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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

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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

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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.

The Call Back

08 Tuesday Nov 2011

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After the trailer MRI by a Radiologist likely located half way around the world, I wasn’t expecting much in terms of a call back.  A voice message from the Orthopedic’s nurse perhaps.  Shoot, assuming there was no big news to relate, I’d be good with a text.  I personally could not read into the picture I took of the MRI scan, but I did have my own guess.  I side with my primary care physician.  She thinks I have a tear in the tendons connecting the abdomen to the symphysis pubis.  It feels that way to me and I could see that taking a long time to heal without proper rehab.  I don’t know enough about sports hernias to say anything intelligent, but a hernia does not sound like the sort of thing I would be running marathons with or hauling up 14,000 foot peaks on the Colorado Trail.  My optimism might be biased by wanting to avoid the potential surgery required for a sports hernia.  So that was my frame of mind as I waited for the call back.

Dr. William Williams called me on my mobile tonight at 7:19 MST.  He used a lot of big words and never definitively committed to anything.  It might as well had been Alan Greenspan who called me.  I’ll be much more direct in my translation.  My symphysis pubis is arthritic.  This is apparently rare in this type of joint.  Dr WW then lectured for several minutes tangentially on the different types of joints and how the symphysis isn’t really a joint anymore than spinal vertebrae.  But it sort of is a joint.  He’d either made his point or realized I was no longer responding and returned to topic.  He exhorted that a hernia is still possible but less likely now given my symptoms.  The advised treatment for the arthritis is a steroid shot and he thinks he might know someone who could administer such a thing if I were interested.  I am.  He’ll talk to Heather. I envisioned my eye doctor’s clinic where the eye glass and frame shop seem to exist as separate entities yet within the same building.  This guy distances himself from the dealers. The upside is that a positive response to the steroids would further suggest I don’t have a hernia.  Or perhaps the upside is that I’ll now have a fairly valid subterfuge for a medicinal marijuana card.

Trailer Medicine

02 Wednesday Nov 2011

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Today was the big event – my first MRI.  I woke up to a half foot of fresh snow.  Much less on the sidewalks and roads.  Not that it mattered, my appointment wasn’t until late afternoon.  The roads were dry and clear by then.  I left a bit early anyway since I’d never been to the Lafayette branch of the Boulder Community Hospital.  Good thing as I mistakenly drove to the Exlempa Good Samaritan Medical Center first.  I figured it out after Registration couldn’t find a record of my appointment.  Still made my appointment on time as the two medical centers are located fairly close to one another.

Registration was quick although Cigna never called in my negotiated rate.  I know I will eventually owe 20%, but don’t know what the 100% is yet.  Fortunately I did not have to pay in advance.  I understand MRIs to cost over $3000.  The Cigna negotiated rate should be about half that, give or take 10%.  I was still ahead of schedule and sat down to read my WSJ that I brought along.  I brought my own newspaper for two reasons.  First, it was delivered late today due to the weather so I wasn’t able to read it in the morning.  Second, I’ve been disappointed lately with the lobby magazine selection in medical offices.  And I say this from experience having been to three others in less than a week.  My Primary Care physician is a woman which might explain the literary tripe in her office.  Then the Orthopedist had a bunch of Yacht Club magazines.  Who the hell even boats in Colorado let alone owns a yacht?  And to his credit, the Podiatrist at least had Time Magazine, but still, my erudite tastes are particular.  I read the Internet.

I just completed a survey of the page one index when the MRI tech stepped in to escort me to the lab.  The MRI room.  The magnetic resonance imaging facility.  We exited the back through sliding doors and walked into the parking lot as she droned on about why her MRI machine was temporarily located in a trailer.  It was one of those modular buildings that often are used as class rooms in fast growing school districts.  She warned me to be cautious navigating the ice as I climbed the pressure-treated wood stairs.

