Hope To Run Again Before End Of The Year

I took the last four days off from running.  I was planning on a full week off.  But last night I had a dream, which I can only remember a second or two of.  I was running, somewhere, a very easy pace.  But most importantly there was no pain.  So that is what I did tonight.  I ran so slow I need to remove the word "fast" from this blog.  But I did not hurt, except a little over the last 1/4 mile.  I may skip a day and try this again.  All depends on the leg though.

Also, while I have never experienced Utah's inversion, the pollen here has been awful this week.  While running tonight I could see it blowing under the streetlights.  It looked like a fine powdery snow.  I do not think it had any effect except for dry and itchy eyes when I was done.

Afternoon -

1000 yards swimming - 19:11 - mix of breast, back, and free.

7 miles on bike - 26:30 - rode to the pool and back

Evening - 3.1 miles - 8:39(1), 8:28(1), 8:33(1.1) - 25:40 (8:17 avg.)

Swim - 500 yards - 9:41 - mix of breast and free

Cut my swimming short because I decided to run a few miles on the treadmill.  But after a 1/2 mile my leg started to ache.  I decided to stop.  One problem I am having is once it just starts to have little or no pain,  I run  a few times then it all comes back.  I need to rest more run less I guess.

I am also going to make another appointment, but with a different doctor.  There is a new orthopedic in town who is supposed to have a background in sports med.

Pool was being used by some kids from a school.  So I decided to jump on the treadmill.  Ran 4 miles.  Leg did begin to ache over last mile.  Also the 7:00 mile in the middle was difficult for me.  Everyday my fitness suffers.  I made an appointment with a new doctor.  But he only works in our town 2 weeks a month.  So have to wait 15 days until I see him.

Treadmill - 4 miles - (1.5) 11:15, (1) 7:00, (1.5) 11:15 - (4) 29:30

6.2 - 46:26 - 7:29 avg.

Splits - 7:40, 7:43, 7:11, 6:59, 8:01, 7:26, 1:26 (.2)

I walked about 200 yards after I was done.  Then I was going to jog home.  Three steps into it my leg really hurt bad.  Ice and Ibuprofen, then go to work 4 to 12 shift.  I am sure it will stiffen up riding in the car tonight.

My cardio felt a little better on this run.  Of course my leg still hurt.  It does feel better after a mile or so.  But it never quite goes away.  I have noticed something after my last two runs that I am not sure about.  My left foot is scraping the inside of my ankle on my right leg.  It was tender after Friday's run, and had a spot of blood after todays.  It is my left quad that is hurting.  I have been feeling my form has changed due to this.  My right calf is usually tight lately after running as well.  I might have to start wearing a band-aid on my ankle or I will end up looking like Curt Schilling of the Redsox a few years ago.

5 miles - 36:57 - (1) 7:48, (2) 14:39, (1) 7:23, (1) 7:06 - 7:23 avg.

I forgot to get my split at the 2 mile mark.  But I would guess it was close to my mile 1 pace and my 3rd mile was a bit faster.

I just wanted to average around 7:30 today and did not intend to pick it up so much over the last mile.  For as long as I can remember, at least in recent years, I have always ran faster splits on the back end of my workouts.  After reading some blogs and getting good feedback I need to try working harder in the middle of my workouts and relaxing in the beginning and end.

And finally, I passed my my Dad in my 1st and 4th miles.  He was out for his daily walk.  On the 4th mile he commented "don't hurt yourself."  He knows about my leg and he may have seen something in my form.  But this is definitely not what he would have said in my high school years.  Back then one of his favorite quotes was from Rocky IV.  "No Pain, No Pain."

Happy Easter !

Went to the pool and forgot schools were out for Spring Break.  Too many teenagers, mommies, and kiddies to swim today.  I really wanted to get in a swim since I have not been since Wednesday.  But this gives more time for my swimmer's ear to go away.

