Persistent Calf Pain

If you've logged a few high-mileage weeks in your days, you've likely dealt with minor, or even major, calf strains. It's an extremely common problem among runners, and I'm no exception. I'd like to outline some of the things that I've found to help me deal with nagging calf pain. I've tried to list these tips for overcoming a calf strain in the order of most helpful to least helpful, though a combination of many, if not all, of them will likely get you back on the trail the quickest. Last but not least, I'm a runner, not a doctor, so please consult a medically trained professional if you are unsure of the severity of your injury.

Rest

I know it's the last thing you want to hear as a runner, but you might need to take a break. If you act at the early signs of an injury, you could be talking about a few days recovery versus weeks or months. Calf strains are almost always a sign of overuse, so one of the best methods for recovering from nagging calf pain is to give your calves some time to relax. I try to take at least one or two days off whenever a significant pain pops up on a run, and then I test the waters with a short slow run to ease back into things.

Stretching

When you are experiencing calf pain on a run, the first natural reaction is to stop and try to stretch it out. This is probably a natural reaction because it usually works pretty well. A calf strain is generally caused by overusing your calf muscle, and if it's addressed early it's simply a matter of stretching out a tight muscle.

One thing that I've realized as a runner, is you don't always feel pain at its source. You may be experiencing pain in your calves because other muscles in your leg may be tight, and exerting more strain on your calf muscles. So, don't just stretch your calves when they're in pain, make sure to stretch your quads, ex-tensor tendons (the muscles that run along your shin and connect to the top of your foot), hamstrings, glutes, and hips. That might sound like overkill for a calf strain, but one key concept to understand is that all of your muscles live in opposition to other muscles. That's what allows you to move a body part in different directions. For instance, flexing your calves allows you to point your toe downward, or raise up on to your tiptoes. Your extensor tendon flexes to allow you to raise your toes upward toward your knee. If you over-stress one of those muscles, it will tighten causing more stress on the opposing muscle. You may end up feeling pain in either one of the muscles. You can read about how switching to barefoot running, and over-stressing my calves, put me in a battle with extensor tendinitis here. To make a long story short, if you're experiencing pain in your calves while running, make sure to loosen up all of the muscles in your legs, not just your calves.

Compression Socks/Calf Sleeves

This is a debatable product that I don't feel qualified to discuss the science behind, but I absolutely swear by compression socks and calf sleeves as a runner. I've gotten a few pair from Pro Compression, and they work great! The idea behind compression socks is that they provide graduated pressure (more pressure near the foot, and less pressure near the knee), in order to increase blood flow through the legs. From my research on compression socks, most of the debate on their effectiveness relates to whether or not they're actually effective while running, not whether they're effective after a run while recovering.

I like to wear compression socks or calf sleeves while running, but I think I gain the most benefit by continuing to wear them for several hours after a run. I've even worn them to bed before, when my calves are really screaming. Again, I'm not a medical professional, and I don't really know if there is science to support why this seems to help me so much, but compression socks and calf sleeves have become like my runner's security blanket. I absolutely recommend giving them a try if you regularly experience calf pain from running. I've also heard many people use them for shin splints, but, believe it or not, I've never had shin splints, so I couldn't speak to their effectiveness for that. In my opinion, $50-60 for a pair of high quality compression socks is well worth the price.

Hydration

This might seem like a no-brainer, but sometimes it's as simple as drinking more water. When you get dehydrated it can cause cramping in your muscles, and in runners, your calves will be likely be the first to go. Not drinking enough water can sometimes become a problem for me, even though I've been a regular runner for years. One of the ways dehydration sneaks up on me is in the winter when it's cold. It's hard to pound water when it's 30-40 degrees, but it's just as necessary as it is in the middle of summer. When you throw on a warming layer to go for a run, you may be causing yourself to sweat just as much, if not more, than when running in the summer.

Massage

When your muscles are sore massage can feel amazing, but beyond simply feeling good, it will actually help to clear lactic acid from your muscles and improve circulation to speed up recovery. Getting a quality massage can get pretty expensive, especially if you're regularly dealing with sore muscles from running. One great do-it-yourself product that I've found to be insanely helpful is the Stick. This product is so simple, but SO effective, and it has gained a cult-like following from runners over the years. If you don't want to spend $30-$50 on a stick, you can use a rolling pin or a broom handle, but nothing quite works as well as the actual Stick. Basically, you just use it in various positions and roll it back and forth over sore muscles. The only muscles I've ever used it on are my calves, and it works wonders. I wouldn't say that it's anywhere near as good as getting an actual massage from a trained professional, but using the Stick for 10 minutes before and after a run may be enough to loosen up your muscles and get you back to 100%.

Electrolytes

In order to function properly your muscles need the right balance of sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium, but the first two are the most important. Given that most Americans likely get far more sodium in their natural diet, that leaves you with making sure that you're getting enough potassium. Some common sources from food are bananas, potatoes, sweet potatoes, watermelon, black beans, and beets. There are a ton more if none of those appeal to you. Another option that I generally use on any run longer than an hour is Salt Sticks. I've only used the classic version in pill form. It may be mostly mental, but when I take them during a long run it makes my muscles feel like when I drip oil on a dry bicycle chain. Tightness and tension seem to drift away, and everything just feels smooth. I take 1 capsule per hour while running.

Running Form

This is something that's probably not necessary if you're an experienced runner. If you're just getting into running, and you're experiencing calf pain even after trying everything else I've mentioned, it may be worth analyzing your running stride to see if you're placing unnecessary stress on your calves. Generally this would be that you are exaggerating landing on your forefoot, near your toe, and your heel is well off the ground when you first make contact with the ground. Ideally, your mid-foot should hit the ground first, and your heel should be as low as possible, without causing it to strike first.

Some of the ways in which you can identify problems with your stride, are by looking at the treads on your shoes. You should notice significantly more wear on the treads between the mid-foot and fore-foot where your foot naturally strikes the ground. If that spot looks to be very far forward (toward your toes), then try adjusting your stride while running to land more toward your mid-foot. When you look at the heel of your shoe, you should see some wear on the heel. It shouldn't be nearly as pronounced as the wear on the mid-foot, but there should be some wear present. This shows that your heel is in fact coming down and making full contact with the ground with each footfall. If there isn't much wear on the heels of your shoes relative to the wear on the mid-foot, you may be putting unnecessary stress on your calves by not giving them a brief rest between each step you take.

