It is now 4 days post-prolo and I am about 30% better than before the treatment. I no longer have a visible limp and can go down the stairs normally if a bit gingerly. That's well behind where I had hoped to be at this stage. I know that I can't run until the left knee feels the same as the non-injured right one. It's still a bit stiff when I walk and it hurts a bit to straighten it out. I initially thought that it was PFS (Runner's knee) but after some additional research, it is clear that the problem is quadriceps tendinitis. The tendon that attaches the lower part of the quads to the top of my knee is damaged. A website says that the average recovery time is 4-6 weeks and I feel that my case was more severe. Prolo will likely ultimately speed the healing process but Huntsville is looking like it will be downgraded from questionable to doubtful. It's now been 2 weeks and I am feeling the ill-effects of not running. I can feel that my dopamine is falling and I am beginning to get some muscle stiffness as well as low-grade depression. I sent in my hair sample and am hoping for the worst. The medical report will likely reveal what I can and cannot do as a runner in the future. Even before this injury, I had grown weary from the volume of marathon training and said that Boston would likely be my last one. Now, it is becoming increasingly clear that my dream of qualifying is dead. The race sold out within 8 hours of opening and now the BAA is likely to make the standards even tougher. I may need a 3:05 or even a 3:00 to qualify in the 30-34 age group and no worse than a 3:10 at 35-39. Very few people are capable of these times and I am pretty sure that I am not one of them.
I've considered quitting marathons altogether but have decided against it. However, my all out marathon training cycles are over. Odds are what will happen is that I will sign up for a half and plan on running it up until the last week of training but I reserve the right to switch to the full if my training goes exceptionally well. All I want is a sub-3:30 or less than 8 minute pace and when I do that, I swear that I'm done with marathons. I ran a 3:35 while dependent on pills so I have no reason to believe that I can't go 5 1/2 minutes faster when free. Also, I may be softening my marathon goal a great deal but my goals at the shorter distances remain the same.
400- 59.9
Mile: 5:15
5K: 19:12
10K- 40:00
Half- 1:30:00
2011 will be my first full year of freedom so let's go after those times.
If I am to quit marathons, I want it to be on MY terms, not dictated by any type of imbalance!
Friday, October 22, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
Prolotherapy (injury update 3)
It's been a bit of an emotional roller coaster this past week. At first, I thought the extreme soreness was due to another chemical imbalance. My knee was killing me after the Chicago half in 2008 but it turned out to be nothing more than a chromium/manganese deficiency. That would have been really hurtful. After having been free from the pills for more than a month and have that taken away from me yet again is very distressing. However, as the week progressed, it was becoming increasingly clear that this issue was NOT due to a thyroid/adrenal issue. I am still very interested in seeing the results of the hair test as I suspect that the report will show moderate-severe tendencies toward inflammation. I declare that I am still free from dependence on pills. If I have to take a supplement to keep my inflammation in check and keep my blood sugar in balance, I'm fine with that so long as I don't crash if I miss a day or two or crash because I took 1 too many pills. I do not see that happening again. Praise God. When people were critical of me for placing too much emphasis on my running, I responded by stating that I would be willing to trade my talent in this area for freedom from dependence on pills. I stand by that statement today.
The pain is extremely localized at the top of my left kneecap. I had bad tendinitis as a teenager but back then, the pain was all below the knee cap and had spread to the side and the bursa (just below the knee area). This is a totally different injury. I am still walking with a limp but it is not too noticeable and I have to take my stairs one leg at a time or it would feel like my knee would give way. Even after the appointment, I am still unsure of the nature of the injury. Is it a tendon or a cartilage issue? Was it due to overuse or simply a freak issue such as a sprain by taking a bad step? I do know that the injury likely occurred in the 11th mile of the race. I simply did not feel it because I was so locked into the PR attempt that appeared as if it would come down to the last .1 mile. I completed the remaining 2.5-3 miles on an injury, which explains why my last 5K sucked so bad.
So, I woke up around 8:30 on Sunday morning then took a shower and headed to church. While I was there, my heart told me not to give up the dream of a BQ just yet but my brain tells a different story. As of now the plan is to try again at the age of 34 and stick to 5Ks, 10Ks and halves for the next 3 years. I fooled around online for a bit then hit the road to Atlanta. Nick and I had dinner together and watched some football. From Nick's place, it was about a 20 minute drive up to Marietta and I was fortunate to get an early appointment. Upon examination, the doc seemed to think that it may not be an overuse injury at all but just a nasty sprain. Because the pain was localized, he was optimistic about my prognosis but unsure if one treatment would do the trick. If not, I have my Nashville appointment in 2 weeks. The injection itself was not as bad as expected but the post injection pain was extreme as expected. I'll take it one day at a time. The pain will begin to subside by tomorrow evening and my first attempt to run could be as early as Thursday. Of course, I'll have to ease into it slowly but 10 days off will not kill my fitness and there is still hope for a good time in Huntsville.
The pain is extremely localized at the top of my left kneecap. I had bad tendinitis as a teenager but back then, the pain was all below the knee cap and had spread to the side and the bursa (just below the knee area). This is a totally different injury. I am still walking with a limp but it is not too noticeable and I have to take my stairs one leg at a time or it would feel like my knee would give way. Even after the appointment, I am still unsure of the nature of the injury. Is it a tendon or a cartilage issue? Was it due to overuse or simply a freak issue such as a sprain by taking a bad step? I do know that the injury likely occurred in the 11th mile of the race. I simply did not feel it because I was so locked into the PR attempt that appeared as if it would come down to the last .1 mile. I completed the remaining 2.5-3 miles on an injury, which explains why my last 5K sucked so bad.
