Sidelined (and a race recap)

I didn't forget about this blog (even though it's been 2+ months since I wrote a measly 3 posts...).  As it turns out, I have a lot more time to blog about running when I'm too injured to actually run.  I'd like to change that, although I guess I'm technically sidelined again (not because of an injury!  I had an infected wound that I'm not allowed to sweat in.  Seriously.  That's a real thing.).  I figure I'll restart this thing with a (late) race recap from  The San Francisco Marathon.  I only ran the first half (which was plenty far for me).

I went into this race with very few expectations.  A peroneal injury had eaten up most of my training cycle.  I finished a faster, flatter half a month prior so just finishing seemed like a silly goal since I knew I would make it.  My A goal was to break 2:20, which was admittedly probably a little too lofty considering my training.  My B goal was to PR.  My C goal was to make it up the hills without having to walk (San Francisco is hilly, guys).

The first wave.

The morning of the race I woke up at 3:30 to catch a 4:20 shuttle at the BART station nearest my house.  I was so nervous that I was going to miss the shuttle that I didn't even fall asleep until, like, 3:00 so this post could also be titled "racing on zero sleep.".

The shuttle promised to get runners to the start in time for the first (of 8 waves).  I was wave 6 which meant I got to stand around in the dark for an hour watching others take off.  This was an Olympic trial qualifying event so there were plenty of fun, speedy people to see.

With 30 minutes until my wave was slotted to go, I went and stood in line for about 28 minutes to use the bathroom.  The lines were so long and seemed to be crawling.  There were people in waves much earlier than mine that completely missed their start because of this.  By the time my mom (who had come for the race) had arrived I was stripping my sweats off and running to the gear check.  She wanted to take photos but I had to run to my start (I wanted to be near the 2:20 pace group).  I pushed my way through the crowds but never actually found the pacer (my bathroom break put me a little behind schedule) so I took off at a steady pace.

The one pre-race shot my mom took as I was
shoving my sweats into my drop bag.

The first half of the SF marathon is a pretty stellar tour of the city.  You run along the Embarcadero for a couple of miles, through Fort Mason and the Marina and up, up, up to the Golden Gate Bridge.  I actually think I did well pacing myself throughout the race.  I started off easy since I knew the first 3 or so miles of the race was the only part of the course that was flat.  I was able to run the uphills (slowly) and actually passed some people in miles 3-5 as we approached the bridge.  I was around a 10:30-11:00 pace until we hit the uphills and I crept up to ~12:00/mile.  I also had to stop twice -- once my D-Tag fell off my shoe (not sure how) and once my sock was very obviously giving me a blister and I stopped to fix it.  After the second time I had to stop, I lost hope of a 2:20 race and focused on just finishing with a PR.

Around mile 5.5 we started crossing the Golden Gate.  This part of the course was something I was really looking forward to and even though it was cool, it ended up being my least favorite part of the course.  It was crowded (it was an out and back part of the course and the "back" was only separated by cones), the lanes were narrow, it was REALLY slippery and people kept stopping in the middle of the course to take selfies on the bridge.  I kid you not.  I felt really strong going into this part of the course but I expended a ton of energy dodging people taking photos and trying to figure out how to pass people with approximately 0 inches of space.  The bridge is also a slight incline (and then decline) which is my favorite to run on, but I didn't get to enjoy it much.  The "back" portion was better for me because it seemed like the crowds had thinned out and I maintained around 10:00-10:15 pace for miles 7-9 or so.

Dorky post race shot.  I liked that the medal
matched my outfit.

After the bridge there is one major downhill (to rival the ascent to the bridge at mile 4.  I bombed down this hill and clocked mile 11 in at 9:38.  The elevation profile showed the end of the course through the city into Golden Gate Park as a steady incline with a couple of rollers.  They should have zoomed in a little onto the course because it really would have looked like a series of about a bajillion small hills that everyone was cursing at this point.  I pushed hard because I knew I'd be able to see my mom around mile 12 and then it would be over.  After almost splitting the wrong way when the half and full marathons split, I got back on course and ran into my mom!  I was trying to get her to snap a late-race action shot of me but her phone died.  And then it was done.

After the race, I found my mom and we took more than my share of coconut water and muscle milk from the sponsors.  It was only about 8:45 am when we finished (so, still really cold and wet in SF). Instead of post-race beers they gave out post race Irish Coffee.  The coffee was weak and the Irish was strong, which was just what I needed to get through the shuttle ride back to the Embarcadero and the BART ride back home.  I slept for a while, woke up to meet mom for some refueling with mac and cheese and then fell asleep for the rest of the night.

I finished in 2:25 something which is hardly something to write home about, but I also felt much better than I did after finishing my first half (after which I was sore for like a week).  I suspect I can push myself a lot harder than I am and I'm looking forward to test that limit with my next goal race (November).

