Frozen Bananas

ORN: 22.0 miles, R/W 4/1, 4:14:56, 11:36/mile

One of the distinct benefits of preregistering for spring marathons is that it provides a clear reason to get out in awful Midwest winter weather to do the necessary long runs. Today was one of those days.

The week has been brutally cold. Weather we normally see in mid to late January has hit already. Snow. Single digit and below-zero temps. I had two runs earlier in the week doomed to the dreadmill...if anything is motivating to go outside, that sure is it. I was antsy to get out and go for a long run today, though.

WL Trail near Cherry Lane

The run started at 14F and ended at a "balmy" 25F. I've discovered using hand warmers, polypro liner gloves and snowboarderdude mittens to be a decent combination to keep hands and arms warm. The run mostly just lumbered along. The footing was iffy...about 1/3 of the run was on snow pack, the rest on sorta dry pavement. I don't know if that contributed to my left IT band making noises around the 20 mile mark. That bad boy hasn't said anything for two years now.

The temps also triggered a new question for me. I've found eating bananas during a run to be much more enjoyable than packing gels. All fall, I simply stashed them along the route ahead of time. But how would they fare in this cold weather? I could not stash them the night before due to the temps, so I forward positioned them and extra water earlier in the morning. What shape would they be? I've seen frozen bananas come out of the freezer...none too appetizing.

Well, it seemed that the timing was OK but just barely. They hadn't fully frozen, though the skins were starting to darken. A bit "mushier" than I'd like but it worked. I also discovered I could peel a banana wearing snowboarderdude mittens as well...a skill I never figured I'd need but now have.

It's a long winter. But we persevere.

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New running resource; thinking about shoes

ORN: 5.2 miles, R3/W1

During December, I had a nice set of email exchanges with Marius Bakken, a member of the Norwegian Olympic team in 2000 and 2004 at 5,000m. He’s finishing medical school now and has started up two websites. We had a wonderful exchange and I think he adds to our knowledge, both as an elite runner and as a physician.

His first site is about our omnipresent challenge of selecting running shoes, while a second site is about marathon training plans. You may find it useful; I sure have.

All of which has caused me to wonder just why it is so hard to find a good shoe that works over the long haul. This has come back to my mind as I fight my current ITB issue. In my five mile run this afternoon, the ITB started rumbling at me again right at the five mile mark. Are my long-term trusted Brooks Beasts no longer adequate? Will I get to run a pain-free 10 miler anytime soon??

In my discussions of this matter with Marius, I wondered if there is a simpler way of diagnosing pronation. I’ve learned, with the help of the great folks from Naperville Running Company (a tip of the running cap to my pal Waddler for connecting me to them) that the wear pattern on the shoes I’m wearing now tell the best story of how well my shoes are or aren’t working. A wear pattern tailing to a take-off point at or inside the big toe is a sure sign of overpromation. Conversely, a wear pattern that moves to outside of the middle toe shows underpronation. Further, I’ve come to believe that a good shoe will compensate for my natural biomechanics and present a “normalized” approach to the pavement below. If that works, the wear pattern should be neutral. Somehow, finding the best running shoe should be experimental not theoretical.

Yet I’ve never read this or seen this clearly stated anywhere. In fact, it was only after years of running I ever could figure out just what “pronate” meant. I suggested Marius consider this in his new site…perhaps he will. In the meantime, living over three hours away from a competent running store, I feel a little stuck in shoe selection. Further, any experimenting with shoes is expensive. For a lumpy, large, overpronater like me, decent shoes run in the $120-140 range.

Do I look at the Mizuno Wave Renegade 4? The Asics Evolution 4? Or the seemingly invisible Loco Mojo?? Or persevere with the current pain with my trusted Brooks Beasts?

I overthink these things when I run. My wife is so grateful that I have a blog to blather on over such things, thus sparing her hours of boredom. Thanks for any thoughts and advice you might have.

And, shoot, how lucky can I be that overpronation is one of my big concerns?? I have nothing to be concerned about. At all. And I am grateful.

Persevere. Through issues big and small.

2009 Running Plans

ORN: 6.2 miles, R3/W1

I’ve been holding off publishing any plans for 2009. I knew what I wanted to do but wasn’t sure at all what I could do.

