Continuing to Run Through Injury Though No Races on the Horizon

Well, I'm trying to work through my stomach problem with my chiropractor. Some days it feels like the problem is gone while others the pain come out of nowhere. I'm happy to be able to run, and I've been doing so for runs of up to 1 hour long. However, I'm not happy that here I am at mid-year 2011 without having run a single race.

Having bailed out of the Ojai 2 Ocean Marathon, I went ahead and signed up for the Malibu Marathon again this year on November 13th, only 5 months away.

On that note, here's an interesting song called "Run Conejo Run" that I'd never heard before prior to fellow local runner Jonathan S making me aware of it tonight. Sung by Dave Alvin.

My First Offical DNS (Did Not Start) of the Year Was Today!

Well it's not for a lack of trying. I had some decent long run training from April 21st to May 14th and was looking forward to today's Inaugural Ojai 2 Ocean Marathon. But it just wasn't meant to be.

I've been battling an injury of some sort in my lower left abdomen now since May 7th but the darn thing doesn't let up. I've seen a general practitioner and my chiropractor, who have ruled out a hernia. There is soreness, mostly when running, in the area to the left of my navel.

My chiropractor dug around in there and said it could be the psoas muscle, which crosses over from the spine to the hip from what I can tell. No telling what it will take to heal this problem but if it doesn't go away on its own, I may need an MRI.

I'm able to run very slowly and walk, but running at a speedy pace brings to much pressure on this area and accentuates the pain. Quite frustrating, but at least I can still move around unimpeded for the most part, unlike, say, a plantar fasciitis or knee or hip issue. Always something...

So in the meantime, my buddy Dave ran the course in 3 hours, 2 minutes, good for 8th place, and another friend finished in 2 hours, 55 minutes for 3rd place overall. Was a PERFECT morning for running, with overcast skies and cool temps. Wish I could have been there.

I bailed out of the race on Tuesday, deciding it wasn't worth trying to run a full 26.2 mile marathon with pain in my belly.

Today was also the 18th Annual Love Run 5K/10K in Westlake Village for local senior services provider Senior Concerns. There were over 1,200 people in attendance, which is awesome!

Start of today's 18th Annual Love Run for Senior Concerns 5K Race in Westlake Village

Four Days Off From Running and Counting...and Just 11 Days From a Marathon

So once again, my body has gone awry in the final weeks leading up to a marathon. Though I haven't been training particularly long or intensely for the Ojai2Ocean Marathon on June 5th, I was looking forward to an enjoyable experience.

One of my cooler race take-homes...a plaque from the 2nd Annual Rock N Roll Marathon in San DiegoNot so says this old body. But this time I'm not sick at all. I feel just fine! No colds, flus, pink eye, bronchitis.

And I'm not injured in any of the typical places. My back is fine (knock on wood). My quads, hamstrings, calves, achilles, ankles, bottoms of feet, toenails, etc. are all peachy keen.

But since May 7th, I've had a pain in my lower abdomen as a result of (I believe) wearing my water bottle belt too tight around my waist. Damn.

I have no one to blame but myself, but I felt I had no choice but to continue training in the hope that, like many other injuries, the pain subsides over time.  So I ran a 21 miler on the 14th and the pain got worse, then not quite so bad by the weekend, when I had to decide what to do 2 weeks out from the marathon.

In true gritty marathoner spirit, I felt I had no choice but to run a shorter, 13 mile slightly faster paced run to give my body a little more taste for marathon pace. Well...that was Saturday. Today it is Wednesday and I haven't run a step since then.

Four straight days of walking is normally only reserved for my post-marathon recovery and vacations. But as a last ditch effort to address the injury, I'm walking. In the streets, on the gym treadmill, wherever. My ass hurts as a matter of fact because I'm not used to using those muscles.

My self assessment is that I bruised a stomach muscle or perhaps my intestine. It normally doesn't hurt but gets irritated with the movement of running. Walking doesn't have the same impact.

So...I'm hoping and crossing my fingers that this thing will go COMPLETELY away by the weekend so I can at least have some recollection of what running feels like in time for the marathon on June 5th. If it does not go away soon...might have to wait for another marathon. ARRRGGGHHHHH!! Always something!!

Ran 21 Miles on Saturday But it Was Ugly

I ditched my handy water bottle waist belt 1 hour, 45 minutes into my 21 miler this past Sunday.

