Dealing with running injuries

Prior to my last race (a 40 miler on May 2nd), I was logging 50 to 60 miles per week. After the race, I took a week off from running and then slowly tried to get back into the swing of things.

And then it happened…

Injury #1
I was casually running from my car to my son’s soccer game, I felt a sharp pain in the bottom of my left foot. I did not think much of it, but the next morning I had a hard time put pressure on it.  I tried to massage it and get it feeling better, but to no avail.  After visiting the foot doctor, I became aware that I experienced a contusion to the muscle on the inner bottom of my foot.

The cause was stress from my foot rolling inwards (over pronating) too much, despite wearing a stability shoe.

So how do you recover from such an injury?

Most people recommend the R.I.C.E. method, which is Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.  According to About.com:

  • Rest: Resting is important immediately after injury for two reasons.
    First, rest is vital to protect the injured muscle, tendon, ligament or other tissue from further injury.
    Second, your body needs to rest so it has the energy it needs to heal itself most effectively.
  • Ice: Use ice bags, cold packs or even a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a thin towel to provide cold to the injured area.
    Cold can provide short-term pain relief. It also limits swelling by reducing blood flow to the injured area.
  • Compression: Compression limits swelling, which slows down healing.
    Some people notice pain relief from compression as well.
  • Elevation: Elevating an injury reduces swelling.

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/rehab/a/rice.htm

I decided to ignore the R, and the I, and the C, and the E and in a few days I was out and running again.  The pain in my foot did go away, but I was compensating for pain in the first few times that I went running.

Injury #2

After feeling back to normal, I went for a 3 mile run one morning and all of sudden noticed that my knee was bothering me.  It was tightening on the outside of the knee and was a shock to me, since I have never had a problem with my knees.  I felt like it was a fluke and I would be fine the next day.

Wrong!

The truth is, I am experiencing I.T. Band issues or runner’s knee.  The I.T. Band runs from the outer hip down to the outer portion of the knee.  The cause is usually an overload of running, which I fall into that category.

it_band

This is not an injury that can be taken lightly and can morph into different versions of I.T. Band Syndrome.  For example, some runners do not experience any discomfort when they are running, but when they are done, it hurts as it swells on them.  Some, experience discomfort right away or after a few miles.

My experience is that it hurts after I run, but it does not bother me when I bike, swim, lift weights, or any other activity;  it is only running.

So how do you recover?

Unfortunately, I have had to shut down my running all together.  I am riding my bike every day, doing yoga to stretch better, icing the sore part of my leg, and lifting weights and swimming.  I am even starting water jogging, which will be interesting.  But, even if I go out for a 1/2 mile run (which I did last night), it tightens up on me.

The best process for recovery is to rest, ice your knee when in discomfort, and stretch the I.T. Band, which is not the knew but more the outer hip flexor.

So my advice to any runner out there.

  1. First and for most, stretch after you run.  I am not a big proponent of stretching prior to a run, but afterward is very important.
  2. Have a sufficient cooling down time.  Do not jump into a hot shower and then jump into your car and drive for 5 hours.  (That is what I did the day i injured myself)  With your leg at a 30 degree angle, it is more prone to injuring the I.T. Band.  Also, cooling down your legs is more important than jumping into a hot shower.  Try an ice bath after a long run, it helps in recovery.
  3. When injured rest and follow sound advice.  If you come back too soon from an injury, you will injure something else.

I go to the doctor tomorrow.  I fully expect him to tell me what I already know, but it is better to be safe than sorry.  right now, I do not plan on running for another 4 weeks or so.  After that, we will see.  Until then, my bike is getting worn out and my swimming technique is improving.  Maybe it is time to get back into triathlons.

June 15, 2009  Tags: , , ,   Posted in: Running, Uncategorized  One Comment

In between races - feeling directionless

When you wake up every morning thinking about one goal, it can take on a life of its own.  Whether it be gradauting from college, awaiting the arrival of your first child, or in my case an upcoming race.  Last year, I tackled an Ironman 70.3 and trained extremely hard for the event.  I was very prepared and it lived up to my expectations.  This year, I did my first ultra-marathon and it was everything that I was hoping to experience.  (To find out about the experience, just read the blog about the Strolling Jim 40 Miler.

