Yes, many successes in 2013:
No surgery
3 ultras completed
Training is easier better smoother
Some minor inconveniences:
Training is not faster
Racing is slower
Not increasing mileage as quickly as I had hoped
Synopsis: Running is going well, could be better, could be a lot worse.
My doctor (2012 knee surgery) asked me if I would consider not running anymore. I replied emphatically YES! I would consider it. Then I would continue to run. Running is actually an insidious disease much much worse than smoking heroin or tracking nicotine. Running is "GOOD FOR YOU". This is simply a clever way of disguising the fact that once you start running and enjoy the feeling of being in great shape, getting outside during all sorts of weather and knowing your life is simply better when running. No one discusses what NOT running can do to people. I understand. Been there, writing the book.
To stop running is not really an option (see "about Pierre Marcoux"). I chuckle at people who complain that they have been injured for 3 months and haven't run well since (insert date here). Try 10 years. A decade. The Roman empire took less time to establish, at least on paper. Running offers me much more than it takes. I don't begrudge the injuries, but I am truly thankful when I can run without pain. I hope to run faster soon, but if that does not transpire, I could give a shit. I will enjoy any form of running. And I will complain about not being able to run a 50K trail race in under 5 hours, etc. But behind all the complaints, I am very happy to run. I am looking forward to retirement (2014-05-01). I plan to run 2 - 3 times per hour. Many sage runners have cautioned me about overdoing it (me???) so I will factor in their advice, then run to Quebec city or something equally circumspect.
Enough pandering to the emotive, let's get on with the review (hear hear!). 2013:
Run for R Kids: 34K. Great race, but need to be wary of running on concrete.
Spring Warm-up (OTS/OUS): 20K I always have fun at this event. I will not be RD this year as I have upped the number of taps and worry about staging an event when I don't have time to sleep.
Pick Your Poison: 25K. Slow time. Wanted BADLY to run the 50K. Glad I did not attempt.
Sulphur Springs: 25K. In 2:37, which is speedy for me! Very happy.
Legs: Take it easy big guy.
Brain: LET'S SEE WHAT THIS BABY CAN DO!!!
Kingston 6 hour: ULTRA!!! Okay, 44K is a marginal ultra, but it is good to be back!
Niagara: 50K! The wheels fell off due to heat issues, but 2 ultras in 2 weeks. 6:29
Creemore Vertical Challenge. I didn't run it. I seemed to be a bit busy...
Dirty Girls: Did not run it either! But volunteered. Great event. I highly recommend being a vollie at this race if you have any interest in a really long race. You will learn tons!
Creemore Copper Kettle Dash: Again, I did not run it. Busy being assistant RD!
Run for the Toad: 50K. A satisfactory time of 6:15. Great event (vollied Friday), Peggy and George are incredible RD"s.
Bad Idea 50 Miler. 39K. Great people, great course, weather... Dunedin pale!
Across The Years: 27K About 800K behind Yannis Kouros and Joe Fejes. Inspiring event. I'm now married to a former world record holder (Lee Anne Cohen, also known as the wife, W60-64 road 12 hour).
That's it!
What are we going to do next week, Pinky?
Planning for 2014!
Monday, January 13, 2014
Friday, January 3, 2014
Across The Years Race - Phoenix
Okay, I understand that being completely satisfied with your performance in a race does not happen often. I wonder if Kenyan's feel a twinge of disappointment when they break the marathon record by "only" 12 seconds. Probably not!
Lee Anne Cohen, Sharon Zelinski and I headed down to Arizona to meet a fair contingent of Canadians running a race that I can only describe as "the fringe within the fringe". I signed up for the 24 hour race. Why? Because there was nothing shorter. Lee Anne signed up for the 48 hour to make an attempt on the Canadian record in her age category (F60-64 100 mile). Sharon was also in the 48 hour because it sounded like so much fun!
My race plan was simple: Run 1 loop (about 1.05 US miles), crew Lee Anne and Sharon for about 12 hours, then run at night. I could not run with Lee Anne as pacing is not allowed during a record attempt. I'm not sure if this is true for Canadian records, but it does hold for US and international records. Lee Anne was not chancing a DQ. During the night I hoped to run an ultra. If I chanced to run a bit with Lee Anne, it was permissible as I was also registered in the race.
Sharon's race plan was to have fun (note to Sharon: sign up for a 48 minute race if you want to have fun) and gain experience at the 48 hour distance.
Lee Anne had to run 100 miles in under 28 hours 14 minutes for the Canadian record in her age category. Very tough, but within reason.
Race conditions were close to ideal, with a high of 18 (I think it hit a bit over 20) and a low of 5. The sun was a factor for me, but I don't think it had much of an impact on Lee Anne or Sharon. My A goal was to finish well ahead of last place. I did admirably in this context, as a 9 year old obliged by running only 22K. Later in the day, Tony Feiter from USA showed up after surgery (I am not making this up!) and ran one lap, knocking me off the last-place-podium. No amount of cajoling from me could convince him to run a bit further.
Sharon is an experienced 24 hour / 100 mile runner and her race proceeded like clockwork through the first 12 hours. Then something almost inexplicable happened. We are calling it the December 28 curse (the 3 of us started on the 28th). For both Sharon and Lee Anne, the wheels seemed to fall off in a very short period. Sharon experienced fatigue (expected) and very large blisters (a bit early for this). No problem, a bit of rest is fine as Sharon is running the 48 hour, fix up the feet and get back out there! Woohee!
