Sciatic Nerve Issue or Hamstring Issue, Whatever It Is, I'm Out This Sunday

Today is the day of reckoning for me as today is the day I have to make the call whether I'll be running the LA Marathon or not this coming Sunday. Why today? Because the $280/night hotel that I reserved in Santa Monica at the finish line requires 72 hours notice for cancellation, and I ain't gonna spend $280 for a room I'm not gonna use.

I had a few solid training runs this training cycle and thought I had a shot at a sub-3 hour performance at age 49 (based on a recent half marathon performance), but running 26.2 miles competitively with an injury is not my idea of fun.

My chiropractor says it is a sciatic nerve issue. Since the sciatic nerve runs from the lower back to the ankle, it is easy to confuse a sciatic nerve issue with a hamstring issue. But he says the nerve is inflamed and that in the area near the hamstrings and that's causing me the problem. The pain is not present during normal activities, including walking. I can still run, and even yesterday felt ok at a decent pace for a few miles. But...the dull pain and interference with my stride in my right leg is still there.

So I'm out.  Spent $170 on the entry but that's ok, I'll drive down to the LA Marathon Expo on Saturday to retrieve my t-shirt and call it a day. The injury will run its course and I'll be back. I'll continue to run...cautiously.

Three visits to the chiropractor in the last 10 days have helped, but he can't work miracles. I also roll my hamstring/lower glute area on a roller device to help the issue but what I also need to do, is use an ice pack on the area...something I'm not particularly fond of. But I gotta do it to help ease the inflammation. Last year it took me 3 months to alleviate the same issue, though a year ago I think it was worse than it is today.

There will be more marathons in my future...just not this particular weekend. My almost-50 body is rebeling but I'm putting up a fight. Dammit!

Hamstrung by Hamstring This Past Sunday

Since reaching my 40s, it seems my training has regularly been a routine of two steps forward, three steps back. I've had a few good performances and enjoy running when I'm injury-free, but find oh so often find my body disagreeing with me. Sunday was one of those moments.

Having run a solid half marathon 3 weeks prior, a 20 miler the weekend after that, and a slow 22 miler the weekend before (3 weeks out from the Los Angeles Marathon), I decided to run one final half marathon, but not as a race. My goal was to run about a 6:45 per mile pace, just slightly faster than the pace I'm looking to do at the marathon to break 3 hours.

Yes, I paid some serious cash (about $65) to run this race that I wasn't racing, but to me that was a small price to pay to practice for race day, with mile markers, water stops and other runners there to simulate race conditions.

The Seaside Half Marathon in Ventura was this past Sunday. A nicely organized, fairly small, out and back race starting at Promenade Park in Ventura, going up the bike path up the coast, turning around near the Faria Beach area. Plenty of sun with constant ocean views. And decently supported.

Within the first 5 minutes of the race, I felt my right hamstring become a little tight. I considered stopping for a second, but thought perhaps it would loosen up. It didn't. It was a bit of a nagging stiffness that impeded my stride. But I figured, well, I'm not running "all out," so let's just grin and bear it. Bad move.

Yes, two weeks out from the LA Marathon and my right hammie is hamstrung. I visited my chiropractor a few days ago and plan to visit him again. He says it is a nerve issue, which I believe to be the same issue I faced nearly a year ago at a 5K race. It took over 3 months to eliminate the problem. I'm hoping this time I can be pain free by March 9th. Kind of a longshot. I definitely will not run LA if my hamstring continues to feel the way it still feels today.

So perhaps next time I will learn...DROP OUT if something feels awry. Don't run through pain that feels like an injury. It ain't worth it. I slowed up quite a bit after the 10 mile mark, stopped and stretched at mile 12, and completed the half in 1:31.

So let me finish this so I can roll my hamstring on my roller and sit on some ice. Hoping for the best but mentally prepared if I have to bail out. But I won't be at the starting line if I feel any pain as it ain't worth it!

