April Plans

Unfortunately, the injury to my right leg is not going away (not getting worse, but not getting better, either) on less running/more cross-training, strengthening and stretching, so, for the first time since 2008 (surgery on January 2; wasn't running regularly again until July), I feel forced to take off several weeks from running.

I really want to run a fall marathon, but if I continue to run with an injury, I may not be able to. So, I figure I should take off the time now and let it heal properly. By the time it heals, I'll still have plenty of time to prepare for a marathon.

Biking doesn't seem to aggravate the leg, so I plan to do that four times per week (4 to 5 hours). My plan for the next several weeks (perhaps all of April):

Monday: Gym
Tuesday: Bike (1hr)
Wednesday: Gym
Thursday: Bike (1hr)
Friday: Gym
Saturday: Bike (1hr)
Sunday: Bike (2hrs)

I'd also like to do some hiking. Let's plan a hike!

Boulder Half

Congrats to Jess, who ran 1:44:03 at the Boulder Half on Sunday. Not bad for 5,500 feet. Congrats also to Bailey, who ran 1:50:14 in her very first half!

Running form

Some guy over at runnersworld.com critiqued my form for me. This is what he had to say:

You don't seem to be releasing yourself quickly from your landing and you seem to be pushing and extending your feet and hips as your body moves over and past your foot(lean). My recommendation would be to learning to release your balance quicker and to learn how to lift you foot appropriately. Here are several vids to help explain this concept: Posture: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2tdWy3MuHg Falling Posture(also known as leaning in running): http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6573634917798930547# Proper way to pull/lift the feet: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2689856767868214443# and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHAc802EHy0

I used my iPhone GPS to map out this run, as the good majority of it was on trails. It seems to be pretty accurate, although it did cut corners in spots. I found some really nice, easy trails at Young's Pond Park. Unfortunately, though, they're pretty short, and I don't know that I could tolerate more than a few laps. It would be a good place to break in the KSOs.

Bear Mountain

Has anyone ever hiked to the top of Bear Mountain in Salisbury? Any interest in doing this on Sunday afternoon? If not, next weekend?

http://www.berkshirehiking.com/hikes/bearmt_salisbury.html

Tonight kind of sucked. I knew that I should not have run but I couldn't help myself. I did 7 laps around a 1/13 mile track at the gym in fingers. To say that it was a disaster would be an understatement. The ball of my left foot was not happy. Neither was the posterior tib. Didn't really notice the bigger concern, which is my right knee/leg/who knows, which was encouraging. I scheduled an appt with an ortho doc at Yale for tomorrow at 2:30. Mostly just for peace of mind. (I hope.) I need someone to tell me to rest.

The final push to the finish (looks like 3 seconds to me)

Shamrock results

59 Ryan Lamanna 28M M2029 Bradford CT 39:13 7:50 8/27 1236
60 Jessica Borsetti 25F F2029 Branford CT 39:16 7:51 4/27 1237
61 Dan Britton 20M M2029 Mansfield CT 39:16 7:51 9/27 930

I'm from Bradford, Jessica's last name is Borsetti, and Dan is 20. Fun run.

barefoot running

Pretty much perfect running form say the gurus: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hNqES4_qa0

Insane: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nwbzpyterI

Hamstring tendonitis

I'm pretty sure I've got hamstring tendonitis. The pain is where the hamstring tendons connect to the top of the lower leg. It seems like a knee injury, but it's not, because I can do any and all sort of knee exercises all day long and have zero pain. Hill running, extending the leg, and leg curls cause the pain. I guess this means that I'm gonna have to take it easy for a while. I'm not going to take the 4-6 weeks off that they recommend, but I'm going to significantly cut back my running to 3-4 days per week, get on a bike, and strengthen and stretch the necessary muscles. That said, it's probably not a good idea to be racing. While these setbacks do suck, it's a good time for me to work on strength and flexibility of my legs. Who wants to go for a bike ride?

Tony Krupicka on why he runs trails

A good read (and exceptionally well-written): http://runningtimes.com/Print.aspx?articleID=22172

Barefoot trail runner in Portland, OR

Cool video: http://www.vimeo.com/21039327

Update

I tried posting an update a day or two ago but it didn't work, so I said the hell with it. Let's try again today.

My right leg is responding nicely to strength training, stretching and occasional ice. I had a very difficult first and second week back from Austin. I probably should not have run a step, but I couldn't help myself (even though I didn't really feel like running). This week--i.e., the third week back--is going well. I'm on track to run about 40 miles, which is a very good sign. I might even be ready to race on the 19th (Shamrock race in Bristol?). I'm thinking the 2 miler, but we'll see.

I did 5 minutes of barefoot running on the treadmill two nights ago. Other than the achiness in the balls of my feet, it felt great--better than the Minimus Road. The Minimus Road have a 4mm heel-to-toe drop, and it was evident having gone from running in them to running barefoot on the treadmill. I learned that Nike Free also has a 4mm drop; FiveFingers: 0mm; Green Silence: 9mm. Based strictly on drop, the FiveFingers are most like running barefoot. However, I've read that the Minimus Trail, despite the 4mm drop, are superior to the FiveFingers. Barefoot gurus seem to love them. The Minimus Trail uses Vibram rubber, and it's much more flexible and responsive than the foam used in the Minimus Road. They're slightly narrower, too.

Anyway, I'd love to get away from the Nike LunarTrainer completely. I think that if I start to incorporate some barefoot running into my schedule, I'll be able to run in even the minimalist of shoes full-time. In terms of comfort, running in less shoe wins. It always has for me, but, unfortunately, my feet are not nearly strong enough to go full-time in them. Perhaps if I was doing only 15-20 miles per week but not doing 60+. So long as I take the transition slowly, I think'll I'll be fine. Since last Saturday, I've put about 25 miles on the Minimus, and my feet feel absolutely fine. No posterior tib or PF pain.

Too much of a good thing?

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/09/when-exercise-is-too-much-of-a-good-thing/?hp

NB Minimus Road

Jess and I picked up a pair of the New Balance Minimus Road today. They're a nice light, flat shoe. I'm happy with them. The trail version is also nice. I would have bought a pair of both, but I didn't have two hundred dollars.

March

I'm dedicating March to a complete recovery from Austin and whatever is going on with my right knee. During March, I plan to reintroduce strength training into my regular schedule of running and to build back up to where I was pre-Austin. Our tentative marathon plans for the rest of the year are the Niagra Falls International Marathon on October 23, 2011. That gives us more than 7 months to prepare. During those 7+ months, I'd like to do at least two half marathons and a bunch of 5 and 10ks. A monthly track workout would be nice, too. Anyone else want to talk about there 2011 plans?

It's March 1st and time to get back down to business. I rode the stationary bike for 15 minutes and did strength training at NHHR tonight. I've got a slight issue with my right knee/hamstring/shin. The only thing that caused pain tonight was the hamstring curl machine. Hmmm.