But what about after the “big” race?

I say the “big” race because many people plan multiple races, but usually have one “big” race per year.  This year, my “big” race came early and it leaves me with a weird feeling.

What do I do next?

All of the miles, all of the training, all of the right nutrition paid off but now it is hard to focus on a new challenge.  So, I have spent the past week giving it a lot of thought and have finally figured out my next challenge.

I like triathlons and have not planned any for this year.  I love to run and would like to do more ultramarathons, but I think I am going to concentrate on marathons.  My reasoning for concentrating on this is quite simple, it is based on the real meaning of why I run.

Why marathons?

  • I love to run
  • I want to change my training to try to be faster for 26.2 miles
  • Training is the most fun and might as well race what you love to train
  • I want to try and qualify for Boston (I do not think I have it in me, which is one of the biggest reasons I want to try)

Why run?  Running to me is more than just putting one foot in front of the other.  It is about peristence, stamina, technique, detailed planning, good nutrition, etc.  I love every part of it.  The race itself is always fun, but the training leading up to a race is just as fun.  It gives you purpose, a goal, and a great hobby.

Today is my birthday.  As my wife says, I am now in my late 30’s (36 is mid thirties to me).  She asked what I wanted to do today.  Did I want to go out for dinner, did I want to get a cake, did I want to go out and have a beer.  To be honest, it was a nice day and I wanted to go for a run.

May 11, 2009  Tags: , ,   Posted in: Running, Uncategorized  No Comments

A 40 miler (actually 42) is not a race, it is an adventure!

Adding all of the possible drama that you could, the Strolling Jim 40 Miler turned out to be a great experience. It was everything that I was hoping for in a challenge and more so when you added in the elements of weather. To give the Strolling Jim its due justice, the following chronicles the day and the night before, as well as the nutrition that I took in during the run. NUTRITION, is everything during an ultra-marathon and I nailed it.

Here are the numbers:

Ran 42 miles and burned 4,300 calories

Nutrition

Item Name Serving Calories Sugars Carbs Fats Protein Sodium
Prior toRun Peanut Butter 1 tb 95 0 7.5 16 7.5 135
Whole Wheat Bagel 1 240 7 49 2 10 400
Banana 1 105 14.4 27 0.4 1.3 1
Total Prior Run 440 21.4 83.5 18.4 18.8 536
Serving Calories Sugars Carbs Fats Protein Sodium
During Run Clif Nectar Bar - Lemon, Vanilla, Cashew 1 160 17 27 6 4 5
Clif Bar - Crunchy Peanut Butter 1 250 18 40 6 12 250
Gatorade Rain 40 oz. 250 70 70 0 0 550
Gu Roctane Energy Gel (Blueberry Pomegranate) 2 200 10 50 0 0 130
Gu Tri Berry Energy Gel 6 600 18 150 0 0 270
Gu Strawberry Banana Gel 2 200 4 50 0 0 100
Jif Peanut Butter 1 tb 95 0 7.5 16 7.5 135
Toasty Crackers Rich n’ Creamy Peanut Butter 1 pkg. 180 3 16 9 6 220
Pita Bread 0.75 pita 120 1.5 25.5 0 4.5 165
Fig Newtons 2 cookies 200 24 44 0 2 260
Total During Run 2255 165.5 480 37 36 2085
Total Prior and During 2695 186.9 563.5 55.4 54.8 2621

Now, here is the story…

May 1st, 2009 3:30PM

The rain had not let up all day. It went from a slow drizzle, to a steady rain, to a monsoon. Wartace, the home of the Strolling Jim, looks like a town that has not changed since 1950, and with a downpour of buckets of water, there was no one in town, except the few who run the race. There was Gary Cantrell and his daughter, Amy. Gary founded the race 31 years ago and this is the first year that his daughter was the race director. She would be challenged in her first year.

