Deferred

I decided to defer my Marine Corps Marathon until next year. Between the calf strain and a sinus infection I'm just not healthy enough to run the race. Was it a tough decision to make? Yes! Was it the right decision? Yes! Am I disappointed? A little. This will be the first year since my first marathon in 2007 that I will not have completed a marathon. The plan for the rest of 2011 is to continue getting better and run for the fun and love of it. I've mentioned a few times recently that the fun part of running has gotten away from me. I'm going to use the next few months to have fun and fall back in love with running. Hopefully I can run more with Lil Ansky, jump into a Turkey Trot, and just run without the pressure of an "A" race on the horizon.

What about 2012? I can say with a high degree of certainty that MCM 2012 will be my only marathon. I'll write more about this but I've learned that I cannot train for 2 marathons in the same year. I don't have any particular race in mind but I would like to run at least one half marathon in the spring and possibly dip my feet in the multi-sport water with a duathlon.

One more thing.... just because I deferred does not mean I can't take part in the MCM festivities. I'll be in DC for work the week of MCM. If anyone wants to meet up at the Expo either Thursday evening or Friday after 1:00, let me know.

I Spoke Too Soon

In my last post, I mentioned that the foot/calf pain I was experiencing had corrected itself and that the subsequent 2 weeks of training had gone very well. The temperatures were getting cooler and I was starting to get excited about running MCM.

I spoke to soon. My assigned run for last Tuesday was a 1:20 step up run, 20 minutes in zone 2, 20 minutes in zone 3, 30 minutes in zone 4, cool down for 10 minutes. About 15 minutes into the run, I started to feel a sharp, stabbing pain in my left calf.  I continued on for a few more minutes until the pain became so intense that I could not continue. Needless to say, I felt frustrated and dejected. I secretly hoped that with some stretching and foam rolling I'd be able to do my 1:15 recovery run the next day. Due to a death in the family, that run didn't happen. I was hoping 3 days of no running (2 days for Rosh Hashana followed by Shabbat) would be enough rest to get my long run done last Sunday. I thought wrong. 15 minutes into the run the pain was back.

I saw my massage therapist on Monday and he really worked on the leg. I saw my Podiatrist yesterday just to rule out the possibility of any structural damage to the calf. Thankfully there was nothing structurally wrong and the podiatrist felt it should get better with some serious stretching and foam rolling. He also sent me home with one of these

a splint or sorts to help stretch out the muscles.

All of this raises the obvious question: What's my status for MCM?
Honestly, I don't know yet. I spoke with Coach Jeff and he thinks that even if I don't run another step between today on October 30 that I could finish the race. The reason being that I have a big training base both from Vermont and all of the training I did up until now. He said that I shouldn't expect to PR but that I should be able to run an easy marathon and enjoy the atmosphere. I'd like to use MCM as the race where I remember why I love marathoning. I think that's gotten away from me and running MCM for fun maybe just what I need.

That's the plan I'm going to follow. This week I've been stretching, rolling, and riding the spin bike. I may try to run next week just to see how it is. I have until October 20 to defer my entry to 2012 if the calf isn't better.

Stay tuned....

MCM Training Update

In case y'all have forgotten I am training for the Marine Corps Marathon on October 30. I haven't written a lot about my training primarily because, up until recently, it has been less than stellar. Running during the summer months was absolutely brutal. The heat and humidity exacerbated my asthma,  forced me to cut many runs short, and I was questioning if running MCM was still a good idea. I came very close to throwing in the towel and deferring my entry until 2012. In short, I had lost my running mojo.

At the same time, I started developing some foot pain. The pain was on the top of the foot between the top of my ankle and where the shoe laces are on my shoes. At first I thought I was tying my shoes too tightly, but the pain was still there after loosening them up. The foot hurt when I walked, not when I ran. A few weeks ago, I saw a podiatrist mainly to determine if there was a stress fracture or some other serious injury there. The diagnosis came back as an overuse injury. The doctor suggested cutting down on mileage, compression, and ice. I knew there was no way I could cut down on my mileage 6 weeks before MCM but I did start wearing a compression ankle sock and tried to ice my foot as often as I could. I told Coach Jeff what was going and he asked me to send him pictures of the bottoms of my shoes (Newton Gravitas) so he could analyze the wear pattern. This is what I sent him:

Within a few minutes he determined that I was "stabbing" rather than planting "square."  Coach explains it really well in this video he made especially for me.



