How to test your serenity....

Not to mention any faith or belief you may still have about people and average intelligence. Pick any article on CNN.com and then scroll to the end and read as many comments as you have the stomach for. Now ask yourself if your blood pressure rose, or if you just had a good laugh. This test works for me every time.

I do have to admit it has lowered all my expectations of the human race. Which is very positive in itself, since I will rarely be disappointed in anyone.

The ART of Turkey Trotting!

Thanks to ART (Active Release Techniques) and Dr Seth Wagenblast, along with his awesome team (yo Daniel and Stacy!) at Active Sports and Rehabilitation in Round Rock, I am Hot to Trot tomorrow morning!

I am ready for my long run Saturday morning, but I decided tonight I just don't want to miss all the fun of Austin's Thundercloud Sub's Turkey Trot. They are using a new 5 mile course this year - which mirrors much of the Cap 10K course, so I'm going to get a good test of The Calf. I think it's ready, Dr W thinks it's ready, and although there is some tightness we're going to rock and roll at 9:30 am. Finally a race that does not start at the ass crack of dawn! Forecast is for a nice chilly start around 47 deg. with no wind. Perfect! I'm really excited tonight, and I have all my stuff with me so I can leave work in the morning and head to the starting line well rested....I slept well today and I will get a short nap in tonight before leaving for work.

I've decided to go with the Kayano 17's as they are more stable and have a cushier ride than my Cumulus 13's do. My 4 mile run Monday went really well with them, and of course tomorrow is all on pavement. Seems like the more prudent choice. I really hope I can bounce back fast enough to do my long run Saturday with Austin Fit....our group has two options....7 miles and 10 miles. I'm aiming for the 7!!!

My earlier doubts about the healing status of my calf have been very much assuaged. The very positive, terrific run I had Monday really helped me mentally. I am really discovering that injury recovery is very much a mental challenge as well as physical.

I have no plans for the rest of the day but to ice the leg well (maybe an ice bath!! yow!!!) and to rest for work again Thurs. night.

Thankful? You bet. I'm racing tomorrow! Albeit slowly of course!

[Update 11/26/11]

Recovery from above lunacy is going pretty well, all things considered. Warning - if. like me, you are sick and tired of hearing about The Calf, move on now. It's officially an obsession.

Let me start with some positives:

• I averaged right below my goal pace, very near dead on. Goal pace - 10:30. Official chip pace, 10:28. You don't get closer than that! 
• I made all the hills, and had a great time, right up to approximately the 3.8 mile point.
• I finished strong and passed a lot of runners in the last mile.
• The race weather was PERFECT, 47 deg start, no wind. Very, very well organized race - the first year they had a dedicated start corral for timed runners. Only passed two walkers in the first 100 yards, either total morons or did not pay attention to the hundreds of signs that showed their dumb asses where they were supposed to line up. Still, better than dodging hundreds of walkers like I did in past years.

Now for the negative. The calf cramped (seized? tore? after all this time I'm still not 100% sure) at 3.8 miles into the run, on the beginning of the climb up Cesar Chavez. It was tight at the start - despite rolling it out with the Trigger Point kit - and got progressively worse. Although I really tried my best to start out at a slower pace...I was targeting a 11 min first mile, I was running very smoothly as far as my stride. Any time I tried to run slower it was just not possible due to the strain that a shorter stride seemed to have on my calf. Here is a short abbreviated mile by mile recap:

Mile 1 - Great National Anthem. Take your hats off you immature kids. Show some respect. One of the smoothest starts ever. Despite many people weaving all over the road (keep your line folks or at the very least LOOK before you cut into my path), I settled into a groove and was breathing deeply up this rolling uphill mile. Turned the corner onto 15th and the course leveled off as we hit mile one - pace was 10:10 Garmin.

Mile 2 - Attention getting hill on 15th, but I was on a good pace here. Climb up Enfield was a steady grind that dropped MANY runners. This is a challenging hill, but I was having fun and following Miss Pigtails, who was setting a perfect pace. At least as far as the view was concerned. Mile 2 reached and I was feeling great, although The Calf was already tighter and I was doing my best to ignore it. Mile two pace - 10:28

Mile 3 - This was a pretty flat to downhill stretch that borders Mopac. Not too scenic, but still motoring along at this point. The Calf is awake and I know things are going to go south soon at this point. Shit. Mile 3 pace - 10:05 with no pushing the pace - just rolling downhill sped me up.

Mile 4 - The wheels on the bus don't go round and round after the 3.8 mile or so point. I spend the last 2/10ths of this mile stopping by the road to stretch out the unbelievable cramp I had - this time on the outer Gastroc. Damn. I learn that if I did the "Runner's Stretch" and hold it, the cramp or whatever it was would ease up. Here is where I remember that I am tough, mentally and physically. Pace suffers, 11:25 for mile 4.

Mile 5 - Wherein I remember that not only am I tough, I can run through pain too. We finish the long, slow climb up Cesar Chavez (can't we just call it 1st street for fucks sake?) and level off across the South First street bridge, then dive down and make the final right turn onto Riverside along Auditorium Shores. I'm sprinting despite the pain, and passing a lot of people that passed me in the first mile. I remember asses people. Mile 5 pace - 9:59. I  hit 7:38 pace on the last 150 ft stretch to the finish, and it felt better actually than running slower. I pass a woman in a banana outfit. I get more cheers than Banana Lady. Awesome.

