Four weeks of dreaming of running

Posted on June 26, 2013 by besaroboy

Dang those hamstrings! This week I finally got back on the roads after a good month of recuperation. I probably wouldn’t have taken that long but I have been busy with the work thing. At least that was my excuse, and it was an excuse that seems to have paid off. I have run the last three days in a row and I haven’t had any issues with the hamstring at all. The hips, now thats another story. They still seem to be giving me grief.

The hip grief started up in ful force right off the bat. I have been putting in the time to stretch them out while I was not running. I am sure it has been worth the effort despite still having soreness in them. I do think that I have gotten a little over zealous in my approach to trying to create some greater flexibility in that area, especially during this week of returning to running. If I can just remember to go slowly in my hip stretches then I should be fine. But I find myself wanting to get it over with as soon as I can and that increases the speed in which I throw my leg back behind myself (literally throwing the weight of my leg back behind me rather than gently lifting it into position, bad Marco!) I do think that overall I am doing myself good through this process… I hope.

The runs this week have been somewhat slow and short. I had to force myself to do shorter runs which have slowly been increasing (4-5.1-5.2) I don’t feel like I am over-doing it at all yet. We’ll see how this continues, but so far so good. In the three runs this week I have noticed that the point in which I begin to get tired has gotten further along each time. Which must be a good thing, not sure if I would say that it reflects an increase in physical performance but it still looks good to guy who is trying to get back into it. Overall I feel a lot better too after just three days. I think I have really been jonsing for those endorphins. Feels good to have the coursing through my system again!

One last thing, I have been running on regular running shoes (as opposed to the zero drop shoe) in the hope of leveling out my hips. I am not real sure it is helping any, but I am going to keep it up for awhile before I give up. The zero-drop shoes are much more comfortable, I htink it is the wider toe box that I mostly miss as my feet feel a bit squished and achey in the regular shoes.

A week after pulling my hamstring

Posted on May 27, 2013 by besaroboy

One week ago today I was running in the canyon when I experienced a cramp behind and a little above my knee. It came out of nowhere and wasn’t associated with any sort of specific exertion. Initially I figured that it was pretty hot and I hadn’t brought any water and that dehydration may have been a factor (and indeed it may have been). But after a couple of days still experiencing the tightness I began to think differently. It appeared that I had done something to my hamstring again. This being the second time in the last couple months I have had issues here and the problems I have been having in my hips (specifically right side) has really gotten me questioning how much I can run anymore. A huge part of me says BS and that my age and the ms have nothing to do with this, but I think maybe I need to reevaluate what I can do successfully in the future. There is another huge part of my thinking that says this is just an injury that I need to get through and that rest is my best approach. After pondering this I think a combo is probably the best approach and that I need to at least cut back on my running until I can put the hamstring and hip issues in the past.

As far as the hip issues go I am starting to think that the zero drop shoes are part of the problem. Being that I run with a half inch lift to correct for a shorter leg the zero drop shoes are having me hit on the forefront of my feet and erasing the alignment benefit of the lift. I think that my zero-drop feet falls are landing with my hips being out of alignment. With my focus on a mid-strike I would think this issue would be alleviated somewhat, but I also have found myself hitting on the balls of my feet rather that a mid-strike. So I am going to go back to my old standard running shoes and see how they feel over time. My run today was in my old aisics and the felt pretty good. I definitely felt the smaller toe box (I really liked the larger toe box of the Altras) but overall things felt good.

I am thinking that I will try to limit my running a bit this summer and see how things go. For right now I want to keep my running to every other day so I don’t over do anything. Today’s run was just under 5 miles and I really want to become satisfied with shorter runs. Also I will be going quite a bit slower for now. We’ll see how things go.

