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Updates

An update on the fitness regime:

The knee problems that initially plagued me have turned out to be fairly substantial.  It's been a constant struggle.  For the most part, I'm finding that I can no longer run longer than 6Km without running into serious knee pain on my right side.  It seems that a serious layoff (longer than the 1 week stints I've been attempting) is going to be needed.

For the time being, I'm altering my plan.  For starters, I'm switching over to swimming as my primary means of fitness training.  It's a more aggressive full-body workout.  Secondly, it's much easier on the body, overall, in terms of joints and ligaments and all that stuff.  I think it's gonna be a great way of keeping my cardio capacity increasing without having to constantly fight a sore knee.  Lately, it's been incredibly frustrating to get to where I would run 6Km and have to stop in spite of feeling as though I could do another 10 but for the one knee.  Killer!!!

Anyway, I'm hoping that the swimming will keep me active, and then the runs can be more sporadic and less often, giving my legs time to build and heal and all that good stuff.

Also, I'm a terrible swimmer, so I guess the practice will help.

As far as how all of this affects the half-marathon I had planned... I don't know.  I mean, I know that it's coming up very soon, and that I still can't run longer than 7Km on any given night.. so that's not very promising.

I have to say, though, that this may be a blessing.  I went for a 5Km the other day, and felt fantastic.  I ran FAST, and bested my PB time by over 2 minutes.  And I wasn't worrying about a sore knee, or how far I could go... it was like it was when I first started running, and I was doing it because I loved it.  So... I guess I don't care that much how long it takes me to get where I'm going.  I feel great, physically.  I'm in great shape (I'm lighter than I've been in... at least 3 years) and I feel strong.

Life's good.

JB

Bad Run

Last night was a bit of a wake-up call. I went out for a routine 4.5k trainer, just to put in some time, and had to stop at about 4k. Everything about me just rejected the concept. I tried to continue... to make it the last stretch, but it just didn't happen.

I went out with no purpose, no gameplan, and no optimism. I'm learning that the mind is an equally important component to success.

I came off a bad day of work. One of those days where nothing goes particularly wrong, but everything seems decidedly annoying. I hadn't eaten, I hadn't stretched... I started my run out of obligation, and with no intention of enjoying a second of it. I wasn't looking at anything, I wasn't thinking about anything. I was just plodding along loosely. No discipline.

Great metaphor for life. Success is a function of knowing what you're doing and why you're doing it, and then attacking it with the positive energy that that purpose provides.

I'll be back out tonight trying to make a better effort of it.

JB

Seven

Getting stronger. I did a 7Km last night and everything felt pretty good. I'm focusing on using my left side more... I gather that a lot of my knee issues stem from a weak left side, which results in my over-rotating at my right hip, and over-using my whole right side in compensation. It seemed to help a fair amount to focus specifically as I ran on using my left side equally. It feels completely unnatural initially, but in reality is also that much more balanced.

Huzzah!

Day off today... headed home to Leamington for the weekend.

Long country road run tomorrow!
JB

Back At It

I'm back on the trail!  Or the pavement, more specifically.  This weekend I was able to squeeze in two 5Km trips around the block.

I will say this... taking even a week off of the schedule is devastating.  That first trip out again seemed impossible.  Adding to this was likely the fact that the week was full of beers and burgers with friends.  Too much good food, too little good activity...

That first 5Km was killer.  The last bit was nothing more than a dull trudge, the ankles having long since ceased to perform.

The second kick at the can was much better.  I certainly felt as though I was back in the saddle and in control of myself.  The knees have yet to fully exhibit any serious pain, but I'm not yet sure where I stand.  5Km isn't really a good test-drive of how long they're going to hold up.  In both of those runs, I could feel the right knee.  Not as though it was particularly unhappy, but it was certainly letting me know that it was there.  That said, my leg did feel pretty strong.  We'll see.

Here's to a good upcoming week.

JB

The Bees Knees

Some frustrating, and yet, I suppose, basically positive news.

The knee pain has been increasing, but I'm quite sure I'm now able to identify exactly what the problem is.  It's been getting worse, to the point that my runs have been getting shorter and shorter by necessity.  Specifically, a point-source pain on the outside of my right knee that shows up around 6Km.  Initially, my thoughts were to run through the pain and push myself re: endurance.  Turns out that isn't going to happen.

