Archive for July, 2009

Last night I went to that Running Clinic I mentioned a couple posts ago, where they videotape you so you can get form pointers from a coach – albeit a Tri and certified Pose coach.

Now, back when I started running and was sucking up anything I could about running form, I spent a few days checking out the Pose site, so I’m well acquainted with the method.  The Pose site has a good collection of videos along with an active forum so there’s lots to see, but after lurking a bit, I realized it wasn’t for me:  the method makes running too complicated and after seeing how many people (overwhelmingly young and male) send in their video submissions to be critiqued, only to be told to go back to the drawing board, seemed to me to be a waste of time.  I just wanna run.

Since the clinic was held by a Pose coach, I knew there’d be some Pose talk but figured it’d be worth it for the video. My imaginings were that we’d all go outside and be taped from the side and front, then would discuss the findings in detail.

The reality was that we were instructed to run through the middle of the Physical Therapy office, a carpeted area of about 20 feet, where we were shot once from the side.  I, along with everyone who attended, wore running clothes though I might as well have had on a cocktail dress since we only ran from the front desk to the weight machine.

After we’d done our “run”, the clinic began.  The first half was spent on watching a useless PowerPoint presentation talking 100% about Pose and peppered with some meaningless running quotes and ideas that didn’t go anywhere.  It seriously sucked.

Finally we get to the videos.  The first one comes on.  We see the first of our group on the screen, running earnestly through the PT office, head totally down, staring at the floor.  Apparently head position is not related to running form because it didn’t get a single mention.  Fists at shoulders didn’t rate any notice either, nor arms crossing centerline.

It was purely and only about how our feet were in relation to Pose.  Stupidest waste of time ever.  He’d stop the tape for each of us as soon as we hit “Pose” (mid-stance) and then would tell us how Not Pose the rest of the steps were.

Oh, and one of my readers, Joe will especially love this, because he’s got a great post going now about heel-striking.  Basically, the coach said almost all of use were heel-striking, and then he’d stop the tape before the landing to exclaim about our crappy foot position.  Eventually it was like in Borat, when Sacha Baron Cohen had the bar full of people sing “Throw The Jew Down The Well” – only it was people going “heel striking” and then the coach would accompany it with the word “BAM”.

The problem is, heel landings aren’t necessarily bad, overstriding is (which was not mentioned once).  And many of the heel-landings were actually midfoot when the shoe actually hit the carpet.  That’s why I was pleased with my little scene, I saw I wasn’t overreaching as I expected and my landing looked pretty good (I got the first “this is almost pose” comment, though received a BAM, so that means I’m a loser).

Anyway, the clinic resulted in a great workout…for my eyes, I rolled them from 6:30 to 8:15.

On a happy note, I got to sit and chat with my running friend from the park, Christine (who got the dubious kudos of being “closest to Pose” out of everyone).  We haven’t done much more than wave at each other in passing, so it was fun getting to know her a bit better and she was very nice about letting me snicker in her direction.

And now I better get my ass moving -  it’s 8:20 and already 82 degrees with a killer dewpoint of 74 and I’ve got a 12-mile progression run to do “last 5 miles moderate” (as per Hudson).  With that dewpoint, it’ll be “last 5 miles miserable”, for sure.

Have a good day everyone and may you all celebrate that millisecond where you happen to find yourself in Pose.  Now that’s running.

Nick’s dad, Wolodymyr Kulish, died today.  He was just the sweetest old guy I ever met and could always make me laugh even though he barely spoke English.  He had a great life, a huge amount of love emanated from him and landed upon him, he will be so missed.

Today was a sopping 15-miler progression run averaging 8:25s with the last couple miles at 7:45, closing a 67-mile week.  Hallelujah…my legs are still feeling fab!

I had to smile at how different marathon training is this year as opposed to last.  I feel stronger and the heat doesn’t seem to bother me as much.  I mean, I still hate it and always will, but it isn’t wiping me out at all.  Granted, I think this summer is cooler than last, but I’m leaving later in the day than last year, so I end up running in the same temps.

One big plus is that I’m drinking a lot more during the day so my little 12oz Amphipod handheld has been enough (had to refill once today, though).  I’m sure I’ll be pulling out the 20 oz one as the runs lengthen or I start doing the trail again, but for now, I’m doing fine bringing less.

I was also much more gel freaky in last year’s marathon cycle.  I’d take them on most runs over 90min along with an S-cap if it was really hot.  This year, I’m not feeling the need for gels yet and I keep forgetting to take an S-cap.  I guess it doesn’t hurt that a 15-miler today is about 18 minutes faster than last summer so I spend a lot less time in the heat.

Free Running Clinic this Tuesday, the 28th:
My friend Lara goes to Excel Physical Therapy here in Philly and told me about this free clinic on Tuesday where they tape you and critic your form – but you have to reserve.  I’ll be there…can’t wait to get some form pointers (just hope it’s not all about Pose).  Anyway, here’s the dirt:

Tracy Peal Sr, certified Pose Method running coach, will video tape your runnning form, discuss proper movement patterns to become a more efficient runner and will also analyze your form. Excel Sports Physical Therapists will be on hand to consult with you regarding any aches, pains or concerns you have. Tues, July 28th at 6:30-8 1616 Walnut st, Philly.  Call 215-545–8717 to reserve.