Training Recap 5/23/15

This is the first week in months I've done enough training to actually constitute "training."  I have been officially cleared to not wear the walking cast anymore and started on a strengthening routine for my peroneals.  I also started running in compression socks (post to follow), which has been really helpful for my ankle, although my legs get really hot in them and unless I wear shorts, I look a little silly in them.

I had made a short training schedule so that I'm somewhat on track to run a half marathon (4 weeks from today!).  With my work and other life commitments it's unrealistic for me to think I'm going to run 5 days a week, so I set a goal of running 3-4 days a week with a long weekend run and some strength training in between.

Sunday 5/17/15:
15 minute core workout; peroneal strengthening exercises, hip and thigh strengthening workout
Planned: Strength Training
Actual: Strength Training

Monday 5/18/15:
Short neighborhood run before work.  This was the first time post-injury that I felt like I could run for the entire workout.  My pace has slowed a lot, but I do feel my overall fitness coming back.  No ankle pain, but some swelling when I got home.

(not my photo)

Planned: 3 miles
Actual 3.1 miles

Tuesday 5/19/15 GO  WARRIORS:
I foam rolled and did absolutely nothing else but watch the Warriors kick ass.
Planned: Rest
Actual: Rest

Wednesday 5/20/15:
5 mile run along the bay.  There's a fantastic trail that runs right next to the water for quite a few miles and is completely flat compared to the normal hills that go through the city.  It was super windy but I felt the best I've felt on any run to date.  This was my first run with the compression socks, and I noticed a difference right away.  I had no ankle pain and no swelling at all.  Probably not necessary for shorter runs all the time.
Planned: 5 miles
Actual 5 miles

Thursday 5/21/15 GO  WARRIORS:
Planned: Rest
Actual: Rest

Friday 5/22/15:
This was the day I actually got the OK to stop wearing my walking cast (I know, I know).  I spent about 30 minutes doing some strengthening exercises for my ankle and then foam rolling.  I had some knee pain so I decided to hold off on a run.
Planned: 3 mile run OR strength training
Actual: Strength training.

There are some buried treasures in Oakland (not my photo).

Saturday 5/23/15:
I did a long hilly run up to Lake Temescal, around a fire trail and back down through the neighborhoods.  I was definitely not in top shape for the initial incline, which isn't terribly steep, but does climb for about 1.5-2 miles.  My splits for the first 3 miles were way slower than I intended, in fact, during the second mile I was almost ready to turn around.  I'm glad I stuck with it because the next 2 miles or so was flat and then I was descending the rest of the way back home.
Planned: 6 miles
Actual 6.5 miles

First run recap.

After 4+ weeks off due to peroneal issues, this week I ran my first actual runs post-injury.  The last time I posted I'd logged a mile in new shoes and still had some pain.  I put the walking cast back on for the next few days before I tried again (I have zero pain just walking in my daily life).  This Wednesday, I went on a 2 mile run with my favorite canine, Olliver.

Matching.

Ollie is pretty cute but he's a terrible runner, which is why I took him out. I figured his pace (slow) and need to smell/go to the bathroom at least 15 times in 30 minutes would prevent me from pushing myself.  I was right and clocked 2 miles in more time than it took me to finish my last 5k (30+ mins!).  Foot pain was minimal.  I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel it at all, but the pain seemed more like weakness than the same pain I'd been experiencing.  I came home, stretched, iced and foam-rolled, which is quite the post-run routine, but it was worth it.  I had zero pain the next day (and decided to skip wearing the boot at all because I think I need to work on generally strengthening my left side at this point.

After 2 days rest and still no pain, I decided to run a 3.1 mile loop around Lake Merritt.  I suited up in my best support and compression gear and taped my tendon for some extra support (I think I looked like I was going to run across the state or something, not just a short distance).  Without Olliver, I was going to have to pace myself and possibly stop to walk if I felt any pain.  I didn't want to push it and was aiming for about 11.5 min/mile (my old "easy" pace is about 10 min/mile)

Oakland can be beautiful.  

 When I started running, the foot pain was minimal, if that.  I hardly felt it!  I did however feel the complete lack of stamina I have.  When my running app signaled my first mile I could not believe how tired I already felt.  I walked for about a minute and tried to gauge how my foot was feeling (definitely noticeably weaker than my right foot, not so much pain).  I ran the second mile and took another minute or so long walking break and completed the next 2 miles the same way.  I finished the third mile with barely any discomfort however I felt like I'd been running for hours, not 30 minutes.  I still had about 0.75 mile to get to the car because of where I parked, so I walked for a while and snapped some pictures to cool down.  

