Training

It's only been a few months since I last posted, which is about right I guess. Running didn't go so well in March or April but May was pretty good and June is shaping up well thus far. Those weekly miles don't build up very quickly when you skip a bunch of running, do they?

The good news is that I got into the St. George Marathon which is on October 2nd. 16 weeks to go. My long run is only up to 8 miles--not bad considering how little I've been running the last few years and my ongoing knee problems, but a long way to go still. I should get in an 18 and a 20 before the marathon, but won't be setting any records along the way or on the day.

Knee continues to improve, although a bit swollen and tight after the last long run. I've been icing it regularly after running but guess it will just take time to strengthen my quads again. I have a half marathon coming up on 7/4 so that will be a good measuring stick 3 months out from the marathon. Let's hope for nice cool weather that morning here in Oregon!

Easy Run

After being sick, having ankle problems, etc. I got out for a short run today (2 miles) and it felt great. Well, the running itself felt good, and it felt great to actually be running again. Knee feels fine, ankle feels fine, now I just need to stay healthy and get some miles in. No shortcut to fitness, just getting the running done consistently. We've had some really decent weather here in Portland lately so there's no excuse for not getting out there now. Today was mid-50s, a little windy but it was nice to have a tailwind on the return back to the house. We ordered a treadmill last week that should be here on Friday--it will help on those rainy days here, especially in the winter, but also will allow me to get a run if I'm home with the kids and couldn't run otherwise. Two of my other new year's resolutions was to learn how to swim better, and get to the gym regularly. Those will both help my running, so I'll try to get going on those soon.

I had a golf lesson on Friday (first one ever, another one of my resolutions) and then played 9 holes--I can't believe how sore I got just from that. I refuse to think it's a sign of getting older, I'm sure it's just using muscles that don't get used much at this time of year.

Drat

The ankle felt okay this morning, but about half a mile into today's run it was too painful to continue running on. I'm going to follow the adage that you shouldn't run with any pain that causes you to change your gait--it's rare to run without at least some little thing bothering you, but this was making me limp. I have to believe that when the doc popped my ankle back into place that it bruised or something, because it's painful to the touch. I fully expect that it won't be a long term problem, but I'm just going to have to give it some time. My knee continues to feel good, so hopefully that issue is being worked out. I should take a cue from AZ and get some swimming time in--not that I'm much of a swimmer. The pool at the club is only 3-4 feet so it's not like I'll sink or anything.

Ankle?

After being sick for a few weeks, I did finally get a 3 mile run in yesterday and it felt pretty good. More than anything, it was nice to be out running again! Had my third session with the doctor this morning--more torture. Since I've been back running, my left ankle has been bothering me, so I asked him about that this morning--when he checked it, he discovered that it was compressed, so he cranked away until it finally popped out. He said usually that kind of thing is secondary to an ankle sprain, but I haven't sprained my ankle in years so who knows how it got like that. Hopefully that does it, although it's definitely still sore. I refuse to think that I'm falling apart physically, now that I'm 40. More like a car that's missed the proper maintenance so it takes a few tune-ups to get things running properly. I'm probably closer to a horse-and-buggy than an actual car. The great news in all this is that the knee is feeling pretty darn good at the moment.

Short Update

Shortly after my last post I came down with a cold that does not seem to want to go away. I got a few short runs in but then the cold moved down into my chest so haven't done much since. I did notice on the 2 runs that my heartrate is slowly showing improvement--always a good sign.

Another doctor's appointment this morning, with more electrotherapy and more of the painful instrument rubbing away at my leg (the Graston technique). Doc said the leg felt a bit smoother this week so hopefully the sessions are working, because they sure are painful! Or maybe I'm just a wimp. Maybe both. I did notice last week that with the KT tape on, my knee felt much more stable. Even if it's psychological more than physical, every little bit helps. I'll be glad when the cold is over and I can get a better sense of whether the therapy is helping my running.

Here's Hoping

One of the reasons I haven't run much in the last 18 months is an ongoing knee problem that wasn't getting resolved. In late 2007 my right knee started to swell up after runs. Several visits to a doctor, x-rays, MRIs, and some physical therapy later, I felt like the old joke...

Me: "Doctor, it hurts when I do this..."
Dr.: "Don't do that"

One of my resolutions for 2010 was to figure this knee thing out once and for all, so I got an appointment with a chiropractor/sports medicine guy last week, and he diagnosed my problems as Patellofemoral Syndrome and Patellar Tendonitis. Not great, but at least I now have something to work with. Recommended treatment is eletrical stimulation of the quad and calf muscles, myofascial release, some stretching/strengthening exercises and using kinesiotape on the kneecap. The myofascial release (from what I can tell, the breaking down of scar tissue from old injuries or whatever) is unpleasant but it's all in the spirit of fixing the issue so at the moment I'm very hopeful. I've run a few times this week (fighting through another in a long line of colds that I caught from my kids) and am on schedule for a long run of 6 miles this weekend. Mileage building is going on schedule--through the first 3 weeks of the schedule anyway.

Futility

For those spreadsheet-loving bloggers out there--I've always loved this Dilbert cartoon. It really captures the essence of working in an office environment.

Fun with Spreadsheets

One of my favorite peripheral activities related to running is the running log--I happen to track my running in Excel. Since starting up running again three weeks ago, I've resurrected my spreadsheets, and established a rough plan for the year. I've also been reviewing the log from the last time I was at this point fitness-wise and weight-wise. So far the runs I've done this year are very similar to when I started up again in 2005--good to remind myself that it does get easier as time goes on.

I generally try to follow these principles (nothing magic or rigid about them, they just seem to make sense to me):

1. Don't increase total weekly mileage more than 10% per week
2. Don't increase long run more than 1 mile/week
3. Every 4th week is a week of reduced mileage (20-25% less than usual)
4. Max of 5 running days/week.

So, it seems like it will take a long time to build up mileage but it adds up sort of quickly in the grand scheme of things. I'm basically at the beginning of base training phase, running 4x per week, about 12 miles total, with a long run this week of 5 miles. Following the rules above, I'll be up near 40 miles/week with a long run of 17 miles by the first week of July. All dependent on progression of training--any significant setbacks or periods of missed training and the spreadsheet needs to be recalibrated!

The ultimate goal is a fall marathon.

2/8: 2.3 miles @ 9:40 pace
2/9: 2.3 miles @ 9:58 pace

Running Again?

It's only been 2-1/2 years since I've posted last... After running 4 times in the last 10 days (and a friendly reminder from a friend) I figure it might be time to resurrect the blog. Definitely need a new picture of the boy. The goal is to get back to a reasonable running routine, take of some weight, and hopefully get to the point of thinking about another marathon.