I’ll close with a big shoutout to Jim who did a great job today at the S.F. Marathon – Yay Jim, woohoo!!   Also a couple woohoos for RDR and GAT on the sub3:20 thread (my new RW hangout) who ran S.F. as well.  Lastly, here’s some safe travel wishes to the above-mentioned Lara and her man, Jeff.  They left yesterday on a 350-mile cycling adventure that ends at a huge beer festival in upstate NY – swell payoff, huh?

I hope everyone’s had a great running week and that this one is even better.  Later, kids!

Eeewwww scary…3:16:38.  There, I said it.  At least, that’s how it looks from a big fat 18 weeks away.  My reasoning?  I like 7:30, it’s pretty.  And 26.22 of them = 3:16:38 (edited to get that .02 in).

OK, my outside goal is sub 3:20, which my 5K PR more than agrees with (a useless fact if I didn’t have a 60 mpw base to back it up).   In a couple weeks I’ll be averaging 70mpw and plan to peak at 90.  Add to that 4 months of focused quality work and 7:30s seem quite reasonable.

So I’ve got 18 weeks until D-day…one can do some good damage in that amount of time.  In fact, I just realized today that it was 18 weeks between Jan 1st and May 3rd (my Spring goal race).   Granted, I’m sure I won’t see quite such a dramatic drop as those months brought since part of that was a 10lb weight loss, but still, the trend continued steadily for each successive month after I’d lost the weight, so I’m certain there’s room for another good chunk of improvement before November.

To that end, I started marathon training on Monday.  Yeah, I know, I said I’d start first week of August, but I looked at the plan again (prompted by comments in the last post) and figured it’s pretty much what I’d be doing if I was freeforming, so why not give Hudson the credit and call this week 3 of his Level III plan?  I miss being told what to do.

So…Monday was an easy 8, avg pace 8:19.  Tuesday was 9 with 8 x 40sec. “fartleks” (Hudson’s version) at 10k-3k pace – avg for the run, 8:22.   This morning I had 11 with the last 5 “moderate”, which turned out to be 7:36s for the faster bit and 8:10 avg. for the whole run (trying to keep my easy miles a tad slower these days).

Ah, a fresh training plan – its framework shows potential like nothing else.  It’s like building a bigger and better house every single time.  Exciting to imagine the possibilities.  God, I love it.

I’m so happy, excited, astounded, I could cry. Looking at the calendar, I realize it’s been 8 long weeks since my IT Band made a painful introduction into my runs.

As recap, during this period I couldn’t go more than 2 runs to where I’d feel it.  Long runs (limited to 11 milers) always required stretching stops and because one annoyance isn’t enough, my ankle bursitis from last year reappeared as an underlying bass note for the beginning of most runs during these two months.

Because I’m a 7-day runner, I did take a few days off (5 total), but from reading of how people would take 2 weeks off and return to the road only to find they were right back where they started, I didn’t even consider taking a clump of days off, figuring I could manage the injury as it made a slow exit.

My mileage didn’t suffer too much – June was a lower month, but I was able to average 53 mpw between June and July.  I just made sure to stop and stretch if it hurt on the run, foam roll the shit out of it in the evenings and often took 3 ibuprofen after “long” runs to keep it in check for the next day’s run.

I’d like to say I did my leg exercises regularly, but I lasted about 1.5 weeks till I conveniently forgot to do them (I hated leg lifts when I was a pudgy young thing, I don’t like them any better now).  I’ve been pretty regular with stretching, but was never sure if I was overdoing it, so I tended to go from stretching too much to not enough, and always suspected I wasn’t doing it quite right.

This seemed to work ok, it had diminished greatly, but was still there like a bad cold that never leaves, culminating in a horrible 13 miler last Sunday, my longest run in months, and one requiring numerous stops, mainly because I was wearing an IT band strap that was backfiring on me and causing calf discomfort, but still, I was most certainly not “cured”.  So I took this Monday off.

Now, a few days prior, July 9th to be exact, I’d started the glucosamine/chondroitan/msm combo pills.  After taking that rest day on Monday, I ran like usual from Tuesday on, except suddenly “usual” had a whole new meaning.  There was no ankle bursitis, no IT band shadowing, absolutely no weakness in my legs at all.  At. All.  This was 6 days after taking that first pill.

You guys…I ran 15 miles today.  15 miles without one single peep, shadow, twinge or anything.  15 miles like it was a mid-long run, not the farthest I’d gone since a 16-miler on April 12th (April 12!).  I even stuck a couple faster miles (7:20s) in there ala Hudson.  Average for the whole run, 8:18.

So these pills really are a miracle, because I know for sure that while the injury was sneaking out the backdoor, it was going so very slowly that if left on its normal course, would have continued the wave of 2 days good, 1 day bad, eventually moving to 3 days good, 1 day bad, etc, and all the while with those stupid stretching stops.  Instead, I’ve had 6 days of 59.5 miles with perfect legs the entire time.

