Taking It To The Next Level

     Just wanted to throw out a quick update on my injury and the road to recovery.  Last week, Alisha, my physical therapist asked me to take a complete week off from all activity and we would reevaluate on Wednesday.  During my rest I put myself on an ibuprofen regimen and a icing routine.  Slowly throughout the week the pain started to subside and I was starting to get a positive feeling that this may be all I needed, that is till Wednesday.

     I woke up Wednesday and the pain and aching had returned in full force and believe it or not all I could do was smile, shake my head and laugh.  I sent Alisha an email letting her know of my progress and regress for the week.  She felt it was time to take it to the next level and see a specialist.  I really had no idea what to do or who to see on, so Alisha recommended a doctor that is top notch in his field here in Toledo.  Alisha has been so great through my previous injury recovery and now this situation that I fully trust her opinion and who she recommends I see.  She got me his contact info and I called for an appointment.     This coming Wednesday I'll be having my initial evaluation and an x-ray, so hopefully I'll have an answer to my problem or at the very least have it narrowed down to a short list of possible issues.

     If you wonder how I am able to keep my spirits up during this situation, well its been a little rough but Jedi has been keeping me entertained!

   
     I am anxious to see what he has to say, but I fear that this my drag on for a couple of weeks before, one, I have a diagnosis, and two, know if I have to have surgery or not.  So for now, the goal is to get healthy enough to run again, while I hope and pray that I'll be able to run the Detroit Marathon in three and a half months!

GCM Owens Corning Half Marathon Training Week 7 & 8

     Jedi and I wanted to start by saying Happy Easter Everyone!  I hope everyone got some time to enjoy the day with family and friends. 

     As you can see from the title, I missed my post last Sunday about how my training was going.  It is funny that these two weeks would be combined together because they couldn't be more opposite of each other. 

     Week 7 training couldn't have gone any better for me.  I got all my miles in, and only missed one cross training and one yoga session.  The only thing that could have made the week go better would have been if the weather would have been better.  I was dodging rain, fog and cold temperatures all week, but despite that I was feeling great.  Normally I like to get up and get my run out of the way otherwise it becomes easier for me to skip it, but for my long run on Thursday, I had to wait till almost 2:00 before I headed out.  I was really hoping it would warm up more that it did, but I dealt with it.  

     Sunday is where things all fell apart for me.  As you might have read in my post on Thursday I had a long three days on my feet at work, along with strength training and intervals to do on Sunday.

     Like I said I have hardly run any miles since Sunday, and I owe it all to my interval training.  I did my strength training before work and headed out to get my intervals done after work.  My hamstrings paid the ultimate price, and by the time I was done, I could hardly walk, let alone run.  I woke up Monday with my legs feeling really really sore and I just knew I wasn't going to be doing any running anytime soon.  

     I skipped all running and all workouts Monday and Tuesday, but Wednesday I decided to give a short 3 mile run a try, at a super slow pace.  I got to the halfway turnaround and realized I was probably not going to be able to finish.  I pushed on, but told myself if the pain and aching got to a 4 out of 10 then I would stop.  I quit at mile 2.5 and walked the last half mile home.  Even though I had to quite early, when I woke up on Thursday my legs were still a little sore, but were feeling better.  It was raining almost all day so I decided to just relax until the it cleared up.  I ended up getting out around 6:30pm and limited myself to 2 miles, which turned out to feel really good, even at the faster pace.

     I decided to give myself Friday and Saturday off and hit it again on Sunday.  It was freaking windy as hell, but it felt so good to not have to bundle up like an Eskimo just to go for a run.  I still had a little light pain in my left hamstring that hung around for the entire run, but was very manageable to deal with. 

     After I got back, Mandy and the boys were ready to go for a walk and I thought it would be a good way to stretch out the post run legs.  Mandy is registered for the 5K that is going on at the Glass City Marathon to give her something to do while I am running the Owens Corning Half Marathon so she needs to get a little training in as well.  We headed out on the bike path at a brisk walking pace with a few spurts of light jogging.  Jedi is starting to get better at walking on the leash and is loving to pick up the pace and get a full run on.  

When we were all done I ate some lunch and enjoyed my Easter splurge on a few Peeps!

 

WARNING!!!! IMAGE MAY BE DISTURBING TO SOME VIEWERS!   
 