NSAID's

I decided to put this on here as a method for dealing with calf strain, but I really don't recommend taking ibuprofen or any other anti-inflammatory drug to enable you to continue running. I try to take medicine as sparingly as possible, but there are times when taking an Advil can really help to alleviate pain and reduce inflammation. In my opinion, if you're at the point where you need to take pain medicine in order to make it through a run, you probably shouldn't be running. Focus your efforts on rest, and some of the other methods I laid out in this post before you get out running again.

Taking an NSAID after a run to deal with particularly sore muscles can really help. I generally do this after a marathon or an intense trail run. The one thing I would caution against is making taking an NSAID a regular part of your running routine. it should be something used on occasion, not everyday. If you're constantly in so much pain that you need to take something to deal with it, you're running too much, too fast, incorrectly, or some combination of all three.

I hope that some of these methods help you along in your recovery, and get you back on the trail soon.

Happy Running!

Back in the Saddle

It's felt great to get back into running.  I've logged around 50 miles since my last post, and I've been really surprised by how quickly by legs have adjusted.  I started out expecting it to be a really, really, really long 1-2 months of building up mileage again.  I've certainly stayed active, but nowhere near the level of endurance I had when I ran the Marine Corps Marathon or the Gar Williams Half around two years ago.

I remember building up to my first marathon in 2009, and I felt like a 9-mile training run was such an accomplishment.  Every new feat from there on was incredible in my eyes.  I was convinced that I ran 22 or 24 miles in my longest training run (I didn't have a GPS watch at the time).  I ran for 3 hours and, in hindsight, I think I actually only ran about 18 miles or so.  I came to that brutal realization during the 2009 Seattle Marathon.  I felt great up until around miles 18-20, and then I completely fell apart.  My first marathon took me 1 hour and 22 minutes longer than my longest run in preparation for that marathon.  That's a big difference!

Fast forward to this last two weeks, and I threw down two 10-mile runs with very little effort.  That's something that took me months to build up to before.  Of course, I've run several other shorter runs over the last two weeks, but it's the 10-milers that made me really feel good about my running ability and my general level of fitness.  Granted, I haven't been worrying about speed in the slightest.  I plan to just log the miles for the first 1-2 months.

I'm still thinking about the timing for my first ultra, but the front-runner so far is the Whistler 50.  I haven't registered yet, but I think I will soon!

Happy Running!

Hey Guys...Still Alive!

Well, it's been an extremely long time since my last update.  I almost feel like I should just start an entirely new blog, but after reading some of my old posts I started reminiscing about running and blogging about it in Washington, DC and in Hyderabad, India.  I've really missed sharing my trial of miles, and I'm ready to get back to it.

Most importantly, I've missed the sense of community I felt when running and keeping everyone up to date here.  This blog held me accountable for what I wanted to accomplish, and it put me in contact with real people who could offer support, advice, and friendship.  This blog got me through my second marathon, after a disastrous first marathon.  This blog made me a runner.  Let me clarify that last statement.  This blog gave me the mindset that I was a runner, but I made myself a runner.  I did that by burning through running shoe after running shoe in countless miles of trials.

I never ran my ultramarathon when we got back to the States, and that kind of makes me sad.  I was in the best shape of my life when we got back from India, and I was easily in good enough shape to at least finish an ultra.  I made the mistake of letting life's little events make me feel like it wasn't the right time for me.  Granted, my wife and I were having another child.  That's a pretty big life event!  I figured, I'd just wait another six months until life returned to normal. The problem with that mentality is that life is never normal.  I have a wife and kids and life is always crazy.  Becoming an ultramarathoner is still on my bucketlist, and I'm determined to accomplish that goal.  The one thing I've found most certain in life is that if you want to accomplish something, you have to do it...not think about doing it.  To reference Dr. Seuss, I'm through sitting in the "waiting place."  This is the year that I will run my ultra.

Happy Running!

Still Running in India

Well, it's been awhile.  Don't worry.  I'm still here.  My family and I have had some crazy ups and downs recently, and as a result I just haven't been able to maintain running, and blogging about it.  The good news is that I have been running, I just haven't made time for the latter.

Some things have changed with our timeline for heading back to the United States this winter, and I'm not sure if we're going to make it to Washington in time for the 50 km race I planned to run as my first ultramarathon.  I'm still hopeful, but I'm already preparing myself for the news that I won't be able to run it.  A few major details are up in the air at the moment, but I should know more in the next week or so.  I'm really excited to run this particular race with my brother in November; however, the consolation if I don't make it to Seattle by mid-November is that I know I'll be in the U.S. for several months and I'm sure I can find another ultra to run.

I certainly wouldn't call my training since my last blog post stellar, but it's good enough for me.  I've been maintaining around 20-30 miles per week along with two days of intense kickboxing each week (real kickboxing, not cardio kickboxing).  Now that we're nearing our departure date, and my race date, I've decided to return my focus strictly to running.  I've gone back to running 5 days per week, which will get my mileage up in the 30-50 mile range.

On another note, I'm down to around 176 pounds and I'm wearing size 32 jeans.  That hasn't happened since maybe my junior year in high school.  It doesn't seem like I've been training that hard, but I must be doing something right.  Maybe all of the spicy food in India has taught me to limit my portions.  Perhaps that could be the next fad diet.  You can eat whenever and whatever you want, but you have to make everything so spicy it makes you sweat.  Oh, India.

Happy Running!

Who's a Better Training Partner...GPS or Another Runner?

After running for a few weeks without a watch to tell me how far I've gone, or how slow I'm going :-P, it's been very nice to have that little running companion again.  I've been using the Garmin Forerunner 10 for almost two weeks now, and I'm loving it.  I've reconnected with the Garmin Connect website, and I've started to take advantage of some of its features; like the training calendar, tracking other runners, and plotting routes on Google or Bing maps.

