My go to workout for running injuries

On March 20, 2013 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Cures all running ills

I decided to substitute this morning’s run with a walk that I did on the treadmill at a 5% incline. I’m not fully convinced that my injury is related to my IT band. That’s because I don’t really know exactly where my IT band is. All I know is that the problem suddenly popped up, got worse and then steadily improved. From everything I’ve heard about Iliotibial band syndrome, it doesn’t improve that quickly. Besides that, the Wikipedia definition states that ITBS is a lateral knee issue and (thankfully) that’s not part of my problem.

The reason I chose to walk was simple. In the almost-five years that I’ve been running, I’ve noticed that there’s no injury that walking hasn’t helped. It may be the reduced impact, plus some physiological intangible, but a good walk seems to be the best method to combine conditioning with recovery.

Hours later, the pain and soreness have fundamentally subsided. I’ll continue to apply ice and some massage via a small roller that I have. If time allows, I may take another walk, this time around the neighborhood after dinner If a little walking helped akready, a little more can’t hurt.

Band on the run. IT band that is.

On March 19, 2013 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Strike up the band

Today’s run (treadmill): 3 miles

It was cold and rainy this morning, as expected, so I wasted little time deciding between an indoor and outdoor run. I had things to do this morning, so I got on the treadmill earlier than usual and set my usual starting pace. This pace, which feels like 9:00/mile, can seem either easy or hard, depending on the day and circumstances. Today it felt relatively easy, but the soreness near my hip came back in a big way.

I wasn’t really concerned about the pain. It was there, but my tolerance to pain is fairly high. I was troubled that the soreness persisted even as I ran. It made me wonder if this was a bonafide injury. Running on an injury is never a good idea, but I wasn’t ready to cut my workout short. Instead, I dropped my speed back about 5% and my hip began to feel better.

I finally called it a run after reaching three miles and noted that my hip still felt tight and uncomfortable as I stepped off the treadmill. I did a little research online to see if I could identify the muscles or tendons that were causing this pain. I think that it might be my IT band. The pain is localized near my lower hip but the pain does travel a little. It’s not as intense as sciatica, but the symptoms seem to coincide with Iliotibial Band Syndrome.

I’m continuing to ice the area and I took Aleve which helps the pain. The practical next step is to rest a couple of days before I run again. Maybe I’ll do that, or substitute an elliptical session for my Wednesday run. I’m also thinking about resuming my Uechi-ryu (Okinawan karate) workouts now that I have a little more time. That will provide another cross-training option and also provide me with some much needed upper body exercise.

NYC Half coverage: it’s time to give me the mic

On March 17, 2013 By Emerging Runner6 Comments

image courtesy of abclocal.go.com

Today’s run (treadmill): 4.25 miles

Last year, NBC surprised me by actually covering the NYC Half Marathon. Running is so invisible on television that I’m thrilled whenever it is shown. Still, I was critical of the 2012 broadcast because the NBC folks failed to make the event interesting for viewers. It so happened that both the men and women’s races featured two runners fighting it out for the win, while the rest of the field followed far behind. NBC had a chance to cover the experience of fifteen thousand people, but it barely covered four.

This year, it was the local ABC affiliate that covered the race. I was hoping that, this time, the focus would be on the event, not just the lead runners. Unfortunately, channel 7’s execution was just as disappointing as last year’s. Races like the NYC Half are rare, because they are both a spectator event and a shared experience. If there were 15K people on the course, there were undoubtedly more than 100K friends and relatives looking for them during the race. Not only were 99.99% of participants ignored, the elite runners who finished second and third were barely acknowledged.

I thought about the race as I ran my distance on the treadmill this morning. With so many knowledgeable people writing for running magazines, websites and blogs, the opportunity to hire compelling broadcasters is there. Think about the level of detail and background that’s provided by qualified announcers for every MLB, NBA and NFL game. Today’s race announcers were so inept, they didn’t even know the names of the two elite women who were bearing down on eventual winner Caroline Rotich as they approached the finish line.

Running will never gain traction on television unless the networks commit to treating the sport like an event, instead of a news story. People won’t tune in if the coverage is dull and the focus is so narrow that they’d be better off skipping the broadcast and waiting for the recap to be published. If channel 7 had given me the mic this morning, I would have done it a whole lot differently.

Fitbits don’t work across the room

On March 13, 2013 By Emerging Runner10 Comments

Ouch

Today’s run (treadmill): 3.2 miles

About halfway through this morning’s treadmill run, I spotted my Fitbit sitting on the guestroom bed. I’m really into capturing my activity through that device, so I was a little nonplussed by the situation. While I was still capturing metrics like time and heart rate on my Garmin, all those steps would be lost to my daily and weekly totals. I considered stopping the treadmill to retrieve the device but decided that it wasn’t worth the disruption.