So, I woke up around 8:30 on Sunday morning then took a shower and headed to church. While I was there, my heart told me not to give up the dream of a BQ just yet but my brain tells a different story. As of now the plan is to try again at the age of 34 and stick to 5Ks, 10Ks and halves for the next 3 years. I fooled around online for a bit then hit the road to Atlanta. Nick and I had dinner together and watched some football. From Nick's place, it was about a 20 minute drive up to Marietta and I was fortunate to get an early appointment. Upon examination, the doc seemed to think that it may not be an overuse injury at all but just a nasty sprain. Because the pain was localized, he was optimistic about my prognosis but unsure if one treatment would do the trick. If not, I have my Nashville appointment in 2 weeks. The injection itself was not as bad as expected but the post injection pain was extreme as expected. I'll take it one day at a time. The pain will begin to subside by tomorrow evening and my first attempt to run could be as early as Thursday. Of course, I'll have to ease into it slowly but 10 days off will not kill my fitness and there is still hope for a good time in Huntsville.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Injury update- Part 2
I have not attempted to run since Monday and today, Friday was the worst that the knee has ever felt. For the first time, I am walking with a noticeable limp. This may actually be good news in the long run because my only explanation is that the pain is partially due to the supplements I took in a attempt to fix it. As of today, I will go back to taking nothing and thankfully, I don't have to worry about panic attacks or a severe thyroid/adrenal reaction. All I can do is wait for the results of the medical report and hope for the worst (that's right, I said worst). With a severe indicator of inflammation, I have detected the root cause of the pain. If it's mild-moderate, it's nothing more than an overuse injury.
Good news, I called Atlanta (Marietta to be exact) and guess what, the prolotherapy doctor is able to squeeze me in on Monday morning. I told him that's "fantastic." If the results are as dramatic as with the Achilles injury, I could be back running by the end of next week. I'll have more than a month to get ready for Huntsville. Though I'd just be happy to participate, my current PR is soft and even if I'm not in the best shape, I think I could still run 3:30 with balanced chemistry (I ran 3:35 unbalanced in a time trial). Regardless of how this all plays out, I will plan on not running any more marathons for 4 more years until I turn 34 and my BQ time goes up to 3:15. I reserve the right to change my mind if things go extremely well and I feel that I am talented enough to run a 3:10 on 50 MPW. Possible but highly unlikely. I enjoy the shorter stuff more anyway and it is less time consuming. I still find a half marathon to be plenty challenging.
The pain from this prolotherapy treatment will likely be excruciating. The inflammatory or "healing reaction" is more intense if the patient is in greater pain prior to the treatment. I could be limping badly for 2 more days but that should clear within 5. There is a possibility that the treatment will help but not fully relieve the pain. If that happens, I must wait until 11/2 for my Nashville appointment. I still might be able to run Huntsville but can forget about a decent time.
Stay tuned for another update next week.
Good news, I called Atlanta (Marietta to be exact) and guess what, the prolotherapy doctor is able to squeeze me in on Monday morning. I told him that's "fantastic." If the results are as dramatic as with the Achilles injury, I could be back running by the end of next week. I'll have more than a month to get ready for Huntsville. Though I'd just be happy to participate, my current PR is soft and even if I'm not in the best shape, I think I could still run 3:30 with balanced chemistry (I ran 3:35 unbalanced in a time trial). Regardless of how this all plays out, I will plan on not running any more marathons for 4 more years until I turn 34 and my BQ time goes up to 3:15. I reserve the right to change my mind if things go extremely well and I feel that I am talented enough to run a 3:10 on 50 MPW. Possible but highly unlikely. I enjoy the shorter stuff more anyway and it is less time consuming. I still find a half marathon to be plenty challenging.
The pain from this prolotherapy treatment will likely be excruciating. The inflammatory or "healing reaction" is more intense if the patient is in greater pain prior to the treatment. I could be limping badly for 2 more days but that should clear within 5. There is a possibility that the treatment will help but not fully relieve the pain. If that happens, I must wait until 11/2 for my Nashville appointment. I still might be able to run Huntsville but can forget about a decent time.
Stay tuned for another update next week.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Injury update
Nearly a week after my race, the extreme soreness in my knee has not diminished one bit. In fact, I think it has actually gotten worse. The pain is sharp and constant. It is most intense after starting walking as well as bending and straightening my leg. I am walking with a bit of a limp and going up and down stairs is sheer agony. My diagnosis is patellofemoral syndrome or "Runner's knee." I have tried various pills that I took for the thyroid/adrenal situation. The stuff that slows my thyroid stiffens my legs and causes fatigue. The stimulants did not have much of an impact at all. This tells me that my glandular activity is still in relative balance and may actually be a little on the slow side but probably near normal. That's the only good news. There is the possibility that I am dealing with an extreme aldosterone/cortisol imbalance, represented by a severe elevation of sodium relative to potassium on the hair test. In layman's terms, that means that I am vulnerable to a number of inflammatory conditions. That may explain why my performances were still fairly good up until the injury despite feeling more sore than normal after relatively moderate training. For the record, most of my recent medical reports revealed potential for mild-moderate inflammation as referenced by a somewhat elevated Na/K ratio.
Today, I tried loading with zinc, which is known to lower sodium and raise potassium. The groin and leg pain has diminished somewhat but the knee pain has not. I'm not giving up on it yet but I do not have a good feeling. I can also try a B-complex with choline and inositol. I had called Nashville and politely requested that my appointment be moved up if at all possible but did not receive a return call, which was not a surprise. There are 2 other prolotherapy doctors in Georgia, one in Macon (3 hrs) and another in the Atlanta area (2.5 hours). I will call both of them tomorrow to see if they have any appointments next week or early in the following week. I can't take this pain any longer. The good news is that prolotherapy has been very successful for knee injuries even with ligament/cartilage damage so I'm not ruling out participating in Huntsville just yet.
Here's an article on the subject:
http://www.caringmedical.com/sports_injury/runners_knee.asp
If the link doesn't work, just google "Runner's knee" "prolotherapy"
My future as a runner:
The last 2 times I trained all out for a marathon, I ended up sidelined but the first one may not have occurred if I had been wearing proper orthotics. I am seriously considering retirement from marathons altogether just because of the injury risk. It seems that 50-55 miles/wk is just about my sustainable limit. Maybe I can safely jack it up to near 60 for 1 week per month provided that I keep my paces slow enough but the increase would be offset by an occasional race or a down week because of other commitments. Realistically, my average safe volume for a 15 week training program would be 48-50 MPW. What kind of time can I expect with that training? I "might could" crack 3:20 but 3:10 or even 3:15 is out the question. With no hope of a BQ, is it worth the risk of major injury to train all out for a marathon? I say no. The race itself is actually comparatively easy. Heck, I have decided on a whim to do run 26.2 mile training runs and finished safely each time.
