I was back out this morning after a month off. I was pain free!! (And a little out of shape)

I can only assume over the past month a large percentage of my following has disappeared. I’m guessing my readership has dropped from 10 to 5. So let’s play a little catch up. What have I been up to? After about a week of wallowing in my marathon failure I picked myself back up. I began the dreaded rest period. And frankly I needed it.

I am not one to give advise. But here is one to take to the bank. If it hurts you are probably injured, and continuing the activity that hurts will make it worse. To my supprise my injury was significantly worse than I thought a month ago. And my failed marathon attempt made it much worse.

Up until late last week, even the most basic exercises could cause a lot of pain. 9 holes of golf made me limp, 4-6 hourse of remodling my house hurt more than running a half marathon. It was the most physically frustrating 4 weeks of my life. Not only was I sore all the time, but I felt broken.

Over the past week I have begun to see progress. I ran for the first time last Thursday. I had one step where my hip caught on me, and I was sore when I was done. However it felt great to be out.

Sunday, I braved my first race. My oldest daughter, who from this point forward I will refer to as 5-Kate, had her biannual Girls on The Run 5K. (BRACE YOURSELF FOR FATHERLY PRIDE) I was lucky enough to be her running buddy. We had an excellent race. As always, 5-Kate impressed me with her performance. She finished 24th out of 146 in her age group, which included girls in high school. Quite an acheivement in my eye. She has quite the running career in front of her. I can’t help but smile when she asks me how old she needs to be to run the next furthest distance. She is a breath of fresh air in an age when most kids need wheels on their shoes to get another bag of chips from the cabinet.

The only downside to Sunday was I pulled my hamstring. This time in my left leg. Monday it was very sore, today it is almost gone. I hope tomorrow morning brings pain free legs and a nice run.

On a side note I received a very cool email from a runner named Andrew. Andrew has had luck 1000 times worse than mine and continues to pick himself up and achieve things I can only hope to someday. His story is inspiring. He has not given me permission to share his story so I will leave it at that.

Please learn from Andrew and drop me a line. I love to hear from readers.

DNF…

That sums up my 2008 marathon. No medal, no excitement, and no payoff for all the training. Unfortunately my body chose to not cooperate yesterday.

Over the past month and a half my minor IT band problem had turned into full blown IT band syndrome. In an attempt to patch the problem my doctor gave me a cortisone shot i the hip. The pain went away for a week or so but came right back. I tried physical therapy for the past week. Each time I went in they would loosen up my leg, but again this was only temporary. Between visits the band would tighten back up.

Because of these problems I started the race yesterday with the knowledge I was going to have to endure quite a bit of discomfort. To the credit of the physical therapists that worked on my leg I was solid for the first 6 miles of the race. I was slightly apprehensive but mostly pain free.

Around mile 7 I started to feel my hip tighten up. On top of my sore hip this was about the time the sun really started to warm things up. Progressively the temperature forecast climbed of the past 10 days. Starting at 48 degrees and no stopping until it hit 82 yesterday.

Over the next 5 miles my hip stayed consistently sore. Definitely not unbearable. I was taking short walking breaks and hitting every aid station. The bigger problem that began to present itself was my calves. Last year, just after the half way point, my calves cramped up because I was dehydrated. It is the only time this has ever happened to me. Until yesterday I had not had any calf soreness all year.

By mile 11 I had a feeling of what was coming. With each step I could feel how tight my calves were. I tried to stretch them out without luck. Just before I hit the 12th mile aid stop my right calf cramped up. These cramps don’t feel like the ones you get if you swim too soon after eating, but rather like you calf muscle is sliced in half.

Fortunately, I was at an aid tent when this happened. I hobbled in and they started working on me. They iced me down and started stretching me out. They were nice enough to try and stretch out my IT band, the nurse that worked on me was not very familiar with this stretch and ended up tweaking my right hamstring in the process. At this point my right leg became useless.

