I can see clearly now, the pain is gone...

Humans have an incredible capacity for managing chronic pain. We shove it down or ignore it or incorporate it into our baseline and carry on. I suspect that the long distance runner's capacity for pain is even greater than that of the average human.  Statistics on running injuries report that up to 70% of us will have an injury in any given year, yet we run on. Suffice to say, we know something about pain.

In the middle of my 20 miler yesterday, it occurred to me that I was no longer in pain. Any pain. In the ten months post-surgery, I have struggled with and complained of persistent deep calf pain. During a run, I would warm up, but the dull ache remained. Stretching or foam rolling was excruciating. But yesterday, somewhere around 2 miles in, I realized that I was comfortable. After so many months of ignoring the pain in my calf, the realization that it was absent actually put a smile on my face.

A few weeks ago, a friend asked me when the pain stopped. He recently had surgery on a tendon in his foot and is about 6 months behind me recovery-wise. I told him I'd let him know when it did, not what he wanted to hear, but honesty seemed like a better choice. At the time, I wasn't convinced it ever would. We've shared a similar recovery trajectory; promised an easy recovery, experiencing one wrought with delays and setbacks. He may have broken my record for weeks in a boot/on crutches over predicted.  I was happy to see him today to announce that in fact, I wasn't in pain anymore.  I expected that day about 8 months ago, but I'll take it however it goes.

So today, I add a new milestone to my recovery: finally pain free, 10 months post-surgery. 

Eat That, Not This: Bonk Breaker

I can eat almost anything and run. I've been known to try absolute no-no foods, just to see if I can. For the record, I can't do chocolate, but Thai food is fine. It's not that I couldn't stomach the Bonk Breaker, it's just that I never, ever want to again.

Bonk Breaker was a stocking stuffer. I'm low on groceries and grabbed it on my way out the door for the gym. In fairness to the BB company, maybe it was the flavor (Peanut Butter and Jelly), but I have to give it two thumbs down, and that includes strawberry-banana Gu.

Imagine you made a PB and J on stale wheat bread. 6 months ago. And left it in your car to melt together, then freeze, then thaw, then freeze again.  It would still be better than the Bonk Breaker. Harsh, sure, but come on. I am excited for all gluten and dairy free options out there, but there has to be a better offering than this. Until then, you'll need to pry my Gu (Just Plain, Chocolate Outrage or Orange) out of my cold little hands.

Websites:
http://www.bonkbreaker.com/
http://www.guenergy.com/

This Week's Workload: 12 Weeks to Go

We're 12 weeks from Boston tomorrow, which means I have 10 weeks of work and 2 weeks of taper left before I toe the line in Hopkinton. It's time to start thinking about goals and honing in on some quality workouts to help me achieve them.  I have had a few good weeks of training recently, including a workout of 800s last Thursday that felt positively easy. I'm smart enough to know that everything can go right in training and crash on race day, but I'm hopeful that the next 10 weeks will result in my strongest marathon to date.

I have three quality workouts planned for this week, and a total of about 60 miles of running. I would like to do more, but I am focusing on tuning up speed over endurance this cycle and tired legs can't run fast.

*Long Run: Sub-zero temps combined with Raynaud's meant I had no choice but to head indoors so I did a 16 miler this morning. On the treadmill. It was as bad as you might imagine.
*Tempo: I normally do a tempo run on Saturday before my long run to simulate race day, but I had to get my car repaired, so instead, I'll do it tomorrow on tired legs.  8 miles, with 6 at 6:40 pace, approximately my 10K pace.
*Intervals: My least favorite, ever. I am always the one who falls for more reps of shorter intervals over longer intervals and this week is no exception. I cannot tell you the number of times I have begged for quarter repeats instead of 1200s and gone on to regret it. This week, I'm doing 20 by 200 and hoping for very consistent 40 second repeats and will be focusing on form, particularly arm swing and knee drive.

Have a great week of running all. Stay warm. Spring will come again.

S

The Lone Wolf

(Names somewhat masked because I didn’t ask permission…hope you know who you are)

I’ve always approached running as a solitary activity.  After all, no one else can get you from miles 20 to 26.2. It’s you against the Wall and the world. In the past few months, however, I’m starting to rethink my approach and realizing the wealth of opportunities for learning and improvement from running with a group.

My first inkling that I didn’t have to do this all alone came in the December half marathon. Rather than fight the pack of guys who joined me at the mile mark and do my customary “drop ahead or behind, anything to run alone move,” I hung out with them.  They told me about the history of a beautiful tree. One shared his experiences coaching a local high school. We pressed on together. We took turns leading but stayed in a pack until mile 8, when it was time for me to drop the proverbial hammer per my race plan. Unlike mile 8 in other half marathons, I was surprised almost an hour had passed. I was surprised to find responsive legs. I was surprised to mourn the loss of my pack. 

A further rebuttal of my lone wolf way has crept up on me as I become more involved with the local running group.  On Sunday, I joined them for a long run.  Not that anyone would believe it, but I am incredibly shy about running with other people. Tell you my life story, pitch you a research paper or sell you ice cubes in January, fine.  But you want me to run with you?  Um…I got over it and met them for an 8 o’clock run. And I didn’t even vomit from nerves. We set out as a big group, then splintered off as the paces spread out.  We got to have those first conversations of “What do you do?” and “What have you run?” and the inevitable Vermont question, “Oh! Do you know so and so?” as we plodded on through snow, slush, ice and wind.  Towards the end of the run, there were just 4 of us left.  I was badgering M with questions to get him to slow down. In the interim, I was gathering details from everyone’s lives, running and otherwise.  In the days following, it has occurred to me that by running alone, I was missing much of the texture of running. I was missing everyone else’s story, everyone else’s “best running lesson ever.” For that matter, I was missing everyone’s best life lesson ever.

