Feb 10

FIT:
Back in business. Easy 5.0 in 38:56, 7:47 ave. Splits> 8:15, 7:54, 7:52, 7:46, 7:06. Up until the 3, I was just hoping to make it to 3. But somehow, I felt looser at the 3. As I mentioned earlier, the day after my 7.0 trail run preceded by an almost raced 3.1, my lat knees were grinding/burning when I walked, and my left hip was off. The knees were mostly better yesterday and all better today, although there still seems to be a kink in my hip. Not a big issue, though. I wasn't smooth during today's run, but after the 3, I felt loose, and 4 went by so easily, that I bumped up the last mile to a 7:00ish pace (because of the looseness and because there were people waiting for the treadmill). I'm glad I'm not crippled.

Ice bathed a long time afterwards. It's easier when you listen to a podcast while doing it. Stay in for a few minutes, and your legs get numb, and then you don't really feel it anymore, so it doesn't matter. I only go in until a couple of inches above me knee.

3 days ago... 60 min strength including PT. 250 crunches, 2:30 plank, 2:00 6in, 40 pushups, 35/40/30 leg lifts/clam, 15 tridips, 25/25 frog/tad, 55 pillow, 2x40 calf, pt elastic, billy. Knee was bangy sometimes earlier in the day but fine by the time of S at night.

So some guesses about what possibly caused my knee pain...
1. The trail 7.0 2 days earlier
2. The trail 7.0 2 days earlier on top of a raced 3.1 the day before
3. Wore 4's for the trail (thought they were more supportive and more cushioned, but they are older)
4. Strength session day after the 7.0 and the 3.1 was too much (quad dips were a bit painful that night, but didn't think too much of it)

My calves were very stiff and tight on the days my knees were hurting. That's a big clue, but I don't know enough to figure out the connection. The tibialis anterior is on the outside. My lat quads were also somewhat tight, so it could've been some of that, too. Strange that it was the lat and not the medial side, though, since I overpronate.

FAITH: Prayer

My knees are burning/stinging, as if there's bone-on-bone grinding when I walk. And yet, for once, I'm almost glad of it. If they weren't that way today, I probably would've run, eaten, blogged, logged, and read up more on training and nutrition. But instead, even my attempt at cycling was foiled, since someone was using the equipment. So I went back to my apt and decided to read - first thought about a running book, but then remembered the book How to Pray (R. A. Torrey) that I had received at a prayer meeting over the weekend. I was kind of curious what was in there.

Last night was a tough night, and in the midst of it, I had this image in my head of an analogy for what I was going through - a battle. One where I'm taking a good beating - for my choices? Probably, but in the end, I'll eventually learn and mature as a result, slow learner I am. And when I can't handle it, similar to that Footprints story where Jesus is the one carrying you during the toughest times, Jesus takes/took the beating from the Enemy in my stead even as I scorn him and turn to other sources to find comfort/fulfillment.

Anyway, all that imagery... I mentioned it because it came up in the book as the #1 reason to pray: There is a devil. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Eph 6:12), and the climax of the armor of God passage was to add prayer.

Other good reasons to pray that I'll mention briefly, "prayer took much of the time and strength of Jesus; a man or woman who does not spend much time in prayer cannot properly be called a follower of Jesus Christ" (convicting, huh?), "praying is the most important part of the present ministry of our risen Lord," it's a God-appointed means of giving us mercy - Heb 4:16 and joy - John 16:4 (so true that people who seem to have the most overflowing and infectious joy are those who probably pray a lot). There are others, too, but I really like those.

And another cool thing: Our prayers should be unto God, where we realize that God is almost bending over to listen to us, that we're there before the Lord of the Universe, since so often, "there is really but little thought of God" in our prayers". We get so caught up in the need itself rather than the loving Father we are seeking.

Something else... Praying in Jesus' name. I just add it as a closer without thinking, but today was the first time I realized what it means. "It is like going to the bank of heaven when I go to God in prayer. I have nothing deposited there; I have absoltuely no credit there, and if I go in my own name, I will get absolutely nothing; but Jesus Christ has unlimited credit in heaven." It's only by him that I can "approach the throne of grace with confidence" (Heb 4:16).