She locked my metallic valuables in a file cabinet and explained the procedure to me.  I was surprised to learn the routine would take 30 to 45 minutes.  My previous experience consisted of 10 minute x-rays.  Good thing I’d dressed comfortably.  Expecting belts and buckles to be an issue with the big magnet, I sported Under Armour fleece lounge wear.  I was both warm and comfy and declined her offer for a blanket.

Recumbent in a supine position, I pierced the alluring grotto feet first.  Soon the machine emitted a noise not unlike a tennis shoe bouncing around inside a clothes dryer, but more synchronous.  A minute or two later I was done.  Apparently I fell asleep to the rhythmic drumming as my iPhone confirmed I’d been in there at least 20 minutes.  So I’m unable to report much more on the details of being MRI’d, but can tell you it’s very cozy.  The pic above is the image of my symphysis pubis after redacting some of the personally identifiable information from the upper right.  Supposedly some Radiologist whom I never met – likely working out of a cubicle in Bangalore – will provide the results to my Orthopedist in about 3 days.  Stay tuned.

Foot and Ankle

31 Monday Oct 2011

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My visit to the Podiatrist wasn’t too bad.  Not sure why I had to undress since it was just my foot, but all in all it was a good prognosis.  Just kidding of course, but I was very happy to have this doctor confirm that yes, I have plantar fasciitus, but totally treatable and not something more serious.

This ultra sound shows abnormal thickness near the heel and inconsistent width throughout the fascia – confirming plantar fasciitus.  The doctor explained a number of stretches I can do and showed me what sort of insoles will help.  Turns out nothing from SofSole is any good.  Even their models intended for pronation won’t provide the necessary support – they are way too soft.  The type of insoles that will work are made of hard plastic – like from Superfeet.

Best of all, this doctor didn’t even blink at my bloodstained toenails.  Didn’t suggest toe treatment.  Didn’t say squat.  He looks pretty fit himself and seems to understand toenails are over-rated.  MRI for my symphysis on Wednesday.

The MRI

29 Saturday Oct 2011

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I don’t imagine MRIs to be very scary, unless of course you are claustrophobic which I’m not.  From what I know, they don’t even use X-Rays like a Cat Scan but instead generate radio waves from a big magnet.  It certainly doesn’t appear to be painful although it could brick my iPhone.  But I’m stupefied how I reached this ripe old age without ever having been referred to a specialist and I now am having four medical visits in less than seven days.  My doctor referred me to a Podiatrist for my plantar fasciitus and to an Orthopedic Specialist for my abdomen.

I immediately started doing the math on potential out-of-pocket costs and discovered both specialists would be in network.  So OK, fine.  I visited Boulder Orthopedics yesterday.  The visit took over an hour which I didn’t expect.  I got an X-Ray which suggests a possible sports hernia – whatever that is, it sounds made up – and the need for an MRI.  Dr. Williams couldn’t be certain of my injury but my Symphysis looks to have some issues.  I’ll spare you the profanity here but know that I’m cussing under my breath as I write this.  I called Cigna as soon as I got home and learned I will be responsible for 20% of the MRI cost.

Seeing how one visit to a specialist has begun to spiral out-of-control, I’m no longer looking forward to visiting the Podiatrist Monday.  I’m picturing thousand dollar custom-built insoles made from rare earth metals.  And I’ll probably have to travel to China to be fitted.  This isn’t going well.

Prognostication

26 Wednesday Oct 2011

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In terms of commitments or event schedules, I am now officially in the off-season.  Having an off-season makes me feel semi-pro.  I encourage all other weekend warriors to define an off-season as well.  Now that I am not committed to completing some big event, I felt it was safe yesterday to visit my doctor to review some of my long standing irritations.  Key among my maladies are plantar fasciitis and a very sore stomach.

I know that my left foot over pronates and also understand I was wearing the wrong shoes, as well as wore them for too long.  The intent of seeing my doctor for this is to not stop training while recovering.  I was hoping she would prescribe some treatment or refer me to a specialist.  I also know that considering I’ve been running with this pain for nearly a year, there might be other issues.  And I have to also assume it’s possible I have misdiagnosed myself.  I don’t believe I have though because I have had this twice in the past.  Once in college.  A new pair of shoes remedied the problem.  And again a little less than 10 years ago.  I had gotten into decent shape and had to stop running for the fasciitis to heal.  Subsequently I lost my fitness along with all my training discipline.  I don’t want that to happen again.

