Slow But Steady Wins the Race to Complete a Marathon

Today's run was my best long run since starting up training for the Santa Barbara Marathon 4 months ago. An 18 mile out and back down Sycamore Canyon to PCH, the good ole' Turf to Surf run.  Today's total run time was 2 hours, 25 minutes; 1:09 to PCH and 1:16 on the turnaround...not a bad "split" given return trip has much more uphill (and heat).

As readers of this blog may know, I've had one injury after another over the months, but have battled back from each one.  Most of the injuries have been minor irritants. The most debilitating problem was a lower back spasm that took me away from solid training for 2 to 3 weeks. But that problem is gone, thanks to a great Camarillo based chiropractor.

My biggest concern today was, how would my body react to running long again. Although I did run 15 miles 2 weeks ago, I wondered, would it feel like I'm starting from scratch today?  That's a feeling many runners have after taking a break.  How will our bodies react?

The good thing is, our bodies have "muscle memory" - those long runs 2 months ago may feel irrelevant from a mental standpoint, but somehow the Bank of You the Runner has logged those miles in an account. While your legs and lungs don't pay interest on those miles, they treat them as if they were FDIC insured.

So stepping back for a sec, last night I was determined to get to bed by 11 p.m. and wake up, without alarm, at 6 a.m. One thing led to another and I was in bed by 12:15 a.m. I awoke at 7:15 a.m., but within minutes was fixing my 3 year old breakfast (scoring brownie points with my still sleeping wife)...then minutes later his brother was up and before I know it, I'm not out the door until 7:40 a.m.  A bit behind schedule.  I'd prefer to have run much earlier, but hey, no big deal. Weather was somewhat cooler today too.

In preparation for the run, I loaded up my Nathan waistpak with 2 bottles of water, 2 bottles of Orange Gatorade and 3 GU packets (Vanilla, Chocolate and Banana). I wore a hat, glasses, sunscreen, slathered up the toes with petroleum jelly (as usual, no blisters for me!).

I'm fortunate to live in close proximity to Sycamore Canyon in Newbury Park. Where else can you do a serene, largely shaded, 8 to 10 mile run to the Pacific Ocean, with multiple places for pit stops/water, half paved, half well kept fire roads, WITHOUT cars to deal with!?  There are plenty of cyclists in Sycamore Canyon and they often fly by on the downhills, but are very courteous. Added bonus is the wildlife...deer, coyotes, bunnies and other attractions.

Today's goal was to run at a moderate, steady, conversational pace (though I'd be talking to myself as I was running alone).  Taking in fluids at roughly 10 minute intervals, I felt perfectly fine when I reached PCH and said hello to the Pacific. The return trip immediately felt 10 degrees warmer to me, as the sun peaked out from behind the mountains. But I continued on, neither slowing down, nor speeding up.

It is rare for me, one who speaketh his mind, to end a long run admitting I'm feeling GREAT, but as I approached and started up the 800 foot humbling, grinding asphalt ascent into civilization, I realized I felt just fine. Hot and tired, but in a good way.  In fact, I DID feel great! Both physically and mentally!

And to think just one week ago I was depressed!

I've Recovered From Every Injury I've Ever Had

I managed to run 38 miles with a back brace on last week. These miles were slower than normal but I was happy to be able to train through my injury.  Most of my runs were 6 miles.  No long runs.  My last long run of 20 miles was over 3 weeks ago.

My training peaked over the last half of July and after vacation week and 2 weeks of battling injuries I'm finally feeling like my body is ready to get back into training.  I've seen a chiropractor 4 times since last week and have appointments set for tomorrow and Friday.

There has been a knife-like sore spot in my lower left back. Over the last week I've been waking up with less pain but within an hour of sitting down at the desk the pain comes back. Then I go back to the chiro, get adjusted, and the pain goes away again. He says that it is basically my body's stubborn way of putting up a fight.

As frustrating as this pain has been, I keep in mind that I have recovered from every single injury I've had over the last 17 years of running.  I'll guestimate at least 100 injuries over the years. Gotta keep that in mind!  Ya may feel down and out, but think about everything you've overcome in the past.