This was corroborated on our mini group run tonight. My friend Katie and I planned to run and I wanted to check out SkiRack’s Thursday night fun run, so I convinced her we wouldn’t go too fast and we headed out with S leading us. During the run, I discovered that S not only has a Masters in Sports Psychology, but also manages to balance a travel intensive job with running and coaching. Talk about a wealth of knowledge of which I would be totally unawares if I were out there plodding alone. As I prepare for Boston, and for another racing season, I’m hoping to absorb his knowledge via osmosis. 

Running alone some of the time is character building and just a logistical necessity. Especially in smaller marathons, there is a distinct possibility you will spend some time alone and if you aren’t mentally ready, well hang on, it gets really dark in there. However, with highs of 5 this weekend, I admit to looking forward to having other people to share the road with. Looking forward, I’m excited to be a human sponge, soaking up hundreds of cumulative years of racing and running knowledge that I would otherwise be wasting. 

So to M, J, B, K and others from Sunday, to Katie and S tonight, to the guys from the Roxbury Half, thanks for shedding some light on why you all have been running together for years, and for letting me join the pack.

Run On.

S

Wordless Wednesday: Count to 10 and you'll be done...

Many thanks to RunVermont for capturing this beauty of a race photo...

Food for Thought

On a cold, slippery winter's day...

“Every morning in Africa, a Gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a Lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest Gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn't matter whether you are a Lion or a Gazelle... when the sun comes up, you'd better be running.”

Run On.

S

Wordless Wednesday: Oh, the places you'll go

Hood to Coast Movie TONIGHT

We so rarely get running movies and even more rarely have the opportunity to see them on the big screen, so if you need a little winter motivation, tonight's your night.  The Hood to Coast movie is out today only (1/11/11) in selected theaters.  The link is below if you're not local, but the Burlington area theater is Palace 9 on Shelburne Road.

Unfortunately, the show is at 8 and runs for over 2 hours, making tomorrow morning's run a bit painful, but I imagine that this movie will be well worth the sleep deprivation. Plus, movie popcorn can almost pass as a carbohydrate, so you can happily learn, motivate and fuel simultaneously.

http://www.fathomevents.com/sports/event/hoodtocoast.aspx

Run On.
S

(Speaking of movies, RunVermont is sponsoring My Run movie viewings on Saturday at 4 and 7, more on that later)

It was a good week.

Sometimes, things just click. After a December I'd rather forget, I benefited from some of that "resolution" mania floating around and had a great week of running. I moved my runs back to the morning, ran the hard workouts hard and the recovery workouts at recovery pace.  My tempo run today felt effortless and (knock on wood), nothing hurts. Even my calf, which is in consistent pain, isn't bothering me too much.

Is it a subconscious New Year's Resolution? My new calf compression sleeves? Luck? I don't know. I know that it feels good to have a good week of training done, and encourages me to add a second week to that streak. I know that a PR in Boston seems closer to the realm of possibilities.  I know that getting up to do 14 miles tomorrow morning is much easier after a good week than a bad week.

I'm so excited to have a good week in the bank. I hope you had one too. If you didn't, I hope tomorrow marks the beginning of one.  It's like that quip we heard as children from parents and teachers: if at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

Run On
~S

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: Gear

What it takes to run in the winter: Reflective strips and vest, red flasher, headlamp, hat, glittens and RoadID

Shoe Rotation for January and February

Race Report: RunVermont First Run (aka why I hate the 5K)

5Ks bring a special kind of pain. Unlike the marathon, which feels easy until about mile 20, the 5K hurts at the start, in the middle and at the end. Badly. As a result, I am happy to announce that I survived the First Run 5K with only a little vomit (not my own), fleeting discomfort and a hissy fit that only lasted through my cool-down.

We had bizarre weather this weekend. New Year's typically finds us firmly below zero, but highs on Saturday were close to 50, beautiful weather for a race.  At the start, many of us remarked that we weren't even slightly cold in tee shirts and shorts. Those in costume were almost definitely overheated. (My personal awards?  The two-women bobsled teams, the Gingerbread Man and Spiderman, whom I suspect ran the entire race in character).

I am a terrible short distance runner, so didn't have great expectations, especially coming off a stomach bug and fueled primarily by cookies and brie.  I resigned myself to the simple goals of survival and a smart race and went 1 for 2.

I started way too fast, ticking off the first mile somewhere around 6:10, totally inappropriate for my current fitness. Per usual, I got distracted during the second mile and my pace dropped precipitously. Even other ponytails passing me failed to kick me into gear. I hit the second mile around 13:20. I did manage to collect myself in the third mile, finishing in 20:03.  My prize for finishing?  Vomit down the back of my legs, courtesy of the runner behind me, second worst chute experience ever.

Lessons learned?  Don't get pulled along in a hard start. Work more on turnover. Run more 5Ks so they hurt less and you finally figure out how to pace. Brie and cookies are not great running fuel.

Congrats to all 600 some runners who kicked off the New Year in style.

Run On
~S