Ran My Longest Long Run Since September 8th in Anticipation of L.A. Marathon

Training through the December holiday season is a bit of a challenge, among holiday festivities, shopping, parties, and, of course, colds. Yes, somehow I managed to catch two separate colds this month. Both of them were fairly short in duration, but as I age, I seem to encounter longer periods of chest congestion and coughiing after battling off the sore throat, runny nose and sneezing. I still wake up with a cough, but, I'm feeling pretty good at this point.

Speaking of catching colds, it was a specific Saturday lunchtime when the kids and I visited one of our favorite local restaurants, which I will leave unnamed as it is not important. The cashier, someone who I immediately recognized and said hello to from prior visits when he served the food, briefly turned away and looked like he was sneezing or wiping his nose. For a brief second I thought, this is not good. But I was in the middle of ordering and the kids were unwieldy. There was only one available table in the restaurant and it had plates on it. The cashier bussed the table. Then, minutes later, the same guy served our food.

Five days later...slight sore throat and lethargic. I KNEW that was a mistake but sometime's it's hard to steer clear of viruses. And when you're constantly getting inadequate sleep, you're more susceptable to catching a cold virus.

I digress. My training has been consistently light to moderate this month, even after I attempted to motivate myself to train more by signing up for the Los Angeles Marathon on March 9, 2014. So today, the last Saturday of 2013, I managed to get out there and run 14 miles on the roads in 1 hour, 45 minutes. Not a bad start to my training. I figure I have about 6 weeks of training before a 3 week taper. This is not an optimal amount of time, but I'm not taking this marathon particularly seriously.

I have fond memories of the LA Marathon in the mid-1990s, when I was a heck of a lot younger and able to train a lot harder in my pre-marriage, pre-kids state. My first sub-3 hour marathon was the 1995 LA Marathon in 2:48. The next year I ran my first sub-2:40 marathon at the 1996 LA Marathon. Then my PR marathon was the LA Marathon the next year in 2:35, back when the course was still a loop around Los Angeles. That was my 8th marathon. Now I've run 31 of them, with #32 hopefully happening next March.

Ran the Conejo Valley YMCA Turkey Day Dash Today in Thousand Oaks

Conejo Valley Guide helped get the word out about today's 9th Annual Conejo Valley YMCA Turkey Day Dash 5K and Kids Fun Run today and I heard the race had a PR of over 2,600 registrants. So as has been typical for me I chose to run the 5K today along with my son without having done any particular training for it. This is becoming the norm for me but it was fun.

On Veterans Day, November 11th, I decided to change up my 20 minute gym routine and work out in the morning instead of my normal early evening workout. Well, my lower back didn't agree with the change and decided to complain with a spasm. That spasm threw my back out for the entire week. With the help of my chiropractor, I was able to run again by the 16th.

The week prior to that I was fighting a head cold that led me to pull out of the Calabasas Classic 5K on the 10th.  Today I had no excuse of a head cold or back spasm but I certainly wasn't in great shape for a 5K. I gave it my best, labored effort and used my only gear...slow. With labored effort, I wheezed to an 18:17, good enough for 20th overall and 2nd in age.

Thanks to the Conejo Valley Y for making such a nice event happen on Thanksgiving Day each year. They really do a great job and I highly recommend this family-friendly event. 15 year old Logan Beteta of Newbury Park High School took the overall honors in 16:08. Nicely done, Logan! The top female was 20 year old Logan McNally of Simi Valley in 18:40, good for 25th overall.

Maybe, just maybe, one of these days, I'll be prepared for a 5K. But regardless, I had a great Thanksgiving Day and I hope all three of you reading this did too!

The Flapping Toenail; Another Side Effect of Marathoning

I have no shame in posting this image of my darkened toenails. Halloween is coming.I've tracked my running mileage since 1993 but have not kept a tally of toenails lost over the last 20 years.

