7/25-7/31 & 8/1-8/7: Consistency

7/25 Mon: 11.29 km, 4:47/km - hilly easy/moderate run at Standley Lake on gravel roads & trails
7/26 Tue: AM - 3.25 miles, 8:28/mile - on treadmill with 1% incline
PM - 8.18 km, 5:01/km - easy run
7/27 Wed: 7.25 miles - 2 mile warmup with a few drills, 3.25 mile tempo @ 6:14/mile, 2 mile cooldown
7/28 Thu: 8.88 km, 5:07/km - easy run with 4 x 100m strides
7/29 Fri: 22.89 km, 6:05/km - on Eldorado Mountain trails with 900+ ft of climbing in first 5 miles - pacing a friend from work through a long run and we had to slow throughout run.  Longest run in a long time!
7/30 Sat: 4.99 km, 5:34/km - recovery run, my legs were very heavy and tired from the night before
7/31 Sun: planned rest day

Weekly Totals: 7 runs, 45-46 miles

8/1 Mon: AM - 3.25 miles, 8:22/mile - easy run
PM - 5.25 miles, 8:35/mile - recovery run, still feeling the effort from the Friday before
8/2 Tue: 4.5 miles, 8:00/mile - easy run on treadmill with 1% incline
8/3 Wed: unplanned rest day
8/4 Thu: 7.86 miles - 1 mile warmup, 5.25 mile high-end aerobic run @ 6:44/mile, 1.61 mile cooldown
8/5 Fri: AM - 3.25 miles, 8:19/mile - easy run on treadmill with 1% incline
PM - 5.11 miles, 8:38/mile - recovery run, legs were heavy and tired and I had a hard time keeping them moving
8/6 Sat: 11.05 miles, 8:09/mile - horrible run!  I was hoping to run about 8 minute pace, which should have been easy, but I could not even get on pace the first few miles.  The effort was much greater than it should have been.  I told myself to just find a comfortable pace and get through the run.  The last 4 miles were a death slog!  I really fell off the pace the last two miles because they were all uphill.  I almost passed out afte 10 miles.
8/7 Sun: 4.1 miles, 8:14/mile - easy, barefoot run on grass/trails

Weekly Totals: 8 runs, 44.37 miles

4 of the last 5 weeks have been 40+ miles.  The one that wasn't was a cutback week.  The plan is to get 40+ in this week as well and then take another cutback week.  I'm starting to add strides back in one day a week.  Hopefully this will provide a little more added efficiency to my stride.

I have noticed a marked improvement in my strength.  What I mean is that I finished up the tempo run and high-end aerobic run the last two weeks feeling strong versus the straining I experienced on my first few tempos back.  It's nice to end a harder effort with a feeling of confidence and steady progression.

My malalignment continues to be an issue.  My left achilles is still sore and tight after almost every run and when I wake up in the mornings.  I continue to focus on doing the eccentric calf raises.  I am reading the book my doc recommended called "The Egoscue Method of Health Through Motion."  The next day or two I hope to start performing the exercises to realign my pelvis and shoulders.  I also have a few appointments to schedule to receive manually therapy to assist in this process.  This remains the key as to whether I will be able to "get serious" again.

I am planning on running the Coal Creek Crossing in Louisville the first weekend in September.  I plan to just try and maintain a 6:30 pace, and go after it the last few miles if I'm feeling good physically.  I've wanted to run this race for a few years, so I figured why not.  It'll be a good gauge as to how far I've come in the last 4 months.  Plus, if by some miracle my alignment improves, I'll have a good starting point for future workouts.

I continue to be encouraged by my progress.  Not only that, but I feel as though I have a plan in place that will provide a more concrete answer as to whether my physical health will allow for a return to training and chasing my goals.

7/4/11 - 7/10/11: A Review

Mon: easy/moderate - 11.37 km, 4:53/km, 143 avg heart rate
Tue: easy/moderate - 8.18 km, 4:51/km
Wed: easy - 9.9 km, 5:16/km, 134 avg heart rate
Thu: AM: easy - 4.82 km, 5:16/km
        PM: easy - 8.13 km, 5:12/km, 135 avg heart rate
Fri: easy - 9.72 km, 5:04/km, 140 avg heart rate
Sat: moderate - 16.32 km, 4:53/km, 152 avg heart rate
Sun: planned rest day

Weekly totals: 7 runs, 68.44 km (42.52 miles), 9.78 km per run

Mon: wanted to try and just try and do a run at under 8:00/mile pace with as little effort as possible to see how it felt and how my body reacted to a little harder effort.

Tue: goal was the same as Monday's run

Wed: back to just an easy run to log the miles

Thu: AM - easy run to get my body used to doing doubles again
PM - easy run

Fri: easy run...didn't want to run to hard because I was focusing on the following day's long run

Sat: I wanted to keep the pace below 8:00/mile.  I knew the effort level would creep up as the run went on because I had not done a run this long, much less at a desired pace.  I knew I would reap large benefits from a concerted effort here.