Back to the training front....I feel like I'm back on track. The past 2 weeks have been solid. Temperatures have been cooler and my paces have been coming down to the levels where they were earlier this year when I was training for Vermont City. The Jewish holiday "season" is fast approaching with Rosh Hashana starting next Wednesday night (ack!). The extra non-running days will give me a chance to get some extra sleep as well time to rest whatever aches and pains I have. I'm happy I stuck with the training and I'm starting to get excited about the race. I have 2 more "big" weeks coming up then it's time to taper.

On My Way Back (Slowly)

I decided that yesterday was going to be the day I would try to do some light running. It's been a month since my injury and I haven't felt any pain in my ribs for about 10 days. The plan was to spend a few days on the treadmill at the gym before venturing back outside to the pavement. I set the treadmill to an easy 9:00 pace and my comeback was under way. I mainly focused on my breathing and if the pounding on the treadmill (albeit softer than pavement) would cause any pain. During the run, my breathing was not labored. I did feel out shape but I expected that after not running for a month. The good news is, I didn't feel any pain in my ribs. I ran 3 miles in 27:00.

Today I felt a little better. I did 5k on the treadmill in 27:49 for an 8:58 pace. I know it's going to take a while for my speed and endurance to come back. Honestly, I'm not in any rush. I have no lofty goals for my 3 5ks in Novemeber. I'm just going out there, have fun, and enjoy being with my fellow runners again. The next few months will  be all about base building so I'll be in good shape when spring marathon training kicks off some time next year.

Thanks to everyone for keeping me positive while I wasn't running. It's good to be back.

What have I been up to?

I realized today that it's been about 8 days since I last posted something here. Quite honestly, I haven't been up to much. I'm still not running, which is causing me to lose my mind. I feel like I'm going through withdrawal. My body was used to having its daily dose of endorphins and now they are gone. I need them back.

It's been about a month since my injury. I do not feel any pain. Every now and then I'll feel a stretch or twinge that reminds me of what happened. I'm going to try and do some light running on the treadmill in the next few days and see how I feel. I do have 3 races planned in November, the Yavneh Academy 5k on 11/8, the Damon Runyon 5k at Yankee Stadium on 11/15, and the Dick Meighan Thanksgiving Day 5k on 11/26. I don't expect to set a new 5k PR at any of these races, I just want to be out there racing with my fellow runners.

In the meantime, fall racing season is full swing. Congrats to:

• Cowboy Hazel on his 3:05:14 at yesterday's Chicago Marathon.
• TK on her 1:56:33 at Saturday's Baltimore Half Marathon.
• Trea on completing her first half marathon in Melbourne Australia in 2:00:45. 
• Casual Jogger who PRed at the Steamtown Marathon.
• Brandon who took 2nd in his AG at his sprint Triathlon
  
• Everybody else who raced last weekend.

To everyone who is racing Marine Corps on Oct. 26 and New York City on Nov. 1 enjoy the taper. To anyone racing Philly on 11/22, you're almost there. Get those last long runs in, get plenty of rest, watch your diet, and stay healthy.

Lastly, LET'S GO YANKEES!

How are you feeling?

That's the question many of friends have been asking me over the past few days. So here is my injury update.

It's been about 2 weeks since I fractured my rib. I'm in a lot less pain than I was 2 weeks ago. The only time my rib really bother is when I'm laying down.  I thought I was able to resume running related activites but I'm still feeling winded and out of breath. One of things that comes along with a fractured rib is not being able to get enough air into my lungs. I also came down with an upper respiratory infection about a week ago. Thankfully it wasn't pneumonia. Between my coughing and not getting enough air into my lungs, I am not ready to start pounding the pavement yet. I'll give myself another 2 weeks and re-evaluate.

So where does that leave me? Needless to say, I'm very grumpy. I haven't run in 2 weeks and it's driving me crazy. I am in the midst of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, which is distracting me a little, but not enough. Work has been very busy recently, and I'm missing not being able to use my running to relieve the stress.

As for upcoming races, I will not be running the Asbury Park Marathon Relay on October 18. I'm hoping I'll be healed for my 3 5ks in November, Yavneh Academy (my daughter's school) 5k on 11/8, The Damon Runyon 5k at Yankee Stadium on 11/15, and the Dick Meighan 5k Turkey Trot on 11/26. Other than that, I am trying to stay positive and do what I can to support everyone I know who are running fall marathons.

