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Boulder Half 2012

01 Sunday Apr 2012

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It’s been two weeks since I had a drink.  So I woke up this morning and had myself a beer, immediately after having run the 2012 Boulder Half Marathon in 2:03.  Except it wasn’t really 13 miles at a 9:24 pace.  It was 2 x 6.55 mile runs, the first one at about a 9:40 pace and the second half around 9:05 per mile.  I broke this run into two routines, like I did last year.  Part of the reason for doing this is because this course goes out uphill and returns downhill.  I’m just taking what the course gives to me and making a workout from it.  I did repeat last year’s negative split by a similar margin, although I ran quite a bit slower overall today.

I arrived at the Boulder Res around 7am.  I parked and began to walk around.  I wore fleece sweat pants and a wind jacket, but might have been fine without them.  It was warm.  I walked around the setup in circles until the race started.  I used the facilities a couple of times and returned my warmup gear to the car before the start, fairly certain that shorts and a tech t-shirt would be fine for today.  It was.

One thing unique to this race is how runners just mill around like fitness Zombies until the last minute before the race gun fires.  And this is fully orchestrated by the race director from his mic.  There is no sense of where to stand with the line of runners until he gives the go ahead to line up.  In 60 seconds, everyone does.  It’s like everyone around here is an old pro at this stuff.  The only reason I notice this is because I’m looking for a pace sign to stand next to – as an aid not to start off too quickly.  There are none.  I decide to take my chances by simply standing where I’m at.  I’d start in the very back, but I don’t know where that is in this shapeless queue.

I didn’t wear my Garmin thinking I wouldn’t need it.  I’m going out slow and hoping to run back fast.  I know what slow and fast feel like.  Having run this last year, I also know the results will include splits for the two halves of the run.  That’s all I’m interested in knowing.  To reiterate what I said up top, it appears I ran my game plan, but I don’t know that I did entirely.  I almost wish I did wear my garmin to prove this but I am certain I started out way too fast.  I was tired the first half.  I did recover and settle into a nice pace by the turn around point, but I felt heavy until the course turned downhill.   Last year I ran fairly hard the entire run back, except for a cool down the last half mile.  This year I only ran hard on the noticeably steeper downhills.  Then I would slow back down again.  Sort of an organic fartlek set by the natural course terrain rather than timed rest intervals.  Even though this is perhaps my slowest overall half marathon time in recent memory, I’m happy with the workout.

I should add the heat played a factor today.  I drank at all the aid stations except for the final.  I don’t usually drink at more than two of them for a half marathon.  I made a good call on wearing the single short sleeved t-shirt.  The breeze felt cool at times, but of course that was welcome relief.

The story on the picture above is this.  First, I don’t have any race photos yet.  That might take a few days.  The other thing is I discovered this drink today after the run.  Vuka setup shop next to the compost and I grabbed one of their aluminum bottles from a barrel they stocked with ice water.  I used it for a few minutes like an ice pack, cooling down my head and neck.  I loved this thing before I ever drank it.  I don’t know what good stuff it’s made from, you can read up on them if you click on the link.  But it’s a tasty beverage.  I only took a few sips of the complimentary beer because I liked this more.  I grabbed a stack of Vuka coupons before leaving.  Actually only four, it felt like more at the time but they are a bit thick.  I’ll leave them on my porch for anyone who stops by and wants to try it out with a $1 discount.

I didn’t hang around very long for the post-run festivities because I didn’t know anyone and it was hot.  I tossed my beer after a few sips and headed home slurping my Vuka.  I’m not overly concerned that I ran slower than my typical pace because I treated this like a workout.  I was happy to see my weight afterwards was 184.  I haven’t seen that number on a scale since 2010.  I’ll take that as my win today.

Boulder Half Prep

30 Friday Mar 2012

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I ran into Keith on the LoBo Trail this afternoon.  We finished up the second half of my run together.  I took advantage of the opportunity to try shaming him into running the Boulder Half on Sunday.  We’ll see if he shows up at the Boulder Res on race day.  This is another pic of me running the Moab Half two weeks ago, apparently later in the run as the crowd is a bit thinner.

I’ve been putting in some decent distance since Moab.  Now that it’s daylight savings time I’ve begun to run after work and that gives me more time for longer runs.  And I hammered out 23 miles over the weekend.  I’m not considering resting my legs for the Boulder Half.  Like last year, I’ll treat it more like a workout.  If things go the way I want, I’ll start off slow the first half – which is uphill, then run faster the second half back downhill.  In a sense, it’s really only a 6.5 mile run.

Of course, the entire run could turn into a giant 13 mile slog but I’m hoping for a fun downhill 6.5 miles after an easy 6.5 mile warmup.  The whole thing is a warmup really to prep for my next big event – the 25 mile Collegiate Peaks Trail Run on April 28th.  That’s the big enchilada I need to get in shape for.  That’s almost like a marathon.  Seriously, despite being a mile short, it stands to be much tougher.  And longer time-wise.  Trail runs at altitude usually are.

This puppy will begin at 8000 feet and rise to 9200 feet after 10 miles.  Then it drops back down to 8400 feet only to rise yet again to 9400 feet at 18 miles.  By contrast, Moab only changed 100 feet in elevation – several times – but hardly the same as this.  The Collegiate Peaks are awesome.  I hiked this area for the first time last summer as part of the Colorado Trail.  These trails will be different, east of Buena Vista, but I’m excited to get back out there.  I’ll be blogging more on this over the next month as I train for my first big run of the year.

Thanks Sir – Have a Good Run

27 Tuesday Mar 2012

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With the Austin and Moab half marathons behind me, and spring having launched this past week, I’m officially in spring training.  Daylight savings time has allowed me to move my runs to after work which gives me time to run farther.  And so I’ve begun to run a route that’s 6.8 miles.  But this weekend I really kicked it into gear, running 10.4 miles Saturday and 13 miles Sunday.  I ran pretty slow on both days – in the range of ten minute miles.  But these trail runs are seriously hilly.

The East Boulder Trail I ran on Saturday begins and ends with a 3 mile section of massive hills.  And Sunday’s run at Heil Valley Ranch goes up until I turn around.  I didn’t time myself because I expected to be crawling and I was.  Of course it’s downhill all the way back but my legs were too wasted to take it fast.  This is an extremely rocky trail, one that I’ve fallen hard on in the past, so I maintained control and focused on my foot work.  The uphill slog is all about thighs and foot work while the downhill return is all about knees and foot work.  The foot work is because of the rocks and is fine because I need to rediscover my trail legs since I intend to run several trail events this summer.  And my knees held out ok on the way down since I went slow enough.

A biker called out to me on the incline that he was impressed I still had the knees for this punishing trail.  The backwards compliment didn’t occur to me then and I shouted back that my knees are fine going uphill.  Later I realized he was also suggesting I’m an older runner.

This trail was actually crowded with bikers – it was a perfect spring morning with a cloud cover that never fully dissipated and a strong enough breeze of crisp cool air to keep me from over-heating without water for 2 hours.  Each time I passed some bikers either they would stop or I would pull over to let them pass.  There is official etiquette on who should yield to whom, but I make the call each time based on situational merits.  If they look like they will stop or if they need to stop, I’ll keep running.  If they look like they need to keep their momentum more than me or if they simply look strong, I’ll yield.  Sometimes there is room for both of us to squeeze by without stopping, but it is single track.

