Cross Training

I get tons of emails every week from p.r. people touting the latest work-out routines and weight loss strategies.  I appreciate the interest, but the truth is, I usually read the subject line and delete them.  That's not what I write about, and not really what I'm interested in.  Nothing against the dedicated folks to enjoy those workouts.  I have a lot of respect for them.  But I'm a runner.  I like running.  For me it's not about losing weight, or looking good.  It's about getting out and pushing your body to finish your run for the day.  More power to the people who have the commitment to do those workouts.

In dealing with the foot injury that has bothered me for the last few weeks, however, I have a couple of choices.  I need to limit my running to let it get better, so I can simply not run and lose fitness, or I can do some cross-training and try to keep the fitness.  In the process, hopefully I can strenthen my core and other supporting muscles that will, theoretically, prevent future injuries.

So I chose the latter.  Although hot yoga sounds like a blast (not really so much) and sitting through a spin class can be entertaining (again, not so much), I chose to avoid the gym on what turned out to be a beautiful day.

Where I live in the western suburbs, there is a little secret workout that anyone is free to join if they dare.  There's no cost associated.  But be prepared to sweat.  And breathe hard.  And be sore the next day.  Dr. John Jevitz has been leading this workout for decades, and recently he's been joined by several sponsors and other volunteers who fill in to lead workouts when he's not there.

It's called the Hill workout.  I have written about it previously, but since the workout changes every time, based on who is leading it, I thought I'd write a little more.  The name comes from the sledding hill that is usually a focus of a good portion of the workout.  Running up and down that hill will get you in shape in a hurry.  But we do more than simple running.  We slide up sideways, run backward, and even run while pulling a partner holding a rope from behind.

Then there is the portion away from the hill on the football field.  It's a mixture of old school calisthenics, wind sprints, and agility drills you might find in a football practice.  On this day we also did some of those drills on the sand volleyball court to add another element of strength and stability.

Everyone, as I mentioned is welcome.  They've gotten near 100 people for some recent workouts.  And the group includes young athletes, as well as middle-aged folks trying to lose a few pounds.  I'm sure they do.  It's hard work.  I've never been to a boot camp workout, but I imagine it's similar.  The difference, of course, is the hill.  Bears great Walter Payton set teh NFL's all-time rushing mark thanks, in part, to the training he did running up that famous hill in Arlington Heights.

You don't have to be a football player to benefit from good old fashioned hard work, running up a hill.  I'm hoping there are benefits for older, slower, runners as well!  If you would like more information, here's a link:  http://www.hillsworkout.com/workout.html 

I combined the Hill workout with a longer bike ride later in the day, on the Prairie path.  I figured I might as well take advantage of the day.  There is definitely some cross training benefit to getting on the bike as well.  It was a little strange, however, being on two wheels riding down a path I'm used to running on.  And don't tell anyone, but I kind of enjoyed it!

In fact, even though I didn't get a run in, it turned out to be a pretty good day.  And hopefully, it will help me get back to running soon.

See you on the roads........

A Weird Feeling

After a week without running even a step, there's no other way to put it.  I felt like crap.  My body has become accustomed over the last few years to running nearly every day.  That seems to keep my whole system working efficiently, from my metabolism and heart to my mental well-being .  And without running, I started to feel bloated and bored.

But, in an effort to try to let the swelling in my right ankle go down, I took some time off, used plenty of ice, and anti-inflamation medicine.  By Sunday, a after a full week off, it still wasn't 100%, but I couldn't take it anymore.  I had to get back out there.

Last weekend was one of the best racing weekends of the year.  There were great races from the Wisconsin marathon and half, to the Indy mini, a half marathon that includes a lap on the race track.  There were plenty of good choices in the Chicago area as well both on Saturday and Sunday.  I was hoping to get a long run in Saturday, including the 'Run to Remember' 5k at Soldier field for three of the miles.  In the interest of letting my foot recover however, I skipped the race and took the day off.  But by Sunday, in a nod to my ethnic background, and love of the race, I could resist no longer.   So I drove out to Montrose Harbor for the 2nd annual 'Cinco de Miler'.

RAM Racing started this concept last year as a way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with a fun race and great party afterward featuring Mexican food and cerveza.  I love seeing the colorful shirts in the race, as well as some of the costumed runners and even fans in their Sombreros. 

