Running, Wonky Ankle and All

Registered!

2010-02-08T14:55:00.005-05:00

Today I took the plunge and registered for my first race of 2010. It's not for a while yet, but I am very excited to run (if all goes well) my first half-marathon! It will be during the Ottawa Race Weekend on Sunday, May 30th and I can't wait.

Well, I can wait because there's a lot that I have to do between now and then to ensure that this will be a fun and worthwhile experience. It's far enough away that I can continue on my present course of building a solid base and yet comes at the perfect time, just when the base building phase is finished and marathon training begins. I don't think I will be running this race with any specific time goal in mind, but the main objective is to run it strong and finish without any injury or problem. In short, it will be a nice solid reward after many months of diligent base building.

Also, as I looked back upon the Friday treadmill run that left my right knee in a painful and worrisome state, I did some research on what the pace equivalents are on the treadmill based on incline settings. I realize that this is an issue perpetually to be debated, but I did find the chart at hillruner.com to be somewhat helpful in explaining why my knee balked. Turns out that at the 7.5mph, 2.0% incline setting that I ran at the peak of my pyramid the equivalent pact was not 8:00/mile, but rather 7:40/mile (not 5:00/km, as I believed, but the much more challenging 4:45/km). Anyway, I don't know how accurate this chart is, but I will use it to plan my treadmill runs in the future and hopefully avoid adding too much speed to my training before my body is ready for it.

Oh yeah, today at lunch I did a nice session of leg weights, and it was good! I'm slowly getting stronger, but still pathetically weak in the lower extremities. Tonight I plan on a moderate effort stationary bike ride for a half-hour, as usual.

February off to a Good Start

2010-02-07T15:55:00.003-05:00

Week one of February has come to and end, at least from my exercise perspective as I hear there some sort of a football game on later tonight (BTW: Go Saints!). As far as my running went it was a very successful week, with and asterisk.

The success was completing a total of 32km for the week, my highest total since last summer. I am on track to average 30km per week this month, as planned. I've already posted about the first two runs of the week, but the other two went like this...

After an off day on Thursday, when I did leg weights and rode on the stationary bike for a half-hour, I hit the gym and the treadmill at lunchtime on Friday for what turned out to be 7km. I went a bit too hard in retrospect (resulting in the asterisk mentioned above) and paid for it with worse than normal pain in the right knee. I started off at a relatively easy 6.5mph and had notions of sticking to that pace for 6km, but feeling pretty good I decided to shake things up a little and ended up running a pyramid in this fashion:

5 minutes @ 6.5mph
5 minutes @ 6.8mph
5 minutes @ 7.1mph
10 minutes @ 7.5mph
5 minutes @ 7.1mph
5 minutes @ 6.8mph
2:14 minutes @ 6.5mph

The whole thing ended up taking me 37:14, which meant I ran at an average pace of 5:19/km. Although in and of itself this should not have posed a problem, I think the fact that the treadmill was set at a 2.0% incline means that I actually worked harder that the pace would have indicated. In any case, by the time I got home my knee was tight as a finely tuned banjo string and I was forced to pull out the ice pack for the first time in months.

By Saturday I was feeling better, though not 100%, and went out for another run through Rosedale. It was pretty cold out, but nice and sunny and pretty still. The only time I was really chilled was when I ran over a few bridges and had the wind blow right through me. I ended up doing a nice and comfortable 11km at a (for me, and for the moment) decent pace of 5:43/km.

Today we cross-country skied and it was great. It was cold when we started out (-12C), but sunny and no wind. The wax on our skis was working perfectly for the most part and we managed a really fun 13km before eating lunch and heading home.

The best part about the first week of February? I can't wait for the second.

Humpback - Summary of the Last Few Days on a Wednesday

2010-02-03T18:37:00.002-05:00

Another Wednesday, and another successful day of exercise. Though the right knee still reminds me that I have to "take it easy" and "watch it" and "run less than you think you should", I cannot help but delude myself into thinking that all the weight training that I am subjecting myself to will ultimately shut that sucker up for good.

Case in point, for the past few days I have been feeling, and this is a poor description to be sure, somehow "properly packaged". Not almost any piece of cheap ass electronics that come in those impossible to open, never to disintegrate, clear, hard plastic, "g'damn it why won't you open without a chainsaw!!!" coverings, but rather like everything is starting to work the way it was intended to.

I had a great run last Saturday where I went way faster than I should have, but those 8.25km felt so very good, easily the best run of the year. I really felt like keeping going, but remembered that my body has a nasty way of slowing me down if I don't stick to the conservative plan and so I stopped, happy that I still had energy to spare.

Then, skiing on Sunday was fun and it was just cool to take things easy and not worry about "getting a workout", something I suffer from both in self-imposed guilt as well as physical injury. 12km on the trails with my better half while the kids were taking their lessons.

