

I'll keep you posted.

16 Miles and that Damned Ankle

It was off early yesterday morning for a 16 mile run. When I say early, I mean I got out of bed at 7, and began the run at 7:55.  Why DOES it take so long to throw on some shorts, eat breakfast, apply body glide, gather the iPod, mix the gatorade, scrounge out some gels, put on the shoes and head out the door?  It just seems to me that I have to get up early just to get all the run prep done.  :-(

  Speaking of Gels, there was a shortage yesterday. I woke in the middle of the night and realized that I had run out last week and hadn't replenished supplies. Thankfully I had a couple Gu Hardrock samples that I was given at a party last year. Yes, while chatting with a girl at the party I found out she was an employee of Gu and I told her how much I loved it. She surprised me with some top secret samples of a product they were testing for elite athletes. Since I clearly look like an elite athlete, she thought I could be a guinea pig.  I only had two left to run all of yesterday's 16 miles.

  I was also short an ankle brace--it had somehow been left on my desk at school. So, doubly handicapped I headed out high in spirit if not supplies.

  The first mile went incredibly well. I reached the highest altitude of my run gasping only slightly. Clearly my fitness is improving. If you've ever been to my house you know that the only way out is up, and the first mile is UP!!!! The blessing is that after mile one it is downhill for the next 3.  It is at mile 4 that my first water break stop comes in. It's a great place to stop and get some water, blow my nose, fill-up water bottles, pee if need be. This would turn out to be my only water stop all day, a fact of which I am quite proud.

  In order to complete 16 miles it was necessary to cross the Golden Gate Bridge and back, then head through the marina, on to fisherman's wharf and the Ferry Building. To have done all of that (12 miles) without a water stop was something I hadn't done in quite some time. There were still 3 times when I was forced to walk because of knee pain, but that was OK. I've actually found that if I stop to walk when my knee hurts it gives the muscles time to recover, and the pain goes away. More importantly, I don't end up limping for several days afterward.

  When I reached the end of the run I had to sprint even further--something I did none too gracefully--in order to catch the train home. The train conductor actually almost left because she thought I was a jogger. Ooops. Must have been the costume.

  Home to ice. I tried out the new ice bath method (see "Ice, Ice, Baby") and it worked swimmingly. I sat down in warm water then chilled the hell out of it. As the water rose my body got used to it. Before I knew it I was submerged in an ice bath and still had sight of genitalia. Of course, there was a point when I thought there was going to be a retreat on par with Monty Python "Run Away! Run Away!", but it never happened.  Anyway, 15 minutes in the ice bath and today the only thing that hurts is my un-braced ankle, which I've got an appointment to have checked out tomorrow.

Week in Review:

Miles: 34.05

Time: 5:36:07

Pace: 9:52/mile

Overall Impression: Sixpack Be Ready For Marathon! Eat My Dust, Forest F. Gump! (SBRFM!EMD,FFG!)

Ice, Ice, Baby!!

Ice is my new best friend. As you are aware, I went for a 20 mile run on Sunday. Now, 20 miles is never easy. Not when training for a marathon. Maybe one day, when running more marathons makes the later stages of training a little more routine, they will get better. For now, 20 MILES SUCKS!!!!

  This time, though I decided it was time to go for an ice bath after the run. A few conversations with Forrest when I was in Wisconsin convinced me that it might be a good idea. It was simple enough to prepare. Start a bath with lukewarm water. Not hot, but not so cold that you can't get in. Have a seat, and turn the water on cold.* When the tub is full and you are chilling nicely, dump in a bunch of ice. We have an ice maker so it's not hard for us to come by.

  It was amazing. I was a little sore on Monday. In the past, however, I've been darn near incapacitated for days after a long run. Tuesday I managed another 5 miles, albeit slowly. That's one day of rest after 20 miles and then right back into the fire. On top of all that, I've run another 10 miles since then. I'm feeling great and looking forward to the rest of the week and Sunday's ice bath!!!!

* For the record, I took this week's ice bath in a kneeling position. After all, the boys don't care much for cold water. The kneeling allowed for the icing of most of my legs, without ending up with a mangina.  This week, however, I will try the above mentioned technique in hopes that the slow chilling of the body will eliminate some of the shock.