There’s typically a polite exchange.  If they pull over I say something like, “Thanks buddy”.  I received quite a number of “nice run” and “looking strong” comments.  Bikers always think runners have it tougher on hills.  But the very last biker to speak to me in the final mile said this as I pulled over for him.  “Thanks sir.  Have a good run.”  I shared little dialogs like this with over 20 bikers easily.  Some were even awkward as we would both stop not knowing who should yield.  Despite my exhaustion at this point, this guy irritated me.  Who the hell is he calling sir?  That’s fine when the bag boy says sir to me at the grocery store, but out here on the trail, when I’ve just completed 12 miles at altitude, don’t call me sir!  I’m on par with everyone out there, regardless of their age.  I passed my share of bikers, and other runners, both going uphill and back down.  I’m not a “sir” running like that, I’m a total bad-ass.  That skinny little runt probably didn’t even bike to the top.

Canyonlands

26 Monday Mar 2012

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My first night of camping in 2012 went fairly well.  It didn’t rain and the wind didn’t start up until late morning.  I woke up refreshed, despite the previous day’s countless beers.  Rob and I drove into Moab well before the 8am cutoff time when they would close Hwy 128 for the run.  It was barely after 6am when we walked into the Red Rock Bakery and Net Cafe.  And net cafe is an apt name – their wifi is screamin’ fast.  We had coffee of course, a cinnamon roll and banana.  We hung out longer than necessary to eat since we were fairly early.  The buses wouldn’t load up until 7:30.  And the bakery bathroom was going to be as good as it gets for some time.  I took the opportunity to catch up on IBM email since I’d taken Friday off.

Around 7:30 we left the bakery and car parked out front to walk over to Swanny City Park for the bus shuttle.  We weren’t in a hurry since this was a hurry up and wait scenario.  The sooner we got to the bus drop-off area, the longer we would have to wait sitting on rocks.  We took a 7:50 shuttle.  20 or 30 minutes before 10am, the race director instructs everyone to walk the quarter mile or so further up the hill to the race start.  A couple of gear drop-off trucks are on the way.  I committed to a short sleeve shirt and threw my gear bag in with the lot.  This was a little risky given the strong wind but it wasn’t as cold as last year and short sleeves would have been fine then once I got running.

The race starts on a hill top where the wind howls non-stop.  Enough to make me want some warm fleece, or someone to spoon with.  We ran into some of the ladies and told them we’d be starting at the 2 hour pace sign.  I expected to run under two hours but hoped to start off at a 9 minute mile pace for the first mile if not two in order to loosen up without tiring from oxygen debt.  There would be plenty of miles to speed up later.

The guys never showed up, although they could have been standing almost next to us and the crowd would have made it difficult to know.  I found out later Keith was in fact in the 2 hour group, ahead of us and on the right bank.  We were center and toward the back of the group.  Amazingly, we would run almost the exact same time and never see each other.  But I don’t know Keith’s splits.  Mine are in this graphic, and you can read them well enough if you click on the picture to enlarge it.  I started off too fast with an 8:25 pace the first mile and 8:40 the second.  This was fine for Rob as he left me after two miles and apparently sped up as he finished with an 8:22 overall pace.  Once I slowed down, I felt great.  I was more interested in running comfortably than speedy, and that’s what I did.  I’m somewhat impressed really at how consistent my splits are.  Eight of my 13 miles are in the 8:50s, and of course my overall average was 8:51.  I even ran the 9th mile, which as you can see from the elevation stats (or elevation profile map) has the big hill, in 8:55.

I’m disappointed that I slowed down to 9:13 on the 12th mile.  I had planned to run hard from the top of the 9 mile hill to the finish.  I did do well in mile 11 but the wind on mile 12 was a real bear.  And it was up hill again.  Many people think this course is essentially a downhill run.  The elevation map makes it appear that way, but actually for every 4 feet of elevation loss there are 3 feet of gain.  It’s a hilly run.  At altitude.  Something about the canyon though just sucks you in and makes you want to run this course fast.  Running into mile 10 is one of the coolest parts of this course.  As I see the canyon walls narrow up ahead I can’t help but think, “Indian ambush”.  Before I know it I start to hear drums.  I suspect maybe I’m hallucinating and tell myself to drink water at the next aid station.  The drums beat louder as I close in on the end of the canyon – nearing the junction where Hwy 128 will turn left onto Hwy 191.  That will start the uphill headwind toward the finish and I do expect that to be a battle.  Suddenly I turn a bend and come face-to-face with the green drummers.  Sort of sounds like they could be playing an Irish tune in honor of St. Patties Day.

Rob and Kelly sped through the Canyonlands with really good times.  This is Rob likely shouting “mahalo” to the cameraman and Kelly is in the red and white shirt in the first pic at the top of this post.  They didn’t seem to notice the hills and wind.  I’ll point out that neither of them beat my time from last year of 1:47, but I’ll admit the wind was considerably stronger and more persistent this year.  I’d like to know their splits on mile 12 when running into the head wind from hell.  There was a guy earlier in the race, maybe as early as mile 6, but somewhere in the second half that an aid was trying to pull off the course because he looked ready to topple over.  Safe to say he didn’t make it past mile 12.  Perhaps if I’d started out 20 seconds or so slower per mile I might have been able to keep up with Rob longer.  Or Kelly if I would have found him before the run began.  I didn’t exactly push myself to run hard in this event, but might have run a bit faster if I had someone to pace with closer to my speed.  I suspect if Keith and I had run together we would have run about a minute faster and felt none-the-worse afterward.  I didn’t even put on a kick.  I rarely do nowadays.  My final mile was in 8:50, again in line with my 8 splits in the 8:50 range.  That’s Keith in the pic below in a dark t-shirt with Steve – who also ran the same pace as us.

Despite the wind and hills, and the earthy-tasting, rock filtered air that clogged my mouth and throat, this year’s run was quite successful for my neighborhood.  Susan ran an unbelievable pace and the four of us that make up the twelve oclock running club all finished in under 2 hours.  Coach Jabe had a nice turnout from her training team – several running their first ever half marathon.  In fact, I don’t think Barb had even run a 10K before and yet she completed this challenging run like a seasoned pro.  Jabe is pictured below with the white hair and denim jacket.

As Rob and I were camping, we took advantage of Jabe and Eve’s hospitality to shower at their condo.  Actually Rob showered, I bathed in the hot tub for an hour drinking beer like camper trash.  The rest of Team Prospect came over later for dinner.  Camping out Saturday night was much less enjoyable than Friday as the howling wind made sleep difficult.  I returned to the camp site to discover my tent upside down and twisted from the wind.  Only laying in it kept it from blowing away.  At times the wind would completely flatten it over my body, which leaves me quite impressed with the flexible strength of my poles.

It was too windy to make coffee Sunday morning so Rob and I drove into town for breakfast at the Jailhouse Cafe.  Power was out all over town when we arrived so we had them heat us water from the gas stove which we used for our Starbucks Via Ready camping coffee.  The power was out from the wind but came on soon enough that we were able to order a hearty breakfast.  I dropped Rob off in Grand Junction and made it home by the afternoon.  I weighed my self to discover I somehow gained 5 pounds in Moab.  WTF?  I’m suddenly 195.  Apparently a mix of lactic acid and beer.  So I’m going two weeks – up until the Boulder Half Marathon – without drinking alcohol.  It’s been a week now and I’m back down to 190.  Actually 185  after a massive weekend of running, but that’s likely temporary from sweat loss.  I figure I drink 300 calories in beer and wine per day.  Minimum.  That adds up to a full day’s calories per week.  If it helps my weight, I might continue the booze free diet longer.  Depends how thirsty I get.

