Joint Care, Gotta Do It

So the knee issue had me worried enough to go to TRIA and have it checked out. After a laboring 10 minute visit with some old guy, we figured out that the pain was caused by an inflamed IT band. Some posts back I talked about having a class with super trainer Johnny J who warned us about the IT band issues and we even bought a foam roller for the purpose of keeping the IT band healthy. It turns out I haven't been using it enough.

So after a full week of doing nothing but gaining weight (I seriously put 9lbs. back on) I decided to do the group run today, which was 16 miles. I still can't believe by not doing anything for a week I put that much weight back on. I know most people do not usually eat healthy when they travel, but I don't think I over did it. I was worried about the knee for the majority of the run, but I did my best to stop and stretch often. It started to flare up around mile 8, but toned down for the rest of the run and I have found some new dedication to taking care of my knees. I made sure to ice and take some ibuprofen following.

I plan on mixing in some bike and water work outs now to take some strain off the joints. I am also going to make a commitment to stretching out my IT band daily. I have come way to far to not be able to finish this thing. Five more weeks until the show. That is what we call it in the biz, the show.

A couple of notes -

1) Today's run started at the Mendota Bridge, we went through Fort Snelling and into Minneapolis along West River Road. We then crossed over the Franklin Bridge to Saint Paul and ran along East River Road to Highway 5. We finished by crossing over the Mendota Bridge one more time for a cool run of 16.25 miles. It was a nice morning to get out.

2) I finally found a fuel belt, thank God. I could have used it today. The running store had 2 left in my size....I feel like I finally found the holy grail. No more stealing Kelly's water during our runs, I am sure she will hate that.

3) TRIA is a money hungry organization. After confirming my injury, they wanted me to schedule an MRI before sending me to a physical therapist. If we know my knee issue will not require surgery, why do I need to give you my money for an MRI? I was told it was procedure. I should have told him it is procedure for people to pay me $100 to look at my legs in shorts. I just may have to send him a bill.

A Minor Set Back (hopefully)

My biggest fear in training occured on Saturday morning. Kelly and had a 10 mile run planned and we did in fact complete it. However, during the run about 6 miles in my knee started hurt. By the end of the run, I was in some serious pain.

We are getting to crunch time with our long training runs, all being over 16 miles. I am making an appointment at TRIA this week and hopefully it isn't anything too serious.

It looks like the next workouts will be on a bike or in the pool, but the key will be to keep the legs in shape with low impact. I will get out an update once know more from the doctor.

14 miles, ho hum.

In the words of Dr. Phil, last Saturday was b-r-u-t-a-l, brutal. It was a personal record for longest run ever, 14 miles, and it was no cake walk for this dude. The course was nice as it took us around Lake Nokomis, through, Minnehaha Parkway, around Lake Harriet and back to Nokomis.

I went through it all on this run. I ran out of breath while I normally do not, my hips hurt at one point, my ankles hurt at another point, my feet hurt at some point...I think you get the point. I know I didn't drink enough water on the run which is just plain stupid, but I am going to blame the local running stores and fuel belt manufacturers for that nugget. I will get to that in a second. So Kelly and I finished the run 5 minutes faster (or more) ahead of the group. Kelly felt great which is really good and I felt like there was no way in hell I could do 12.2 more miles. Oh well, push on, fat boy!!

This week we incorporated some speed training on the track and it really feels good to get your body moving in a different way than the normal trudging pace that you get so used to. If nothing else, it made me feel like I can run again and gave me some new confidence for this weekends long training run, which is 10 miles.

So back to the fuel/water belt issue. I have been into a running store 4 times now in search of one that will fit my frame. No dice. They have a million smalls, a half million mediums, a couple hundred larges and no XL's. To my chagrin, they do not even MAKE an XL in the style I like, they only make a "one-size," which they have been out of every time I have been there. That makes a guy feel good. Seriously, I want to start a business that focuses on the "husky" runner. The smallest size I would carry is an XL. It is time to discriminate against the small people!

Running Club - Sherwood Forest

I will keep this short. Last night's training run was only 4.5 miles long but it was a continuous hills from start to finish. After running a half marathon last Saturday, you would think a measley 4.5 miles would be pretty easy, definitely not the case. It was mostly hills and after the rain, it was quite humid. I really think there is something to being properly hydrated prior to runs like this. It was a lot tougher of a run than it should have been, but we struggled through it.