About  5000 runners signed up for the race, which a RAM spokesman says was an increase of about 70% from a year ago.  That's despite changing locations and dates.  Unfortunately, Montrose harbor can be a little difficult to get to when police block the roads for a race.  I drove around for literally a half hour before eventually finding a parking spot about a mile away on the west side of Lake Shore Drive.  It made for a good warm-up, but was not so good for my being able to make it to the start line on time.  I arrived just as the runners in the 'A' corral started the race. 

My original starting spot happened to be in the 'A' corral, but fortunately, there were plenty of other corrals, and I was not intent on doing much other than running easy during the race.  So it really made little difference when or where I started.  And that turned out to be fortunate, as I happened upon my friend Chris Dell about the 2nd mile, and we ran the final three miles together. 

Chris is training for an Ironman Triathlon in a couple months, and is a good athlete.  So it was fun to run with him for a while, rather than focus on racing, as I would normally do.  I didn't really pay any attention to my watch, other than to help Chris keep the pace he wanted to run.  I'm not sure about my finishing time either.  I was just glad to be able to get back out there.

Unfortunately, my ankle began to hurt again pretty quickly, and I tried to get ice on it as soon as I got back home.  It's a difficult challenge for a lot of runners who can't stand being away from their sport, and often rush back too quickly from injury.  I know this, but I find myself doing it anyway.  I'll keep you posted.

I also want to give a shout out to a fun, small race in my hometown.  The Streamwood Stride is coming up in about a month, on June 9th.  They offer 5k and 10k distances, and I really enjoyed going back home for it a couple years ago.  These days it's also hard to find a good 10k.  www.streamwoodparkdistrict.org

In the meantime, happy Cinco de Mayo! 

See you on the roads......

 

 

Injury Time Out!

  I suppose the timing is probably pretty good.  I have gone four days in a row without running so far this week,  and that's likely to continue for several more days.  Until this week, I hadn't skipped more than a day for several years now.  It feels strange.  But the alternative is probably worse. 

It's all because I failed to listen to my own advice, and the advice of the experts at Loyola medical center.  Over the weekend, I ran the Drake Relays half marathon, despite pain in my right ankle that had me limping for a couple days before.  There's no defense for my decision.  But I really wanted to run it.  I'm a Drake Alum, and this was the 25th anniversary of the first marathon I ran, which was at Drake.  They changed the distance to a half several years ago.  I was planning on joining my former Drake teammate in the race, so I figured I would just do it and pay the consequences later.

I did, and now I am.

Coincidently, just a few days earlier, I had the pleasure of meeting the folks at the Loyola Sports Medicine and Rehab Running Clinic.  Physical Therapist John Ragonese put me through the paces, literally.  He performed a whole series of tests that included evaluations of strength and flexibility for all the muscles, joints, and bones used while running.

  The evaluation is thorough, to say the least.  He poked, prodded, and stretched me just about everywhere.  But that was just the warm-up.  After all that was done, he put me on the treadmill for a couple miles, while he shot video from just about every angle.  He focused on my foot plant, my midsection, arm swing,  posture from behind and the side, and head position.

We then watched the video in slow motion, freezing the shot at times so he could illustrate a point. 

The clinic is intended for runners of all types and abilities.  The evaluation is intended to help healthy runners become more efficient, and less injury prone.  For injured runners, they can help determine the cause of the injury, and how to avoid it in the future.  In my case, they were able to look at my swollen right ankle and watch as I favored it while walking and running. 

Ragonese was able to show how my foot strike was pretty normal, and my stride generally pretty good.  His advice was to try to increase my cadence, or stride.  in other words, shorten my stride, but increase the turnover.  This allows me to land mid-foot, with my body centered over the landing spot, rather than extend the stride and land more on my heel. 

This significantly helps distribute the impact of landing throughout the body, rather than isolating parts of the foot.  It also helps you avoid inadvertently 'braking' as you overstride and much of the impact of landing is absorbed by the knee.

That's good advice for avoiding injury.  If you are already having problems, like I was, his advice,  was to take a break, and let the inflamation die down for a while.  So much for that. 

I was signed up for the Ravenswood run on Sunday, and was planning on coming back from Des Moines Saturday after the Drake Relays, in time to enjoy that neighborhood race.  Needless to say, that didn't happen.  And this weekend's races that are on my calendar, The Run to Remember on Saturday, and the Cinco de Miler on Sunday, are now in doubt.

And after all that good information and advice from Loyola, I have noone to blame but myself!