Another base run in the books

Posted on May 14, 2013 by besaroboy

Today has marked the start of a third week of solid running. I am feeling like my fitness level is getting back to where it should be, or at least where I like it anyway. The runs come quite a bit easier to me, I am finding the energy to push myself when I want to. And I am even remembering to push myself more often. I think the increased fitness is not allowing me to forget that I want to run fast! I am starting to feel a bit ragged in terms of being able to physically keep up with what I am wanting to do. My knees have been a bit sore lately which is a new thing for me. I have also been experiencing some pain in my hips and glute especially on my right side. I found an interesting article on a set of exercise takign about 20 minutes to relieve hip pain. After the first time I did them I noticed a difference right away. A big thanks to Julia Horton for this:
Relieve Hip Pain from Running with 10 Minute Exercise Routine.

Hip extension on all fours. On all fours, extend one leg back behind you, lifting it high so that foot goes well above butt height, but keep the leg fairly straight (not perfectly straight, but almost straight).

Hold it there for a solid second, then bring back to past original position so that knee is ahead of the support knee, then extend the leg back behind you again. Do 8 repetitions each side. Then repeat again at any time during the session.

Hip abduction on all fours. Picture a male dog lifting a leg to relieve itself. Lift your thigh out to the side so that the thigh is parallel with floor, leg bent at knee at 90 degrees. Your thigh should be perpendicular to your trunk. Hold for one second, then return to start. Do 8 reps each side.

Lie on back, legs straight. Pull one knee towards chest so that you feel a stretch in the opposite hip area, where the leg merges into the pelvis. Hold 30 seconds. Switch legs. Do two sets each leg.

Standing external hip rotation. Place hands on something for balance and stand straight. Lift one knee in front of yourself like a high march. Then bring knee out to the side, so that thigh is perpendicular to trunk.

Leg is bent at 90 degrees the entire time. Bring back to original high march position. Do not set foot down; keep rotating knee outward, then back inward. Do 8 sets each side — twice.

Standing hip rotation. Stand with feet shoulder width apart, hands on hips. Rotate hips five times in one direction, then in the other direction. The motion is similar to that of doing the hula hoop, except it is much slower, to get a good stretch all the way around.

Standing hip extension. Place hands on something for support. Stand straight. Lift one knee up and extend leg out behind you. It’s okay to lean forward to allow this motion. This exercise is similar to “hip extension on all fours.” Do 8 reps each leg.

It will take 8-10 minutes to complete these exercises. Do them once or twice a day (I did mine once a day).

I did the sets again after I ran today and it gives me hope that I can knock this hip pain back. So far so goo

Hot eight miles in under 10 min mile pace

Posted on May 10, 2013 by besaroboy

As my morning wore on I felt the heat rising hotter and hotter. The humidity joined in and I started to doubt my resolve to run. But my resolve won out and as soon as I finished a batch of work I had to do and Comcast paid us a visit to replace the box that we just had replaced (they gave us the wrong one) I was off. 78 degrees and about the same humidity (higher inside the canyon with the proximity to water), it was brutal. But I was firm with myself about getting moving.

When I first walked out of my office after gathering all my gear my stomach rumbled. I realized I was pretty hungry. I decided to pospone leaving until I could gobble a half of a clif bar. It was the perfect amount of food to hold me over and keep my stomach from rumbling. I also filled up my water bottle full thinking that the extra weight (I have been only bringing a half full bottle as of late) that was nagging me would eventually go away. I could have actually used a refill but I portioned my bottle out and drained it about a half mile from the end.

I started out only wanting to do a short run, but after a couple miles my pace was strong and I felt like I could top that 10 min mile mark. This inspired me to keep going and add on miles. I decided on my eight mile route and through the canyon I was still 90 seconds ahead of a 10 min mile pace. The heat and humidity in the canyon really sapped me, but I pushed on. My last mile and a half were quite a bit slower and I really started to drag. I even walked for a short distance twice which I rarely do, but it helped me quite a bit especially on the big hill out of reed.

Several times during the run I pushed myt pace a bit. Not too hard as I didn’t want to completely fade at the end (which more or less happened anyway). But I really wanted to break the 10 min mile pace barrier. And I did. 9:52 for 7.75 miles. I am pretty happy with that.