Thursday Weigh In / Boy Are My Legs Sore

     Hey everyone, I am pretty damn happy only to have gained a half pound considering a couple of issues I have had this week.  I have been a little susceptible to binge eating, but haven't let it control my life.  I guess I can be happy that my binges haven't been on junk food, I just have been eating a little more than I should have.  The other reason is due to my own stupidity and not listening to my body; because of that I have only been able to run 2.5 miles since Sunday, which I'll explain later.

4/2/15 official weigh in

174 lbs

Total loss from heaviest:  143 lbs

Current BMI:  27.2 (overweight)

     Like I said I have hardly run any miles since Sunday, and I owe it all to my interval training.  Sunday I had strength training and intervals on the agenda, so I did my strength training early before I went to work.  Now keep in mind we had a major three day weekend event at work so I have been on my feet 9-10 hours for a solid two days up to this point.  After work I got home and headed out to get my intervals done.  This was a step up day, meaning that my plan stepped up the intensity, so my workout looked like this:

          2 minute warmup at 10min pace

          6:30min pace for 1 minute x8 reps

          9:00min pace for 2 minute x8 reps

          2 minute cool down at 10min pace

     I was doing just fine till I finished number six.  At that point I started to feel my hamstrings getting sore.  I kind of thought they were just getting a little tired, but didn't think it was a big deal.  My mind kept saying quit, you have done enough, but being a stubborn runner, I pushed through it and finished.  I could barely walk after I was done and knew immediately I had over done it.  Monday was a schedule rest day and thank God, because my hamstrings were super tight and hurt so bad when I would try and stretch them out.  Tuesday I think was the worst day of it.  I had Mandy try and roll them out and man did it hurt.  She couldn't get over how I was reacting with how little pressure she was placing on them.

     Wednesday I decided to give a short 3 mile run a try, at a super slow pace for me.  I got to the halfway turnaround and realized I was probably not going to be able to finish.  I pushed on, but told myself if the pain and aching got to a 4 out of 10 then I would stop.  I quit at mile 2.5 and walked the last half mile home.

     As I sit here and type this, I have yet to try another run today, and am definitely skipping my 11 mile long run I had on tap.  It has been raining all day and is looking like it may clear out around 7ish so I might give it another go with a 3 mile easy run, but I might just wait and do it in the morning.      

Jedi just wanted to say "Hi Everyone"

Snow Day Run

     Well any of you living in the midwest today knows that a huge snow storm is moving through the area and dumping a lot of snow on us.  I was scheduled to work today, but because of the weather we decided to play it safe and close today as several other business did.   After I spent the morning shoveling the first few inches that fell I played with the dogs out in the snow  Our chi-weenie Jedi freaking loves the snow.  It was so funny watching him try and run through the snow.  He had to do more hopping than running really.  The snow was that perfect packing type snow so I made a snowball and we started playing fetch with it.  It was so cute when I would toss it and seeing him run back with a huge snowball in his mouth.

     When we finished I decided to head out for a run sense I hadn't run since Wednesday.  My therapist has given me the go ahead and try a four mile run and see how that goes.  I was able to get the entire four miles in despite the snow coming down.  The parks department plowed the trail just before I headed out so I had a pretty good place to run.  My knee had felt a little tight and stiff the last couple of days and it was definitely there today.  I have been working hard to get my cadence up to 180bpm, but have been struggling to do it with keeping my pace down, but this time, I headed out and seemed to maintain my cadence and kept my pace slower. 

     The entire first three miles was fine despite the snow and worsening conditions out there.  As far as pain goes, the knee was doing well for those first three, but the stiffness was still there.  The last mile was a different story however.  The aching slowly crept in and steadily got worse.  The pain started and got to a one and then to a two on a scale of 1-10 pretty quick.  I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but my therapist doesn't want me to run on it if it gets any higher than that.  I posed this question to her as well because this is where I may or may not be making a mistake.  When the pain begins I become so conscious of it I start to mess with my stride thinking that how I was running is the cause.  The pain would then subside for a little bit and then come back so I end up making a change again.  That happened several times over that last mile. 

     At one point with a little less than a quarter mile left, the pain almost got to a three and I was about to stop when I changed my stride again and it fell to a one so I went ahead and finished.  I also noticed over that last mile that my right leg seemed to get tired out way more than the left, which may be because of all the attention I was giving it. 

     

I want to apologize for the lack of posts lately.  The last couple of weeks have been very busy with a lot going on in my personal and professional life.  I sometimes get a little down with this knee situation and wonder if I'll ever be able to run regularly and pain free again.  Plus this cold and snowy weather isn't helping either.  Anyway, they say time heals all wounds so enough boohoo about this I need to remember this injury needs time and patience to correct it.