If I am to do another one, it will likely be a spur of the moment decision such as an upgrade from the half to the full at the expo without a major time goal. Much of my future depends on the results of the medical report. If it comes back that I had severe inflammation, I can fix that by staying on top of my chemistry and will be less vulnerable to injury in the future. If that's the case, I may try again in another year or 2 but another injury would become "strike 3." If my inflammation level is mild-moderate, that means that the damage was due to overuse and simple "wear and tear." If that's the case, I am simply not cut out for advanced marathon training and my dream of a qualifying for Boston dies here. Sad but true. I won't know for another 3-4 weeks. Regardless of how this shakes out, I had planned to cut the mileage drastically in the Spring of 2011 to focus on my strength, which is hard speed training geared toward middle distance runners. I want those PRs now because within a few years, I will be too old to improve at distances shorter than 5K.
Today, I tried loading with zinc, which is known to lower sodium and raise potassium. The groin and leg pain has diminished somewhat but the knee pain has not. I'm not giving up on it yet but I do not have a good feeling. I can also try a B-complex with choline and inositol. I had called Nashville and politely requested that my appointment be moved up if at all possible but did not receive a return call, which was not a surprise. There are 2 other prolotherapy doctors in Georgia, one in Macon (3 hrs) and another in the Atlanta area (2.5 hours). I will call both of them tomorrow to see if they have any appointments next week or early in the following week. I can't take this pain any longer. The good news is that prolotherapy has been very successful for knee injuries even with ligament/cartilage damage so I'm not ruling out participating in Huntsville just yet.
Here's an article on the subject:
http://www.caringmedical.com/sports_injury/runners_knee.asp
If the link doesn't work, just google "Runner's knee" "prolotherapy"
My future as a runner:
The last 2 times I trained all out for a marathon, I ended up sidelined but the first one may not have occurred if I had been wearing proper orthotics. I am seriously considering retirement from marathons altogether just because of the injury risk. It seems that 50-55 miles/wk is just about my sustainable limit. Maybe I can safely jack it up to near 60 for 1 week per month provided that I keep my paces slow enough but the increase would be offset by an occasional race or a down week because of other commitments. Realistically, my average safe volume for a 15 week training program would be 48-50 MPW. What kind of time can I expect with that training? I "might could" crack 3:20 but 3:10 or even 3:15 is out the question. With no hope of a BQ, is it worth the risk of major injury to train all out for a marathon? I say no. The race itself is actually comparatively easy. Heck, I have decided on a whim to do run 26.2 mile training runs and finished safely each time.
If I am to do another one, it will likely be a spur of the moment decision such as an upgrade from the half to the full at the expo without a major time goal. Much of my future depends on the results of the medical report. If it comes back that I had severe inflammation, I can fix that by staying on top of my chemistry and will be less vulnerable to injury in the future. If that's the case, I may try again in another year or 2 but another injury would become "strike 3." If my inflammation level is mild-moderate, that means that the damage was due to overuse and simple "wear and tear." If that's the case, I am simply not cut out for advanced marathon training and my dream of a qualifying for Boston dies here. Sad but true. I won't know for another 3-4 weeks. Regardless of how this shakes out, I had planned to cut the mileage drastically in the Spring of 2011 to focus on my strength, which is hard speed training geared toward middle distance runners. I want those PRs now because within a few years, I will be too old to improve at distances shorter than 5K.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Injured again
10/11- Fortunately, I had the day off work for Columbus Day. I needed it and may have called in sick if not for the state holiday. Survived a 1.5 mile recovery jog. In the last 3 weeks, I have had extreme soreness in my shins and groin. Now, it's my left knee that is killing me. I was limping pretty badly early but did feel like I got warmed up a bit later. My pace was in the 9s. 2 days after a half, there is no way that I should be this sore. Something is clearly wrong. It feels like a mineral deficiency but taking chromium and manganese was not a quick fix. There are 2 other options that I can try but in any event, I'm doing another diagnostic test to see where I am regarding my chemistry. Yes, I am angry.
Grade:D-/1 credit/distance=1.5
Now, 3 days after the race, I still have pain when walking and going up and down the stairs is torture. I have no choice but to shut it down indefinitely. Yes, I am sore all over and believe that there is something wrong with my body chemistry. I started going downhill after my failure to PR in the 5K on 9/25. I've had a few good workouts since then but come to think of it, I really have not been the same since. What went wrong? Just like last injury, I do not regret trying for the fast marathon but my body failed me again. Until I am balanced, there will be no more marathons in my future. Odds are, the chemical imbalances caused poor connective tissue healing, leaving me vulnerable to injury. Because my right groin was sore, I likely compensated with my left leg and thus put too much strain on my knee. What hurts the most is that I had every reason to believe that I was in balance in September. Whenever I am intentionally misled, I have been known to react harshly so you can guess how I feel now.
What can I do? I am stiff all over and stretching may benefit me a little bit. I tried Lithium and taurine earlier and it made things worse. I tried targeting the neurotransmitters earlier and that too made things worse. I tried adrenal glandulars and chromium/manganese and I did not feel much of an impact. I'm not sure what to make of that. In any event, I have cut off my hair sample and will mail it to the lab as soon as the test kit arrives. That should give me some answers. The best case scenario is that my chemistry has reversed itself to slow oxidation, in which case, the solution is simple and there is still a chance that I will once again be free from pills in the near future. The worst case scenario is that the adrenal fatigue has returned. That means that I am out for the year and will have to rebuild gradually. I suppose that no significant imbalances would be worse yet because it would leave no explanation as to why I feel so bad but I highly doubt that I will see that.