See you on the roads.... eventually....

Fools Run at Midnight!

It's one of those events that sounds like a blast.  A 5k at midnight?  Fun!  Count me in!  Then life gets in the way.  The spouse has other plans.  Or there are the kids activities early the next morning.  You name it.  There are a million good excuses why it's just not practical to drive an hour away to run a small race at midnight.  I found a couple that kept me from trying this race for the last few years.  But this year, I finally decided to put the excuses aside and just go out there are run it.

As you can see from the picture above, a few of my friends joined in the fun.  It was a long ride for all of us, out to what seemed like 'the sticks'.  Coal City is generally near Kankakee.  It seems like charming small town where everybody knows everybody.  The race begins and ends in front of Babe's Tap in downtown Coal City.  Downtown seemed to be a block long stretch, so finding the race was relatively easy.  You just had to look for the lights, and the Caped Crusaders or any one of a number of other costumed runners.

Honestly, I thought my biggest challenge in doing the race would be to find a babysitter willing to start at 10pm and work until about 2:30am!  But, apparently that's not a big deal to the high school girl down the street.  So my next big challenge was to try to stay awake, when I was yawning at 9:30 that night.

Somehow I managed to make it there ready to run.  Sort of.  My friends who are veterans of this race were in the spirit of the event, complete with a cooler of beer that we broke into before warming up.  That's not my usual pre-race routine by a long stretch, but what the heck.  I had no great expectation of running fast.  This was for fun!

It was also chilly. I never even took off my sweats. But promptly at Midnight, we were off.  We were out of the lights of the downtown area in less than a minute, and I found myself running in the dark, hoping not to run into anything or anyone!  

I expected to take it easy and jog, but I was cold, and found myself running fast just to keep warm!  I heard the first mile split, which was at least :30 faster than I expected.  Go figure.  My friend Wojo, who won this race a number of years ago, was long gone ahead of me.  But as we hit the halfway mark and turned around, I could see there weren't too many people ahead of me.

So I figured I might as well give it some effort on the way back in and see how it wound up.  The second mile split was about ten seconds faster than the first mile, and I still felt good.  At that point, I figured I might as well push hard to the finish.  That's where the beer was after all!

I crossed the line and forgot to stop my watch, but I'm pretty sure the time was about 21 minutes, which is not all-out race pace, but it's a good effort for me under the circumstances.

Wojo was almost a minute ahead of me, but was more interested in rooting on his son Maverick, who was finishing his first ever race.  He looked good, and I know Wojo was much more proud of his son's effort than the fact that Dad won his age group!

 

We did get a celebratory beer after the finish.  And it tasted good at 1am!  But we had a long ride ahead to get back home, and that reality struck us fairly quickly.  Despite the fact I had a friend who had nothing to drink driving back, I settled for one, and we called it a night.

But not before thanking the tons of new friends we made in Coal City. And promising not to let 'life' get in the way of coming back.  Heck, runs like this are what it's all about.

See you on the roads......

A Hot One!

It is the most historic, prestigious, and famous marathon in the world.  But the Boston marathon is still subject to all the variables that other races deal with.  I've run it twice, and endured cold, rainy conditions once, and near ideal weather the second time.  For runners who made the trek this year, it was truly a memorable race because of record heat!

According to my friend Dan Daly, the Boston Athletic Association, which hosts the race, sent out numerous dire warnings to runners in the days and hours leading up to the race.  Temperatures were forecast to be in the mid-80's, and it was potentially dangerous.  The B.A.A even made the unprecedented offer to allow runners to defer their entry for a year and run next year without having to qualify again.

Fewer than 400 runners actually took them up on the offer.  Dan tells me he wishes he had been one of them.  I ran a couple training runs with Dan and his training group from Fleet Feet Sports over the last couple months, and I know they were in good shape.  He was hoping to run about 3:20 for this, his 18th Boston marathon.

Instead, he finished in 3:55.  The actual temperature hit the upper 87 with no cloud cover.  The race, which starts in the mid-morning, and generally finishes in the early afternoon began under the 'red' flag signifying severe weather conditions.  It was Dan's slowest marathon ever.  But he finished without stopping to walk, something he was proud of.  Even for the leaders, many of whom were from the heat of Kenya, it was brutal.  The winning time was about eight minutes slower this year than last.