And a lot seems to rest on praying within his will, and knowing his will is knowing what he promises in the Bible. I have difficulty believing that those promises are for me sometimes. I usually say that they're meant for the 'good Christians'. I know that there's no such thing. I should realize that, but I don't know. We'll table that one for now. But this was big - not taking those promises to be good as true is to make God out to be a liar. Wouldn't want to be saying that - we know better. And here's something else that struck me in the book: "If I am to have faith when I pray, I must find some promise in the Word of God on which to rest my faith." I've never viewed God's promises in this way before. I guess I've always seen it more as "if you're good, you'll get _____," but it's not really that. In my [new] opinion/understanding, it's one of the ways God markedly works and shows his existence. He IS truth, and his attributes are revealed in his promise and in his word. His desires are expressed there - we find out who he is. "'I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice, and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD." (Jer 9:24). So believe it. It's who he is. And even if you have doubts about whether the promises are for you, too (like me), at least you see in his Word who He is, and you see how beautiful and good it is, and how it's worth fighting for in any case.

Anyway, those are just a mixture of my thoughts and some cool things I discovered just reading half of the book (so maybe a part 2 will be needed later on). Check out the book some time. Anyway, back to the beginning, I'm glad I was able to get this good, hefty dose of encouragement today, and hopefully, I can put this into practice. I'd appreciate your prayers about this.

Feb 6

FIT:
Was delightfully sore yesterday, mostly in the calves and some in the quads. Dunno whether it was from the 22:00 3.1 two days prior, or if it was from the 5k combined with 5.1 mi the next day. But it means progress. I stretched a lot to help speed up recovery, and even threw in PT strengthening, wanting to stay healthy and on track for April.

I felt good the next morning (today), so after fueling and taking care of emails, I suited up for a run. Headed for the EHS trail. Either the uneven surface on trails puts less stress on any particular muscle group, or there are so many more distractions than you'd have on a treadmill, that running seems to hurt less on trails. In any case, it's great.

Out at 1pm, it was around "feels like 36", and I was in soccer sox, a visor (cloudy, looked like rain), a Starteer long sleeve tech tee, my Philly tee (took that off after loop 1), and gloves (also took that off after loop 1). Wore 4's w/ stab. Broke those out b/c I tried a 3 on one foot and a 4 on the other, and the 4 interestingly felt a little more cushioned and stable, even though I thought it had more miles on it. Better design, maybe? Also had my Nathan Shadow Pak, to hold my car keys, 4 Margarita Shot Bloks, and later, my gloves. I was surprised it could fit the gloves! But it worked. It made taking other stuff out hard, so I left it with my shirt later in the run, but it did fit in there (with some squeezing). Listened to Dirt Dog's Rambling Diatribe - he's an ultra runner, one of two good podcasts I've found.

So went out, not that fast, since it was muddy. It had rained earlier in the morning. Saw the goats again - gotta bring my camera next time... maybe tomorrow, if I feel okay, after church. Splits> 9:10, 9:01, 18:14 for 2, 8:59, 9:00, 9:03. So that's 7 in 1:03:30, 9:04 ave. At 2.5, I ate 1 Shot Blok, because I started to feel a bit low on energy - kinda surprising for just 22 min in, but I guess it had been a while since my last meal. Usually running dulls hunger, though, so still surprising. The pick-me-up from that kicked in about a mile later. Makes sense b/c I usually hold it in my mouth for a while, espsecially when the cold air makes the Blok hard. You'd have to chew hard to break it up, so I let it warm up, and when it's more jelly-like, I start chewing. I don't like how it gets stuck all over your teeth, and you really need water to wash it down, because it's almost sickeningly sweet (it is, after all, sugars), and I don't bring any for these shorter runs. It gave me a boost, though, I think.

What else... at about mile 5, I started feeling tired. My quads were getting fatigued, and my lungs had a hard time getting enough air. This is a hilly trail course. And so I had to push paste exhaustion for the last 2. That's good training if I want to hope to build up to 13 eventually. The last mile, my 7th, things were hurting, though - my medial right knee, so I didn't want to push my luck with injury and kept it at that. Moreover, I rolled my ankle at the beginning of the 6th, and on the last 2 loops going through the woods with steep downhills, things got really slippery, and I had to almost walk the last time around to not fall.