My doctor suggested I might also have a bone spur and that the best thing to do would be to see a Podiatrist.  She referred me to a specialist here in Longmont.  This is what I was hoping she would do.  And believe it or not, at 49 years of age, this will be the first time I’ve ever been referred to a specialist.  I don’t go to see the doctor much.  Visiting the doctor is a sure fire way to be told you’re aging.  As long as no one points this out to me, I feel as young as ever.  I sort of recognize I’m aging, but it’s almost an out-of-body experience because quite frankly my maturity level hasn’t progressed much beyond college.  Just ask anyone at last weekend’s Halloween party where I was dancing in a cage with another guy and generally acting like a frat boy.  I set my appointment with the podiatrist up for Halloween next Monday.  I’ll blog the results.

I injured my stomach a full year ago in the Denver Marathon.  I was running along fine until the final three miles wherein my stomach just melted.  It didn’t cramp exactly but became very sore and weak at the lowest point of my abdomen.  I was fairly certain this wasn’t a hernia or groin injury because it didn’t match all those symptoms.  She confirmed that and suggested it is very likely some pulled tendons – a rectus abdominus tear just above the symphysis pubis.  For this she referred me to the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine for an orthopedic specialist to confirm her prognosis and provide treatment.  I didn’t know organs like the stomach had tendons.  I’d always associated tendons with standard muscles.  But again, I was hoping for a referral so that I could continue training.  My fear, and why I didn’t go see her earlier, was to be told to stop training altogether.  She did suggest cross training – biking and swimming.  I don’t have a bike.  And considering there’s a half foot of snow outside, I think the biking season is over.  And I’ve always been negatively buoyant making me suck ass at swimming.  Although, given the expansion that has occurred in my middle over the years, perhaps I’ve gained some float.  Expect future blogs on my treatments and possible evolution to new sports.

Plantar Fasciitis

19 Monday Sep 2011

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I have plantar fasciitus.  And I’ve had it for a good year or so, but I’m finally ready to get serious about treating it because it hurts and leaves me screaming after runs like a banshee from Celtic hell.

It’s in my left foot, as it always has been.  I’ve had this before.  The first time was back in college.  I recall the athletic trainer prescribing me muscle relaxers.  Someone less official advised me to buy a new pair of shoes.  The shoes remedied my plantar fasciitus – which I get because my left foot over pronates.  The muscle relaxers – after washing them down with beer – left me in a state of extremely relaxed inhibitions.  Thankfully this was before everyone carried a camera phone in their pocket connected to YouTube.

Technically I’ve been treating this for several months, just not effectively.  I’ve read up on it and am doing the following.  I bought new inserts and am trying to wear them as much as possible.  I’ve added inserts to my house slippers and am considering simply trashing my Crocs.  Crocs are crap.  I am also performing toe curls, wherein I curl my toes to the point of cramping my foot, and then release.  I perform about 20 reps.  I plan to start doing arch stretches as well.

I want to work through this because I don’t want to lose my fitness level.  But also, I don’t think simply taking time off from working out helps unless I do these other actions of stretches and wearing proper arch support.  Wish me luck.

Foot Fetish

29 Monday Aug 2011

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I’m no hipster.  I don’t wear jewelry and it’s very unlikely you’ll ever see me sporting the latest fashion – men capris included.  But I’ve become a fan of the pedicure.  Karen and I celebrated her birthday this past weekend in the Omni Hotel at Interlocken where I indulged my feet in a gentlemen’s pedicure at the Mokara Spa.  Sweet baby Jesus – that was nice.  To all my Coloradan medicinal marijuana card carrying buds puffin’ out the analgesic qualities of weed, you haven’t had a quality pedicure.