Total Chip Time - 52:19, 10:29/mile pace for the 5.03 miles as measured by my Garmin. I'm 2577th runner in, out of over 3600 timed runners. There are over 20,000 total runners/walkers in what was a very cool race.

If not for the calf cramps, I felt I could have easily ran a 9:30-10 min/mile pace. I will get there some day.

Although I could barely walk Friday, I iced the calf and was able to do a 30 minute warm up on the elliptical this morning at the gym, followed by a 1 hr spin class. I'm hopeful that I can get this calf ready for the Decker Challenge (half marathon 13.1 miles) on Dec 11th, but I'm suspecting it will probably be my first ever DNF (did not finish), or at best I'm going to be very, very slow. All I want to do is get across the finish without doing any permanent damage to the calf....and rest for the next half, 3M on Jan 29th 2012. 

Either way, I am going to be gentle with myself. The slowest runner that finishes a race is faster than the guy/gal that stays on the couch. 

Invoking the Thumper rule...

"If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all"


I'm working on it.

My initial confidence is waning....

Mostly I am really confused and my Dr is not really clarifying things that well. My gut instinct tells me I am not giving my leg long enough to heal. And it's not.

Yesterday started out really fun. I had volunteered to help support the marathon bench mark run that one of our training groups under Austin Fit was running. They had a 12 mile long run and we ran 3 water/aid stations. I was captain of the last stop. So I showed up early, picked up water/Gatorade/first aid supplies/table and hauled it all to the stop location. Plenty of time to sit and relax and talk to my team members (Emma, Franni, Laura and her boyfriend Keith) before the first runners came through. It was really cool, being on the other side of the table and taking pictures of the groups that came through...I'm guessing about 75 runners total. The only real mix up was no one was tracking the last group on the course, and they bailed without telling anyone. So I sat there like an idiot for over an hour and a half waiting for them. Very rude of them to abandon and not tell anyone. But overall it was a great experience I will do again! The runners/walkers that did come through were so thankful!

After dropping off my table/supplies, I decided to take a short run since I was already down at Town Lake anyway. Only a week after a very, very painful 8.44 mile run, I was dubious. My Dr had told me that the initial calf tear was really healing nicely - that much I am sure he was right about. However, I had started experiencing pain in my Soleus muscle, the inner muscle that the Gastrocs cover. That proved to portent of things to come, because it started feeling really tight - went to painful and back to tight, and after a mere 3 miles (the most painful 3 miles so far) it seemed to be in much the shape my Gastroc was in initially. I iced it quite a bit yesterday and although I tried to do the trigger point stretches, they made it hurt even more. So I'll talk to the Dr at tomorrow's appt and see what he has to say. I am going to tell him that I'm worried the rolling/stretching is when the Soleus started to hurt, and I want to know why. My good (right) leg was feeling really tight too, although I think that may be because it is bearing more of the brunt during my runs than the left leg is.

Megs went to a Steve Aoki concert at a local downtown club - ALONE last night. I was so nervous dropping her off, but seeing they had very good security in place and knowing she could not leave the club helped me calm my fears somewhat. Also, her older sister was in another club just blocks away. Megan is a very trustworthy young lady and I know she was excited to be trusted to go alone. It just worked out that none of her friends could go, and I know she wanted to see this DJ so badly. I picked her up just after Midnight and it was all good - she was so excited about it all. We hit a 24 hr Denny's diner and had some breakfast and just hung out and talked. That was great! We've had a really nice weekend. My baby girl will always be my baby girl, but she is growing into a young woman before my eyes. She's working hard in school, and has her head on straight. What more can a dad ask for?

Date Night and Cow Dreams.....

Anyone want some right fielder?

Last night was my night with Megan, so of course it was a good one! Always is, even when we annoy the shit out of each other, which happens. I'd say it's because she's 15, she'd say it's because I'm 53 (gulp), and we'd both be right. But that bond that started long before she joined this world is always there.

I had my haircut last night, and got rid of the grey again. Thank God! I always hated it, despite women saying they liked it, because my appearance never matched how young I feel inside. Looking into a mirror is just better when I see someone that matches in age - somewhat at least - to how I feel inside. I say somewhat because I feel like I'm in my 20's! I guess there is a vanity component to it, and so what? We all have some vanity or else the billion dollar beauty industry would take a nose dive. And Megan likes it better, so decision made!

We headed off to the mall, ostensibly to see Happy Feet 2, only to find it wasn't out yet. Bummer. We love our kids movies, and I love that the little girl in her and the little boy in me can enjoy them together. So we'll catch that this weekend I'm sure! We ate some chinese, did some window shopping and headed to another favorite hangout of ours, Barnes and Noble. Talked myself out of buying Barefoot Running again but I think I'll pick it up soon. We had a nice time together, and after taking her home I took a short nap before work. Had one of my really strange dreams. I get them a lot when I take short naps. In this one, I was playing baseball, second base to be exact. The first baseman was not paying attention, and I knew I could throw out the runner that was at first. There is the first sign it was a dream, because I sucked at baseball and no one would EVER have let me play infield. Perpetual I-suck-therefore-I-play-right-field was my story. So he's looking out to right field and finally looks my way, and I throw it perfectly to him. And then when I look towards right field for whatever reason, I realize there is a fucking COW where the right fielder should be. And he had a body in his mouth, hanging limply. Now that is freaking bizarre, right? And that is where I woke up. Remind me to take a nap tonight. Uh, right. I have the strangest dreams ever.