Years ago, when my first Garmin failed during a run, I felt frustrated and asked myself, “If the run didn’t record, did it really happen?” I know it sounds silly, but I once felt that way. A documented run is a tangible entity. Something that happened. Something to look back upon. A run performed independent of a watch or device doesn’t become part of recorded history. I’ll admit that on the rare times when I’ve gone out “watchless” on a run, I later Gmap’d my route so I could at least capture my distance.

Even without a device, running data on the treadmill is always available via the display. I don’t fully trust the accuracy, but at least it provides ballpark metrics. I maintained a challenging pace through the workout and that took my mind off forgetting my Fitbit. So it looks like I’ll need to wait a little longer to get my next Fitbit badge. Further, today’s totals won’t approach my daily goals. But I got a good run in today, despite the lack of evidence.

Do U really like me or is it just the code talking?

On March 8, 2013 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Today’s workouts (treadmill): 3.2 miles + 1 hour shoveling

My Fitbit likes me. I know this because it told me so. Right on the display it said, “I LIKE U.” Every once in a while it will tell me something like “LET’S GO!” or “MOVE IT.” It’s kind of pushy. I think the reason it was liking me right now relates to my double workout, courtesy of today’s snowfall.

Believe it or not, this is a color photo

The neighborhood was already covered in snow by the time I woke up and it hasn’t stopped yet. I went out early to shovel and was surprised to see 4″ of the heavy stuff already on the driveway. It took almost an hour to clear both the drive and the walk. By the end, my Fitbit showed I’d covered over 4,000 steps and almost two miles of distance. I did go back and forth and up and down quite a few times.

After taking a break for a cup of coffee, I changed into running clothes and started a treadmill run. I decided that my morning effort gave me license to set an easier pace than normal. Shoveling all that snow had provided a nice (and well needed) upper body workout and running took care of the balance. By the time I finished my run I was almost to 10K steps and approaching 6 miles for the day. I didn’t do it so my Fitbit would like me. But I’m glad that it does.

The persistence of memory (non-Dali version)

On March 6, 2013 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Today’s run (treadmill): 3.1 miles

You know the feeling you get when you think you’re forgetting something? It’s frustrating because you can’t put your finger on it, yet you can’t leave it alone. It was like that for me today. I had an early start with some business calls (this “not working” thing is turning out to be a lot of work). Before I knew it, I lost my window for my morning workout. All throughout the morning, I kept thinking something wasn’t getting done. By noon I realized what it was: my run.

I’d been sequestered upstairs in my home office until midday. When my last call was finished, I came down to see that my wife had cooked up a mixture of fresh veggies and turkey burgers. Any ideas of getting in a run before lunch were dashed. The aroma of the food was just too seductive. Unfortunately this only added to my concern that today’s workout would be lost to afternoon obligations.

I waited 30 minutes after lunch to start of my run and used the treadmill to save time. I was happy to finally be running and thought I’d go easy since it was right after a full meal. That plan was soon ignored and I found myself running a more aggressive pace that allowed me to hit my targeted distance within half an hour. It was a tough workout but, by the end, I was happy that I’d taken a bigger challenge. Best of all, that feeling of missing something was no longer there.

Overnight surprise, courtesy of the Fitbit

On February 27, 2013 By Emerging Runner7 Comments

Early to bed, early to rise. And rise and rise…

Today’s run (treadmill): 3.2 miles

There was no question that I’d run inside today. It poured overnight and throughout the morning, so I headed upstairs to the treadmill after the kids left for school. Every time I use the stairs I think about the fact that the Fitbit is recording that metric. Yesterday I recorded over 14K steps, climbed 28 floors and traveled 7.4 miles. More interesting than that was what I learned about last night’s sleep pattern.

The Fitbit has a wristband that holds the device while you sleep, allowing you to record your sleep and wake time. It also records the number of times you woke up during the night. According to the numbers, it took me 12 minutes to fall asleep and my total sleep time was 6 hours and 36 minutes. Now for the surprise: the data said I’d woken up 13 times between the time I put the device into record sleep mode and when I got up for the day. Strangely enough, the readout said I’d had 91% sleep efficiency. Really?

Perhaps we all wake up multiple times during the night and don’t realize it. I do recall waking up a few times and looking at the clock before quickly falling back to sleep. The histogram shows that wake patterns seem to be grouped together, so that three or four “wake-ups” could happen in as many minutes. Either way, I didn’t come close to sleeping through the night.

Despite the intermittent waking periods, I seem to be getting sufficient rest. Perhaps that speaks to the efficiency rating. Compared to my “pre-retirement” schedule back in January, I’m probably getting at least one hour’s more sleep every night. In the days of 3:30 mornings, I used to have to steal naps on the train. With the 7+ hours of bed rest I’ve been getting overnight, I feel I have good energy throughout the day.