Went ahead and got on the treadmill.  Was going to do 4miles at an 8:00 pace, but the leg was hurting bad.  I stopped at 2.  Got on the Airdyne for 38 seconds and realized this was causing pain too.  I did not want to give my leg any other reasons to hurt.  So I stopped.  This is the first time pedaling has hurt.  It might only be because I just got off the treadmill.  But I'm guessing some of the same thigh muscles that hurt when running are used in pedaling.  Will go to the pool earlier tomorrow.  Maybe a nice relaxing walk too.

No Run Today - leg hurt while walking normally so I will not push it.

So instead I swam with both more effort and distance than usual.  I tried throwing in some intervals with a short rest in between.  I had not done any workouts like this in about a year when I was training for the triathlon.  Arms and legs felt a little burn at times.  And sometimes it just did not seem to be enough oxygen in the building to satisfy my lungs I was breathing so hard.  I am happy with my effort, but would rather be running.

2000 yards (1.13 mile) - 37:20:31 total

500 - (250 fr / 250 br) - warm up - 10:22:61

5 X 100 I.M. - 60 sec. rest in between - 1:41:78, 1:43:08, 139:43, 1:38:67, 1:36:16

2 X 50 butterfly - 60 sec. rest in between - 45:02, 45:12

2 X 50 backstroke - 30 sec. rest in between - 56:65, 57:45

2 X 50 breaststroke - 30 sec. rest in between - 55:30, 52:49

2 X 50 freesstyle - 30 sec. rest in between - 39:01, 34:79

600 - (200fr/200br/200fr) - cool down - 12:12:75

The butterfly's were tough on me the second 25 yds of each.  Barely could raise my arms out of the water.  And my form in backstroke is still as bad as it always has been.  My last 50 free interval I went all out.  I wish I could find my times from last year to compare it too.

Swimming - 1000 yards - 16:57:02 total

300 - free - 5:13:59

2 X 100 i.m. - 1:37:15, 1:34:49 - 60 sec. rest in between

2 X 50 breast - 50:70, 48:97 - 30 sec. rest in between

2 X 50 free - 35:25, 34:97 - 30 sec. rest in between

300 - 100fr/100br/100fr - 5:41:90

A lot of teenagers in the pool.  Water was choppy......for a pool.

Run - 5 miles - 38:31

Splits - 8:20, 7:59, 7:27, 7:32, 7:13

Took 1st mile slow and easy.  Leg was feeling ok on the 2nd mile so I decided I could pick up the pace.  I thought I felt good the last 3 miles.  But when I got home my wife said she drove right by me and I did not see her.  She said I did not  look to good.  Oh well, we cannot always look pretty while working out.

I think I get in a rut with my pace.  I started slow on purpose, but even when I tried to pick up the pace it seemed hard for me to get going.  Not sure if this means anything or just mental.

Felt my foot kick my ankle a couple of times.  But this time it did not break open the scab that is there from my last two runs.

Leg hurt this morning.  Could not go to the pool today, too many other things to do.  I push mowed the grass today for a little over 2 hours.  Leg hurt some.  I did try to run, but after .25 I knew there was some "real" pain.  Looks like I can run without pain with 1 or 2 days rest between runs.  After my race on the 21st, there will be some much needed time off.  But not too much time off....I hope.

Got a comment from Sasha telling me to slow down while my leg heals, actually it was the 2nd time he told me.  Today I figured I would really take it easier.  Running slower did not make my leg hurt nearly as bad.  Of course this is common sense and I do not know why I have always tried to push every run.  I did read his comment at work this afternoon and thought he said run about an 8:10 pace.  But when I checked later he had said 8:30. So I still messed up a little.

I was planning to go 6 miles at 8:10.  The leg and I were holding up good.  So at the 4 mile mark I turned around and decided to make it an 8 mile run.

My splits were - 8:16, 8:06, 8:02, 7:50, 7:35, 7:47, 7:45, 7:52 - 1:03:16 - 7:54 avg.

The 4th mile is a downhill grade and when I turned around I had to go uphill.  I felt like I gave more effort on this mile (5).  At 6 miles I felt good and was glad I decided to go 8.  But on the 7th it all changed.  This has more hills than the other miles.  At the end of 7 I was only a short walk form my house, and strongly considered stopping.  But I pushed on.  When I was done I was both mentally and physically tired.  But the good news is leg pain was not that bad.