Seriously, if you’re a big time runner or hiker – pay heed to what I’m bloggin’ here.  Odds are your feet, especially your toes, are uglier than Jimmy Bakker and Tammy Faye.  In your endorphin induced delusion, you either ignore this or chalk it up as a necessary price to be paid for your sport.  But that’s counter intuitive.  The more your feet contribute to your overall well being, the more they should earn in return.  Not only do your feet deserve pampering, but this is a health issue.  They need some attention to optimally maintain your habit.  Why should your calves get all the glory as you wear shorts outside in the middle of winter?  Wouldn’t it be nice to wear flip flops too?  I pound the holy hell out of my feet and I intend to add regular pedicures to my recovery routine.

La Sportiva

21 Sunday Aug 2011

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New trail shoes.  My old ones died on the Colorado Trail.  I liked them so much though I bought the same pair again.  It was tempting to buy something different.  Something with some color.  But these La Sportivas have such good stability.  And the Gore-Tex really works to keep my feet dry – very important.  And for trail shoes, I don’t feel they are overly heavy.  I broke them in Saturday with a 13 mile run on the East Boulder/White Rock Trail.  I’m considering hanging the old ones on my office wall after I complete the CT in October.  A self-awarded trophy of sorts.  That’ll dress up the home office.

CT Gear

15 Wednesday Jun 2011

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As excited as I am to complete the second half of segment 6 of the Colorado Trail this coming weekend, I’m even more stoked about my new gear.  Never slept in a one-man tent before.  Look at this puppy.  I just practiced assembling it and can’t believe how cool it is.  The Big Agnes Seedhouse SL1 weighs under 3 pounds, has an aluminum pole system with all three branches attached which snap together with a flick of the wrist, and takes about 5 minutes to setup – including the waterproof fly.  It’s wide enough at my elbows and shoulders to roll around, but tapers toward the feet.  More importantly there’s enough room to situp.  I’ll christen it at the Gold Hill Trail Head Saturday.

Next new piece of gear is a set of REI trekking poles.  Not sure if I adequately expressed the danger I was in snowshoeing over the Georgia Pass in my last CT blog, but the use of Tumbleweed’s trekking pole provided me with a well-learned lesson.  The most critical use was as a tool to dig my snowshoe out from treacherous post-holes.  But I also can’t underestimate the strength it provided to my posture.  With only the single pole, my balance was an order of magnitude stronger.  This saved my core – both stomach as well as back muscles – from constantly twisting from unsure footing.  Now I’ll have two poles – a complete set – and won’t have to bum gear from Tumbleweed.  Hoping the snow has sufficiently melted so I don’t have to use my other awesome gear – my snowshoes.  Looking forward to being able to run at least half of this trail segment.  Tune in for the next edition of CT Cronica for the story, and feedback on the new gear.

Bolder Boulder and Beyond

06 Monday Jun 2011

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The 2011 running of the Bolder Boulder could be it for me for awhile.  It’s the last road race on my schedule until perhaps an Aspen half marathon trail run in September.  I refrained from running the remainder of this week in order to recover from plantar fasciitus in my left foot caused from pronation and wearing the wrong shoes to correct it.  Worse, after buying a proper pair of shoes, my left knee began to hurt like a sonofagun.  And there’s simply no reason for me to run through the pain any longer than I already have.  I’m no Chronic Runner.  I’ve completed most of my goals for the year.  I suppose I’d have other goals but they’ve been usurped by my weekends hiking the Colorado Trail.  First, I’ll recount the 2011 Bolder Boulder, then I’ll relate future plans.