But it was a good run. I ate a banana while driving back. I've started to be more intentional about hitting that 30min refueling window. I now believe that there's a lot of wisdom in it. And once back, I added turkey and goldfish, had a wonderful hot shower to warm up, and then avacado and an apple, and in a few minutes, cheese.

Good run.

CM Half Hype 2 - Pace Group Ponderings

I've only run 1 half before, and since it was my first, and since I hadn't run really in the 6 weeks preceeding it due to a sprained ankle, I had no idea what to expect in terms of time. There were pace bands at the expo, so I took a 2:15 and a 2:00 one. Didn't really use them, though, since I don't think all miles on the course were marked. Plus, my pace varied a lot. I think I went through 10K a lot faster than the second half, since I was used to training at that distance. When I went past, I slowed significantly.

This time, the pace teams I'd be considering are 2:00 and 1:45. Now, I want to run a negative split, or an even split. A realistic goal for me is 1:50-1:55. 1:45 is my reach goal. I think it would be cool to join a pace group. There's comraderie, drafting (hehe), and motivation (didn't realize that there was so much of this before, but I've read some accounts online, and it sounds like pacers are awesome motivators who talk the whole time). It would add to the fun, and maybe add to the overall speed. But I'm kind of stuck in the middle of 2 pace groups. With the 1:45, I could probably hang on in the beginning, but I'd lose them in the last few miles, making a positive split. With 2:00, I'd have to break away in the second half to gain back 5-10 minutes... that's a lot of gaining. So if I want to join a group, I think I'd lean towards 1:45.

I was trying to figure out if there's a way to stagger my start time different from theirs, so that I get a head start... maybe... although that kind of ruins the philosophy behind the wave start, as I'd slow others down. But I'd be able to do the second half with them that way... nah, prob not. Hang with them from the start... maybe they're just what I need to actually be closer to 1:45 than I'd otherwise be, meaning the motivation factor would trump the negative split factor... who knows!

Feb 4

FIT:
Blaaah, anyway...

5.1 in 41:24, 8:07 pace. Splits> 8:30 for 1st mi, 8:00 thereafter. Felt decent enough, even after yesterday's run, to go again. Discovered that the 1224's are actually light compared to the Evolutions, despite its clunkiness. Wore those w/ arches.

Got somewhat tired 3 in, plus legs not tracking 100%, but stuck through it to try to get to milestones (like 4, 5), and the problems at least lessened, or the pain could be mostly masked. Didn't ice bath after - too cold. Prob just that bod didn't get hot enough during the run, because of the pace.

Oh, happy to say that the 8:00 felt easy for the first 3, a good sign. That's not so special when I think that I'd have to keep this up for 13, since I started breaking down after 3. But when you ignore that, it's pretty nice.

The past couple runs, I haven't been savoring them like I used to, when I could only squeeze a few precious miles out of my body per week. I should appreciate it more. Five went by today, but without the euphoria. It just ticked by (albeit with some difficulty), but it went by quickly, without enough time for a mental vacation. Being outside is more conducive to it feeling like a run.

Feb 3

FIT:
Butt was hurting today again, and my knees were poundy, like they're missing some cartilage - puts me in a less good mood, usually. But don't let circumstance be my god - I should try to think of that more, as hard as it is.

If I had skipped today, it would've been three runless days, and last week, I pushed it a bit, going on 4 runs rather than the usual three. That probably meant that this week would be spent in some recovery. Decided to try anyway, and figuring that my body wouldn't last for long, I decided to try to make it a short but intense run. Started at an 8:00 pace and ramped it up from there.

3.1 in 22:00, a 7:05 pace. Pretty good. Wasn't 100% dying at the end, just 95%, so still had a little left, which is good. 3 flies by so quickly, so you can afford to pick it up, and if it's endurable, crank it up some more, because it'll be over before you know it. Wore my Progrid Guide for its cushioning - too much cushioning for the long term, but I think it was the best in this case, due to my achey knees. It went well, and those shoes generally feel pretty light. My right leg just doesn't pronate the same way as my stronger left leg. Something's off, but it's manageable at least for these short distances I've been doing. I've gotta fix it, though. Strengthen the abductor, a knowing friend suggests.