I had read an earlier post from Sasha talking about needing more sleep.  I cannot speak as well on the science of this like he can, but I too have the same problem.  I work a swing shift schedule.  Basically it is 7 days in a row, with a couple days of and a long weekend each month.  Our shifts are 12am-8am, 4pm-12am, then 8am-4pm.  When switching to and from the Midnight shifts my body has a hard time adjusting.  Upset stomachs, poor sleeping, change in appetite, and sometimes diarrhea.  My swimming and running workouts always seem more difficult the first couple of days during a transition.  But more sleep is the key.  The more I get on my off days, the better I feel when I start a new week.

Ugh.  Stomach virus.  Feel bad.  Missed work.  No workout today.  Ughhh.

Stomach virus is gone !  It passed through very quickly.  Appetite was back to normal.  Maybe a little weakness, but not too much.

Today it was very windy and rainy.  Ran 4 miles at a good pace.  I am tired of complaining about my "slow" pace lately.  The fact is with limited running due to my hurt leg, this is really about all I can do.  But I WILL get better.  I will still mention how my leg feels just as way to keep a record of it.  Hopefully it will not be too long before I never mention it again.

4 miles - 31:15 - 8:17, 7:52, 7:57, 7:09 - 7:48 avg.

I absolutely did not intend on picking it up on the last mile.  I was thinking about an upcoming race.  I plan on just using it as a training run.  But I was wondering what I would do, or be able to do, if I was near a group of people on the last mile.  Would I be able to stay with them?  Pass them ? Let them go ?  Then the run was over and I was suprised to see a 7:09 on the last mile.  This was done without any extra effort.

It probably sounds silly to the runners in more competitive areas, but the last 5K run around here was won with a 21 something.  This race is a first time run.  If only locals show up it will probably be the same results.  It is hard to tell how many, if any, others come from other places.  I guess I will just see how things go and hope my leg lets me run well.

I had told myself to stop making this Scott's Complaining Blog and had high hopes of good workouts today.  My leg was hurting while walking all day.  So I already knew I may I have to skip my run.  But I was happy to go to the pool since I had not been in several days.  Swimming felt fine until a little after the midway point of the workout.  I got a cramp in the arch of my right foot.  It lasted less than a minute and I was able to resume.  Then on the last 25 yards I got a bad toe cramp in my right foot.  I tried to massage it away while in the pool.   But I could see where my toes had spread out similiar to the Vulcan hand signal for "Live Long and Prosper."  Then when I hopped onto the side of the pool my left calf cramped up.  It only lasted about 30 seconds or so, but it really hurt.  Now it is still a little tender to the touch. 

So instead of running I walked on the treadmill for about 10 minutes then went home.  I am guessing the cramps are from some dehydration ffrom the stomach virus.  I spent almost all day in court and did not intake any fluids.  And my urine is still dark.

Anyway, it still felt good to swim again, and I should be able to run tomorrow.  Alternating days has been working well for my leg.  So I am really not complaining, just telling it like it is.

1000 yards - 18:19:02

300 - 5:27:00 - 100fr, 100br, 100fr

4x100 I.M. - 60 sec. rest in between - 1:39:83, 1:39:62, 1:37:94, 1:33:79 - about 2 min. rest on last one because of cramp.

300 - 6:20:84 - 100fr, 100br, 100fr - last 25 was floating on back massaging foot cramp.

Swam 1000 yards - 19:35 - easy - mix of breast and free - continuous

Low energy today and leg had a little more pain than I expected after a day off from running.  But even when not feeling very energetic I still had times I was happy with.  I had a strong deisre to take a nap after my run, but unfornately I could not.  Had to help out with the normal duties around the house.  Watch American Idol and Deadliest Catch.  Post to the blog.  And now finally, I will get some sleep.

6.2 - 48:48 - 7:52 avg.

7:56, 8:02, 8:01, 7:45, 7:55, 7:37, 1:32(.2)

Almost time to leave work and go home.  I was just looking around on YouTube and saw a great clip of Billy Mills 10,000 gold medal race from the 1964 Olympics.  What a phenomenal kick he had at the end of that race.  Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhTtVlgTa_g

There were a lot of clips of record performances in track and field.  They were fun to look at.