Slow Road to Moab

11 Sunday Mar 2012

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I initially thought this picture from the Austin Half Marathon was fuzzy because I was moving too fast.  That’s just the way I think.  But after seeing how slow I appeared in some of the race video, I now suspect it’s simply a blurry shot – maybe the cameraman was moving.  And my runs this weekend add further support to this second opinion.  Man did I run slow Saturday and Sunday.

That’s okay I guess because I really just need to get in the distance to prepare for Moab next weekend.  Speed isn’t necessarily important.  I had a really good run on Friday though in which I felt fast.  Felt like I was back at sea level in Austin.  More likely my body was just well recovered from not running the three previous days.  It was a busy work week and the runs I did pull off on Monday and Friday were short.  Despite running an old man’s pace this weekend, at least I got in two back-to-back 6 milers.

Work will be just as busy this week – especially since I’ll be taking off Friday.  But I just need some short runs.  Ideally I’ll get out every day.  Distance won’t be any more important than speed – I just need to maintain.  Daylight savings will give me more time in the evenings so that should help too.  I have a business dinner Wednesday but maybe I can squeeze in a short run before hand.  Thursday isn’t likely since I’ll be driving to Grand Junction to meet up with Rob.  Perhaps we can pop off a few miles Friday morning before heading on to Moab.

The half marathon is Saturday.  Moab will be number two out of three half marathons I’ve registered for this late winter/early spring.  The first was Austin and the third will be Boulder in another three weeks.  I haven’t scheduled my summer events yet.  I’m going to finish this half marathon trilogy before designing my next challenge of 2012.

Eleven After Noon

04 Sunday Mar 2012

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Ran eleven miles today with my neighborhood Twelve O’Clock Running Club.  True to form, we met up after noon.  These boys have been staying fit.  They need to as we are all slated to run the Moab Half Marathon in two weeks.  It’s a toss-up between Keith and Kelly as to whom is the most fit.  I’m going to go with Kelly.  The boy has been doing this boot camp that focuses on your core.  Core matters.

Today’s pace started out a bit fast for me.  Perhaps a month in Austin has lowered my high altitude capabilities.  Not sure but I was winded the first half today.  I led most of the way back and ran at a slightly slower pace.  That felt better.  Kelly would run noticeably faster whenever Eminem played on his playlist.  I might offer him a special playlist for Moab – with a few Carpenter tunes thrown in the mix.  Kelly picked up the pace on a long hill with about two miles remaining.  That’ll help him in Moab as there’s a substantial hill after 9 miles.  Based on today though, we’re all in good shape for Moab.  From what I understand, the entire neighborhood has been putting in the mileage and is ready.  Moab here we come.

Racing Shape

27 Monday Feb 2012

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This is me weighing 145 lbs at 19 years of age.  I was that weight all through both high school and college up until I got married at 25.  I think the reason I kept the weight off for a few years after running track and cross country was that I graduated during the last great recession and was a late bloomer in terms of being gainfully employed.  I blog  a great deal about losing my pot belly, but honestly I would never want to look like this again.  In college I was a cross between Rocky from the Rocky Horror Picture Show and Gandhi after one of his more aggressive protest fasts.

The truth is, I’m fairly comfortable with my current weight.  A few years back my mean-spirited skinny sister pointed at my belly and asked, “What’s that?”  I replied, “Comfort.”  Seriously.  I’ve earned my body fat and sort of like some of it.  Well, maybe not the double chin but the fuller face is nice.  I’m happy to have retreated from 200 lbs but I hardly care to look like a teenager.  I feel the same way about women.  As a 49 year old, prepubescent is not attractive.  I’m not defending Mississippi, but I feel good about carrying a sensible amount of winter warmth around the middle.  And I want as much for my friends too.

But a fair question to ask is just how much?  Medical charts would probably have me weigh 165 pounds.  They would likely have me drink less too.  Silly charts.  Regardless, the problem with me trying to run all these half marathons is that the conditioning of the stomach is possibly more critical than even the legs.  At least if I want to cruise at a decent pace.  Some people call it your core.  My experience tells me this is true.  A few weeks of running will condition your legs for a 10K.  It can take forever for your core to toughen up.  Running alone will do it assuming you’re going for 6-8 mile slogs.  But, except for weekends,  I generally only squeeze in 3 or 4 mile jaunts.

Actually, since I’ve been in Texas the last few weeks I have increased my runs to 6-7 miles.  And I feel the difference.  But I started situps before coming down here and have stopped that activity.  It might be a fair trade-off running more miles for less situps, but I need to step it up and start doing both.  I’ll be running Moab in a few weeks with some neighbors and I sense those guys are gunning for me.  Last time I ran with them, two of them blew by me on the final mile.  I suspect most guys my age might discover competition in a tri-county area when they run the big events.  I can’t get past a tri-street area in my own neighborhood.

I do like racing.  I like running fast even without someone to race.  And I sometimes fantasize I’m running a 30 minute 10K again.  The key to enjoying these runs is having a strong core, but I’m only going to go so far.  It’s one thing to dream of being a kid again but another thing to be one or even look like one.  I am impressed by men my age whom can reach such youthful levels of fitness.  Assuming they are not totally narcissistic.  Anyone can be fit as a teen if they blow off all other responsibilities.  I’ll be happy to be somewhere in between.  Thirty years later a 60 minute 10K is good.  Putting the proper effort and time into my career and family are more important to me than fantasies.  If running faster were much more important to me, then losing weight would be more of a priority too.  The idea of strengthening my core is about making running strong more comfortable – if that makes sense.  I like running and I’ll keep doing it as long as shorts have elastic waist bands and I have a drawer full of loose fitting cotton shirts – because this is me weighing 190 lbs at 49 years of age.

The Happy Runner

24 Friday Feb 2012

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Is it me, or am I smiling in this picture?  In it, I’ve just crossed the South 1st Street bridge onto Cesar Chavez Boulevard nearly 8 miles into the Austin Half Marathon.  When I think back to the run, I can remember this and I was smiling.  I felt good throughout this run last Sunday and no doubt ran past the countless spectators with a goofy smile for much of the 13 miles.  I find it remarkable for the contrast with the suffering I endured in the 2011 Austin Marathon.

I wouldn’t have noticed my expression in the picture or remembered the run in quite the same way yesterday.  Calling EMS for my mom and spending 7 hours in ER helplessly watching her fragility left me in a fathomless depth of despair.  If I tightened my lips it was not to smile but to hold back tears.  I was as close to darkness as my mom.  And so her heart’s dramatic return to a normal rate today and seemingly complete recovery has me feeling beyond relief.  After the entire day, I have a goofy smile on my face.  I saw this picture on my hard drive looking for something to blog and immediately understood it was a reflection of my current grin.  What a roller coaster.  I changed my flight home tomorrow to spend another week here.  I’m going to enjoy and make the most of this coming week.

Austin Half Marathon 2012

19 Sunday Feb 2012

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I was up most of the night with a cough from these Central Texas allergies. Still, I felt fine when I woke at 5am for the big run. My brother had to wake early as well since he would drive me down to the Texas Capitol building.  I ate a banana and drank a cup of coffee, got dressed and we headed downtown at 6am.  Dressing presented a difficult decision knowing the temperature would go from 46° to 64° but I opted for a single long sleeved shirt.  It’s a training shirt made from high tech fabric so it would be fine in the heat but the sleeves would also serve to keep me warm early on.  I nearly wore a second short sleeved shirt underneath but there wasn’t any wind and the 46° felt comfortable.  I also took a Sucrets for my throat and it felt fine by the time Steve dropped me off at 6:30 on 15th Street.