Monday I had a great leg workout at the gym (things are starting to feel like they are getting stronger, and I actually look forward to doing squats!). In the evening I rode the stationary bike for a half-hour to finish off the day.

Tuesday saw me doing more weights, this time of the upper body variety, and running on the treadmill, where I completed just over 6km holding a nice steady 6.5mph pace even though I had a huge urge to try and match the 7.0mph setting of the guy running next to me. The fact that I didn't inch my speed up to that level shows a level of maturity that surprised me. Am I actually getting smarter, or just old, lazy and complacent? Either way, I was proud to have held back. It also helped that my would be adversary had to stop and stretch out his ~~obviously shitty~~ hamstring at one point before making a failed attempt to resume his run. Ha!

Today was another walk to work, run home day. I walked just over 6km to the office after dropping of the boys at the school bus. I attempted to maintain a decent clip, though I was slowed down by the snow that had fallen overnight, making traction a real problem the entire way. At lunchtime I once again hit the gym for upper body weights and had a good time of it. I am even beginning to like doing ab exercises as I am really seeing progress. Now if only I could limit my intake of highly processed, and ultimately useless, carbs that six-pack of my swimming youth days may actually make a cameo. It's tough giving up sweets for me...

...because they're soooooooo sweet.

The run home from work was pretty good, all things considered. It took a while for the Garmin to locate satellites, which is always annoying, but once the watch was ready I took off at a slow and steady pace towards Owen's school. The snow from the morning, which had made walking a bit tricky, seemed to be completely gone and I was quite pleased with this until I hit the Viaduct and was faced with a slippery, slushy mess. For the entire second half of the run I had to contend with slush, snow, ice and all three combined. This made the run more of a challenge than it otherwise would have been, but I made it through OK, a bit overheated. In the end I completed a decent 8km, changed into a dry shirt at the school, and walked home without freezing my ass off too badly. Some stretching later this evening is definitely in order...

January Recap

2010-02-01T08:43:00.002-05:00

The first month of 2010 is history, and so a recap of sorts is in order.

I started the month with the goal of averaging 25km per week, and with secondary goals of shedding a little weight while starting to improve my leg strength via a new gym membership. How did is pan out?

On the running front I managed to amass 113.75km, which averages out to 25.68km per week. Check!
On the shedding weight goal, I started off the month at 201lbs and weighed in this morning at 195.5lbs. Check!
And in the weight room I am beginning to see some improvement in my leg strength even though it's only been two weeks, and four leg sessions. I think the month of February will really help out my troublesome right knee. At the very least I am sure hoping that it does. I give this one a Check! as well.

The running goal in February is to push the weekly mileage up a bit: 30km per week. I will have to run 120km this month, and given that it's shorter than January by three days this means I only have to add 6.25km to the previous month's total. Naturally it will be a little tougher because the time is compressed, but I look forward to the task. Again, the plan is to run the next three weeks at or above 30km before drawing back for the fourth week with the goal of recovery. I really have to stick to this plan because my body seems to break down after every four weeks or so of steady mileage increases, and I am determined to avoid this mistake the entire year. (Marathon training may make this a bit tough to achieve, but that is still very far off...)

The Week in Brief

2010-01-29T08:49:00.000-05:00

It's been a typically busy week for me, even though I've been diligently sticking to my plan and making sure this was a recovery week for my wonky legs.

As such, I've still been going to the gym lots, riding the stationary bike now and then, and after skipping Tuesday (when I would typically go out for an easy 5k or so) I walked to work and ran home. The run was not too bad, but about a kilometre and a half from Owen's school I had to stop to wait through a red light and once I started up again my right knee decided to remind me that it was not fully healed. I felt a pretty bad twinge under the kneecap and had to stop to stretch and evaluate my options. I was very close to home and considered heading there, grabbing the car and using that to pick up Owen. Instead I decided to jog as gingerly as I could.

Perhaps that was a mistake, perhaps not. I finished the 8km run and walked home, a bit chilled in the wind and rapidly cooling winter weather. The temperature has since gone totally frigid and Toronto is finally feeling like Winter has arrived.

Anyway, Thursday I didn't run, but made it to the gym for some leg weights and then rode the stationary bike in the evening. My knee feels a bit better this morning and I am planning to do an easy 5-6k on the treadmill at lunch.

Here's an early summary of my January exercise exploits to date (because I do not have the time or energy to go into it in detail). The month is rapidly coming to a close and I enjoy seeing this calendar filled up with stuff. A surprisingly good motivator!:

A Really Tough Run

2010-01-23T17:43:00.002-05:00

After my first full week of weight training I am more than a little sore, though it is a good feeling and I am glad to feel this way because it tells me things can only get better and the ceiling is way up there. Along with that comes the highest mileage week I've run since last Summer, making things even more difficult. In a month or two this will be considered a real short and easy week, but now it's a bit of a milestone.