I eat 3 or 4 of these on my runs of 18+ milesYes, the same waist belt that has served me so well for a number of years. The waist belt that I talk so glowingly about. The handy belt that carries 4 10 oz bottles and doesn't slosh around like other water carrying contraptions I've worn in the past.

As I sit here on Tuesday night with a dull, yet sometimes sharp, pain in my lower abdomen below the naval, I think, why didn't I look harder for my Camelbak water carrier on Friday night.

Yes, I had a whole week to recover from the pain experienced after the prior Saturday's 19.5 miler and find an alternate water carrying source. But the pain starting going away on Friday and I was too tired to look for my Camelbak Friday night, so I decide to run with my waist pack again on Friday. Mistake.

It took an hour of running to figure it out, but whatever is causing the pain came back, to the point, I decided, screw this damn water carrier. It has served me well. I got my money's worth out of it. Time for a change.

So mid-run, without stopping, while I removed the belt and one of the water bottles fell to the gutter. I was so pissed at that point that I just left it there. Then I kept running while removing the 2 other bottles (I lost the cap to the 4th bottle) and the 2 remaining gel packs I was carrying and tossed the waist pak into some bushes on the side of the road, figuring I'd drive back and pick it up later. (That didn't happen...yes, I left it there...SHAME on me!)

I'm left with 2 bottles half full of Gatorade and 2 gel packs. While maneuvering the gel packs around a mile later, one of the bottles fell to the gutter. Still pissed and with what felt like a stab wound in my gut, I left that bottle there too. But as I always do, I made sure to properly dispose of the gel pack wrappers after sucking them in.

Unimpeded by the water belt yet irritated by the pain and a bit tired, I slogged my way home. Was quite thankful that the skies were overcast the entire run and the temps were in the low 60s.

Yes indeed, this was not a pretty run. 21 miles in 2 hours, 45 minutes. And I had to have 2 potty stops along the way too. Not good. Frustrating. Not what I want to happen at the marathon in 3 weeks. But it happens.

So here I am tonight, 3 nights later, still with sporadic pain in my gut. Yet I am optimistic the pain will be gone by the weekend. And happy that I was able to get enough long runs done in 1 month period to feel confident that I can run the marathon distance just 2 1/2 weeks from today.

I ran 15.2 on 4/21, 18.7 on 4/24, 18 on 4/30, 19.5 on 5/7 and 21 on 5/14. Some of my more intense runner friends would run one more 20 miler this coming weekend. I'm no so sure that's what I need. Frankly the best thing I could do is run perhaps 10 to 12 miles at desired marathon time speed.  I shall see if I'm up for that or not.

My long runs have been, for me, on the slow side. I'm not expecting a speedy 26.2 on June 5th given my training but it would be nice to get in the 3 hour range.

19.5 Miler Felt Fine But Abdomen Says Otherwise

I'm getting used to this. Yet another obstacle in my path towards training for a marathon!

All seemed to be fine this past Saturday morning as I nailed down a 19.5 miler in 2 hours, 29 minutes. My plan was to run 22 miles on Saturday but the Cub Scout in my family needed me to accompany him to a local hike and I wasn't able to get out the door early enough. Why? Because the teenager in my family decides to come home at 12:30 a.m. and wake me out of a sound sleep because he doesn't have a key to the front door. 

Ah yes, the joys of marathon training in a household of five.

So in any case, I wear a waist belt that carries 4 10-ounce bottles of liquid and some gel packs. The belt has served me quite well for a number of years now but over time the velcro seems to not work as well. So I had to tighten the velcro a number of times during my run.

The run generally went fine, though I did have to make several pit stops, which I don't like to have to do.  On that note, it is important to know what parks and other facilities with restrooms on your long run...or you could may run into problems.

So the next day I wake up with soreness in my lower abdomen. Kind of made me nauseous but I ran an easy 5 miles anyway. It was so sore the next 3 days that I thought I might have a hernia or something. That didn't keep me from running, but I've been running slowly, with dull pain in my lower abdomen.

Decided to visit the doctor. Told him my situation with the water belt. He felt the area and ruled out hernia. Appears I simply have an inflamed abdomen that could be the result of an overly tight water belt. Only thing I can do is ice the area to help the swelling and perhaps take some time off. But the doc knows I have a marathon just 3 1/2 weeks away, so unless I'm doubled over in pain, its not likely I'll be taking too much time off until my tapering starts.

Crossing my fingers for Saturday. And I'll be looking for my Camelbak water carrier.