I'm glad I took a night off from the gym because I need to learn to do that more regularly to avoid the dreaded burnout. It always makes the next trip to the gym that much more enjoyable to me. And I can't wait to hit the gym tonight! Sure beats cows eating right fielders.

Trigger Point self massage crash course....

Yes I have balls.

Before I injured "The Calf" as we are now calling it, I had never heard of Trigger Point, and as for self massage....well, let's not go there shall we? Dr Wagenblast's staff at Active Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation (Stacy and Daniel rule!) [Note, my blog will NEVER have paid endorsements!] introduced me to the above  tools and I picked up my own kit to use at home and the gym. There is a full kit that adds a larger "roller" like the one in this picture for the quads/hamstrings....I'll pick that up soon. The kit I have is the lower leg/foot kit. The balls are harder than tennis balls, softer than baseballs which is actually pretty important. I tried with tennis balls and there is no comparison. The kit came with two short and very informative videos. Any major running store will carry them, most here in Austin do too. 

I won't go into great detail here but feel free to email me at perryhuntley@gmail.com if you have any questions and I can try to answer them. The basic idea is you self massage the calf muscles and foot flexors and extensors....to keep them more elastic and thereby eliminating pain that usually presents itself at "insertion points" on the leg bones and under/aside the foot itself. Think of these muscles like elastic ropes instead of a solid rope. If the "rope" or muscle is not able to stretch properly, it will pull at the insertion points and trapped nerves will cause pain. 

What I am so grateful for these tools is that not only are there therapeutic ways to manipulate the damaged muscles - which combine deep tissue massage with stretching in unison - there are preventative measures that will aid me in not getting this injury again. After all, once is enough!!! I hope that using the techniques I'm learning will really help my running and cycling. 

Dr Wagenblast teaches a free clinic at Hill Country Running on North Parmer near FM 620 on Monday nights at 7pm - FREE. Again, not a plug for either but hopefully helpful info for my friends that are local. I'm willing to bet this is more than a passing fad - check out the top athletes that are already using these techniques at Trigger Point's website. 

So after over working The Calf during my Saturday run (8.44 miles!)....I hit the Trigger Point stuff hard the last few days. The proof is NOT in the pudding, that is a stupid quote I have no idea the meaning of, the proof is in the results. I was able to do 45 minutes on the elliptical last night and another 1 hour on the spin bike and sure I feel some stiffness in it, but I can walk normally, including up/down stairs. Nothing short of amazing to me! The kit is not what I'd call cheap, but considering how well made it is and how often I will use it, totally worth the $. 

Hopefully this did not come off as a infomercial! But when I find something exciting that I think will improve my training and/or recovery, I plan to share it. Of course, if you are injured, see a Dr!!!!

Here is The (happy!) Calf this morning!

The infamous Calf !

A glimpse into the secret world of the Cavemaster's diet...

What I'm having post workout. The Butterfinger ice cream diet is a less well-known version of the Paleo-bullshit diet I've read so much about. Somehow I think it can easily beat out a diet that would stop the world from eating bagels. The Gatorade just happened to be in my bag and the Advil I'm sure I will need tonight! What would amaze my ex wife is that I can eat that small of a serving of ice cream and be satisfied. I used to eat ice cream by the quart in one sitting. It amazes me today.

From my "Paleo-bullshit" diet comment, you might guess I'm not a fan of the Paleo movement. I know a couple of people that are so pro-Paleo they are like total food Nazis. As anyone that knows me can attest, I am no big fan of anything that people are fanatical about. I hate fad diets, and I've seen a lot of people come and go with them. As far as I've gone in my life was a couple bouts with Weight Watchers. Highly successful ones, if you want to look at the pounds lost. Total failures, if you want to look at the pounds regained. In the end, although they tell you that you can eat anything you want, that is total BS. Two bites of ice cream will piss me off, not help me feel "as though I really had all I want". Call me spoiled, but I don't do well with feeling boxed in with what I can and can't eat. Food became an enemy rather than a necessary fuel. I'd rather be the roughly 20 pounds over my ideal weight I am right now, and as fit as I am right now, than go back to that food obsessive drive to monitor everything I ate. It's worked wonders for a lot of people, and that is cool by me. I am only relating my own experience. I've learned over the years that a true lifestyle change that you feel you can live with is the only thing that will work long term for me. Many people can work the diet angle much better than I can, and don't want (or enjoy) exercise. But me, I would rather be really fit - able to run or cycle long distances and hit the gym regularly. It's Mother Nature's Prozac for me, and I need it most days. 

My job is a very sedentary one for the most part, and working the graveyard shift 4 nights a week for 10 hours plays havoc with my sleep schedule. Cycling back to night sleeping after 4 days of fitful sleep in the daytime is not easy, or conducive to weight loss either. A lot of studies are showing how important sleep is for weight loss, and I believe them. I'm also the lightest sleeper I have ever known, so I take Ambien nightly (or daily during the week) to sleep. My life was a hell before Ambien, and even though it can make me eat much more sometimes, I can't sleep well without it, if at all. 