So, when I headed out for my morning run I was not feeling so hot. My legs were sore, I had very little energy, and the wonky ankle was hurting me more than I'd like. Nevertheless, I was determined to put in a good 10k or so, no matter how slow it was.

I chose a new route just to make things interesting and ran through one of the more affluent parts of town. Although I felt totally out of place the houses and properties I saw along the way kept me distracted from my pain.

I ran a total of 10.5km at a very lethargic pace, but was happy just to have finished. The weekly total ended up at 29.5k and my body is ready for a nice recovery week. I will run just three times next week and max out at 22k before getting back to building up mileage in February, hoping for a weekly average of 30k for the month.

Tomorrow it's back to cross country skiing! And some football watching, no doubt.

A Little More Treadmill

2010-01-19T17:12:00.000-05:00

I went to the gym again at lunchtime and ran a nice and easy 5km on the treadmill. This being the day after my first leg workout, and with my hamstrings feeling a bit sore, I figured it was better to stay really conservative. So I set the speed at 6.2mph and ran for 30 minutes. I felt pretty good, all things considered, and I look forward to walking to work and running home tomorrow.

After the treadmill I did some upper body weights, again really easy and light because I don't wish to be too sore, or worse, in the first week back at weight training. The routine was pretty easy:

Bench Press 2X15 95lbs
Seated Rows 2X15 80lbs
Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press 15-12 20lbs
Dumbbell Biceps Curls 15-12 25lbs
Cable Triceps Extensions 2X15 40lbs
Captain's Chair 2X25

That is all...

Another Full Weekend

2010-01-18T20:39:00.002-05:00

Whew! What a weekend.

Saturday: two Birthday parties to attend, one by each loin fruit. Then baseball practice for Owen. Before that I ran 9.1km to complete the week at a total of 27km. Slowly, but surely...

Sunday: Off early to cross country ski, where I managed 13km adult style, and another 2.1km with Owen after lunch (total of 15.1km of skiing, at is was fun!). We definitely were tuckered out when we got home. I spent the evening cleaning dishes, washing kids, folding laundry, and watching the Jets pull off a great upset over the Chargers. Here's hoping they can do it again next week.

Today I went to the gym to do my first leg strengthening session. It was light, short, and I got through it without too much trouble. The routine went like this:

Crunches 2X50
Captain's Chair 2X25
Dead lifts 2X15 (20lbs dumbbells)
Leg Extensions 2X15 (20lbs, 30lbs)
Squats 2X15 (10lbs per side, on the Smith Machine because the squat rack was being used)
Calf Raises 2X15 (75lbs)
Adductor thingy (1X25)

I really hope that this will eventually lead to complete recovery of my ongoing patellar tendinitis. My right leg is definitely weaker than my left, and that explains the problem I suspect. In fact, I measured the circumference of my legs and my left is almost an inch bigger than my right! Today was the first step towards balancing that out. I'd love to be able to do one-legged squats someday...

This evening I rode the stationary bike for 30 minutes and called it a day. I'm not even sure why I still ride the stationary bike on days when I don't run, seeing as I bike 20-25 minutes each way to and from work, but it seems like the right thing to do somehow. I don't count commuting as part of my fitness regimen, though I suspect it does help a little bit.

Tomorrow I am probably going to hit the treadmill for my run unless the weather is really nice. If it is nice I will instead do some upper body weights. That's the plan, anyway...

Back on the 'mill

2010-01-15T14:22:00.006-05:00

Had my first treadmill run in well over a year today, and it actually was fun! I remember dreading the treadmill, but that was when running outdoors was still a novelty. Now the novelty is the treadmill itself.

It was my first visit to the gym in well over a year as well, and now that I have a corporate membership prepaid for an entire year it will become a key part of my fitness routine. My main goal is to strengthen my legs for running, but secondary goals include strengthening my upper body and utilizing the treadmills to up my mileage.

With that in mind I hopped on and ran for a total of 30 minutes, completing 3.37 miles (or 5.4km) (works out to 5:32/km or 8:54/mile pace). It seems that all the treadmills are set up to work in miles per hour, so I will have to do the conversion to my more familiar metric units, but that doesn't bother me so much. I ran a bit of a pyramid this time, and I don't even know why, other than it was fun:

5 minutes at 6.2mph
5 minutes at 6.5mph
5 minutes at 6.8mph
5 minutes at 7.1mph
5 minutes at 7.5mph
1 minute at 7.0mph
1 minute at 6.8mph
1 minute at 6.6mph
1 minute at 6.4mph
1 minute at 6.2mph

Way more complex when it's written down than it was while I was running.

Afterwards I "familiarized myself" with some other equipment in the gym and did a few leg and upper body things that are not even worth mentioning. As I was moving around trying this and that I also realized that I don't work very well without some sort of plan. As such, I will have to devise some basic leg routines and upper body routines so that I don't walk around aimlessly wasting time wondering what to do next.

