Knee Update…

A quick recap:  April/May I ran approx 276 miles, 77 of that on hilly, uneven terrain and at one point I ran 11 miles, two days in a row, on a VERY hilly route.  This left me with some right knee pain.  I tried to deal with the pain, and for a while I could.  For the most part I gutted it out and ran on, but on National Running Day…(the irony kills me) I could not push though any longer.  After stopping dead in my tracks, 1 mile into a 6 mile run, I had to seek out medical attention.

My first doctor’s appointment resulted in good news, no structural damage.  Classified as an overuse injury, 14 days of rest was recommended and the RICE treatment.  Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.  With much disappointment I took the next 14 days off.  Day 15 I ran 5 miles without pain…I figured, hoped and prayed the gremlins were gone.  Being conservative I waited another two days and again ran without pain.  My third run came 36 hrs later and to my disappointment the pain was back.  Back to the doctors...

A second doctor looked over my knee.  This medical professional was a bit more aggressive.  She pushed, pulled and twisted my knee and once again no damage.  I was very happy to hear her proclamation but she said that we did not give my knee enough time to truly recover.  30 days off was recommended.  My heart sank…like the Titanic on that faithful night, 14 days had been hard, 30 would really test my resolve.

Today is day 18, and the good news is my knee feels much better, and no pain.   The bad news is I’ve got the itch.  I want to run.  I want run to test out my knee.  I want to run to convince myself that I can still do it.  I want to run just to confirm the pain is gone. 

This time I will give it the full and complete 30 days!  My Marine Corp Marathon is depending on it. 

What the longest recovery time you have had to deal with?  How did you not go nuts?  

Running gear

 Standing on the starting line I tend to notice all the different ways people outfit themselves for a race.  You've got the hat people, those that wear the full hat and the others who prefer the visor.  You got the brave souls (guys that is) who where spandex, then you have the short shorts people.  The latest wave in gear is the compression socks and arm warmer people.  Then there are the groups loyal to a favorite manufacturer, the Nike people, the Rebox people, the Adidas people, the Puma people, the Asics people and the Brooks people.  And not to be left out is the high tech crowd, you have the people sporting the latest GPS watches, and you have the Ipod people with ear buds in each ear.  And you have the people with a GPS watch on their wrist, Ipod on their arm and enough other tech gadgets to control the launch of the space shuttle.

And finally you have the people who run with as little gear and clothing as allowed by public law...including the toe shoe people. 

This is a humorous look at the trends in running gear the bottom line is, run in whatever gear gives you your best shot at maximum performance or the most enjoyable outcome. 

So what is my running gear of choice? (Summer kit)

Hat:  I’m a non-hat guy

Shirt:  Any brightly colored high tech running shirt that jumps out of the drawer that morning.  My only rule here is I will not wear the event shirt until I have run the event.

Shorts:  Any dark, navy blue or black high tech shorts by rule and although I’ve been accused of wearing short shorts, I wear the 5” inseam.  For long runs/marathons I wear Race- Ready long distance shorts.

Socks:  Any high tech/moisture wicking sock is good for me, for trail runs I need and will start wearing gaitors.

Shoes:  Nike Air Pegasus, I’ve run in my Air pegs for over 12 years, they fit my feet perfect and have never left me down.  Normally I have 2 or 3 active pairs ready to go at any given time.

GPS:  Garmin 201, I’ve run with my trusty low tech Garmin since 2003, I have three of them, although I would like to up-grade…these work and a simple to use.  Why mess with a good thing?

Music:  People ask me why I do not listen to music when I run and I have a simple answer, I would rather hear the car before it kills me.  Or maybe it’s the footsteps of someone coming up on me.  In all seriousness, I can not imagine running on the roads without being in touch with the world around me.

Hydration:  On runs longer then 6 to 7 miles or over an hour I hand carry my water.  I use a sports bottle carrier with hand strap.  For long runs or very hot days I may even carry one in both hands.

Fuel:  For runs over 10 miles I’ll tuck gels (Powergels or Gus) into the pockets of my shorts, my favorite flavor is Strawberry Banana.  After and before snacks, I love the Berry Blast Smoothie bars from Powerbar.

Workout Tracking System:  I post all of my work outs manually to an excel spreadsheet.

What is your race day kit? 

Wordless Wednesday

Running Mind Dump

My #HASHTAG Running Mind Dump – AKA what goes thru my mind while running… blueberry bagels, diet, pizza, pizza hut, pepperoni, higher math, algebra, homework, I hate school but love to run, swamp people and gator marry, heat, Lebron James can’t win a ring on his own, #hashtag rules the world, cup cakes, red velvet,    

Un-Running Related:

--  Food Recommendation:  Blueberry bagels…a day is not complete without one or two!

--  Food Thought:  I figured out the perfect ration of pepperoni on pizza, you take the circumference of the shell times 3, add in the number of pepperoni slices you eat while figuring this out, divide by 3. Works every time…

--  Music Recommendation:  I heard an old friend on the radio the other day, Hootie and the Blowfish where did you go?

