Weekly Report #7

Well, I seem to be getting closer to deciphering the cause of my leg/hip pain. I managed to run this week after a brief (it felt like forever) period of rest and have been monitoring exactly what is causing it. For example, the minute I put on my running shoes and started walking, I felt pain. However once I started running, after maybe a mile and a half, it went away. Interesting...

Motion Control shoes (the type I wear see here) are designed to help people who overpronate when they run, which means that much of the load is sustained by the inside of the foot. Now, I overpronate mainly because I have classic "fat guy" legs. When I stand up straight, my legs are touching each other all the way down to the knee, where they bow out.

It could be that the shoe's tendency to force you to use the outside of the foot, is messing with my leg's alignment to the hip, therefore causing the discomfort. Sounds plausible. Right? Only one problem: I used these shoes with no problem at all for 100+ miles. Why is it bothering me now? Well there is theory #2: It's time to change shoes because the both the sole and the cushioning are wasted. I am not a shoe expert so it is hard for me to determine just when is it time to switch. I was told a good pair of running shoes can last up ti 350 miles so it is way early for these but then again my weight is a factor here.

 

The outside of the soles are totally wasted

Those wrinkles are a sign of "crushed" cushioning? I don't know

Want to talk wear? Check this action out.

That pair of shoes cost $130. Not what I usually pay for shoes of any kind so it bugs me that maybe I got to get new ones so fast. I mean, when I was the definition of couch potato, a pair of shoes could last me many years. So having to get new ones after 6 months (maybe less) is kind baffling to me. I'm thinking of buying a pair of Brooks Beasts which I have often heard described as "tanks" because of their durability.

As usual, I try to look at the positives and my two runs this week were pretty good. I was a bit sore but after not running for a while, it was to be expected. I took it easy both because of not running for a while and because of the pain but as I mentioned, after a while running, it went away.

Tuesday, September 18 - 2 miles

My comeback run. The pain was bothering me a bit but, it went away after a while. Also, the pain wasn't that bad as before the week off. I was not limping and was not favoring the other leg. I took it slow and it was OK. 

Thursday, September 20 - 3 miles

I was a bit sore from the previous run but I was itching to run 3 miles so once again, I took it slow and went on. Once again, the pain faded as I ran further. By the end of the run, I was walking fine back home and after cooling down, it came back but only a little bit.

Hopefully,this week I can start executing my plan (see here) and run a little further. Any input on the shoes will be appreciated.

Weekly Report #6 (...sort of)

OK, I did not run last week. Not at all, not even a little bit.

Although technically...

As I mentioned last post, I was traveling to Philly last week and I was supposed to test out the ole' hip running on a treadmill at the hotel. Well, it didn't work out that way. While at the airport, the hip really started to bother me. I got a bit worried and decided to not run at all and head straight to the doctor when I got back to Puerto Rico. Well, after arriving at the hotel (and two days of no sleep) I went straight to bed and slept a really long while. I hadn't done that in long while and, anyone with small kids (and I got three small girls) will tell you sleep is a precious thing. I woke up refreshed and feeling a lot better so after the meeting we went sightseeing and did a lot of walking. Maybe rest is what I needed after all.

If you are starting to notice a trend here, you are not wrong. I'm avoiding the doctor like the plague. The last time I was in pain and couldn't work out I went and got bad news (compressed disc) and had to stop doing the workout video I was doing at the time. So I'm kind of scared I will be told something that will stop me from running. Now, before I keep going I should clear up I kind of, sort of ran last week. I said We did some sightseeing. Well, we were in Philadelphia so when in Rome...

We saw the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and of course we just had to have a cheesesteak sandwich at Pat's King of Steaks...

As if I needed any proof that the place is world famous this big SUV parks right in front of our bench and the Mayor of New Jersey pops out to buy one as well. He could use a bit of running himself...

Then, we just had to do it... I mean what runner (or wannabe runner like me) would pass up the opportunity? We went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art or, as everyone knows the place, "The Rocky Steps."!! 

For years, the famous Rocky statue was kept right where they put it in the film at the top of the steps but then, it was moved several times to several places but people wanted it back where it belonged. The Museum though did not think the statue was in keeping with the theme of the place so they didn't want it there. So, they struck a compromise and placed it at the base of the steps a little bit to the side. The irony is, people visit the statue and the steps more than the museum.