Since mile 16 of the Memphis Marathon on December 6, my left ITB has been bugging me. It’s been coming and going but always seemed to wake up in a bad mood somewhere around 8 miles into a run. A week ago, I did some speed work with no problems but only did 6 miles total. So, what would happen today when I went out for a 16 miler?

As usual, it went wonderfully for the early part of the run. Unfortunately, just shy of 6 miles, the left ITB started barking again and it became quickly evident the problem remains. I was near home, so I just shut down the run at 10km.

So, while I had previously looked at three marathons which were all nearby and conveniently scheduled this spring, I’m going to scale back and target a single half-marathon, the Geist Half Marathon on May 16 just north of Indy. This will let me scale back the mileage but maintain a target. From my log last year, that could well help. If the leg feels better, I could throw in a couple of other races but I’m not committed to such a plan yet.

It also fits with my long-term running goals about which I have not written here but will in the next few weeks.

I’m actually pretty happy with this plan. So, here we go.

Persevere.

Not Quite Ready for Prime Time

ORN: 8.6 miles, 1:29:08, R3/W1, 10:22/mile

There's an old story here in Indiana about the newcomer complaining about the weather. "Aw, quit your whining" says the native. "Wait 30 minutes and it'll change." The old guy was on the money this week.

Last Sunday, we had wind chills of 30 below...one of the most bitterly cold days I can remember the past few years. Today, it was 64 and I ran in shorts and a T shirt, sweating in the humidity. So much for winter.

I set out to do 13 miles, wanting to get back on track for some spring marathons I'm targeting. Alas, the left ITB that flared up in the later miles of the Memphis Marathon made another appearance. Around mile 8 or so, I started noticing it. As usual, it crept up quickly and soon it was obvious today's run was over. I cut the route short and walked the mile home.

I'm not too concerned. The ITB flared at 4 miles two weeks ago and I've done shorter runs with no problem since then. So, with more ice, foam rolling and a little TLC, I'm confident it will improve. In the big scheme of things, it really isn't much at all.

Persevere.

Race Results: St. Jude Memphis Marathon

Saturday, Dec 6, 2008: 26.2 miles, R3/W1, 4:36:48, 10:34/mile

Quick Summary

The Memphis Marathon came together wonderfully. Darrell and I ran the race together, hoping for a 4:40. We beat that by just over three minutes; better yet was a smooth, event-free race. Darrell knocked off his first marathon in a year; I qualified for insanity. Some ITB inflammation remains but does not take away from a terrific race weekend.

The Details

There is so much to say about this weekend, I’ll spread it out over several posts. For this report, I’ll give you the facts. Philosophizing will keep for later.

I made the eight-hour drive to Memphis Friday afternoon, meeting Darrell mid afternoon. Race registration was very smooth and the expo was nice. We walked downtown, got a good look at the finish line at Memphis’ AAA baseball park and then met David and his wife for dinner. What a treat! Running was a key topic but the conversation ranged much more widely than just the obvious connection.

Race morning started early. I snuck out of the room around 5am (start time was 8am) and hung out in the lobby for a while. This is always fun at a host hotel…lots of folks milling around, nervous energy abounds. We walked the half mile to the starting line around 7 and saw David again. He was gunning for a sub-4 hour race and lined up ahead of us. Darrell and I had decided on a 4:40 goal, so headed for the correct corral. Mostly we just tried to stay warm. Start temp was in the low 30s; “throw away” sweats were the fashion choice of the day for most folks.

Our corral crossed the start line about 8:20 am and finally we were moving. Our pace called for 10:28 miles through the first 19 miles, using a 3/1 run/walk plan. The first mile was fairly crowded and took us 11:01. We began to pick our way through the pack and found more of a rhythm. By mile 5, we had shed our throw-away sweats (though we found ours later, thanks to a curious ecclesiastical coincidence) and were 5 seconds ahead of pace. Two layers of tech shirts plus gloves seemed to be adequate.