Perfecting the Art of Blowing Your Nose on the Run

Some call it the snot rocket. I don't really call it anything. But placing a finger on one nostril while forcibly expelling air out the other nostril while running is quite a regular occurence during my runs.

I remember way back when I first started running in 1993. When I started running with more experienced runners, there was one guy that I thought had a particularly nasty habit of blowing snot out of his nose what must have been every 5 minutes.  But it actually helped my training as it always pushed me harder so that I would always be running either on the side of or in front of him to stay out of range of his boogers.

To me it appeared quite a nasty, barbaric habit.

But things quickly changed as I started acclimating to the life of a real runner. Yes, runners do nasty things at times.

What made me think of this is the lingering phlegm buildup I've been encountering after my recent bout with the common cold. After taking a day off work and running on Monday, April 4th, the nasal buildup has been steady.

It took my body another 8 or 9 days to start feeling like I wasn't running with lead weights attached to my shoes, but getting out there and running makes me feel better in the morning after and while battling a cold. I wake up with my sinuses congested, but within 5 minutes there's a rapid flow of mucus that I'm able to expel on the run.

For those seeking instruction on snot rocket technique, it is pretty much common sense. While running, take your right finger and place on the outside of your right nostril. Twist and tilt your head to the left as best you can to steer clear of your clothing. Then blow as hard as you can. Ah! Doesn't that feel better? Now do the same using your left finger. Repeated as desired.

Of course it is nice to have courtesy and make sure no one is behind you while participating in this procedure. And if you're slightly vain like I am, try to do this when no one is around, as someone driving that car may know you and be repulsed by what you are doing. Unless they are a runner themselves.

At the end of a run, I feel invigorated and my nasal cavity is cleared of all that nastiness inside. I'm ready for a great day.

So join the crowd and blow those liquid boogers out when you need to. 'Snot anything to be ashamed of.

First Cold of the Year - Thought I Was in the Clear!

I made it to April Fool's Day without a single day illness this year, but that came to an end yesterday when my sneezing went haywire on a day out with the kids.

In fact, up until around 2 pm yesterday, I felt perfectly fine. We went to the Los Angeles Zoo and, BOOM, it hit me. Couldn't stop sneezing, over and over again. And these weren't allergy sneezes. These were followed up by massive drainage and nose blowing ever since. Yep, my first cold of the year.

So I decided to stay home today and keep my germs away from my coworkers. It also give me a chance to update how my training is looking year-to-date.

Through yesterday, I ran 550 miles this year, about 100 miles more than in the last several years, yet 130 miles less than the mileage I was putting in back in 2004, the last year I ran a decent marathon (a 2:48 at the Long Beach Marathon).

So I have a decent base that, after I get over this cold, hopefully I can put to good use. I was considering running the Pasadena Marathon in May, but I don't have enough time to get enough decent long runs in.

But at least I was able to get 2 hours, 20 minutes of running in this past weekend pre-cold, for a total of 18.5 miles.

Back to the drawing board....hope this storm passes through quickly!

Hour and 45 Minutes, No Water, No Gels, But a Bit of Chafing

With nearly 18 years of running and 45,000 miles under my belt, you'd think I'd have learned from all my mistakes. But nope, from time to time, I subconsciously must seek some self-defeating behaviors. But it's all good!

Sportslick is a nice alternative to Vaseline to maintain chafe-free skin on long runs

           On Saturday morning I decided I should run for 1 hour, 45 minutes, or 15 minutes longer than my previous longest run of the year the previous Saturday. It was somewhat cool outside so I decided I would wing it and not bring any fluids or gels, like my typical 40 to 60 minute weekday run.

Usually on my longer runs, I have a pre-run routine, but since this was kind of an ad hoc decision, I hadn't given much mental thought. But I did do the basics....bandaids on the inner circles of my chest (a.k.a. nips) and for chafing and blister prevention, some Vaseline on the inner thighs, some on the toes and heel and the backs of my armpits. You know, anywhere.

With some light sunscreen and a hat on my head, I ran off, feeling perky. Felt good outside, this last day pre-Daylight Saving time.

About an hour into the run I started feeling very slight irriation on the left side of my upper leg, where the inner thigh meets the running short. The telltale sign that something was amiss. But I've run thousands upon thousands of miles with no significant chafing issues that I didn't worry too much, though something told me perhaps I didn't put enough lubrication down there.