Treadmills aren’t always portals to boredom

On February 18, 2013 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Today’s run (treadmill): 3.2 miles

For all my complaining about the treadmill as a portal to mind blowing boredom, I’m sure spending a lot of time on ours. Back in 2011 I managed to go almost six months without using the machine. This was a well timed period between spring, summer and fall when it never seemed to rain at 4:00 AM. On those rare occasions where the weather interfered, I’d default to the elliptical machine.

Once again, the weather kept me inside today. 22 degrees plus wind chill made for an uninviting outdoor running experience. I could have bundled up and gone outside but I wanted to focus on my speed. I don’t run as fast with lots of layers and I’ll need to figure that out for the race on Saturday. I’m hoping for a mild turn in the weather and I’ll stay inside the registration area as long as I can to minimize the amount of time spent in the cold prior to the start. Those five minutes waiting for the gun can get downright chilly.

This morning’s treadmill run started fast and I didn’t let off my speed until I’d finished. I increased pace incrementally over the last five minutes, pouring it on at the end to simulate the finish of a race. I’m feeling primed at this point and I’m looking forward to returning to the road tomorrow. I’m still not a treadmill lover but, with these speed focused runs, I’m rarely bored.

Snowflake looms so no backing down

On February 17, 2013 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Speed play and HR % of MAX

Today’s run (treadmill): 5.2 miles

I was up at 5:30 AM this morning and the winds were howling. The news stations were talking about wind chills in the teens and I decided to return to the treadmill rather than face the bitter cold. I’m hoping that by next Saturday the weather will be milder. Many races provide no warming shelter prior to the event. I’m happy that the Long Beach Snowflake race is staged in a school gym located across the road from the starting line.

Yesterday’s run was done a little faster than my normal training pace, and I debated whether I should take down the intensity today. I decided to go the other way and started at a brisk pace, maintaining that speed until the 15 minute mark. I increased it 8% at that point for about five minutes. I then backed down to my original pace and held it until I surged again for the final five minutes of my run.

I often question the accuracy of the treadmill’s display because the effort required on the treadmill seems greater than an equivalent pace on the road. That’s okay, I’d rather have it under-count the distance than gain a false sense of my performance. So my 5.2 miles was hard earned and likely lower than the actual “distance” I’d covered.

I’ll probably run tomorrow through Wednesday and rest the two days prior to the race. I’ve read about the benefits of moderation in terms of weekly distance and the frequency of workouts, so I have no problem with that taper plan. I’m running well but I haven’t raced in three months, so I’m not really sure how competitive I’ll be. I’m not expecting to beat last year’s PR, but I do have a target that I hope to beat. In reality, it’s just nice to be back in the game.

Goodbye office, hello treadmill

On February 15, 2013 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

See ya

Wednesday’s run (treadmill): 2.4 miles
Friday’s run (treadmill): 3.25 miles

Although I have been only intermittently engaged with my company in the last two weeks, I was still going in the office a few days to finish up business. Yesterday was the culmination of that. I boxed up my personal items and bubble wrapped the artwork that had hung on the walls of the ten offices I’ve occupied since joining the company in 1992. It wasn’t a dramatic exit, much more, “See ya soon” than “goodbye.” But, a day later, I’m already missing my co-workers.

The night before I was graciously treated to dinner by some industry friends who took me to an excellent and very trendy restaurant not far from my office. It had already been a long day by the time I met up with them. The conversation flowed and the evening went long. I didn’t get home until nearly midnight. I had to to go into the office early on Thursday morning, so I skipped my workout to allow me to sleep an extra hour.

Wednesday morning I got up at 4:30 AM and did a treadmill run. I knew the day would be long and that I’d be covering a number of sections of the city on foot. That said, I still wanted to get in a workout. I don’t remember much about Wednesday’s treadmill run except that I had trouble maintaining an aggressive pace. I did manage to get to targeted speed in the final few minutes, but it wasn’t a high performance run.

This morning my wife and I had to run an early morning errand and when we returned home, I headed upstairs for a treadmill run. I’m only a week away from the Snowball race so I didn’t hesitate to set a fast pace from the start. I was running in my optimal time window and that helped me sustain speeds that were a little too tough on Wednesday morning. I increased the pace until I’d reached my initial heart rate target.

It’s funny how runs can vary from day to day. Today everything went smoothly and I was pleased with my performance. It would be great to get to Bethpage this weekend to take advantage of all the hills. You’d think that in 2013, technology would allow me to know if the gates to Bethpage State Park are open before I drive all the way over there. I suppose the best way to confirm that is to use a technology that was invented in 1876, the telephone, and call the park’s maintenance office.