The race then settled out. We headed for a big loop of the city. One porta-pottie stop modified the pace a bit around mile 8 but by mile 10, we were still 8 seconds ahead of pace. There were lots of folks running; the half marathon had 8,000 entrants and the full marathon had 3,000, so there was no shortage of conversation. Darrell was great to be with. He also tolerated my less-than-generous view of the plaintive wails from some local female folk singers along the course—friendship extends some space at times.

Heading back to downtown, we finally separated with the half marathoners. We suddenly had a lot more room to run. We crossed the half-marathon timing mat at 2:16:34. We did some quick math and realized this was leaving us in good shape for a 4:40 full marathon.

Other math exercises bothered me a bit. My own hydration plan called for 20 oz of water per hour. Yet, at the halfway mark, I was drinking at half that pace. I had let the cool temperatures make me think I needed less water. I reloaded my bottles at a water stop and started drinking more. At mile 15, we were 45 seconds ahead of pace and feeling positive, enjoying the second loop through Memphis.

And I expected something would then “happen.” I first noticed the left ITB around mile 16. It took me a little while to grasp just what was going on but soon it was unmistakable. Yep, that was the ITB, talking to me again. What to do? While I had tried to find “flat” parts of the road to run on all along, the overall camber of the route sloped to the right. At this point I became a lot more diligent (desperate?) to get to the middle of the road, trying to stay flat. The pain lessened somewhat as I did this. I don’t know if it is connected or not, but the more fluid I drank, the easier the pain seemed as well.

By mile 19, we were at the far part of the course and made the turn for a long straight shot to downtown. The trees arching over the mature residential street was a terrific setting. We hit mile 21 and had 3:45 ahead of the pace we needed for a 4:40. I had the ITB, Darrell was persevering with quad pain yet the 3/1 rhythm just seemed to be working fine. Around mile 24, we got tired and added about 30 seconds per mile to the pace. But, by then, we could see the lights of the ball park and knew we’d finish.

Around mile 25.5, I had some concerns about just what my ITB was going to do, so let Darrell go on ahead; he was on a roll and I didn’t want to slow him. I quit taking any walk breaks, as it was easier to simply run and not stop and start. Darrell did the same. We rounded a corner, ran onto the ball field through the right-center field wall, followed the warning track to the right-field foul pole, finishing midway to first base. Darrell finished about 30 seconds ahead of me and waited for me to cross. Huge smiles and a big hug awaited. We were done and had achieved our goal.

There is nothing quite adequate to describe the finish of a marathon. This was my tenth and it never gets old, even though each one is unique. Why is this so?? That will be another post.

There’s much more to describe; I’ll post more later along with some photos. Being with Darrell was simply huge; we have a lot in common and enjoy the time together. Meeting up with with David was also a big treat. A well organized race is always a joy. So, for now, share the joy with me. Three marathons this fall and it’s been good to run with perseverance through it all.

What to do with the shoe

ORN, Saturday: 20.7 miles, R2/W1 (mostly), 3:57:44, 11:30/mile

The long run three weeks ahead of a marathon is intended, among other things, as a final shake down for race day. Yesterday’s long run (intended to be 28 miles) fit that description but not all as I anticipated.

The good news was I did a final, satisfactory test of Salt Stick tablets. I popped one at the top of each hour. They sat just fine on my stomach and I had no cramping, wooziness or tingles in my feet as I do when I start to lose electrolyte balance. They will be quite simple to haul along on race day. I also reaffirmed my geeky practice of labeling Gu packs, mistake-proofing the time to eat each one.



I also had two cool “unexpected” fun parts to the run. The first was an active screech owl prowling one of the woods I run through. Wow, what a sight and sound. The second was seeing fast runners. The NCAA Regional Cross Country championships were going on at 11am Saturday at the Purdue Cross Country course, right next to the trail I run on. The timing was such that women’s teams from Indiana, Miami (OH), Ohio State, Purdue and Wisconsin were warming up on the trail just as I came through. What a contrast…these young, tiny, graceful, fluid college runners next to the big, lumbering 55 year-old slow guy. Ah, but we were all running and that was cool.

But the big news of the run is about shoes.

Nearly two years ago, I came to grips with my floppy, overpronating feet and shifted my shoe to the huge, clunky and very effective Brooks Beast. After moving to that shoe in February, 2007, I’ve had virtually no problems with my knees. I’ve gone through five pairs and just recently received my sixth pair.

