Yea for Me!

I am happy to announce that yesterday's run was SO much better than Friday's run. I got out and even within the first 5 minutes, I could tell it was going to be a pretty good one. The weather, while not super warm or sunny, was at least dry and it was temperate enough that I could have left my gloves at home (my fingers are usually the first thing to start complaining when I get chilled). My stride was feeling good, I was loose and I didn't feel like every step I took was an exercise in torture.

In fact, yesterday, I ran all the way up one of the hills in my neighborhood without stopping. It's not the worst hill in the neighborhood, and it's certainly not the length or steepness of the horrible one that my sis-in-law has to deal with, but its one of the ones I have to navigate no matter what if I want get anyway in our neighborhood.

That being said, I will confess that I did stop and walk for about 30 seconds once I reached the top of the hill, and my form in getting there would have Steve Prefontaine absolutely cringing in embarrassment, but no matter what, I was super excited to have made it to the top. I only wish every run could be this good!


Yesterday's Run
Miles: 6.22
Time: 1:15
Pace: 5.0 mph
Street Run

No, really I AM!!!

Saw this on Café Press this morning and had to laugh...

A little off my game...

Well, Heather and I had been looking forward to getting together for our run all week long. I shifted my long run to earlier in the week so that it wouldn't impact my run today... we had it all planned out. Heather arrived this morning and although the weather wasn't great, at least it was not raining, so we set out.

About a mile into our run I was really not feeling it... I just felt like every step I took was a struggle. Finally, about 3/4 of a mile later I had to bail on Heather. We walked about another 1/4 mile to get back to my house and that was it. It was definitely an off day for me. I felt so bad for Heather coming over only to not be able to get a full run in.

I should have known it wasn't going to be a great day... I woke up this morning feeling really bloated... even in my legs and feet, which is something that rarely happens to me, but at the time, I didn't think it would necessarily affect my run. Of course, what I forgot until well after Heather left is that I also had a lousy night of sleep last night... I got about 3 hours of really restless sleep and if I had remembered this, I might have been tempted to call Heather and tell her to save the trip... but since I forgot that little (but probably very important) piece of information while getting ready this morning, she showed up and we set out.

Over time I am better able to tell when the fatigue I'm feeling is mental and it's something that I need to just push through, but occasionally, the fatigue really is a physical thing... and I think it's at this point that's it's best to listen to what you're body is telling you and pull back for the day... the road will always be there tomorrow. So, Heather and I have postponed our run until next week... I will do everything I can to make sure there's not a repeat performance of today!

Really? Are you serious?

I was reading through some back articles from John “The Penguin” Bingham this morning and I was struck by how often he talks of his foray into running at the age of 43 as “fun.” And then every time I would read this (pretty frequently) in one of his posts, I would think to myself, really? You genuinely find pounding pavement for miles on end with your heart beating wildly, your leg muscles burning as you climb hills, and your lungs burning as you gasp for air “fun?” Obviously John Bingham and I have very different definitions of this seemingly innocuous little three-letter word…  So it got me to thinking about what it really means for running to be “fun.” Usually, I will even go so far as to decry the hypocrisy of the “fun run.” Clearly this is a misnomer… especially when it involves any distance longer than, say, 5K at the absolute most.

To come to a mutually acceptable definition, let’s start out by establishing here and now that the fun of running is not (nor will it ever be, in my mind) the same kind of fun as, say, going to Six Flags and hopping on a roller coaster (Ignoring for the moment that there are some experience-deprived people out there who actually don’t like roller coasters at all). It’s not the same kind of fun as going to Hawaii for a week’s vacation or watching your favorite sports team win the big game. These, to my way of thinking, are what I would term fun, in the classical sense of the word. No, running (or really any kind of sport that requires more than a modicum of physical exertion – hopefully this will nix the questions about chess as a sport for the purposes of this discussion) is not fun in this classical sense of the word. That being said, if John Bingham, or anyone else for that matter, can change my mind about this perspective I’m open to the arguments…. 