Enjoy the Super Bowl tonight, and if you don't like football than enjoy the Super Bowl commercials!

Wednesday Weigh In / Rehab Run

     We got two inches or so of snow this morning and when I let Jedi out to go potty that was the last thing on his mind.  He seems to love playing in the snow so I went out to join him.  Now two inches of snow doesn't sound like a lot, but when you are a chihuahua dachshund mix and your legs are only like two inches long, that is a hell of a lot of snow.  Anyway I snapped this pic of him and had to share it because he looked so stinking cute.

     I was excited to get to my PT appointment because I really wanted to get some new things to work on because the static stretches I have been doing three times a day, every day was getting a little old.  Well I still have to continue the stretches, but got some new stuff to work on including yoga.  Yep that's right I said yoga.  I will give this yoga the old college try, especially because if I do I can skip two of my stretching sessions.  Today she also gave me a variation of a single leg squat to build strength and promote good running form.  Basically I do a single leg squat on an elevated platform and swing the opposite leg in a running motion.  It was quite difficult at first, but I was getting the hang of it by the end.

     Since this week we concentrated mostly on my running form to try and correct my issues that have been adding to my IT Band related pain, Alisha had me on the treadmill for most of the session.  While working on my cadence, she noticed that my left leg form seemed to be really good, but the right leg, the problem leg, isn't extending enough in the push off and isn't bending enough when I bring it back forward.  This is causing my leg to kind of swing out to the side to help clear the ground.  She had me get off the treadmill and do a few static movements that will aid in the muscle memory for proper form.  My form improved quite a bit after just a few minutes of drills.  Alisha then had me hop back on the treadmill and try it again.  It is amazing how much better you feel when you are running with proper form.  

     We finished with all the running drills, I cooled down and we talked about a few thing and scheduled my next appointment.  When we were all done with this session I hoped on the treadmill and banged out another 2.5 mile run, since I hadn't run since Sunday.  I concentrated on my form trying to keep my right leg in the proper position.  Now this may be due to being on the treadmill versus the road and after my therapy treatment, but I managed to only get a small amount of light tightness and pain for a short time around two and a quarter miles in.  I don't want to get my hopes up to much yet, but I came away from today's visit and run feeling very optimistic.  I would say I am right on track for starting my training for the Owens Corning Half Marathon at the Glass City Marathon in April!  

     Since it is Wednesday I need to post my current weigh in to hold myself accountable.  Sorry I skipped last weeks post, I just ran out of time.

1/21/15 official weigh in

176.5 lbs

Change: +1 lbs

Total loss from heaviest:  141.5 lbs

Current BMI:  27.6 (overweight)

Change: +.1

Wednesday Weigh In

     Well what does one do when they can't run, its your day off and your wife is off today?  SLEEP IN!!!  Yep that's right sleeping in was what was on my agenda for the morning.  Once we crawled out of bed we crashed on the coach and cuddled with the pups.  We were trying to figure out what to do for the day when Mandy mentioned she had a gift card to the movie theater so an afternoon screening of the current Hunger Games movie and a large tub of popcorn was on tap.  Before we left I got my official weigh in done and it felt like deja vu when I looked down at the scale.  I swear I am not using the same picture from last week either.  I even stepped off and back on again just to make sure.  I am not complaining at all and will take it.

12/3/14 official weigh in

175.5 lbs

Change: 0 lbs

Total loss from heaviest: 141.5 lbs

Current BMI: 27.5 (overweight)

Change: 0

     After the movie I ran a quick errand before we headed home to do what, watch last night's Sons of Anarchy episode.  I know how it sounds, that all I did today was spend it on my ass, and damn it I enjoyed every minute.  However I did manage to not be a complete slug today.  I spent an hour this evening doing my body weight exercises and my IT band stretching routine.  My homemade pvc workout contraption has been working well for me.  I had Mandy snap a couple pics of me for proof I really did something today! :)

Wednesday weigh in

     I had a really busy day today.  I had to get up around 6 o'clock and take my jeep in to get a new bumper put on for some warranty work.  I didn't get my normal bathroom time in before I left so my weight was a little higher than it would have been.  Keep in mind that I'm not focusing on weight for the next couple of weeks until after the marathon.  So I headed over to the dealership to get my new bumper put on, which took a couple hours, and when they were done I wanted to try and find a shirt to wear for the marathon.  I don't know why am letting something as stupid as a shirt to wear stress me out, but I went to Kohl's then to Dick's Sporting Goods then to another Kohl's and finally Target and I couldn't find anything that I liked.  Actually I found a shirt at Target that I liked, but they did not have my size so I'm going to have to go online and see if I can order it. Anyway, by the time I got back I had about an hour to play with the dogs before I had to head out the door for my run. I had to leave the house so I could be back by 2 o'clock so I could get changed and take Jedi to his puppy check up at 3.  That was pretty much my day!!

