Achilles Injury #2

So it's hard to believe that it's been three and a half months since my last entry...and my first bout with the achilles!  Of course, being the ever-so-slightly-in-denial-of-the-extent-of-my-injury runner that I was, I did not rest 100% and kept trying to "retrain" my achilles! I ran shorter distances, or slower runs, or a combination of both, but returned much too quickly.  This was after only about a 2 week sabbatical, which was all I was willing to endure.  The result, which was no surprise to anyone OTHER than me was that I reinsured it immediately, and couldn't even run three feet!  Finally, I had to succumb to the enemy known as myself and commit to resting this bugger for at least 2 full months.  This mentally killed me to consider, because I couldn't imagine not being able to enjoy my favorite past-time, mental / spiritual release, as well as physical activity!  It was like a huge piece of my livelihood was being taken; almost like being stricken with a handicap!  I decided that I was NOT willing to sacrifice my wellness and fitness altogether.  I am very aware that since passing the "40 marker" my metabolism shifts quickly when I don't engage in cardio activity regularly.  My muscle tone doesn't sustain like it once did, either, and I shortly feel very "soft".  I thought back to 10 years ago when I worked out 6 days a week, doing a combination of interval training, step aerobics classes and spinning.  As much as I strongly prefer the outdoors, I bit the bullet and joined the local YMCA, which offers zumba, kickboxing, spinning, as well as a full weight and equipment room and heated pool.  I also see this as an opportunity to get out of the house in a town where I literally no no one other than my colleagues, having only moved here 3 months ago!  REturning to spin class was actually easier than I thought it would be and I discovered a VERY challenging instructor, which makes the class quite enjoyable.  After about 2 or 3 weeks, I also decided to try out zumba, which I did once or twice a few years ago.  The Puerto Rican instructor is vivacious and enthusiastic, and prepares intense dance workouts with salsa / reggae music...and I found a new infatuation with Zumba!  As luck would have it, a week later I fell in the shower and cracked three ribs....no, you really can't make this stuff up! I was really depressed to be injured yet AGAIN after just finding enjoyable cardio that doesn't put the impact on the achilles that running does...REALLY??? Out of commission AGAIN?  Yep...another 2 weeks of non-activity.  It really started feeling like a conspiracy lol. But after 2 weeks, I returned to Zumba full throttle and have gotten very good at it.  Thanks to a colleague, I also discovered what has become like a new birth in my life...a 365 acre nature preserve that runs along the beach and has multiple trails to run....for MILES!  The trails are mostly formed out of hard sand and crushed seashells...they are well shaded and wooded, and I found that running on this surface is not at all hard on my achilles.  This is now my favorite spot to spend Saturday and Sunday mornings.  I started with just 3 miles each time, but am back up to 5-6 miles at a time, with NO problems or injury thus far.  Trail running is peaceful and so much more enjoyable than the road...what a bonus...give it a try!!!

