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!

2011 Run 4 the Water 10 miler Race Report...

I look so happy here, right? This was after the race...so much more happened before this! For my own horrible memory, here are all the gory details - I'm going to warn you right now this will be a LONG report!

I was running late when I got downtown....at 5:30am. Race start: 7am. Turns out that would be very fortuitous, my time compulsion. I found out that waking up at 4am, while inherently stupid, saved my race. It may actually have been my sleep-addled brain that decided flushing a toilet that was full of water was a good idea. I immediately realized I screwed up, and lucky for me I was able to grab the plunger and avert worse damage. Murphy's Law starts my day. After a cleanup (and mopping) I was able to grab my stuff and run out the door. My legs at this point felt better than they ever have. Sad they did not stay that way!

It was perfect running weather, I'm guessing 45 degs at the start line. One hour before the race I decided to mosey (we do that still in Texas ya'll) over to the nearby Whataburger to use their men's room. Some guy was in it and I think he fell asleep on the john. I realized things were getting dicey at this point (2d time today if you get my drift) and I told him I'd really appreciate it if he could speed it up. Thank god he did is all I'm going to say about that. 20 minutes later I was headed to the start. Great atmosphere at the start! We listened to the Burundi National Anthem, and then some nameless woman - who sang very well - decided to see how long she could stretch the US National Anthem. Let's just say I don't think we started at 7am on the dot. Didn't matter, I had a good conversation with another guy at the start and off we went.

I am SO glad I left my ego at home. I was running back in 2008 at up to a 7:45 minute per mile pace (and did the Congress Avenue mile at UNDER 7 minutes), and man am I ever a LOOOOONNNNGGGG way from that! But I am grateful to AustinFit and my 10:30 pace group for helping me start at a realistic pace. I was feeling better than I ever have in a race, having a great time. I also learned a HUGE advantage for running slower - more women!! No offense ladies, it's all good. Women running at the old pace I ran were SERIOUS, and man they never said a word. Women running at 10:30 pace can still talk, and are MUCH more friendly after a few miles. 

The course was hilly, with hills at mile 3, 4, 5 and the last major one at 6. Wow that one really got my respect...my heart rate went way up on it! But I ran every hill, and I was feeling great. Loving life, little kids and puppies. At mile 7.5 roughly I was attacked by the same calf cramp I experienced two weekends ago. Man did that ever HURT! But I ran through it, and decided not to stop for water. I was well hydrated, having had to stop at about mile 5 or so to pee. Damn I hate when that happens, I need to learn not to OVER hydrate. It's a work in progress people. So the wierd thing is, I actually SPED UP the last two miles, despite a gradual uphill to the last stretch down to the finish line. I was grimacing pretty bad from mile 8 to mile 10. Sucks, because I know without that cramp I could have run much faster. And I have to just be content to know that I had a 'pure guts race' as Pre would have called it, with myself. And I won. Here is my 'watch time' calculating the running time only, sans pee break:

My new Garmin Forerunner 210

The 'official' chip time was 1:45:12 for a 10:31/mile pace, spot on what I have been training at. I loved my first race with my forerunner (210)...it has a 'current' pace setting that tells me what my pace is....and that kept me from killing myself with my fragile male ego I think! lol

My 5 mile (the 1st 5) pace was 10:33 and my overall pace was 10:31....I'm happy with that considering in the final 5 miles I had that infamous pee break and bad cramps. I still managed to run the last mile at 9:42 and the overall pace was despite the pee stop. So my overall place would not have changed, let's just say not too many men finished after I did! Still, I learned something very, very valuable today. Run for fun, analyze the numbers later, and be sure to take in the experience. The experience was a good one!!

Foot note to the cramps.....might be a calf strain. My insurance company (United Health) has a 24 hr nurse line, and she told me that I should see my primary care Dr tomorrow. Ick. Oh well, I'm going to be a good boy and hope this gets me back to health - 100% anyway, in time to train for next months 5K. 

Less than 14 hours to go. What, me nervous?

Pre race jitters. Love them. No, really I do. They remind me that I'm human. Trying not to think about it never works. Go ahead, try it. Try to NOT think about something. See? Fail.