I lined up near the pace sign for a 4 hour marathon, expecting to run the half in about 2 hours.  I learned last year I couldn’t trust running with these pace setters.  Instead, I opted to run alongside a flock of pretty girls.  There are so many decisions to make at the start of any race, from what to wear, and what energy aids to carry, to whom to stand next to.  I brought along 3 one ounce energy gel packets and ate one before the start of the race.  It tasted like tripe.  I hate those things.  Lance spoke a few words and a woman sang the national anthem.  Then we were off.  It took me nearly 5 minutes to reach the starting line – still running alongside the pretty girls.

A total of 18,000 runners started the race but I didn’t feel overly crowded.  The first couple of miles wound through downtown Austin and was packed with cheering spectators.  I started up my run playlist around the 2 mile mark.  I was concerned about starting out too fast and paid close attention to my pace.  I learned last year running the full marathon how easy it is to start too fast when coming down from altitude.  I didn’t wear a watch and never saw any of the official race clocks, but I felt I might be running a tad bit fast.  Keeping it in check was difficult and required constant monitoring – breathing was just so easy.  The 3 mile hill running up Congress Avenue served as a decent governor.  Nothing like hills to slow you down.

The hill crest just after 5 miles.  My hope was that I would start off slow and then loosen up my stride running down South First Street.  I didn’t feel a need to push myself too hard down First because I knew I had run well up Congress. My allergies and sore throat weren’t affecting me at all.  My breathing was great.  Still, I continued a strong pace.  However, I throttled it down a bit on steeper downhills.  The memory of running out of steam by 10 miles last year was still fresh in my mind.  Discipline.

I tried eating another but different type of energy gel at the 6 mile point as part of my plan but spit it out and tossed the remaining packet.  All energy gels suck.  I drank my first sip of water at the 7 mile aid station.  Really just to wash the gel out of my mouth.  Steve and my sister Nancy were down on the north side of the First Street bridge cheering me on.  This was about 8.5 miles and I was still feeling really strong.  There’s a bit of a slope crossing MoPac around 9 miles and the hills just keep coming after that.  I tried to maintain my cadence with shorter steps but would slow down climbing the steeper grades.  The course split a bit shy of 11 miles for the full or half course.  Last year I took the red pill.  Ironically, I felt strong enough to consider the red pill this year but swallowed the blue pill instead and was happy for the opportunity.

The last 2 miles run along Enfield/15th Street and present some sharp hills.  By this point anyone running with me was strong enough to take the hills without walking.  Some runners took them quite a bit faster than me.  Even though I didn’t feel winded on this set of hills, my legs burned so I took them slow.  A few runners did stop after cresting the hills to vomit.  These are real hills.

As we neared the finish line some runners put on their sprints.  Satisfied that I had maintained a strong pace the entire run I didn’t care to put on any kick.  I did step it up though the final 100 yards.  I was feeling good and felt like catching a couple of women who tried passing me.  I refrained from any actual sprinting though.  My body is just too delicate right now and I didn’t want to stress anything.  Besides, pain wasn’t part of my game plan today.  I missed seeing the final clock too but learned shortly after I ran in 1:48 – an 8:16 mile pace.  I didn’t expect to run over 2 hours but also didn’t expect to run quite that well.  More important than the time though was that I felt great.  Very happy with today’s run.  Not happy with the race results site.  You’ll need to know my bib number 16012 or use my name if you click on that link above to view race results because I can’t give you a direct link.

The weather was ideal for this run today, but oddly it was cold afterward as I waited to meet up with Steve for a ride to brunch.  I’m not sure if the temperature actually dropped but the wind did pick up considerably.  It certainly had not warmed up to the 60s yet.  We took breakfast at the Magnolia Cafe on Lake Austin Blvd.  I hadn’t been there in 25 years.  I later got a men’s pedicure to treat my feet and work the lactic acid out of my calves.  Overall, an outstanding day.

What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Slower

18 Saturday Feb 2012

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After enjoying Austin’s fine eateries this weekend, I’ll be rising early tomorrow to run the Austin Half Marathon.  Registering for this run served its purpose which was to keep me training through the winter.  Not that I lost any measurable weight but I know I can run 13 miles.  I ran 13 last Sunday in the rain.  The next day, my throat was sore and I had an annoying cough.  I don’t think it’s a cold, I suspect allergies.  Austin is suffering from their worse drought in eons and yet it’s rained nearly every day I’ve been down here.  It’s floodin’ down in Texas.  Hence, the mold count is high and it was only a matter of time before I began to display symptoms.

This isn’t going to stop me from running tomorrow.  My cough got bad enough that I didn’t run yesterday or today.  I would have run though if not for the allergies.  I’m not worried about keeping my legs fresh because I’m simply going to treat tomorrow like any other workout.  It’s not like I’ll be racing.  But I would like to think I could feel strong.  I’ve doubled my distance from 3 to 6 miles since traveling to Austin two weeks ago and I can feel my stride quickening.

And you know, I’ve been struggling with plantar fasciitis.  Not that I’ve healed myself of that little malady, but I have taken control of it with some good shoes and by wearing the Strassburg sock every night.  If Jesus loved runners instead of Tebow and Lin then I would be rewarded for all this training.  Instead it’s a constant uphill struggle.  My age alone conspires against me.  I need a good two miles before I sufficiently loosen up and find my stride.  I shouldn’t have these additional hurdles.

I’m not sure what to expect from this sore throat and cough tomorrow.  I know my foot will loosen up.  Unless I actually do have a cold, allergies shouldn’t impact me too much considering I won’t be pushing my pace too hard.  It would certainly hinder me if I were racing balls out, but it’s been decades since I could do that.  Still, I could use a little help here.  The full marathon kicked my butt last year and I was hoping to find this year’s half marathon more enjoyable.  The weather is supposed to clear by race time, but I won’t be surprised if it’s floodin’, and all the telephone lines are down.

Regardless of the weather, my foot or the mold count, I’m ready for tomorrow and I’m going to enjoy the atmosphere that is Austin.  The Austin News is on right now playing a story about all the cancer survivors that will be running.  Understand, this is the Lance Armstrong sponsored LiveStrong Austin Marathon.  So I’m not going to whine anymore.  You know what Wall Street and Lance Armstrong have in common?  They’re both too big to fail.  My brother made that one up.  I picked up my race packet at Palmer Events Center this afternoon.  What a party!  For runners with any cash remaining from the triple digit entry fee, a thousand sports vendors were lined up selling their wares.  I was actually looking forward to this as an opportunity to buy some new ear buds.  I’ve read in some running blogs about Yurbuds and was curious to see them.  Naturally there was a booth and I tried them out.  The reviews said these are the absolute best ear buds for running in terms of handling sweat and fitting.  Some negative reviews dissed the sound quality.  I suspect the poor audio quality was associated with the cheaper versions.  Yurbuds come in 3 or 4 models and the ones I tried out support an iPhone and sounded decent.  I bought them and will wear them tomorrow.

I haven’t been running with music much lately but thought I would again.  I do suspect I run faster to music.  It’ll keep me from thinking about work for sure and that’s a good enough reason to run with music.  Gonna work on a new runner’s playlist right after publishing this blog.  I also picked up some 1 ounce energy packets at Palmer.  I bought two Hammer Gels, one GU Energy Gel and one GU Roctane.  I’ll study their nutritional values a little more carefully and select two to carry in my pocket for the run.  I’ll probably eat one at 6 miles and the other around 10 miles.  For anyone interested in following my progress on the Austin Marathon App, my bib number is 16012.

