Keep Moving Forward

Training has been going well since Ice Age 50. I decided to actually take some time off and rest up my legs. I was coming off of an injury going into McNaughton 50 in April and was not 100% how I was going to hold up over the 50 miles. I came away feeling pretty good and not hurting. I took one week off then started training up again. 3 weeks later I ran Ice Age and was sore, but not in an injured way, just the way someone who had never run a 50 before might feel after running 2 of them in a months time.

So here I am back at it. I'm easing into things. 2 weeks ago was easy, low mileage runs and a some time on the bike. Last week I put in 40 miles along with some cross training and some speed work. I got the workout from Olga who was gracious enough to share it with me, Thank Olga!!!. Once again a testament to how great the ultrarunning community is.

2 mile warm up

4x800 meters at 6:20 mile/pace

2 mile cool down..

whoo!! I forgot what it was like to run like that. I really enjoyed picking it up for a while. I also had some mid distance road and trail running in the mix as well.

This week starts my full on training schedule.

Monday - Easy run and Yoga

Tuesday - Weights and stair climber/hill workout

Wednesday - Speed workout

Thursday - medium distance run, weights, and stair climber

Friday - Off or active recovery (easy bike or swim)

Saturday - Long run

Sunday - Medium run

Well, that's what I'm up to for the next 7 weeks until I taper for PCT50 on July 28th.

On another note, I've joined the St. Louis Ultrarunners Group (SLUGS). I look forward to reaching a little farther into the ultra scene, making some new friends, and learning from those who have more experience than I do. I'm also signed up for the Flatlanders 12 hour run in Fenton, MO on September 2nd which is a race put on by the SLUGS. This should answer that burning question of "how far can I run in 12 hours?" :)

Until next time...

I have not posted since my race report and thought I needed to get something out.  There's lots on my mind after McNaughton.  Just a few things to say and report on.  I could probably do 3 short post or so, but I'll go ahead and just throw down on this post.

1. The big news first... I'm going to be a dad!  Whoohoo!! The due date is October 16th.  We are really excited.  Not sure if its a boy or a girl yet.  We'll be finding out in about a month and then I get to start painting the nursery.  We've been married almost 4 years and dated for quite a while before that (High school sweethearts.. don't puke. LOL!!).  I think my parents and hers were beginning to think we were not going to have any, so needless to say there were very excited when we told them. They never saw it coming!

2.  Post McNaughton...  Mileage has been low since then.  I wanted to make sure to get some good rest in before hitting too hard.  I did that after Psycho Wyco and ended up injured.  I always learn something new at these things and lessons from this one are..

• Go out faster.  I ran a negative split on my last lap and need to be going out a little faster up front.  I'm not looking to blaze anything, just a bit faster out of the gate.
• More electrolytes. I'm pretty sure I was hyponatremic I was going to the bathroom way too much and my hands were puffy.  I'll be adding E-caps to my arsenal at IceAge 50.  Its supposed to be warm this weekend, so that will good testing ground for them.
• Continue having fun, meeting new people and enjoying the experience.  These events are awesome.  The community is great and I am really lucky to be a part of it.  Thanks to everyone out there that keeps up their blog and comments on mine!  It really helps push me.

3. Getting ready for IceAge 50.  As I mentioned above, no huge mileage for the month, but I've got in some quality runs and plan on some good one for the weekend.  I put in a 10 miler at about a 9 minute pace last Saturday, then headed to Redmond, WA for work on Sunday through Wednesday night.  The weather was beautiful, but unfortunately I did not have any time to get anything in except for some weights on Monday.  AND  I had a blow out in my shoes and never made it to the local Montrail dealer.  I was able to get 4 in last night after work with Augie (picture below)  We had a good faster paced run together in the rain.  He set a 4 mile PR - 30 minutes!!! and that included a few bathroom breaks for him!

Augie after our run.  Still a little tired, but always ready to go again 

Enjoy your weekend.  I don't know what its looking like in your area, but here in the mid-west it's sunny skies and warm temps.  Get out there and enjoy it if you can.

Everything is looking up. Last week I got in 38 miles, so not a mega mileage week, but a lot better then the 6 mile week I had to close February. My long run was 13 miles on the trail. I'm excited to see how well I have responded to the treatment that my chiropractor provided. I also got some great advice from my blog friends that I have used. Below is my current strategy to work through my ITB issues.