Lee Anne ran a near-flawless 12 hours. Perhaps flawless is closer to the truth, because at 10.5 hours, the race director told Lee Anne that she had just broken the world 12 hour road record for F60-64! Lee Anne was ecstatic. The RD and I joined Lee Anne for the loop that passed the 12 hour mark and the RD dropped a flag at the exact spot where his watch indicated 12:00:00. Lee Anne continued to run well, but was tiring fast. At about 15 hours, an old injury (possibly IT band) started causing her problems. She started walking more. Around 18 hours, her calf gave out. Just microtears, but enough to cause her problems with maintaining a 5K walking pace, mandatory for breaking the 100 mile record. Decision time. She would need to take a significant rest / massage / fix blister break in order to resume a record-breaking pace, but she did not have enough time. The wheels had fallen off and exceeding a 5K pace was not in the cards. It was about 5 degrees at 3:30 Sunday morning, so we went into the warming tent to formulate a plan. Lee Anne could continue to walk, hope for a miracle and break the record, continue to walk for 48 hours to see how far she could go, or pack it in. Factoring in the existing injuries, the very real chance of causing more serious injuries (you will understand when you turn 60), we decided it was best to pull the plug. All that was left was to figure out how to support Sharon while Lee Anne rested in a hotel room. Step one was to inform Sharon of Lee Anne's decision. I had been running / walking for a few hours (not crewing) and had not seen Sharon for a while. It was quite funny, I had just mentioned to Lee Anne that I would need to talk to Sharon when the person beside us in the warming tent turned around. It was Sharon! We had been within 3 feet of each other for 20 minutes.
Sharon's race was not ideal. No actual problem, but Sharon is used to running at a steady pace for hours. Her pace had dropped considerably, which is fine in a 48 hour race, as you simply take a break, then crank it back up. Hence the warming hut break. Unfortunately, Sharon also had some freak-show sized blisters. Fixing these, then continuing to run on them would not be pleasant. I don't know the full reasoning for Sharon's decision, but I can just imagine the logic. 30 minutes of blister work, then back running / walking / staggering on tired and aching legs, or rest up in a hotel room. Hmmm... I can't be certain, but I assume that our decision to pull out of the race greatly influenced Sharon's decision.
Things now become a little hazy, but I think we arrived at the hotel around 5:30 Monday morning. Try to imagine the reaction of the front desk when we ask for early check-in! The hotel was incredibly accommodating. Lee Anne and I had reserved a room for Monday night. They gave us the room we had stayed in the previous night (Saturday) without an early check-in fee! Sharon was also given a room (she had not booked a room for Monday night) without early check-in. The gesture was simply incredible, given how tired we were.
Lee Anne's record: 52.49 miles replacing 45.94 miles (Woman 60 - 64 road 12 hour world record)
Now the funny part! Lee Anne's world record was broken AGAIN at Across The Years by American June Gessner the next day! June went on to break the US 12 and 24 hour records. Lee Anne's reign was short-lived, but a world record nonetheless.
A note on the records. I am not entirely sure why, but the old world record (45.94 miles) is less than both the USA and Canadian 12 hours records (F60-64). This might have to do with the world records differentiating between road, track and trail, or might have to do with submitting records to the IAU. I'm not sure. The current Canadian record for F60-64 12 hour is 100K. Canadian records are not subdivided into road, track and trail, although (this is funny), the Canadian record was set on a looped road course, the same surface as Across The Years...
I was very impressed with the organization of the ATY race. It was well thought out, executed without apparent issues and everyone from the volunteers to the RD were friendly and accommodating. This is not a 5K race, requiring a few hours work to set up (see the tents?) and 40 minutes to execute. Even the timing database was impressive, with a listing of both the records that had been set and the record attempts. The record attempts (world, US, other countries) tracked a runner's progress against the existing record. Right now (the 6 day will complete in 75 minutes) Joe Fejes has 1K to go, to break the US men's open 6 day record. Go Joe!
It was also inspiring to see Joe Fejes and Yannis Kouros (Yannis who?) duke it out in the 6 day race. They were hitting 12 minute loops 3 DAYS after starting! Fellow Canadian Michel Gouin has cracked 500K in the 6 day.
And then there is Charlotte Vasarhelyi (I have known Char for a few years, but I still have to look up the spelling of her last name...) and Marylou Corino in the 72 hour race. Char started a day early as she had to work before the regular 72 hour ended. She put in an impressive first day total and was leading the 72 hour race when her back problems (sciatica) became unbearable. Char was forced to retire at the end of her first day of running (I don't recall her first day mileage). Marylou started the next day and by the beginning of day 2, was in a race for the lead with Michael Miller. Char showed up at the race on day 2 (her day 3) and watched. Then Char walked a bit. Then she started running. Amazing! In her second day of running (day 3 of her race) Char ran 160K for a total of 312K!
And Marylou? She put in a stellar performance, running 427K for first place overall and good enough to break the open Canadian 72 hour record. Of course in my consideration, Marylou's most amazing feat was that she continued to smile, even on the 3rd day. Sorry, but that seems impossible!
So, was the trip a success or failure? I think Sharon summed it up appropriately (I was going to take credit for this) by stating that there are no failures in racing, just races that are successful and those from which you learn. And the opportunity to see Yannis Kouros run was quite the bonus!
Lee Anne Cohen, Sharon Zelinski and I headed down to Arizona to meet a fair contingent of Canadians running a race that I can only describe as "the fringe within the fringe". I signed up for the 24 hour race. Why? Because there was nothing shorter. Lee Anne signed up for the 48 hour to make an attempt on the Canadian record in her age category (F60-64 100 mile). Sharon was also in the 48 hour because it sounded like so much fun!
My race plan was simple: Run 1 loop (about 1.05 US miles), crew Lee Anne and Sharon for about 12 hours, then run at night. I could not run with Lee Anne as pacing is not allowed during a record attempt. I'm not sure if this is true for Canadian records, but it does hold for US and international records. Lee Anne was not chancing a DQ. During the night I hoped to run an ultra. If I chanced to run a bit with Lee Anne, it was permissible as I was also registered in the race.
Sharon's race plan was to have fun (note to Sharon: sign up for a 48 minute race if you want to have fun) and gain experience at the 48 hour distance.
Lee Anne had to run 100 miles in under 28 hours 14 minutes for the Canadian record in her age category. Very tough, but within reason.
Race conditions were close to ideal, with a high of 18 (I think it hit a bit over 20) and a low of 5. The sun was a factor for me, but I don't think it had much of an impact on Lee Anne or Sharon. My A goal was to finish well ahead of last place. I did admirably in this context, as a 9 year old obliged by running only 22K. Later in the day, Tony Feiter from USA showed up after surgery (I am not making this up!) and ran one lap, knocking me off the last-place-podium. No amount of cajoling from me could convince him to run a bit further.