Sure enough, it became a true annoyance over the next 15 minutes, to the point I had to decide, should I cut the run short by 15 minutes to minimize the what was now obvious chafing issue, or do I grin and bear it. I chose the latter. I'm no wimp.

And so I continued running on a path I knew would achieve my 1 hour, 45 minute goal. Adjusting my crotch every few minutes (drivers must have wondered what I was doing), I made it home. But I was fully dreading the shower. Ooch, ouch, ooch, ouch as the water drove the pain factor up.

But I survived. Two days of Neosporin and other topical creams later, I was pretty much o.k.

So bottom line, make sure you LUBRICATE ADEQUATELY for your long runs. Take it from me.

And one other thing. I wore a cotton t-shirt on this run. Fortunately it did not do too much chafing damage, but the bottom part of my back felt a bit irritated from the shirt.  I usually where a "technical" top (e.g. a shirt made out of a synthetic material). But once again, I was feeling foolish Saturday morning.

Lastly, even with the red welts on my inner thighs, I was able to run 3 miles on Monday morning and maintain my running streak. It is now March 15th and I've achieved 3 months straight of running. I'll be taking a day off soon though.

Marathoning: It's All About the Mileage

Call me a purist, but for me and all of my competitive running friends, marathon training is ALL ABOUT THE MILEAGE!

As I've discovered over the last several years, you can't fool your body into running a fast marathon without doing the homework. Putting lots and lots of miles "in the bank" is the way to go.

Forget about speedwork. If you are stretched for time, get more miles in.

I started running in May 1993. I gradually built up my mileage and for the year 1996 through 1999 average 3,500 miles per year (yes, that is an average of 9.5 miles each and every day).

That was a LOT of work, but those were my best marathon years, when I ran a 2:37 in 1996, 2:35 Personal Best in 1997, 2:37 in 1998 and 2:36 in 1999.

Things kind of went downhill after my 2:35 because I didn't let my body recuperate long enough and injured myself doing speedwork and too many races. That led to groin pulls, hamstring ailments and other problems.

That was a long time ago and I'm a lot older now, not to mention tired, working a full-time job with a family and kids while I blab away about my training and other topics here on Conejo Valley Guide. But I'm just happy to be training, fit and healthy.

Last year's mileage for me was 2,092, slightly higher than my 2008/2009 total mileage. I've averaged roughly 2,000 miles per year over the last 3 years. That's quite a bit less than my peak mid-1990s mileage, but enough to enable me to run moderate marathon times in the low 3 hour range at my advanced age of 46.

I've been tracking my mileage on an Excel spreadsheet that has grown to over 6,500 rows since May 1993. It shows I've run 44,993 miles through December 2010. Maybe I do need to get an oil change or have my filter replaced at least!

I also track the number of minute run each day. As of 12/31/10, I had run 15,744 minutes in 2010, which equates to 262 hours. Damn, that's a lot of time! But worth it.

Week of Recuperation Post-Tucson Marathon

It is now 1 week post-marathon and I'm starting to feel better, not 100%, but maybe 80%. Went out today for my longest run since the marathon...only 35 minutes, about 4 1/2 miles, and felt fine. It has been raining literally non-stop today and that included my run. Got fairly soaked but felt good.

Tucson sunset night before the marathonI was extremely sore in my quads the first couple days post-marathon, to the point I couldn't walk down stairs without holding the handrail and going one step at a time. Some people walk backwards going downstairs to ease the pressure on the quads. I was tempted but didn't go quite that far.

The 3rd day post-marathon I alternated walking with jogging for several miles. Still sore and tight, and later that morning my lower calves had a sharp pain. Must have been due to the awkward way I was running.

The 4th day, Thursday, I jogged slowly the whole 2 1/2 miles and ended up with a new pain, this one a sharp pain in the middle of my right quad. Felt like someone stabbed me in the leg. But luckily, it pretty much went away on its own overnight.

Friday and Saturday were uneventful. With the pouring rain outside, I opted to "sleep in" until 8 a.m. and I didn't go out for my run until 10 a.m. Body felt like it was hit by a truck. Extremely sluggish. Guess my lack of adequate sleep caught up to me. Left calf was sore this time.

Today I ran around 8:30 a.m. after sleeping a bit late again. Had a chance to run a 10 miler with some friends who also ran the marathon but felt my body wasn't up for it. While I felt fine for the 35 minutes, I just didn't feel like running further. Two marathons in 4 weeks...I deserve a holiday break :>