I did get back out on the course after 12 minutes in the tent. I spent a big chunk of of miles 12 and 13 walking and stretching.  But at mile 14 my race ended. Again, I was coming into the aid station and this time both calves cramped at the same time. Again, I was at the aid station and they once again stretched me out and iced my legs. This time for about 20 minutes. A doctor came to see me and recommended that I stop. I got up, walked around, and gave it one last try. I could not bend my right leg more than a very inches at the knee. Every step I took was extremely painful. Finally, I decided I had enough and headed to the dropout bus.

The ride back to the finish line was one of the worst feelings I have had in a very long time. This leads me to #1 on my list of 10 topics. It is a couple of days late but more appropriate today anyway.

#1: Support

Running a marathon (or trying to) is something that cannot be done without support. I have a great deal of support. To a point yesterday I didn’t hold up my end. After I dropped out, clearly not thinking straight, I texted my  Mom to let her know. First of all I sure this threw her rhythm off, and second it probably took quite a bit away from her achievement of finishing.

My sister, who is a doctor, is also very supportive. She proved how hard core a runner can be by finishing with a hole in her leg. And then tried to make me feel better by making it out to not be a big deal.

Then there were my two great kids. They made me a card to make me feel better. Plus my oldest daughter Kate kept trying to get me to look at the bright side. Because, as she will tell you, she is a positive person.

And finally there is my great wife. Not only was she up early for every one of my long runs to be my mobile aid station, but she handled yesterday extremely well. She knew just what to say to make me feel better, and she knew when to just let me be. Having someone who know you that well is an asset that cannot be measured.

My loyal readers may now be asking “Now What?”. Last year, the day after the marathon I made the bold statement that in 2008 I would run my race. I took a week off and started training. This year I am not sure. Step 1 is to get healthy. I love to run, but because of the daily pain I have had to deal with I have stopped looking forward to it. By my doctors orders I need to take a month off. I bought an exercise bike and setup my weight machine to supplement my running. Be assured on November 9th I will be back out running and training again. I just don’t know for what yet.

2 days to go. This morning I woke up and felt like I wanted to vomit. Needless to say I am a little nervous.
That being said today’s topic is not avoiding vomiting. Certain doctors who will remain nameless would prefer this post was about not falling on rebar. Neither of those made my list. Today’s topic is tunes. Back when I first began running there was nothing that wore me out more than the sound of heavy breathing. The silence was deafening. Then I broke down and purchased a cheap but effective MP3 player. What a difference! More than any energy drink or power bar music will get you going. When my battery dies I am lost.
Now that we have determined that music is a key running component (scientifically of couse). We must determine what to listen to. Personally, I have very diverse tases. I listen to oldies, rock, pop, country, showtunes, comedy. Basically the entire spectrum. While I will not bore you, or embarrass myself, with my personal playlists I will offer one piece of sound advice (get it SOUND advise). Don’t worry about your music making you look cool. If your a 6′ 5″ 250lb. 3% body fat guy but you get amped up on Disney music don’t be ashamed. If you’re an intelligent middle aged female who is into opera and jazz but you really get moving listing to gangsta rap then do it. The glorious thing about headphones is your music is only for you.

Today we discuss the uncontrollable nemesis. Unfortunately, it is not possible to make every day the ideal weather day. More than likely if you are training for a fall marathon you will deal with rough conditions.

In the case of the Chicago Marathon you are doing long runs in the August heat. This year I was lucky to have a mild summer. However, in the past it is not unheard of to get up at 4am to beat the heat of 90 degree days.

This year’s weather presented a few new challenges. None more extreme than the weekend of my 20 mile run. The reminants of hurricane Ike moved through Chicago over a Saturday and Sunday. Knowing this I left the entire weekend free so I could squeeze in the run at the most opportune time.

Saturday was shot. It poured non stop all day long. So Sunday was the choice. I woke up at 3:30 to the sound on drizzle. I went down to my computer and saw a small break seemed to be forming and was about an hour out. So I geared up and left the house shortly before 5am. I made it an entire mile before the clouds opened back up. For 18 of the 20 miles it poured.

The rain and heat are my enemys. Cold is not that bad. However, a few times this winter when the wind chills hit -15 or 20 you could hear me complain.