I really feel like I'm training again, and I managed to log ~29 miles last week.  I've been running with a guy I met a few weeks ago from the UK, but, unfortunately, he's quite a bit slower than I am.  It's nice to have someone to run with here, but he's easily one to one-and-a-half minutes per mile off my normal pace.  I think the slower pace has been good for me in building my endurance for long running; however, I'm at a point where I just want to run my own pace for a change.  I'm not sure if he "broke up" with me, or if he was really  tired of running in the mornings, but he told me that he was switching to running in the evenings.  We won't be running together anymore, but perhaps we'll meet up for a weekend run every  now and then.

My brother has been sticking to the training plan I sent him, and he sounds extremely excited for his first marathon in November.  I can't even describe how cool of an experience I think this will be!  I hope that the Grand Ridge Trail Race, first marathon for him and first 50 Km for me, breaks us down to nothing, and we manage to tear through the walls and finish both of our respective races.  I can already envision sitting at the finish line, completely depleted, but beaming with accomplishment and seeing the same look on his face.  This will be a great adventure to share.

Training Summary for Last Week:

Total Mileage:            28.94 miles
Total Time:                4:47:00
Average Pace:           9:55/mi
Total Elevation Gain:  1,778 ft

Happy Running!

Change of Plans

The last couple of weeks have been pretty exciting.  We're having another baby!  I'm totally stoked to have another little person running around the house, or, at least for the first few months, eating, sleeping, and crying.  We'll be heading back to the U.S. to have the baby, so this kind of throws a wrench in my plan to run the Bangelore 50 km in November.  I guess I'll just have to quit running and writing about it.

Ha ha.  Just kidding.  I found another race in Washington, the Grand Ridge 50 km.  I've got some more awesome news too.  Since the GR50K is near my hometown, and they also offer a marathon, halfmarathon, and 5-mile run, I talked my brother into running his first marathon there with me.  He asked me to send him a training plan and some tips on running, and he dove head first into training.

The Grand Ridge Trail Run course is a halfmarathon loop that the marathoners will do twice, and the 50K'ers will do the halfmarathon loop twice plus a separate 5-mile loop at the end.  I'm hoping that my brother and I will finish relatively close together, at least within an hour or so of each other.

We should get back to the States a month or so before the race, so I may even get to go on a couple runs with my brother before I get to see him in race-mode.  I've definitely been missing family here in India, and having the opportunity to go home for the holidays, have a baby, and run my first ultramarathon with my brother running his first marathon sounds absolutely amazing!

This is a bit of a shift in topics, but I wanted to post some pictures of the local running in India.  There is a park I regularly run at that has tons of peacocks roaming the grounds.  It's been pretty cool to find my way around some new places, and I'm hoping to get in on some long runs with the Hyderabad Runners.

4 or 5 peacocks wandering around in the grass

A peacock checking out the runners

A section of stairs winding up through the rocks

Who knew peacocks could fly with that giant tail?

This guy wanted to race

Happy Running!

Juggling Life and Running

I've found myself in a little predicament in balancing running and my family life.  In the past month I haven't missed a single scheduled run, and have been regularly hitting in the mid 30 km's each week*.  I've been getting excited about feeling like I can actually start pushing my endurance limits again.  Last Saturday I hit a new distance high for India of 14 km.  I'm still nowhere near the mid 60 km weeks I was logging in the States, but I'll get there.  This all sounds great, but, unfortunately, the ever increasing amount of time spent on the trails leads to an ever decreasing amount of time spent at home.  I'm faced with the challenge that runners everywhere face, how to compromise with the ones you love to make time for the activity that you love.

I run early in the mornings, so it's not so much the amount of time that I'm gone.  Basically the only thing that I'm missing out on at home is sleep.  I think the major issue, is that I generally run on both Saturday and Sunday, so there never gets to be a lazy wake-up-in-bed-together kind of morning with my wife.  I've thoroughly enjoyed mornings in the past of waking up to the brightness in the room, rather than a blaring alarm clock, and rolled around half awake, perhaps pillow-talking with my wife, or not, until we hear the distant squawking of our son in the other room.  One of us would then  go and grab him to bring him into our wonderful Sunday morning lounge made up of blankets and pillows.  We all just get to be a family together, and it's great.  As gratifying as running is, the mornings together aren't the same if I go and run for two hours, then eat something because I'm starving by the end of a long run, then shower, then try to climb back in bed. At that point our minds are in two entirely different universes.

I've always exercised 5 days per week with 2 rest days, both of which were on weekdays, but now I'm contemplating moving to 6 days per week and having that one rest day be a really good one on the weekend.  The biggest obstacle I foresee is that the weekends are my only chance at big distance running, but I think I can get around that by adding another day to run during the week.  This will allow me to keep my volume up, hit one long distance day, and still get to dedicate one day to just being a dad and a husband.

I'll give 6 days per week a try, and see how it works out.  The only way to know how my body and mind will respond is to give it a go.  I think it actually sounds kind of nice approaching my rest period with the same 'quality vs. quantity' mentality often used for training days.  I know that my wife will be happy that we'll get at least one day on the weekend that is all ours, but I'm also excited to have one day that I don't need to wake up to the alarm clock, and to experience more of the blissful mornings we used to before I started running all the time.  I know that balancing time between the things I love will be an ongoing struggle for, well forever, but the simple fact remains that both of these are things that I love.  I'll always find a way to make it work, both for my family and myself, but it may require a little trial and error.

*When I said, "...hitting the mid 30 km's each week" I was referring to my total distance adding in the kilometers of rowing also.

Traning Summary for Last Week:

Monday:       Off
Tuesday:       6.32 km; 34:42; avg. pace 5:29/km
Wednesday:  Rowing 4.0 km; 19:20; avg. pace 4:50/km
Thursday:      Rowing 4.0 km; 18:56; avg. pace 4:44/km
Friday:          6.36 km; 34:14; avg. pace 5:23/km
Saturday:      14.02 km; 1:18:58; avg. pace 5:38/km
Sunday:        Off

Total Distance:  26.7 km
Total Time:       2:27:54
Average Pace:  5:32/km

Happy Running!

