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

Sycamore Canyon 30K, End Of Base Training, and a Team Weekend

Joel and I finished our base training this weekend with a 30K trail race in Sycamore Canyon, Malibu, California.  Joel's sister let us stay at her place in Manhattan Beach.  It was 2 blocks from the beach with an ocean view.  We left early Friday morning so that we could get a short run in before dinner.   The forecast for the race was Cloudy with some drizzle early, giving way to partly sunny in the afternoon and highs in the 60s.  We both polished off a huge plate of pasta, salad, and bread and called it an early night.

I woke up the next morning to clear skies, and mid 50s, little did I know this was going to be the start of a great day of running.  Had my morning coffee, oatmeal, and prepared electrolyte drinks for the race.  At this point I grabbed my Garmin which had been on the charger all night.  I noticed it hadn't charged at all and there was only 37% battery remaining.  I knew this would not get me through the race but remembered I had a charger in the car so it would be fine by the end of the drive.  Well the charger wasn't in the car, and at this point nothing I could do about it but try not to worry and just go race based on how I felt and not by looking at pace.  It was about an hour drive to Malibu so we headed out on the road around 6:45.

When we arrived, not a cloud in the sky and a cool breeze coming off the ocean.  The race was low key as all the runners kind of hung out until the race start.  The race consisted of 3 climbs, with 3 equivalent descents.  Each about 3 miles in length.  Not knowing what to expect our strategy was to treat this as a Transrockies training run.  We decided that the first climb should be real conservative to see what we had and then ramp up if needed, and if all was well for the last climb we could push it.  We started about a third of the way back in the starting pack.

The beginning of the race was about a mile of flat forest service road, which led to a single track and the first climb.  We started the climb and immediately knew that we should have been closer to the front.  We ended up in a run/walk situation for the next mile and passed only when it seemed like there was room.  One of the runners in front of me mentioned the course opened up to a fire road shortly and we would be able to stretch it out some.  Just before the fire road, there was an opening on the single track so I called out "on your left" and started the pass.  Little did I know there were cacti hiding off trail and I stuck a thistle in my foot that was about 3/4 inch long.  I had to run on the ball of my foot to the fire road, because of the pain.  Thinking I could just push through it I started the run up the road, but could not do it.  I ended up taking off my shoe and pulling it out.  I was wasting precious time and I could see Joel was ready to make up some time.

We headed up the road at a brisk pace and were making ground and passing quite a few people.  By the time we got to the next single track section we were only in a group with 3 other people, although the leaders were quite a bit in front of us.  We were not aiming to catch them.  We headed down the first 3 mile descent gradually picking up speed topping out at about 7:25 pace.  Before we knew it we were at the aid station.  We had already decided that we had enough fluid, food to not stop, so started the next climb which was more technical the first mile due to large rocks that we were either hopping or climbing.  At this point in the race we were about half way through and I was still feeling strong.  I heard my watch beep and it died, now I could really focus on how I felt, not knowing how fast we were going.  We ran in a line with a couple of the 50K racers on a flat stretch that went from ocean views, to mountain views and running through meadows.  We even saw a deer that wanted to run with us.  We kept a consistent pace through this stretch and on the descent back to the aid station.  I knew at this point I needed more fluid and food, so I ate a GU and filled my bottle.  I also soaked my head under the faucet to cool down. We only had one more climb and it was one we had already run down so knew what to expect the rest of the race.

Two of the 50K racers we had been running with left the aid station before Joel and I.  Once we started the last climb I was still feeling strong and felt I could push the uphill, not knowing who was in front of me but knowing we had a little bit of distance between us and the next 30K racers.  I passed one of the 50K runners in the first 5 minutes of the climb and eventually passed the 2nd a few minutes later.  I was just keeping a steady pace, knowing I didn't have much longer until the top, and then 2.7 miles to the finish, all downhill.  I had made 4 or 5 minutes on the 50K racers by the time I got to the top.  I then started the descent but this was much harder than I thought it was going to be, but I had to keep going.  I found a comfortable pace and just headed downhill.