Austin Week One

12 Sunday Feb 2012

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Why was there someone dressed up in a gorilla suit at the UT vs Kansas State basketball game on Saturday?  For the first half, I figured it was simply because Austin is a bit weird.  Then at half time a team of characters from Bevo to a Schlotzsky‘s sandwich played a half court game for some charity cause.  The gorilla was easily the high scorer of the 10 minute madness.  My father-in-law took me to the game – he’s a season ticket holder.  This was a must win game if Texas hopes to be invited to the NCAA tourney.  Things didn’t look good the first half as UT made less than 30% of their shots, but they took the lead in the 4th period and pulled off an 11 point win.  Hook ’em Horns!

Today is my 8th day in Austin and it’s been going well.  Upon arrival I was immediately invited (some say self-invited) to a super bowl party.  And I won a dollar on the final score.  Working hasn’t been an issue.  My mom’s wifi and broadband are sufficient to meet my needs, as is the signal for my mobile.

My running regimen has changed up a bit.  I ran sun-mon-tue-thur-fri.  I didn’t have time for a run Wednesday and Saturday.  And I was okay with that knowing the rest would be good for my plantar fasciitis.  I’m a little disappointed right now because as I went outdoors for a really long run, I had to come back inside due to the weather.  It’s raining ice at the moment.  I suspect that will turn into rain – but it’s too cold to run without gloves and probably tights as well.  I didn’t bring cold weather running gear with me on this trip.  I knew there might be a day or two like this but didn’t care to pack for it.

Still, the positive here is that my runs have all been 6 or 7 miles.  That’s double what I was running in January at home in Colorado.  And I feel it.  My body, or fitness, is such that I barely feel the effects of a 3 miler.  But 6 miles is enough to make me notice tightness in my stomach and firmness in my legs.  Unfortunately it also stresses my left foot a bit too much.  I’m still wearing the Strassburg sock to bed and it does mitigate the plantar fasciitis.

I have the Austin Half Marathon next Sunday and my plan was to run that distance today.  It would be a confidence builder if nothing else.  I haven’t run over 10 miles all year.  I know I can run the distance but seems like a good idea to prep my body before the race with a nice long, slow run.  Maybe this cold rain will dry up and I can still get outside.

Strassburg Sock

29 Sunday Jan 2012

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Don’t laugh.  I wore this sock to bed last night.  Paired with my flannel bottoms and cotton T, I made quite the fetching bed partner.  As I was in the Boulder Running Company’s store yesterday buying a new pair of running shoes, this sock was an emotional purchase in my desperate attempt to cure my plantar fasciitis.  I am more interested in using a “boot” but saw this and thought I’d try it out.

Having read online reviews this morning of the Strassburg Sock, I wish I’d have performed more research first.  The reviews are almost entirely unfavorable of the sock and instead suggest use of the Night Splint.  I intend to order a night splint but will continue to wear this sock to bed until the splint arrives.  After one night I can’t say I noticed any improvement in my heel pain, but can say it seemed to loosen my tight calf.  Overly tight calves are one of the causes of plantar fasciitis – although not in my case.  But since I started running less on my heel and more on my fore foot, my calves have tightened considerably.  It would be nice to wear two of these socks to loosen them both but these grossly over-priced socks don’t come in pairs.  Apparently runners don’t tend to experience plantar fasciitis in both feet at once.  It would be insult to injury for the poor bastard who does after having to fork over $70 for a pair of these socks.

Run Austin

19 Thursday Jan 2012

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I registered for the Austin Half Marathon today.  That makes 3 half marathons between now and April 1st.  Register for any more and I won’t have to train in between – I’ll stay fit simply from my weekend events.

This is a call out to all my friends in Austin to join me.  I’ll be down there for most of February hanging out at my mom’s house – spending quality time.  And no doubt washing windows.  It’s not an easy course.  In fact, it’s a ball buster if you’re not in shape.  Think hills.

At a high-level, it’s 5 miles up slope, followed by 5 miles back down the same slope, although on a different street.  And the final 3 miles are over the rolling hills west of downtown Austin.  While I don’t consider myself in good enough condition to run the full marathon – at least not without pain – I suspect I’ll run this in 2 hours or less.  I’ll treat it like a workout by starting out slow up South Congress.  I’ll unwind running down South 1st Street.  Then focus on maintaining good form over those final hills.  Should be a good beer drinking day.  Having run the full last year I can tell you this is a well run event.

The Foot Strike

15 Sunday Jan 2012

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I was talking to Chris, someone I’ve recently met, while watching the Broncos get blown out of the playoffs last night.  Chris is 41 but looks like a competitively fit 21 year old.  So we were talking about running.  Chris and Dave share a similar injury with strained calf muscles.  I tried to trump them with my plantar fasciitis.  No one ever wins these “I got more scars than you” contests but they are fun nonetheless when you’re drinking with the guys and watching football.

I got some value out of it when we began discussing the effect from running with either minimalist shoes or low profile shoes.  I’ve personally received a healthy dose of advice recommending them as a cure to my pronation.  I understand the argument, although I’m not deep enough on the topic to confidently explain the difference between low profile and minimalist.  The link I share in that last sentence though is full of good information on the topic.

I’m curious enough now that I suspect I will eventually buy a pair.  Likely low profile.  The REI article I linked above suggests that barefoot running or minimalist shoes are not good for runners who over pronate – which I do in my left foot.  But I’m not committed and question whether these new style shoes are as important as simply changing one’s running form.  Chris, Dave and I all agreed that if it’s a matter of your heel strike vs a mid-foot or ball-of-foot strike, you don’t necessarily need these shoes for that.

I tested this theory on a 7 mile run today.  I focused on maintaining a mid-foot strike on the ground.  This route has about 2 miles of pavement and the rest is trail.  It’s necessary to shorten your stride a bit when doing this.  And there’s a tendency to run faster with a shorter stride and mid to fore foot fall, but with proper attention you can slow down your cadence as well.  I feel like I did a great job maintaining this form throughout the run.  I did run faster but have been improving my conditioning lately and was able to handle the faster pace.  Four hours later my left foot feels better than normal after such a distance.  I can’t say anything definitive yet but I intend to work at this new foot strike and will report on my progress.

Most of my focus is on fixing this nagging injury because I have a full running schedule planned for 2012.  I’m already registered for the Moab and Boulder Half Marathons – March 17th and April 1st respectively.  Those are target runs to motivate me to train through the winter.  The picture above is of the Boulder Reservoir where that event takes place.  After those warmups, I aim to run mountain trail half marathons.  Haven’t booked any yet but have a list of them to consider.  Let me know if you have run some cool trail races up in the Colorado Rockies.

Middle Aged Prime

14 Saturday Jan 2012

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I forget the context but a friend on facebook recently called me middle age.  Ray called me a couple of other things too which I didn’t debate but I did ask him to define middle age.  He responded over 40.  Hmm.  Then I read a story in the WSJ this morning on mid life crises and related nuances of my age.  What’s weird to me is that I just never feel it.  Of course I’m middle age but I don’t spend much time looking at myself and if it weren’t for the reminders like my symphysis pubis arthritis and friends like Ray, I’d be oblivious to it.

But now I’m thinking about it.  I guess that’s what you do with all the free time available to us pending seniors.  But Honey Badger don’t care.  Honey Badger don’t give a shit.  I find it ironic, and not the least bit vain, that Karen and I are in better shape than we were ten years ago.  That’s less true about Karen because she’s been good about maintaining her shape over the years.  She never let herself go as far as I did.  Friends and family constantly inform me that Karen looks so young for her age.  Perhaps because I tend to consider this a backwards compliment, I respond on how the 2′ x 7′ foot slab of double vanity granite in our master bath is a virtual shrine to the mid-life industrial complex.