After doing some research, it's looks as though I'm suffering from what almost every runner deals with throughout their training.  It's called ITBS, and has to do with a sort-of tissue band that runs from the hip all the way down to just below the knee-joint.  I'm not entirely sure on the role of the IT Band... as always, internet information is sketchy and greatly varied.  Suffice to say it plays a role in the tracking of my knee joint and the general maintenance of a straight running gait.

It seems that, if other muscles aren't doing their job, or are lacking in performance, this IT Band tightens up and inflames due to over-stress as a result of the increased workload.  Namely, in my case, my chicken-legs have come back to bite me.  Where my gluts (ass-muscle) and my quads, etc. are failing to pull their weight, this IT Band is taking the brunt of the load, rubbing where it isn't supposed to, etc.

Solution: Crappy.  I'm taking a whole week, or maybe even a bit more, off.  No running, and minimal walking.  Throughout this week, I'll be following a pretty aggressive stretching and strengthening routine to get some of those leg muscles up to snuff.  I started this weekend, and immediately came to the realization that my legs are week.  Everything feels glad of the extra stretching and work.

It's tough to tell exactly how well this program will work.  All I can say is that, thus far, everything I'm stretching and working out seems to be directly related to the problem.  I can just feel it.  I'm hoping that, with some rest, followed by a slow start and ramp back into action, I should see improvement.

Everywhere I'm reading, the general consensus seems to be that these things flame up often with new runners as a direct result of too much, too soon.  It seems obvious to me now that the quick ramp into long distances, in addition to the crappy shoes I ran in for the first month, would have been hard for my body to deal with.  Call it a lesson in my lack of invincibility.

Question: will this affect the half-marathon goal?  Thus far... no.  I think I'm in great shape right now.  As I've said, the cardio has been feeling fantastic.  I think this will definitely be a setback, but nothing that will put me out completely.  Here's hoping right?  The hardest thing is laying off when, intellectually, I very much want to get out there... especially given the fact that my knees don't hurt until I've pounded out about 6 Km.

So that's it for now.  I really hope things improve.  I'd hate to be sidelined long-term before even getting started...  Here's hoping.

And for a final little tidbit of incredible news.........

Steve Bartel, loving husband, fledgling father, master crafstman, and not least, my dear brother, has joined the team and will be running this half-marathon alongside me.  Well...  a few minutes behind... but alongside in heart, no doubt! (hehehe... it begins...)

Dear Steve...  it is now official.  To back out now would be a blow to a great many people.  There's pride on the line, my friend.  See you at the finish line.  Don't worry, I'll wait.

Dear readers... if you happen to be driving through Leamington on an early weekday morning, and you spot the young man galloping down the sidewalk, honk for solidarity.

Dear knees... don't let me down.

JB

Gameplan

Training has been going well!

I've started a program by the Running Room that should have me good to finish the 21 Km by mid-October.  Actually, I think my body is happy to be following something with a bit more structure and a defined plan.  I got a bit ahead of myself, I suspect, in starting out.  The growth curve is pretty sharp initially, and I was too excited about adding 2 Km every day to realize that rest days were going to be important.

If anything is going to be a problem, it's going to be the knees.  I'm not having much trouble managing my heart-rate and stretching myself re: cardio, but after about 8 Km, my knees have started to protest rather aggressively.  That said, I have made some improvements to that end.  I think one of the big problems was the fact that I was running in cheap cross-trainers I bought a Payless.  So after an hour of running on no padding and no support, my knees were just giving up and telling me to stop.

But that's been remedied.

Kar got me some sweet new kicks for my birthday that are made for running and are actually suited to my running style and the angles of my feet and ankles.  They're Adidas something or other...  They've got lots of Red and Silver and they make me feel significantly faster.

I also got new short-shorts... believe it... and one of those shirts made out of some sort of elvish woven glory-fibre that sucks the sweat right off your body before it even has a chance to exist.  I did my first run with the new stuff on Sunday.  It's crazy how much better it feels when you're wearing the right stuff.  The shoes make a huge difference.  Without realizing it before, I now know that I was having to work really hard against myself.. against my ankles and my knees, to make headway.  Additionally, it's hilariously more comfortable than running in big skate-shorts and old T-shirts.

So that's it for today.  There are rumors and murmurings of other exciting happenings in regards to the half-marathon plan.  Namely, the notion of additional entrants.  More to come on that if something materializes.

JB