Sharon is an experienced 24 hour / 100 mile runner and her race proceeded like clockwork through the first 12 hours. Then something almost inexplicable happened. We are calling it the December 28 curse (the 3 of us started on the 28th). For both Sharon and Lee Anne, the wheels seemed to fall off in a very short period. Sharon experienced fatigue (expected) and very large blisters (a bit early for this). No problem, a bit of rest is fine as Sharon is running the 48 hour, fix up the feet and get back out there! Woohee!
Lee Anne ran a near-flawless 12 hours. Perhaps flawless is closer to the truth, because at 10.5 hours, the race director told Lee Anne that she had just broken the world 12 hour road record for F60-64! Lee Anne was ecstatic. The RD and I joined Lee Anne for the loop that passed the 12 hour mark and the RD dropped a flag at the exact spot where his watch indicated 12:00:00. Lee Anne continued to run well, but was tiring fast. At about 15 hours, an old injury (possibly IT band) started causing her problems. She started walking more. Around 18 hours, her calf gave out. Just microtears, but enough to cause her problems with maintaining a 5K walking pace, mandatory for breaking the 100 mile record. Decision time. She would need to take a significant rest / massage / fix blister break in order to resume a record-breaking pace, but she did not have enough time. The wheels had fallen off and exceeding a 5K pace was not in the cards. It was about 5 degrees at 3:30 Sunday morning, so we went into the warming tent to formulate a plan. Lee Anne could continue to walk, hope for a miracle and break the record, continue to walk for 48 hours to see how far she could go, or pack it in. Factoring in the existing injuries, the very real chance of causing more serious injuries (you will understand when you turn 60), we decided it was best to pull the plug. All that was left was to figure out how to support Sharon while Lee Anne rested in a hotel room. Step one was to inform Sharon of Lee Anne's decision. I had been running / walking for a few hours (not crewing) and had not seen Sharon for a while. It was quite funny, I had just mentioned to Lee Anne that I would need to talk to Sharon when the person beside us in the warming tent turned around. It was Sharon! We had been within 3 feet of each other for 20 minutes.
Sharon's race was not ideal. No actual problem, but Sharon is used to running at a steady pace for hours. Her pace had dropped considerably, which is fine in a 48 hour race, as you simply take a break, then crank it back up. Hence the warming hut break. Unfortunately, Sharon also had some freak-show sized blisters. Fixing these, then continuing to run on them would not be pleasant. I don't know the full reasoning for Sharon's decision, but I can just imagine the logic. 30 minutes of blister work, then back running / walking / staggering on tired and aching legs, or rest up in a hotel room. Hmmm... I can't be certain, but I assume that our decision to pull out of the race greatly influenced Sharon's decision.
Things now become a little hazy, but I think we arrived at the hotel around 5:30 Monday morning. Try to imagine the reaction of the front desk when we ask for early check-in! The hotel was incredibly accommodating. Lee Anne and I had reserved a room for Monday night. They gave us the room we had stayed in the previous night (Saturday) without an early check-in fee! Sharon was also given a room (she had not booked a room for Monday night) without early check-in. The gesture was simply incredible, given how tired we were.
Lee Anne's record: 52.49 miles replacing 45.94 miles (Woman 60 - 64 road 12 hour world record)
Now the funny part! Lee Anne's world record was broken AGAIN at Across The Years by American June Gessner the next day! June went on to break the US 12 and 24 hour records. Lee Anne's reign was short-lived, but a world record nonetheless.
A note on the records. I am not entirely sure why, but the old world record (45.94 miles) is less than both the USA and Canadian 12 hours records (F60-64). This might have to do with the world records differentiating between road, track and trail, or might have to do with submitting records to the IAU. I'm not sure. The current Canadian record for F60-64 12 hour is 100K. Canadian records are not subdivided into road, track and trail, although (this is funny), the Canadian record was set on a looped road course, the same surface as Across The Years...
I was very impressed with the organization of the ATY race. It was well thought out, executed without apparent issues and everyone from the volunteers to the RD were friendly and accommodating. This is not a 5K race, requiring a few hours work to set up (see the tents?) and 40 minutes to execute. Even the timing database was impressive, with a listing of both the records that had been set and the record attempts. The record attempts (world, US, other countries) tracked a runner's progress against the existing record. Right now (the 6 day will complete in 75 minutes) Joe Fejes has 1K to go, to break the US men's open 6 day record. Go Joe!
It was also inspiring to see Joe Fejes and Yannis Kouros (Yannis who?) duke it out in the 6 day race. They were hitting 12 minute loops 3 DAYS after starting! Fellow Canadian Michel Gouin has cracked 500K in the 6 day.
And then there is Charlotte Vasarhelyi (I have known Char for a few years, but I still have to look up the spelling of her last name...) and Marylou Corino in the 72 hour race. Char started a day early as she had to work before the regular 72 hour ended. She put in an impressive first day total and was leading the 72 hour race when her back problems (sciatica) became unbearable. Char was forced to retire at the end of her first day of running (I don't recall her first day mileage). Marylou started the next day and by the beginning of day 2, was in a race for the lead with Michael Miller. Char showed up at the race on day 2 (her day 3) and watched. Then Char walked a bit. Then she started running. Amazing! In her second day of running (day 3 of her race) Char ran 160K for a total of 312K!
And Marylou? She put in a stellar performance, running 427K for first place overall and good enough to break the open Canadian 72 hour record. Of course in my consideration, Marylou's most amazing feat was that she continued to smile, even on the 3rd day. Sorry, but that seems impossible!
So, was the trip a success or failure? I think Sharon summed it up appropriately (I was going to take credit for this) by stating that there are no failures in racing, just races that are successful and those from which you learn. And the opportunity to see Yannis Kouros run was quite the bonus!
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Ice Storm!
I couldn't resist. Yesterday saw the first ice storm of the year. The trails were mid-shin deep in snow and the treadmill was occupied. For those who don't live with someone who is training for a 100 mile race, here is what to expect: Your morning's coffee is accompanied my the hum of the treadmill. Morning chores, blowing the driveway, clearing snow from the deck, all with the hum. Time to go for a run. Hmmm, what's that hum?