Dan tells me the famed Boston fans were incredible along the route, offering water, ice cubes, and popsicles to runners.  Dan's first half was pretty close to the pace he hoped to run, but the second half turned into a really difficult ordeal.  He says he felt like he was giving enough effort to run 7 minute/mile pace, but in reality was running much slower.

Many of us can relate.  I've run a number of really hot, humid races, and they are no fun.  The infamous Chicago marathon that was cancelled in 2007 comes to mind, as does the 13.1 race last year, which was also stopped.  Temperatures were in the upper 80's for both races, and I ran horribly in both races.  I find as I get older, heat and humidity are not my friends.

So I feel for my friends who ran in Beantown, but congratulate them nevertheless.  Now it's time to turn their attention to recovery, and the rest of the racing season.   And for Dan in particular,  I expect he will start to concentrate on the Ragnar Madison to Chicago 200 mile relay in June.  He's the captain of the 12 person master's team I am running with.

I've written about my experiences with this race in the past.  This will be the 5th time I've run it, and it's always a blast.  Now is the time to get your team together and sign up if you are interested.  One of their organizers sent me some fun facts about the race that I am listing below. 

In the meantime, see you on the roads.....

• Ragnar Relay Series is the largest relay running series in the world.
• Teams of 12 share two vans and run 200 miles together over two days, through day and night and into the next day
• It's a race of logistics, fun and partying
• It has grown from a single race in 2004 to 15 races across 18 states in 2012
• Ragnar anticipates nearly 70,000 participants in its races this year
• Ragnar Chicago is in its second year. It used to be an independent run - the MC20
• In 2011, Ragnar Chicago had 356 teams and over 3500 runners.  
• Race officials expect to have 475 teams and more than 4700 runners in 2012, an increase of nearly 35%.
• Prior to Ragnar's involvement, the last MC200 event had 221 teams.

Here's a Facebook page created just for this event with some participant stories, etc. -- http://www.facebook.com/events/170997362994677/

Quiz Time

Prize alert!  Read to the end for a chance at a free entry to the 13.1 race on June 9th!

I'm not sure I can remember a better stretch of weather for running than the last week.  It's been just about perfect.  Race Directors around the area would love to have scheduled their events during this time, I'm sure. 

So how did I take advantage of this bonus spring treat?  By running, of course.  As some of my friends prepare for the Boston marathon and other races this weekend, I've been just enjoying care-free miles.  I've got a couple races coming up beginning at the end of the month, but nothing that requires heavy duty training.

And judging by the crowded path at Waterfall Glen last weekend, I was in good company.   Runners were out in big numbers early in the season, and that may be reflected in fast times at races over the next few months.

 

One of those races is looking for better weather than last year for sure.  I really enjoyed the 13.1 race last June.  It runs along the Lakefront path, starting and ending on the south side.  Unfortunately, the weather was a little too warm last year, and they had to stop the race because of concern for safety, after about an hour and a half.

I recall slowing my pace considerably to compensate for the heat.  I finished a couple minutes after they turned off the timing clocks. I didn't realize at the time, but it was serious.  Tragically, one runner died during the race.

It seemed like a well-organized race, and a fun post-race party.  They deserve cooler temperatures this year.  And if you would like to register, here's a link: http://www.131marathon.com/Chicago/

But if you'd like a shot at a free entry, I can help!  In honor of the Boston Marathon Monday, I am offering an entry to the first person to correctly post the answers the questions in the following quiz.  Post the answers in the comments section at the end.

1. Who were the two top finishers who competed in the infamous 'Duel in the Sun' Boston race in 1982?

2. Last year's Boston race was the fastest marathon in history, but was not considered a world record.  Who won, and why was it not recognized as a world record?

3. Who was the top American female runner at last year's Boston marathon?

Good luck!

Meantime, the folks from RAM Racing are improving their half marathon race on the north shore.  Here's the latest press release for your reading enjoyment:  See you on the roads....

 

North Shore Half Marathon Making Major Changes to This YearsRace

In 2011 The North Shore 1/2 Marathon went from being a local race to world class event, attracting elite runners with a $10,000 prize purse.  In it's 33rd year the event brought over 30 elite athletes representing 13 nations to battle it out for the prize purse.

2012 RAM Racing has sweetened the pot even more, making the North Shore 1/2 a true runners race.  Above and beyond the $10,000 prize purse, this year North Shore 1/2 is offering $500 to the top male and female finishers from Illinois, giving them the opportunity to walk away with $3000 if they are the overall winner.