OF COURSE I RAN UP THE DARN THING! Like you wouldn't. It was a bit weird though. My leg would hurt when I was running on level ground but while climbing the actual steps I felt nothing. Also, my pants were falling off going up. Probably good new right? My pants are looser? I actually have a video of it but the camerawoman took it on portrait orientation and now I can't seem to edit it (or even see it) so you don't get to see it.

Anyway, that is all the running I did all week. We got back and, since I was feeling better, did not go to the doctor. I did run this week but I will get to that on another post.

A Simple Plan... (and a Weekly Report)

So I'm kind of joining two posts here but the reason is simple: The weekly report is so short that I can't really call it a post. I ran only once this past week. Here's what happened.

My leg is still hurting. It happened during my first race. I just didn't notice. Because everything else was hurting as well, I just didn't notice. A couple of days later after all the usual pains subsided, I noticed the leg thing wasn't going away. I took the weekend off to give it some rest but this Tuesday, I laced up and boy did I pay for it.

Tuesday, September 4 - 4 miles
It was still bothering me but I thought I'd take it slow and see what happened. I limped almost the entire way. Of course, favoring my right leg led to, of course, my left leg to start hurting. I can only wonder how ridiculous I must have looked. People probably thought I was either running or doing Victor Cruz's touchdown salsa dance while I walked very quickly. There was no way I was going to keep that up the whole way and sure enough, by mile three I had to stop. That final mile was a real struggle but I barely made it. Not my finest hour.

It's ironic then, with my leg still hurting, that I will talk about my plan to improve the way I run my next race but since I'm not running I got time to write. Also, I will address what I'm going to do about it.

I'm heading to Philadelphia on business tomorrow so I'm taking advantage of it. Since I have been taking it easy and haven't run since Tuesday, I will have given myself a full week to shake whatever this is off. Plus, since I'm traveling and at a hotel, I will run on Tuesday at their fitness center on a treadmill, further reducing the stress you normally bear while on the road. If there is no progress and my leg is still hurting, then I'm heading for the Doctor as soon as I get off the plane home. If I see improvement, then I will run on the hotel treadmill again on Thursday. Yes, I have been avoiding going to the doctor but it worries me the Doc will tell me its something that won't let me run.

As for my plan, here's my plan:

1. Increase my mileage: Nothing over the top. I have been running three times a week, 3 miles, 3miles, 5 miles. So I'm going to shoot for 4 miles, 4 miles, 5 miles. The logic behind that is simply that I will be over-shooting the race distance every run. I want 3 miles to be an afterthought. The only way that is going to happen is by running longer distances. I don't want to over-do it so this is, I think is the best compromise.

2. Cross-Training: After the race, I was feeling particularly weak in my lower abdomen. It wasn't just muscular, it was that whole area kind of telling me "well if you plan on running this hard regularly you need to strengthen this general area you know." So, twice a week, I will do some strength training to work my core and upper body.

And that's it. Nothing extreme or crazy. Just a slight bump in mileage and some extra work to balance my workouts. Hopefully, it will help me improve my next race.

Weekly Report #4

No, I did not miss a number and I do know how to count. It is Report #4 because I count the recap of a race (like last week) as a report. 

This past week was a "recovery/injury" week for me. After the soreness from the race went away, I noticed I was feeling a sharp pain where my femur meets my hip. I'm not a Doctor and I can't name a lot of the bones in my body but this particular pain seems to be coming from the inside. Like, from the bone. When I went running on Thursday, I was limping a bit but after warming up it went away. The next day, it was really bothering me. I took the weekend off but today, I can still kind of feel it. When I run tomorrow, if the problem persist, I'm going to have to get checked out. Is it a pinched nerve? (feels like it) Arthritis? (Hope not!) It doesn't seem to be muscular.

Tuesday, August 28 - 2 miles

I really didn't want to run. I was still sore from the race and wasn't really up to it but I ran anyway. It was one of the best runs I have ever done. It really helped me get my head together. It was slow and short and wonderful. I had never understood what people meant when they said they were energized by a run or that they felt refreshed by a run. I get it now. 31:54.