With that positive energy in mind, I continue onwards. Yet another "challenge" on the road to the marathon.

While shopping at the new Trader Joe's in Newbury Park the other day, I bumped into one of my runner friends who just happens to be one of the top 50+ runners in Southern California. Coincidentally he also was the recipient of a lower back problem, though in his case it is his entire lower back. We compared back support braces (his was better) and he indicated he cannot even run.  But good ole Dave had just finished an hour long run in the pool, running with foam pool noodles under his arms. Talk about dedication!

On a different note, on Saturday, with my 2 young boys in tow, I visited Future Track Running Center in Agoura before lunch.  It had been awhile since I last visited the store and I was impressed by the well organized array of shoes, clothing, equipment and other must have products.  I know it is possible to find shoes cheaper on the Internet, but its much nicer physically going into a local store, trying on several shoes, feeling their weight, talking to the helpful staff (and they are definitely knowledgeable...I learned some new things) and got instant gratification. Not to mention, they put up with my 3 and 6 year olds running around the store, wreaking havoc.  Patronize your local running shoe store! It is your civic duty as a runner!  Future Track has a very nice supply of running fluid packs, including my favorite Nathan Waistpak, and all types of running energy gels.

One Week Back From Weak Back

Or so I thought.  It was one week ago that a back spasm during a mid-run pit stop put the latest damper on my training for this December's Inaugural Santa Barbara Marathon.

After visiting the chiropractor on Monday and feeling a bit better on Tuesday, I was optimistic that by now, I'd be past this ailment.  But the pain has been there, better some days, worse others (like today). Why, why, why? 

Well for starters, it is hard to predict how quickly our bodies respond to treatment and recover from injuries.  I'm often shocked the morning after a new problem that magically goes away. But then there's often these nagging problems that take their time going away.

Life happens...I've got 2 young boys and boy their very rambunctious nature they have a tendency to ram into me, pummel me and pretend I'm a jungle gym. I love it! But it takes a toll on my body...especially after a 20 mile run.

So...I'm continuing the treatment, taking the running slow and easy...but still running with back brace...and am determined to get well soon as I'm past due for another 20 miler!

I've got another 3 1/2 months until the marathon, so I'll be fine.  That really equates to about 2 1/2 months of potential hard training as the final 3 to 4 weeks will be my taper.  I'll have to cross my fingers though...at my current rate I'm on track for a 4 MONTH taper!

Running While Being Stabbed in the Back

Well, that's what it felt like these past 3 days. I wrote about my latest encounter with pain last Friday as my back gave out halfway into a 45 minute run.  To alleviate the pain I walked around the office with a black weight lifting belt around my lower back.  I also bought an ice pack and tried Advil.  At the end of the day...no change in the pain.  So I figured, wait it out...that seems to work for a lot of my injuries.

That night I took a hot jacuzzi bath, did some yoga-like stretches and popped more Advil. Woke up Saturday morning with the knife-like sensation still firmly emblazoned in my lower left back.

This was all a bummer for me. I came back from vacation the week before, dead set on doing another 20 miler this weekend.  I have my longest ever run, a hilly, trail 50K (31 miles) on the calendar for August 22nd. One friend says there's no way I can finish this run without doing a hilly long run. But on Saturday morning, I was in no shape to run, let alone walk.

But for the sake of doing something, I strapped on the weight belt as tight as it would go and ran a painfully slow 2.7 mile loop.  The pain was pretty sharp the first half of the run as I went slightly downhill. It was not quite as bad while running uphill and as the Advil seemed to kick in. Later that day the kids and I went to a pool party.  My back limited my movement but it felt good moving around in the pool...until I made a wrong turn and...AGGHHH!!

Sunday was more of the same. My wife told me I was an idiot for running while so sore.  I disagree. I was just stoopid.  I should have just lied down on the couch with an ice pack.

So the weekly tally for last week was still 34 miles, even with the injury through the weekend.  Chalk it up as another "down" week after my 25 miles on the cruise ship.

It had been several years since I visited a chiropractor, but today, after another sore and slow morning (another 2.7 mile loop but this time without the weight belt...and it hurt), I did so.  His immediate matter-of-fact comment was "you have a back spasm." So after several procedures and a heat pack, I left the office walking with much less pain.