 Swim - 1000 yards - 18:43

5x200 - free, breast, free, breast, free - continuous

Swimming felt good today.

This is my last run before my race on Saturday.  Then I will take off about 7 - 10 days before thinking about running again.  Not sure if the leg will heal in that amount of time or not.  But I would think I could start with some 2 or 3 mile easy runs by then.  We will see.

Today's run felt good.  The leg pain was not as bad as I expected since this was the second day  in a row of running.  Maybe I am just used to it hurting.  I picked it up some on the last mile.  Partly to see if I could, and also knew this would be it for awhile.

4 miles - 7:51, 7:29, 7:25, 6:51 - 29:26 - 7:24 avg.

Leg hurt while walking.  Had a noticeable limp.  Hurt getting in and out of the car over and over again.

Swim - 1600 yards- 29:31:68

400 - 200fr/200br

4x100 - I.M.

200 - 100fr/100br

2 x 25 - of each stroke

400 - 200fr/200br

Swim - 1000 yards - 19:05 - mix of free and breast

Treaded water for 5 minutes at the end of the swim.  I used a running motion for my legs.  It is hard for me to stay afloat when treading like this.  But I my legs felt like they were getting a workout.  I might try this some more next week for a longer period of time.  But I would do better if I had a snorkle to keep me from holding my head up.

Going to the doctor for me leg in just a few minutes.  I have no idea what to expect from him.

I knew things would be interesting when a guy in blue jeans led the first 250 yards or so.  You gotta love races in small rural towns.

This was the first time this race was held and about 30 people showed up.  Only 10 or 12 were runners.  I planned on taking it easy because of my leg, but after the first half mile the pain went away.  I was unfamiliar with the course and as there were no mile markers, I did not have a good feel of my pace.  The guy in front of me was out of sight.  He won with an 18:43.  And there was no one behind me for as far as I could see.  This course was more hilly than what I was used to.  But I was pleased with my effort.  The course measured a little long at 3.22 miles.  I finished with a 22:23 - 6:57 avg.

And something else you do not usually see at races, no one used a stopwatch to time the event.  When I checked the list of final times here is what mine showed 8:22:23.  When I asked about it, the race director said he started the race at exactly 8am on his watch and just wrote down what the actual time was when people finished.  But I did thank him for putting on the event and told him I hoped for more local races.

Now for the bad news.  I went to an orthopedic doctor on Friday.  He believes I might have a stress fracture in my femur.  A x-ray did not show anything, but he wants to do a bone scan to be sure.  When I got home I Googled this and found some forums where people had the same thing.  Their descriptions of the pain were almost exactly like mine.  I had never considered this type of injury.  I was thinking it was muscular.  I mean how can a bone as big and strong as the femur have a stress fracture?  Recovery seems to be at least 6 weeks of no running.  Of course until I get the bone scan I cannot say for sure if that is what it is.  I really hope not.

If anyone has any experience with a stress fracture of the femur I would love to hear about it.

Swim & Aqua Jogging

I am not sure if I am doing the aqua jogging correctly or not, but I gave an honest effort.  I just move my legs in a running form and use my arms in a treading form.  While I can feel the resistance on my legs, the hardest part is keeping my head above water.  My arms may have been more tired than my legs.  I have ordered a belt to help me float.  I believe I will go with the belt, no belt, intermittently.  I think my heart rate will be higher when I do not use the belt.

200 - 100fr/100br - before and after each aqua jog

5x6:00 of aqua jogging

4x100 i.m.

400 - 200fr/200br

30 minutes of aqua jogging and 2000 yards (1.13 miles) of swimming in 37:03.

 Anyone out there use an elliptical trainer?  I have never tried one, but the gym I go to has one.  I might try it.  But I am going to wait at least 2 weeks before any type of running.  Except for the aqua jogging, of course.

2

Worked Midnight Shift last night, and will have tonight off.  My sleep is so screwed up right now.  I slept from 10am to 3pm today after being awake for about 25 hours.  I felt pretty good though on the workout.  But I had to cut it a little short because I had to get home before the wife and kids.