With my preoccupation over the thought of middle age building, I did what any other average 49 year old with 4 wifi servers in his house would do – I googled middle aged runners.  I came across this cool blog that has a similar theme as mine but the writer probably does a better job at chronicling his races.  And apparently he runs faster than me.  But not by much and reading it motivated me to get in a good workout today.

I’m actually fine with the direction the second half of my life is taking.  I seem to be improving upon my areas of interest.  I’m reading more.  I’m focusing more on trading which for me is more about enjoying a hobby than about planning for retirement.  And Karen and I both are clearly putting much more time into fitness.  Karen doesn’t run, she’s my tiny dancer.  She likes to dance as an aerobics instructor.  This is not something one makes money at – trust me.  You can argue you’re not paying for a gym membership, but the appeal of teaching is that the time spent making a playlist, choreographing the routine and practicing serves as a much more intense and satisfying fitness experience.  Karen taught Jazzercise for over 5 years and has now moved on to teaching Zumba.  She compares them by describing Jazzercise as aerobics with a dance flair to it while Zumba is dance with an aerobics quality.  She favors Zumba.

So after having thought about what I’m doing in my middle years, I’m happy.  That I’m actually becoming more fit each year as I age is a blessing.  I feel fortunate.  The last few years of returning to racing and hiking in the mountains is like reliving the best times of my youth.  It’s a fantasy really.  I’m good with it.

The Bar Code Diet

10 Tuesday Jan 2012

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The new year has gone off like a gun shot.  Work is in full sprint with 12 hour days, lunch at my desk, and leaving little time for running.  But I’m catching up on my fitness regimen.  I got in 3 days in a row over the weekend.  And I started situps and light weights.  I feel my tone returning.  More importantly I believe I’ve established some diet discipline to counter the re-emergence of my belly over the holidays.  I’m limiting myself to only a single beer per day.

This is not to say I only drink a single alcoholic beverage per day.  I’m not insane.  I’m starting with some beer discipline and will expand into wine if warranted.  I will say not all beer, wine and spirits are the same in terms of calories.  I know this because I’ve started to scan the bar codes on bottles for their calories with my food scanner iPhone app.  Many beers are probably not as bad as you think.  A Guinness is only 126 calories.  And yet my scan of bar codes on several spirits showed that many and more for a glass of whiskey or gin.  Certainly more once you add tonic or other fillers.  Don’t think you’re sparing calories simply because you avoid beer.

I haven’t actually scanned my wines.  This is because I receive my vino in monthly cases as part of the WSJ wine-of-the-month club and those bottles don’t come with bar codes.  Or QR codes which are the more graphical equivalents like you see on the tomato in the picture above.  That one translates to “organic” in case you are interested.  From what I know, every type of alcoholic beverage adds up to roughly 100 calories.  Light beers might be less but most other drinks are perhaps closer to 125 calories.  Let’s not even talk about a frozen rita.

Point is that at 49 I have to both diet and workout if I hope to lose any weight.  I gained 10 lbs. at the end of 2011 and need to be back down to 180 for the Moab Half Marathon in March.  Which is totally doable, but not by simply wishing it.  I think I’m on track.  I feel like the discipline is in place now and it’s just a matter of time before I start seeing results.

A Runner’s Christmas

26 Monday Dec 2011

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At the risk of sounding materialistic, I totally got what I wanted for Christmas.  Chad gave me a running shirt, hat and gloves.  The shirt is Under Armour Heat Gear, but it’s thicker material than my other two.  It doesn’t list the content but feels like a cotton/polyester blend.  I could wear this as a first layer on cold runs – probably when wearing only two shirts rather than three.  I should also mention the shirt is bright orange – not outside the color spectrum of Denver Bronco orange.  I did suggest bright colors in my earlier blog.  The gloves are in between the thicknesses I already have.  This gives me a total of four pairs of gloves now.  And the hat is definitely thick and heavy, but not fleece.  It’s less form fitting so I’ll have an air pocket between my head and the top of the hat which should keep me warm.

I’ve yet to wear any of my new gear.  I ran Christmas Day with Brit down on Lady Bird Johnson Lake in a cold, light rain.  This was several hours before receiving the new gear.  I still like to call this trail by its original name – Town Lake.  My old loop appears to have become a giant dog run.  I saw maybe a half dozen runners without a dog.  Of the two or three dozen runners with dogs, most had between two and four dogs running alongside them.  Despite the signs posted every few feet reminding humans to scoop the poop, no one did.  And nearly half the dogs were off leash despite the on-leash signs.  That’s the Austin I remember – where laws are merely suggestions.  City ordinances are more like guidelines.

The sky cleared today but it doesn’t look like I’ll run.  Too much to do.  I was invited by some of my college buddies to run on Christmas Eve but at 6am in the rain.  I’ve said this before – I’m a gentleman runner.  That’s a fair weather, never before noon kind of runner.  I hope to get back down to Town Lake one more time before heading home.  It’s amazing how little time I have for myself while on holiday.  But it’s all about family and I’m enjoying myself.  I got another cool gift – a pair of orthopedic house slippers designed to correct pronation.  Just what I need.  My plantar fasciitus still hurts like the devil and I’m hoping that a move to fully orthopedic footwear will aid my recovery.  Something has to give, I’m gaining significant holiday weight and need to be able to increase my mileage.

I’ve heard for every mile run, an angel gets its wings.  More importantly, a 180 pound runner burns 130 calories.  I bought myself a 99¢ iPhone food scanner app by daily burn for Christmas.  It tells you the calories and other nutritional information of foods by scanning the bar code with your iPhone camera.  You don’t have to actually take a picture – it’s extremely quick and easy.  My brother-in-law Steve turned me on to it.  Steve also advised me to drink this Sierra Nevada Celebration Pale Ale which scans in at 214 calories.  Dammit, that’s a big beer.  But tasty too.  Cheers!

The Twelve O’Clock Running Club

17 Saturday Dec 2011

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After last night’s late running festivities, the ladies rose for an 8:30am run.  Not us guys.  As gentlemen runners, we met at noon.  Even I find this hard to believe, but I haven’t run with a team of guys in nearly 25 years.  It’s a kick.  This might not be true for everyone, but the group has a natural tendency to make everyone run faster than they would running solo.  We’re talking about getting together regularly on weekends, although never before 12:00.

We ran a 6 mile out and back course along the Lobo Trail – starting and ending at Steve’s house.  We all made smart gear choices.  Nobody wore gloves although it was cold starting out.  The sun was so bright that you just knew you would warm up once you got going, and we did.  The conversation started out mostly about the previous night’s Old Fashion drinks.  Turns out we can all hang with each others’ pace fairly well.  Three of us will turn 50 next year.  In fact, we’ve already booked a huge neighborhood trip to Mexico to celebrate the half dozen or so of us turning 50.  Keith has set a goal to run his first marathon next year to mark his semi-centenary.  After struggling to hang with him today, I’d say he could run a marathon now.

And clearly Kelly’s boot camp at the rec center is paying dividends.  He shot past me on the final mile, called me a pussy, and raced Keith in for the uphill finish.  I didn’t have pain in my game plan today, and I finished up easy as a cool down.  I helped to keep the pace strong through the middle of the run, after we’d all warmed up.  I could tell it was a decent pace heading back by the drop in chit chat.  I know I was breathing hard.  Overall, it was a great run.  Looking forward to more with my twelve o’clock running club.

What to Buy a Runner for Christmas

10 Saturday Dec 2011

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It should be obvious, but since it isn’t I’ve prepared this list of items every runner wants along with the reasons why.  The general reason though is runners need gear.  Lots of it.  Especially in the winter.  My wife says I have more clothes than her and she tries to purge my t-shirts when she can.  It’s true, runners tend to collect t-shirts.  But these race mementos are no more clothes than prom or bridesmaids dresses.