I also called Nashville again and politely requested that they call me if they get a cancellation within the next 3 weeks. I am hopeful that since the knee is an acute problem, one visit will be all that I need. The groin has been a chronic problem so it's no surprise that it has taken multiple visits.
Racing plans:
Mobile 10K- out
Monty 5K- questionable only because it's a fun run
Huntsville- questionable also. I won't do it unless I'm feeling well. I've still got 2 months to go and after the prolotherapy, I'll likely know. At this point, I don't much care about my time and if I had not already signed up, I would scratch it. I may just quit marathon altogether.
Grade:D-/1 credit/distance=1.5
Now, 3 days after the race, I still have pain when walking and going up and down the stairs is torture. I have no choice but to shut it down indefinitely. Yes, I am sore all over and believe that there is something wrong with my body chemistry. I started going downhill after my failure to PR in the 5K on 9/25. I've had a few good workouts since then but come to think of it, I really have not been the same since. What went wrong? Just like last injury, I do not regret trying for the fast marathon but my body failed me again. Until I am balanced, there will be no more marathons in my future. Odds are, the chemical imbalances caused poor connective tissue healing, leaving me vulnerable to injury. Because my right groin was sore, I likely compensated with my left leg and thus put too much strain on my knee. What hurts the most is that I had every reason to believe that I was in balance in September. Whenever I am intentionally misled, I have been known to react harshly so you can guess how I feel now.
What can I do? I am stiff all over and stretching may benefit me a little bit. I tried Lithium and taurine earlier and it made things worse. I tried targeting the neurotransmitters earlier and that too made things worse. I tried adrenal glandulars and chromium/manganese and I did not feel much of an impact. I'm not sure what to make of that. In any event, I have cut off my hair sample and will mail it to the lab as soon as the test kit arrives. That should give me some answers. The best case scenario is that my chemistry has reversed itself to slow oxidation, in which case, the solution is simple and there is still a chance that I will once again be free from pills in the near future. The worst case scenario is that the adrenal fatigue has returned. That means that I am out for the year and will have to rebuild gradually. I suppose that no significant imbalances would be worse yet because it would leave no explanation as to why I feel so bad but I highly doubt that I will see that.
I also called Nashville again and politely requested that they call me if they get a cancellation within the next 3 weeks. I am hopeful that since the knee is an acute problem, one visit will be all that I need. The groin has been a chronic problem so it's no surprise that it has taken multiple visits.
Racing plans:
Mobile 10K- out
Monty 5K- questionable only because it's a fun run
Huntsville- questionable also. I won't do it unless I'm feeling well. I've still got 2 months to go and after the prolotherapy, I'll likely know. At this point, I don't much care about my time and if I had not already signed up, I would scratch it. I may just quit marathon altogether.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Run for Life half report
Training:
After I was freed from dependence on Lithium, I put in the best 4 weeks of training of my life, averaging 63 miles/wk with virtually all of it under 8:00 pace in an effort to get into 3:10 marathon shape by December. Unfortunately, it proved to be too much at this time. Again, I'm not at all disappointed about not qualifying. I expected to fall a bit short this year. What is upsetting is that my body quit on me abruptly after such a great start to the cycle. I began feeling the effects of over training and tweaked an old groin injury. There are no prolotherapy appointment for 4 weeks so I would have no choice but to go into the race at less than 100%. My confidence was pretty low up until a strong Trak Shak run on Wednesday in which I ran 4 miles at 6:45 pace then a 5th mile in 6:08 for an overall time of 33:11. I had not topped 30 miles in 3 weeks but before that I was in the midst of my best training ever so I would indeed go for at least a baby PR (1:32:57), set last December at Baton Rouge.
Trip:
Fairly smooth ride. I stopped in Bessemer on the way to renew my car tag and driver's license. That will save me from taking time off work. Lunch was a Pizza Hut buffet just across the MS border and dinner was a 16 oz. Ribeye at Logan's. The race would be located in the suburbs of Jackson, "Miss'sippy", Madison to be exact and I found the area to be much more congested than I expected. After a quick packet pickup, it took quite a while to drive 4 miles down the road to my cheap motel (Red Roof Inn- just $50). This would be my first MS race experience. I have no desire to race in all 50 states but for the record, I have now done at least a 5K in the following states: PA,WV,SC,GA,FL,AL,MS,LA,TN,IL,OR,ND. That's 12 down and there will be more to come. I could see racing in 25 before it's over. Race morning went without a hitch as I arrived in plenty of time and parked at a Wal-Mart just across the street from the starting line.
Course and race:
The RD said that it's a new course that is "flat and fast with a few moderate hills." Okay. Which is it? Flat and fast or moderately hilly? I did not drive the course because I wanted some relaxation time but the nearby area seemed to be gently rolling. That's fine with me. A few small rollers allow you to use different muscles and may allow for times to be just as fast or even slightly faster than a pancake flat course. It turned out that each of the first 6 miles had at least one fairly significant hill. They weren't too serious, maybe about a 1/4 mile long each and not terribly steep with enough downhill to recover. Still, as to be expected, the RD's definition of flat and fast is not the same as mine. I was out well with a comfortable and measured effort. I would not say that it felt easy but I was only working moderately hard in the early-middle miles. One area of concern was that the mile markers appeared to be consistently long by .01 or .02. Unless there were some shorter miles later on, my Garmin would measure the course to be about a tenth of mile too long. Now, I know the Garmin can be a little off in an urban setting because the tall buildings can affect the reception but in a rural area, it should be accurate and always has been close in the past. Anyway, the plan was to run an even pace around 7-7:05 all the way. I executed the plan quite well. Here are the splits with the Garmin pace in parenthesis:
1- 7:05 (7:01) downhill start, uphill end
2- 6:58 (6:54) more down than up
3- 7:05 (6:58) feel strong, running with a group of 3
4- 6:57 (6:57) finally an accurate mile
5- 7:13 (6:55) this one was 1.04 miles. Something is not right.
6- 7:04 (6:59). Almost halfway there. Even with a long course, I'm still on target for a low-mid 1:32 and feel like I can hold on.