I know I've done everything I could, short of actually running the distance. But I have no doubt I CAN do it, as long as this aging body doesn't do anything to fuck it all up. Like cramps, the dreaded C word all runners secretly fear. I've done a lot of reading lately and interestingly enough, it's rarely caused by dehydration. In fact, more runners OVER hydrate, many marathon runners in particular. They are even backtracking on the old adage of drinking before you are thirsty...and the conventional wisdom is to drink WHEN you feel thirsty. Jeez, make up our minds already! If you wait long enough, someone will figure out that smoking is good for you and that not smoking causes cancer in lab mice.

I bought a Garmin Forerunner 210 today, they were on sale and I've always wanted one. See how I just rationalized it to everyone? It was on sale. I'm a 53 year old man and fuck if I don't still feel like a little kid sometimes. Like I have to get approval from the blogosphere to spend my hard earned $. I have to admit to being a bit of a techno-nerd. Boys and their toys I guess. But hey, it's an equal opportunity obsession! Yes girls, you TOO can buy one!

This one is the lightest they make, only 1.6 lbs so it's no heavier than my regular watch actually. It's sitting in it's little charger now, and I cannot WAIT to try it out tomorrow. I can now save my routes I run for posterity's sake...and transfer them to my PC. You will all rue the day. Of course, if you're reading this you must not have a better way to spend your time, right? Or, like myself, you are fascinated by what can come out of this brain next.

So tomorrow morning, up BEFORE the ass crack of dawn. That of course means it is still dark, much like it would be if your head were up your....well, you get the picture. I am so time compulsive, always have been. Late to me means not being somewhere early enough. I actually have a very good routine down, that allows me time to eat, drive downtown, find a spot to park, meditate and worry....lol. And of course emergency porta potty time in the absolute worst case. The worst invention of man. Can't they just put them over a drain hole and VENT the damn things with electric fans? Some working AC would be nice too....

Check back tomorrow for the latest race report in all it's gory detail....and thanks for reading. I know you're out there, even if you don't comment. And that is cool. This blog is for us both....

Running Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5K!!!

Wow, am I ever LATE signing up for this. I've done this several years before and I'm really excited about it for so many reasons. Several co-workers that ran the IBM 10K a few weeks back with me are also signed up to run, and I know from experience it's a large race, and an emotional one. This year I'm running to show my support having watched Megan's mom deal with her breast cancer just last year.

It's a horrible disease and something I really do hope they find a cure for. I pray my daughter never has to go through this like her mom (Sheree) did.

Having lost my own mother to cancer in 2001 (colon), doing what I can in a tangible way to help people in our own community as well as others is important to me. It's a sad fact this disease touches someone almost all of us know personally.

If you should read this and want to donate, click here. As they say, better late than never!

"The most inspiring video you will ever watch"....

That's what the link below promised me. I was like, uh, sure. Here goes another 5 minutes surfing to a waste of my time I will never get back. To say I was blown away is an understatement. I'll admit it right here too - for those of you who are fellow "The 40 Year Old Virgin" fans...I love Coldplay, and the song Roger chose is my all time favorite of theirs. I will have a new 'Power Song' on my iPod tonight!

PLEASE....take a 5 minute time out and watch this video. Think of someone in your life that desperately needs to get healthy and needs some motivation, and forward it to them. You might help save a life. The 'ripple effect' of the good will we send out of our lives can never be fully measured.....but I believe in it.

Click here after you get the kleenex...

His website (http://www.runningformyexistence.com/home.html) has more info on this amazing man. I'm already drawing on his inspiration - tonight's workout was a joyful one. Sometimes I need to be reminded to be grateful for the simplest things, like not having to struggle to breathe every breath I take. I hope you enjoyed this as much as I have. I made a small donation to his fundraising efforts and hope to "track" his progress online at the NYC marathon Nov 6th...his # is 24589. Asics has a really cool deal where you can record a short video, and at a certain spot on the NYC marathon course, when the runners sensor passes over a mat, it triggers video messages to encourage the runner. I hope to get one recorded for him. It's really just paying it forward....