No problem, the trails beckon. Post holing is an art form. A precarious balance between efficient high stepping leg turnover and a face plant. But let's make it challenging! Add 1 cm of ice on top of 30 cm of snow. In this situation the proper technique is to lean far forward and bring the knees up to the stomach. This allows you to withdraw your leg and foot in a near-vertical direction. If you use a conventional post-holing stride, the bottom of your shin will be cut open at every step. However, visualize what it must look like to ice-post-hole. Yes, a recipe for disaster, but I'm getting ahead of myself.
The first part of the trail had footsteps to follow, so much of the effort was directed at spotting an efficient foot plant pattern that incorporated the existing footsteps, while careering wildly in all directions. Think of ballet. Almost exactly the opposite! Did I mention the breathing? Stentorious comes to mind.
But all good things come to an end. The footprints diverged from the trail, so I was left to my own devices. After a mere 200 meters, I noticed that the effort level was exceeding my fitness level. Breathing became raspy, the pace slowed and I started thinking about the wonderful trail behind me. Then I had a great idea! Directly beside me (I was running the Ganaraska trail alongside the Mad river) was a field and if there was any justice in the world, there would be a snowmobile track. Perfect! I made my way through the trees and out onto the field.
Snowmobilers are the most crass, self-centered idiots in the world. Thousands of them around Creemore and they all had the temerity to not lay a track along the field. A perfectly inviting field along the Mad river and just because of some archaic trespassing laws, they had avoided the area. Pardon the pun, but I was in deep trouble. Because of a slight drifting effect and a lack of training, my run had degenerated into a staggering parody of running. It was also starting to hurt. The sideways sheering motion was eliciting signals from my shins. Time to pack it in.
Of course I took a shortcut through the field back to the trail, causing further harm to my protesting shins. In reality, there was little damage. 8 small cuts to my right shin and negligible harm to the left. It did feel good to get back to running on the trail with footprints. Nearing my driveway, I felt what can only be described as a "popping" in my right Achilles tendon. Not good. I stopped running immediately, but walking was now a bit painful.
I will have to run roads today...
No problem, the trails beckon. Post holing is an art form. A precarious balance between efficient high stepping leg turnover and a face plant. But let's make it challenging! Add 1 cm of ice on top of 30 cm of snow. In this situation the proper technique is to lean far forward and bring the knees up to the stomach. This allows you to withdraw your leg and foot in a near-vertical direction. If you use a conventional post-holing stride, the bottom of your shin will be cut open at every step. However, visualize what it must look like to ice-post-hole. Yes, a recipe for disaster, but I'm getting ahead of myself.
The first part of the trail had footsteps to follow, so much of the effort was directed at spotting an efficient foot plant pattern that incorporated the existing footsteps, while careering wildly in all directions. Think of ballet. Almost exactly the opposite! Did I mention the breathing? Stentorious comes to mind.
But all good things come to an end. The footprints diverged from the trail, so I was left to my own devices. After a mere 200 meters, I noticed that the effort level was exceeding my fitness level. Breathing became raspy, the pace slowed and I started thinking about the wonderful trail behind me. Then I had a great idea! Directly beside me (I was running the Ganaraska trail alongside the Mad river) was a field and if there was any justice in the world, there would be a snowmobile track. Perfect! I made my way through the trees and out onto the field.
Snowmobilers are the most crass, self-centered idiots in the world. Thousands of them around Creemore and they all had the temerity to not lay a track along the field. A perfectly inviting field along the Mad river and just because of some archaic trespassing laws, they had avoided the area. Pardon the pun, but I was in deep trouble. Because of a slight drifting effect and a lack of training, my run had degenerated into a staggering parody of running. It was also starting to hurt. The sideways sheering motion was eliciting signals from my shins. Time to pack it in.
Of course I took a shortcut through the field back to the trail, causing further harm to my protesting shins. In reality, there was little damage. 8 small cuts to my right shin and negligible harm to the left. It did feel good to get back to running on the trail with footprints. Nearing my driveway, I felt what can only be described as a "popping" in my right Achilles tendon. Not good. I stopped running immediately, but walking was now a bit painful.
I will have to run roads today...
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Back to "Running"
Well, as with all injuries, there comes a day when you have to put your foot down (oh, that hurt even me) and run out the injury (enough - someone take away his laptop now!). I have always been warned about Achilles injuries. The typical conversation goes like this: "Hey Joe, I'm thinking of getting injured again. Any suggestions on what type?". "Hmmm. Have you tried a fractured tibia? Very cool healing process". "No, what about a torn Achilles tendon?". "Um. No, don't try that one".
As mentioned in the previous blog, I tried a few normal healing procedures. I also tried a few unorthodox methods. Some were better than others, but none provided me with a conclusive healing trend. So I did what I do best and ignored the injury. I should mention that technically, I did not ignore the injury, as it forced me to once again adjust my running schedule. Let's just say I didn't put "healing" at the top of the list. The new methodology was to run until it hurt too much to continue, then stop. I added a nifty twist, in that every day I would increase the time and/or duration of the run! I come up with these brainchildren at Honda, when I'm supposed to be working.
So I ran 1.5K on Monday, 2K on Tuesday, 2.2K on Wednesday, took Thursday off, 7.5K on Friday and 10K on Saturday. No one would consider 23K to be a monumental weekly total, but the important aspect is that on Monday, running was very painful and on Saturday, I felt a tiny little pain reminder on each step, but nothing debilitating. I'm cured!
So, with 3 weeks until my 24 hour race, all I can joyfully say is "Let the ramp-up begin!". I think most people who read my blog do so, because it makes their running practices seem reasonable by comparison.
Well, I have 8 more days to work this year. Honda provides a significant plant shutdown at the end of December and I had some vacation days to kill, so I took every Friday in December off. My last day this year is Thursday, December 19! More time to experiment with healing and recovery.
I'm going to see if I can find a picture of Gino, who won the Trail Runner Trophy Series (ultra) this year. The previous picture was Dale, who was 2nd place. Ontario ultra runners are doing some amazing things.
Cheers!
As mentioned in the previous blog, I tried a few normal healing procedures. I also tried a few unorthodox methods. Some were better than others, but none provided me with a conclusive healing trend. So I did what I do best and ignored the injury. I should mention that technically, I did not ignore the injury, as it forced me to once again adjust my running schedule. Let's just say I didn't put "healing" at the top of the list. The new methodology was to run until it hurt too much to continue, then stop. I added a nifty twist, in that every day I would increase the time and/or duration of the run! I come up with these brainchildren at Honda, when I'm supposed to be working.