Tonight the pain is still there but I feel like I'll be "back" on track in a few days. And oh goodie, I bought a different back support that isn't as bulky as the weight belt.  Hopefully I'll be able to get a 5 miler in tomorrow morning!

So what are the lessons learned from all this? Learn to read your body. Some pain you can "run through" (I'll call that "good" pain) and other pain you best deal with ASAP!  I pretty much knew this was of the latter variety but I was stubborn and probably prolonged the injury by running the next day.  Oh, well!

Two Steps Forward, One Step, Ugh, My Aching Back!

This week of running was not so bad after last week's vacation week. Well, not until this morning at least. I was halfway into a 45 minute run this morning when I stopped by a restroom in Sycamore Canyon near the Chumash Center. Without getting into too much detail, I was intrigued by the fact that there were three tiny frogs literally about the size of Oreo cookies camped out underneath the uh, toilet seat. (Yes, I know, too much information.)

On occasion I've seen little froggies back in that area, assumedly looking for water after all the ponds dry up in early Summer. What better place to find water then, uh, the men's toilet bowl. But this is the first time in my life I've seen 3 froggies camped out on a toilet.

I'm an animal lover so I didn't want to hurt the little guys (or gals, though I'd hope that the females were hanging out in the women's room). For a brief moment I thought, wow, would that be cool to bring them home for my little ones. But given their choice of accommodations, I decided not to handle the little hoppers.

So as I'm bent over checking out the cute little guys, I felt the equivalent of an electric shock on the left side of my lower back and yelped out in pain. As the frogs began dispersing from this sudden display of distress, I hovered half bent over the toilet, unable to move or stand up straight. The frogs thought I was some whacko or something. I shuffled out the door and attempted to stretch. I immediately gave up the idea of running back home, as I could barely walk.

Long story short, I hobbled back home and have been taking Advil, using an ice pack, sitting in a hot bath, etc. I get these back problems every now and then and have learned to attack the problem right away. I couldn't bend down to put my shoes and socks on, so I had to find a crouching/semi-fetal position to get them on.

At work I walked around with a weight belt to provide lower back support. My coworkers have seen me like this before and one commented on how I walked like Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx) of Sanford & Son:

Yep, that's pretty much how I looked all day, except worse. So now I'm not sure if I'll be able to do a long run (let alone any run) this weekend as I was planning. And I'm just 2 weeks away from the Bulldog Ultra 50K Trail Run, the longest planned training run of my life. Time for a quick recovery and a little luck (in fact, I've read that in Japan, frogs are considered good luck).

Take a Hall Pass From Running; and New L.A. Marathon Course Announcement!

First for my weekly mileage report.  I did a personal record for 2009, with 57 miles of running, including Friday's explosion of 24 miles in one day (5 miles in the a.m. and over 19 miles on Friday evening). 

I felt pretty good after those miles but still had to take the next day off from running due to sheer exhaustion.  One problem for me of running at night is that it makes it harder for me to fall asleep.  Must be that adrenaline rush.

But ever since that 2 hour, 15 minute minute run, I've been dragging, big time.  The clear answer for me is to get to bed earlier and perhaps sleep late a few days.  But sometimes even that isn't enough.

Perhaps the best thing to do when injured is to take an extended break, even in the middle of training for a marathon.  Remember that all those miles you put on your body are like miles "in the bank." Your body remembers those miles and you can take a hall pass if you need it.  No harm, no foul.  In fact, you'll come back stronger most of the time!

It also seems that my little knee problem has escalated over the past few days. Time to start popping the acetaminophen again and hanging icing the knee every night. 

My Hall Pass is next week while I back off on my mileage. While my 19.4 mile milestone built up my confidence, this down town will enable my body to recover a bit!

All of you deserve a Hall Pass at some point in your training! Don't guilt yourself out of it!

BREAKING NEWS! The Los Angeles City Council voted yesterday to change the date of the 2010 L.A. Marathon back to March from this year's Memorial Day date (which allegedly dropped participation by 5,000 runners!).  Next year's Silver Anniversary 25th Year L.A. Marathon will take place on Sunday, March 21st.  March 21, 2010 by the way marks the 30th anniversary of the day Jimmy Carter announced a U.S. boycott of the Summer Olympics in Moscow due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. 