Who knows, maybe I’m just not in touch with the Zen nature of running yet. I rarely, if ever, get into the soothing rhythm of a run enough to find it a freeing experience… and I must admit that it makes me feel more than a little inadequate when people talk about the Zen of running, or using their daily runs in order to clear their heads and work out solutions to tough problems in their minds. I don’t ever achieve this place of meditation during a run and when I see someone, anyone, writing or talking about this I look at them wistfully and wonder what it is that they’ve got that I’m missing… like it’s some kind of missing piece of genetic material or something… and maybe I was never really meant to be a runner because I can’t achieve this level of running nirvana.

Fortunately, I’m not willing to admit defeat quite so easily. I’ve mentioned before that I’m not physically designed to be an elite level runner, so maybe this is on that same order – only this is the mental side of the genetic equation. But actually what I suspect is that we might need a whole new word coined for the fun that is derived from running… so that people like me can get out there and run without feeling like they’re missing out on something merely because they’re not achieving the same kind of high they would as if they jumped on the Matterhorn at Disneyland (bad example, I know, but bear with me here…).

So let’s talk, instead about the kind of fun that I have as a runner. This is a fun that is much less readily apparent than the amusement park thrill ride. This is a kind of fun that has to be actively sought out and recognized for what it is. You work for this fun, it’s not handed to you (is having to work for your fun, actually fun or is this oxymoronic? Maybe... I’ll have to do some more thinking on this.) The fun of running is the fun that comes with the acknowledgment of achievement… when you run your first mile, your first 5K, your first marathon. It is the joy you feel when you get to the top of the hill and despite the lactic acid pain in your legs, you turn around and realize you’ve made it to the top without stopping (go, go Heather!) - whereas last month, you had to take a breather or at least walk the last part of that hill. 

Maybe the fun comes from the new community of friends and acquaintances you develop who share your common interest. They know what it means to face a lonely day of running in the rain and the cold. You can share the common insights about things like moisture wicking fabrics and the breaking in of a new pair of shoes… or the love/hate relationship we have with Lycra. You can reflect back and laugh together at your race time that was horrendously ruined because of the mile-long train that had to cross in front of you during the last race. Or you can sit together at the end of a race, talking over the high and low points while enjoying the spoils of pasta and beer. But still this isn’t exactly fun you have while running.

Or maybe the fun comes from the enjoyment of getting out and seeing the changes, however subtle, that come each day to the environment around you as you run your regular route. Seeing the leaves on the trees change colors in the fall, or seeing the first signs of daffodils in peoples’ yards in the spring… or even other changes that happen…  I must admit that I derive a strange sort of pleasure from seeing when the city comes around and fills a pothole that I’ve been navigating around for months and months. 

My enjoyment also comes from the changes I see and feel in my body… the weight loss, the muscle gain, the strides in my cardiovascular improvement, not to mention the more subtle changes that are only evident when I look back over the past few months or even years, such as no more knee pain when I climb stairs and no more gasping for breath when I get to the top of said stairs. But again, I really wouldn’t call all these things the fun of the actual activity of running. Yes, I do appreciate the way my body moves better, but again, this isn’t really fun per se.

John Bingham talks about our body’s inherent drive to move and to run… witness little kids running all over the place just because they can and because they enjoy it. Still, I don’t tend to think of something as fun just because it’s instinctive… running from the mastodon that wanted to eat us for lunch or the tsunami that rolls in on the shore is not fun merely because our survival instinct inherently tells us to run! 

Does this all make me too “goal” oriented and all about the end result, not the journey? Maybe… is that going to stop me from stepping out to take the journey in the first place? Absolutely not. I guess all of this is leading me to think that we need a new term to describe the kind of joy we derive from incorporating this activity into our lives that might not be fun in and of itself, but the sum of its parts does lead to a sense of enjoyment, accomplishment and fulfillment.

Now, if we only had a word for this sensation that wasn’t used interchangeably with the one we use when referring to mouse ears, relaxing on white sand beaches, or eating burgers and Cajun fries at the local “Five Guys!” As I said before, John Bingham, I’m open here... any suggestions?