Tomorrow I have 10-12k on the books to complete, and I will run very slowly indeed. Sunday we are back at cross country skiing, this week hopefully to get more of a workout that last. Have a great weekend!

As Smoothly As Can Be Expected

2010-01-14T08:57:00.001-05:00

Here we are just a couple of weeks into aught-10 and I am already taking stock. WHA?!

OK, perhaps not taking stock so much as looking down the line and trying to figure out if I am going to be able to do what I intend for the coming year. The latest thought, of many as far as variety goes, is that I would like to average 25k/week in January, 30k/week in February, 35k/week in March, and 40k/week in April. That would lead into May where, if all goes well, I can average 45k/week, or that magical 25 miles, that I believe will prepare my body for the planned marathon training, which is due to commence in June and lead me across the finish line of my first 26.2 at the end of September.

Is it just me or is there just never enough time? When I was planning on building a good base for marathon training I was really hoping to run 25 miles per week on average for a good three months before starting training for the marathon, but given my history of injury I am hesitant to hike up the weekly mileage so aggressively.

It also doesn't help that the Internet articles, and those in running books, are all over the place when it comes to advice for building a solid base prior to marathon training. What I've described above is conservative as conservative can get, but even with that in mind I still have reservations about how my body will respond to this plan, which amounts to more running than I've ever done.

With that in mind I am still on track for another successful week. On Tuesday I made it home in time to strap on the old Garmin and such and run an easy and enjoyable 5km on my way to get Owen. Then, on Wednesday, I walked to work (6km total) and dashed out of work to run to Owen's school and a parent-teacher interview that was rescheduled since early December because the teacher was ill.

This 7.5km run was a bit frustrating. My Garmin would not lock onto any satellites and so I had to just push the start button and go or risk being late for the interview. I ran about 2km before the thing picked up a signal and then started giving me really odd readings throughout the run. Noticing that I was running a bit late I also pushed the pace a bit more than I would have liked and got there with exactly one minute to spare. However, because of the pace, my right knee was bothering me for the rest of the evening and continues to hurt today. I'm hoping that the day off will help it heal and allow me to stay on track for the next two runs, a short one on Friday and a slightly longer one on Saturday.

Also, my gym membership starts tomorrow and I may end up doing my Friday run on the treadmill! It's been over a year since I've used one and my hatred for these contraptions has been dulled by the passage of time; I actually look forward to getting on one again. That will also mean that I don't have to rely on the Garmin, which is in my doghouse at the moment for screwing me out of my prized metrics...

Of course, a large part of the reason for joining the gym was access to weight training equipment so that I can work on my legs and (hopefully) leave my patellar tendinitis issues behind me for good. I find my legs to be weak and I can't seem to get any real progress doing exercises at home.

A Weekend Packed With Accomplishments

2010-01-11T08:42:00.001-05:00

Wow, what a weekend! Sometimes it’s actually a relief to be back at work, though equally rewarding to look back and be happy with all that was accomplished.

On Saturday the first thing I did was go for a run. I wanted to go somewhere between 8 and 10k, but ended up running a bit further because I misjudged the length of the route I had decided to take. As a result I ran further than I had since last summer, a total of 12km. My pace was decent as well, even though I am not yet concerned with it and don’t pay attention to it while running. It ended up being 5:39/km (9:06/mile), which is pretty good for me at the moment. The whole thing took 1:07:58 to complete and my right knee felt pretty good as well. I was worried that running that far, when my previous longest run since my surgery and layoff was 9km, would be bad, but in the end I feel fine. Must keep doing the exercises that seem to be helping…

The rest of the day was spent driving one kid to a birthday party, taking the other one grocery shopping, dismantling the Christmas Tree and putting all of that stuff away (a surprisingly time consuming task), preparing our skiing stuff for the next day, and taking Owen to his first indoor baseball practice of the year.

On Sunday we were off just a few minutes past 8am for our first cross-country skiing trip of the year. The weather was absolutely perfect for the kids’ first lessons, and for the parents’ own jaunt on the finely groomed trails. After two hours we all met up for lunch, where tonnes of food was consumed thanks to the packing of said massive amounts by the lovely Monica. After lunch I took Malcolm out on the trails while Monica went off with Owen. Malks was so good on the trails too! He got over his fear of downhills and showed off his new gliding abilities. He was so cute! I did a total of 10km of skiing, which was a decent amount for the first of the year. More imprtantly, the knee didn't bother me at all, which means I will be able to push a bit harder on subsequent trips and actually get a great workout!

After we got home I had to work on my bike to get it ready for the week, a task that is not always pleasant, but so necessary given how grimy everything gets during the winter with all the salt that gets put down on the roads. Not sure why I’m mentioning this here, but it does feel like yet another thing that got accomplished, and my bike ride to work this morning was very smooth as a result.