Shoes, Shoes, and More Shoes

Well, there went another exciting week on the running front.  I'm gradually building my endurance again, and running is becoming more and more enjoyable, even if I do need to run through clouds of burning trash smoke and be hyper-vigilant in avoiding cars, tuk-tuk's, goats, dogs, and motorcycles.  I think that I'm adjusting to the heat well, and I'll be back to logging some nice long runs very soon.  I've still yet to surpass 10 km since I've been in India, but I'll knock out a 12 km or 14 km run this weekend before beginning the long, slow, steady climb of building my mileage volume for my first 50 km in November.  I'm much leaner now, and I actually feel like a runner even though my endurance has suffered a bit as of late.  In reviewing my training log from my work-up to the last marathon I ran, I'm way ahead of where I started, both in terms of speed and volume.  Like I said in a previous blog post, I want to get to a point where my only goal isn't to just survive a race and simply make it to the finish line; I want to run hard the whole race, and feel good about my race-day effort and also about all of the work I put into training.

I finally retired the pair of Mizuno's I've been running in since before MCM 2012.  I ordered a pair of Montrail Bajada trail-running shoes that arrived last night from my favorite running site in the world, www.runningwarehouse.com.  I took them out for their first run today, and they felt great.  There's nothing like getting a new pair of running shoes, and feeling them on your feet for the first time.  It's probably 90% mental, but something about the relationship between a runner and their shoes is special.  Looking through my training log, I ran around 800 miles in my old Mizuno Wave Precision 12 Shoes.  We've spent a lot of time together, seen a lot of sunrises, seen a lot of sunsets, explored new trails, and I even set a marathon PR in those shoes.  It's sad to see them move to the running shoe graveyard in the back of the closet.

The sadness was quickly forgotten when I slipped on the new Montrail's.  They fit like a glove, or a perfect running shoe.  I instantly felt light and nimble, and couldn't wait to go to sleep just so I could wake up in the morning to go run.  I was darting around the house full of excitement, jumping here and there like I was Peter Pan or crazy kangaroo.  It sounds downright goofy reading what I just wrote, but running has become a passion of mine.  I love running, and thinking about it gets me excited.

I've bounced around from running barefoot, or in minimalist shoes (Vibram FiveFingers), to running in 'transition' shoes (Saucony Kinvara 3), to running in good ol' neutral runners (Mizuno Wave Precision 12).  I'm tired of reading the debates about how we're supposed to run, or not supposed to run.  The fact of the matter is, I like running, and I seem to do that best in a traditional style, neutral running shoe.  I don't particularly care if I run that way because I've been conditioned to by a life of running in 'normal' shoes, or if my bio-mechanics are just plain different than someone that can run barefoot all the time.  I'm going to stick with what works for me, and try to enjoy the sport I love.

Training Summary for Last Week:

Monday:       Off
Tuesday:       6.31 km; 35:25; avg. pace 5:37/km
Wednesday:  6.31 km; 36:44; avg. pace 5:49/km
Thursday:      Rowing 5.0 km; 25:19; avg. pace 5:04/km
Friday:          Off
Saturday:      10.01 km; 55:28; avg. pace 5:32/km
Sunday:        8.42 km; 49:37; avg. pace 5:53/km

Total Kilometers:  31.05 km
Total Time:           2:57:14
Average Pace:      5:42/km

Happy Running!

Let's Get Down to Business

The last two weeks were full of some great training.  This has been the first two back-to-back, full, training weeks I've managed to get through.  I have a good training schedule going now, and I intend to stick with it.  It feels almost invigorating to have a new race in mind, and a training plan to go with it.

I know the Bangalore Ultra is still a long ways away, but I'd really like to focus on building an endurance foundation this time around.  My goal for this training session, roughly the next 6 months, is to get to the point where 40-50 mile weeks are relatively easy.  I only had 2 weeks that were over 40 miles in my training plan for the 2012 Marine Corps Marathon.  I've got 6 weeks of 40 or more miles in my training plan for the BU, and, depending on how quickly I progress in getting my mileage up, I may add 3-4 more weeks of 40+ miles.  I'm starting from a much different point fitness-wise for this race, not to mention I'm about 30 pounds lighter, so I'm optimistic that increasing my mileage will be a bit easier.

I ran with Hyderabad Runners last weekend, and I was surprised to see so many people.  There were at least 30 runners, and the group was very inviting.  I was excited to see some extremely talented runners as well.  I think this group will be a great help in getting my long runs in, and they will also be a great support system for training for my first ultra marathon, since many of them have run ultras or ironmans before.

Training Summary for Last Week:

Monday:       Off
Tuesday:       6.38 km; 36:33; avg. pace 5:44/km
Wednesday:  6.16 km; 36:16; avg. pace 5:53/km
Thursday:      Rowing: 3 km; 15:06; avg. pace 5:02/km
Friday:          Off
Saturday:      7.47 km; 46:31; avg. pace 6:14/km
Sunday:        10.19 km; 1:05:33; avg. pace 6:26/km

Total Km:         30.2 km
Total Time:       3:04:53
Average Pace:  6:07/km

Happy Running!

The India Roller-Coaster

I feel like I'm at a point where I'm trying to break through the wall between recreational fun-runner and serious runner.  I don't mean that I'm trying to become a competitive runner, as in winning races.  I'm not so disillusioned to think that's even remotely possible at the moment.  I just mean that I want to build an endurance foundation that allows me to run multiple races per year.  I want to get to a point where my training becomes more about bettering my pace, rather than just focusing on being able to make it to the finish line come race day.  I hope that training for my first ultra in November will provide that.

I'm definitely beginning to find my running groove in India.  It sucks running on the road, but I'm getting better at it.  I think it's only a matter of time before I get hit by a car, or bus, or auto-rickshaw, or motorcycle, or camel pulling a cart, or anything else you could possible imagine moving along the road here.  Stray dogs are a bit of a problem too.  In general they tend to run away from me when they see me coming, but every once in awhile they get that look in their eyes like they're thinking, "I could take this guy.  That'd be more meat than I've had all year!"  So far so good, but I'm just waiting for my first encounter with a rabid dog.

I found a running group in Hyderabad, called Hyderabad Runners, who do several weekly runs, including a long run.  I'm going to my first run with them this weekend.  I'm hoping that I'll meet some new running partners, and that they'll show me some nice trail running locations.