And thus the problem.

Pair #6 was the “new model” of the Beast. Same general look but when I first put them on, I knew they were different. The sole was different, the posts were different and in my early short runs in the new shoes I just didn’t feel the same stiffness. The first five pairs worked wonderfully (and hard) to keep my 195 pound frame from inwardly rolling my feet on every step. They kept my IT band lined up and happy.

Saturday’s long run was the first lengthy outing in pair #6. The first ten miles went fine but as I headed out on the (intended) loop around Purdue, I noticed a twinge in my right knee. Will it go away, as it often does after a few run/walk cycles? It didn’t. It gradually got worse. At mile 17, I realized it wasn’t going to get better. So I shortened the course, heading back home. Around mile 19, I throttled the cycle from 2/1 to 1/1 and held that all the way home. But the left knee now hurt and continued to hurt all day. As I write this on Sunday, they feel better, but I won’t know for sure until I head out on Tuesday to run again.

In the short term, I’m OK on shoes through the Memphis Marathon on Dec 6. This due to a nice bit of advice from David Haywood as we sat in a hotel lobby the night before the Rocket City Marathon a year ago. David described for me his method of alternating shoes, always having a higher mileage shoe and a newer pair on hand at all times. I started doing that early this year and, as a result, I have my pair #5 of “good” Beasts which will serve me well through most of December. Luckily, on Sunday afternoon, I did a quick tour of the local sporting goods stores and found ONE PAIR of the old model at one store in my size. And on discount, as they wanted to move them out. So, I’m set through March 2009 or so.

But what to do beyond that?? I’m thinking I need to find out what other really good stability shoes are out there and then get somewhere to give them a good test run. I’m just a long way from a good running store, so “shopping” is a hassle. I recall from my trip to the Naperville Running Company in 2007 there was a pair of Asics that were very close to the Beast. I’ll have to check that out.

And I welcome advice from any of you.

In the overall scheme of things, this is a minor blip. If I was talking to a guy who just lost his job in the recession or was looking down the barrel at foreclosure or had a major health problem, I’d feel pretty sheepish carrying on about the subtleties of shoe design. So take this bit of chatting for what it is…just some thinking out loud to folks who can understand the criticality of shoes for injury prevention. The fact that I can go out and run 20 miles, even in bad shoes, is a huge gift. And it is those simple gifts that sustain us.

Persevere. With or without stability shoes.

Progress, in small steps

ORN: 3 miles, R3/W2

Was Wednesday morning a turning point?

On Monday’s run, I ended up walking the 3rd of my 3 miles. The ITB just hurt too badly. Ever the process geek, I did the “adjust” bit of Demming’s Plan-Do-Check-Adjust cycle and decided to shift my run/walk ratio from 4/1 to 3/2.

On Tuesday evening, I noted the old excitement was back. “I get to run in the morning!” which is what I’m used to feeling after a day off. I bounced out of bed at 5:15, dressed according to my temperature chart and bounded out the door. The nearly-full moon had not yet set and it cast a wonderful light on the cold ground.

I got the run in with the 3/2 ratio, though the last half mile was tough. Yet, for a while, I actually found my mind NOT sensing the ITB.

On Friday, I did the same thing and felt a little stronger at the end. However, I asked myself if I could do a fourth mile. The answer was clearly no. Perhaps importantly, during the day Friday, my knee did not hurt as badly as it did during the day on Wednesday.

So today, Sunday, out I went again, with a -10 wind chill. Same routine. And I felt stronger at the end. Could I run a fourth mile? The answer today would be a tentative yes.

12 miles this week. And, for the first time since September, I had two consecutive weeks of regular running. My log was striking on this count. And this regularity is huge for me, mentally. I just love getting out the door and running. Even if I’m in a run/walk mode, even if it is for far shorter time and distance than I’d like.

Coach Demming has me continuing on this PDCA plan this week of running every other day. Tuesday and Thursday will continue the 3 miles at 3/2. Saturday, we’ll shoot for 4 miles at 3/2.

Off to a Super Bowl party. We’re halfway between Chicago and Indianapolis, so the town is split. Me?? I’m pulling for Da Bears.