It doesn't happen often happen all the time. I'd estimate about 10 of them through the years.  But they happen. Sometimes randomly.

A week ago after a shower I noticed something tugging on my 2nd toe. I looked down and saw that it was my blackened toenail, flapping around like a sail. It doesn't hurt, but it isn't ready to fall off yet on its own.

So I leave it be. I have to be really careful putting my socks on. But one morning or night soon, I will have a not-so-beautiful new toenail on my left foot.

It is usually the 2nd toe on both feet that takes the brunt of the impact. But somehow at this particular moment I have not one, not two, but three darkened toenails. I'm past the point of being vane about my toes.

A flapping toenail has never stopped me from running. That's the most important thing, to me at least. Long distance running and toe modeling don't mix.

Bodily Ailments in Process of Being Resolved at the Chiropractic Office

Good fridge or bad fridge? Maybe good fridge as it forced me back to visit my chiropractor.My training has been hampered for several months now due to a problem with my right hamstring that I tweaked at at 5K race in April. Additionally, I kindly yet ignorantly decided to help a friend lift a refrigerator into a truck without wearing some type of lower back support. The combination of the two left my walking like a zombie right out of Night of the Living Dead a few weeks ago. As a result, after a long hiatus from chiropractic care, I paid my favorite local chiropractor, Dr. Stanley Jensen of Jensen Walkin Chiropractic in Camarillo, a visit.

The first issue to resolve was my back. There was a delayed reaction between the time I helped with the fridge and the following day, when I felt the lower back "go out" (technical terminology). When I blamed my friend for my back ailment, he mentioned perhaps it was the two hours of swimming and messing around in the pool with the kids that did it. Nah. It was the fridge.

As is usually the case with my chiropractic experience, the day after my initial adjustment is often worse. I'm in more pain. I have less flexibility. I'm more miserable. But having gone through this cycle for so many years now, I know that the pain and suffering is part of the recovery process. Kind of like the day after the marathon, which is usually the day that I'm at my peak soreness.

So after my initial adjustment on Monday, by Wednesday my back was back to about 60% normal at my second adjustment, and on Friday, back to 90%. That was two weeks ago. Last week, after resolving the back issue, the goal was to remedy my nagging hamstring issue. I actually can thank my friend who asked me to help move the heavy refrigerator as the back spasm it caused forced me to finally get back to my chiropractor to resolve the chronic hamstring issue that wouldn't go away!

I pretty much run through all pain, unless it is practically impossible to do to, like last year, two weeks prior to my Malibu Marathon, when I developed a sharp pain in my lower left calf halfway into a long run. It the pain is sharp I stop running. If the pain is dull, yet nagging, I stil run. That's the mode I've been in since mid-April. I can't run fast and I can't run much more than an hour due to the annoying pain.

My hypothesis as to the cause for my injuries is often wrong. I thought I had strained my hamstring muscle. Nope, Jensen indicated it was a nerve issue, of which I cannot recall the name of the nerve he mentioned. He's resolved some extremely chronic, recurring issues for me in the past and I trust him to make the right assessment. Whatever he's doing now, it is very slowly...but surely...getting a little better each week. So I'm hoping to be back to running with a smile on my face soon.

Running Through Hamstring Problem and Trying Out Skechers Running Shoes

When my running is "off" I tend to have less to write about; hence the month long break between postings here. My right hamstring became problematic at a local 5K race on April 13th and I've been running through the issue for the last five weeks.

If this were a sharp pain I would take some time off, but since the issue is more of a general, dull, soreness, I opt to continue running. But I generally get away with about an hour of running. But the good news is that it feels a little less sore as the days pass by.

For years my kids take me to the local Skechers store at The Oaks Mall. I've purchased a few pairs of casual wear shoes in there and like their shoes, but never ventured into their "GoRun" running shoes. Well recently I gave it a try. And I like them!