Thursday, August 30 - 3 miles

Just for the heck of it. I re-loaded the playlist I made for the race again for this run. Never mind that I was kind of limping and was supposed to take things slow but the way I ran the race was still nagging me so I just wanted to prove I could do it. Sure enough, Journey was halfway through "Don't Stop Believing" when I crossed the 3 mile marker. (More like the house where Google told me it was 3 miles)  So there, I can do it. I could have done it at the race if I hadn't thrown my plan through the window. Next page please.   43:25.

Looking at(and Enjoying) the Good Things

Right after my first race, I wrote the recap of how it went and vowed to let you know about all the things I was going to do improve on the many things I did wrong or didn't do. But something happened before I could put my potential plan in writing:

I ran.

Also, my results finally showed up on the website: 48:54. Par for the course for me. I'm certainly going to write about the things I'm going to improve for my next 5K (Susan G. Komen's Race for the Cure at the end of September) but after running on Tuesday I got to reflect a lot and decided to do something first. I'm going to go over how far I have come since I started running 5  months ago. While I was very critical of my performance, I don't want to give the impression that I was frustrated or sad. Quite the opposite. I was quite excited. I saw all the nitpicking I was doing as a good sign. Not only had I just run my first race, I was already thinking about the next one. I was taking it seriously. I am really starting to get into running.

After the race, I was very sore. I wasn't really up to it, but I thought doing an easy run would help me "flush" the lactic acid. So off I went. It was a short run: Only two miles and a very easy and slow pace.  It was the complete opposite of the race. I was in total control. I was happy to be running despite the soreness. It helped me clear my head and get my act together. By the end of the run I had a much clearer picture of what I had to do. I had to take it easy. See, after the race I was going a bit Cuckoo. All I was thinking was "I got to add more mileage! I got to run harder!." I was completely missing the point. I have gotten this far by being patient. Maintaining that line of thinking was going to probably get me injured or worse, away from running. So its important for me to see where I'm coming from before I go forward.

When I started, I could only run a mile and a half.  It was a struggle. Every breath, an effort. I remember reading that you should run at a pace that allowed you to talk. I didn't get it. The only pace were I could do that was walking. Taking a step up a curb was an involved process were I started thinking about it 500 yards before it happened. The last half mile was particularly painful. But I got better.

When I started running, my running form was a joke. It was barely running actually. Walkers would pass me. Yes, I was struggling to keep up with people walking. It was pathetic. I would drag my feet on the asphalt because I could barely lift my feet. But it got better.

When I started running, the first few times, I had to rest an entire week to try it again. I would need three days many times after that. But it got better.

Yes, it got better. While I still have a long way to go, progress is progress. Today, I can run 5 miles. That's more than triple the distance I started with.

OK, so I'm still slow. But I have recorded my pace in the 14's. That's faster than when I started. Walkers are having a hard time catching up now. lol

My running form has improved a lot. I don't drag my feet anymore. I have a lot more control. I can speed  up, slow down and control my pace (Though it would seem I forgot about that during the race).

All those things came rushing back into my head while on my run Tuesday. Yes, I have a long way to go but I have also come so far from where I started. Yes, I run 14 minute miles but you know how fast I was running those miles  last year? Zero. Zip. I wasn't doing anything. I have run over 130 miles this year(so far). How many did I run last year? Zero. 

I'd say, I'm doing pretty good.

Popular Bank's 5K Race Recap

Lets get this out of the way: It was great, I had fun... yadda yadda yadda.

It was an extremely overcast and humid day last Sunday. While it was a bit warm, the lack of Sun made it a great day for running a race. The shadow of Hurricane Isaac was still over the island. While I was told that people do not wear the race shirt to the actual race, the starting line looked like a New York street filled with taxi cabs on rush hour. Maybe things work differently here in Puerto Rico. My wife and a good friend of ours accompanied me and gave me support. Because of the threat of rain, the girls stayed at Grandma's.

GangGreen in a sea of Yellow

Of course, nothing went as planned and all the mistakes I was planning to avoid weren't avoided at all but bear with me. Let us start with the bad.

1. I was told again and again. I read it again and again. Take it easy and don't start too fast. Yeah right. Out I went and sure enough, being at the back of the pack, I was passing people left and right. I was feeling fine so I barely noticed that compared to my usual snail pace I was sprinting like a galloping horse. Of course this didn't last too long. Which led to my next issue.