I wonder what you're supposed to do when one side of you is weaker than the other. Work them both equally, so that relatively, the weak one is getting worked harder so that it can catch up while the stronger one remains somewhat strong? Or work the weak one extra? I've been using option 1 for forever. I think it makes more sense, but I could be wrong. I guess option 1 is probably the best, if what you're doing is working until failure of form or muscle of the weaker. So that's essentially doing option 2 plus not neglecting the stronger leg. Another question then arises of whether you should work to failure. Maybe something more moderate is better for recovery and is less risky. Just stuff to ponder. I'm impatient, so I go with option 1 til failure.

Um, the run. Afterwards, the usual ice bath, tho I did stay 2, maybe 3x longer than normal - dunno why. Was listening to the podcast this time, but don't remember whether I'd do it in the past. Maybe it was distracting and made the cold more tolerable, or maybe the air or water temps were cooler, or maybe my body was hotter. Fueled w/ an apple and carrot afterwards. Like a horse.

2 days ago:
60 min strength, including PT. 250 crunches/side, billy, 2x35 quad dips on step for the first time, 2:00 plank, 90s 6in, 45 fast pushups, 45/40-25 leg lifts (extra abductors), 30 frogs (although only the last 5 were quality), 50 pillows, 4 3/4 pullups, elastic 30 except adductors were 40. Left adductor elastic torqued my knee some, though I pushed through it (dumb, prob), rt ankle felt a bit tweaked afterwards.

That Special Place

I have several special places that I go to in my mind when things get tough. Some special things are meant to be kept secret, I think. It's part of what makes it special. Some, though, are made more special by sharing it, because it's so wonderful, and you want others to find something like it, too.

The Tow Path...

As soon as I dropped my bags off in my room at the beginning of a new school year, I'd change into running clothes, lace up my Asics Evolutions, and head out for a run on the tow path.

The tow path is where I got glimpses a few times of what it felt like to fly. My lungs would be like machines, quickly pumping cold air in and out, continuously. My legs, stiff but strong, keeping up a brisk pace.

The tow path is where a budding friendship with someone I looked up to, sprung deep roots with strong bonds, over the course of a single long run.

The tow path is where I swam a long run with another good friend in a monsoon. Epic.

The tow path is where I got to share the joys of running with my teammates, finishing up the 7.5-miler to the theme of Chariots of Fire with the last pack, and to the cheers of our other teammates.

The tow path is where I could escape stress and set my own schedule, go at my own pace, linger as long as I wanted to, with no pressure to go back.

The tow path led to good food - dark chocolate at Wholefoods, and running gear from Marshall's.

The tow path was where I met different animals - a mongoose (something that looked like a squirrel but swims), ducks, geese, maybe a snake, maybe a turtle.

The tow path led to a nice bridge over Route 1 that's used by so few, that it was as if it was made for me and whoever I was running with.

The tow path is where I saw maybe the most beautiful scene I have ever seen in my life, and caught it on video, that perfect snowy day.

The tow path was where I could dream of running a marathon one day.

The tow path knew sweltering heat and hard ice and soft snow and hail and cool rain and warm monsoons.

The tow path has a cousin - the track.

The track knows driving winds that get you on the back straightaway.

The track knows the burn of an 800 at the peak of a pyramid.

The track knows the 100% at the end of the mile.

The track knows the "here we go again" to cut short the rest period between quarters once your heart rate is getting too comfortable.

The track is the testing ground for all, great and small.

I guess that the reason I love the Tow Path and the Track is because I feel most alive there. With friends, sharing life, either through deep, raw conversations (never heard that adjective used with that noun before, but I think it's a good one), or through the simple act of sharing an epic experirence together, something new, something challenging, something that stretches you. It's someone side-by-side with you, there to push you when you need it, looking out for each other, helping each other do what you may not be able to finish alone otherwise. And even when it's a solo run, you're out there more in tune with your Maker than usual. There are fewer distractions. Plus, when you run, you're heart is often beating so hard that you feel like you're going to die, yet you're also feeling more alive than you could ever be normally. You feel very human and weak, but in that weakness, you're more aware of how God sustains you with every breath he gives.