Ruptured Achilles: Runner Injury #1

I guess like many runners I had begun taking for granted that as long as certain very basic things were in place, I didn't have to worry about injuries!  I buy the right shoes, had my pronation evaluated at a running store, on the machine, etc, increase my distance in small, widespread intervals, and focus on form when running: body upright, back straight with a very slight bend forward (but never far enough for knees over feet), regulate breathing, cadence, etc. My inconsistencies, however, are hydration and stretching...the worst of which being stretching!
About a month or so ago I wore out my Ravennas and thought I'd give the new Cadence a try, as I am a mostly neutral shoe wearer (or LIGHT support), and an avid BROOKS wearer.  They felt pretty good, although certainly not the "running on marshmallow pads" feeling that the Ravenna gave me.  A few times, after running my normal 5-6 miles, I had some discomfort in my arch, or in the morning, pain in the back of my heel, and a hard time walking for the first half hour or so.  This continued for a few weeks, but I wrote it off to "occupational hazard" and didn't pay much attention.  I also didn't stretch after running, really, at all.
A couple of weeks ago I went for a nice 8 mile run on the Suncoast Trail while visiting out of town, and had stiffness and pain in my calf along with some arch discomfort.  The next morning, painful heel again.  It was then that I decided the Cadence (two months later) was not really the shoe for me, and I bought 2 more pairs of Ravennas to rotate between, in order to get more wear out of them. From the first run, I was ecstatic to be back in "the perfect shoe"!
This week, after 6 miles in my new Ravennas, I woke with an inordinate amount of pain in my heel, which lasted longer than usual.  When I started my run, I went about 3 feet and had to stop.  At home, stretching and rolling my foot around, there was a lot of snapping and clicking.  It was then that I realized, after some research, that I had ruptured my achilles! All that "running past the pain" and ignoring the initial symptoms finally caught up.
In hindsight, I cannot believe I wore my old Ravennas for several weeks after wearing out the insole, which was the catalyst of this injury, I'm sure.  I also cannot believe I even TRIED the Cadence when I LOVE the Ravennas as much as I do; and that I kept running with them after almost immediately knowing they were truly not the shoe for me.
I had my stride re=evaluated at JRC and found out I DO overpronate a bit to the inside of my foot, although I land right in the middle.  A completely neutral shoe, or one with MORE than very light support, does not work for my stride.
The REAL bummer is that I am off for 8 weeks for summer break and had a major running training regime scheduled for myself with my 2 new pairs of Ravennas.  Instead, I cannot run AT ALL for at least (from what my professional running friends tell me) a couple of weeks.  I CANNOT/WILL NOT, however, simply sit completely laid up, so I have begun eccentric calf stretches (15 reps 1-2 times per day), icing in the evening, and 60 minutes of jogging on the elliptical each day in order to keep my leg muscles in shape so that when I CAN finally return to what I love, it will NOT be like starting over.
Note to self, and my fellow runners:  Once you have the perfect shoe, do NOT change for any reason; running shoes wear out in about THREE months, so replace right away, STRETCH well after every run, and do NOT ignore pain and discomfort!

What will YOU settle for?

Not long ago, I had to clear the cobwebs off my blog and share an updated posting to Obsessed Runner.  In it, I humbly acknowledged my succumbing to human "sloughness" when it came to my training, over about an 8 month period of time.  Not surprisingly, I was also very unhappy that I had allowed a softening of the body, a loss of lean muscle mass, definition and muscle tone, not to mention stamina and general well being in the absence of my formerly regularly disciplined habit of running.

Now, three months later, I can proudly say.....I am back...back, better, stronger and faster... and with a new attitude towards this wonderful "pastime", obsession, lifestyle I have come to embrace in an even more appreciative light.

The first awakening to the new obsessed runner in me was the work it took to rebuild my endurance, even on what I used to call my "substantial" regular 3- 3.5 mile run!  In seeing and not being willing to settle for being out of shape, I focused hard and trained harder in preparation for my second attempt at the USA 15K Championship known as the Gate River Run.! My first attempt was a year ago, before my "lapse".  This is a very challenging race, as the 9.3 mile run crosses 2 bridges, one of which is very difficult and comes at the last mile of the race.  My first time in 2011...1:50.  THIS year, I was pleasantly surprised that, despite my "sobattical" from running, with my determination and training, I finished in a very respectable 1:38 ! The best part? I did the run non-stop, making it more than just a PR...but also the longest distance I have ever run without a recovery break.  I decided that day that if I could do that, I needed to set my discipline limits higher and demand more from myself on a regular basis. It's not about making excuses, or the ailments, or the things we let stand in our way...it's about what we are willing to settle for in and FOR ourselves.
Two quotes I have recently read:  "I have chosen this sport, this lifestyle, and this outlet because I believe in the life lessons and principles it teaches through natural consequences. I believe in the law of the harvest – in running, as in life, you reap what you sow. Similarly, I choose to run because I believe in testing oneself and that in so doing a better self will emerge." (Jacob Puzey, Flotrail Magazine)