So I ran 1.5K on Monday, 2K on Tuesday, 2.2K on Wednesday, took Thursday off, 7.5K on Friday and 10K on Saturday. No one would consider 23K to be a monumental weekly total, but the important aspect is that on Monday, running was very painful and on Saturday, I felt a tiny little pain reminder on each step, but nothing debilitating. I'm cured!
So, with 3 weeks until my 24 hour race, all I can joyfully say is "Let the ramp-up begin!". I think most people who read my blog do so, because it makes their running practices seem reasonable by comparison.
Well, I have 8 more days to work this year. Honda provides a significant plant shutdown at the end of December and I had some vacation days to kill, so I took every Friday in December off. My last day this year is Thursday, December 19! More time to experiment with healing and recovery.
I'm going to see if I can find a picture of Gino, who won the Trail Runner Trophy Series (ultra) this year. The previous picture was Dale, who was 2nd place. Ontario ultra runners are doing some amazing things.
Cheers!
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Injury Advice Adendum
I received a notice from Sharon Z. that the advice on injuries was lacking an entry on the achilles tendon. I should have noted in the article that I am currently suffering from damage to the right achilles tendon, and as it is my first such injury, I was not ready to include a remedy.
However, I am far enough along to state a few notes. What is not working:
1. Running up steep hills. The achilles tends towards the painful side.
2. Running in 1 foot of snow. The achilles tends towards the painful side.
3. Sprinting. The achilles tends towards the painful side.
4. Running backwards while carrying a black Russian (the drink, not the human). The achilles tends towards the painful side.
What has promise:
1. Running in 2 inches of slush and ice. This seems to be the ideal running surface to avoid stress to the injured area. The "toe push" directly before the foot leaves contact with the slush tends to slide the foot back, which avoids loading the achilles tendon.
2. Easy downhill run. Same as #1, no stress during foot lift, but it is difficult to find longish downhill sections without (duh!) longish uphill sections.
3. Running forward with a black Russian. The alcohol tends to relax the area and mask the pain. Again, this is slightly problematic as I tend to spill the drink. Before you ask, I'm one who frowns on filling a water bottle with black Russians. It's a flavour thing.
That's it! Short, sweet and of dubious help.
However, I am far enough along to state a few notes. What is not working:
1. Running up steep hills. The achilles tends towards the painful side.
2. Running in 1 foot of snow. The achilles tends towards the painful side.
3. Sprinting. The achilles tends towards the painful side.
4. Running backwards while carrying a black Russian (the drink, not the human). The achilles tends towards the painful side.
What has promise:
1. Running in 2 inches of slush and ice. This seems to be the ideal running surface to avoid stress to the injured area. The "toe push" directly before the foot leaves contact with the slush tends to slide the foot back, which avoids loading the achilles tendon.
2. Easy downhill run. Same as #1, no stress during foot lift, but it is difficult to find longish downhill sections without (duh!) longish uphill sections.
3. Running forward with a black Russian. The alcohol tends to relax the area and mask the pain. Again, this is slightly problematic as I tend to spill the drink. Before you ask, I'm one who frowns on filling a water bottle with black Russians. It's a flavour thing.
That's it! Short, sweet and of dubious help.
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Advice on Injuries
Okay, after a careful review of the advice below, it might be prudent to get a second opinion. Once that is done, by all means follow this advice:
Advice on Injuries
Just the other day I was thinking that there are not a lot of comprehensive resources for running injuries. Then I thought “Hey! I’ve been injured for 30 years now – I must be an expert”! Unfortunately, being chronically injured probably indicates that I am not an expert on injury prevention or optimal healing practices…
I once wrote an article entitled Advice on Running. It included this quote, which sums up my attitude towards injuries:
Injuries can be divided into 2 categories. Those you can “run through” and still heal, and those that take a hell of a long time to heal, when you continue running.
There are some aspects of injury management that I could impart to other runners, along with a long list of “Do the opposite of what I do”. For example, Ibuprofen. I actually got this tip from my doctor: Take half dosage (one 200 mg tab) 3 times per day for 3 days. This will help with inflammation, yet avoid developing a tolerance to the pain killer. The concept is that it will help reduce swelling which speeds up the healing. Take the low dosage for 3 days about 5 days before a race. Take no Ibuprofen 2 days before the race, so that you lose the tolerance to the painkiller component. Hence the Ibuprofen will be more affective during the race.
Plantar Fasciitis
Once you develop PF in one of your feet, try to develop PF in the other foot. If you are successful, it will force you to change your running style so that both feet heal faster. I’m full of these great healing tips that you will never find in medical journals!
Back to Ibuprofen
If your injury suddenly becomes more painful, stop taking Ibuprofen. You will then limp more (if you have a leg injury) and heal faster. If you take Ibuprofen while in significant pain, it will mask the pain and you will cause more damage to the injured area. Pain is your friend! It helps you to figure out what actions aggravate the injury.
Strains and sprains
Ignore mild sprains completely. Your ankle / knee / hip did it on purpose and if you don’t punish the area by forcing it to run, it will do it again next week. It’s the PRINCIPLE of the thing. I have never been sure what that means, but I’ve heard it all my life, so it must be some altruism. Severe sprains are a different story. You probably did something stupid and should not blame it on the injured area. Take 2 days off running and use ICE (Ice Compression Elevation) 2 – 3 times per day, but never for more than 10 minutes at a time. Some football player put his foot in a bucket of ice for 4 hours and it was black when he removed it from the bucket… If it is too painful to run, use a bike or one of those weird parabolic machines. It might be apparent that I don’t take this advice to heart. I find that hobble-runs on a trail where no one else can see your pathetic gait are much more enjoyable. Don’t look up the definition of “enjoyable” in the dictionary. Even severe sprains will eventually heal, blah blah blah blah.
Pulled / Torn Muscles
I like these! A sharp no-nonsense pain. Your body is telling you “Yup! You are injured”! The best part of a torn muscle is that you can completely ignore them. You’ve scheduled a speed session for tonight? Go for it! It’s just a tear. Even if it gets worse, it just means recovery will take longer. Possibly years longer. Torn muscles also give you an excellent excuse to run slowly or cut the run short altogether. You have way more running options with a torn muscle. I recommend not doing any recovery activity. You want to savor this injury!