One really cool thing I have learned is that once I get back into shape and working out consistently, I naturally start making better choices when I eat. Most of the time. I still love me some junk food sometimes, and I always will. A man has to have some vices. I don't smoke (Ewwww) and I don't chase prostitutes (they can mostly outrun me) so the occasional Big Mac it is. My last physical I had the best numbers I've ever had. I also had a heart CT scan, which showed ZERO plaque in my arteries and predicted a 0% chance of heart disease. So I'm guessing my modified "see food" diet is working just fine.  Your mileage may very. 

Oh, and the Cavemaster nickname? Given to me by my ex back when Megan was a baby. I had a very tiny office I could escape the madness of 3 kids and a lab into, and it became my "Cave". I think every married guy should have one, especially if they are a introvert like I am.

I only want it to run poorly in it's last race...

But evidently, here in the Tree Hugger capital of the USA, buying a turkey is no small matter.

"All Richardson Farms animals are pastured, meaning they are “…out on the grass/fields… able to scratch the earth and eat as many bugs and/or grass [as] they can find!”  This greatly affects flavor, which is largely determined by four factors:  meat quality (determined by genetics, i.e. breed), age (at time of slaughter), how it was raised (whether it exercised or not), and feed (grain versus foraging)."


Isn't a fat ass lazy turkey a GOOD thing? 

The sun always rises the next day...

Today my mental state is so much better than yesterday, at least as far as THE CALF goes. Lord, it feels like all I think about, this calf. Might sound like it but this too shall pass!

I woke up and it (THE CALF of course!) felt much better, I can walk pretty well today. A little limp, but not enough to stop me from getting Sunday Bagels and milk. I can't live without either! I have learned to love 2% moo juice, but that took years really. I was raised on the real stuff.

Yesterday my running career was totally over for the year, today I'm thinking rationally once again. Dr Wagenblast told me things would be really sore, and I did take his advice to roll it out before yesterdays run...and to ice it after. Thank God for Advil, so the pain was bearable. It was that nagging, feel every nerve in your body kind of pain by the time I drove home from the run.

There were some real positives from yesterday! I was able to run with my group, and although I don't know many people that well yet (after only 4 runs together no shock there) they are friendly and I feel very welcome there. I got a lot of high fives as everyone knew I was hurt, yet still hung in for the distance. I talked to a couple of new guys that were dropping down to a slower pace group to deal with injuries, something I just might have to try at some point. My new plan of action is to continue with ART, do my strengthening exercises, and when I can run again, start short distance and add miles as quickly as I feel safe doing. I know from the run Saturday that my overall fitness is fine, I was up in zone 5 heart rate for MUCH of that very hilly run. Especially the first 4 miles or so. If not for the calf I felt like I could have ran all day.

I also - even despite the soreness and pain (alternated!) - was able to enjoy being outside running again!
The weather was perfect!

So Monday it's back to see the doc and get back on track with the therapy. I know by the amazing improvement over yesterday that it is truly helping. Later today I plan to get outside and go for a walk on a wooded trail nearby. I don't want my weight getting away from me while I can't run, and knowing me that could easily happen!

Crash and Burn

This guy is happier than I am right now.

I can't even put into words how bummed I am. One mile in and the calf got tight. I ran on and finished the 8.44 miles, alternating between pain and tightness all the way. I can barely walk, so it's back to square one. This was one tough run, the group decided to run the hills to St. Edwards first, then the loop over the Pfluger pedestrian bridge and back to the start at Txdot. Total time was about 1:34, so the overall pace was slower than our 10:30 norm. Thank God. I kept thinking, if I was not in this damn pain, I could SO nail a half marathon right now. But that is not reality, the reality is I could not have made 10 miles today.

While I have faith the A.R.T. sessions can get me back to some semblance of normal, I think I will have to really let this fucker (sorry I need to get that out) of a calf completely heal before I even THINK about running the Decker Challenge. That's on Dec 11th. With those hills, I'm not even going to pre-register until I KNOW I can run the course I just did without pain. Cause Decker is much, much worse.

The Distance Challenge is also at risk, but my health has to come first. Any thought of running the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5K tomorrow is out of the question. I barely made it up the 3 flights of stairs to my Cave.

Let the sulking begin.

First November run!

Wow, hard to believe that last night was the first run for me in November, and here it is Veteran's Day! Big shout out to my fellow Veterans. And a happy post for today!