We arrived at the Walking Horse Hotel and Jacob, my oldest son, and I dashed through the rain to go and register. My dad stayed in the car.  I received my t-shirt and race number (#55) and then we waited for Gary to start the tour of the course at 4:00PM. As a newbie, I wanted to see the course and after 2 hours and a few detours due to flooded roads, we made it back to the start, we also found out it was actually 41.2 miles not 40. We then had a nice spaghetti dinner at the Wartrace Community Center and went back to Shelbyville to stay at our room.

May 2, 2009 (Race Day)

3:00AM - The rain had not let up

4:00AM - The rain had not let up

5:00AM - I finally got out of bed after listening to the rain all night. It was now raining even harder and the streets were completely flooded. Would they cancel the race? Was I willing to run in the rain for over 6 1/2 hours? I was conflicted with what to do and I did not have any answers until we made it the starting line. I downed a bagel with peanut butter, a banana, and a cup of tea. Do not over do it pre-race, especially the liquids. If you drink a lot before you run, you will have to use the restroom. It is better to drink all day the day before and then drink during the race.

6:30AM - The decision
blog_floodMy dad, Jacob, and I made it to the starting line and were not expecting the race to go on. There would obviously be roads that were completely flooded and I was not looking forward to running wet. I love to run, but not in the rain.

So we decided to go and see some of the course before the start and then make a decision. At 6:30AM there were 3 people waiting for the start of the race. Surely they would cancel the race, right? The course was flooded everywhere we turned, front yards were under water, cars had water up to the middle of the their tires.

I decided at that point that I was not going to run.

7:00AM - The start
We made it back to the start right at 7:00AM. There was a good number of runners at the start. Probably around 60 to 70 runners had made it to the start. I was convinced that I was not going to run and I asked my dad to park and all of a sudden a horn went off and the runners took off.

The runners started and it was without me. What a terrible feeling.

My dad asked me what I wanted to do, and I asked to go back home. My day was over before it started. I was mad and embarrassed. I am not one to quit. This was not me, and after 5 minutes of feeling sorry for myself, I asked my dad to stop the car. He was not happy, he wanted to go home a lot more than me, and he was a convincing factor in my decision to not run. I got our of the car and at that moment jumped back into the car and yelped “turn around, I am going back to run.”

I am not a quitter and I am definitely not going to quit in front of my son. Teaching by example is very important to me, and if I quit, what am I teaching my son. It was worth running in the rain and dodging floods to show my son that I do not quit.

My dad was not happy. He was afraid something would happen to me and he let me know it. Note to self: My dad is not a good motivator. We agreed that we would meet at mile 13 and if I was in pain I would stop and go home.

7:15AM - My start to the race
We got back to the start 15 minutes late, but I got out of the car and went to starting line. Three volunteers were still at the starting line. I mentioned that I know I am late, but it is better to start late than to not start at all. One volunteer said that she was happy for me and that “if you did not run today, you would regret it for the rest of your life.” She was right, and I was off on my run.

1st Mile - You have got to be kidding me!
It was still raining very hard and it was cold. I kept an extra long sleeve shirt on, I had my iPod, 2 8oz. flasks of Gatorade, and 3 Gu gels. I made my first turn out of town and the first house I passed a dog that looked identical to Cujo dashed out at me. I went from my pace of 8:30 min/mile to 6 min/mile to get away from Cujo. Cujo then stopped and I thought I was safe, but then Cujo darted at my leg again. I sprinted away and he barely missed getting a piece of flesh, and we did this dance 3 or 4 more times until Cujo finally stopped. 4 minutes into my run and I already had a close call. Only 400 more minutes to go.

I settled into a slow pace and the rain was really coming down. I then heard a bike coming from behind me and I looked back to see who this crazy guy was that would dare ride a bike in the weather.

It was my good friend, Brian Blair. The nut came to ride his bike with me while I ran. He was a little confused on why I was so far behind, and after I gave him my story for the morning so far, we laughed on how terrible it would have been if I did not start the race. Poor Brian would have been looking for me and would have never known that I was not there. I did not think Brian would be able to make it to the race, because of some family concerns that he had, so I was not expecting to see him at this point.

So here we were running in a downpour, on mile 1. We were alone and only had 40 miles to go. But with Brian there, I knew we would finish and we were going to do it the right way. By never stopping, never losing focus, and never losing my stride.