1. Take 1 NSAID (aspirin) about 20 minutes before I run and usually take 1 with each meal to help reduce the inflammation that is already there. Once I am over the injury I will cut the out or only use as needed.
2. Warm up - I will walk/jog or ride my bike slow for about 10 minutes.
3. Start my run out slow and get in a mile or 2 before I pick up the pace
4. Ice immediately afterwards for 20-30 minutes and potentially later that night while watching TV. I've done 1 ice bath... thanks Ben!
5. Stretch out. General stretching (quads, hamstrings, calves, hips..). I do not concentrate too much on the ITB area. For me, spending too much on the ITB area tends to feel worse
6. Roll it out on a foam roller. I cut rolling into 4 segments; Upper (Hip to middle thigh) Middle (middle thigh), Lower (middle thigh to just above the bony part of my knee, no direct contact on the side of the knee), Combined (slow roll from upper thigh to just above the knee)
7. Resistance training. One legged exercises, squats, leg curls, extensions, lunges.

I'm not a doctor and don't really know more then what I have been told or that I have found from on-line resources so take the above with a grain of salt. It's whats working for me and is a work in progress. Thanks to everybody for the great feedback and resources.

Now on to even better the news. I'm heading to San Diego for the week for a conference. I plan to get some miles in and enjoy the scenery. Anyone know of any good spots to run?

Enjoy the weekend, I'm out!!!

I was athletically depressed. I looked at the calendar and McNaughton was 6 weeks away and my aching ITband was only letting me get in minimal miles before I came to a hault. What to do? Rest? Call off the event? Push though and risk injury? I hated being in this position. I searched the web for as many ITB resources as I could find and came up with a plan to stretch, ice, and slow down and cut mileage.

The latest copy of Ultrarunning Magazine showed up in my mailbox and within the first few pages there was some information on training while injured. Take an NSAID (aspirin) and ice before the run. Go out and put in some miles going slower and cutting down on the amount of time on my feet. Then ice again afterward. I tried this and was able to get in a good 5 slow miles without too much discomfort, but this issue was still there and had I gone much further or faster I would have had to stop.

I also took a trip to the Chiropractor, something I had never done before. First off when I told her that I run ultras, she was really interested and excited to help. I told her my symptoms and she immediately went to work on me. Pulling on my legs, twisting me around and so on. She said that my right hip was higher then the other and that because of that my left leg was traveling farther and potentially causing the issue. So she worked on me for a while longer, doing some "needle less acupuncture" and some other things that seemed like smoke and mirrors to me. She thought that I was "curable" and gave me hope that I would be in shape to run mid-April. I got looked over again and was told that my hips were equal and to get some miles in over the next few days to see how things felt. She also has a massage therapist and a physical therapist on staff that might get involved to correct the issues that are causing the ITB strain if needed. I was told to take the night off and drink lots of water because I would be sore. I must have given her a funny look, because she said "Trust me, I did a lot." Sure enough, I am sore. I feel like I would a few days after I did a hard run with lots of hills. Not sore to the touch, but just recovering muscles kind of tired.

This morning, I got up early, ate a bit, did some work stuff, iced and took off for a short 4 miler at just under an 8 minutes pace. I felt great. There were no signs of the normal issues I would have with my ITB early in the run. There was a slight feeling in that area around the end of the run, but less then what I usually experience. I'm sure there is still some swelling in that area from before, so I know it will not just magically go away, but this gave me some hope that was not there on Sunday!!!! I am traveling today, so I will hit the treadmill for 6 or so tonight to see how things are holding up and to be able to report back to the dr. on Friday with how things went to see what the next steps are.

Keep hope alive!!!!

I wish I could say that I had a blow out training month in February, not the case. After Psycho Wyco, I had a pretty easy week of about 27 miles. No speed work or anything like that, just easy miles. My ITband is a little sore and I have not wanted to push too much. I think running in the 5 inch deep snow may have aggravated my ITB since the terrain was so varied. Add that to the 20+ MPH winds we have had here and my Feb was a bust. I guess I'll call it a resting month. The weather looks good today so I am headed out to get in some miles on the trail.

McNaughton is about 6 weeks out. I'm nervous because I have not been able to get in the mileage that I wanted, so I'm going to try to have a strong March and go into the event healthy. Over trained and injured or under trained and healthy?? A question for the times.