So last night I hit the gym, feeling really nervous about running. The calf was fine, not even a twinge walking down to the car. But I inherited my mom's ability to worry, and I have to live with that. So I hit the elliptical, at first thinking I would just do 30 minutes. But I found myself punching in 60 minutes, as that is my favorite time goal - and the max the machine will take. Thank God. I do love that machine, even though some dorkus had my favorite one that is flanked by the LifeTime TV's I divide my attention between - LTF Video channel on one and I think the other one is TBS....currently I'm catching a few "The Big Bang Theory" repeats. Penny is every nerd's dream. Of course, I'm not a nerd....much. Ok, I digress as usual. What can I say, I'm on my 2am break!
The moment of truth came after my hour on the elliptical....and it went really well! I am always pretty much suffering in one way or another through the first mile. That was always true with cycling and it holds to running also - I warm up slowly, more slowly than others I think! Totally common for me to have intense doubts during that first mile - whether it's indoors on a treadmill or outdoors on a trail or road. My knees sometimes flare up, I have trouble getting my breathing rhythm, and I usually feel the run is going to be a disaster. Lucky for me, I know from experience that a couple of miles in I'm going to be just fine. 2 miles in and I was in a nice groove, although there were some niggly thoughts going on that the calf was tightening, when in fact it was just fine. If it was getting tight, it would have been worse after I was done, and it wasn't. So I did an easy 3 at about 30 secs per mile slower than my training pace. I think I'll be fine tomorrow, but we'll see. I'm grateful Dr Wagenblast will be checking it out today. There is a tiny bit of soreness now some 4 1/2 hrs post run, but nothing we did not expect. I was supposed to roll it out tonight and skipped that. And I know that the hour on the elliptical was a good stress test also, since that heel raises and the calf gets stretched repeatedly. So today is A.R.T. session #4, then rest tonight and a 7am 8.5 mile run. The route starts out with a good hill after the first half mile, then does a downhill 4 mile loop before we do the second loop that will take us back to beautiful St. Edwards campus again...and some hills that will truly test the calf. I'm saying my prayers now that I don't re-injure it. The good thing is I know if I do, I have a month to get it in shape for the Decker Challenge.
To throw one more wrinkle into the mix, I'm running that 5K on Sunday - healthy calf will be a prerequisite of course! But I've never missed a race I signed up for, and I hope this is not the first. The Race for the Cure is one I know will be packed, and will be a easy slow run out of necessity, but that's cool. It's for a good cause! I only wish I had done better at raising $, I sucked and my usual support I've gotten in the past is just not there for whatever reason. I am sure the economy is partly a factor - and hey we can't all give to ALL the charities that are out there. But if you want to contribute, HERE is my page. Wow, I have two donations!

Ready for take off!

So yesterday's visit to the Dr went really well - I'm cleared to run tonight! Under 5 miles, under race pace. No problems there, as I'm already nervous. I do trust him when he says the tear in the calf is healed - not 100%, but he tells me it's beyond the point where any short runs can damage it faster than it heals.

He also believes I can do my Saturday run just fine, and I'm more excited by that! Getting back into my training for the next Half (Dec11th!) is really important. I've got to get my base miles in so that this injury does not recur. I've really learned a lot about root causes for this, which comes down to (A) calves need strengthening and (B) I increased mileage too much, too fast. The cynical part of me still needs some convincing, so tonight's run should provide more trust in the calf. I have another appt set for tomorrow so we can evaluate how it goes. Saturday's run is also off my race pace and since they do walk/run intervals, it should be an easy one. I will use my head for a change if anything problematic happens. On the last 6.5 we did, the calf was fine...just like it was for the first 7 miles of my 10 miler. The toll of the hills on that race we are also convinced was a major contributor to the injury. I need to start hill intervals once a week - but not until the calf is 100%.

Oh, and for anyone interested, no cute little brunette at the Dr's office.

And as for Facebook and my gradual withdrawal from that massive time-suck, so far so good. I have only so many hours in the day and I am definitely doing a better job of using them.

Last but not least, saw "Memento" on Netflix the other day. Wow what a brain tease that was!

This morning after work I pick up my race packet, which I always enjoy. Sunday's 5K should be a nice easy one, I'm only going out to support the Komen Foundation and get a fun run through Austin. I'm such a running geek about new t-shirts, as if I really need one more t-shirt! Most of them I end up giving to Megan anyway...:O)

My take on Joe Paterno and the scandal at Penn State...

For what it's worth, here is my response to a forum question about it:

Re: Does Joe Pa survive this? posted at 11/9/2011 5:44 AM CST

Cavemaster Posts: 1090 First: 11/26/2006 Last: 11/9/2011

To answer the question, I don't care if Joe Paterno "survives" this incident. What will survive it is the trauma the REAL victims will live with the rest of their lives. Everyone involved in covering this up will live with their own consciences, or lack thereof, but none will endure the real pain those victims will. It's way above and beyond Penn State, college football, and is a sad example of that old adage that absolute power corrupts absolutely.  Nothing Paterno says or does now will erase the black mark he just put on his "legacy". Maybe someday we will stop idolizing these men that play a game for a living. They are only human, and we make them Gods.

Itching to Run!

I can hardly wait for Thursday night - when I can run for the first time since tearing my left calf (gastroc, the interior side). Tonight I did a second workout on the elliptical - for an hour - at my "normal" level (12) and again no issues at all. Did a half hour on the stationary bike - not having my bike shorts sucked!

My real excitement was finding out Monday that Dr Wagenblast feels I can do my long run Saturday with my Half Marathon group - AustinFit. I am SO pumped. I missed the last two - the first because the 10 miler was the next day, and then of course last Saturday since running was verboten while I healed. I'm not worried about the distance at all - 8.5 miles, since they do run/walk and it won't be hills...of course here in Central Texas NOTHING is flat, ever. But it won't be Scenic Drive to the best of my knowledge! It will certainly put my calf to the acid test though. It will be so good to get back to my group and continue the training.