Miles 2 - 13
blog_brianandmeThe miles became easier, the rain turned to a drizzle, and my pace was a consistent 8:30 min/mile. I started to see other runners and my main motivation became picking off the slower runners. Many runners were walking the hills and running the flat and downhills. I knew that this was my advantage, the hills. I had done a lot of hill training and I was not going to slow when going up an incline. So, one by one, I started passing runners. By the end of the 13th mile, I had passed a least 20 runners.

Miles 13 - 26.2
blog_cheeringcrewMy stride did not slow down and I kept passing runners. They thought I was crazy for running up the hills, that I would pay for it in the end, and I thought they might be right. At mile 13 I ate a Clif Bar, at mile 20 I stopped at my dad’s minivan and changed my wet socks, and at mile 25 I ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on pita bread.

Around mile 20, Tricia, my wife, my other 3 kids, and my mom whizzed past me. They stayed with me until the end and were a huge inspiration.

Mile 26.2 - 35
When I crossed the 26.2 mile marker I mentioned to Brian that I was now running in uncharted distances. I had never done anything longer than a marathon. Brian had not left my side. The hills were tough and there were many hills that Brian could not get up on his mountain bike. He would stop and walk his bike up the hill and then catch me on the downhill. My dad was also behind me the whole time. I had asked him to meet me at mile 13, but he instead stayed 1/4 mile behind me. Every now and then he would go ahead of me and get some gels, Gatorade, and any other nutrition that I requested. It was also getting hot and every few miles, he would hand me a cold and wet rag to towel off. The rags were a life saver.

blog_run3Mile 30 was the most beautiful and the toughest. A lot of hills and minor flooding. I passed a lot of people at this point and was hurting, but I never stopped. At this point I felt like I had passed at least 30 or 40 runners. I had nice conversations with each of them and I made a few friends on the way. Ultra-marathoners are the nicest people you will ever meet.

Mile 32 was the most special. Jacob, who was my number one helper, came up to me on his bike. I now had Jacob and Brian riding with me. I also had Tricia and my other kids cheering me on. With such a great crew, my stride was the same and I kept going. I was probably a 9:15 min/mile at this point.

Mile 35 to 40 - the hard part
I was moving along quite nicely and the large hills were now done and then I reached a fork in the road at mile 38. The course was suppose to go to the right, but there was a firetruck there directing us to go to the left. The road was flooded and not safe. We were to go to the left and follow the detour signs.

I was not happy. It was already more than 40 that I expected, and now I had no idea how much this going to add. It was also a hilly detour and the 0.8 mile extra that was added was probably the most punishing part of the race.

But we made it through and when we saw the 40 mile marker on the ground, we knew we were back on the race route. Only 1.2 miles to go and it was a flat route to the finish. I was now on the home stretch.  At this point, I had never stopped, never walked, and kept my stride.  I did not have any quit in my on this day.

Miles 40 - 42 The Finish
blog_finishMy pace settled into an 8:45 min/mile. I was now running at a good pace. I had passed many runners and had only one runner pass me (not sure where he came from). I wanted to finish strong and when I got to 0.5 miles left, I picked up my pass and clipped along at about 7:15 min/mile pace. My legs were numb, my body was drained, but my pride was all of the energy that I needed.

Arriving in Wartrace, my pace picked up even faster and they put up a nice little finish tape for me to pass through. I really wanted to finish under 7 hours, even with a detour, and a 15 minute late start.

I finished in 6 hours 57 minutes. I ended up in 23rd place.

blog_partofcrewI am not sure how many people actually started, but there were 100 runners signed up. Many decided not to run because of the rain. I am glad that I was not one of them.  I had finished in 6 hours and 57 minutes, which was actually 6:42, if you take off the 15 minute late start.

Right behind was a runner named Trent, who is the race director for my favorite marathon, the Flying Monkey on Harpeth Hills. Most importantly, Brian stayed with me until the end. I did it, he did it. I am forever grateful for his dedication during this race. 42 miles on a mountain bike in rolling hills is not easy.

