It's About Time...

This post has been a long time coming. Every time I thought about sitting to write about my training, I just wanted to avoid the topic. My last post, back on April 9th, indicated that everything was going great, but that I was starting to experience some kind of knee problem. Well, I've basically spent the last month and half working it out. I've sought advice from peers and professionals, researched the interwebs, rested the knee for days, stretched, strengthened, and massaged. In the weeks that I've been trying to figure this out, I've come to the conclusion, with the help of my massage therapist, that I've got a joint problem, specifically at the Proximal Tibia-Fibular Joint.

But let's get back to early April....  I backed off my training right before the Sycamore Canyon 30K and wasn't really sure how that race was going to go. In fact, in the week leading up to the race Mark was suggesting that perhaps we don't even bother doing it. I had been looking forward to it all along and ultimately we decided to make a weekend out of it and race the 30K. It was a great weekend. I wasn't my strongest, but I felt like it really couldn't have gone much better for me. The knee wasn't a factor at all, and I started to get some of my confidence back. Mark and I had a great road trip. We stayed at my sister's place by the beach, enjoyed the race along the coastal hills of Malibu, and relaxed for a few days.

I had a little boost in my confidence after the 30K, but it quickly became apparent that I hadn't really fixed anything with my knee. I just rested it. The pressure I felt in the joint and the occasional pain continued. In light of the problem, I also started to question what to do next with my training. If I just upped my mileage again I feared that I would be right back where I was at the beginning of April. I knew I needed to make some kind of change.

I thought about seeing a doctor, maybe a physical therapist. I also continued to seek out articles on the web. After reading some stuff by John Ball, a chiropractor that marathon sensation Ryan Hall uses, I had a realization that I need to try to improve how I stretch and roll out my muscles. Ball talked about how some athletes are afraid to cause themselves pain at home, then they come into the office and expect him to do it. I took that as a prompt to get in there and do some deep tissue massage. One evening, I rolled the shit out of my leg. I felt a painful knot in my thigh, just to the outside and above my knee. So, I massaged that out with my thumbs. The next morning my whole thigh felt kind of bruised. But as the day wore on, I also felt a noticeable difference in my knee... less pressure and no pain. I went for a run that afternoon and felt really good. I got pretty excited at the prospect that I may have found something that could improve my condition.

At that point I decided I needed to find a local sports massage therapist and, after talking to some running friends, found Geoffrey Bishop. Geoffrey specializes in athletes and has worked with lots of elite runners. As we've worked together over the weeks, we pinpointed my problem to the tibia-fibular joint. I now feel like I've got a plan to help manage my problem. I regularly do some core strengthening, targeted stretching, and massage. I finally feel like I've got some direction in dealing with my knee. And this has freed me up to refocus on my TR training, too. I'm back to a regular training program and have steadily increased the frequency of my runs, and my mileage.

It probably doesn't come across in this post, but I've really felt like I've been on a roller coaster these past 6 weeks. I've done a lot of thinking about what I want out of this and how I'm going to get there. I've never lost sight of the fact that I will run TRR. That's never been in doubt. But I'm listening to my body more and relying less on rigidly sticking to some training plan. I'm trying to have more fun with this process because it's not just about running TransRockies, it's about getting there. I want to enjoy this part of it and not constantly stress over my weekly mileage. I love to run and I love to run on trails. If I'm just focused on the race, I'll miss all that I'm running by right now.

-jea

Training Phase Two

Seems like phase 1 of training is long gone and the 30K seems like ages ago.  I am now in week 3 of my training with coach Mike Smith.  I am continuing with a lot of base training with workouts thrown in a couple of days a week.  Mike says we will get to specific TRR type of training in June.

So far everything feels great and even better than during the base training.  I am running about the same time and mileage that I was running at the end of the base training.  I am also adding some workouts to help with turnover.  Not being a runner until recently I am learning everything about it from cadence, pacing, and economy.

Mike wants me to have more than just two gears.  Right now its slow and fast.  He wants me to be able to understand where I am at with my body and how long I can hold a gear before I need to change.  This will be beneficial if we get to a stage where we have the opportunity to be successful and I can hold a higher level for a sustained period of time.

I am really having fun with this part of the training as it is something new and I enjoy the learning process.   I can already feel my body adapting to multiple gears and its becoming automatic now when running a tempo run, or intervals.

I am headed to Alaska for a week and am looking forward to some epic runs while there.  I am grateful to have a coach like Mike guiding me towards TRR.

maw