The next race in the Distance Challenge, the Decker Challenge, will be the toughest of the 3 half marathons left to go....it has the toughest hills, is known for shitty weather, and usually is windy to boot. I missed the two hour goal last time (2007) on this course, and I really don't have any illusions about breaking two hours this year either. My goal is to finish, uninjured, so I can train for the last two half marathons - the always fast, downhill IBM in Jan and the Austin Livestrong Half in Feb only 3 weeks later. Staying healthy through the Distance Challenge, and getting that cool finishers jacket, is priority #1. Times are secondary, and that's a good thing. I can relax more and enjoy the experiences. Even Decker was really enjoyable when I was focused on everything around me instead of on time. That's not easy for someone as time compulsive as I am!

I was thinking tonight about how the name "half marathon" really irks me. Probably my ego, but ya know? It isn't "half" of anything - it's a complete race in and of itself. Triathlons have "Ironman", and "sprint" tri's, so I think we ought to start a grass roots movement to get a better name. It implies that you can only do Half of the real race - the marathon. I ran a sub two hour 3M twice, 1:55 the last one, and I gave it my all....running faster than my marathon pace for sure. Although I am training with the 10:30 per mile group, I have no doubt come the Austin Half, I will step up to try and finish in under two hours. That is my "B" goal, the "A" goal of course is to finish and get that DC jacket! But it's good to get that B goal out there and to own it.

I'm once again at work early, since I have another round of ART tomorrow. Maybe that cute little brunette will be there again....:O). Hopefully she is not waiting on the perfect man:

Less time online, more time in real life...

I often think about what life was like before the internet. You know, it wasn't really that long ago. What a wonderful thing the internet seemed at the time! A wealth of information at your fingertips....and I'm not denying what a useful tool it really is. After all, I'm typing this only because there IS a internet to put it out onto...

No doubt the internet is useful for students, and for anyone else in search of knowledge also. However, in the search for truth, don't believe everything you read. Modern spin masters could make Hitler a popular history figure if there was enough money in it for them. To truly believe something you read on the net (or anywhere else for that matter!) you have to at some point trust the source(s). That is where my gut instinct really helps me I think. Today the people that deliver the news to us are no longer impartial and objective - they are a commodity and can be bought and sold like never before. It does not take long for hidden agendas to surface, just as it does with people. Let someone talk long enough and the truth comes out.

I guess this is just my pissing into the wind rant - and a wish for a simpler time when we connected more as humans than Facebook "Friends". When we wrote letters instead of hitting the Like button.

I'm doing a bit more than just ranting. I pared my cable waaayyyy back, cutting my bill neatly in half. Cut my Friends list on Facebook back to people I have actually met. I'm getting out of my apartment more, to book shops, movies, running, coffee shops I've seen and never gone into.

Living in the now, and feeling more serene than ever. Trying to only post the occasional FB update, I bet most of my friends can appreciate me not posting my every thought. That's what this blog is for! :O)

Now, I need to get back to work. Break time is over, and rant time is too!

Some days I'm a total Gym Rat...

I have spent literally hours at my gym for a single workout before, for one simple reason. I love it! Some days, and I never can know exactly when those will be, I grow a tail and turn into a gym rat. Tonight was one, and it was really special.

I feel Catholic here - but oh well - it was last Tuesday since my last workout! This calf tear has healed so well I am seriously freaking amazed. Today I was climbing the stairs to my 3rd floor apartment, and there was not the slightest twinge of pain. Even after my 2d real A.R.T. treatment at noon. It went so well, I'm totally psyched. I already knew from the stretching I've been doing that the major knot that was there one day post 10 mile race last Sunday was gone. But Dr. Wagenblast confirmed it today, and gave me the green light to hit the elliptical for the first time in a week. I have another treatment Weds morning, and then I'll run my first real run on Thursday to test it out. I have a Friday appt too where we can re-evaluate the calf. I'm feeling very positive after tonight's workout, which felt like I was in heaven. Yes, I missed real cardio THAT much! I did an hour at my normal level (12) on the elliptical and no issues at all. I did an hour on the new stationary bikes at LifeTime and that went super too. As I write this, I have no pain or even soreness in either leg. They have me doing strengthening exercises already so we can work on preventing any future injuries, and I can see where my past training was most deficient - strength training. It only makes sense that stronger muscles can perform better over longer periods of time. The calf tears make perfect sense to me now. My cycling just was not engaging and building those muscles. My quads and hamstrings are pretty powerful, but not the calves and ankles.

Listening to Eminem, seeing a chiropractor, admitting I'm not perfect....wow what's next? I'm proof today that you CAN teach a old dog new tricks!

Like balancing while taking a dump!

Second A.R.T. session tomorrow

Tomorrow will be my second session with Dr. Wagenblast in Round Rock. I've been a good boy with my take home stretching techniques, and I have to say they are really helping me heal quickly. I have no doubts I'll have a good run come next Sunday. That alone makes it all worth while.

I had heard of Active Release Techniques before, just that it was basically painful. I really can't deny that, but once the doc explained to me the reasoning behind the techniques - which use pressure on pain points to break up scar tissue and aid correct healing - it was more bearable. The home techniques I've been using with my roller and tennis balls (jus' playin wit my balls 2-3 times a day) have made me a believer. They were a little confusing at first, but with the notes he sent me home it was not that tough to master. Today I'm climbing stairs pain free, which really helps when you are on the 3rd floor!