Whew! What a weekend… Next weekend looks to be much the same, except BOTH kids have separate birthday parties to attend. There just simply isn’t enough time to fit everything in.

A Couple of Runs and Squeezing a Tennis Ball

2010-01-08T08:48:00.001-05:00

This week is almost at an end (well, the working week anyway) and I managed a couple of runs after skipping Tuesday's due to discomfort in my right knee (more on that later).

After walking to work on Wednesday I ran home for a total of 6.2k. It was pretty nice out, all things considered, though the city seems to be putting down way too much salt on the sidewalks for my liking, making everything all slushy and gross. My running was very slow and even because I had a pretty heavy backpack on, but overall I felt pretty good. The right knee gave me less trouble than I'd expected.

On Thursday I made it home in time to make a quick decision about fitting in another run before picking up Owen from his school. I ran a total of 6.8k and again felt pretty good. Though my pace continues to be super slow (as in right around the 6:00/km, or 9:30/mile range), I am not worrying about it right now. My focus is on listening to my body and slowly building up my weekly mileage. I really want to have a consistent year of running rather than the up and down, off and on sort of thing that happened throughout 2009.

As far as the right knee is concerned, I think I have found something that might help. As I continue to read up on all the potential causes of the dreaded "runners knee", I came across an article that talked about a potential cause that I hadn't encountered previously: lateral quad strength out of balance with medial quad strength. Everything else I'd ever read just referred to overall quad weakness as the culprit, and so I continued to work on hip flexors and glute meds, all the while completely ignoring the inner thigh. For the last couple of days I've been doing a very simple exercise that seems to be helping. I squeeze a tennis ball between my knees while in the sitting position. And let me tell you, those muscles are not very strong!

So far, the knee seems to feel better while running, but it's only been a few days. I look forward to trying other exercises for the medial quads, especially once my gym membership kicks in and I have access to all sorts of fancy equipment. I think the technical term for this motion is adduction, but I get it screwed up with abduction. Either way, I figure a little of both is in the cards. (I also look forward to having treadmills at my disposal, which will hopefully help in the process of gradually upping my mileage at a nice controlled rate.)

This weekend I have a run of between 8 and 10 kilometres on the books for Saturday, and then we are off to cross-country skiing for Sunday. Looking forward to both!

The Beginnings

2010-01-06T08:59:00.003-05:00

I have been more than a little lax in keeping up with this blog, and I hope that this does not signal the beginning of the end because I am just as committed to running as I've ever been. My time, however, seems to be more scarce than ever before and so I have trouble working up the energy to fire up the computer to write something about my running travails.

That being said, I do have a few things that I should record on this little thing. First, I have been running and listening to my body. Six days into the year and at least I've made it that far without breaking that resolution! Case in point, yesterday I skipped my run because my right knee was bugging me. The fact that it was snowing and more than a bit windy helped in the decision making process, but I'm confident that I would have stayed home even if it had been perfect weather for running. Instead I did some stretching and hip flexor/core strength exercises, then rode the stationary bike for 30 minutes while watching the World Junior Hockey final. (Great game, BTW, and a big kudos to the team from the USA who coughed up a two goal lead with three minutes to play, but still won it in overtime.)

Today, I walked to work and am going to run home the 6 or so kilometres nice and easy. The knee problem has been a persistent pest for a good year now, off and on, and I am really hoping that I find a solution soon. I continue to work on my glute and hip flexor strength, but now I am also thinking that my quads are weak. When I look at my legs in the mirror and tighten the muscles (bringing the kneecaps up, just so you can picture it) I notice a significant difference in the size of the Vastus Intermedius on the left as compared to the right. That's the muscle right in the middle of the quad, and I'm guessing this might have something to do with it. I plan on correcting this problem as fast as is safely possible. My new gym membership starts in a couple of weeks, so that will give me access to all sorts of equipment to aid in this endeavor, but until then I will be refocusing on stretching and strengthening at home.

Also, we are starting our annual weekend cross-country skiing trips this coming weekend with the boys. They will be taking two hour lessons on their own this year, and this will give Monica and I a chance to ski on our own. I am very much looking forward to it since it is a lot of fun and an awesome workout as well! The next eight Sundays in a row, at the very least, will be dedicated to hitting the trails and so my weekend run will be confined to Saturdays.

I guess that's enough for now. Will try to rededicate myself to maintaining this blog as it does help in the motivation department. Here's hoping!

Good Bye 2009 - Hello 2010!

2009-12-31T13:02:00.003-05:00

A brief review of my year in running tells me that there's only one way to describe it: Up and Down...

Up: Ran four races, ranging in distance from 5k to 30k and achieved my goal of breaking 45 minutes in the 10k.

Down: Had to pull out of the planned Fall marathon due to injury.

For totals, I came up just shy of 1000km for mileage, achieving 975.5km with today's 9km run. A cursory look at my training log and I should be happy with this result, and I am.