And, once again the race course will be changed! Next year's course will be a "Stadium to the Sea" route that starts at Dodger Stadium and ends at the Pacific Ocean. I've run the L.A. course half a dozen times and have lost track of how many courses there have been. No specifics yet on this latest route.  Hmm, I wonder if the fact that Dodgers owner Frank McCourt also owns the rights to the L.A. Marathon has anything to do with this.  More info at www.lamarathon.com.

Persistence + Practice + Patience = Performance

First off, I'm happy to report a solid week of training...in fact, my highest weekly mileage for the year (47 miles).  Yesterday, exactly 2 months after the day I committed to run the Santa Barbara Marathon, I did my longest run of the year - 12.5 miles in 1 1/2 hours, half on pavement and half on trails.  I still have over 5 months until the marathon, so I don't plan to increase my mileage drastically...just slowly and gradually.

On the injury front, my sore big toe joint came back after yesterday's run, so I plan to ice it repeatedly and take an Advil if it gets worse.  Ice and Advil seem to alleviate most of my minor running ailments.  I'm not exactly sure what is causing the problem, though it seems to flare up on my longer runs.  Could be from running downhills. 

The formula of the day is Persistence + Practice + Patience = Performance.

As I ran alone for an hour and a half yesterday, I was pleased with how my body made such a comeback.  I was feeling miserable with a nasty cold 2 weeks ago and finally...running started feeling enjoyable again.  This is not the first time I've felt this way nor the last time. What enabled me come back and feel good about running, time and time again?

Persistence:  The easiest thing to do is GIVE UP when you're down.  Ya just can't do that!  Once you set a goal, be it to run a marathon, start a business, learn a new language, etc., you've gotta be persistent or you won't cross the finish line.

Practice: While practice may or may not make us perfect, it certainly prepares us for our best performance.  Practice is hard work...putting in the miles, eating well, hydrating, increasing your mileage, finding the right shoes, you name it.  Without it you doom yourself for failure.

Patience: Be prepared for setbacks, learn from them, adjust your training and stick with it. I know a lot of people who say they hate running because they have "bad knees."  This may be true for some but for others what I find is that they procrastinate, then try to shortcut the training process, leading to ailments and injuries.  Training for a marathon takes patience...especially on those looonnngggg runs.

Put persistent training, regular practice and patience together and you'll find yourself running a marathon!

Life Happens...Training Must Go On!

As George W. Bush would say (or maybe he said it), training for a marathon is HARD WORK!

In the mid to late 1990s I was regularly running marathons in the 2:35 to 2:40 range, with a personal best of 2 hours, 35 minutes in the Los Angeles Marathon.

Back then, things were a lot less complicated for me.  Single, young, healthy, good looking (OK, maybe that's a stretch) and plenty of time to train.  And probably most importantly, plenty of time to recuperate from hard training.

Today I'm 44, turning 45 in less than a month.  Married, with 3 boys, stay-at-home wife, trying to make ends meet.  Waking up early to train.  Staying up late (after kids' bedtime) to catch up with life and blog.

Why is it that any time I start feeling GOOD about my training, something happens that interferes with it!?  I know I'm not alone on this.  It takes a lot of work to train for the marathon and to maneuver around all the obstacles in its path.

Injuries and illness of course are the typical issues we face.  Yes, we rest, we ice, we medicate, we get over it and come back.  But the everyday aspects of LIFE are what present a constant challenge in our training.

Like this Father's Day weekend.  I had planned to sleep late, train long, nap and relax.  But (slap, slap), come on, let's get real.  I've got 2 young boys who want to spend time with me.  We went camping and had a blast, but I came outta that experience with a stiff neck, 4 hours sleep and boy am I tired.

But life and training must go on.  As we drive back home I'm placing toothpicks between my eyelids to keep them open, look in the rear view mirror and see my 3 and 6 year olds pleasantly snoozing away.  I smile at how cute they look and remember how I used to be able to do that.  Then I can't help but visualize a squirt gun being reloaded under water.  These guys will be raring to go, just as I'm ever so needing a good nap.