Had a nice weekend with Megan, we saw Tower Heist Friday night and really loved it. Very funny! It's just so good to spend time with her, and watch how she is growing up! She's tackling Wuthering Heights in Pre-AP English, bought her a book with a genealogy that I hope helps her. Nothing quite so good as seeing your child apply herself in school.

So tonight, I'm going to watch a little football, eat some dinner and clean up the place some. The things I do when I am NOT obsessing about running. This injury has forced me to sit back, relax and just look forward to that first run. No way have I even thought about jeopardizing my recovery by running against Dr's orders!

I did get up early this morning and watched Universal Sport's online "coverage" of the New York City Marathon. It's on my bucket list now! Much hillier than I thought it was, which no doubt taught Mary Keitany a thing or two about starting too fast. Gutsy race though, I have to hand it to her. And Mutai was simply incredible, at 20 miles he simply ran away from the competition. If you want to call anyone his competition. Course records at Boston and NYC have never been set in the same year by the same runner until his win today. Damn impressive.

Anyone want to run it with me? All we have to do is enter a lottery and get really lucky!

How I became a Runner...

My first organized race since 1983, in 2005

Ah, the memories. I read somewhere that when you pin a race bib on, you become a runner. Above was a pic from the first organized race I ran in Austin. It was the Schlotzkey's Bun Run in 2005. I ran the "fun run" - meaning no timing chip. I crossed the line somewhere around 37 minutes by the clock. A huge race, so I like to think I started somewhere like after 5 minutes following the gun. No matter, I had a bib on. I was a runner, again. I had last ran an organized race in 1983, at the Munich Marathon (which I also ran in 1982). Both times while I was in the Army. Fond memories of agony. And cobblestones, miles of them.

But to me, I really became a runner sometime in Feb, 1978, at Fort Bliss Texas. We had started a run during basic training, our very first. Full fatigues, and those uglier-than-all-hell black boots that weighed a ton. Wearing my black plastic birth control glasses. Running on a beach was easier. Not to mention way more scenic than Ft. Piss was. The name of my drill sergeant eludes me; we never became drinking buddies after I graduated. He did not even remember who the hell I was at graduation, which is a testament to how I learned to fly under the radar. But on this run, he sure as hell noticed me. Guys were dropping out, quitting, after less than a 1/4 mile. I figured it beat the alternative, which was of course death by running. I knew when I went in I could not run a block without getting a crazy side stitch, but I neatly evaded the fear of running as the fear of starvation trumped it. 

So here I am, standing in the sand (what else in West Texas?) and this drill sergeant snarls at me (really, snarled) "Yeah, I had you pegged as a quitter Huntley". Those words somehow burned through my very soul, and I started running again. Despite his repeatedly asking just how much money my mommy paid the US Army to take me in, I finished that run. No idea how far we ran. It is a blur to me. But it changed me forever. THAT is when I became a runner. I never dropped out of a run again, not once. I challenged myself every day to make it appear as if I ran with no effort at all. I volunteered at every opportunity to run "road guard" which meant you had to sprint ahead to every road intersection and block traffic. After the entire unit - up to a full Battalion in the later days of my career - had passed, you had to sprint to catch up and get back in front. Repeat at every road, and you get in shape fast. Perverted, and glorious at the same time. Here is another dumb schmuck like I was:

Everyone loves the idiot that volunteers for this shit!

My Battery Commander in Germany was a runner, so he loved taking us on 4 mile runs at 5am. And he was the first to encourage me to run the Munich Marathon when I discovered it was going to be on the same course that Frank Shorter had run to win Gold at the 1972 Olympic marathon. That was a long way from the guy that could not run a city block! And it all started with one, forever memorable run. By the way, I have no idea how much $ it took her to get them to let me in, but I'm so grateful...

Run for the Water 10 miler 2011 by perryhuntley@gmail.com at Garmin Connect - Details

Run for the Water 10 miler 2011 by perryhuntley@gmail.com at Garmin Connect - Details

This is a pretty cool graphical interface of more than you could possibly want to know!!

It does show exactly where and when I peed....lmao!

Hope springs eternal....

I honestly can't believe the difference a day has made in my calf issue. I was able to do an hour on the elliptical ( slower and less resistance than I normally use!)  with no pain. There is some soreness, and it still hurts somewhat to walk, but I can actually walk normally. Pushing off was impossible just yesterday morning. I'm doing the stretching exercises but I have to admit this - there is nothing I hate more than stretching exercises. BORRIIIINNNNGGGGG!

I also talked to the director of AustinFit (Jennifer Harney) and asked her for a recommendation of a sports rehab Dr that is North. She advised me to see Dr. Wagenblast at Active Sports Therapy Rehabilitation in Round Rock. I need to follow my gut instinct on this one. I did not like the clinic I went to on Monday - they felt more like a gym than a clinic, and they are closely tied into the whole Crossfit thing. It's just not for me. I did not feel they were truly listening to me, and my gut told me it was not a good fit. If there is one thing I have learned over the last several years, it's that I need to follow my gut instincts more. It will be interesting to see how this pans out. I trust Jenn to not steer me wrong. She oversees a training program designed by runners, FOR runners, that is operated and trained by runners. I've been nothing but impressed with her whole operation, so I think it's a safe bet she probably knows what she is talking about. Good to know they also take my insurance. I will probably get popped for a missed appt with Dr Tillman but so be it. 