I’ve been thinking more about these magic pills and while I know that MSM is still the main hero at the moment till the glucosamine eventually kicks in, I think the glucosamine could eventually benefit ITBS too, even though it’s for  joints and not soft tissue – because glucosamine not only adds cartilage, it increases lubrication as well.  The whole reason ITBS is so painful is that it rubs against the femur, becoming inflamed.  If the joint has more lubrication, it makes sense that your IT band would slide easier against that joint. But that’s just supposition and a moot point anyway, since whatever is working  is working now!

I have suddenly gone from hiding marathon training into the farthest back corner of my brain to pure, unadulterated excitement for getting started again and seeing what this training cycle brings.  As they’d say back in my hometown of Fayetteville, Arkansas, “YEE–HAW!!”   (they’d also say “Pig Sooie, Razorbacks!!” because they’re weird like that, but I digress…)

Hope is restored, fun is restored, I am back on the road for real.

Anyone who knows me well, knows that when I get involved in something I research the hell out of it.  If it’s a shopping thing, I’ll spend countless hours seeking out information, user reviews and experiences, anything I can glom onto to make the most informed decisions possible.  This applies triple-fold to the subject of vitamins and supplements since it’s going in my body.

I’m not a big pill-popper to begin with and avoid it when I can.  My eating is pretty clean so I don’t take a multi-vitamin, though I do take calcium daily (ladies, you know I’ve mentioned it before, but check into your requirements and make sure you’re getting enough…anything to help avoid stress fractures is our BFF).

Last week, I mentioned that I started taking a glucosamine/ chondroitin/msm combo daily.  It’s purpose is to help your joints by increasing cartilage and adding lubrication.  I’ve been reading hundreds of accounts over the last week of people basically saying “I could never live without glucosamine again, I swear by it”.  These comments come from arthritis sufferers to heavy-lifting bodybuilders to runners.

When I started on it, I was thinking “maybe it’ll help my IT Band somehow”, though glucosamine isn’t for soft tissue.  Even so, I’d read a bunch of user reviews from people finding success with it for certain tendon issues.  Runners knee is also a common reason people take it.

The thing that got me to buy a bottle though, was watching a sports injury video from a doctor at Stanford University saying that it was worth taking since it acts as an anti-inflammatory but without the side effects.  I figured that’s got to help since tendon crap is all about inflammation.

As far as joint pain goes, I hadn’t thought about it before taking this stuff, but I do have joint tweaks, I  just don’t pay much attention to it because I figure it’s part of getting older, like sometimes my fingers hurt after opening a jar or my elbow might hurt when stuffing a pillow into a pillow case, etc.  And while I’m not a hurty girl in general (these tweaks are fleeting), it’s fun to think there’s something that might remove even these little ouchies from my life (not to mention do good stuff for running).

So on Sunday I had that IT strap episode that had my calf feeling weird, then on Tuesday, a really good 9-miler, Wednesday an 11-miler that was the first double-digit run in weeks where I was completely tweakless (no stretching stops at all) and then today, another perfect run, an 8-miler with some fartlek.  The thing I noticed on all three runs (besides a beautiful lack of IT trouble) was that my ankle bursitis, which has been hanging about these past few weeks and is always slightly noticeable at the start of a run, though not really painful, just “there”, was gone.  Nada.  Nothing.

It can’t be the glucosamine yet because that takes 4-6 weeks to kick in, but MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane, the third ingredient in my new magic pills) starts working in only a few days.   What’s it good for?  So many things, you’d be tempted to call it snake oil.

Among the items it helps are: tendonitis and bursitis (bing bing bing!), but also allergies (specifically rhinitis, which I have in abundance) as well as improving skin, nails and hair (actually speeds hair growth, of all things).  There’s even been a study on it saying it improved snoring, which sounds ridiculous, but if it helps allergies, I could see how that might carry over.

Now, quicker than you can say “Placebo”, glucosamine and MSM are commonly given to dogs, cats and horses with great success, in fact many people start using them because their doggies returned to frolicking puppydom after taking the stuff.   Since animals don’t know placebos or act from wishful thinking, that’s pretty solid proof of efficacy.

I’m not going to say “my IT band is cured!” because we know where that’s gotten me (though this is the most I’ve run in 3 consecutive days without feeling a thing since the crap began), but my ankle…I was resigned to thinking it would be a lifelong annoyance, waxing and waning whenever it felt like it.  It never occurred to me that I could take something for it that might make it actually go away.

It should be noted that the brand I’m currently using, Triple Flex from Nature Made, is not the latest version of the product because my local Rite Aid sucks, so it doesn’t contain hyaluronic acid, which all the new formulas have.  Hyaluronic acid does indeed work on soft tissue (tendons, ligaments), so I already ordered a vat of Triple Strength Advanced Osteo Bi-flex for when this bottle’s done.

I also ordered a separate bottle of MSM to see if will lessen my allergies, since it’ll take a larger dose than the glucosamine mix provides.  I’ve put Nick on glucosamine, too, since he’s battled a rotator cuff issue for years and that’s the perfect malady for this stuff.

Better living through chemicals supplements.  Why not?