As far as 2010 goals go I have just one major one: LISTEN TO MY BODY! If I can do this I shouldn't have to take any major time off at any point. All other goals are secondary, but a first marathon in the Fall is up high on my list.

So, here's hoping 2010 is the best running year ever for everyone, and most importantly that it brings health, prosperity, and happiness to you and yours.

See you on the flip side!!!

Happy Holidays!!!

2009-12-24T14:35:00.003-05:00

May the Holidays bring everyone all that they desire, and most importantly health and happiness. And may 2010 be the best running year EVER!!!

All the best!

Vava

Back in the Valley

2009-12-20T12:50:00.003-05:00

It's a hectic week leading up to the Christmas Holidays, as usual. I always mean to be prepared well in advance, but it simply never happens. With both kids in school and taking part in extra-curricular activities it seems that I have even less time these days than in years past.

Oh well. The stress of the Holiday Season is nothing new, but this is the first time that I am trying to keep up a running regimen on top of all the other responsibilities. Last year, although I'd been running for the entire year, December found me taking an extended leave due to one of my numerous injuries. This year my enforced time off happened earlier, and so I am trying to keep up with a consistent training schedule throughout the Holidays.

I ran a pretty uninteresting 4km on Friday, getting home after work and straight out the door to head towards Owen's school to pick him up. This time I didn't freeze on the way home because I took my jacket and fleece off inside the school and dried out a bit while collecting Owen. Much better than my Wednesday experience!

Saturday we were out shopping for Christmas and my right knee was feeling pretty tight so I didn't run. Therefore, I got up fairly early (for me, anyway) and went out for a decent run this morning.

I was hoping to run about 6km, but I decided to see how it played out with the knee and all. Feeling pretty good I decided to just keep running and headed down to Riverdale Park and onto the trails of the Don Valley. It was great to be running down there again! I managed a decent 7.5km and feel pretty good. We then took the boys out to a local restaurant for breakfast and I stuffed myself solid with their "big breakfast". No need for lunch given how big this thing was, and how late in the morning I ended up eating.

Day After Walking Experiment

2009-12-17T08:44:00.001-05:00

Just a quick update to document how my body is dealing with the whole walking to work, then running home thing. In short: I'm a bit sore! Muscles that were clearly underused in running have been awakened as a result of my rather brisk 6km trek yesterday morning. Any motion involving pulling my foot up (I believe it's called dorsiflexion by smarter people than I) is where the pain is localized. As a result I truly believe that walking will help my running because it absolutely works out complimentary muscles. I plan on doing this again once next week, and slowly work my way up to two or three sessions per week in the New Year.

And now for something completely different...

2009-12-16T18:34:00.002-05:00

No, I am not into my own take on Monty Python, and somehow relating it to how I am struggling with running these days, but I do secretly wish for such creativity. Instead I have decided to add something new to my "training"...

After reading "The Lore of Running", as mentioned here, I was intrigued by the training techniques of the best runners of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. If you haven't read Chapter 6 of this book I highly recommend it for entertainment alone! Specifically I was shocked by how fast some of the cotton-wearing masters of the Victorian and WWI era were able to run on the diets that they recommended to other athletes. Don't know about you, but I wouldn't get very far on stale bread, flat bear, and old mutton. Gross.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, how does this particular Chapter impact my so-called "training". Well, in a word: walking. It seems that the marathoners and ultramarathoners of a bygone era were big on walking, LOTS of walking. I am not planning on 30km every morning like some of these folks, but I figure a bit of walking can only help my running in two ways:

By adding extra mileage to my training without the destructive pounding of running.

By working out complimentary muscles which running ignores.

And so I decided to start by walking all the way to work so as to allow me to run home afterward. I was pleasantly surprised at the pace I was able to maintain, and thought I'd be hard pressed to stay around the 10:00/km mark. Instead I managed an 8:37/km pace for the entire 6.05km distance, with the whole trek taking just 52 minutes and change. Nice!

Then, after a day of desk sitting, I ran home. My right leg was a bit stiff from the walk (remember those complimentary muscles getting worked out?), but this didn't seem to affect my running. I ran slow and steady all the way until I was pretty close to Owen's school, stopping at 7.3km. I easily could have gone the extra half kilometre to the school's front door, but given that the longest run I've been on since starting up again was 6km I figured I'd pushed it far enough.

The only thing I did wrong was neglecting to put on the extra fleece vest that I had in the backpack and, therefore, nearly froze on the walk home. Live and learn...

Reading and (hopefully) Learning

2009-12-14T08:56:00.000-05:00

As I try and get "back" to the type of running that I was doing in the summer I find the process tedious and frustrating. I am not running nearly as much as I thought I would be more than a month into my return to running. My right knee continues to bother me a bit, though nothing like what I was feeling at the end of August when I was sidelined with this ailment as well as calf strains galore.