At the moment, the only thing that seems to be holding me back from building my endurance is my constant bouts with 'Delhi Belly.'  For the last 5 or 6 weeks, as soon as I start to feel like I'm making some progress I get hit with a severe case of food poisoning and the only place I'm running is to the bathroom.  I'm hoping that this is just my system adjusting to a new, slightly less clean than I'm used to, environment.  I've been recovering very quickly, so I guess that's a plus, but I'd really like to avoid these stomach issues in the future. All in all, I think I'm moving forward, and I'm excited to start training with a purpose.

Happy Running!

Journey Through the Wilderness

I had a great time rowing and running last week.  I opted for rowing on the machine two days because my wife had to go into work early, and I couldn't convince myself to get up and run while it was still dark outside.  I have enough 'close calls' with cars, tuk-tuks, stray dogs, and motorcycles running in the daylight, that I imagine it's terrifying running here when the sun goes down.

I got an awesome surprise when a friend from the consulate offered to show me around some of the trails near his house.  He took me on a network of trails that lead us past several temples, through some livestock grazing areas, and around a 'lake'.  I say 'lake' because in other parts of the world it may be called sewage dump, trash-mud slurry, rotten mosquito breading ground, or any other name you can think of that conjures images of the grossest 'lake' you can think of.  Throughout the run I found myself hyper-aware of the things around me, just waiting to see a flash of movement or hear a rustling in the leaves and be greeted by a giant Indian Cobra.  I don't know what the hell I'll do if I ever run into one here.  Luckily all we saw were some peacocks and buffalo on our little journey through the wilderness.  We finished the run with a Tuk-Tuk ride to the bottom of the hill near his house, and ran the last kilometer or so home.

I felt great last week, although I'm still nowhere near the mileage I was putting up in the States.  It was really nice to run somewhere other than the usual park trail where I log most of my time.  One of the best parts about running out on the trails, was that there was hardly anyone else around.  It doesn't normally bother me too much that I'm this crazy oddity running down the street here, and many people literally stop their cars to watch me pass, but a break from the spotlight and being able to just run felt good.  I'd love to find more areas of open trail close by, but I think the 'close' part is going to be difficult.  I'll keep running and, hopefully, I'll manage to find some hidden gems in Hyderabad.

Training Summary for Last Week:

Monday:       Rowing 3.0 km; 14:17; avg. pace 4:46/km
Tuesday:       Rowing 4.0 km; 19:15; avg. pace 4:49/km
Wednesday:  6.29 km; 34:18; avg. pace 5:27/km
Thursday:      Off
Friday:          6.31 km; 35:12; avg. pace 5:35/km
Saturday:      7.78 km; 43:23; avg. pace 5:35/km
Sunday:        Off

Total Kilometers: 20.38 km
Total Time:          1:52:53
Average Pace:     5:32/km

Happy Running!

My First Solid Week

Like I said before, it's been difficult to find a rhythm that works for me in our new life.  Last week I was able to get in some solid runs, and I'm already starting to feel like my old self again.  It wasn't a mileage busting week or anything like that, but I was consistent with getting my workouts in.  Right now, that's all I could hope for.  To be honest, I felt like I was at a tipping point as to whether I would make myself continue running religiously here, or I would convert back to my past life of recreational fitness with a little motivational burst every 6 months or so.

I'm happy to say that I'm back to running, and I've still got my eye on an ultra.  It's definitely going to take some work and planning on my part to dedicate enough time to training for an ultramarathon, but I'm already beginning to put the pieces together.

One helpful tool in finding the motivation to keep running has been running books.  Over a year ago I read 'Born to Run,' 'Once a Runner,' 'Running on Empty,' 'Ultramarathon Man,' and several more books, but, ultimately, that is what changed my life.  After reading about other people accomplishing some amazing physical feats, I decided that I was going to do something amazing too.  I went back to what started it all and I'm currently reading a book by Adharanand Finn, 'Running With the Kenyans.'  I think I've connected with this book because I think I share some commonalities with the author.  He sites 'Born to Run' several times, and he also gives his saga of ditching his shoes and trying barefoot running just like me and most everyone else that read it.  The thing I love most about the book is the author's courage to pursue a dream.  To be a moderately well-off European man with a family, and move to Kenya to turn himself into an athlete.  Risking failure simply to try something new is such a bold statement in life.

I still hope that this is only the beginning of my 'running story.'  Slowly but surely, I'll continue racking up the miles and working toward clearing my next big hurdle.  Completing an ultramarathon.

Training Summary:

Monday:       5.12km; 29:40; avg. pace 5:48/km
Tuesday:       5.09km; 29:10; avg. pace 5:44/km
Wednesday:  5.10km; 29:02; avg. pace 5:42/km
Thursday:      Off
Friday:          3km rowing
Saturday:      Off
Sunday:        Off

(Running Only)
Total Km:         15.31km
Total Time:       1:27:52
Average Pace:  5:44 per km

Happy Running!

Adjusting to India

It's sort of a recurring event in my life, that once I get comfortable with a routine, and it seems like I'm on a roll with running, or work, or some project, or anything really, I do something that flips my life into a state of flux and I find myself struggling to make all of the pieces fit into place again.  Luckily for me, I've done this so many times that I think I'm getting better at putting that puzzle back together.  It's been hard to adjust to life in India while holding on to the things that are important to me.  Running is one of those things now, and I've been trying different ways to incorporate running into my daily life here in Hyderabad.  I think I've finally figured out that I just need to get up early and run in the morning.

I've been running mostly on a treadmill since I moved to India last month, and, to put it mildly, I hate running on a treadmill.  It's not that I hate running on the treadmill, it's that I don't get to enjoy the parts of running that I normally enjoy.  I like to feel the wind on my face.  I like to hear the things around me.  I like to take in some scene that no one else gets to.  There's something about being tired, or better yet exhausted, and watching a sunrise, or seeing a wild animal off some trail, or splashing water on your face from a mountain stream.  Putting your body through physical stress and then encountering those things allows you to see a beauty in them that you don't otherwise get.  It gives you perspective on life.

I haven't exactly established a solid running routine yet, but I'm optimistic that I'll find ways to enjoy running here.  Of course it's more difficult to make time to run with a family, and balance running with the other important things in my life, but I decided awhile back that running isn't just important to me.  It's a necessity.  I'll continue to explore new trails, parks, and roads until I get back to a point where I feel free.  If I have any chance at completing the Bangalore Ultra 50K later this year, I need to start training.