The class following the run was alright. We had a doctor talk about balance and triggers in your brain that was pretty interesting, although that is about as much as I remember so I obviously didn't take away much from it. There was also a group there from Savage that offers hydro training services. They had a machine that wraps around whatever joint is ailing you, pumps ice cold water through the wrap, and compresses the area as well. It is pretty cool and I want one for my house.

This weekend our run is another 13 miler around Nokomis, over to and around Harriet, and then back to Nokomis. I love running around the lakes and I love running in the mornings. I will be running a much more relaxed pace than last Saturday.

13.1 Miles to Sconiville

I wanted to write about this run on Saturday (race day) but I had serious writer's block. I must have been to mentally tired to recap the race, but I am giving it a shot today.

The run started at 8AM in Stillwater and ended in Hudson, WI. It was our longest run of the year and the results were favorable. Kelly shaved over 12 minutes off of her half-marathon time from last fall and I cut my time down by 7 minutes. We ran hard for most of the race, but it was tough going towards the end. We both had some serious doubts as this distance is only half way of our end goal.

So as far as races go, this one was down on my list. I like to be rewarded for running 13+ miles. I am not looking for the royal treatment here, but when fat people run that far, is it too much to ask to have some refreshments within 100 yards of the finish line? Usually at these races, they cater to the runners to the full extent. I was expecting a medal (seriously) and drinks close to the finish line. No dice on either request. Also, every other race we have done have the chip timers that attach to your shoe. They start when you cross the start line and logs your time when you cross the finish line. It gives one their real time in which they finished the race. This run, however had no such technology so we had to rely on our trusty Garmin watches. Kelly didn't have as much of a problem with the accommodations as I did, but I am selfish and I expect to be catered to when I run for over 2 hours consecutively. I will admit, the t-shirts were pretty nice. By the way, you know there are not a lot of husky runners when you go to get your race t-shirt and they have to get your size out of a "special" box. They had all other sizes out on a table, but the XL's were behind a table still in the cardboard box they were shipped in. I think I am developing a complex.

Kelly's mom was nice enough to show up and cheer us on and I cannot tell you how much motivation it gives a runner when people are cheering you on. So, thanks Jean for showing up and supporting us. This week we have a 4.5 mile training run with our group on Wednesday and another 13 miler this Saturday. We have now completed half the distance of our goal, but it seems like we are a long way away yet.

Hills, Lakes, and Heat

Last Wednesday our running group was to do hill training. We left Hopkins HS a bit behind schedule and jogged to Chevy Hill. After the second time up and back on the hill, our instructors had us head back to the high school. This is when I realized that Kelly and I were officially brain washed. Both of us were disappointed we only ran the hill twice and we were expecting more of a work out. Who in their normal state of mind thinks in this manner? Clearly they are spiking the Gatorade at our class.

After we returned to the high school, we were met by Johnny J, personal trainer (say that in your best radio voice). We took us through a series of stretches and active warm-ups included lunges and body squats. He also had us roll on the side of our legs on this Styrofoam roll to work out our I.T. band, which is apparently crucial to do for serious runners (not sure if we are at that stage yet, but damn close). This exercise almost brought tears of pain, not kidding. Doesn't he realize we are running a marathon and not training for the Olympic gold? Needless to say, our legs were still sore Saturday morning before our long training run of the week. You can guess how much training we put in on Thursday and Friday...

The run on Saturday was a 10-miler around the metro lakes. We started on the west side of Lake Calhoun, went around Lake of the Ilses, down the east side of Calhoun, around Lake Harriet and finished up again on the west side of Calhoun. We started running at 7 AM and it was 60 degrees. Just awesome for husky guy. We tried lemon flavored GU again at mile 5 and it didn't stay down as well as it did last weekend. I tasted for a few miles after I inhaled it. Cannot say enough about running in numbers, although there were only a handful of us there on Saturday, it is much easier to run when there are others in it with you.

Stuff I learned this week.

1. Don't stretch before you run. Run first, stop and stretch. I guess you aren't supposed to stretch cold muscles. Makes sense.
2. We have an IT band that connects from your knee to your hip. It hurts like an m-effer to roll on it and loosen it up.
3. I still hate squats. Always have, always will.
4. Moving heavy furniture after a 10 mile run isn't that cool.
5. Golfing after a 10 mile run and moving heavy furniture is still pretty fun.