For a certain sister/doctor the reverse is the case. I take you to 6am January 2007, the morning of the PF Changs 1/2 Marathon. My mother was awoken by the following frantic phone call:

Mom: Hello

Dr.J: WE HAVE A PROBLEM!!

Mom: What?

Dr.J: It’s 28 degrees outside!!!!

Personally this was still shorts weather for me. I guess the East Coast softens some people up when they no longer can handle a mild temperature dip.

Let me start by saying I am not a fashion guy. The majority of my clothes come from the clearance rack at Kohl’s. Either that or the are emblazoned with a Cubs or Bears logo. But when it comes to running I definitely have preferences and tastes.

For a Midwesterner there are several apperal decisions that need to be made:

Shoes: The king of the running world. I have learned the hard way that looks are not as important as function. Just because you find a really cool looking pair of shoes does not mean they provide the support you require. Personally I am a New Balance guy. I am partial to them for two reasons. First, the shoes are made in America. Anytime I can avoid foreign goods I will. Second, they are focused on distance running. Unlike Nike it is easy to find the distance the shoes are rated for and what support features the shoes offer. Odds are they have a shoe that is perfert for your running style.

Warm Weather Clothes: This one is easy. Two words sum up my warm weather clothes “Dri Fit”. I love my Nike running clothes. They are the New Balance of the clothing world. They have shirts and shorts specifically designed for distance runners. They are light, comfortable, and breathable. Plus they look good.

Cool Weather Clothes: This is kind of a grey area. Again Nike wins here for me. If the weather is above 45 I just move to long sleeve shirts and shorts.

Cold Weather: Here in Chicago this season seems to last FOREVER. This is where the big dogs come out. Cold Gear. Under Armor has created this incredible light weight layer that somehow keeps you significantly warmer without the bulk. However, that is meerly the base layer. I have several generic fleeces and hoodies for my top layer, and wind pants and sweatpants for the bottom layer. On really cold days I will wear all of the above. At one point last year I was wearing 8 pound of clothes without my shoes.

To sum up #4 as Billy Crystal would say “You’ve got to look good to feel good my friends”. Amen to that.

Targets are an important part of running. But time and effort is not the point of this post. This post is for those of us who need something more. The select few who thrive off the strange and weird goals that running provides. Perhaps you have a nemesis who always beats you at local races, perhaps you collect cool running shirts, or maybe you want to have really cool race pictures taken. These ridiculous obsessions help drive us oddballs.
If this topic were in the encyclopedia there would be a picture of my sister, who is a doctor. She optimizes this topic with her medal obsession. Below are a few samples of conversations we may have.

Example A:
Tom: Hey Jen, who is a doctor, wanna run a race on Sunday?

Dr. J:  Is there a medal involved?

Tom: No, but if you participate they give you a million dollars?

Dr. J: I don’t know. What time does it start at?

Example B:

Dr. J: Tom’s how did your race go last weekend?

Tom: I broke both my legs and they aren’t sure if I will ever walk again.

Dr. J.: Yeah…But did you get a medal?

Believe it or not I am a big fan of ridiculous obsessions. For example if I were to ever beat a certain hairy, sweaty guy in a race I would be overcome with excitement. I’m sure there are other people who target me (let me get the weird looking guy).

Mostly, I think it is important to have fun goals on top of the boring time and doing your best goals.

For that one person out there who set time aside in their weekend for numbers 7 and 8 one my countdown allow me to apologize. I would like to say I was just WAY to busy, but in reality on Saturday I found better things to do and yesterday I chose to take a nap instead.

Before we get back to the eagerly awaited  cowntown I figure we should do a little catch up. I ran my new 2.3 mile flat route on Thursday and Friday. On Sunday I did an easy 5 miles. I would like to say everything was pain free, but it wasn’t. I still have discomfort in both my hip and knee. On top of that my back and shoulder tightened up yesterday. The good news is my left side feels great! How’s that for glass half full?

On to the countdown I rearranged my list a little so today’s topics blend together a little:

#8 Guts:

No I am referring to beer guts, but rather intestinal fortitude. As some point in time before your training is over something will go wrong. Something will hurt, you will pull a muscle, your training regiment will be inturrupted, life will get in the way, or more than likely all of the above will occur. This is the point in time you need to have guts.