Happy Running!

What the @%*&!

Here's a bit of a recap from last week until now.  Two weeks ago my left calf tightened up on a 12-mile run that I eventually cut a mile short.  I figured that since I cut my run short my calf would be alright the next day if I just took it easy.  I got exactly 1.49 miles into my run a day later and BAM!  A jolt of pain went shooting through my calf and I was right back where I started.  I walked for a bit, and once the pain subsided I tried to run again, really slowly, hoping it would loosen up.  It didn't, so I ended up taking several days off from running.  My wife surprised me with an awesome secret date she had planned and I said, "Screw running for awhile.  I'm going to enjoy the holidays with my family.  My legs could use a long rest anyways."

I ended up going 9 days without running, and on that tenth day I was so excited for a run.  My legs felt awesome, the weather was pretty nice, and I was ready to go.  I started out easy to see how my calf felt, and it was like nothing ever happened.  I picked up the pace a little and was feeling great.  I only planned on running 4 miles since it was my first day back, but once I thought my calf was okay I started thinking about running 6 or 8 miles, and then maybe 10 the next day, and then 40 the next day, and 100 the day after...you know how it is when you feel good running :-)  To my astonishment, at exactly 1.49 miles BAM!  I jolt of pain went shooting through my left calf again.

I was so confused.  I didn't understand.  I did the right thing!  I didn't push it when I felt a little injury coming on.  I took 9 days off!  I relaxed!  Why is my calf still messed up!?  I felt amazing for the first 1.48 miles!

I took 2 more days off and tried to think through how my calf cramped up again after giving it so much time to recover.  I was feeding my son a banana today when it hit me.  I hadn't eaten a banana in weeks.  I realized that I've hardly been getting any potassium in my diet.  For some reason I just naturally quit eating all of the things that I get potassium from; potatoes, yogurt, salmon, mushrooms, bananas.  I don't know why, I just haven't had them with meals lately.  I felt so stupid after I thought of it.  I ate half of my son's banana (we were sharing, I didn't take it!) and then I ate another one for good measure.

Later this afternoon I went for a run and managed to pump out 4 miles relatively pain-free.  I ran slow and could feel that my calf was still tender, but it wasn't seizing up, and that was all I could ask for.  It baffles me that my first thought after a cramp wasn't, "Maybe I should get some electrolytes in my system."  Such a stupid rookie mistake.  Hopefully I've solved the riddle with my calf and I can start paying more attention to how I'm fueling my body during all of this running!  Oh well, lesson learned.  Last week was my lowest volume, and slowest pace since last summer, but I'm happy I was able to finish a 4-miler today.

Training Summary Last Week:

Monday:       Off
Tuesday:       Off
Wednesday:  Off
Thursday:      Off
Friday:          Off
Saturday:       3.01 miles; 31:22; avg. pace 10:22/mi
Sunday:         Off

Total Mileage:  3.01 miles
Total Time:       31:12
Average Pace:  10:22/mi

Happy Running!

Christmas Running

My goal was to have a high-volume week last week leading into the "12 Runs of Christmas" challenge.  Unfortunately, I started the week with a 12-miler on Wednesday that turned into an 11-miler due to a strain in my left calf.  It started tightening up around the 10 mile mark, and I thought I could pound some water and slow down to get it to subside.  It kept getting tighter and tighter until I was sure it was going to cramp hard, so I stopped at 11 miles.  I was thinking that since I never let it actually cramp up I could massage it a bit when I got home and maybe ice it a little in the evening and it would be a 1 or 2-day deal.  I did all of that, and was feeling pretty good the next day.  It was sore, but I thought I might be able to head out for a slow jog and it would loosen up.  Once again, I was wrong.  About a mile into the run my calf started hurting worse than the day before.  Rather than doing what I always do and try to run through it, I decided to walk.  I walked the last 3 miles of a 4-mile "run".  It felt odd to be walking on a trail I've run countless miles on, but I knew that running was only going to lengthen my recovery time.

As a result of the injury, I took a couple days off with hopes of being running again for the Christmas Challenge.  I was going to take a "test" run on Saturday, but my wife surprised me with a super secret mega date.  Her mother is staying with us, and we had the rare opportunity to go out...OVERNIGHT!  Our son is almost 1 1/2 and this was only the second overnight trip we've ever taken without him.  I figured, even though I love running and was anxious to get back out there, this would be way more fun.  My wife booked us a really nice hotel in downtown DC with a hot tub in our room, we drank whiskey and cokes (my favorite adult beverage :-)) in the back of a town car as it drove us around to see the monuments at night, we ate at Charlie Palmer Steak House where I had a filet mignon that practically melted in my mouth, and we ended the night with a soak in our own personal hot tub.  To cap it off, she arranged a couples massage the next morning in our room.  The weekend was absolutely incredible and I didn't think about running one little bit.  We spent the two days captured in each other's company and it was beautiful.

During my massage I realized that my legs were much more sore than I had thought.  Not just my strained calf, but my quads, my calves, my hamstrings, everything was sore.  I'm still relatively new to running and I think I overlook how long it takes to recover sometimes.  I decided to give myself a Christmas present this year and not run until my legs don't hurt.  As I write this, I think I'm there, but today makes an entire week off.  I'll probably get back to running tomorrow or the next day, but I think my strained calf was my body's way of telling me it needed a break.  I'm glad that I was actually able to rest for a bit, and not turn this minor injury into one that I'd be milking for 3 or 4 weeks.  Now I'm excited to get back to running and try out some of my awesome new Christmas gifts!

Training Summary for Last Week:

Monday:       Off
Tuesday:       Off
Wednesday:  11.00 miles; 1:42:35; avg. pace 9:20/mi
Thursday:      4.16 miles; 57:20; avg. pace 13:47/mi
Friday:          Off
Saturday:      Off
Sunday:        Off

Total Mileage:  15.16 miles
Total Time:       2:39:55
Average Pace:  10:33/mi

Happy Running!