What a week...mom calls to tell me she drove herself to the emergency room with chest pains, a very close relative diagnosed with terminal cancer, a sore left big toe, flat tire, big work deadline, broken sprinklers, 3 birthday parties, getting over a cold, the list goes on.

Yes, LIFE happens.  This is why I've revised my race goals.  I am targeting a sub-3 hour marathon in December.  As much as I really want to regain my younger glory days of hard training and fast racing, I'm keeping my goals aligned with my life's circumstances.

I will do my best and I will keep plugging away with my training (it has been 2 months now since I started).  But I will keep things in perspective.

Keep it real, keep it fun.  You're not earning a living from marathoning, so don't make it a job.  Do make running a habit, but allow for some unplanned "down time" in your training to reflect the realities of your daily life!

P.S. Last week's training for me was 40 miles as I gradually recovered from last week's cold and came back on Saturday with a 10.5 miler.

It Wasn't Pretty, But I'm Back on Track

Last weekend I bailed out on a half marathon training run due to the onset of a sore throat.  Having 2 small kids, it seems I get sick more often then ever these days.  Starts out with a subtle irritation at the back of the throat that I hope is just an allergy (it never is). Then about 40% of the time I'm able to fight it off by getting to bed early and downing extra vitamin C tablets.

Last weekend was the 60% of the time.  Overall sluggishness and tiredness and for several days, throat got worse, then I move on to fever, sneezing, chest congestion and a cough.  Wake up on the morning wheezing. Gee I just love colds.

So the first half of the week was slow going, but I gradually got back up to 35, 45, 50 minute runs over the last three days.  Today I was determined to get back on track.  I still didn't feel really good but was able to slog through an 80 minute run, roughly 10.5 miles.

The weather was overcast and cool this morning.  In fact it stayed that way until 1 p.m. 

So I'm sure most of you go through the same thing....get sick, feel like you're falling behind in your training, get kind of bummed out about it and then...you make a choice.  The easy choice: give up your goals.  The hard choice: put your head down and dig in.

I've mentioned before that I build "slack" time into my training routine.  I know I'll get sick or injured every now and then so I mentally prepare myself for it.  I build "letdowns" in to my mental training so that they don't pull down my mental training foundation.

I do some stupid things in my training, like NOT taking any rest days for the entire month.  While this increases my chance for injury and burnout, it builds my mental mileage bank and removes any guilt from taking days off when I REALLY NEED THEM.  Perhaps this approach, not to the same degree, could work for you.

In Sickness and In Half Marathon

I, Conejo Joe, take you, Marathon, to be my dreaded life. Two hamstrings and too old, from this day forward, in sickness and in half marathon, to run and to cherish 'till death do us part.

All right, enough self pity.  This past Sunday I was signed up for the Valley Crest Half Marathon in the San Fernando Valley.  My goal was simply to run the course as a training run, nothing fancy.  My previous longest run to date in training for December's Inaugural Santa Barbara Marathon was 10.5 miles on May 30th, so this would have been a nice bump up to 13.1 miles.

I didn't run a step on Sunday.

Somehow I came down with a nasty sore throat starting late Saturday night.  The race started at 8 a.m. and I woke up at 5:45 a.m., but I couldn't drag myself out of bed.  So I did my body a favor and stayed home.

Life happens.  I don't get enough sleep.  I ramp up my training.  And I have kids that attend 3 different schools...and bring home all sorts of germs.  I eat out all the time.  I visit events all over Ventura County.  I work hard, play hard.  So I get sick.  No biggie.

Today I feel a lot better and ran 40 minutes this morning, though still slower than normal.  I get sick too often and must follow my own advice...wash my hands frequently, get more sleep, stop burning myself out.

The good thing is that I was forced into 2 rest days in a row, and I'm sure by the weekend I'll be feeling groovy!  So for Father's Day weekend I fully intend to make up for last week's mediocre training with a 13 miler.  Last week's mileage was 30, significantly less than prior weeks...1 step back, but 2 steps forward!