1200 yards - 22:12

Swam 200yds (100fr/100br) before and after each aqua jog.

5x6:00 (30min.) of aqua jogging, no belt.

My sleep will be messed up until next Monday.  After being off tonight, the next 5 are all Midnights.

3

I was a little discouraged today.  I have not run since Saturday, but the pain in my leg still feels the same.  It usually would decrease after one or two days off from running.  Also the inside of my right ankle has been hurting since the race.  I figured I was kicking it again and it was just bruised.  But yesterday and today it has been swollen.  I hope I have not caused another injury while compensating for the other one.  But if I did, at least I am taking enough time off to heal them all.  I hope.

Another day in the pool.  When I was leaving the house, I was surprised to see that the UPS guy had been here.  He brought my floaty belt for the aqua jogging.  It is not an actual belt for aqua jogging.  But it does provide enough buoyancy to relieve some of the effort my arms used to keep me above water.  I was able to concentrate more on my running form.  My stride was longer and less choppy than before.  It felt more like real running than treading water.

2000 yards swimming - 36:09

5x6:00 aqua jogging

Mixed in swimming in between aqua jogging.

4

Worked Midnight shift last night, and did not feel like working out at all when I woke up this afternoon.  But I went to the pool anyway.  I warmed up with 250 yards.  Then aqua jogged for 45 minutes.  Then a 250 cooldown.  This is the longest aqua jog session I had done at one time.  It was boring.  Then I ran out of time and had to hurry home.  Unfortunately I left my towel there.  So I had to shake like a dog, then drip dry.

I am curious though.  My heart rate goes higher with swimming more than the aqua jogging.  But I am using my leg muscles in a running way when jogging in the water.  I wonder which is better for my overall fitness while I am recovering.  Or should I just keep mixing the two together like I have been.

250 - 150fr/100br

45 minutes aqua jogging - with belt

250 - 150fr/100br

500 yards total for the day - 9:04

5

Had to work over an extra two hours and got to bed late.  When my alarm went off, I had only slept 5 1/2 hours.  Knew that would not be enough to carry me through the next night, so I went back to sleep.  No workout today, but I get in trouble when I fall asleep at work.

The pool is too crowded on the weekends to swim.  And I did no workout yesterday.  Since my quad injury I had been purposely staying away from my bike just in case it was muscular.  And when the doctor said it may be a stress fracture I still was unsure about riding.  Now it has been seven days since my last run.  The pain hurts the same as it did when I was running.  So one week down and no change in the way it feels.  Feeling guilty about missing two days in a row I decided to do an easy ride.  My cycling skills are terrible.  I do not sit very aerodynamically and my pedaling technique, going by the things I have read, is not correct.  But I have always rode my bike for enjoyment and as a another way to help my running.  Usually I ride for only 30 minutes to an hour.  So on today's ride I knew I would take it easier than normal.  I stayed seated for the whole ride so as not to put anymore stress on the leg.  I also relaxed on the uphills.  I gave a little more on the flats and downhills.  

8 miles - 28:18  - out and back course

Interesting that both 4 mile splits were 14:09.  I never looked at my watch until the ride was over.  

Yeah, last night was my last Midnight.  Well at least until next month.  But  I always need a couple of days to adjust back to living like normal people, sleeping nights instead of days.  My workouts usually feel crappy during these days.  Got to bed around 9am and woke up at 2pm.  I could tell right away in the pool my energy was low.  About midway throught the swim workout I got a foot cramp.  Walked on the deck for about a minute  and it went away.  By the last 200 both feet and calves felt like they could cramp everytime I pushed of the wall when I made a turn.  Rode my bike again today.  Went a little further this time.  But the lack of sleep, wind, and 87 degree heat made it harder.  Went for 25 minute walk with the family in the evening.  Barely a limp nowadays.  Bone scan on the leg  tomorrow.  Nervous about that.

Swim - 1200 yards - 21:53 - mix of breast and free.  Swam 200yds before and after each aqua jog.

Aqua Jogging - 5x6:00 - with belt

Cycling - 12.4 miles - 45:30