The Calm Before the Storm

I took it easy last week, following the Gar Williams Half Marathon.  I took Monday off after the half marathon, and then tried to run on Tuesday but I was hurting.  Not like an injured hurting, but more like an "I just ran 13.1 miles faster than I ever have before" kind of hurting.  I called it quits 2 miles into my run on Tuesday and figured I'd just sort of run for fun for the week.  No pace or mileage goals.  I'd just run to run.  I think I earned that.

The one longer run I did on Saturday was 8 miles, and it was absolutely beautiful.  I ran along the Potomac River on the Mount Vernon Trail.  It was slightly breezy, incredibly sunny, and a cool 50-ish degrees.  I love running past Gravelly Point Park (here are some pictures) where planes take-off and land literally right over your head.  You can also look across the water at the monuments in DC, and on a clear, sunny day the colors are so vibrant.  The contrast between the dark blue water and the sparkling white monuments, with trees intermixed, can be quite a scene.

I plan to approach this week with a little more intensity.  I don't have anymore races lined up before we leave for India in January, but I am going to attempt the "12 Runs of Christmas" challenge.  That will be some big volume for me and I'm a tad bit nervous about it.  I figure that I can have one more tough week, and the first week of the challenge will almost be like a recovery week; however, the second week of the challenge will be tough.  Oh well, here's to trying new things!

Training Summary for Last Week:

Monday:       Off
Tuesday:       2.00 miles; 20:00; avg. pace 10:00/mi
Wednesday:  4.06 miles; 36:05; avg. pace 8:53/mi
Thursday:      Off
Friday:          4.00 miles; 34:15; avg. pace 8:33/mi
Saturday:      8.02 miles; 1:11:10; avg. pace 8:52/mi
Sunday:         Off

Total Mileage:  18.08 miles
Total Time:       2:41:30
Average Pace:  8:56/mi

Happy Running!

Eventful Sunday

Unfortunately, last Sunday I wasn't able to run the DC Road Runners 10K Bread Run.  I missed the registration!  :-P  That was kind of a stupid mistake on my part.  I just didn't think there was a possibility of them selling out.  They reserved the last 25 spots for race-day registration, but I just didn't feel like going all the way to the race with only a chance at running.  I did, however, register for the Gar Williams Half Marathon, also hosted by DCRR, next Sunday.

Since I missed my 10K last Sunday, I decided to run a 10K on my own on Saturday, and then a 20K on my own on Sunday.  It felt great to finally run a little distance again.  I sort of forgot that it takes me 4-5 miles to get in my groove on a run.  The weather was great both days, and my Sunday 20K turned out to be quite eventful!

As I was running along the Custis Trail in Arlington, VA, about 5 miles into my run, a little girl yelled out the window from the back seat of her parents car, "Yeah, do it!"  She was probably only 6 or 7 years old, and it made my day.  They were just sitting in a church parking lot, either waiting to go in, or waiting for someone to come out, and she looked so genuinely excited that I was running by.  Her enthusiasm matched that of the most passionate marathon supporter I've seen.

The next big event of my day was witnessing a big motor vehicle accident on Lee Hwy.  I was running along, about 6.5 miles in, and heard a blaring horn, which prompted me to look up in time to see an SUV t-bone a BMW sending it slamming into another vehicle heading the opposite direction through the intersection.  The smashed up BMW came coasting straight toward me and stopped about 10 yards short.  I ran out to the vehicle to help out the lady inside.  Her door was smashed shut and all of the airbags in the vehicle had deployed.  Luckily she, and no one else, was really hurt in the accident.  The poor lady was really shaken up after her pinball ride through the intersection.  I asked her if she felt like she had any head or neck injuries, then helped her crawl out the other side of the car and answered the nice OnStar lady's questions for her.  I've never had OnStar in any vehicle I've owned, and it was kind of funny talking to someone through the speakers in the car.  Not that I did anything too helpful, but she seemed to really appreciate another human face to talk to after a traumatic experience like that.

I continued on my run after police and paramedics arrived on the scene.  I was going to run 14 miles, but decided I'd better just turn around and head home.  The rest of the run went great, and I felt better running than I have in a long time.

I'm not exactly looking to PR this weekend at the Gar Williams Half Marathon.  Technically it will be a PR because I've never ran an official race other than a marathon.  I just don't think I've logged adequate mileage and speed work lately to beat my current training PR for 13.1 miles.  I was looking good immediately following MCM, but over Thanksgiving I slacked off a bit.  I plan to go out and run the race, and, at the very least, enjoy my run.

Training Summary for Last Week:

Monday:       Off
Tuesday:       4.15 miles; 36:50; avg. pace 8:52/mi
Wednesday:  4.12 miles; 37:05; avg. pace 9:00/mi
Thursday:      Off
Friday:          Off
Saturday:       6.20 miles; 54:50; avg. pace 8:51/mi
Sunday:         12.44 miles; 2:01:45; avg. pace 9:47/mi

Total Mileage:    26.91 miles
Total Time:        4:10:30
Average Pace:   9:19/mi

Happy Running!

The Time Has Come

It's a bit surreal to think the Marine Corps Marathon is less than a week away.  It's something for which I've trained so long that I can't believe I'm going to actually have to go and run a marathon this Sunday.  The nervousness and jitters have already began to set in.

After reading a blog post from a more experienced runner (The Run Factory) about using a pace group to qualify for Boston, I've decided that I'm going to find the 4-hour pace group at MCM 2012 and cling to them for dear life.  I've proven to myself that I can hold a 9:00-9:15/mi pace for 20+ miles in training runs, but I want to ensure that I do it on race day.  I figure that having a pace group will greatly reduce the mental strain of maintaining a steady pace, especially considering the magnitude of the Marine Corps Marathon and the intensity of the supporters.  I want to break the 4-hour mark this Sunday, and I'm hoping that I'll be able to hang with the 4-hour pacers.  It seems like a daunting task to run a sub 4-hour marathon given that my last time was 4:22:18, but I feel like I've put in the miles and speed work to accomplish this goal.  I'm going to stay with the pack, or I'm going to blow up trying.