I was worried about running in no-mans land for this race but that didn't happen here. We left one behind but picked up another, the eventual winner of the Master's division. I would trade places with him several times and we said a few words of encouragement. We turned out of a residential development around mile 6 and headed onto a highway. Fortunately, traffic was light early in the morning and the runners had a full lane to ourselves. Here, the terrain was a bit flatter. Instead of rolling hills, it was a mild incline that although noticeable at times, did not significantly slow the pace. We turned around just after the 8 Mile marker. Less than 5 miles to go now. I still feel good and am still on track for a small PR. In Mile 9 and 10, my pace did slow just a tad but I still felt relatively comfortable and resolved not to push it until I had 5K to go.
7-7:00 (7:00). Perfect.
8-9-14:18 (7:05). Missed a mile marker. Slowing a tad.
10- 7:11 (7:11). 70:52 at the 10 mile marker. I need a 22:05 last 5K for a PR. Just hold this pace for 3 more miles then kick home and you'll make it just barely.
The weather was in the upper 50s at the start but by the end, it was pushing 70. With bright sunshine, that can feel a little warm 13 miles into a race. I stopped twice for water and Gatorade. On a cold day, that's enough but today, I should have taken a little more. As planned, I started pushing with 5K to go and gained a few yards on the Master's leader but could not overtake him. Most of the 11th mile was slightly downhill so I needed a fast split here and was disappointed when I didn't get it. Whatever small hope for a PR still remained died when we turned off the highway to see a mile long hill. For those of you familiar with Birmingham, it was about on par with the hill by the Highland Park golf course and got steeper as we neared the top. To put that hill in the 12th mile is downright mean. One mile to go now and with my PR hopes dashed, I punted. My groin was feeling weak and probably altered my stride, my knees were aching and I decided that it was better to finish maybe 15 seconds slower than push too hard and end up in the medical tent. To add insult to injury, after a brief downhill, there was another nasty climb for about a half mile, which was even steeper than the previous one. C'mon man! I wanted to quit but I kept jogging and my instant pace was around 8:30. By the time we went downhill towards the finish, I was shot and was just going through the motions. To my credit, I did manage to finish pretty strong to secure a sub-1:35 finish.
11-7:15 (7:15) downhill, not good.
12-7:53 (7:48) this broke my will.
13-8:06 (7:53) don't care anymore.
.11- 41 (5:58 pace)pretty good finish.
Overall result: Official time: 1:34:47 (7:14 pace for 13.11)/ Garmin result: 7:09 pace for 13.27
Best time of the year and 2nd best all time. 12th overall, 3rd out of 31 in age group.
Final thoughts:
Not what I had hoped for but overall, not too bad. I've run many "pretty good" races in 2010 but am still waiting for the breakthrough. Everybody said that the course was long. Nobody measured the course shorter than 13.26 and the readings were consistent between 13.26-13.30. Since it was a new course this year, I choose to believe that it really was long. If the Garmin was accurate my pace was only 4 seconds slower than Baton Rouge. I only needed 7:35s for the last 2 miles to match my 7:05. Given level ground, I probably could have managed that. My grade is a B. As for the overall experience, I don't regret my choice to run this event but it is not among my favorite half marathons.
Aftermath:
I clearly was not 100% and thus should feel even better about my performance. I should be sore but this is extreme and abnormal. I am even more sore than after my last full marathon. It feels very much like a mineral deficiency. I really do not want to go back on any pill but have reason to believe that a fairly simple adjustment to my diet will solve this issue. Let's hope that I am right. A sedentary person won't even notice a 5% energy loss but for an athlete, it's huge and likely made the difference between a 1:30 and a 1:34:xx.
After I was freed from dependence on Lithium, I put in the best 4 weeks of training of my life, averaging 63 miles/wk with virtually all of it under 8:00 pace in an effort to get into 3:10 marathon shape by December. Unfortunately, it proved to be too much at this time. Again, I'm not at all disappointed about not qualifying. I expected to fall a bit short this year. What is upsetting is that my body quit on me abruptly after such a great start to the cycle. I began feeling the effects of over training and tweaked an old groin injury. There are no prolotherapy appointment for 4 weeks so I would have no choice but to go into the race at less than 100%. My confidence was pretty low up until a strong Trak Shak run on Wednesday in which I ran 4 miles at 6:45 pace then a 5th mile in 6:08 for an overall time of 33:11. I had not topped 30 miles in 3 weeks but before that I was in the midst of my best training ever so I would indeed go for at least a baby PR (1:32:57), set last December at Baton Rouge.
Trip:
Fairly smooth ride. I stopped in Bessemer on the way to renew my car tag and driver's license. That will save me from taking time off work. Lunch was a Pizza Hut buffet just across the MS border and dinner was a 16 oz. Ribeye at Logan's. The race would be located in the suburbs of Jackson, "Miss'sippy", Madison to be exact and I found the area to be much more congested than I expected. After a quick packet pickup, it took quite a while to drive 4 miles down the road to my cheap motel (Red Roof Inn- just $50). This would be my first MS race experience. I have no desire to race in all 50 states but for the record, I have now done at least a 5K in the following states: PA,WV,SC,GA,FL,AL,MS,LA,TN,IL,OR,ND. That's 12 down and there will be more to come. I could see racing in 25 before it's over. Race morning went without a hitch as I arrived in plenty of time and parked at a Wal-Mart just across the street from the starting line.