I initially set this run as the biggest target of the year.  It was my first serious road race after over 20 years and marked my re-entry into the sport last spring.  It would serve as the perfect measure of improvement in my fitness level.  I ran a marathon down in Austin and two halves (one in Moab and one here in Boulder) over the winter to prepare.  I had planned to then perform some speed training in order to teach my muscles how to run fast again.  My goal was to beat last year’s mile pace by a full minute.  I ran an 8:01 mile pace in 2010 and truly believed a 7 minute pace was possible.  A boy can dream.  But instead of speed work I began running the Colorado Trail on weekends with a good friend.  And I have no regrets, I’m having a blast.  I’ve hiked the first 5.5 segments and intend to spend the rest of the summer – and likely some of the fall – completing the full 28 trail segments.  Additionally, work has been too busy to afford me the time to increase my mileage during the week.  A half hour run is about all I have time for.  Actually, I might get more time now that the days are getting longer.  But still, I’ve only been running 3.5 miles during week days.  So I entered this year’s run with reset goals, hoping to only beat last year’s time by any measurable amount.  I thought maybe I could run a 7:30 mile pace at best.  I came close.

The official Boulder Boulder Timex had me at a 7:46 pace.  I prefer to reference my Garmin results which showed me run a 7:37 mile pace.  My belief is, starting further back in the pack results in running less of a straight line.  Having to go around slower runners causes you to zigzag across the street.  My Garmin measured my overall distance at 6.33 miles.  And this is accurate.  Both the Garmin and the BB Timex finish times are of course correct at 48:17, but I ran farther than a 10K.  Seems like a trivial point and it is since I’m pretty happy with both times.  But it is interesting how much harder you have to work back in the pack.

If there is a reason I’m a bit focused on my Garmin results it’s because the more I consider this phenomenon, the more I believe it’s possible I didn’t run faster than last year.  I wasn’t in a qualifying wave last year and started way, way in the back.  I remember being frustrated by how much passing and slowing down to pass I had to do last year.

By contrast, I started this year in the CC wave, only 10 minutes after the first wave.  If my Garmin had me run 6.33 miles this year with only 8 waves ahead of me and minimal passing, it’s conceivable I ran 6.5 miles last year.  For all I know, I ran the same true pace.  If there’s a useful point to this, it’s that it’s important to be in an early qualified wave if you hope to meet a goal time.  I expect to be able to enter in the C wave next year based on this year’s time, avoiding a few thousand more runners.  Theoretically, my allotment into a qualified wave has me in a self-propelling spiral of faster times each year whilst only truly running the same pace.  If you think I’m pulling your leg, I propose that if the gap between my Garmin time and the BB time is smaller next year, then there’s some possible truth to my bullshit.  In fact, I suspect I could measure this gap now with other Garmin wearing runners who started in various waves.  If you’re one of them, comment with your gap.  My gap is .13 miles and a 10 second mile pace.  I imagine there are diminishing negative returns, but I suspect this effect is measurable in the first 20 or so waves.

That’s really the biggest thing I got out of this year’s event – it made for some good discussion at the Gadget Girl’s post race Memorial Day BBQ.  Other than that, nice running weather – the light rain felt good.  Finishing in Folsom Stadium is always cool and I believe one of the key features that makes this event.  And I think the new start works out much better.  Parking is improved by an order of magnitude.  More importantly, the first mile is no longer downhill.  In past events, this would lead inexperienced runners to start too fast and then die on mile 2 which runs up Folsom.  It’s difficult enough to maintain early pace discipline with 56,000 runners breathing down your neck.  Now I believe, based on some of the times I’ve queried, many runners ran strong through the second mile and didn’t slow down until mile 3 – which is a tough one.

My personal race experience is best illustrated in the pace chart near the top of this blog.  It shows me running an extremely even pace – I didn’t just average 7:46 per mile, I ran within a few seconds of that time each mile.  You might think I’ve been running for so long that perhaps I don’t know a different pace.  There’s a little truth to that, but trust me when I tell you this is fast for me.  My training pace is closer to 8:30.  So I’m happy that I did in fact race this event by pushing myself.  I had two concerns toward this.  I was fairly certain I could run a 7:30 pace after warming up.  But I didn’t know if I could start off that fast.  And I was concerned I might start off too quickly by following the crowd.  I discovered however that many of the runners in my wave were experienced enough – God knows they looked a lot more athletic than me – to control their starting pace.  So being able to begin with a 7:45 mile and then maintain that pace has me quite pleased with my performance.  I had a smile on my face the rest of the day.  I can tell you though, while my legs felt strong the entire run, my weak-assed stomach got in my way when I wanted to turn on the jets in mile 5.  I’ve given up on trimming it down much more, but some situps are in order.  I could do that while I’m not running.