2. I couldn't run the entire way. The course was basically a rectangle. We went up one street and came down the other. The course was basically flat but on the cross from one street to the other it was uphill. My legs  simply were not going to stand for that so they went on strike and I walked up the hill. So there goes running the entire way. Just in case I needed conformation that I ran too fast, the soreness I feel today seals the deal. I haven't felt this way after running 3 miles in a while.

3. Now, one would think that since I'm not psycho or anything, I would take it easier on the way back but as soon as I started running again, Flash was back. I don't know why... Maybe subconsciously I was trying to make up for the "lost" time walking. I tried to keep it up the whole way but I just couldn't. There is a silver lining to this, but I will leave it for the good things about my first race.

4. I ran out of tunes. As I mentioned here, I had prepared a playlist that lasted 46 minutes and change. The purpose was to time myself and hopefully finish the race somewhere around the last song. (Journey - Don't Stop Believing) I fell short. It wasn't by a lot - the .1 in the 3.1 miles - but still, it stung a bit.

5. I don't know exactly what my time was. Not only are my results not showing up in the website, but I could not time it myself because when I turned on Run Keeper, the GPS was not working. Thinking I would just check the time from the race website, I turned it back off.

I wouldn't be writing this if there weren't some positive things. Right off the bat I have to say:

1. I will definitely run again. Another race I mean. The minute I crossed the finish line I was already figuring out how to run a better one next time. Which, of course, means...

2. I CROSSED THE FINISH LINE!

3. Despite my frenzied pace, I didn't walk that much. (The aforementioned silver lining to #3) Which means the prospect for a faster 5K is not that far away. The potential of a runner is starting to peek out of me. LOL

4. Not to mention the prospect of running the entire race next time. (which will be my #1 short term goal as of today)

5. Getting my first race bling. Before this race, I wasn't really thinking about it or giving it much importance. Everyone that finishes gets one after all so, why are they special? Well, you have to run a race to "get" it. If someone would have handed me one before the race I would still not care. After training like I did, running the race, and crossing the finish line, getting that medal really meant something. Even on such a short race. It really adds to your sense of accomplishment. The bag with plums and an orange they gave with the medal sure didn't hurt either.

That green shirt sure got darker after the race.

There is a bunch of stuff I want to work on for next time and I will write about it on the next post but for right now, I'm basking in the glory of running my very first race.

Isaac the Schmuck

What a week. Just as I was hoping to get at least a final run before my first 5K, a Tropical Storm of all things makes certain that it will not be so. Ever since last weekend, we have been watching this thing develop into a Storm and heading towards the island. What's worst, it was preceded by a band of rain that started on Monday (Usually it gets eerily calm and rain-less just before a storm). So my Tuesday run? Scratched. Thursday? Ditto. I was hoping to get one in today at the very least but its not looking good. We are still getting the tail end of Isaac.

The good news? Well, several good news actually. Isaac did not pass the island head on. It just kind of grazed us on the southwest and while there has been a lot of rain, it could have been much worse. Also, since we are practically out of danger, it has been announced that the race will be held as scheduled so I went down to Popular Center to pick up my bib and shirt. There was a very long line but it moved fast. Apparently they are expecting 5,000 + runners and so far there are 4,500 and something registered online so it looks like they are going to pass that target.

Here is the shirt:

Why does running stuff have to be so... bright?! I hate wearing yellow. The shirt looks nice and I like the design but the color....

This is the back. It says: "Yo corro pa' echar pa' lante." It is kind of a slang way of saying "I run to move forward." I have been told that it is a common rookie mistake to wear the shirt you are given on a race to the actual race itself so I will be wearing my new favorite Jets running shirt.

My bib. I was one of the first to register it seems. Am I excited or what?

The "Champion Chip" used to record your time. I know you put it in your shoe but I have no idea how so I will probably wait 'till the race and copy somebody.

So there you have it. Two days to go and the last run I had was last Saturday. We already discussed that little fiasco here. I sure wish I'd be heading into this first 5K with a bit more confidence. While I'm sure I will not be losing a lot of conditioning with just a week of inactivity it still makes me wonder. If everyone has told me something, is that the race is very different from training. Despite my doubts, overall I feel excited. You know, the good excited so we will see.