Course and race:
The RD said that it's a new course that is "flat and fast with a few moderate hills." Okay. Which is it? Flat and fast or moderately hilly? I did not drive the course because I wanted some relaxation time but the nearby area seemed to be gently rolling. That's fine with me. A few small rollers allow you to use different muscles and may allow for times to be just as fast or even slightly faster than a pancake flat course. It turned out that each of the first 6 miles had at least one fairly significant hill. They weren't too serious, maybe about a 1/4 mile long each and not terribly steep with enough downhill to recover. Still, as to be expected, the RD's definition of flat and fast is not the same as mine. I was out well with a comfortable and measured effort. I would not say that it felt easy but I was only working moderately hard in the early-middle miles. One area of concern was that the mile markers appeared to be consistently long by .01 or .02. Unless there were some shorter miles later on, my Garmin would measure the course to be about a tenth of mile too long. Now, I know the Garmin can be a little off in an urban setting because the tall buildings can affect the reception but in a rural area, it should be accurate and always has been close in the past. Anyway, the plan was to run an even pace around 7-7:05 all the way. I executed the plan quite well. Here are the splits with the Garmin pace in parenthesis:
1- 7:05 (7:01) downhill start, uphill end
2- 6:58 (6:54) more down than up
3- 7:05 (6:58) feel strong, running with a group of 3
4- 6:57 (6:57) finally an accurate mile
5- 7:13 (6:55) this one was 1.04 miles. Something is not right.
6- 7:04 (6:59). Almost halfway there. Even with a long course, I'm still on target for a low-mid 1:32 and feel like I can hold on.
I was worried about running in no-mans land for this race but that didn't happen here. We left one behind but picked up another, the eventual winner of the Master's division. I would trade places with him several times and we said a few words of encouragement. We turned out of a residential development around mile 6 and headed onto a highway. Fortunately, traffic was light early in the morning and the runners had a full lane to ourselves. Here, the terrain was a bit flatter. Instead of rolling hills, it was a mild incline that although noticeable at times, did not significantly slow the pace. We turned around just after the 8 Mile marker. Less than 5 miles to go now. I still feel good and am still on track for a small PR. In Mile 9 and 10, my pace did slow just a tad but I still felt relatively comfortable and resolved not to push it until I had 5K to go.
7-7:00 (7:00). Perfect.
8-9-14:18 (7:05). Missed a mile marker. Slowing a tad.
10- 7:11 (7:11). 70:52 at the 10 mile marker. I need a 22:05 last 5K for a PR. Just hold this pace for 3 more miles then kick home and you'll make it just barely.
The weather was in the upper 50s at the start but by the end, it was pushing 70. With bright sunshine, that can feel a little warm 13 miles into a race. I stopped twice for water and Gatorade. On a cold day, that's enough but today, I should have taken a little more. As planned, I started pushing with 5K to go and gained a few yards on the Master's leader but could not overtake him. Most of the 11th mile was slightly downhill so I needed a fast split here and was disappointed when I didn't get it. Whatever small hope for a PR still remained died when we turned off the highway to see a mile long hill. For those of you familiar with Birmingham, it was about on par with the hill by the Highland Park golf course and got steeper as we neared the top. To put that hill in the 12th mile is downright mean. One mile to go now and with my PR hopes dashed, I punted. My groin was feeling weak and probably altered my stride, my knees were aching and I decided that it was better to finish maybe 15 seconds slower than push too hard and end up in the medical tent. To add insult to injury, after a brief downhill, there was another nasty climb for about a half mile, which was even steeper than the previous one. C'mon man! I wanted to quit but I kept jogging and my instant pace was around 8:30. By the time we went downhill towards the finish, I was shot and was just going through the motions. To my credit, I did manage to finish pretty strong to secure a sub-1:35 finish.
11-7:15 (7:15) downhill, not good.
12-7:53 (7:48) this broke my will.
13-8:06 (7:53) don't care anymore.
.11- 41 (5:58 pace)pretty good finish.
Overall result: Official time: 1:34:47 (7:14 pace for 13.11)/ Garmin result: 7:09 pace for 13.27
Best time of the year and 2nd best all time. 12th overall, 3rd out of 31 in age group.
Final thoughts:
Not what I had hoped for but overall, not too bad. I've run many "pretty good" races in 2010 but am still waiting for the breakthrough. Everybody said that the course was long. Nobody measured the course shorter than 13.26 and the readings were consistent between 13.26-13.30. Since it was a new course this year, I choose to believe that it really was long. If the Garmin was accurate my pace was only 4 seconds slower than Baton Rouge. I only needed 7:35s for the last 2 miles to match my 7:05. Given level ground, I probably could have managed that. My grade is a B. As for the overall experience, I don't regret my choice to run this event but it is not among my favorite half marathons.
Aftermath:
I clearly was not 100% and thus should feel even better about my performance. I should be sore but this is extreme and abnormal. I am even more sore than after my last full marathon. It feels very much like a mineral deficiency. I really do not want to go back on any pill but have reason to believe that a fairly simple adjustment to my diet will solve this issue. Let's hope that I am right. A sedentary person won't even notice a 5% energy loss but for an athlete, it's huge and likely made the difference between a 1:30 and a 1:34:xx.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Should I be upset?
3 months ago, I was beginning to come off the GABA/glutamine but was still dependent on Lithium and taurine every day to function at a high level. I should still be pleased with where I am but this development is very disappointing.
Last Monday, I struggled through an easy 10 after a day off and declared my quest to qualify for the Boston marathon to be over. I said that I was quite disappointed but I should clarify that statement. I am not at all disappointed about not qualifying. I expected to fall a little bit short this year. What is upsetting to me is that my body quit on me less than halfway through the training cycle. If I had completed the cycle with relatively minor hitches then got to the starting line in Huntsville but just did not have quite enough and finished around 3:15 or even 3:20, I would hold my head high. With a full year of healthy training next year, chances would look good for 2011. As it is, things went well for 4 weeks then I began to unravel quickly the following week just before a mini-taper was to begin for an important half marathon.
It started with calf pain and shin splints but during and after the easy 10, the pain shifted to the groin and hip area. I concluded that I was simply over trained and 3-5 days off should leave me fresh. I was ready to roll after 4 days. However, the pain in the hip/groin area started again early in my Saturday run and has not significantly diminished since.