10/1/14 official weigh in

183 lbs

Change: +3 lbs

Total loss from heaviest: 134 lbs

Current BMI: 28.6 (overweight)

Change: +.4

     As for my run, I decided to do a half marathon in distance at race pace or slightly faster.  The weather wasn't to bad, mostly cloudy with temps in the low 60s with no wind.  I decided on a route where I would only have one overpass as a hill to mess with.  Once I was on the move I decided to change my route on the fly and do a nice long loop where I thought there wouldn't be any hills.  As it turns out running an area you're not 100% familiar with, you end up finding what you were trying to avoid in the first place.  Luckily they were just some small rolling hills nothing that aggravated my foot.

     I really don't get why my last few runs have felt this way, I know I was doing the pace that I wanted to do, but it felt like such a struggle to do it.  My breathing wasn't the issue, it was my legs.  They just seem to feel tight when I start and keep getting tighter as the miles progress.  It wasn't till I got to around mile six things started to loosen up a little bit and my time began to fall.  I managed to stay under 9 min miles for the remainder of the run. 

     As for my foot issue, I was a little hesitant to really push my pace, but as the run went on my foot felt good and I opened it up towards the end.  I did have a few small twinges of pain, nothing to really worry about, but overall I was happy and my foot did pretty well.  During my run I noticed I was a little tight in my outer and inner thigh muscles.  I think that may have also been a big reason why I felt so sluggish.  I need to concentrate the next couple weeks on getting some good stretching in to stay loose.  I think as I taper and reduce my mileage my legs might start to tighten up, so I'll bring out the foam roller the stick and hopefully Mandy to give me a little massage therapy. 

wednesday weigh in

     Finally, my schedule seems to be settling down a little and getting back to a normal routine.  Today was the first Wednesday that I have had off in at least a couple of weeks.  It is nice not having anything pressing to do today either.  I can finally just get my run in and kick back a little bit and enjoy the day.   

     I played with the puppy after my run so he is tuckered out and sleeping right now and the other two dogs followed suit so I've got a little free time to write this.  As you read last week, I am not concerning myself with my weight until after the marathon, but I am still going to monitor this situation.  As much as I don't care what the scale says, right now, I really don't want things getting to out of control.  Having said that, here is what my weigh in looked like this week.

9/17/14 Official Weigh In

181 lbs

Change: -2 lbs

Total loss from heaviest: 136 lbs

Current BMI: 28.3 (overweight)

Change: -.3

     My running schedule is all kinds of jacked up this week due to some rearranging I had to make the last couple of weeks.  Normally my run today is my long run which usually is the longest mileage, but it also means I would be running it at 9:50-10:00 min per mile avg pace.  This week my Wednesday run is my longest mileage, but it is also wound being my race pace run for this week.    Now I am sure my regular readers have noticed I've been getting faster during this training cycle and that my original race goal was between 9:00 and 9:10 per mile  Lately I have been running slightly above race pace at 8:50-8:59 avg mile which, one, I think will better prepare me, and two, my body just naturally seems to wanna go faster.
   
     Today's run was 14 miles and it felt pretty darn good.  I did the same route I did for Saturday's 13 mile run, I just turned right instead of left towards the end to add that last mile.  The weather was really nice today, almost a perfect day to run.  It was a little chilly when I left so I wore a thin pair of gloves to keep the hands warm, but between my long sleeve tech shirt and the sun doing its thing, I warmed up pretty quickly.  By the end of the run it felt really comfortable out.  

     when I sat down to write this I uploaded my Garmin to see how my splits were.  I was really happy with how close and steady they were.  With the exception of the last mile, where I pushed myself to have a strong finish, my slowest mile was an 8:57 and my fastest was an 8:51.  The other thing I liked about it was the fact that there was no big swings in pace.  Its not like one mile I ran an 8:51 and the next was a 8:57 or vice versa.  The whole run felt rather smooth while I was running it and it shows in the numbers.

     I would love to stay and chat, but I have some chores to do and get ready for a Fremont Elite Runners Club meeting tonight.  Also, here is a funny picture one of my Ragnar SoCal friends shared on Facebook.  I thought I would show it because it is a great tip for anyone who may have a circus in town. LOL