As I mentioned at the start, I’ve taken the rest of this week off from running.  My knee feels totally better already; that would be stupid to let a knee injury continue.  I don’t know that my plantar fasciitus will heal quite so quickly, but it should heal over time if I have the right shoes.  It does feel marginally better after a few days of rest.  I can tell by how sore my heel is when I wake in the morning.  I’m not exactly jumping out of bed like Cameron Diaz just yet.  Whatever, I’ll take a sore heel over a knee injury any day.

A little something about buying the wrong shoes.  I reviewed the Runner’s World review on shoes for stability – to correct the pronation in my left foot.  I clipped the picture of the ASICs Gel-Kayano and went to Dick’s Sports which is only 2 miles down the road.  They had a shoe that matched the picture, and to add confidence, the $140 suggested retail price matched.  But it didn’t have a label with the shoe name.  I bought it and it never seemed to help.  I then bought inserts, but it still always hurt and my plantar fasciitus has continued to progress.  A week before the Bolder Boulder I visited the renown Boulder Running Company to purchase new shoes.  Their help there consists of expert world class athletes.  I explained my issue.  The guy barely glanced at my shoes without a name and said, “Those aren’t the Kayano, those are the Nimbus.  They’re designed for supination.”  Dammit!  That explains my pain.  That helps to also explain why the Austin Marathon hurt like hell.  They got me on the tread mill to ensure the Kayano corrected my pronation.  This is why you go to the Boulder Running Company.  I’ll never go anywhere else again.  I picked up a pair of racing shoes too to reward myself for all my running and so I could stop racing in heavy trainers.

I might go a second week without running to heal.  I’m not worried about losing my conditioning, or more importantly, losing my discipline.  I’m comfortable that I’ll stay in shape.  Too much competition from the neighbors to let myself go entirely.  You live in Boulder County – you know what I mean.  The typical house wife is 5-11, world class at something, and can kick your ass while her spouse is out shopping at REI.  If I feel I’m no longer running sufficiently to blog a runner’s theme, I’ll change up the topics here.  Wouldn’t be the first time.  I’ll archive the blogs tagged with the “running” category into a menu item above like I’ve done with some of my other stories if I do end this theme.  Wait a second.  Just added the menu item.  Hot damn, my running category has 56 posts, over half my blog.  And this post makes 100 total stories.  Time to change up my content because I’m done with forking over copious coin for the digital downloads of these race pics.

Texas Wins Again

07 Saturday May 2011

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Three generations of women in this pic from 23 to 77 years of age.  Karen told me to cash in some miles on United and fly down to visit my mom for the Mother’s Day weekend.  I arrived on Thursday night and will return Tuesday.  I brought two pairs of running shorts and to my surprise have run two days in a row.  So right now I’m doing laundry.

I can run out the door from my mom’s house in Round Rock and hit a hike and bike trail after about 1.5 miles.  The trail runs along Brushy Creek.  The Garmin comes in really handy when you just run out the door without a good sense of distance.  There aren’t any mile markers along the Brushy Creek path.  Well, there are numbered markers of some sort but I have no idea what they reference.

I ran 5 miles on Friday.  It was much warmer than what I’m used to in Colorado, and I think it affected my pace.  But it was bearable.  Not today though.  I should have turned around earlier but I pushed it to the end of the path at just over 4.5 miles.  After 6 miles on the return I stopped to walk.  There was a little park at this spot and I was able to replenish liquids at a water fountain.  And from there I mixed walking with running to the finish.  This of course reminded me of my last big run down in these parts – the Austin Marathon in February.  I folded in that run after 16 miles and walked at each of the remaining 10 or so aid stations while drinking water.  That failed run was from starting out too fast.  Today was the heat.  Either way, Texas wins again.