After the race
I received a sub 7 t-shirt, which was a small. That was all they had left, but I took it anyways. I had no appetite, so I grabbed a water, a brownie for Jacob, and we went home.  That night I ate a big ole Black Bean Burger from Chili’s and had two Sam Adam Drafts. Beer never tasted so good.

I was really happy about the accomplishment.  I did it and I did it the way I wanted.  I never stopped, I never lost my stride, but most importanly I did it with the people that I love.  During the race, my family (as well as Brian) were one team and that is what I will remember most about the Strolling Jim.

May 3, 2009  Tags: , , ,   Posted in: Running, Uncategorized  One Comment

Strolling Jim 40 Miler Race Route

Tomorrow is my race.  Looks like it will be raining off and on.  I am hoping for an overcast day and cool weather.  But if it rains like it is today, it will be uncomfortable. I have my nutrition ready, as I created separate Ziplock baggies of gels, bars, and gum. I hoping for the best and will blog after the race. I plan on tracking all of my nutrition to get an idea of where I went right and where I went wrong.

May 1, 2009  Tags: , ,   Posted in: Running, Uncategorized  No Comments

Nutrition for a 40 miler

I actually have no idea how to approach nutrition for my first ultra-marathon this weekend. I have done a good job during marathons but do not expect this to be as easy. I have recently made it a habit of drinking water and consuming Gu Gels during marathons. With this approach, I do not get sick on Gatorade and the gels are easy on my stomach. But the math does not add up for an ultra-marathon.

Let’s do the math:

  • According to David Warden on Tri-Talk.com (podcast 45) your body has 2,000 calories of glycogen (carbs) and 70,000 calories of fat.  Your body will never run out of fat calories, but it will run out of glycogen.
  • Your body probably burns 900 calories during a race and a portion of the 900 calories are fat and the majority are carbs.
  • During an ultra-marathon, where you probably go at a slower pace, you are probably burning 2/3 carbs and 1/3 fat.  Which would be 600 calories of glycogen.
  • I plan on running the 40 miles in 6 to 6 1/2 hours, which means at the least I will burn 3,600 calories.
  • 2,000 (stored glycogen at beginning of race) - 3,600 (glycogen calories burned) = 1,600 deficit.

So how many calories are needed?

If you would like to end with 1,000 calories of glycogen, then you would not only need to take in 1,600, but also an additional 1,000 calories of carbs for a total of 2,600.

That means that I need to take in 433 calories per hour. (2,600 calories/6 hours)

I do not think that I can take in 4 to 5 gels per hour, so I will have to take on a different approach.

So here are my specific foods:

  • Gatorade Rain - I am not a fan of anything but water, but I have been training with G-Rain for years.  For 16 oz. you consume 100 calories of carbs.
  • Gu Gels -  (I never get sick of them during a race, but I cannot consume one for at least one month after a race.)
  • Fig Newtons - I have the snack pack of two large cookies and it is 200 calories of pure carbs.  Fig and dates are nature best energy fuel.
  • Clif Nectar Bars - For some reason I love the taste of the Lemon, Vanillla, and Cashew flavor.
  • Will also bring some pretzels, fruit (probably oranges), and some breads with peanut butter.  I love the taste of peanut butter when I run.

Not much logic to the nutrition.  I plan on tracking my nutrition, so I will post how it went.

April 28, 2009  Tags: , ,   Posted in: Running  No Comments

Flexibility is the key to a well-planned running schedule

The countdown begins.  Less than 2 weeks until I venture into my first Ultra-Marathon.  I have been logging my highest mileage per week ever (close to 60) and have enjoyed my running on the weekends, which has included two long runs.  (For example on Saturday I would run 12 miles and on Sunday I would run 18 miles)

Good Friday Tornado (4/10)

Good Friday Tornado (4/10)

But, what happens when life does not agree with your running plans?  On April 10th (Good Friday) an EF4 tornado hit Murfreesboro and missed our house by less than 1/4 mile.  Our neighbors at the end of our street were not as lucky and were part of the devastating path that the tornado left in its wake. I was able to get a run in over the weekend, but I must admit that I felt guilty for going while my neighbors had to deal with such wreckage.