You will have to do that 20 mile run in the pouring rain, or run the race with stitches, or brave the unknown of how your body will respond after taking the few days off before the race. Basically you need to answer the mental questions that will arrise.

#7 Confidence

When you get to race day more than likely your confidence will be shot. There are very few people at the race, who are not Kenyen, who are feeling 100% great. However, you need to start with confidence. If you don’t believe you can do this, and at the level you want, more than likely you wont.

People will say to you it is quite a feat just to finish. That’s not true. I have been at mile 22 walking my way to the finish line and I can tell you that neither me, or the thousands of people around me, felt good about how we were finishing. . In our minds we were not successful because as runners we had confidence that we could achieve something much better. That is my confidence level(or some may say arrogance or ignorance). I always expect to run my best possible race and just finishing is never an accomplishment in my mind.
#6 Drive

Prior to taking on this challenge you need to be preparred to push yourself. You better either love to run, or love to do things most people cannot do. Even better is when you become derranged like me and put those two things together. The drive to succeed and to train properly is extemely important.

There are mornings I hate getting up at 4:44am. There are a lot of days that the weather does not conform to the task I would like to achieve. In my training there have been days where going out for 2+ hours to run on a weekend is about the last thing I feel like doing. But I am a driven person. If I set out to do something I have to see it through. It is very easy to cut corners, take unneeded days off, or flatout ignore your schedule. However to achieve your goal, do your best, and to finish you also need to have the drive to succeed.

To sum up #6,7,8:

To run the marathon you need to

A) Be tough

B) Know you can

and

C) Be able to push yourself though

Today’s topic is distractions. I learned last year there are good distractions and bad distractions. For example a good distraction is a mind consuming hobby. Perhaps you are a savant who can do challenging Sudoku puzzles in your head while you run or maybe you are a book lover who becomes consumed with your current novel. These distractions are great on long runs when you need to zone out.

A bad distraction is one that causes physical or emotional stress. A good example would be moving to a fixer upper house. You have the mental strain of trying to sell your old house and the finances required for the new one, and you have the physical stress of working on the house.

This year I planned my bad distractions for early in the year. My May, June, and early July were VERY busy. It was full weekends of heavy labor. This allowed me to start my training without major bad distractions.

I have 2 good distractions for when I run. The first is music, which is a topic for another day, and the second is the Cubs. Unfortuntely the second has become one of those bad distractions the last couple of days, but they were kind enough to put that off until after my long runs were over.

With 10 days left until the marathon I will be writing up some actual useful information for fellow runners like me (if there are any). This will be the 1st of my 10 consecutive posts. I will be counting down the top ten topics of my 2008 preparation.

Without further adieu:

10. Injuries

I wanted to get this rather unpleasant post out of the way first. Unfortunately injuries have been a big part of this season. I think the problem is I never fully recovered from last years race. I would get a little better and then start pushing myself and the cycle would begin again. Through all of this I refused to go to the doctor until a few weeks ago.

I read through my posts from the past year and basically everything on the right side of my body has hurt at one time or another. This culminated midway through my 20 mile run. My IT band, which had progressively gotten tighter since my 14 mile run finally moved from sore to painful. This landed me in the doctor’s office, with a shot in my hip, and a greatly reduced training schedule over the past 3 weeks.

For those of you training I highly reccomend 2 things. Start TOTALLY healthy. Any nagging ache or pain you may have, no matter how minor, will get worse. And second, if you start to get sore go to the doctor. Unlike regular race training you do not have the luxuary of taking weeks off or skimping on long runs because you hurt. If the doctor can’t fix it consider running it next year instead.

For all those concerned about me (both of you). I am feeling good. The shot to my hip did wonders for my upper leg, and the physical therapy since is helping my knee. I am much better than a few weeks ago. I do have some nervous tension about my hip or knee failing half way through, but as I learned last year; that’s just part of it.

I promise tomorrow will be a more interesting and uplifting topic.