Consider this lovely brown T made from thick 100% cotton by Hanes.  My Durango friends the Wales purchased it for me over Thanksgiving.  The back of the shirt explains why.  “I’d walk 500 miles for a Colorado Trail Nut Brown Ale.”  Well, it just so happens Tumbleweed and I did just that.  So does a shirt like this constitute clothes?  Technically sure but it’s much more about memories.  And it’s a walking billboard for my summer adventure.

Thick cotton Ts like this are useful.  My sweat and even a little snow are evident on the backside in this pic to the right.  Click on it to see an enlarged view.  I wore it today as part of my gear on a 6 mile scamper along the still snow packed Lobo Trail here in Longmont.  I’ve adapted to the December cold with smart gear choices.  Today I wore an Under Armour hot gear long sleeve shirt for my first layer.  This is a very thin material that whisks sweat away from the skin.  I covered this with the brown cotton t-shirt and added as a third overlay an Under Armour cold gear top that retains warmth.  The cotton T served to absorb moisture and trap it in the middle where it could stay warm while my skin remained dry.  I also switched from my Asics to my La Sportiva trail running shoes for their traction and because they are waterproof.

I wore thicker sets of runners gloves and fleece skull cap than last week.  This turned out to be unnecessary and I carried my gloves after a couple of miles.  The morning wind died and the sun was out strong  The thing to note is that a runner cannot sustain a daily regimen in the throes of winter with a single pair of gloves and caps.  Gloves and hats become as sweaty as socks so unless you’re washing laundry every day, five pair are not unrealistic.  I have 3 of each and would love more.  I’m certain that my clothes are laundered with less frequency than those of my wife.  After 24 years of marriage, I have sufficient history to speculate that her clothes are washed approximately 2.7 time as much as mine.  There have been times I wear something once and then don’t get it back until the season is over.  I’m sure I’m not alone in this marital circumstance of apparel washing favoritism.

And fabric variety is equally important.  Of my three gloves, one is very thin and the other two are thick.  I’d like something in between.  My fleece skull caps are the opposite with two thin and one ultra thick.  If a third dimension isn’t manufactured, it would be nice to have more of what I don’t have, another thin pair of gloves and a second heavy fleece hat.  The next really important item is high tech socks.  Cotton socks are dead to me.  One can never have too many of these.  You know how socks get lost.  Karen actually steals mine, which seems unlikely as her feet are half the size of mine – but apparently socks shrink.

I feel I’m good on gaters.  I have a short pair and another shin-high pair.  These are good in the winter for warmth and to keep your shoes dry and also in the summer for rough trail runs.  But if you know a runner who doesn’t have any, such a gift would surprise them and they’ll be thankful after trying them out.  Go to rei.com to order some online.  I’m actually not sure how to spell them – gaitors, gators or gaters.  Googling any of those iterations should present you with some safe web sites.

Last, a pair of either tights or sweat pants with matching sweater or hoodie makes for a good looking present.  Runners are notoriously poor at fashion so help them out by selecting a coordinated outfit.  Runners are so often fixated on the act of working out that they forget it helps to also look good – at least it helps those who have to look at them.  I’m partial to Under Armour and their Cold Gear outfits.  And this year they’ve come out with more color than in the past, especially for women.  Otherwise, Nike, Brooks and Adidas always have good stuff.  Some outfits perform well as lounge wear.  I recall seeing an entire family dressed in coordinating UA fleece lounge wear on a flight to Hawaii.  The father and son in one matching set and the mother and daughter in another.  Brit and I laughed pretty hard at that.  But hey, better that than wearing a wife-beater T and OP shorts.  Help a runner look smart this winter season.

Snow Angels and Blisters

03 Saturday Dec 2011

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While Karen was out dancing Zumba, Brie came to the door asking if I had any molasses for her sister Bella.  As a matter a fact, I do.  I handed her the jar and she was gone.  Not much more than a half hour later, there was another knock at my door.  I opened it to discover my jar of molasses and a plate of ginger snaps lying on my front porch.  After eating those for lunch, it was clear I would need to get out in the snow and 20° for a run.

It’s fair to say winter came in with December.  It snowed on December 1st with a cold front and hasn’t let up.  And I’ve been running in it but will admit to over-dressing.  By day 3 though I feel I’ve finally acclimated to the cold.  I wore shorts and felt good – there wasn’t any wind to speak of.  I might not have needed the running gloves but suspect they were a good call too.  I have fleece skull caps of various thickness and wore a thin one – again good call.  And the two long-sleeve shirts, one Under Armour Cold Gear and the other fleece – could not have been more comfortable.  But where I thought I was totally brilliant was in wearing the gaiters to keep the snow off my shoes.

After running a hundred yards or so on the snow, it occurred to me I should have worn my trail running shoes.  In addition to providing traction, they are waterproof.  I was able to accommodate my pace and footfalls to avoid slipping, but after a couple of miles I felt my shoes becoming wet despite the gaiters.  Had I worn my longer gaiters, they might have protected my shoes better.  They might have made my shins hot, those puppies are really warm, but they do a much better job of covering my shoes.  After 3 miles, I felt blisters forming on my arches.  It then occurred to me my biggest gear failure was in wearing cotton socks.  Critical mistake – I should know better.  This was my turn-around point on the trail, no choice but to run in blisters for another 3 miles.  Darn it.

Still, the snow itself was nice.  Four to six inches of fresh powder.  Snow runs are the best.  Might need band-aids but looking forward to another good run tomorrow.

Run Turkey, Run

25 Friday Nov 2011

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I’m feeling pretty good about re-establishing my running regimen over the holidays here in Carlsbad.  I’ve consistently leveraged the last 3 Thanksgiving breaks to log some miles.  I scaled back on running while diagnosing some of my injuries, but it doesn’t appear I lost any real conditioning.  With my abdomen feeling strong again, my pace is seriously dropping back to where it was a year ago – down close to 8 minute miles.  I’m not pushing myself yet in terms of distance – only running 3 and 4 miles.  I’d like to run farther but I’m following the medical advice and easing back into it.

There’s no hurry.  I’m not planning on any events until late winter – early spring.  The Canyonlands Half Marathon in Moab March 17th.  That’s on my calendar although at this point I’m only entered in the lottery.  I have a strong desire to return to run the Austin Marathon February 19th.  I have a little something to prove in that event, but it’ll come down to a last minute decision based on my winter conditioning and whether or not I have enough miles on United.  Sometime near those two runs will be the Boulder Half Marathon – I’ll for sure do that.  I like how the course goes out slightly up slope and returns back down slope.  Perfect event to start slow and speed up.  Last March I ran it as a workout just like that.  It felt great.

Clearly, I’ll need to eventually increase my mileage if I intend to run marathons and halves.  I’ll target next weekend to grind out a long one.  Until then, I’ll enjoy my new found fast pace.  I’m considering sending a Christmas card to Dr. Stilp for taking care of me.

Carlsbad

23 Wednesday Nov 2011

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I’m visiting Laura and Chad for Thanksgiving in Carlsbad, New Mexico.  This is high-altitude desert at around 3200 feet.  Before they moved here this summer I used to visit them in Spokane where I ran the most incredible route through woods alongside a lake.  Four miles from their house here is an awesome downtown running trail along the Pecos River.  Unfortunately it’s cement rather than actual trail, otherwise it is reminiscent of Town Lake in Austin.  Or I guess they renamed it to Lady Bird Johnson Lake now.  Regardless, this is a very nice inner city running trail.  Good for Carlsbad.