"It's a step towards making the North Shore 1/2 an event that attracts elites from around the world. but also helping to support the local running community as well"  said Brandon Presern, RAM Racing, Race Director.

Travel reimbursement and gift certificates to Running Away Multisport for elite and age group runners are also a part of the new North Shore prize package.

" Every thing we do, we do with the thought of adding to the overall experience of the runners," says Presern. "From the elites to the first time 5K runner, we are always working to make sure that at the end of the day, they cross the finish line safely, but also have a great experience."

Every runner will get an North Shore 1/2 branded "track" jacket and 1/2 finishers will also get finishers medals.

Bringing a 1/2 Marathon to the Northern suburbs is something that Presern and his team look forward to every year. " It's a great course, and a different course 1/2 or 5K runners get to step away from the usual fair of the lake front path and run through an amazing part of our city.  It's beautiful, challenging and historic."

The post race party will have a live band, kid zone and plenty of food for participants of both distance races.

Registration is still available online at  http://www.northshorehalf.com/

 

Cross Training to Half Marathon

Hello, I'm Christine Garcia.  John and I are swapping blogs this week.  John spent Spring Break with our daughters, and I am working in Dallas, Texas. If you want to hear about John's adventures with our kids check out my blog. Today's Chicago Woman Magazine, Play Dates and Power Lunches.  

A few months ago, John jokingly tossed a magazine across the table urging me to read an article that talks about how people use cross training as a way to improve runs, and some train and run long distance by biking, doing yoga and strength training.

As I was reading, I couldn’t really imagine that my twice weekly spinning classes, new love of the Daily Method classes, hot yoga and boot camp class (which incorporates weights and cardio) would help me run a half marathon without even doing much running.

Fast forward about a month while I was sitting across from Dan Cruz, the Marketing and Publicity Director for Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon series. He asked me if I would like to run the Dallas Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon, Sunday, March 25^th, which was just two days away. 

I said yes, before I really thought about what I was agreeing to do.

I haven’t run more than 9 miles and that was over a month ago. I didn’t put in the months of training as I had in years past. In fact the last half marathon I ran was between my second and third child (I have four girls). So all in all it has been over four years since I’ve run or trained for let alone run a half marathon.

I wasn’t very nervous, and didn’t really put much thought behind it until I went to pick up my race packet. The expo was booming with excited runners. Some seasoned runners, others giddy for their first half.

It dawned on me that I should get some GU, so I found the booth and started searching for my favorite flavor.  Before I had time to ask where the berry flavor I loved so much ten years ago, a woman walked over and asked the man behind the counter if Hammer Gel happened to be at the expo. He quickly responded “if you prefer a less superior product, then yes a vendor here is selling it” She responded “We’ll you know the number one rule, don’t change anything on race day” I had to laugh, since I didn’t have a routine, or a game plan for that matter.  I selected three GU flavors, and figured it really didn’t matter.

I did manage to squeeze in a few “runner” traditions, including eating pasta the night before and getting plenty of rest.

The race started at 8 a.m. at the Dallas Convention Center. The course was amazing, which brought us through the streets of Downtown Dallas, near where Kennedy was shot, through the tree lined streets dotted with mansions in Highland Park, and past churches where entire congregations came out to cheer us on. 

The streets were lined with many well-wishers and the most important part, to make it the true Rock n’ Roll signature event, the bands which ranged from some of the best Texas country bands, rock n’ roll, jazz and blues bands.

I was enjoying the scenery, the people I was running with and enjoying seeing areas I haven’t noticed from the perspective of a runner before. Everything was smooth, as I passed mile 9, the longest distance I’ve run in years. I passed it, as I passed the 10, 11 (hey, GU was on the course, so I grabbed another one which really helped fuel my run!) and then passed the 12-mile marker. 

Mile 13 was in my sights, as I began to cramp up a little,  I saw the Ferris wheel at Fair Park and I knew the finish was right around the corner and I was excited to finish, and finish strong.

I crossed the finish line with a smile, and weaved through the finish line corral lined with medals, wet towels, fruit and the usual post-race fare. The complimentary massages helped loosen up my legs and I was still grinning from ear to ear.

My finishing time wasn’t the best, no where near a PR, but considering that I was putting my cross training workouts to the test, and I finished, I really am not about to complain.