My Idol, Buster Martin

Yesterday, Buster Martin, age 101, completed the London Marathon.

According to the news report I saw on NBC last night, Buster's average day includes 8 pints of beer and 14 cigarettes. His training regime involves little to no water and regular "hydration breaks" for beer. Watch out Kenyans, there is a no kid on the block.

Congratulations and Bravo to Buster Martin!

Running by the Numbers

37 -- the age of Sixpack Chopra during today's run. I felt great knowing that I was 37 and still running well. I recall thinking, ten years ago, that I would probably not be running at such an old age. After all, one needs to slow down at some point.

20  -- Number of miles completed today! Yes, I did say completed. It was a long day, almost four hours, but I made it through.

80 -- approximate temperature during most of my run. It was a scorcher. I think I even burnt the top of my head. Oh well, at least it was sunny. After months and months of cold weather we have finally had an amazing weekend.  Everyone was out so the trails/route were packed, but it felt great to be out there with them all.

3 -- Number of water/potty breaks. I wouldn't normally go to such extreme measures, but with the heat today I knew very early that I was going to need to stock up on water throughout the run.

68 -- Ounces of gatorade and water consumed during today's run. It was brutal. I did manage though to stave off dehydration. The sweaty seat on the train ride home confirmed that I had maintained full hydration.

2930 -- Number of calories burned during 20 miles. If that's not reason enough to run I don't know what is.  This, of course, prompted a trip to In-N-Out for lunch (Best-O-Burger doesn't open for another week.)

Not much else to say about the run. A few things I learned today: 

1. That ankle brace is awesome, but I'm going to schedule a doctor's appointment to try to figure out how to get back to running without one. 
2. Tourists are generally confused by half-naked men running past them with band-aids on his nipples.
   
3. If you say it forcefully enough the word "Excuse Me" can be understood no matter what your native language.
4. Pedestrians are not allowed on the western side of the Golden Gate Bridge. I learned this after walking under to bridge hoping that running on the other side would help me avoid some of the tourists. Alas, I had to retrace my steps and run with them anyway.
5. Warm vanilla Gu reminds me of some sort of frappuccino, only warm and not so sweet.

The final Numbers:

Miles this week: 33

Time: 5:41

Average Pace: 10:20

Overall Impression: There Is Nothing Like a 20 Mile Run To Make One Appreciate Sitting Down. (TINLA20MRTMOASD)

This post brought to you by: Gu, In-N-Out, and the people at Best-O-Burger.

Running with a Lower Body

Does anyone see a trend in our posts of late? I haven't gone through them, but I can only surmize that a large majority of our recent posts have been dedicated to pain and injury!

I haven't posted in a while, not because I haven't been running, but simply because I haven't felt like there was anything newsworthy about which to post. After my first failed attempt at 20 miles (conditions proved less than favorable - a wind advisory that I had conveniently failed to notice, 90-something % humidity, and high pollen/tree count) ended at mile 13, I vowed to avenge my honor with the second 20 mile run scheduled in my training plan. Other than that, my runs have consisted of the standard 2 mi easy runs, the 7-8 mi. tempo runs, and the 12-16 mi. long runs. None of these presented any real problems and have been rather uneventful. Although, I did manage to give myself a fever by running my 16 miler with a sinus infection. Oops. Other than that, my only big concern has been my shin splints (I can totally see how Sixpack might think it was a stress fracture given how crippling they can feel). I have had to adjust/skip some of my runs in order to rest and give my legs some time to recover. In anticipation of yesterday's 20 miler, I made sure to take an anti-inflammatory early that morning and to ice my shins throughout the morning and afternoon.

Now, I can only assume that the copious (and I DO mean copious) amount of alcohol that I consumed the night before at Ginifers did not serve me well, because I almost delayed my run because I felt like such crap. But, I told myself, yet again, that I would not lose faith in my tried-and-true Kenyan training method, so I ran hungover. This wouldn't have been a real problem, had it not been 80 degrees yesterday. I have had to face the sad, tragic fact that there will be no more "cool" and "chilly" running days before the marathon. It looks like high 70s to low-mid 80s from here until the end of April. Even pushing my run off until late afternoon didn't seem to matter. Checking the weather report, even early morning the temperatures were still anticipated to be in the high 60s/low-mid 70s. But enough about the weather.