Your Body On a 30 Minute Run" (Women's Health Magazine, April 2012
"In the first few minutes:  

• muscles start burning ATP then ADP energy, breakdown glycogen & pull glucose from your blood and your body releases lactic acid
• in the next few, your heart rate increases and blood flows to the muscles and intake more O2.
• you begin to "torch" calories at a rate of 100 per mile!
• within 10 minutes you begin burning fat
• after 30 minutes, your brain has triggered the hormone dopamine and you feel energized!

Running conditions much more than your legs & muscles...it rejuvenates your entire body, refreshes cells, improves physical youth and vitality, and improves mental focus and fitness as well.


Ok..go ahead and say it, "But what about your knees?  What about
arthritis? Running is BAD!!"   Obesity is BAD. It can kill you...it has a direct causal relationship with heart disease, diabetes, and cancer...and it will kill you fast and young! If you run in the proper shoes for your stride, focus on running posture and regulate cadence and form, chances are you will have many decades of amazing health and vitality (and running) long before the time that you MIGHT have some discomfort in your knees and joints.....neither of which will kill you!


I wouldn't want anyone to take up running for any reason other than that they fell in love with it and wanted a better life...in every way...but if you do take it up for your health's sake...good for you!

The Rebirth of Training

Sadly I am acknowledging the length of time that has passed since I last posted to this blog! What is worse than the time since I was training at the level I should be! In 2010 I completed 28 races, one of which was a half marathon, one 10-mile, two 5-miles, and numerous bridge races amongst the 5Ks.  In 2011, I've done about 4!

My career and personal life stepped in and I decided to forego personal health and allow these to set me back....the result of which is 13 lbs of weight gain, and a significant loss of running endurance.

With the rebirth of my training comes a certain amount of discouragement at having to virtually start over.  I am reminded however, that there were 30 other pounds involved when I first started running 2 years ago, and that my cardio health is still spot on! 

I am also happy for muscle memory and for the fact that I am not insanely sore after my daily runs, as my body remembers that this is what "we" do...we just have been lax at keeping to our schedule.

I am also thankful that I never completely stopped running, but rather just became a very unscheduled runner...and that my mind still recognizes this as as much a part of my life as brushing my teeth (or at least this is how it was and will be again!)

The greatest thing I've come to know about running is that it never leaves you...it is always there waiting for you to show up, happy to see you, providing immense mental and physical benefits to the participant, and that a true runner can honestly say that they've NEVER regretted going for a run!

To myself I will add "WELCOME BACK!"

Overcoming Winter

In the past two weeks, I have accepted less excuses from myself, and have also begun increasing my core and strength training. It just seems logical that since I cannot run more than 4 days a week due to coaching schedule, and also won't run in really low temps, that this was the right time to start implementing more core and strength training. 

I have become a fan of Timed Exercise because there is a different workout for each day of a 31 day month, and you can view the workout at home.  The workouts are challenging but also include modifications, which I need since I don't have all of the equipment that a few of the exercises require, like a pull up bar and a medicine ball/weight.

In my most recent race, however, it was about 45 outside and a little sunny...really PERFECT air quality on the beach.  Despite the added challenge of running on the hard sand, I actually finished in very close to a PR! I was very encouraged by this, as I have been worried about my times possibly suffering a bit due to the reduction in running training I have been participating in during the past month and a half.

I do find, however, that with compression gear on, as long as there isn't a cold wind, the temperatures, for the most part, can be manageable.  For this reason, I plan to get back to 4-5 run days, in addition to 5 -6 strength training days.  This is the way to reach my goals and I just have to be disciplined.

A "New" Runner's New Year!