Early Re-Evaluation

At the end of my post Wednesday I wrote about a spill that I took into a NYC lamp post. At the time I thought I had bruised some ribs. I went to work on Thursday. I was sore but I was able to make to through the day with some Advil. Friday morning I couldn't get out of bed without screaming in pain. Somehow I managed to take a shower and shave without too much difficulty. The I started to get dressed. Again I started to scream in pain. Finally, Mrs. Ansky suggested I should go to the ER to get myself checked out. With Rosh Hashana starting that night, I thought it was a good idea. To make a long story short, I had some X-Rays taken and it turned out that my 10th rib was broken.

For those of you that have suffered through a broken rib, you'll know that the only cure for a broken rib is time. It can't be put in a cast or a in a sling. I left the ER with perscription for Percocet and Naprosyn. The past two days were a lesson in figuring ways to sit up and down without too much pain. Rosh Hashana services involve a lot if sitting and standing. I did the best I could. My family was great, I was allowed to relax and wasn't asked to help too much. Little Ansky (my 8 year old daughter) was big help. Helping Bubby (Yiddish for grandmother) set and clear the table, and serve the food.

As for running, I'm on the shelf for now. I don't even think I can make to the gym to cross-train. The doctor said to let my pain dictate what I can and cannot do. For now, it hurts to do anything. I'm not sure at this point if I'll be able to run the Asbury Park Relay Marathon. More to come.....

Wednesday Night Speed: 9-16-09

What a difference a few weeks make. The last time I wrote about Nike Speed I was hemming and hawing about how I couldn't finish a workout for the third week in a row. August was a brutally hot month and the humidity was aggravating my asthma. For the past few weeks, life got in the way and I couldn't make it to the workouts. Well it's now September. For the most part, the mornings and evenings have been cool and crisp. Perfect running weather.

I didn't feel in 7:00 shape so I decided to drop down and join EN and others in the 7:30 group. The workout for our group was 1600, 2000, 1600 at 5k pace. I have to say that this was the best track workout I've had in while. My legs felt fresh and my asthma was under control, so much so that I was able to pick up the pace for the final 400 on the second 1600. Here are the splits:
1600: 7:18
2000: 9:16
1600: 7:11

The run back to Paragon did not go so well. Around 1st Ave., I REALLY needed to find a bathroom. I thought I saw one in a park across the street but it was locked. Thankfully a restaraunt on the corner was nice to enough to let me use their facilities. Thanks to EN for waiting for me. Then, a few blocks away from Paragon, I caught my foot in an uneven part of the sidewalk and SMACK! right into a lamp post. I saw that my kneee was bloody and when I got back to Paragon, I had a cut on my nose as well. When I got home, my right side started to hurt so much that I was screaming in pain if I bent down or twisted the wrong way. Today I woke up to a huge welt on my right arm and my side is still hurts pretty bad. I didn't workout today and won't tomorrow. With Rosh Hashana this weekend, I have 2 more days to rest. Hopefully by Monday I'll feel OK to run again.

Bursitis

I've mentioned in passing over the past few days that I've developed some bursitis in my shoulder. For those unfamiliar with what bursitis is here is a definition courtesy of WebMD.com:

"Bursitis is the inflammation or irritation of the bursa. The bursa is a sac filled with lubricating fluid, located between tissues such as bone, muscle, tendons, and skin, that decreases rubbing, friction, and irritation."

One way to treat bursitis is with physical therapy which I started this morning. As today  was the first visit to the PT, we didn't do anything intensive. Rather, the PT stretched out my shoulder in different positions to ascertain where the pain was. He also put a heating pad on it for about 15 minutes. I'll be seeing the PT twice a week for at least 4 weeks. I'm hopeful that the PT will relieve my discomfot.

The good news is the PT said I can continue running but that I should stay away from strength training and core excersizes like push-ups and planks. That kind of changes my cross trainining routine for the next few weeks. I'm not exactly sure what I'll but I'll figure it out.

Never a Dull Moment

Just when I declared my mojo back, something else happens. I headed out for my 13 miler this morning and about 1/2 a mile in my right calf started burning. I did not push on, rather I hobbled back to my car and went home. I've been in a crappy mood all day. I spent some time with The Stick and the leg is feeling better but there's still a pulling sensation when I walk and climb stairs. I need to listen to my body and rest. I have to be brutally honest and say that I'm not the best when it comes to stretching. It's possible I have a buildup of lactic acid or I'm overtraining. With Passover coming up, I'll be forced to rest it since I don't run on the holiday. I'll have an idea how feel when I walk to synagogue. I'll try and give it a go next week.

The NJ Marathon is 4 weeks from today I should be feeling strong and confident (which I was after Friday's run) instead I feel like shit. Stay tuned....