The plain and simple fact is that I failed my 20-miler yet again. ARGH!!!!

I made it to mile 17, which was a feat in and of itself, because my lower body had seized up on me by mile 15. During my run I thought about Forest and Sixpack's stories of finishing runs with one leg completely straight and looking like a total freakshow while just trying to finish. While I am disappointed that I still haven't completed 20 miles (the marathon is 2 weeks away) and am beginning to doubt whether I will be able to complete 26.2, I fully stand behind my decision to stop at mile 17. I have NEVER EVER EVER wanted to cry during a run before - except perhaps while doing rehab for my two torn ACLs - until yesterday. It took about everything I had just to make it home. Today, I almost wish I had stopped at mile 15, because I fear I have truly "done myself a mischief." My right ankle, calf, and knee make it impossible to put any weight on leg. In order to walk up the stairs, I have to do the ol' "one leg up, next leg up onto the same step" routine. I have to keep my right leg entirely straight while walking because the shooting pain in my ankle makes me cringe and grind my teeth. If things don't improve by mid-week, I am heading to the doctor. I've experienced similar pain before after runs, but never to this degree. Keep your fingers crossed that it isn't anything that will prevent me from attempting the marathon.

On that fabulous note, I can report that my time for the 17 miles (walking and limping included) wasn't half bad. However, I'd prefer to cross the finish line without looking like Quasimodo, but at this point I suppose I would settle for just finishing.

Yesterday's Run:
Distance: 17.55
Total Time: 3:05:49
Overall Impression: OUCH! (OUCH!)

Week's Runs:
Distance: 27
Time: 4:34:55

Running with an Ankle.....Brace

Folks, it is week nine of the marathon training and things are getting crazy. I was sick and/or on Spring Break for most of March, which really messed up the running schedule. This week will be the first week in which I ran every mile prescribed since week 4, which was back in February. Aside from the time off due to the flu, I'm in pretty good shape.

  Thank ankle is still bothering me, often invoking a running stance akin to Quasimodo. Yesterday I took action and purchased a simple ($15 was as simple as they got) ankle brace, and that served me very well today. Not only was my ankle not as sore during the run, I feel I'm recovering better from the run itself. I always told myself that I would stop running if it required wearing a brace every time I run, so we'll see how recovery goes. I'll try a run next week without it. If I'm still in pain I'll see a doctor. My guess is that the ankle pain is some sort of tendonitis, but I have no way of knowing. Some of you may recall my self-diagnosis of a stress fracture, only to find out that it was shin splints. Ooops.

  Sunday was an awesome run. I ran with Forest and we covered the better part of Madison. Starting with the charity runners in a parking lot across the street from my in-laws, we ran the first 4 miles with them and then we lost them, or they lost us, either way we couldn't see them any more. The route took us around lake Monona, which is huge and quite picturesque. We could see the lake for most of the run and keeping it on our left were able to find our way back to the starting line. 

During a short out and back segment that we through in to make sure we had enough miles, Forest offered the option of returning the way we had already traveled or heading the rest of the way around the lake.  I take full responsibility for the fact that I chose to finish the lap around the lake, and that that is where we ran into all the hills. Forest was cursing my name, but I have to say I felt more in my element. Running the hills my legs opened up and I suddenly found it difficult to slow down so that he could keep up. All in all a great feeling. Especially since it was a good indication that I will kick his ASS in May.

  Yesterday, 2 miles. Uneventful, treadmill, blah, blah, blah.

  Today: 7 miles. Speedwork today! I did 5 miles on a track (plus one mile there and back) and maintained the prescribed 9:22 pace. I was surprised and encouraged that I was able to keep up the pace. The ankle brace held up, and I would guess that the slowing down that did happen in the end was entirely dehydration.

  Sunday: Sixpack turns 37, and he must run 18 miles. This is my favorite run of all of them. I'll leave the house and make my way to the Golden Gate Bridge, I'll run across it and back, then follow the path back to downtown and catch the bus home. I love running Golden Gate Bridge. It really gives me a sense of accomplishment!!!

Overall:

Miles: 25

Average pace: 9:45

Impression: Back On Track And Looking To Kick Forest's Proverbial Behind On My Way To The Beer Tent! (BOTALTKFPBOMWTTBT!)