Overall, I'd say the run was a success in terms of taking care of my foot.  My pace was 11:37, however I forgot to turn off my GPS tracker when I started stopping for photos and such, so I imagine it was a little faster.  I certainly felt a difference between my left and right foot, but the pain was mild at it's worse.  I stuck to my post-run routine of stretching, icing and foam rolling (running just became a much longer activity, by the way) and all seems good.  It's a little tight, but nothing overwhelming.

Oakland supports it's teams.  

I was more than a little upset at how much fitness I've lost in the past month.  To be fair, there were a few other things that could have made this run feel bad (I was up late last night, slept poorly and had fast-food for lunch).  Regardless, I have a long way to build back up and not very long to do it.  I know I need to be patient and everyone says that a certain level of fitness comes back more quickly than it took to build the first time.  I'm trying to be patient and understanding with myself and I know that this upcoming race will not be my best.

Does anyone else have experience returning back to running after some time off?  How did you manage the blues associated with lost fitness and training?

Peroneal injuries and returning to running

I've had about a dozen blogs in my lifetime, so there is no reason for a fancy first post.  Here's a little bit of background to get you started:
About 4 weeks ago, I was about 3 miles into what was going to be a 5-6 mile run when I started experiencing some left ankle pain.  I slowed a bit, but after a few minutes it was clearly only getting worse.  I cut my route short and was completely limping by the time I got home.  After a week of rest my ankle was still swollen so I found a foot specialist who diagnosed one of the most acute cases of peroneal tendonitis (or tendonosis) that he's seen.  I've been in a walking cast ever since.  Last Friday when I went for my follow-up (with my left shoe in tow, fully expecting him to say that I could resume all normal activity) I was completely disheartened when he said 3 more weeks of the boot were in order to insure the injury heals completely.  He did say if I was pain free, I could start taking "days off" of the boot when I am expecting minimal activity.  For me, this means days off, as I tend to be pretty active at work.

Fast forward to this weekend.  I've been pretty medicated for the past week because I ALSO got my wisdom teeth out last Friday (the past few weeks have pretty much consisted of my body falling apart), so it's been hard to tell if I'm actually pain free.  After a few days with no pain-killers, my ankle was indeed pain free so I took this opportunity to be boot free for a day.  I also went to get my stride assessed at a local running store because I'm pretty sure my injury was exacerbated by wearing the wrong shoes.  I was completely mind-blown when I watched the video of my stride!  No wonder I was injured.  I totally over-pronate when I run.

This image (not mine) is of the right foot, but both of my feet
looked like the image to the far right when I was running! 

Over-pronation can lead to peroneal issues because the peroneals (which run along the outside of the ankle, into the base of the foot) act in "over drive" to try to prevent the foot from over-pronating.  Under-pronation (or supination) can also lead to problems with the peroneals because rolling the ankles outward can cause stress on these tendons (I'm not a doctor, but this is what I was told and it makes sense).


Anyway, it is not at all surprising that I have problems in this arena -- I have really flexible ankles and I ran into similar issues with dance -- there are plenty of pictures of me like this, with sickled feet which I had to work pretty hard to correct.

See how bendy (and unsupportive and
ugly) my ankles/feet are? I can't even
believe I posted this.  Photo credit to
Robert Salas.

As it turns out, even though I was wearing a "support shoe," it wasn't providing enough stability for my needs.  I also seem to have gone up a shoe size? Either way, I walked out of the store with a new pair of Brooks Ravenna 6 road running shoes.  My gait with these shoes on was remarkably different, much more neutral and it felt much easier to run.

Plus, they're really pretty.

I decided that since I had new supportive shoes that this was the ideal situation to try to return to running.  Remember when I said I was supposed to be in a walking cast except for minimal activity?  I'm pretty sure he didn't mean "try to run after 4 weeks off" when he said that.  Nonetheless, I have been itching to hit the road again and I've lost so much training time for my June 21 half marathon that I had to get out there and try to do a short work out. I took off for a super short (like, one mile) run during which I alternated walking for 3 minutes/running for 3 minutes (which, by the way, made for my slowest logged mile ever)  I would be lying if I said it was completely pain-free, but the pain was mild and I came home and iced for 20 minutes and now I'm feeling alright.

It may not have been the best idea to try so soon, but I'm afraid of how undertrained I might be for this race (I know, I should be more afraid of perpetuating a pretty bad injury, but that's not how this perfectionists brain works) and also, I just really miss running.  It felt so good to even put on a pair of running pants and a sports bra and get out there again. I don't plan on trying to run again for another few days, but if I stay pain free I plan to get out there again before my next follow-up with the MD.  As for now, I'm planning on finishing watching the A's lose this game and drowning my sorrows of this game, and the Warriors loss, in a mug of red wine and a lace knitting project.  Let's all take a moment to send some good juju to Bay Area sports teams this week.