Knee Injuries
For the sake of brevity, I’ll lump these together. Pulled IT band, torn ACL, patella, cartilage or broken knee cap: Get surgery. You can easily perform the surgery yourself. A torn cartilage is simple with an old phone camera, scalpel and forceps, but trained surgeons will get you some time off work. More time for running directly before and after surgery. Think about it! When running with a knee injury, do not compensate your running style to accommodate the injury. See above for mild strain. You are in control, not the knee. If you don’t subscribe to the “firm machine gun hand” approach, consider this. Changing your running style by limping will put undue stress on other parts of your body. You are asking for another injury. Don’t believe me? Try deliberately limping for 3 hours during your next run. You will develop a back injury.
Back Injuries
Tricky subject. Back injuries fall into 2 categories. Minor (torn muscles, strains) and major (bulging disc, fractures, major contusions and skeletal degeneration). Treat minor back injuries as you would any other torn muscle or sprain. The only downside is that even something as innocuous as a torn muscle in your back can make it painful to breath. Breathing is high on the list of mandatory items for running. It can be frustrating when trying to run through a torn back muscle and you keep passing out from the lack of breathing. I have a strict rule about running along cliffs when suffering from a torn back muscle.
Major back injuries are the trickiest. Don’t assume that you can run, when you can’t walk. I think there is a progression issue here, but I’ve already lost interest, so let’s move on. During one of the years when I ran one of the Toronto marathons, I fell down. It was at about the 30K mark, so I got back up and continued to run. Some chap caught up to me and asked why I had fallen. I explained that I have a bulge in my disk that puts pressure on my sciatic nerve. The injury had flared recently and due to shooting pains that travelled down my leg to my ankle, I had lost all feeling in my right leg and fell over (duh!). We ran for a bit and then he asked me a question I could not readily answer. “Why the hell are you still running”? It took me only seconds to misinterpret his question as “running today, in this marathon, after falling due to a lack of all feeling and control in your right leg”. I had to think about that for a while. I had never DNF’d in a race as short as a marathon before, but I kind of saw his point. Perhaps continuing for another 12K wasn’t such a grand idea. At 32K I stopped. I boarded a street car (although I had no desire to do so) and explained to the driver that I had no money. I had just dropped from a race due to injury and could not run back to the finish line. I got a free ride! Note: The free ride was not worth the DNF.
Broken Neck
I don’t like going to see doctors. They are typically full of bad news and make irrational decisions that curtail my running. And my attitude has nothing to do with it. I will politely and patiently (get it?) tell the doctor my symptoms and even more patiently describe my lifestyle, which includes a modicum of running. It is usually at this point (new doctors are the worst) when they are giving me that long stare – almost a glare, that it dawns on me they will soon proscribe a hiatus from my sporting lifestyle. I’ll give you an example.
I played rugby back when the earth was cooling. I developed severe pain in my upper spine. Do recall I’ve had my share of injuries. Severe pain is when your vision goes black. Got the picture? You are still standing, but you can’t see anything. X-rays showed nothing at the time. Years later, I decided to start playing rugby again. I also contracted a cold that would simply not go away. Thinking it might be the flu, I went to see my doctor. I explained about the flu and also that I was experiencing tingling in my arms. I mentioned that years ago, while playing rugby, I had severe neck pain and that I had recently starting playing rugby again. My doctor scheduled x-rays. She called me at work 3 days later and told me to get to her office as soon as I could. I told her I could fit her in on Thursday of next week. She wasn’t very polite, she simply said over the phone “Get down here directly after work. You have a broken neck”. To make a long story short, I had to stop playing rugby, again. The good news is that I should continue to run. Supposedly, “short” runs are good for the neck! Short is relative, isn’t it?
If you break your neck, keep running. If it causes pain during the run, wear a neck brace. No one will bother you while running with a neck brace, trust me.
Flu and Colds
Although not technically an injury, running while sick is no fun at all. I don’t know about you, but that sums up how it can feel to run while injured. Rule of thumb: If the cold is above your bronchial tubes, continue to run. I once went for a run and still had a hacking cough. Running with a cough can be very healthy, as the run helps to clear your lungs. This was not one of those runs. I realized it was apparent that I was still sick when the fellow behind me asked if he should go back and pick up my lung…
Death
Death is nature’s way of telling you to slow down a little. This is one injury I have not yet experienced, so the advice is hypothetical. Cut back on your tempo runs. In fact, cut back on all of your runs. Breathing will be a major issue, as I understand that breathing while dead is problematic. This may sound very morose, but I see no reason why you can’t continue to enjoy running, just not at the same intensity as when you where alive. Puts a different meaning on my sign-off:
Dig Deep!
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Bad Idea 50 Miler
I just realized why there is an edit option on blogs. It is so that you can return to an entry at a later time and finish it! I should not be in the house at 10:13 on a Sunday morning, but I am enjoying a bit of breakfast after my (too short) run and want to start on the Bad Idea #20131102 50 mile report.
No pictures as I forgot the camera. I also got in 39K of epic hills and gnarly single track on Bruce's trail. I sound like a teenage mountain biker. A small group signed up for the run. Attrition was a little higher than normal as the weather was (surprise!) ugly, even by Dunedin standards. Sleet and high winds. Mind you, the weather was welcome on the first (3K) uphill. It was comfortable running the single track, although at times it was dicey, running on wet moss covered rocks inches from a 40 foot cliff. Just to clarify, the cliff went down. Way down. I deliberately walked some sections on my 3rd (13K) loop, as I hate being in the statistic column of a run. The weather had the biggest impact on the final 1.6K downhill section. As in strong winds shoving sleet in your face. Reminded me of Scotland, with the low clouds and misty moors. Ah! The home country. I'm not really fooling anyone, with a last name of Marcoux...
There were many firsts for me. First long run outside of a race in 3 years. First time drinking coffee laced with scotch (thank you Ann!) before the last loop. After 2 loops I was debating the merits of another loop. After making my decision known, to run loop 3, Ann said "that's the scotch talking". I believe she was correct! I was tempted to sleep in Saturday morning, as I was not sure if anyone was going to show for the 06:00 start. Being a fun run, the start time was when you started running! Fortunately my "work" alarm (inside my head) went off like clockwork (get it?) at 05:00, so I arrived just before 06:00. Good thing too, as Steve Bridson was already there and ready to go. We started at 06:30 since no one else showed up (Steve was unsure of the course - in the dark) and I had to set up the 5K aid station.
