Sunday, April 29, 2012

Set Back Week

If Rocky can do it.... I can't
This was a tough week. Just two weeks ago, I had to take time off due to a hip flexor strain. I got back into my routine with a solid 30 mile week, and then was hit by an unforgiving stomach virus Monday evening. I took Tuesday morning off from work, but then went back at it and never took time off to rest, so the dang virus came back Wednesday evening and finally moved on to its next victim sometime around Saturday morning. No running this past week after PR'ing the 13.1 mile distance last Saturday morning on a training run. When I went out this morning, I didn't really know what to expect, but I pulled in a good seven miler and am in good shape to train at my max this week.
Is it mile 10.1 yet?
I really hoped to be at my max for all three of these weeks to get ready for the Pasadena 1/2 Marathon on May 20. I really want to finish this race in under Two hours. There is a monster 3 mile hill on the course from mile 7 to mile 10, and I have not really trained for hills, but I still think I have a pretty decent chance of reaching this goal. I'll be traveling and  running with two friends, Chris and Suzanne. Suzanne recently had abdominal surgery so I should be able to beat her, but I've been practicing elbow shots just in case. Chris is new to running so is just going out to pig out on free stuff in the finishers chute have a good time and run the parts he can.

This was also the week for the drawing for the NYC Marathon, and no dice. I really wanted a chance at this, but it was not meant to be. So now, I have to make plan for the summer and fall, and I'm thinking Core work and base mileage. My December goal is to break 1:45 in the Fiesta Bowl 1/2 Marathon and that is going to require a solid base and mega speedwork. As for the core, I'm going to work in a three day per week routine using kettlebells, planks, crunches, and some other shit I found on the net that helps with hip strength. I plan to establish a 30 minute set that works the more common running muscle groups. My wife and I trade running days, so while she is out breezing through the miles, I will be on the back patio making Google Satellite history.

A couple of exciting bits of running news to share: There are some TMZ-style rumors that Jamoosh may be visiting Phoenix this summer for the SYTO 5K. Has anyone given alert to the local microbreweries?? And Adam, The Boring Runner, just finished the Eugene Marathon in 3:04, a huge PR, and a boston Qualifying time. Great running Adam!

If you have recommendations for core routine, I'd love to hear from you.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Down But Not Out

The following blog post is mostly a self-indulgent rant about my latest hip flexor injury --for that matter, this blog is mostly self-indulgent in general. Read on if you must....

We had the most amazing vacation about 6 weeks ago in Sedona. Stayed for free in a friends house, ate in restaurants, hiked around, and I ran a few too many miles on the local trail system (that is NOT a euphemism for "I went whoring"). I never felt an injury, and my road miles had been at an all time high. When I got back to Phoenix, my left hip bothered me a bit during runs. Not exactly painful but something was going on. annnnnnd......

So, I decided to do the right thing. I increased my running mileage, speed, overall intensity, shoved thoughts of medical professionals out of my T-Rex porno-ridden mind, and carefully crafted a web of lies about the steadily increasing pain. What was likely a mild strain escalated into a medium strain, and finally became a 'hurtin' strain. I have been limping while walking. I've looked on the internet, and its some kind of Hip flexor strain, a bursitis, or possibly a stress fracture. Last Sunday when I ran 12 miles, it seemed to loosen up on the run and got numb. And that had happened on all the runs prior to that, so I thought it might work to run through the pain. And it even stayed mild through the rest of the days when I ran, but the pain really set in the next day and the day after. I finally decided to take a week off from running and stretch and cross train. This has been difficult because I felt like I was making such good progress, but the healing wasn't happening, and I've heard stories about people who ignore medical problems..... AND THEIR PROBLEMS GET WORSE!! It's true.. that I have heard that. I can't verify that problems can get worse. Check with your doctor and then blog it for the rest of us.

Now, for those of us who put in for the NY Marathon lottery system, we have one more week to wait to see if we got lucky. There is something like an 8% chance of being drawn if you live outside of the tri-state area. The qualifying time was ridiculous (3:10 and it gets even tougher next year), and the charity option is for "good" people. Based on that, I will either go for a sub 2:00 PR 1/2 marathon in Pasadena next month, or have a fun run and set my sites on the Central Park finishing line.

One thing is for sure; injuries should not be ignored by most people.