So now, I will return to my cross-training classes and strength training, knowing that if put to the test, yes, it will get you through a half marathon.  Just not very fast!

for the record, I’m not in a hurry to prove it again anytime soon.

If you are interested in running the X Sport Fitness Rock n’ Roll Chicago Half
visit www.competitor.com, and use discount code ‘Runningnewsguy’  and save $10, plus if you register before April 1, 2012 you will receive the early registration discount. 

 

Shuffle on Down!

I tend to be pretty relaxed before races these days.  I don't get nervous very often anymore.  Heck, it seems like I run a race nearly every weekend once the season starts.  But for several days before the Shamrock Shuffle I had that familiar 'butterflies in the stomach' feeling, knowing the annual 8k barnburner was just about upon us. and I wanted to run well.

It's one thing to run a five mile race (8k actually).  It's quite another to run it downtown with 40,000 other entrants, and lead a team of 10 other media members hoping to with the inaugural media challenge! 

The media challenge involved myself and two other 'team captains' who drafted teams from a pool of about 30 Chicago media members who had signed up for the race.  At stake was the opportunity to have Bank of America and Nike donate $10,000 to the Park District in our name.  We also get a trophy, and (perhaps most importantly) bragging rights.

The most important element in trying to win the challenge, in my mind, was the draft.  I did a little homework on some of the runners, and even though I picked last, managed to snag the best runner in the pool, Jonathan Cain from Chicago Athlete magazine.  I also managed to get some fast women from various media outlets.  I figured if I ran well, I'd hold up my end of the bargain.  But I was pleasantly surprised to find a couple of other teammates I hadn't met before who expected to run the same pace as me.  This was looking good! 

Contrary to my usual custom, I got downtown early and warmed up a little before the race with a couple of my regular running partners who were also running the race.  They are all much faster than me, and I wish I could have drafted them for the media team!

Thanks to the media challenge, we were able to start right at the front of the race, with the elite runners.  Most of us were more worried about getting run over from behind once the gun went off than anything else.  I was concerned about getting too caught up with the faster runners early and pushing the pace faster than I needed to go.  I did that the week before, at the March Madness half marathon and paid for it during the much slower last few miles.

As it turned out, I was a few seconds slower than I wanted at the first mile marker.  But that was good.  The weather was just about ideal, and I went with the flow as we started to head south on State Street past the ABC-7 studios.  By the second mile I seemed to have made up a couple seconds, and I settled into that pace for the rest of the race.

As I pushed up Columbus Drive I could see the clock ahead and realized I was right about the time I wanted to be at, 34:00.  I crossed the line about 34:08, and almost immediately saw two of the media teammates I'd drafted.  Jonathan Cain had finished almost five minutes earlier and was long gone.  But my my calculations, that meant our team had the first four finishers among the media runners, which seemed to bode pretty well for our chances.

And that turned out to be the case, as we won the challenge, averaging a time about two minutes faster than the runner-up.  I never got to celebrate after the race, as the duties of fatherhood were calling me back home quickly.  But I am very proud of my new teammates, and hope to celebrate with them soon, maybe at another race.

Maybe the next race will be a little more low-key.  I'm ready to take it easy for a few days, now that the butterflies are gone!

See you on the roads......

 

 

March Madness Indeed!

Last year it was cold and rainy.  And that was considered a pretty good year for the March Madness half marathon in Cary.  This quirky little race has a long tradition of being run in snow, rain, cold, sleet and whatever else mother nature can dream up.  I've run it 4 or 5 times and can recall wearing long sleeves, gloves, and a hat on several occasions.

But Sunday's race was a new one on all of us.  I walked out of the house to a pretty comfortable temperature, but immediately noticed the air seemed heavy with humidity. That only got worse as the starting time for the race approached.

If you are unfamiliar with the March Madness race, affectionately also known as the 'Cary Half', it has quite a history.  It's also quite popular.  Registration opens at 6am on New Year's eve, and closes about ahalf hour later,  with the thousand or so spots filled.  It is a favorite of runners training for the Boston Marathon a few weeks later.  And it is filled with plenty of fast, competitive area runners.

And why do people clamor to run this race?  Beats me.  It is hilly, and tough.  As I mentioned, the weather is usually awful.  And it's a pretty good drive for many Chicago area runners to get to the far northwest suburbs

In fact, every year I've run it, I've vowed would be the last time.  So much for that.  My friend Tom loves the race, and made sure I was signed up at that early hour on New Year's eve a few months ago.  Thanks Tom!