These GoRun shoes only weigh about 7 ounces but actually feel reasonably cushioned to me. I was shocked at how comfortable and light they felt the first time I actually ran in them. I've worn these on trails and roads and they feel perfectly fine on both. And they look different than other running shoes.

Skechers GOrun ride offers extra cushioning for elevated comfort and support on every run. Shop now!

Another 5K Race...at Least I'm Consistent at the 35th Annual Camarillo Kiwanis 5K

Today I ran my first race in about 6 weeks, the 35th Annual Camarillo Kiwanis 5K/10K. According to race organizers, this is the oldest race in Ventura County.

This is one of the most low key, mellow races you'll find. With only 134 total participants in the combined races, parking is not an issue. This year the race took place at a new venue, Pleasant Valley Fields. The course circles around the park onto the Calleguas Bike Path, where most of the running takes place for both races.

I felt fit a week ago but my hamstrings have been sore from sitting too much I think. Maybe I need to sit on ice bags or something. This morning my right hammie was a little sore and stiff before the race and stretching didn't do me any good. But the race started at 7:30am, I was paid for, so I was gonna run, sore buttock or no sore buttock.

First mile was 5:42 behind a youngster who was wall ahead of me. But I knew I would not be able to maintain that pace as my right hamstring at that point had an even more distinct pain. So I plugged onward for an 18:18 5K, good for 2nd overall. It was a disappointment for me because when I signed up I felt I could regain my sub 18 5K time today based on my recent training. But it just wasn't to be today. I believe a day or two off will help me more than anything.

Kudos to the Camarillo Kiwanis for running a nice local event while maintaining registration fees at only $25, including t-shirt and post-race eats. $25 5K races are a dying breed. $30, $35, $40 and even more is what I'm seeing out there. So for that fact alone, do consider the 36th Annual Camarillo Kiwanis 5K/10K in 2014! Visit kiwanisclubofcamarillo.com for updates. The Kiwanis uses all net proceeds from the race for local scholarships. A worthy cause.

Highlights and Lowlights of 2012 and My Cumulative Lifetime Mileage Update

Since my training is directionless right now as I have no particular race plans set for 2013, why not talk about my 2012.

Last year had the makings for a comeback year after a 2011 that was lacking a marathon performance due to encountering a detached retina. But a follow-up procedure in early February 2012 led to what is probably my most consecutive days without running in 20 years...39 days.

Thirty-nine consecutive days off can do a number to one's fitness level, so I made sure not to go back at the running too quickly. It took me nearly 4 weeks to get back to an 8 mile run, and about 2 months to achieve my first double digit run.

Even with all those days off and slow but steady comeback, I managed to run 1,885 miles in 2012, taking me to a cumulative lifetime odometer reading of 48,800 miles. Might be time to change my transmission fluid and air filters. Although 1,885 is my lowest annual total since 2006, when I ran 1,789 miles and zero marathons, I was pleased to achieve it.

While my only marathon of the year was one of my lousiest ever, at least I had an "excuse" of a left calf issue that impacted my training in the final weeks pre-marathon. My training had been pretty decent prior to that.

Nice little highlight was a decent showing in a low-key local 5K race in Camarillo.I was pleased to run a 1:23:51 half marathon a month prior to the full marathon, and a decent 5K a month prior to that. Having not raced much over the last several years, I underestimated the impact of that half marathon on my body and decided to go long a week later. Big mistake. My body needed a recovery weekend. My calf strain halfway into a 20 miler led to another personal record in 2012...most miles walking/limping on a long run. Lousy!

So let's see what 2013 has in store. I'm keeping my expectations low for the time being!

Interview with John Fedoroff of Thousand Oaks, Winner of 2012 Malibu Marathon

John Fedoroff of Thousand Oaks demolished the course record at the 4th Annual Malibu Marathon on Sunday, November 11th. His finishing time of 2 hours, 37 minutes placed him nearly 12 minutes before the 2nd place finisher and was almost 5 minutes faster than the previous course record.