Last week was another nice week of taper running, and my body feels very strong and healthy.  My only semi-long run was a 10-miler on Sunday, and I tried to make it sort of a mock marathon.  I can walk to the start line of the MCM from my apartment, so I got up last Sunday and walked down near Arlington National Cemetery and started my run at 7:55am.  I really struggled to find my pace for the first 5-6 miles.  I was kind of all over the place from about 8:50/mi to 9:50/mi.  I also felt like my mind was wandering, but not in a good way were the miles just mindlessly fly by.  Somehow I started to focus mentally on the marathon, and I could envision running along the Potomac on race day (partly because I was running along the Potomac).  I finished up the run with 4 miles right on pace between 8:50-9:00/mi, and I felt great after the run.  I honestly felt like I could do it again without much effort.  Of course, this Sunday I will need to do it again and then add another 10k.

Well, this is it for blog posts until the race recap next week.  Thanks to the 4 people that read this, for tagging along on my second first marathon journey.  :-P  I'll continue to blog after the marathon, but I don't know which race will be next.  I'm definitely planning on running some shorter local races in the winter months.  DC Road Runners has the Snowball Series with some 5k, 10k, and half-marathons which I'd like to take part in.

Last Week's Training Summary:

Monday:  Off
Tuesday:  Off
Wednesday:  4 miles; 34:29; avg. pace 8:35/mi
Thursday:  6 miles; 52:45; avg. pace 8:41/mi
Friday:  Off
Saturday:  4 miles; 34:45; avg. pace 8:41/mi
Sunday:  10.57 miles; 1:37:39; avg. pace 9:14/mi

Total Miles: 24.57
Total Time: 3:39:38
Average Pace: 8:56/mi

Happy Running!

Start the Taper! My Legs Hurt!

Last week was a great first week of my taper.  I still ran a 4-mile tempo run (at an insane pace for me!), a 16-mile long run, and hit 34 miles for the week, but I had an extra day off during the week and it was a decrease in mileage from the previous 3 weeks.  My 'real' taper will start this week, where I'm only looking to do about 20 miles with no more tempo runs before the marathon.

I was a little worried about how my training would progress after a vacation to Hawaii in early September, but after 4 really solid weeks of running I'm very optimistic heading into the Marine Corps Marathon.  In the last 4 weeks I've had (1) 12-mile run, (2) 16-mile runs, and (1) 21-mile run and they've all been right on pace for where I want to run MCM.  In fact, my average pace for those 4 long runs is about 45 seconds per mile faster than my average pace for the 2009 Seattle Rock 'n' Roll Marathon.

It's crazy to think where I started from in training for this marathon.  I remember when I was running 2-mile runs in June, and I was excited when I broke 20 minutes.  I started out running around 10 miles per week, and I averaged 40 miles per week for the past 4 weeks.  I feel like I've made a drastic lifestyle change, and, regardless of my performance at MCM 2012, I'd really like to keep this momentum.  I actually feel like a runner now, and that certainly wasn't the case in Seattle.

That last paragraph got me flipping through my training log, and it's actually a really cool thing to have.  I've got the distance, time, and average pace for every run I've done over the past 4 months; roughly 400 miles of memories.  If you've never kept a training log, I would absolutely recommend giving it a try.  It's actually quite gratifying to look back on all of the weeks and remember what I was going through, either struggling with or proud of, at the time.  The training log has also given me quite the confidence boost as I see, in tangible terms, how I've progressed.

I feel like I should give a little explanation for my relatively slow pace for my last 16-miler.  My Camelbak bladder sprung a leak during the run and soaked my back and shorts.  I stopped for a couple minutes to check that out, and I also spent an unusually long amount of time waiting to cross streets, parking lots, etc. due to traffic.  If I subtract my 'stopped' time I was actually at a 2:27:10 which equates to a ~9:12/mi pace, which is right in line with my other long runs.  Nonetheless, I got to rest for all of that stoppage time so I figured I'd go with the 'clock time' instead.

Training Summary for Last Week:

Monday:       Off
Tuesday:       Off
Wednesday:  6 miles; 54:20; avg. pace 9:03/mi
Thursday:      4 miles; 30:10; avg. pace 7:32/mi
Friday:          Off
Saturday:      8.04 miles; 1:10:25; avg. pace 8:46/mi
Sunday:        16 miles; 2:35:43; avg. pace 9:44/mi

Total Mileage:  34.04
Total Time:  5:10:38
Average Pace:  9:08/mi

Happy Running!

"Did you call your pimp!?"

I had quite the morning 6-miler the other day.  I was trotting through Arlington around 6am on an easy run, relishing in my accomplishments last week when I was confronted by a passing homeless woman who cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, "Did you call your pimp!?  Did you call your pimp!?"  I sort of laughed wondering if she was just completely crazy, or if she was posing a more philosophical question about my conformation to society living out the 'American Dream' in Yale, male, pale Arlington.

My contemplation didn't exactly last long as I found myself mid-flight after my shoe ever-so-slightly clipped the curb over which I was bounding.  I'm sure it was quite comical to any passers-by as I tucked and rolled down the sidewalk bouncing up to continue my run as if nothing happened.  I was quickly drawn out of my own head and my awareness was returned to my surroundings.  This completely turned my sort of boring run into a fun morning adventure.  It reminded me to enjoy the present journey rather than live in my head thinking about the future or the past.; the Marine Corps Marathon coming up at the end of the month has somewhat dominated my thoughts as of recent.

As far as last week's training went, it was phenomenal!  I set a new PR of 49:25 for a 6 mile tempo run, and I had an average pace of 9:17 for a 21.34 mile run last weekend.  My training last week, and the week prior, have really helped to build my confidence going into the marathon.  I'm starting my taper this week, and shooting for 34 miles followed by 20 miles the next week.  For now, I'm guessing I'll hit about 12 miles the week of the marathon, not counting the marathon itself of course :-)

Last Week's Training Summary:

Monday:       Off
Tuesday:       6 miles; 49:25; avg. pace 8:14/mi
Wednesday:  6.04 miles; 53:50; avg. pace 8:55/mi
Thursday:      2 miles; 18:48; avg. pace 9:24/mi
Friday:          Off
Saturday:      8 miles; 1:10:45; avg. pace 8:51/mi
Sunday:        21.34 miles; 3:18:03; avg. pace 9:17/mi

Total Mileage: 43.38 miles
Total Time: 6:30:51
Average Pace: 9:01

Happy Running!