The next Friday (4/17) was a beautiful day that promised to be a wonderful day for a long run.  I decided to change my schedule around so I could take advantage of Friday and Saturday’s sunny weather.  However, things change quickly and you realize that it IS okay to make adjustments.

My wife woke up with an appendicitis at 5:00AM!!!  We rushed her to the hospital, got the kids to school and by 10:00AM, we knew she would need surgery to remove her appendix.  No running on Friday.

On Saturday, my wife felt great, but my 4 kids had a total of 5 soccer games and it was my job to get them to their games.  She was ready to leave the hospital that morning (it is amazing how easy of a procedure the removal of your appendix is these days).  I had games starting at 8 and they did not end until 6:00PM.  Since my oldest son’s 2 games were out of town and later in the afternoon, I could not make it to those games, but all kids made it to games.  No running on Saturday.

I woke up on Sunday and it was raining, like I expected prior to the weekend.  It slowed to a light drizzle and I decided to get a run in.  I was able to get in a great 15 mile run.  With the extra two days rest, I felt great.  I expected to get in 30 hard miles, but instead I did 15 miles and I am better for it.  I also was able to be a husband and a father, which is more important than being a runner.

So, I learned a valuable lesson the past few weeks.  Flexibility in a running schedule is okay and actually a good thing.  I am not going to make up the miles, especially less than 2 weeks from the race.

April 19, 2009  Tags: , ,   Posted in: Running, Uncategorized  One Comment

Best way to get kids to eat vegetables

Raised Bed Gardeon As a vegetarian, I struggle with how to encourage other people (especially kids) to eat vegetables and fruit.  I have four kids of my own, ages 4 through 10, and it is not easy to get them to eat anything green.

This year, my kids have really tried to eat certain vegetables.  Their favorite veggie is broccoli of all things.  They will also eat cucumbers, carrots, bananas and that every now and then they will have a salad.

So how do you get kids to eat veggies without having them hate you?

One of the many reasons to have a garden is to get your kids involved in creating a garden.  In Tennessee, the soil is not the best, so I decided to get a raised bed garden.  A raised bed garden is normally built up 12 inches high and is 4 feet deep so that all plants may be reached from outside of the garden.  The width can vary, with mine being 12 feet long.  The 2 x 6 planks are made of untreated cedar and the soil is a mix of high quality soil, mushroom compost, and horse manure.  The perfect mix of nutrients for a fantastic garden.

As you can see from the pictures, it is built solidly and it looks good, which means it was not built by me.  A local organic gardener, Ted Cassidy from Backyard Farms is the one who built it.  Ted is the nicest guy you will ever meet and he knows everything about organic gardening.  To contact Ted, you can reach him at (615) 496-2845.

Raised bed garden after first planting

So how do you get your kids involved?

  1. Buying: I first let the kids pick out the plants.  They picked tomatoes, zucchini, egg plant, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, and some lettuces and spinach.  We also selected some different herbs and red onions to help keep the bugs away.  My daughter picked out some marigold flowers which are also a good repellent of bugs.
  2. Prepping: As we were waiting for warmer weather, we kept the plants watered and they asked a lot of good questions to try and understand how gardening works.
  3. Planting: Finally we were able to plant, and as you can see from the picture, we created row of different vegetables.  from the left to the right is tomatoes (2 rows), peppers, cucumbers, broccoli and cauliflower, and on the end is zucchini, squash, and Japanese eggplant.  We then planted red onions, and herbs between plants.  We also put our lettuces and spinach near the house since they prefer shade.  The raised bed garden is going to get a lot of sun and it is probably too much for lettuce and spinach.
  4. Watering: Time to water.  I hope the kids continue to want to help.  I hope I never have to water.  My kids were excited to water today and I hope that continues.
  5. Picking: We are not close, but when it is time to pick, I am going to allow them to make the decision on when stuff is ready to pick and they will do the picking.
  6. Eating: The final result if hopefully going to be good eating, and maybe just maybe, my kids will eat some veggies.

April 18, 2009  Tags: , , , ,   Posted in: Uncategorized, Veggie Eating  No Comments