I met John several years ago at The Oaks Mile in Thousand Oaks and was impressed by his speed. In 2011 he ran the Boston Marathon in a personal best time of 2:34:45. He had trained to run the New York Marathon on November 4th but the race was cancelled on the 2nd as a result of the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

John is married, has 4 kids and at age 43 is running like he is in his twenties. I figured, why not ask him about his training as perhaps we can all benefit from whatever he's doing!

1. How do you feel about your performance at the Malibu Marathon? Were you happy with your time, given the challenging course?

I ran about what I expected I was capable of running. I didn't think the course was that challenging compared to what I was expecting in New York which would have been over 2x the elevation gain. The hills toward the end of the race were a bit challenging, but I was expecting them so I made sure I had enough left in the tank to finish well.

2. Were you expecting to win the race? At what point did you know you were going to win? Was there any point in the race where you felt any self doubt?

A couple of days before the race, I spoke with Blue Benadum (the Malibu Marathon race director who placed third in the Santa Barbara Marathon the day before in an impressive 2:28) who warned me that I would probably be running by myself. I wasn't necessarily looking forward to running by myself, but I just thought of it as a training run with aid stations. My goals were to win the race, run a course record and try to run as close to six-minute pace as possible. 

There was a point at about mile five where I thought I might not be able to finish because my hamstring started acting up. I thought, "Oh no, this would be embarrassing--dropping out of a marathon at mile six," but I was able to relax just a bit and the pain went away. Half the battle, as you well know, is getting to the start of the marathon in one piece.

I had several setbacks during the final weeks of this marathon build up. It started with a groin strain during a 20-miler I ran the day after running a cross country race with the kids I help coach. I learned it's not a good idea to run 20-milers the day after a race. As soon as I started getting over the injury I ended up catching a cold which set me back another couple of days. As soon as I was well enough to run I went out with the kids on a 10-miler and got hit by a car! I had to take a few days off of running to allow my knee to heal.

As soon as I was ready to get back to the marathon training I went out and bought some racing flats to try out on a 15-mile marathon pace run. The problem was that the shoes were a bit too small and I developed blisters on the ends of my big toes. Unfortunately, I developed a strep infection and had to take two different antibiotics to get over the infection and I had to have my toenails removed.

Thankfully, I still had about two weeks before the NYC Marathon so my toes had time to heal. After all of the travel to New York I returned home feeling exhausted, but still wanted to run a marathon so I decided to run one last tempo run. Unfortunately, I didn't warm up properly and felt a strain in my hamstring which took several days to recover from. As any master's runner knows, running at this age is mostly about managing injuries.

[Editor's Note: HOLY %^&*!! And I thought I had a lot of setbacks in my training! Wow!]

3. The marathon started over half an hour late this year. What goes through your mind when this happens and how do you deal with a change in plans like this, both mentally and physically?

I figured it would start late having read that it started late last year. I heard they were waiting for a bus to arrive from Santa Monica. When it comes to punctuality I do not have a very good track record, in fact I'm one of the worst. I joke around with my family that we should change our last name to Feder-late-than-never! I just kept doing my warmups and tried to stay warm. Also, I was happy that I had the chance to use the bathroom one last time.

4. Speaking of change in plans, where were you when Mayor Bloomberg cancelled the 2012 New York Marathon on Friday, November 2nd, what went through your mind, and how did you end up choosing Malibu?

I was in a toy store in Montclair, New Jersey with my family when I received a call from my friend telling me about the marathon being cancelled. It was a hard thing to hear and at first I didn't want to believe it was true. So much time and effort--not to mention the travel expense--goes into preparing for a marathon that it makes it hard to think about things rationally. My thinking was that since they ran the marathon after 9/11 that they would run this year as well. However, it was just too soon for a lot of people. It was a sad time to be in New York and we returned home sooner than we had planned. I still wanted to run a marathon, but found that all of the big races had filled up. After all of the travel I felt it was best to run a local race. I couldn't run Santa Barbara because of a conflict with high school cross country CIF prelims at Mt. SAC, so I decided to contact Blue to see if he could get me into Malibu.