Four runs in a row

Posted on May 8, 2013 by besaroboy

Once again I managed to get in four runs in four days, my benchmark for getting back into running on a regular basis. I feel pretty good and even considered tagging on some extra mileage today. But I thought better of it seeing as it was the fourth in a row and more importantly I have a rehearsal tonight that I need to give my best effort (well when don’t I?) My right glute is giving me a little grief, it seems as if the adjustments to my hips that my acupuncturist was able to do have faded somewhat. For several days after she aligned my hips I was feeling really good after running and I didn’t have any soreness in my butt or hips. Now the soreness is back, whether it is due to the increased running (which is what I suspect) or if the hips have gotten back out of alignment I am not totally sure.

My speeds have not been very fast but that is just fine. I am getting the calorie burn in which will alleviate my paranoia about weight gain. Seems like in the past I needed 2-3 weeks of regular running before I felt thin again. Ah, the phycology of exercise! We’ll see how it goes this time around. My ankles have been feeling fine but I have had some soreness in my knees which is sort of a new thing and something I certainly want to keep an eye on. I haven’t had any issues with my knees in the past and I’ll be really concerned if they become a problem for me. Arnica gel at night seems to help out quite a bit so that is a good thing (I hope I am not masking a larger issue…)

The heat we have been experiencing has been really interesting. I have never been much of a warm weather runner, but I have been really liking it as of late. The extra sweat and exertion has been a welcome thing and I haven’t had much trouble dealign with it. I have been bringing water with me (except for today as it was cool and cloudy when I got out for my early run. I suppose now that I feel like I am enjoying the heat it means that the weather will turn cold for the foreseeable future! I hope not, at least right now I say that. Talk to me in July!

Base run in the sun

Posted on April 24, 2013 by besaroboy

What great weather we are having in Portland right now! Warm spring days here are always so often, I just wish they were as frequent as they are beautiful. But we take what we get I guess. The sun today inspired me to run despite being a tad bit hungover after playing an Earth Day fundraiser last night. I struggled a bit at first, and my legs are still lingering sore from getting back into regular running. But the soreness isn’t unbearable and goes away as I warm up. So sticking with the run hasn’t been as hard as it seems when I start…

I did a base run today of 10k. My pace was pretty slow, around 10:30 or so. My feet have also been a bit sore as well, I need to toughen them up I guess. It never gets to the point where I can no longer run, but I would really like to get used to the pounding again. Soon it will be back I am sure. Well I guess I had better eat something before tonight’s rehearsal. Otherwise I will definitely poop out.

Back to it

Posted on April 20, 2013 by besaroboy

Seems like longer than just a couple weeks since I have run, I could of sworn it was a month or so. But my journal says otherwise. The doctor says I should take off a full month, but I think that is more because he is going on vacation and won’t be back until then. Well I can’t wait, and didn’t. Off I went today. I have actually been meaning to run for a couple of days now, but I have managed to but into a bevy of excuses. Today I resolved not to let that happen.

I knew today would be slow and it was. No big deal, way more important to be out there and running safely (at least in terms of this stupid hematoma). Speaking of it seems to be mostly gone. I can still feel something under the skin but it is way smaller. I am slightly concerned that it might fill up again with running again. But I can’t not run forever can I? I am sure www.IUsedToRunwithMS.com is available, but I don’t want to find out. Plus what a boring blog, and you think this one is bad!

The run went pretty well today, I was a bit tired after four or so miles but I kept going, slow but steady until I got by usual 10k base run in. Even the hills didn’t stop me. I considered walking them, but I am happy to say I ran through them all. Now that it is done I feel pretty darn good, not exhausted at all though I bet I will sleep well tonight.