Update - Dr Tillman called to follow up and see why I was cancelling my appt. He was certainly friendly enough, so that was cool. I did feel amazed that I can actually be assertive enough today to make a decision and stick by it, in the past I would have stayed unhappy and gone to the same Dr anyway. Makes me feel all Big Boy today!

A new challenge...

The challenge? To recover from the calf injury I sustained this weekend. In actuality this began several weeks ago, just into the first mile of my Saturday morning run with AustinFit. The course that morning was pretty hilly, and I had been running on softer trails and mostly flat surfaces. I was also operating on two incorrect assumptions, that:

• I could run through the pain as I've done with other injuries in the past. Not really so much because of ego, as from a lack of knowledge about running injuries and their causes/cures.
• My cycling fitness would translate at least as a base for running. Running in fact uses the same muscles as cycling in many cases, but uses them in completely different ways.

I have well developed calf muscles, in appearance you would not think they would be where I was prone to injury. Thinking back on the 2008 Austin Marathon, I first injured the left calf at about mile 17. I heard a pop, never a good sign unless you have that weird bubble wrap thing going on, in which case you should stay away from me! The last 9 miles of that marathon were the most agonizing hours of my life. I hobbled/shuffled/walked/stretched and jogged it till I finished. I did run the last mile, in complete agony. My running ended soon after that race, but more to a nagging plantar fascitis injury that turned me to cycling to maintain some kind of fitness. I did not give up running happily, that's for sure. But my podiatrist told me if I ever wanted to run again, I had to stop for 6 months. It was a rough day, that day I had to put the running shoes away.

So fast forward to about six weeks ago when I started running again. I was wise to start at a much slower pace than I once ran - not to mention it was a physical impossibility for me to run that fast! I was running in the high 7/ low 8 minute per mile range back in my better days, and taking 3rd in my age group several times (and winning a 10K I was the only one registered in my AG for, lol!). I really did not realize back then how good I was getting...but I was impatient and way too hard on myself. I'm smarter today. In some ways.

I was moving my long runs up about 1 mile every week, which was comfortable and I was doing fine. I had already ran 7 miles when I joined AustinFit. Their half marathon group was doing a 5.5 mile run my first weekend, and I was stunned when my calf started hurting on that first mile. I thought it was just a cramp, and I was able to finish the run. It actually started feeling better in the second half of the run, where we were mostly headed downhill. I bought my 'The Grid' foam roller that day, got correctly fitted for the right shoes, and did stretches for several days with the Grid. Things were soon just fine, and I started running within days. No pain at all. I ran the 6 /14 long run last Saturday without a hint of trouble, including sprints on a track halfway through our run. I rested a lot the last week, with only a couple of slow runs thrown in - each about 4.2 miles....

Sunday I was worried in the back of my mind about the calf. I knew the course was hilly, and it lived up to it's reputation. I ran every hill though, and I was smart about it as far as shortening my stride, and easing up the hills. But at mile 7.5 roughly I felt it instantly, like someone had jabbed a knife in my calf. The immediate dilemma was what to do - whether to keep running or not. At that point, I still thought it was a cramp. And I knew if I walked at all I was not going to be able to finish. I've thought about this a lot - I overfucking think everything - and I believe I was not just letting my ego get the best of me. I do hate the thought of ever not completing a run - but there is more to it than that. I was able to keep the pace I was running, and I actually sped up a little once I ran a little past where it started hurting. The pain lessened somewhat, and I remember thinking if it was really really bad, I would have stopped. Of course, knowing me I would have walked to the finish. I do not quit. 

I'm really glad I called the United Healthcare 24 hr nurse hotline Sunday afternoon. After getting home, the pain was significantly worse, and I was not able to put my full weight on that foot and push off without it really hurting. The nurse advised me to stretch and ice it, and to see my Primary Care Dr today asap. I was able to get into see him and he knew instantly it was the Gastrocnemius muscle. He gave me a referral to the Tillman Physical Therapy and Sports Training Center, which was cool because it was only 1/2 mile from my home. My Dr said that they treated many of the local athletes there...

My first impression was not the greatest, it's a smaller clinic and it's all open, meaning you see everyone like you're in a gym. That made me more uncomfortable than my calf. Also, it was Halloween and everyone was dressed as Pirates. I don't know about anyone else, but I had a hard time taking the Dr seriously the first few minutes. He seemed to know what he was doing though. He heated the calf and then put me on a calf stretching machine that basically had two large rollers that went under the knees. The table then moved you back and forth, and the weight of my legs over the rollers as they rolled under the calves did the work. He had me do several other stretches, and told me there was a pretty serious knot in the muscle, which he believes is torn. Not at either end, though which is good. So the prognosis was not the worst, but still bummed me out a bit. If I'm lucky and do the work, I may be able to run the 5K I have on the schedule for Nov 11th, just 10 days away. I won't risk it if he can't give me a green light, as I have the more important 1/2 marathon (13.1 miles!) coming up December 11th. That is the next - 3rd- race in the Distance Challenge, discussed in an earlier blog post and a huge goal of mine to complete.

Ultimately I am going to put my recovery in this Dr's hands and see what happens. Wish me luck!