Today's Run
Miles: 6.16
Time: 1:15
Pace: 4.9 mph
Treadmill  Run

The inmates, er, I mean cats, are taking over the asylum!

My DH ordered me a Road ID for Christmas, which I had been wanting. It just makes sense, in case I ever need emergency assistance when I'm running without a partner (or running with someone who might not know all of my personal particulars). Anyway, that's not the point of today's story.

I had place the Road ID on the kitchen table so that I could take it downstairs to the garage where I keep the rest of my outdoor running gear (gloves, hat, iPod armband, etc.) whenever I happened to be headed in that general direction. I do this with a lot of stuff... groceries to go in the food pantry, items going to Goodwill, rags that have been laundered and folded and now need to be put away... you get the idea.

Anyway, I was headed down to the treadmill (also in the garage) to do this morning's workout (why I chose to do 8 miles on the treadmill this morning is a whole other story that I won't get into right now... maybe someday). I went to grab my Road ID off the table and low & behold... it's not there! Well, having four cats in the house, one of which I swear thinks he's part squirrel, it's not hard to figure out what probably happened to it. The bigger issue is finding the stupid thing once the inmate (aka cats) had run off with it.

 It's not the first time that they have run off with something. I have dropped socks on the floor on the way to the laundry room, only to have them disappear and then re-appear in a different part of the house several days later. We are missing about half a dozen little stuffed animal cat toys which are too big to fit under the stove or fridge and for which I have checked under the couches and the bed. Anyway, you can see how my mind might start to race and panic would set in when something that is as vital as my Road ID comes up missing. I started looking around for it and of course it wasn't to be found actually near the kitchen table, like the cats had just batted it off and then left it alone. No, that would be too easy for my cats! I start thinking about having to tell my DH when he gets home from work how we're going to have to order me a new ID, even though I've had this one for less than two weeks, how the squirrels (aka cats) have once again run off with and stashed another one of their conquests. This is getting old.

Okay, time to pull it together and start looking a little more intensely for the ID. I guess, I should mention here that my Road ID is pink and many of their other toys, just though mere coincidence, also happen to be pink, so I'm sure it was no huge stretch for them to assume this was just another toy to add to their collection. You will be happy to know that I did finally find it... it had been carried downstairs and stashed between a stereo speaker and the wall. Fortunately, the color helped it to jump out at me against the cherry wood color of the floor...

Well, the Road ID finally made it down to be place securely (aka a place the cats can't get to) with my other running gear... and I have learned my lesson.... all items placed on the kitchen table should either be a) heavily monitored or b) willing to be surrendered to the inmates that seem to run this place.

Yesterday's Run
Miles: 8.04 (new personal distance record)
Time: 1:41
Pace: 4.8 mph
Treadmill Workout

Yea for Boudreax's!!!

While I was writing about body parts chaffing the other day, I started thinking about my secret weapon in the war against the rashes that develop when you forget to put on your Lycra-infused exercise clothing or don’t bother with the petroleum jelly or Glide stick for those ‘sensitive’ areas.

Okay, I confess, this really isn’t my own personal secret, but it is the recommendation of my running buddy/sister-in-law, Heather, who has been doing this longer than I have.

The answer - as embarrassing or just plain strange as it might seem on the surface – diaper rash cream. More specifically, Boudreax’s Butt Paste. Now, this is a diaper rash cream I had never heard of before (it’s certainly not one of the more widely known varieties and, given that I don’t have any kids, my opportunities for experimenting with diaper rash remedies has been limited) but it is a wonder treatment for all kinds of rashes, but the ones experiences most often by runners are heat rashes from places rubbing together that were never meant to rub together… especially for those of us who don’t weigh in at ninety-five pounds. 