Less than good is that – Taco Bell notwithstanding –  I’ve yet to see a Mexican food restaurant.  Is this not the south-friggin-west?  Chad says there are 3 or 4, but they’re nothing special.  On the plus side though is you can buy Hatch green chilies everywhere; from any burger joint to precooked at WalMart.  Other Carlsbad observations include there are more nail salons than coffee shops and countless old people slowly driving pickup trucks in the fast lane.

The weather is just perfect – high 60s.  And will be all week.  I intend to knock out a 4 miler along the Pecos every day I’m here.  Not a bad way to launch my winter training regimen.

I am Healed

19 Saturday Nov 2011

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Pounded out my first run since getting the cortisone treatment Wednesday, and I am healed.  Absolutely no more pain.  I felt fat and still ran slow, but my abdomen was strong.  I am so happy.  I can’t believe I’ve lived with this for a full year when I didn’t need to.  I still remember wondering why I hurt so much after the 2010 Denver Marathon.  I should have followed up with my doctor much sooner.  Lesson learned.

This has me pretty excited.  The arthritis in my symphysis pubis had been seriously slowing me down.  It was never the kind of pain to keep me from running.  But it took a half mile to recede and would return if I ran too fast.  This was most annoying in the 2011 Bolder Boulder when I felt great at 5 miles and tried to pick up my pace but the pain in my abdomen acted like a governor.

I’m psyched up now to train again for the 2012 trail running season.  I don’t care how ridiculous it might sound for a 49 year old to want to race, but I do.  I want to be competitive in my age division.  I like running fast but was beginning to think I couldn’t anymore.  My new training regimen begins this Thanksgiving break.  I’m climbing back in the saddle.    I’m going to sign up right now for the Moab Half Marathon in March.

Sucker Punch

16 Wednesday Nov 2011

Posted by in Medical Files, Running

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I wasn’t totally certain what to expect from this steroid shot.  I took off a half day of work since they said it would take 3 hours.  Still somehow I’ve logged in a 10 hour work day.  That’s what they call an IBM vacation.  I could have easily spent 2 hours simply finding a parking spot.  Boulder parking sucks.

True to the expectations set by Nurse Heather, prep took an hour.  A few forms and questions to answer, but mostly waiting.  I read a few chapters from the Steve Jobs biography on my iPhone Kindle app.  Should have brought my Kindle but the sweet thing is how what you are reading on the Kindle synch’s wirelessly to your iPhone.  I was able to get some of my questions answered from Dr. Stilp.  She said it is indeed possible that this treatment will last a lifetime.  She performs this treatment for the same condition every 2 or 3 years.  Typically to runners over 30.  It is possible though I might need a second shot after a few weeks.  I should know based on how the pain recedes and that I should followup with Dr. WW.  It might be that I’ll need some rehab therapy rather than a second shot.  I can run this weekend but should not expect noticeable results for a few more days after that.

The door to the surgery room had a sign reading, “Pain Free Area”.  I asked the nurse if that was some sick humor.  She responded in a serious manner that perhaps so for me since it only applies to patients who receive anesthesia – which I had declined.  Hmm.  She instructed me to lie supine on the surgical bed and she proceeded to prep my lower abdomen with betadine and sterile towels.  Because I expected this as well, I trimmed my belly hair.  I simply trimmed it with clippers.  I didn’t want to shave it with a razor because I think that’s a bit weird.  I don’t want too prepubescent a look lest I suddenly get hit on by football coaches.  Which reminds me, have you heard what high school athletes are saying in the locker room now?  “You can stick it in coach, I’m ready to play.”

Anyway, I’m glad I trimmed because the betadine would have been a hairy mess otherwise.  I suspect they would have shaved me if necessary, but they didn’t so I think my efforts were smart.  The nurse wrapped a blood pressure monitor around my right arm and attached a heart rate monitor to a finger on my left hand.  She then had me fold my arms up over my chest.  A second nurse handed me two squeeze balls, sort of like little stress relievers.  She said I would want them.  Dr. Stilp came in and was quite efficient about things.  She adjusted the towels leaving me embarrassingly exposed.  I now know where the needle’s point of entry will be.  Less than an inch north of my Johnson.

Dr. Stilp applied some topical analgesic to minimize the pain of the needle breaking my skin.  It still hurt a tad bit more than a flu shot, but nothing to cry home about.  That is until she went deep.  After entering the needle, she paused in order to adjust her fluoroscope.  This is an xray image on a monitor directly over my abdomen.  She then looked at the monitor as she pushed the needle further into the joint.  I wasn’t expecting this type of pain.  It honestly felt as if she had punched me in the gut with all her strength.  The nurses on both sides of me then applied moderate pressure to my arms to ensure I didn’t whack anything and exhorted me to take deep breaths.  The scene was not unlike a woman delivering a baby.

Dr. Stilp then told me that she’ll need to do this again and it will hurt the same amount, and that I should try to relax and let her know when I’m ready.  “Are you fucking kidding me?”  I’m not certain I said those exact words.  I might have, I was in a highly emotional and reactive state.  I couldn’t believe she would ask me to relaunch the needle.  It’s like asking someone to commit hari-kari.  I took a couple of deep breaths and told her to go ahead.  I didn’t want time to think about it.  She was right, it hurt just as much the second time.

And before I knew it they were helping me to my feet and escorting me out of the pain free area.  A nurse monitored my vitals for about 5 minutes and then sent me home.  Despite feeling like I was sucker punched twice in the abdomen, I’m glad I declined the anesthesia.  I’ve seen people take that stuff and I’m confident the side effects would not have been worth the pain avoidance in this scenario.  Not feeling any pain now – a few hours later.  We’ll soon see how effective the steroids are when I try out my treated pubic symphysis on a run.

Shot of Steroids

12 Saturday Nov 2011

Posted by in Medical Files, Running

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Dr. WW called back again to let me know he’d reviewed my MRI with Dr. Stilp – an Orthopedic Surgeon across the street at the Boulder Surgery Center.  She concurs with the radiology diagnosis of arthritis in my symphysis pubis and wants me to call her to schedule myself to receive a fluoroscopic-guided shot of cortisone.  Dr. WW actually let me agree first that I was interested in receiving the shot.  He might have been following some ethics protocol.  He seemed happy with my decision though.  And he related to me that I’m only the second case of symphysis pubis arthritis he’s treated.  The other guy was a few years ago.  That guy was in his 30s which makes me feel better about this not simply being about my age.  Dr. WW ended the call by giving me the phone number to Dr. Stilp’s nurse Heather, to setup the procedure.

Nurse Heather penciled me in for this coming Wednesday afternoon.  I’ll take a half day vacation as this will suck up too much time to simply squeeze it in between conference calls.  Heather briefed me on what to expect.  The shot itself will take just a few minutes, but I’ll need an hour for prep and another hour post-op.  Apparently this isn’t a simple flu shot.  The doctor will use fluoroscopy to guide the needle into the area of my hip bone.  Heather surveyed my medical history over the phone so I won’t have to spend time filling out forms once I arrive.  I declined the anesthesia so I’ll be able to drive myself home afterward.  I’ve never had anesthesia before but have seen others receive it and can say that it doesn’t appeal to me.  Heather answered most of my questions.  I’ll have to wait to talk with Dr. Stilp to answer other questions such as ongoing expectations.  I neglected to ask just exactly where the point of entry will be for the needle.  My buddy Dave suggested I should expect it to be where I least want it, and that stirrups might be involved.  Ouch.