I knew the morning would be cool – low 70s if not upper 60s.  That would have been nice, but I needed to hang with my mom until she was ready to run errands and it was 1pm before I could get out.  Tomorrow I’ll run early.  Even though Brushy Creek is lined with trees and some nice rock bluffs, there’s total sun exposure past noon.  It’s been a cold spring so far in Colorado, a couple of weeks ago I was running in a snow storm.  My body has been pulled from the freezer and thrown into the oven.  That’s not an easy adjustment.  Hope I at least get a little tan from it.  As if my zero pigment skin can tan.

Not the perfect segue but that makes me think of some family history my mom related to me this morning.  We were talking about her dad’s side of the family, the Freitags; and how even though they were mostly dark skinned Austrians and Germans,  at a family reunion several years back they were all certain I resembled a Freitag.  I don’t but apparently there were a few blonde German Freitags.  The Freitag clan came from a town near the German-Austrian border that is no longer there.  It was destroyed by wars over a century ago.  Not sure if that means the Austro-Prussian Seven Weeks War in 1866, or simply the re-occurring wars during that time frame.  But this is information I already knew.

And maybe I knew this too at one time and forgot, but this morning my mom told me that my Irish Great Grandfather Mahoney migrated to Chicago from Ireland, and married a red haired Italian also just off the boat.  And ironically the light skin complexion on the Mahoney side comes more from this maternal Italian than the paternal Irish.  I’ve read a book or two on pre-historic Celtic migration patterns and while their initial homeland is theorized to start in southern Germany or the northern Alps, they did in fact migrate through Italy.  They even sacked Rome in 390 BC but history didn’t record much of the Celts.  They moved through Spain and contributed to Basque culture – have you ever seen blonde Spanish – and formed their only nation-state in Ireland.  My high school sweetheart was Mexican-American, but as blonde as me.  People sometimes commented we could pass as brother and sister, although I found such semblances specious beyond our hair color – and perhaps we sparred like siblings.  Not sure what this has to do with running, but visiting with my mom on Mother’s Day weekend has left me thinking of genealogy.  The running theme to this blog is really just sort of a guideline – I can write about anything.  It’s my blog.

Garmin Run

01 Sunday May 2011

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  I received the Garmin 310xt for my birthday Sunday and have logged 4 runs with it since.  This is somewhat extraordinary considering I haven’t worn a watch in two decades.  Fashion or sport.  I run based on how I feel using approximate time as a rough estimate of distance.  Not exact time since I’m not wearing a watch, but about a 30 minute run, an hour or so run – that sort of thing.  And that’s been good enough to satisfy me.  Running has been more of a hobby to me over the years than a fitness regimen.  The health benefits were consequential.  But that’s all changed now.

Not just because I have the Garmin.  Before receiving this gadget boy dream toy, I started to actually train.  I dieted for the first time in my life last year.  Registering for last September’s IPR put the fear of God into me and I got serious.  I knew that run would hurt, and I trained to minimize the pending pain.  And somewhere along the way I crossed the line back into the world of measurements.  And that’s ok, I’m in the mood for it.  Toys like this make it fun.

The coolest thing for me is that I tend to run trails or courses where I don’t have a good sense of the distance.  This changes that.  I’ve been running the East Boulder Trail for well over 20 years.  I have a 6 mile run, an 8 mile run, a 10 mile run, and a longer run that I’m not really sure of – 12 or 13 is my guess.  It’s an out and back run with the 12 or 13 mile route completing it trail head to trail head and back.  My first day running with the Garmin lead to somewhat of a disappointment as I discovered my neighborhood 4 mile run is only 3.5 miles.  And on Friday I learned my nearby 8 mile run is just 7.  I would have been super disappointed had my Garmin short changed my East Boulder Trail runs in similar fashion given my history with this course.  But it did not disappoint.