5. You ran a fantastic time at Malibu. Can you give us mortals some training advice...how about the most important things you did in your training?

I try to follow the Jack Daniels approach to running which breaks up training into four phases. The first is the Foundation/Injury-Prevention (F/I) phase where you just build up your miles by running easy. The second phase, called Early Quality (EQ), involves short repetitions (200s/400s) at mile race pace with long rest to work on running economy. The third phase called Transition Quality (TQ) is the most difficult phase where you run longer intervals (1000s/1200s) at 5K race pace with equal rest based on time. Lastly, there's the Final Quality (FQ) phase which focuses on race-specific workouts which for marathon training involve a lot of tempo runs and marathon pace workouts. I try to get my miles up to about 70-80 miles per week during the F/I phase so that my body can handle the more demanding phases to come. Daniels says that it's important to know what the purpose is for every run. Before I read his book, Jack Daniels' Running Formula, I really didn't understand how to prepare for a marathon other than just go out and run. I don't always follow the plan exactly because of injuries or other interruptions, but I know how to get in the necessary work so that when I step on the line I am confident that I can run my goal pace for 26 miles. Probably, the most important aspect of marathon training can be distilled down to just one word...consistency.

6. Some specific training questions: What is your peak weekly mileage, how many long runs did you do prior to the marathon, do you do any speedwork, how often do you take rest days and how long was your taper for the marathon?

For this marathon build-up I think I got up to 90 miles once, but I usually just try to hit 70 miles per week. I always hope to do more, but injuries, etc. seem to get in the way. I got in about six long runs ranging from 16-20 miles in the final three months leading up to the race. I definitely try to get in speed work in preparation for the marathon. If you want to run fast you need to run faster than marathon pace in your workouts. It's not always fun especially when you are training by yourself, but if you can workout with some runners that are close to your ability it's much easier to finish the workouts. A typical week consists of a long run on Sunday followed by two or three rest days then an interval workout followed by another two or three easy days and then a long tempo or marathon pace workout. I'm not a big fan of the long taper because my immune system lets down when I back off the training, so I usually just taper for one week. However, I was forced to taper two weeks due to the cancellation of the NYC Marathon. I actually felt like I was ready for a faster race on less rest a week before Malibu.

7. You are a self-employed graphic artist with a wife and 4 kids - how do you balance your training with work and family?

The short answer would be I don't--if you have figured it out please let me know! Unfortunately, all of these other areas in my life take a hit because of my obsession with running and yet, running has helped keep my life moving forward. I can get down sometimes when the business isn't going well or a family relationship is strained, however the very act of just putting one foot in front of the other keeps up the forward momentum.

One of my favorite verses from the Bible is found in Philippians which says, "…one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Probably the best thing that has come out of running is that it can be an inspiration to others.

My wife, Adriana has been running for about a year now. Also, our daughter Bella started running cross country at Oaks Christian High School this past season and made some really good friends along the way. Our oldest son, Nathan just finished his first season of cross country with the Newbury Park youth cross country team. He's really gotten into running this past year. For example, he had an assignment in his 5th grade class to write a famous person and he chose one of America's greatest marathoners. He was so excited when he received a handwritten full-page letter from Ryan Hall a couple of weeks later. Lastly, our boy Xander said the "R" in his name stands for "Runner" in a recent school project (hey, it's a start!) and our youngest boy, Christian considers himself the fastest runner in the family because he's beaten me in a couple of "races" down our street.

Thank you so much, John, for sharing such great advice and inspiration! I think any runner will find your advice quite useful. Keep us posted on your next big race!