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!!

Runner Eats Only McDonald's For 30 Days Leading Up To the 2011 Los Angeles Marathon!

I loved reading about this. Joe D'Amico of Palatine, Illinois finished the 2011 Los Angeles Marathon on March 20th in a personal best time of 2 hours, 36 minutes, 17 seconds. He deservingly got a lot of press across the country because as a fundraising challenge, he committed to eating ONLY McDonald's food for the 30 days leading up the marathon. He raised over $40,000 for the Ronald McDonald House Charities in Chicago and Indiana. Way to go all around, Joe!

Of course most of the press fixated on McDonalds and burgers in the headlines, with visions of Morgan Spurlock's Super Size Me in mind. In Super Size Me, Spurlock had to eat EVERY ITEM on the McDonald's menu at least once. On top of that, he reduced his exercise level down to what the "average" American does. So of course he gained over 24 pounds over a month.

D'Amico, on the other hand, ate only McDonald's food for a month but ate at his own discretion. Over 30 days, he dined at 33 different McDonald's over 99 visits. Some highlights of his consumption:

• Angus Burgers: 1
• Filet-o-Fish: 3
• Hotcakes: 97
• Oatmeal: 24
• Hamburgers: 23
• Chicken Snack Wraps: 24
• Chocolate Milk: 9
• Fruit & Walnut Salads: 14
• Cookies: 63.5
• Soft Drinks: 23

This list is not complete but in general shows what I know well...that you can actually eat decent, healthful food at McDonald's. Joe appears to be a hotcake fan. Great source of carbs for the 359 miles he ran in 30 days. I think the oatmeal at McDonald's is pretty decent - he had it 24 times. 63.5 cookies seems like a lot, but not so much for a 30 day period given the number of calories he burned.

Missing from the list are Big Macs, Quarter Pounders and Sausage McMuffins. He did have fries about 17 times or so, but usually just a small bag or less.

So there is hope for you fast foodies who want to run a marathon! Read more about Joe and his training at www.mcrunner.com.

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.

Training for a Marathon Only 6 1/2 Weeks Away

Nutella on a toasted bagel is not a bad pre-run snack, though I encountered this empty jar recently.On April 20th, I committed to running the Ojai 2 Ocean Marathon on Sunday, June 5th. Generally speaking, this is not something I normally do. Usually I give myself 4 to 6 months to train for a marathon. In fact, the only times I've given myself such a short amount of training time is when I've already run a marathon, feel recuperated, and decide to use the mileage base to run another one soon thereafter -  like running the Tucson Marathon just 4 weeks after the Malibu Marathon late last year. That didn't work out so well for me!

But this race sounded fun and it is a first time event. Plus it has a nice downhill. So without any particular time goals in mind, I'm signed up for it.

One thing I do have going for me is that my base mileage year to date is a consistent 40 miles per week, which to me is enough base to be able to ramp up my long runs to get a few 20 milers in before race date. I did 15 on April 21, 18.7 days later on the 24th, then another 18 miler last Saturday, April 30th, on a windy day. 

Tomorrow it sounds like I'll be blessed again with overcast skies and cool temps in the morning as I seek to get a 20 or possibly 22 miler out of the way.

With 6 1/2 weeks before a marathon, I really only have 4 1/2 weeks to train, factoring in a bare bones minimum 2 week pre-race taper (usually I taper down the mileage over 3 weeks).

So with only 4 1/2 real weeks to train, a decent 40 mile/week base, but no long (16+ mile) runs on my body since last year's Tucson Marathon, my strategy is to focus on getting 3 or 4 long runs in. There's not much time to consider speedwork or a 10K tuneup race. I'd love to fit a 5K or 10K into my training, it probably will hurt me more than help me with the marathon just 1 month away.

News Flash: Training for the Inaugural Ojai 2 Ocean Marathon on June 5th!

Nothing better to get motivated to run a marathon than to commit to a race. Well I did last week. I'm running the inaugural Ojai 2 Ocean Marathon on Sunday, June 5th.

As many of you know, I compile local Ventura County area running events year round to help people find a local race quickly and easily. Most races are repeats from years past. Most races are 5Ks and 10Ks. So I was shocked to discover just a few weeks ago that a brand new full 26.2 mile marathon is planned in June.

The Ojai 2 Ocean Marathon (and Half Marathon) is the brainchild of Tom Taylor and Ben DeWitt, co-owners of eco-friendly local endurance event planning company, Complete Green. Both avid runners, they decided it would be great to organize local events that promote sustainability and environmental awareness.

I spoke with Ben about this new marathon and was impressed by his passion for creating something genuinely different for runners in Ventura County. Sounds like they have their act together and I decided it would be fun to run this inaugural event!