To refresh the memory of my readers, I suffered a significant injury to this area when I was 19 and because of my imbalances, the connective tissues never properly healed and the pain would flare up from time to time and when my chemistry was out of whack, it was worse. I tried prolotherapy in the winter and early spring, which likely prevented a debilitating condition.
www.prolotherapynashville.com
I still got some mild pain over the summer from time to time but only when I was slightly unbalanced and believed the treatment to be a success after only 2 rounds. Dr. Johnson said that although he thought 2 treatments would be sufficent, he may need to "touch it again." Don't get me wrong, it's a lot of fun to be examined for trigger points and stuck with a large needle in an area that is already painful but I really would have preferred to be done with this. Insurance doesn't cover me and the cost is in the neighborhood of $500 plus gas to drive 6 hours round trip.
I called the office to find that the hours are 9-5 Tuesday-Friday so I have to wait until 9:30 and then call to see if they can squeeze me in sometime in mid-late afternoon. If not, Wednesday morning will have to do. I need 3 days to fully recover from the injection and a race scheduled for Saturday so if I can't get an appointment by Wednesday, I'm better off putting it off until next week. I am NOT disabled. I ran 10 on Saturday with a fast finish then finished an 8 the next day. With a couple of rest days, I'm sure that I could finish 13.1 miles but if my groin/hip is not near 100%, any chance of a good time is out the window. I'm not stressing over this since it's completely out of my hands.
In retrospect, do I have any regrets? The only thing that I would have done differently was to run my easy workouts a bit slower. According to Daniels, to achieve optimal results in a marathon, one must train at 70+ MPW and for someone with my fitness level based on times at 5K-half mary, easy/long runs should be between 7:59-8:14. I averaged about 7:45 with a range of 7:37-8:00 but I did have rest days and super easy recovery jogs around 9:00 with mileage averaging 62.5 for 4 weeks. Even with balanced chemistry, I could not handle that. Odds are, my hip/groin never was 100% and even if I slowed down, I still may have over-strained it at that mileage. Can prolotherapy fix it now? Will I need additional treatments? I don't know.
Final declaration: When or if I qualify for Boston, it will be my last all out marathon training cycle if not my last marathon altogether. The training is just too time consuming not to mention exhausting and leaves you too vulnerable to injury. If I can't do it at 34, I may not try again for another decade.
Last Monday, I struggled through an easy 10 after a day off and declared my quest to qualify for the Boston marathon to be over. I said that I was quite disappointed but I should clarify that statement. I am not at all disappointed about not qualifying. I expected to fall a little bit short this year. What is upsetting to me is that my body quit on me less than halfway through the training cycle. If I had completed the cycle with relatively minor hitches then got to the starting line in Huntsville but just did not have quite enough and finished around 3:15 or even 3:20, I would hold my head high. With a full year of healthy training next year, chances would look good for 2011. As it is, things went well for 4 weeks then I began to unravel quickly the following week just before a mini-taper was to begin for an important half marathon.
It started with calf pain and shin splints but during and after the easy 10, the pain shifted to the groin and hip area. I concluded that I was simply over trained and 3-5 days off should leave me fresh. I was ready to roll after 4 days. However, the pain in the hip/groin area started again early in my Saturday run and has not significantly diminished since.
To refresh the memory of my readers, I suffered a significant injury to this area when I was 19 and because of my imbalances, the connective tissues never properly healed and the pain would flare up from time to time and when my chemistry was out of whack, it was worse. I tried prolotherapy in the winter and early spring, which likely prevented a debilitating condition.
www.prolotherapynashville.com
I still got some mild pain over the summer from time to time but only when I was slightly unbalanced and believed the treatment to be a success after only 2 rounds. Dr. Johnson said that although he thought 2 treatments would be sufficent, he may need to "touch it again." Don't get me wrong, it's a lot of fun to be examined for trigger points and stuck with a large needle in an area that is already painful but I really would have preferred to be done with this. Insurance doesn't cover me and the cost is in the neighborhood of $500 plus gas to drive 6 hours round trip.
I called the office to find that the hours are 9-5 Tuesday-Friday so I have to wait until 9:30 and then call to see if they can squeeze me in sometime in mid-late afternoon. If not, Wednesday morning will have to do. I need 3 days to fully recover from the injection and a race scheduled for Saturday so if I can't get an appointment by Wednesday, I'm better off putting it off until next week. I am NOT disabled. I ran 10 on Saturday with a fast finish then finished an 8 the next day. With a couple of rest days, I'm sure that I could finish 13.1 miles but if my groin/hip is not near 100%, any chance of a good time is out the window. I'm not stressing over this since it's completely out of my hands.
In retrospect, do I have any regrets? The only thing that I would have done differently was to run my easy workouts a bit slower. According to Daniels, to achieve optimal results in a marathon, one must train at 70+ MPW and for someone with my fitness level based on times at 5K-half mary, easy/long runs should be between 7:59-8:14. I averaged about 7:45 with a range of 7:37-8:00 but I did have rest days and super easy recovery jogs around 9:00 with mileage averaging 62.5 for 4 weeks. Even with balanced chemistry, I could not handle that. Odds are, my hip/groin never was 100% and even if I slowed down, I still may have over-strained it at that mileage. Can prolotherapy fix it now? Will I need additional treatments? I don't know.
Final declaration: When or if I qualify for Boston, it will be my last all out marathon training cycle if not my last marathon altogether. The training is just too time consuming not to mention exhausting and leaves you too vulnerable to injury. If I can't do it at 34, I may not try again for another decade.
training 10/4-10/10 (race week... maybe)
10/4- Tried some Lithium, which didn't work then tried some tyrosine and Vitamin C to kickstart the adrenals. The pills left me as stiff as a board with shortness of breath. Actually, this is a relief. I endured a rough 24-36 hours until it cleared my system but the peace of mind knowing that I am still free from those pills was worth it. The attempted workout was a downward ladder. Mile: 7:08, 800: 3:18, 400: 89. No typos. That was as fast as I could go unbalanced. The excess should clear by tomorrow.