--  Cupcake Recommendation:  Red Velvet with white icing

--  Other Sports:  Lebron James winning a championship ring is kind of like me asking Lance Armstrong to ride all but the last mile of the Tour De France and I take it from there….#hollowwin

 --  Worried about the world:  Has anyone named their kid hashtag yet?  Or how about #hashtag   

Running Related:

--  Who turned on the heat…last few days have been downright nasty.

--  It SUCKS SWAMP WATER to be a runner who can’t run…for any length of time.  

--  #runchat on twitter check it out

--  The Olympics Trails is great TV…these guys and gals are putting it all out there.  USA, USA, USA! Can’t wait for the games to begin!

--  Galen Rupp is awesome…that dude can lay them down when it’s money time. Starting to think he is “The Flash.”

--  Most days…I don’t have time to run, I MAKE time and you can too.

--  Bizarro-World thought:  Elvis and Prince sign up for a half marathon…who would be wearing a singlet?   

-- Prefontaine was the dude!

--  I really would like a pair of Air Pegasus shoes colored up like Eddie Van Halen classic guitar.  Come on Nike…help a runner out!

What goes thru your mind while running? Post a comment below and tell me about it.

You can follow me on Twitter @cledawgs

The Movie, Prefontaine

I’ve been running for 12 years, I had heard about a man named, Prefontaine but never really understood his place in the running world.  I knew he was a pretty good long distance runner, and would-be cult hero from Nike-Town, but not much else.  Now after watching this movie, I understand the place Steve Prefontaine holds in the collective history of U.S.A track and field, the Olympics and our present day Olympic teams.

This movie did a skillful job of interlacing Pre’s youth with his desire to be the best distance runner in the world.  The story was entertaining and inspiring, and it also shed light on the historic events taking place within our country and the International scene of the 1972 Olympics Games in Munich, Germany.

Prefontaine was an aggressive runner, insisting on going out hard and not relinquishing leads. He was quoted as saying, "No one will ever win a 5,000 meter by running an easy two miles. Not against me." He would later state, "I am going to work so that it's a pure guts race. In the end, if it is, I'm the only one that can win it". A local celebrity, chants of "Pre! Pre! Pre!" became a frequent feature at Hayward Field, the mecca for track and field in the U.S.A. Fans wore t-shirts that read "LEGEND", while those who supported other teams wore shirts with the phrase "STOP PRE" printed on a stop sign.

I found this movie to be both inspiring and educational.  As a runner, this movie provided me a glimpse of who could have been the greatest distance runner of all time.  And as an American it offered me a look at history.  As a young boy I remember very little about the 1972 Olympics, I do remember a news broadcast talking about guerillas (terrorists) holding athletes as hostages.  Now I am witness to this event threw the eyes and ears of Steve Prefontaine.  I recommend this movie to anyone interested in learning more about great athlete, an interesting and complex human being, determined runner and a National Hero. 

Pre changed the way the U.S. looks at it amateur athletes. 

What's your thought on Pre?  Are you following the U.S. in the Olympics?  Let us know. 

Wordless Wednesday - 4th July Edition

JUNE, A LOOK BACK…

If you have been following my blog you know my goals for 2012 are as follows:

I WILL Run:

- three marathons

- 1500 miles this year

- a 20 miler once a month

- a 24 hour run with 75 miles (check)

- a race at least once each month

- all of my scheduled training runs and not have more then two days off in a row without a really good reason (i.e. marathon or ultra recovery)

And the biggest goal, get my friend Susan C. thru her first marathon. (check)

If you have not been following my blog, shame on you, but I forgive you.

So SIX months into the year let’s see how we are doing.

Well It’s not going well…we believe I have some Patella Tendonitis (I hate that word) in my right knee.

Run 3 marathons:  One down two to go: Injury update….depending on if I can put this “thing” behind me, I may only be able to knock out one of these. It has been over three months since Shamrock marathon and I’m getting the itch…the marathon itch.  As it stands right now my second marathon of 2012 will be the Marine Corp Marathon 28 Oct and my third marathon will be Norfolk’s Freedom Marathon 11 Nov.  I’ve signed up and paid for both so I have some skin in the game…the money is on the line

Run 1500 Miles:  In June I ran Whopping 40.35 miles over 7 days, for the first time missing my goal for the month.  At this point my yearly mileage goals may have to be adjusted as a result of this injury time out.  I presently sit at 708 miles, 792 miles from my goal.  If I can get back on my feet 1 Aug, I would need to avg. 158 miles for the remaining 5 months.  Depending on how I come back, I may have to adjust my yearly goals.

June’s Run: Much of June was a mess, I saw the first doctor on June 7th.  On doctors orders I took 14 days off and hoped to get back going again.  After two successful runs where I thought all was going to be well…the pain was back and a second doctor’s visit was on the calendar.  I’ll be shut down for the month of July.  With all the issues with my knee I did not get in a 20 mile run or a race.  My streaks for consecutive months with 100 miles and a 20 miler ended.

June’s Favorite Blog Post:  A Cool Way to Cross Train This Summer.   

Career Miles:  Career Miles Stand at 9671.3

You can follow me on Twitter @cledawgs

How did your June go....post a comment and tell us about it.