Lunch. It is raining, so I can't paint (same as every other day for the last 4 weeks, Pinky...). Below are results for the Dunedin Bad Idea 50M. See Ron Irwin's blog (http://westgreyrunner.blogspot.ca/) for his explorun of the Dunedin area. Ron listed himself as DNF, which is tough to do on a fun run! Lee Anne ran to Dunedin and home, and chose a 19K loop instead of the 2 options (yes, life is a never-ending surprise with Lee Anne!). Below is tabulated in semi-alphabetical order. Sharon Zelinski won the Bad Idea plaque, for most improved sleet runner (actually, because Doug Barber forgot to bring it home and I wasn't about to drive it up to Owen Sound). Unless I made a mistake (do recall that scotch is involved) Adi, Steve Beach and I all ran 39K in 7:03, but I ran at a different time. Weird! As will become apparent, most did not "race" the event. Only Steve Bridson completed 50 miles (we docked points from him for this) and Dave Robinson ran from 01:00 to 05:00 Saturday morning, slept 2 hours and arrived "late" to the run. No comment. To read: Name, start time, clock time for each loop (13K is option 1, 14K is option 2), total distance and run duration.
Adi Shnall: 10:17, 12:25 (1), 14:46 (1), 17:20 (1), 39K, 7:03
Dave Robinson: 10:17, 11:52 (2), 13:45 (2), 15:39 (2), 17:34 (2), 56K, 7:17
Lee Anne Cohen: 60K, 8:00ish
Pierre Marcoux: 06:30, 08:30 (1), 10:40 (1), 13:33 (1), 39K, 7:03
Ron Irwin: 12:30, 25K, see his blog
Sharon Zelinski: 08:30, 10:30 (1), 12:15 (1), 14:20 (1), 16:18 (1), 52K, 7:48
Steve Bridson: 06:30, 08:30 (1), 10:15 (1), 11:55 (2), 13:45 (2), 15:30 (2), 17:34 (2), 80K, 10:57
Steve Beach: 10:17, 12:25 (1), 14:46 (1), 17:20 (1), 39K, 7:03
Stephan Miklos: 08:30, 10:30 (1), 12:15 (1), 14:20 (1), 16:18 (1), 52K, 7:48
Doug Barber: 08:30, 10:20, 13K, 2:10
Les Szilagyi, Cliff Renfrew and Ann Fleming: 08:30, 10:40, 13K, 2:20
Well, it is sunny, so painting is hypothetically possible... More this evening!
I dipped the brush in the paint and the sunny ski turned to clouds and rain... I'm cursed. Damn you weather gods! Of course with an attitude like that, it's no wonder it rains when I paint.
I ran loop 1 with Steve Bridson, which is a polite way of saying that Steve slowed down for the first loop. If you note his times, he sped up considerably later on. Steve Br. and Dave ran 4 loops together, so they must be close to the same pace. I met up with Lee Anne at the start of loop 2 (what are the odds of that?) and ran about half the course with her. She wanted to run road and pass "her" waterfall (on Townline, close to Lavender falls) so we parted ways at the Bruce Trail and CR 9. At the end of loop 2, I caught up with the Owen Sound contingent. This was a huge tactical error. See "coffee and scotch" below.
26K of hills and technical single track is a satisfactory run for me. I was already forming images of how great a cup of coffee would be and I had planned on supporting the aid station. Mind you, it was only 10:30 and with the weather giving the appearance that it would improve (it didn't) and having some legs left, another loop seemed logical. Doug, Deisel (Les), Cliff and Ann declared that they were stopping after one loop. Since I had ample time, I thought I'd sit and chat for a while, have that cup of coffee and decide later if another loop was in the offing.
Then the scotch came out. First, Ann presented me with a bottle of vodka, for organizing the run. It was quite a gesture and much appreciated! For future reference, I enjoy both Vodka and Kahlua... At any rate, we sat and chatted for a while. Always great to hear stories from Doug and his friends! I had no sooner mentioned that I was starting to stiffen up and should get loop 3 going (Ann mentioned that was the scotch talking!) when Lee Anne shows up. Another coincidence! We replayed loop 2, with Lee Anne staying on CR 9 when I hit the Bruce trail. Loop 3 was tough! I walked many of the rocky sections, as the leg muscles were threatening to quit. I met up with Ron Irwin, who was running the loop backwards (clockwise, not actually running backwards!) which helped to pick up my mood! I think that Ron was having a great time, taking video and trying to get lost.
The remainder of the day was spent supporting runners when they finished a loop and chatting with friends when they pulled the plug. Plans were for a few of us to head back to Creemore for some pottery glazing and stringent quality control of some fine wines... I am 93% certain we had a good time!
What's next? A bunch (Sharon Z., Charlotte V., Chris P., Lee Anne and I) are heading to Phoenix to run the Across the Years race in late December / early January (hence the name). It should be a hoot! Lee Anne is eyeing the Canadian 100 mile record... It appears soft for F60 - 64 at 28:14, but that's easy for me to say; I have no intention of running 100 miles. Lee Anne will take a stab by running the 48 hour. Since pacers and crew are discouraged, I am running the 24 hour to support Lee Anne. Correction: I am entered in the 24 hour. I plan to run 1 lap (about 1 mile), then wait 12 hours and run at night to support Lee Anne.
Well, that is long enough for now!
No pictures as I forgot the camera. I also got in 39K of epic hills and gnarly single track on Bruce's trail. I sound like a teenage mountain biker. A small group signed up for the run. Attrition was a little higher than normal as the weather was (surprise!) ugly, even by Dunedin standards. Sleet and high winds. Mind you, the weather was welcome on the first (3K) uphill. It was comfortable running the single track, although at times it was dicey, running on wet moss covered rocks inches from a 40 foot cliff. Just to clarify, the cliff went down. Way down. I deliberately walked some sections on my 3rd (13K) loop, as I hate being in the statistic column of a run. The weather had the biggest impact on the final 1.6K downhill section. As in strong winds shoving sleet in your face. Reminded me of Scotland, with the low clouds and misty moors. Ah! The home country. I'm not really fooling anyone, with a last name of Marcoux...