At this point I had hot spots on my feet, my legs were fatigued, but nothing unexpected.  I pushed down the road and came across the water crossing, running swiftly through it and feeling the cool water on my hot feet, it felt great.  I knew I had about .5 miles to go to the finish so I kept the pace and crossed the finish line in 3:15:01, good enough for 2nd place in my age group.  It was a great feeling to be strong at the end of the race and know that the previous 4 months of training had paid off.  Joel came in a few minutes behind me looking strong.  It was a great day for the team.

We headed over to the ocean for a leg soak, and to relax before the drive back.  That night was a great mexican food dinner and some relaxation.

A short barefoot run on the strand the next day and all systems felt great.  We watched a bunch of hockey, had a few beers, ate well, and just enjoyed what we knew was the end of a lot of hard work and the beginning of more intense training.

If we progress like we did the first 4 months, we will have a great Transrockies race.

maw

Running Towards Training

Well just a few more days until the Sycamore Canyon 30K. This will officially mark the end of my base training. I will have put in 775+ miles, 125+ hours, and over 52,000 feet of climbing since December 4 of last year when Joel and I took our first training run.

Today Jen and I did a 10 mile trail run on one of my favorites. Spring is in the air and it was pretty warm on the run. We saw butterflies, birds, and even a snake on the trail.

I ran my 5 mile hill climb on Wednesday starting out with a short 1 mile warmup. Then it was 5 miles uphill with an elevation gain of around 1800 feet. I was able to maintain a nice comfortable pace. Didn't look at my watch and then was able to step it up a bit for the last mile. I finished the 5 miles in just over 48 minutes. Mike said the fun part about this is that I will crush that time in a couple of months. I am running my tempo run on Tuesday. That may be a different story as I prefer to run in my comfort zone and not on the top end.

After the Sycamore Canyon race we are going to take about a week off with a couple short runs thrown in there. I am really looking forward to the time off but more looking forward to what Mike has in store for me. I am starting my "real" training May 1. Joel is going to wait until June as it will easier with his schedule.

Joel ran into a small speed bump in his training battling a knee issue but it's early and his base is very strong. With rest he will come back stronger than ever.

I never thought I would be able to stick to this base training but have done so and am very motivated to crush the next phase of training which should be lots of mountain runs, Grand Canyon runs, and even some runs high in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado.

Having Mike coach me through this phase will not only ensure my success but he is very motivating and positive as well. I feel very fortunate.

maw

Mother F#@ker!

Mark and I are finishing up our base training and prepping for the Sycamore Canyon 30K in Santa Monica in a couple of weeks. Mark's running between 45 and 50 miles a week while, due to my work schedule, I've had to steal time just to get 45 miles in. Things couldn't have been going better, though. I've been enjoying the training and the focus on this race.

The day after my long run last week, however, I started feeling pain in my knee. I kind of panicked. I've felt this before, just before the Phoenix marathon in 2009. It sucks. An overuse injury just nags at you, but can become extremely painful if not attended to. I'm not sure if it's an IT band thing or what, but we had a scheduled meeting with our coach, Mike, so I took another day off and waited to talk to him about. Of course, Mike's perspective is no big deal. Take time off. Let the knee heal, we've got plenty of time and you don't want to have to keep dealing with this all through the summer. So here I am, taking it a little easier this week, scaling back the mileage. A late spring snowstorm is making it easier for me since it's difficult to go out running in 12 inches of snow anyway.

Mike's got a 5 mile hill run and a 2 mile tempo run planned for us next week so that he can get a measure of our fitness, then put together the plan that will take us to TR. Mark and I will run the 30K, take a few days off, then start the hard stuff.  I'm really excited about my running right now and see us performing well at Trans Rockies.