Overall, the week was kind of just ho-hum.  As you can probably tell, I didn't do any "hard" running this week.  I was purposely keeping the intensity low because I was getting to a mileage volume I had not been at regularly.  You know how they day, increase volume or intensity, but not both at the same time?  Well, I wasn't so good at following that rule in the past.  I figured since this was my first of back-to-back weeks at 40+ miles, I would keep this one a little lighter and add a tiny bit of intensity the following week.

I did realize that lots of easy running can get a little mundane.  Of course the majority of running should be at this pace, but I have been running easy almost exclusively for months now.  I have an itch to start doing some faster stuff.  That is not to say that lots of slow running isn't good because it is absolutely essential.  I very much adhere to the philosophy of lots of slow running builds a foundation for the hard running to come.  This translates to a specific training cycle as well as the running lifespan of an individual.

It is good in multiple ways.  First, it lays an aerobic foundation.  It builds ones aerobic capacity to a certain extent.  It also builds a neuromuscular foundation: 1) it provides a Resistance to injury because the body adapts to the requirements without the added stress of hard running, and 2) it makes you more efficient at performing the act of running, which in turn allows ones aerobic capacity to improve even more.  I have embraced this concept because I have too many personal experiences that tell me the other way (running hard before establishing a sufficient base) leads to injury.  I am setting myself up with all this slow running to achieve my fast racing goals!

My back continues to remain pain-free (generally speaking).  More specifically, I am completely convinced that running does not effect the status of my back.  I have been struggling with the achilles tendinitis in my left leg.  It seems to be improving, mostly because of the eccentric calf exercises, but I have to continue to focus on improving my left side stride to alleviate it as one of the potential causes.

Here's to continued improvement!  Cheers!

6/20/11 - 6/26/11

Mon: AM 2.5 miles / PM 8.14 km
Tue: 11.46 km
Wed: 8.15 km
Thu: planned rest day
Fri: AM 3 miles / PM 8.17 km
Sat: 7.29 km
Sun: 16.18 km

Total: 8 runs, 68.24 km, 8.53 km/run

Mon: AM: This is only the second double I have done this year.  I did my hip exercises prior to my morning run.  I ran on a treadmill at work in my vibrams - do all my treadmill runs @ 1% incline.
PM: Never got in a rhythm - felt like I was reaching down and out with my left leg (pelvic twist?)

Tue: This was supposed to be a moderate-hard aerobic run - 6-7 miles @ 7:00/mile pace.  The result was just over 7 miles @ 7:15/mile pace.  The last few miles ended up being just hard.  I think I was a little to sure of myself prior to the run.  I will remember this run next time and stick closer to 7:30 pace for now.

Wed: Easy run.  I could tell I was tired because my average heart rate was 147 (high) at 5:16/km pace

Fri: AM: Easy run on treadmill at work at 8:23/mile pace.
PM: Progressive run from 8:30/mile down to 7:45/mile.

Sat: Short easy run.

Sun: First time I have done 10+ miles since November (at least)!  My legs were beat up as I did a 6-mile hike in Rocky Mountain National Park (1400 ft elevation gain) the day before.  I did not push the run at all as my legs had the "lead" feeling.  5:24/km pace with an average heart rate of 146 (shows I was tired!!!).

Overall, I accomplished my goals for the week.  I wanted to hit 40+ miles (ended up with 42.4).  This is the second time I reached 40+ volume in a week in 2011.  I also wanted to be smart about it and not increase intensity, which I did (I actually backed off the intensity).

I really focused throughout the week on my form.  I began the week feeling likemy pelvis was twisted.  What I mean when I say this is that I felt like when I was facing forward, I was slightly twisted to the left; my right quad, hip, pectoral and shoulder were all out in front of my left.  Add to this that my left knee has the tendency to collapse to the outside, I felt like I was "taller" on my right side.  This made me feel like I was "falling" to my left side.  I wanted to feel like I was "running tall".  I tried to stay uniform in my stride from one side to the next.  I focused on: 1) keeping my knee above or just on the outside of my foot through push-off, 2) firing my quads and hips through push-off, 3) keeping my shoulders and hips level, and 4) having my footfall for each stride occur directly below my hips.  In doing all these things, I noticed my left achilles tendinitis flared up, but I'm not sure why.  I'm keeping tabs on it to make sure it doesn't get worse as right now it gets a little tight on some runs.

This week I am shooting for a 2nd week in a row of 40+ miles.  I should be able to accomplish this without any injury risk.  I want to continue to focus on the things mentioned above as well as running efficiently - midfoot strike without causing any additional stress on my left achilles.

I tried sleeping in my bed one night and I woke up with a sore, stiff lower back.  So, I have been sleeping on my floor at home.  I have a therm-a-rest on top of my rug on my hardwood floors.  Needless to say, it is "firm" support.  Ha ha!  I must say though that my back has not felt this good in a year+.