While I haven't been focused whatsoever in my training this year and in fact have not run a single race, at least I've been running consistently. I have base mileage of about 40 miles a week on my body. So why not, for fun, train for a marathon only 6 1/2 weeks away.

Motivated by the commitment, I went out last Thursday after work and ran my longest run since the Tucson Marathon last December, 15 miles. Then on Sunday, pleased to see cool temps and cloud cover above me, I slugged out an 18.7 miler over 2 hours, 21 minutes. So with a couple of 20 milers over the coming 3-4 weeks, I should be fine to run this marathon.

So I asked Ben what distinguishes the race in terms of being "green." Some interesting things were mentioned, such as awards made out of recycled materials, race shirts made out of recycled polystyrene (e.g. old water bottles), using a solar generator for finish line needs and salvaging old surfboards from Walden Surfboards for the mile markers.

This is a first year event and I don't expect a huge turnout, but I do expect it to be fun. Starts with a 10K loop in Ojai, then takes the bike path 10 miles, with a nice downhill grade, to the ocean, where it ends at the Ventura Pier. Starts early (6 a.m.), downhill and ends at the ocean. Sounds pretty good to me! The only negative (which for some is a positive) is that I suspect crowds will be very sparse.

So who's joining me? Or how about trying the half marathon (which starts/finishes near the Ventura Pier).  www.ojai2oceanmarathon.com

Revisiting My Experiences at the Boston Marathon 15 Years Ago

The 2 fastest marathons ever recorded occurred this past Monday at the Boston Marathon, yet Haile Gebrselassie's 2008 world record time of 2:03:59 at the Berlin Marathon is safe. Why? Because the Boston Marathon course, even with the infamous 88 foot climb Heartbreak Hill between miles 20 and 21, has a net downhill of 459 feet.

Geoffrey Mutai blitzed the course in 2:03:02, followed by Moses Mosop* 4 measly seconds later. They averaged just under 4 minutes, 42 seconds per mile...for 26.2 miles. And of course in 4th place was American stud Ryan Hall, who couldn't believe that while running 2:04:58 fastest ever time by an American, he couldn't even see the top 2 guys. Ryan was only 5 seconds away from 3rd place. Unbelievable times.

*Mosop was running his debut marathon. So while Mutai has the fastest recorded marathon time (yet not an official world record) in history, Mosop's claims to fame are 1) 2nd fastest recorded marathon time in history; 2) fastest debut marathon in history; and 3) world's fastest average marathon time (given the fact his average only includes one race).

Brings back memories. I've run 2 Boston Marathons, both "landmark" events.  My first Boston was the 100th Anniversary of the Boston Marathon in 1996. The centennial event was most memorable because it was (and I believe still is) the largest marathon ever run, with over 38,700 participants. It was a cold, cold day and I remember freezing my %^& off as we waited the several hours for the race to start at noon.

Me being the California boy, I wasn't prepared to stand around in the snow for 2 hours. My body must have sucked all the carbs right out to stay warm. But I was there for the festivity, not to run a personal best. In fact, I had run a 2:37 L.A. Marathon just 6 weeks prior, followed by a 16:18 5K and 16:23 5K 2 successive Saturdays prior to Boston. I gritted it out and with some effort and managed a 2:45 that day.

Although I was there "for fun" I kind of swore to myself that would be my once and only Boston as I didn't particularly enjoy the experience. Too crowded, too cold, too tired. Just not in my element.

But that negativity was forgotten as I decided to run the millenial Boston Marathon in 2000. What better way to start the new century than to run the Boston Marathon again!

I took this Boston race more seriously than the first time and was in somewhat comparable shape, having run a 2:36 at the Long Beach Marathon 5 months prior. About 2 weeks before the race I ran a decent 34:35 10K race.

But once again, Boston didn't quite go as well as I'd hoped for. It was freezing cold again and there was a strong headwind. I remember literally shivering, teeth shattering, at the end of the race. Just wasn't my day. I managed a 1:18 through the halfway point but at Mile 15 had to make a pit stop that lasted about a minute. From there on out I gradually slowed and finished in 2:43:49. Respectable, but not what I was looking to do.

I jotted down my mile splits from that 2000 Boston Marathon and am reminded, and all of you looking to do Boston should be mindful of, the first part of that race is majorly downhill, to the point that you feel like you're running a 10K. It takes a lot of focus and concentration to hold yourself back slightly over those first 6 or 7 miles of Boston as they are mostly downhill (mile 1 I believe is an exception). I highly recommend some downhill training in preparation for the early race pounding at Boston.

Well I'm gonna cut it off right here but plan to talk more Boston...in particular the new qualifying times and registration procedures. Over and out.