So to roll out 2010, and roll IN 2011, I completed my 19th race in 8 months, the Gator Bowl 5K on New Year's Eve Day.  It was another bridge race (making it my 4th out of the 19 races this year).  Fortunately, like 2 of the other 3, this one ONLY goes across the Main Street Bridge twice, rather than the Acosta once and Main St once, like the Vestcor.

Going in, I knew one thing:  Winter has affected my efficiency as a runner. I acknowledge that over the past 6-7 weeks, I have not logged the amount of miles I should have, and normally do each week.  The cold weather has provided a sheer lack of inspiration, which, as a dedicated runner, I should not allow to squelch my training....and yet I have!  I have run shorter runs, slower runs, indoor treadmill (ugh) and elliptical workouts to avoid going out in the 20-40 degree air.  This surprises me somewhat, since throughout the HOT summer, I craved, prayed for and anticipated cooler weather in which to run....just perhaps not quite THIS cool!

To overcome the "elements", of course, I geared up with compression shirt and tights, headband, etc.  Around mile 1 (the race began at 10 am btw instead of the normal 8:00), I recognized that I was going to be in trouble...as we rounded the final corner to the first assent over the bridge, the sun made a pronounced appearance bearing down from above! (The announcer at the finish line mentioned the reddened faces and that this had been a bit warmer than previous years..)

By the second mile, I had to back off on my cadence and take a short walking recovery break of 40 seconds.  At the top of the bridge the SECOND time, I had to take a full 1+ minute recovery...which affected my finish time, I am sure!  I did almost PR for a bridge run, surprisingly, finishing in 34, as compared to my Bridge PR time of 33.5. I was EXTREMELY overheated by the time I crossed that finish line!

Today I ventured out to a measured 1.75 mile course with small hills, trees, very scenic, that I used to run on frequently last spring and hadn't been out to in a while.   I decided it would be a nice change of venue to welcome the new year.  I completed 3.5 miles in the same 34 minutes it took me to run the 5K yesterday, and this was more of an "interval" run!  I ran the first 1.5 at about a 9 min mile pace, took a short 30 second recovery at the crest of one of the hills, then ran 3-4 minute intervals at a "challenging" 9 min/mi pace, taking a 40-60 second recovery between.

I concur that hydration and rest play an integral role in the runner's performance efficiency.  However, I have looked back carefully and analyzed my race journal for the year, along with reflecting on my individual training, and taking into account the less-than-optimal training regimen I have indulged myself in (*although this was also due to the fact that I coach middle school soccer which has interfered with my evening running schedule as well) for the past 1 1/2 months.  I have concluded, that in my case, the environmental elements contribute more greatly to my ability to perform efficiently than do the interior preparations.  For example, in the Native Sun 5K (my personal PR race), I did use energy gels (but less than I did for the New Year's Eve Run). I did NOT get a completely restful night's sleep the night prior to the race.  However, the air temperature that morning was between 55 and 60, with VERY low humidity, well-shaded with a negligible amount of sun.  The Pumpkin 10 mile Race in October, I ALSO did not have the most efficient night's sleep prior, used 3 energy gels, but the air temperature was a delightful 55-60, completely shaded course with extremely low humidity AGAIN!  I ran that with a better time per 5 miles than my 5 mile run, and felt terrific!

My least efficient races, with the poorest finishing times have been in hot temperatures with high humidity, effecting both my breathing AND my leg pain.  Interestingly, this seems to weigh me down, and to be a factor I am unable to overcome.