Anyway, I am really really trying to be more conservative and have set no goals for the year other than wanting to run a marathon next Fall. Even this goal is not set in stone, and I am not registered for any races whatsoever. In between the little bit of running that I have been able to accomplish I have been reading books on running like never before. The two most useful ones I've found are Hal Higdon's "Marathon: the Ultimate Training Guide" and Timothy Noakes' "The Lore of Running".

I am not, at this point, interested in any training plan per se, but I am very much in need of reinforcement of the concepts of not over training, listening to your body, setting realistic goals, etc. Both of these books do a great job of describing the common mistakes that rookies make, which ultimately lead to burnout or injury, and I have found more than a few that either I've already experienced or can relate to. As such, I am continuing to stay positive no matter how often, or how far, I am running on a weekly or monthly basis.

Case in point: Last week I ran 4km on Monday, then took the rest of the week off because I was fighting off some sort of throat ailment. On Saturday I went out for what turned out to be an awesome feeling 6km. It was easy, and I had a great time.

Sunday morning I was hoping to run again, but decided that my right calf was still feeling a bit too sore after Saturday's run and stayed home. Instead, I rode the stationary bike for 30 minutes and did some stretching.

I've also started doing a few new exercises that I found in the Noakes book, especially ones with stretch cords that work the hip flexors in a variety of ways. A particular one that I've never done before works out the front of the hip, where you have to lift your leg up until the thigh is parallel with the floor while having a stretch cord attached to the ankle. It's amazing how weak those muscles are and I immediately feel the difference in my knees after only a few days of this activity.

Anyway, I would love to be out there running 20+ kilometres every Sunday, but it is simply not possible at this time. Instead, I have to think super long term and get back to that sort of mileage when my body allows. I just hope that all of this new found wisdom doesn't leave me as the Spring racing season approaches and I am tempted, perhaps against my better judgement, to enter a race or two. I hope that I can race a few, but will not bank on it just yet.

I have also signed up at a gym around the corner as part of a reduced monthly rate plan through my work. The membership doesn't start until the middle of January, but I am doing this to have access to treadmills again, and to specifically work out my core and legs in order to get rid of these "swimmers legs" once and for all. Must strengthen to absorb shock better!

One of those weeks...

2009-12-11T08:34:00.000-05:00

Man, it's been "one of those weeks" for me. After the weekend I went out for a nice run on Monday evening and had a decent time of it, completing a relatively uneventful 4km with a short walk break at the halfway point.

Then on Tuesday evening, when I was not planning on running, my throat started hurting. I shrugged it off and figured it wouldn't lead to anything since over the past month I've had the same feeling creep up one evening only for it to go away by the following morning. This time I wasn't as lucky and by Wednesday morning it was super painful to swallow. Although I didn't go to the doctor (I know, I know) my self diagnosis is that I had a touch of tonsillitis given that I didn't have the usual strep throat symptoms.

Anyway, needless to say, I did not run that evening and have pretty much been more than a little worn down the entire week. Today things are feeling a bit better, though my throat still continues to give me trouble and I am very lethargic.

The one nice thing about being a bit out of it is that I've been reading a lot recently. I won't bother listing the training manual type books that I've perused since they are in the "usual suspects" category and I'm sure anyone who is into running would have checked them out already. However, if you haven't checked out these two books you definitely should:

Duel in the Sun by John Brant was an awesome read. I couldn't put it down and finished it in one sitting! What a story, and not just of the race between Salazar and Beardsley, but mainly their lives before and after that pivotal race.

Strides: Running Through History with an Unlikely Athlete by Ben Cheever is also a fast read and very entertaining indeed. Lots of humour throughout, and many historical anecdotes makes this a lighthearted history of running book.

Hopefully I can get some running done this weekend. Have a good one everybody!

Another Busy Weekend

2009-12-07T08:35:00.000-05:00

Man, it seems like the weekends are flying by and getting busier and busier! No rest until the New Year, I suspect, but at least I am still getting my runs in despite all the other stuff that needs to get done.

This weekend we celebrated my Dad's 65th Birthday and retirement, which meant a lot of cleaning of the house ahead of the Sunday evening dinner. We went a little overboard on some things (case in point, dismantling and cleaning the sliding patio doors), and didn't touch others, but all in all everything went well.

In amongst all that prep work I managed to run twice. On Saturday morning I encouraged Owen to come with me for a short run, and even got Malcolm in on the act. Owen and I ran 2km together, then picked up Malcolm for another kilometre for a total of 3km. It was chilly out, near freezing, but definitely fun. Then we had an energy audit conducted on our house, after which I took Owen to get measured for his jersey for baseball "spring training" - they start indoor workouts at the beginning of January and go every weekend right through until the end of April.