I always felt like the initial hill starting from the trail head up to the water tower was about a half mile.  Well it is – exactly.  I didn’t know that the flat top of the hill is a quarter mile – good to know.  It’s a nice recovery before heading down the far side.  I also know now that it’s a full mile to the bottom of the hill.  This side of the hill is such a bear on the return – and now I know it’s a quarter mile bear.  I also know the elevation of both sides – the Garmin doesn’t stop with just distance.  The run begins at 5308 feet, peaks at 5420 – the highest point for the entire trail – and drops down to 5289 at the 1 mile point.  This explains why running it on the return is so hard even though it’s half the distance, it’s both a larger elevation climb and steeper.  The elevation chart above appears symmetrical because it’s an out and back course.

The second mile occurs at the bottom of the sling-shot gorge.  If you run this trail you should know what I’m talking about even though I just made up that name.  I always run to the foot bridge over Boulder Creek for my 3 mile turn-around.  The Garmin suggests this is about 100 yards short of 3 miles, but that’s close enough to not upset me.  The run is still closer to 6 than 5.5 miles.  My 4 mile turn-around was about as close.  I know now that I need to cross Valmont and continue to the parking lot before turning to make an 8 miler.

Today I was going for my 10 miler, and to my surprise, I’d been running a good 100 yards farther for the turn-around than what the Garmin calls 5 miles.  Nice.  I’m of course extremely curious to map out the entire course, and I’ll do that soon enough.  I’ve always been somewhat irritated that this trail doesn’t have mile markers.  It’s a hugely popular running and biking trail.  But now I don’t need that.  I have my Garmin.

NYC Draft Results

27 Wednesday Apr 2011

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There are a lot of benefits to not being selected in the NYC Marathon draft.  I’ll be saving some serious coin.  I’ll have more vacation time to apply to Thanksgiving and Christmas.  But mostly, I won’t have to run another marathon this year.  Pretty sure I’m done with marathons for 2011.

If I do another 26.2 mile run this year, it’ll be either the Denver Marathon, which I really enjoyed last year.  Or the Boulder Marathon, since it’s local and I’ve never run it.  But I only care to run a few more organized runs this year.  They aren’t cheap.  And I want to focus more on trail runs than road races.  The only two runs on my radar are one in Vail and one in Aspen.  Both are half marathons on mountain trails.  So I’m not exactly disappointed at the results of today’s draft.

Trail Runner

21 Thursday Apr 2011

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The picture to the left is of a good friend, Rob Graham, and me heading out in the morning to complete our two day hike to the summit of Pikes Peak.  This was in 2009 and is the year Rob got me into hiking and ultimately trail running.  Partly because Rob got me back into shape with healthy recreation, and partly because he really is a master hiker in terms of experience, but mostly because Rob goes by various trail names and promotes his personal creed of health and fitness which lends him a spiritual quality – I oftentimes refer to him as my Guide (uppercase “G”).  It’s pretty cool to have a Guide and it costs me nothing.

Two years later, we’re running the Colorado Trail.  There’s of course some walking, but it’s mostly running.  And I can’t think of any hobby I enjoy more.  I fell in love with trail running on the Barton Creek Greenbelt in Austin over 20 years ago.  There are so many qualities that make trails stand out as exceptional environments for a run or workout.  For me, it’s the surface itself.  I love the focused footfalls that the trail, rocks, hills, cliffs, snow, and creeks require.  It’s almost impossible to day dream about work or fantasize about anything at all.  Maybe some people find this sort of escape doing puzzles or collecting stamps.  For me, the trail – especially when running versus walking – takes complete focus.  And such focus is the quintessential escape.

We’ll be running the 16.6 miles of segment 4 of the Colorado Trail this Saturday.  Snow and or rain is expected.  That’ll add a little something to the experience.  I feel extremely fortunate to be able to run these trails on weekends.  Grateful for my health and lucky to have Karen’s support to take off for the day.  This is shaping up to be an epic summer.