Winter Running

To open, I will provide some background.  In Junior High, I briefly ran on the track team, but didn't have the commitment necessary to be a successful runner in that setting.  The team coach pushed us to run relentlessly for 4-5 miles three days a week, with no developmental training to "get us there".  On the other 2 days, he pushed us with 50-yard and 100-yard dashes, hurdles, and track meet training.  Given the way it was all presented, I was more than glad when the season was over.
My interest in running continued in private, however, and through high school. Summers were spent in Rockville, Maryland, where the trails and paved paths through parks and neighborhoods invited the runner in me to continue.  I would run at a more enjoyable and leisurely pace, and reveled my time on the road a great deal.
Over the following 20 or so years, I let my running take a back seat to some bigger things like pregnancies, work, children, school, and life.  I wasn't yet aware of how or my real desire to recognize running as a necessary and permanent component of my life. It seemed more "extracurricular" to me.  For this reason, I vascillated in sporatic periods of running, periods of "power walking" and periods of other forms of cardiovascular exercise.  Admittedly, there were also long periods where I let all forms of running/cardio lapse.
After my fourth child and the early onset of menopause, my metabolism and general physical shape began to change...not for the better!  I began to gradually gain some weight, and in addition, store weight in places I never had before.  I had low energy levels, seemed to need an increasing amount of sleep which I rarely got, and had to regulate my moods a great deal.
I consulted physicians who confirmed that my thyroid was "within normal range" but also explained the vast range that entailed "normal", explaining that the tests were limited, and that my thyroid gland could indeed be in need of help in effectively metabolizing calories, but that it didn't test within the range that merited medication.  All research that I conducted on my own confirmed that the real answer, after getting a clean bill of health from my physician, was to incorporate a permanent and healthy lifestyle, which had to include regular cardio activity, which is something I always found very satisfying both physically and mentally.
10 months ago, I joined a local gym and hired a personal trainer, who helped me to lose about 15 lbs doing strength training using cables, free weights, planks, pushups, lunges, and cardio workouts.  After two months of working out with her, I began to take my cardio workouts outdoors, realizing that I had no real love of the treadmill or eliptical trainer.  I much preferred to run outdoors.  I began at my own pace and level, which was admittedly quite slow, and at first I couldn't run a full 1.75 mile lap around the marked course in the park near my home.  After a month of training, I entered my first 5K Race.  It was on the beach, on wet sand, in the springtime in Florida, and my time was an unappealing 39.42 minutes. But it was also the beginning of a love affair between running and me!
In the past 8 months since, I have completed 18 races, 15 of which were 5K's, one 5-miler, one 10-miler and a half marathon!  I have opted not to join a group or try to measure my performance against others', but rather focus on improving my own running efficiency and time.
It has definitely become a very integral and important part of my life, and I cannot imagine NOt running! 
Recently, however, I have begun to experience the "winter blues".  Although during the summer, I craved cooler temperatures and lower humidity, I never imagined how much HARDER it would be to get out there and run in the 20, 30, 40 and even 50 degree temps.
In summer, the adjustment is somewhat easy...run after sundown, like 7 or 8 pm.  In the winter, however, I have found it to be very hard, as you can't really run with alot of excess clothing, adding weight and difficulty to the run!
This has, for at least 2 workouts a week, forced me back inside the gym and onto the treadmill.  I am most grateful, though, for my Runners' World subscription, chock full of motivational and helpful articles and plans for running indoors.  I have learned how to at least make the treadmill runs more challenging and interesting, but my real LOVE is to run outside.

I am pleased to share that in only 8 months, I have shaved over 8 minutes off my 5K time, setting a recent PR of 31 minutes! (One more minute will qualify me for seeding in the very popular Gate River Run in Spring.)

I also just completed my first Half Marathon, and although my sciatic nerve quit at mile 11, causing my finishing time to suffer by at least 15 minutes, I finished successfully, and ran straight through the first 10 miles!  I am now training for the Breast Cancer Half Marathon in February, and the Gate River Run in March.

I welcome all pointers, comments and advice for winter running options.

I should also mention that through running, I dropped an additional 20 lbs from my frame, and increased my lean muscle mass exponentially.  I have now kind of reached a "weight loss plateau" over the past 3 months, and am interested in all nutritional suggestions for dropping the last 25 lbs I need to lose, in order to be leaner, fitter and a much more efficient runner!

~Thanks for reading....and for sharing...a love of running, and your thoughts!