There were many firsts for me. First long run outside of a race in 3 years. First time drinking coffee laced with scotch (thank you Ann!) before the last loop. After 2 loops I was debating the merits of another loop. After making my decision known, to run loop 3, Ann said "that's the scotch talking". I believe she was correct! I was tempted to sleep in Saturday morning, as I was not sure if anyone was going to show for the 06:00 start. Being a fun run, the start time was when you started running! Fortunately my "work" alarm (inside my head) went off like clockwork (get it?) at 05:00, so I arrived just before 06:00. Good thing too, as Steve Bridson was already there and ready to go. We started at 06:30 since no one else showed up (Steve was unsure of the course - in the dark) and I had to set up the 5K aid station.
Lunch. It is raining, so I can't paint (same as every other day for the last 4 weeks, Pinky...). Below are results for the Dunedin Bad Idea 50M. See Ron Irwin's blog (http://westgreyrunner.blogspot.ca/) for his explorun of the Dunedin area. Ron listed himself as DNF, which is tough to do on a fun run! Lee Anne ran to Dunedin and home, and chose a 19K loop instead of the 2 options (yes, life is a never-ending surprise with Lee Anne!). Below is tabulated in semi-alphabetical order. Sharon Zelinski won the Bad Idea plaque, for most improved sleet runner (actually, because Doug Barber forgot to bring it home and I wasn't about to drive it up to Owen Sound). Unless I made a mistake (do recall that scotch is involved) Adi, Steve Beach and I all ran 39K in 7:03, but I ran at a different time. Weird! As will become apparent, most did not "race" the event. Only Steve Bridson completed 50 miles (we docked points from him for this) and Dave Robinson ran from 01:00 to 05:00 Saturday morning, slept 2 hours and arrived "late" to the run. No comment. To read: Name, start time, clock time for each loop (13K is option 1, 14K is option 2), total distance and run duration.
Adi Shnall: 10:17, 12:25 (1), 14:46 (1), 17:20 (1), 39K, 7:03
Dave Robinson: 10:17, 11:52 (2), 13:45 (2), 15:39 (2), 17:34 (2), 56K, 7:17
Lee Anne Cohen: 60K, 8:00ish
Pierre Marcoux: 06:30, 08:30 (1), 10:40 (1), 13:33 (1), 39K, 7:03
Ron Irwin: 12:30, 25K, see his blog
Sharon Zelinski: 08:30, 10:30 (1), 12:15 (1), 14:20 (1), 16:18 (1), 52K, 7:48
Steve Bridson: 06:30, 08:30 (1), 10:15 (1), 11:55 (2), 13:45 (2), 15:30 (2), 17:34 (2), 80K, 10:57
Steve Beach: 10:17, 12:25 (1), 14:46 (1), 17:20 (1), 39K, 7:03
Stephan Miklos: 08:30, 10:30 (1), 12:15 (1), 14:20 (1), 16:18 (1), 52K, 7:48
Doug Barber: 08:30, 10:20, 13K, 2:10
Les Szilagyi, Cliff Renfrew and Ann Fleming: 08:30, 10:40, 13K, 2:20
Well, it is sunny, so painting is hypothetically possible... More this evening!
I dipped the brush in the paint and the sunny ski turned to clouds and rain... I'm cursed. Damn you weather gods! Of course with an attitude like that, it's no wonder it rains when I paint.
I ran loop 1 with Steve Bridson, which is a polite way of saying that Steve slowed down for the first loop. If you note his times, he sped up considerably later on. Steve Br. and Dave ran 4 loops together, so they must be close to the same pace. I met up with Lee Anne at the start of loop 2 (what are the odds of that?) and ran about half the course with her. She wanted to run road and pass "her" waterfall (on Townline, close to Lavender falls) so we parted ways at the Bruce Trail and CR 9. At the end of loop 2, I caught up with the Owen Sound contingent. This was a huge tactical error. See "coffee and scotch" below.
26K of hills and technical single track is a satisfactory run for me. I was already forming images of how great a cup of coffee would be and I had planned on supporting the aid station. Mind you, it was only 10:30 and with the weather giving the appearance that it would improve (it didn't) and having some legs left, another loop seemed logical. Doug, Deisel (Les), Cliff and Ann declared that they were stopping after one loop. Since I had ample time, I thought I'd sit and chat for a while, have that cup of coffee and decide later if another loop was in the offing.
Then the scotch came out. First, Ann presented me with a bottle of vodka, for organizing the run. It was quite a gesture and much appreciated! For future reference, I enjoy both Vodka and Kahlua... At any rate, we sat and chatted for a while. Always great to hear stories from Doug and his friends! I had no sooner mentioned that I was starting to stiffen up and should get loop 3 going (Ann mentioned that was the scotch talking!) when Lee Anne shows up. Another coincidence! We replayed loop 2, with Lee Anne staying on CR 9 when I hit the Bruce trail. Loop 3 was tough! I walked many of the rocky sections, as the leg muscles were threatening to quit. I met up with Ron Irwin, who was running the loop backwards (clockwise, not actually running backwards!) which helped to pick up my mood! I think that Ron was having a great time, taking video and trying to get lost.
The remainder of the day was spent supporting runners when they finished a loop and chatting with friends when they pulled the plug. Plans were for a few of us to head back to Creemore for some pottery glazing and stringent quality control of some fine wines... I am 93% certain we had a good time!
What's next? A bunch (Sharon Z., Charlotte V., Chris P., Lee Anne and I) are heading to Phoenix to run the Across the Years race in late December / early January (hence the name). It should be a hoot! Lee Anne is eyeing the Canadian 100 mile record... It appears soft for F60 - 64 at 28:14, but that's easy for me to say; I have no intention of running 100 miles. Lee Anne will take a stab by running the 48 hour. Since pacers and crew are discouraged, I am running the 24 hour to support Lee Anne. Correction: I am entered in the 24 hour. I plan to run 1 lap (about 1 mile), then wait 12 hours and run at night to support Lee Anne.
Well, that is long enough for now!
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