Grade:F+/1 credit/distance=2.0
10/5- AM workout before waiting to hear about from the doc. 3 mile tempo at Vestavia HS with a bathroom break. Time was 20:30 (6:50 pace) with a final lap in 93 seconds. Splits were 6:59-6:50-6:41. The poison had still not completely cleared my system but I was clearly better than I was just over 12 hours ago. No evening workout only because I have a race this week. Groin/hip was much better. The race is a "go" for Saturday. One irritation was that when the doctor finally called around 11 AM, the news was that there would be no prolotherapy appointments available for the next 4 weeks. This winter, I was able to get one in 2 days and there were numerous slots the next week as well. Something seems fishy there. Perhaps, he's busier in the Fall treating football injuries.
Grade:C+/1 credit/distance=3.0
10/6- Trak Shak 5. The plan was to run the first 4 at goal half mary pace (7:00) then sprint the last mile in less than 6 minutes. I quickly settled into 6:45 pace and felt fine. 1st 4 miles were very even (6:45-6:45-6:44-6:49) to hit the 4 mile mark in a strong 27:03. As planned, I had another gear for Mile 5. I could not manage sub-6 pace but turned in a solid 6:08, which is faster than my 5K PR pace. Final stats were an overall time of 33:11, which is an average pace of 6:38. That's comparable to my 10K PR pace of 6:36, which was run at an even pace. This is a huge confidence boost for race day. I may not PR but should run well. The groin was mildly tender and it's unlikely that it will be 100% until after prolotherapy. That could hurt me but it wasn't 100% in Baton Rouge last year either and I still smashed my PR.
Grade:A-/2 credits/distance=6.0
10/7- Scheduled rest day, feel pretty good. I'm going into the race with low-balled expectations but will not count myself out. Despite recent sub-par workouts, I am just 3 weeks removed from the best training of my life. I was doing great the week before Nashville but come race day, I was awful. In contrast, leading up to Mercedes '09, I was horrible but then proceeded to run a 6.5 minute PR so you never know.
Sub-1:30 is a pipe dream so I won't even list it here.
A goal: sub-7 pace (1:31:30) is a long shot
B goal:PR by even 1 second (7:05 pace) or 1:32:56
C goal: BQ pace for 13.1 (1:35:30)
D goal: beat my best time of the year (1:37:55) set on a tough Atlanta course after coming off the Achilles injury.
Anything less than that would be considered a failure though I do not give myself an "F" in a race unless I DNF it. I could limp to the line in over 2 hours and I get a D minus.
10/8- 1 mile worth of junk and a couple of strides.
Grade: Pass/ 0 credit/distance=1.0
10/9- Run for Life half in 1:34:47 (#2 all time), best time of the year.
Grade:B/4 credits/distance=14.0
10/10- Left knee is too sore for even a recovery jog. This is abnormal soreness and feels like a chromium/manganese deficiency. Can I fix it by adjusting my diet or do I need pills again?
Grade:F/1 credit/distance=0
Weekly summary:
Third straight week below 30 miles. If I can't get this turned around soon, not only will I not BQ, I won't even PR at Huntsville.
Distance=26.0/ GPA= 22.0/9= 2.44
Grade:F+/1 credit/distance=2.0
10/5- AM workout before waiting to hear about from the doc. 3 mile tempo at Vestavia HS with a bathroom break. Time was 20:30 (6:50 pace) with a final lap in 93 seconds. Splits were 6:59-6:50-6:41. The poison had still not completely cleared my system but I was clearly better than I was just over 12 hours ago. No evening workout only because I have a race this week. Groin/hip was much better. The race is a "go" for Saturday. One irritation was that when the doctor finally called around 11 AM, the news was that there would be no prolotherapy appointments available for the next 4 weeks. This winter, I was able to get one in 2 days and there were numerous slots the next week as well. Something seems fishy there. Perhaps, he's busier in the Fall treating football injuries.
Grade:C+/1 credit/distance=3.0
10/6- Trak Shak 5. The plan was to run the first 4 at goal half mary pace (7:00) then sprint the last mile in less than 6 minutes. I quickly settled into 6:45 pace and felt fine. 1st 4 miles were very even (6:45-6:45-6:44-6:49) to hit the 4 mile mark in a strong 27:03. As planned, I had another gear for Mile 5. I could not manage sub-6 pace but turned in a solid 6:08, which is faster than my 5K PR pace. Final stats were an overall time of 33:11, which is an average pace of 6:38. That's comparable to my 10K PR pace of 6:36, which was run at an even pace. This is a huge confidence boost for race day. I may not PR but should run well. The groin was mildly tender and it's unlikely that it will be 100% until after prolotherapy. That could hurt me but it wasn't 100% in Baton Rouge last year either and I still smashed my PR.
Grade:A-/2 credits/distance=6.0
10/7- Scheduled rest day, feel pretty good. I'm going into the race with low-balled expectations but will not count myself out. Despite recent sub-par workouts, I am just 3 weeks removed from the best training of my life. I was doing great the week before Nashville but come race day, I was awful. In contrast, leading up to Mercedes '09, I was horrible but then proceeded to run a 6.5 minute PR so you never know.
Sub-1:30 is a pipe dream so I won't even list it here.
A goal: sub-7 pace (1:31:30) is a long shot
B goal:PR by even 1 second (7:05 pace) or 1:32:56
C goal: BQ pace for 13.1 (1:35:30)
D goal: beat my best time of the year (1:37:55) set on a tough Atlanta course after coming off the Achilles injury.
Anything less than that would be considered a failure though I do not give myself an "F" in a race unless I DNF it. I could limp to the line in over 2 hours and I get a D minus.
10/8- 1 mile worth of junk and a couple of strides.
Grade: Pass/ 0 credit/distance=1.0
10/9- Run for Life half in 1:34:47 (#2 all time), best time of the year.
Grade:B/4 credits/distance=14.0
10/10- Left knee is too sore for even a recovery jog. This is abnormal soreness and feels like a chromium/manganese deficiency. Can I fix it by adjusting my diet or do I need pills again?
Grade:F/1 credit/distance=0
Weekly summary:
Third straight week below 30 miles. If I can't get this turned around soon, not only will I not BQ, I won't even PR at Huntsville.
Distance=26.0/ GPA= 22.0/9= 2.44
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