I was talking to our Gu rep about Trans Rockies and he said, "You're doing Trans Rockies? You're crazy!"
Now if the rep for an endurance nutrition product thinks Trans Rockies is crazy, it really does make me realize we're tackling a pretty big challenge.  I guess when you live in Flagstaff and your surrounded by professional runners and Olympians (not to mention several "recreational" runners in Flagstaff are sponsored by shoe companies) it's hard to measure your mere mortal accomplishments.

On a final note, congrats to Mike for coming in 2nd at the Chuckanut 50K. He was leading the course through 22 miles until the national ultra-running champion, Geoff Roes, edged him out to take the win. Both, Geoff and Mike broke the course record. An outstanding performance for Mike's first 50K. For you non-runners out there, Geoff Roes is a rockstar; the current Michael Jordan of trail running. I feel privileged to know Mike, let alone be coached by him.  -jea

Sunday Morning Long Run in the Grand Canyon

Awesome long run yesterday! Mark and I ran just over 16 miles down the South Kaibab Trail and up Bright Angel. What a privilege to live in Northern Arizona and have access to one of the greatest places on earth. It was a bit overcast and cool, perfect for running. The views were spectacular. We arrived at the park in time for the 7 am bus to the trailhead. As we took our first steps down the trail, I could feel my quads being shocked into arousal. After a mile or so I got into the groove and, aside from a few stops for pictures, it seemed that we were down at the Colorado River in no time. After a quick Gu and refill of the water bottle, we took our first steps toward gaining back the 5000+ feet we lost on the descent.

I was pleasantly surprised by our progress. We ran a majority of the trail, slowing down mostly during those high steps needed to get over the hundreds of waterbars on the trail. There were the 10 minutes or so that we were stuck behind a mule train on some of the most ideal running on the Bright Angel, just before Indian Gardens. But after cussing the donkeys and their riders, we passed them and were on our way up the last 4.5 miles of the trail. We were moving well until we got to those upper switch backs. We'd walk a section, then run the next, until we were about a half mile from the top. At that point we were able to run it in for the finish. Total run time: 3 hours, 38 minutes.

It was a great day. Neither of us have done a lot of hill work since last fall, so this was a good measure of our current level of conditioning. I'm pretty happy with where we're at right now. We haven't started working on serious elevation gains yet and I thought we handled yesterday pretty well. My muscles are feeling fatigued today, but not real sore; certainly not injured. I concentrated on my recovery efforts yesterday afternoon and am starting to get a feel for what I need to do. Success at Trans-Rockies really does have as much to do with recovery as it does with preparation for the actual running. We're at about 45 miles a week now so recovery, staying healthy is becoming a necessary focus of attention.  I'm looking forward to this final month of our base training before we start the hard stuff. The canyon run was just a taste of what's to come.    -jea

More mileage, more mileage, more mileage and cold water bath

A little over a month left before we start the "real" training.  The base running continues to stay on track, Joel and I are now up to 40 miles a week and I'm doing 7 hours.  Trail running was good in Flagstaff until we received a couple of feet of snow.  Joel and I have been splitting time between road runs and trail runs in Sedona and Phoenix.  Our long run is now up to 15 miles and holding.  We will be touching 18 miles sometime in the next few weeks.

We have settled on an end of base training run to separate this phase of our training and the next "much more difficult" phase.  We are going to be running the Sycamore Canyon 30K in Malibu, CA, near the end of April.  Its a run that will be similar to something we might see in Trans Rockies without the altitude issues.

Had my first experience of taking a cold water bath after a long run yesterday.  I ran 145 minutes exclusively on roads which took its toll on my hamstrings and hip flexors.  Ran the bath and soaked for 10 minutes.  It was so cold I almost couldn't stay in it.  But I am now a believer because my muscles feel pretty good this morning.

I feel much stronger and even a little faster than when we started this training in December.  Some of the runs I did early I now do faster and with less fatigue.  I think we are headed down the right path and training safely.

maw