I am starting to consider myself a runner again...

Baby Steps

Good morning!  This post is written with more hope than I remember having in a long while.  A few things seemed to have "gone my way" recently, which is the first time I can remember that happening in God knows how long.

The first thing is the week of May 30-June 5 I was able to run about 42 miles for the week.  That is the most I have run in probably over a year.  I did not experience any negative physical effects to boot!

Secondly, I had an MRI done on my lower back.  The motivation for this was to attempt to identify the source of my ongoing, unilateral lower back pain/tightness/soreness.  This would allow me, more specifically my doctor, to determine if running may be the cause of the pain or aggravating the source problem.  The results: disc dessication at L3/L4 & L4/L5.  That probably doesn't seem like a positive result for many people, but for me it was a relief.  This was the diagnosis I received back in August 2008 that lead to the herniation of those discs at that time.  The condition has progressed since then, but it is managable.  The best news is that, according to my doctor, running is not going to make the condition worse, and in his words: "There are a whole of people running significantly greater volume with backs in much worse condition than mine".  I was prescribed an oral dose of steriods to reduce the inflamation alleviate the pressure on the root nerve causing the problem.  I feel much improved, although not completely cured.

Third, I realized one of the factors leading to ongoing back pain was...my bed.  It's too darn soft!  I came to this realization on family vacation last week.  I was sleeping on the floor and had little to no discomfort in my lower back.  I experienced relief, so much so, that some days it did not cross my mind!  So, a new, firmer (and most likely cheaper) bed will be replacing the expensive, plush bed I bought only a year ago.  The monetary loss is a small price to pay.

Fourth, I threw caution to the wind and ran a 5K this past Saturday while on vacation.  I was down in Florida, where my aunt and uncle live, on our annual family vacation.  They convinced me to run the race with them.  I didn't have much of an expectation for myself; I figured the best I could do was 19:30, and I would have just been happy to break 20 minutes.  Somehow, with the limited amount of slow running I've been doing allowed me to run 18:31, for 7th place overall.  This was the first race I had done since October 2009.  It definitely got me jazzed and motivated to get back to running the 50 miles a week my doctor and I had decided on for the time being.

My stride has improved signifcantly since my gait analysis and regularly performing the perscribed exercises.  I feel as though I am continuing to make small improvements to feel comfortable with my stride.  I feel as though I am "falling out" on my left side, like I am so much more right side dominate.  I think I may have a pelvic twist or tilt, but it is hard to tell.  I saw my physical therapist a couple weeks ago and he has me doing some exercises on the pulley machine that he thinks will straighten me out.  I am trying to run with a uniform stride on both sides, and that seems to have helped some.  Still a lot to figure out on this topic in the future.

With each little baby step, I get closer.  I don't really know what I am closer to other than the idea of a "Return to Running".  It's a vision, now I just have to figure out what exactly the vision is so I know when I'm there!

Standing on the shoulders of giants!

Here I am almost two months removed from my last post.  I kept meaning to post, but for one reason or another did not.

Much has happened since my last post...where to start???

Well, I will start by saying I have continued my regular visits to a health practitioner.  I have been going to the same facility for the last two months.  I have seen a doctor once, about 10 physical therapy appointments, 3 dry needling sessions and a gait analysis.

Mentally, I think I have categorized myself one of two ways when it comes to my health in the context of running: healthy or not healthy.  I am trying to think of it now in more of a spectrum context.  In doing so, I can say that in the last two months, with the assistance I have received from my health practioners, I am very close to being able to run without concern for injuring myself worse.

The achilles tendinitis in my left leg has greatly improved.  The swelling is down about 2/3rds.  The posterior tibialis pain in my left leg has been greatly reduced.  There are days when my back pain is non-existent; however, I still believe the underlying cause has not been correctly diagnosed.  As soon as it is, I think with the necessary effort, I can alleviate the problem.  The gait analysis revealed some abnormalities, which were most likely a contributing factor to both my leg and back pain, have been addressed through hip and gluteus medius strengthening and stability exercises.

I have now run up to about 35 miles in a week, and hope this week it will be even a little more.  As long as I continue to feel good, I will continue to increase my volume.  The unknown that remains is will I be able to stop my rehabilitation exercises?  If so, when can I stop them and will I remain pain-free?

I can say that physically I feel better than I have in a long time.  I know I have said that before, but I guess that provides some insight as to how poor my physical state was.  Not to mention the fact that theoritically I guess there is no ceiling on how good one can feel.

I owe a lot to myself!  That probably sounds funny or awkward, but I have put in a lot of effort over the last few months.  Hours upon hours of exercises, stretches, foam rolling, icing, etc.  Some days its hard, some days its easy.  I just couldn't forgive myself if I didn't try every option to return to pain free training and racing at the volume and paces I want to.  I'm never going to be great...but I have made great efforts to fulfill my goals and desires!

Here's to floating along effortlessly!!!