Really though, it's a great event, and it draws really good runners from around the area.  It is the polar opposite of the big race this coming weekend, the Shamrock Shuffle, that unofficially kicks off the Chicago running season for the masses.  And the sun was shining, with no rain or snow as we started the race.  

The warm temperature probably contributed to my going out too fast.  I wanted to run about 7:30/mile pace.  Instead my friend Bob and I went out for the first three miles averaging 7:15.  That would be fine if I was having a great day.  I was not.  I know this race well enough to remember that the first few miles are pretty easy, downhill. After that, you start hitting the uphill portions.  And there are plenty of them.  

A year ago, I ran the course in 1:39 something, and felt good.  I also started out closer to my goal pace.  Sunday, I miscalculated badly, and paid for it.  I managed to finish in 1:42, but it was a very long last three miles.  There are three big hills starting just before mile ten, and continuing through a subdivision before you head for the finish line at the High School.  Every year I enter the subdivision just hoping to survive until the end.

This year, I barely did.  After crossing the line, I saw a friend who started to talk to me, sharing a story.  I didn't hear a word she said, as I was deep in oxygen debt, and feeling like my body wanted nothing more than to collapse onto the cement parking lot.  Fortunately, I was able to stay on my feet, gather my things and get a cup of coffee.  The caffeine must have helped, because I felt more like myself within a few minutes.  

I walked back to my car, passing the other runners still finishing.  I have to say, most looked just as beat as I felt.  It was a long walk back to the parking lot where I had parked, and it allowed me to reflect on the race a little.  And to vow that I really don't need to do it any more.  Really. 

I'm sure I'll be remembering that vow as next New Year's eve as I find myself signing up again.  For us runner's, a little amnesia is probably essential.

See you on the roads.......

 

Discretion is the Better Part of Valor

If you have been running for very long, the chances are pretty good that you have experienced an injury.  As you build up your miles in preparation for a marathon, you suddenly start feeling a tender hamstring, or something in your knee doesn't feel right.  It happens to all of us.  For a non-contact sport, running can be pretty brutal for injuries.

Experts will tell you that's because it's not really a non-contact sport.  Our feet are pounding the pavement with tremendous force for hours at a time, jarring our joints, muscles, and bones from our toes to our shoulders.  It takes a toll.

In just the small group of guys I run with on weekends, at least half of us are currently dealing with an injury ranging from a minor irritation that is going to have to be addressed eventually, to a foot issue that has sidelined our friend Wojo for the last few weeks, while he was trying to train to run a fast half marathon in may.

I'm pretty healthy at the moment (knock on wood) and have been able to run without interruption for the last several years.  But my experience with plantar faciitis a decade ago was serious enough to give me a healthy dose of understanding about how not to deal with injuries.  It was a hard-earned lesson, that many of my running friends are still trying to learn.

I was training pretty seriously for the Chicago marathon, but had been experiencing increasingly serious pain in my heel for some time.  I ignored it.  In fact, I continued to run, increasing my mileage, just hoping and expecting it would go away.  Eventually I went to see a doctor about it, and she smartly advised me to take some time off to let it recover, and let the inflamation die down. 

 

Of course, I ignored her advice.  I ran through it, gobbling ibuprofin several times a day, and hobbling like an 85 year old man when I got out of bed in the morning.  And when the race was over, I not only missed my goal time by a few minutes, but I found that I had done serious damage to my heel.  It required two different surgeries, and kept me from running for more than eight months.  It was the longest layoff I'd ever experienced.  And it was very difficult psychologically.

That's why when my friend Mike Rosen, a 2:54 marathoner, told me his feet were hurting during our run last weekend, I agreed with his assessment that he shouldn't push it.  We were at Waterfall Glen, and he had planned to go about 18 miles.  I finished the first lap with him and was done.  He went out for the second half, but texted me later that he decided it wasn't worth it and turned around after another mile or so. 

He said the 'old Mike' would have toughed his way through it, and likely would have found himself with a more serious injury.  The problem is that we are taught from an early age, 'no pain, no gain'.  Actually, pain can be a good indication that we need to ease up and let the pain go away before continuing.  Otherwise there will really be no gain.

It serves as a good reminder to all of us.  There's no reason to push through injuries.  Most of us aren't getting paid to run.  We do it because we love it.  And if we keep doing it while we're injured, we might find ourselves on the sidelines for a while.