I’m not sure what the magical ingredients are in Boudreax’s that make it so wonderful… it’s basically zinc and balsam… so maybe it’s the ratio of the ingredients… or maybe it’s some kind of magical fairy dust… I really don’t care. I just know that this stuff works. If I get heat rash, I put a dab of Boudreax’s on my rash right after my morning shower and usually by that evening the rash is either dissipated or at the very least, significantly reduced. And the bonus (like you really need one when it comes to reliably getting rid of heat rash)… it even smells kind of… nice. Now, I’m not saying that I’d go voting it in as the next scent for an aerosol air freshener, but it’s certainly not offensive and even better, people won’t go around sniffing you and thinking you smell like a baby with diaper rash!

Okay, now that I’ve shared my secret and given my unsolicited plug for the day, you can all go back to your regularly scheduled programming…

Today's Run
Miles: 6.22
Time: 1:15
Pace: 4.9 mph
Part Street/Part Treadmill

My very first sports-related (kind of) injury

I haven't this little piece of info to everyone yet... I'm running with a torn labrum... fortunately, it's not the hip labrum, like my sis-in-law is suffering under... so sorry to hear you can't do the 17 miler, Heather!

In a nutshell, the labrum is a piece of cartilage that is formed like a cup and helps to hold the head of the upper arm bone (humerus) in place. It's tissue that is not very well vascularized (not a lot of blood vessels), therefore healing can be a very slow (aka frustrating) process.

Anyway, I fell during a race on Thanksgiving day, landed with an outstretched right arm (naturally, since I'm right handed) and apparently, landed with enough force that it jammed the ball of the humerus into the shoulder socket and caused a tear. Ow!

Because the pain was not going away after well over a week, I scheduled an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon who immediately sent me in for an MRI to see exactly what was going on. The orthopedic surgeon has diagnosed me with a torn labrum and some bursitis. He then sent me to physical therapy to see how much healing could take place before he/we will consider more invasive options, i.e. surgery.

Yesterday was my fourth physical therapy session and I must confess, I'm trying to do my exercises regularly, but I'm just not feeling like there's really much improvement in the condition. There's a sharp pain deep in the shoulder that seems to get worse when I reach behind my back or across my body. It's been almost two months since my injury occurred and it's starting to worry me a bit that things just don't seem to be healing. I'll try to keep everyone apprised of my progress.

In the meantime, fortunately, there are a few bright spots in this whole adventure:

1. I had my first MRI... most people are probably thinking "this woman is crazy!" But, seriously, I'm not really claustrophobic, and they braced my shoulder with lots of big pieces of foam. It might be the best my shoulder has felt since the accident! Plus, the tunnel of the MRI was nice and warm and cozy. I was just about on the verge of sleep while in there. It was pretty relaxing for me. (OK, a side note here - my dad, as a medical physicist, used to do installations and calibrations on MRI's... so I kind of knew what to expect... it's not a medical machine that was outside of my realm of experiences even though I'd never actually had one myself.)
2. My friends, family, and even my health care providers have been incredibly supportive of me and have encouraged my continued running. My orthodpedic surgeon was even a little surprised, but very pleased when I told him that I was still running despite it causing a bit of discomfort in my shoulder (that was initially, the pain has subsided enough from the initial inflammation stage that it really doesn't bother my shoulder to run any longer... at least not too much!)
3. Physical therapy has been a good experience for me. My therapist is a pretty cool guy who also happens to run, so we can talk about different races that we've each run. He is great about taking all of my issues and concerns seriously and doesn't make me feel like my injury is a little insignificant thing (which, let's be honest, in the grand scheme of all things that could have possibly happened to me, really this is pretty minor). Finally, he has a cool collection of funky Hawaiian shirts... it's always a surprise to see what he'll be wearing each time I go in for therapy.

Of course, all of this is not to make light of my situation, but I really do try to make a concerted effort to adopt a glass half-full mentality. This kind of thinking doesn't necessarily come naturally to me, but in the long run, I think it's much more productive and mentally healthy for me. And after all, health, not just physical, but also mental health is the reason I started running (and keep running) in the first place.



Yesterday's Run
Miles: 7.31 (new personal distance record)
Time: 1:30
Pace: 4.9 mph
Treadmill Workout