Hematomato

Posted on April 9, 2013 by besaroboy

Actually my hematoma looks less like a tomato and more like nothing, but I couldn’t resist the post title. This is sort of a longish story that started about three weeks ago. I initially thought I had been bitten by a spider. I have a bump on my upper thigh that ached like a cramp. I started to question the spider bite theory when I didn’t see a puncture point or bite mark of any kind. It was about the size of a silver dollar and it wasn’t discolored at all. Weird. My next thought was maybe I had bruised myself carrying my sax stand in my bag on the bus as it is quite pokey and the one leg was sticking out in the same location as my bump. I stopped running for a week and it seemed to go away.

So once again (as has been my pattern of late) I started running again. I did a couple of base runs in a row that felt pretty good. Then I decided to work my butt off in the yard for a couple of days. Not only did the yard look great, but my bump returned with a vengeance. This time it appeared to be larger and more painful so once again I stopped running (and yard work for that matter). I decided that my lump was some sort of thigh strain. Seeing as how I have been dealing with some odd cramping and strains in various areas of my legs (due I think to overcompensating for one leg’s issue the other would pay the price) I figured this was related. I decided that I would give running a couple of weeks off before I tried again.

After going to my acupuncturist I got a bit more concerned. The lump was about the same size as the second go around (a bit larger than a silver dollar), but I had considerable redness and pain surrounding it. I decided to call my GP and set up an appt. He was concerned enough by it to call my neurologist to see if she had seen any sort of reaction to the rebif injections that was similar. He ordered antibiotics for the infection and an ultrasound to get a better look at it. Well the neurologist said no, she had never seen anything like this as far as site reactions go and the ultrasound revealed that the lump was a hematoma. The doc theorized that the running had caused it to fill up again with blood after the initial reduction. The weird thing to me was that this collection of blood in my body was not red or bruised at all like many hematomas are. I am still not sure why. You can get them inside your muscles and those don’t appear bruised, but mine seemed to be on top of the muscle. Weird.

Later this morning I got back to my GP. The antibiotics seem to have kicked the infection to the curb, but the bump is still there and still uncolored. It is no longer painful and it seems to have reduced in size. I guess the question is now how long will this keep me from running? Or doing anything strenuous? Questions for the doc I guess who I assume will tell me to stop running. I’d persoanlly like to experiment with it and see if there is any further swelling after I run. We’ll see.

Benefits of the slow run

Posted on March 27, 2013 by besaroboy

Today I ran a slow run with my wife. Her pace is significantly slower than mine (14 min mile versus my 10 min mile avg.) It is amazing to me how much of a great workout this was, much the same in many ways as shaving several minutes off your avg. pace but in a different way. We ran 3.5 miles but my legs feel like I did 10. I managed to run 95% of it on the balls of my feet if not my toes. This was a great workout for the calves. 45 minutes of burn! Felt great and overall I don’t feel exhausted which will help my music playing tonight.

I was curious to see how doing such a toe-strike focussed run would effect the cramping I have been experiencing in my legs. Turns out not much at all though now it feels like my calves are cramping, but I think it is just soreness.

I have done intentionally slower runs like this in the past and have been really happy with the results. Plus they make you feel really fast once you return to your normal pace.

One of the benefits of a slower run like this is that you are burning more fat than normal, apparently this has to do with running under your 70% threshold. I guess running above that tends to burn other things rather than fat. I read about this awhile back and can’t recall the specifics. Not that I ever let a faulty recall stop me from spouting “facts”!

Leg cramps

Posted on March 26, 2013 by besaroboy

For the last weeks I have been dealing with weird leg cramps or they might actually be a sort of minor muscle pull. The first one I experienced last week was in my left hamstring. Next up right glute, which I am almost positive is a compensation for the strain in the left hammie. The glute really bothered me, so I gave running five days off and today I tried again. My glute felt pretty good, still a tad sore, but nothing too bad. Then going up a hill there went the dang left hamstring again! Just a quick twinge, but soon it was a full on cramp. I walked for a short while then tried running again. I am not sure what is going on, could be a lack of water but I feel like I am pretty well hydrated.

I guess I’ll give it another shot tomorrow, as long as I don’t push the speed I should be ok. It is so hard to hold off from running now that the weather is getting nicer here.