On Sunday Owen said his heel hurt a little bit (little guy needs new running shoes, me thinks) and so I went off on my own for another easy run. This time I ran 5km. It also marked the first time since last winter that I ran in below freezing temperatures as the thermometer read -0.5C when I left.

Running wise it was a good recovery week. My calf hurt a bit, but I think I've traced the issue to doing some extra calf raises that tired the muscle out a bit so I am not worried about it. It didn't bother me very much on the weekend, but clearly I need to strengthen my calves. My total for the week was a meagre 13km. This week I will try and run a bit more, though I must admit that this slow build up in mileage is getting on my nerves. I just wish my body would accept a more aggressive approach, but I'm afraid that is not to be. Just have to stay the course...

Strange...

2009-12-03T08:45:00.001-05:00

Went out for a run after two full days off and happened upon something that always seems like it comes out of nowhere for me. After about 2km of easy running my left calf (i.e. non-wonky ankle side) started to feel a bit stiff, so I took a short walk break before starting to run again. I ran three more kilometres, taking brief walking breaks after each click, and tried to stretch the thing out, but to no avail. I had gotten home from work early enough to run over to the school to collect Owen, and was not particularly warmly dressed given that the weather was pretty mild. I wore shorts, and perhaps that was the source of the problem. After a total of 5km I finally got to the school.

On the walk home with Owen the calf really started to hurt. It didn't help that it started raining that cold, late autumn type of rain and I was definitely feeling chilled. Today it feels a bit better, but definitely no running for me this evening, as I had planned. Perhaps my calves are even weaker than I had suspected? I'd better start doing some strengthening in that area once this settles down.

Just hoping to run on the weekend...

November in brief

2009-12-01T08:55:00.000-05:00

November has now come and gone. After 8 weeks of sedentary life, with a leg surgery that put me on my ass for a bit, the past month has seen me return to running, though in limited fashion I concede.

I have amassed a modest total of 50.3km of running for the month and have nearly reached 900km for the year, falling just 7km short of that mark. Though 1000km will not likely happen this year I am just happy to be running again and in the beginning stages of base building.

The other thing that all my time off has allowed me to do is to work on my leg strength. I continue to do lunges on a nightly basis and am slowly feeling the positive effects of this activity. On top of that, on days when I don't run, I spend at least a half-hour on a stationary bike. This has been good I'm sure, though my body weight has not budged, surprisingly. I find it hard to believe that the eight weeks of little activity (beyond biking to work and doing push ups and chin ups at home) has put an extra 15lbs onto my frame. I now hover just over 200lbs and that's the heaviest I've been in well over a year. I think that I am putting on muscle rather than fat, but it will be interesting to see what happens to my weight once my mileage gets higher in the coming months.

I look forward to a good December of running! This week I am taking it easy, trying to stick to my long term plan of giving my body a break every fourth week in an effort to stave off the multitude of nagging injuries that follow me around...

Weekend Update

2009-11-29T14:36:00.003-05:00

This is brief since the weekend is not yet over and I still have a lot to accomplish with the few hours that I have left.

On Saturday I went for a run early in the morning and had a decent time of it. I ran 3.5km with no breaks and felt pretty good, all things considered. Then I spent the rest of the day getting Christmas lights and putting them up on the outside of the house. It's amazing how long it takes to get that done!

Today I also went for a run in the morning. I didn't feel as pressed for time and so I decided to take it easy and took brief walking breaks after every kilometre. These really are barely walking breaks as I tend to take about ten or twenty steps and then run again. I ran a total of 5km and broke the 20km mark for the week (total of 20.5km). Not much of an accomplishment, but still...

I think this week I will actually try and take it down a notch and run a little less. I've decided to try and give my body a break every three or four weeks, and I might as well start now. The right knee, though getting better, is feeling a bit tight and can probably use a bit of rest.

Now I have to figure out how to install a garage door opener...

Oh yeah, we took the kids skating at Nathan Phillips Square this morning. It was fun! Malks fell and hurt his bum though. That was not much fun...

Late Afternoon Run

2009-11-26T19:32:00.003-05:00

Got home a bit earlier than expected after my appointment with the surgeon (another post-op check up) ended at such a time as to make going back to the office useless. And so I took advantage of the extra time allotted to go for a run. Monica had gotten home early from a conference downtown as well, and was in a rather poor mood due to some stuff that was bugging her at work, and I dragged her out to run with me.

We jogged and chatted and it was great. We took very brief walking breaks at every kilometre and eventually made it around to Owen's school after 3km. Monica thought it would be good to pick Owen up and so I headed off alone to get Malcolm at his school.

I continued to run and tacked on another two clicks for a total of 5km for the day. After I picked up Malcolm he wanted to race home and so I likely ran another kilometre chasing him all the way home, but I didn't have the Garmin turned on by this point so it went unrecorded.

Now, post shower and dinner, it's time to get the boys to bed. Ahhhh. The routine.

Wish I could say it "eases the pain"...