First Time Out

First time I ran a 5k was in Kingston back when they ran it close to the airport. It was also Hare's first half. I was running 5k in about 40 min back then.

The announcer called everyone to take their places and get ready. I got in with the crowd. The gun goes off and we're running.

The course for the 5k was along the same route as the half -- 2.5k out then turn around while the halfers keep going.

As I'm approaching what I know must be the turn around, there's nothing to indicate it. Eventually, I get close to the 3k marker and turn around. Damn this is a badly organized run. How much time did overshooting cost me?

As I'm passing the 2.5 k mark on the way back, there are a couple of guys setting up a sign for it. ^$%$#@ slackers must've slept in. Well, that's what happens when you rely on volunteer labour.

I make it to the finish with a time of 25 min. Absolutely spectacular. Shows what you can do when you really put your mind to it and make the big effort. I am chuffed.

Later, when Hare comes in, she is much impressed.... for all of 2 seconds when she starts doing the math.

At a time of 25 min, I must've been going faster than her and yet she easily left me behind when we started.

Two days later, we discover that they staggered the starting times that year and the 5k'ers started 15 min after the halfers.

Had I known all this in advance, I could've trimmed my time down by turning around at the actual 2.5k mark. Not that many people turned out that year and I would've been close to a medal :-)

My Butt Hurts

One of my reoccurring complaints about running is that my butt hurts.

Specifically, my IT Band that runs along my left buttock.

When this first started happening, I blamed it on carrying a filing cabinet disguised as a wallet in my back pocket. I had been warned about this some years before and had heard of people developing this problem.

Compounding this was noticing how many guys at the gym older than 50 all had long scars accross one of their buttocks. Oh yeah, hip surgery. Pretty common.

I had this feeling of dread that this was my future. If they made a movie of my life, it would be called "Scar Butt".

But then, Hare clued me in to ART and a useful little stretch you can do in the privacy of your own home. My life has improved and my butt thanks ART therapists everywhere.

Here's that stretch you can do that'll alleviate the pain temporarily:

We're going to be working on your left side first. Reverse this for your right side (I reco doing both sides if even only one side hurts).

1/ Stand perpendicular to a wall or a railing or anything you can hang onto and that will hold your weight. Your right side should be nearest the wall about 24-30 inches out (you'll fine-tune this distance later so don't sweat it too much right now)

2/ Put your left foot behind your right foot

3/ Extend your right hand so that it touches the wall (or grasp the railing, whatever)

4/ While holding the position, lean your upper body towards your right hand while your hips lean further to the left and your feet stay put. Your body should lower a bit while doing this.

5/ Right about now, you should be feeling your ITB stretching. Adjust/lower your hips and the stretch so that the area you most feel stretching is the area that most hurts when you're not doing this stretch.

6/ Once you've got that area stretching, try and hold the position for 30 sec. Go for a minute or longer if you can.

Once you've got the hang of it, this is a stretch you can quickly do anytime during the day where you have a bit of privacy (or are around family and they already think you're odd :) )

15.5 km is harder than 21.2 km. Huh?

It's true.

This past Sunday, I ran for two hours and covered 15.5 km.

Afterwards, I was thinking how tough it was. Tougher than running a half.

Much of this I think is the lack of a crowd and friends. Even if my friends are nowhere around (because they're all way faster than I am, natch), I have more spirit, more adrenaline, somehow it just seems easier.

What's your experience been?

The Price of Gas

For me, a long run is over an hour. Often on Sundays, I’ll run an hour and a half to two hours. But I’ve noticed that at about the 1:30 mark, I start to run down.

Much of the reason is running out of fuel, mainly carbs, which I’ll talk about next time. Right now, I’m talkin’ water.
Carrying water on a long run is a hassle.

In the past, I had a water belt. The pluses are:
• easy to use
• gives you a handy pocket for keys and anything else that running clothes store in a way that repeatedly jabs you in the leg
• easy to clean

The minuses are;
• the thing bounces while you run so you’re constantly fiddling with it and are conscious of it bouncing up and down your back
• you have to stop to take a drink. Some people have mastered the art of drinking and running but think of the logistics: grabbing the bottle is easy, spraying water in your mouth while running involves mostly spraying your chin and bystanders, putting the bottle back is hard because the pocket keeps slipping around your back

I switched to a camel pack (actually, the knock-off from The Running Room, BID) and it’s worked a lot better.

Pluses:
• fits snugly on back
• no need to stop while drinking. The right arm strap contains a hose that you can stretch into your mouth. Clamp down on the mouth piece and drink.
• can reach the pockets without removing the pack (ok, this is an awkward maneuver but I can do it)


Minuses:
• not as easy to clean as a bottle but not too bad
• have to take off the pack if you can’t master the “reach behind you blindly and don’t spill junk everywhere” maneuver
• the straps are too long and need to be tied up in creative ways.

The cost of the water belt was $30. The Camel Pack goes for $45. Spend your money on the Camel Pack

Inserts Outed - 3 of 3

In another post, I’ve talked about Pivot Sports Medicine, the place where I get A.R.T. done.

Among their many other services, they also have podiatrists and were able to outfit me with orthotics.

If you’re not familiar with orthotics, the basic concept is that specialized inserts, custom made for your feet (fullfilling your dream of cold soggy plaster wrapped around your feet as the mold is made) will help correct and compensate any structural issues your feet have that may be leading to pain.

Structural problems in the feet are believed to be quite common with potentially over 50% of the population having some deviation (so much for that other doc who claimed my right foot was perfect!).

In my own case, my ankles appear to be at an angle approx. 10 degrees from where they should be.

Note that the orthotics “correct” your issue, they don’t cure it. That’d involve some fancy work resetting the bone. I got this far with my deformed ankles. I think I'll keep ‘em.

Now, compare the orthotics to the other inserts I’ve reviewed here.




The top material is vinyl. I’ve been led to believe that this is the best for this purpose as it resists absorbing sweat and foot odor. Other surfaces are available such as leather but why pay more for less performance?

Lots of curvature as you’d expect. Hey, it’s been built to follow my foot.




And that white thing at the bottom is hard, hard plastic.

The only hassle with these is transferring them from shoe to shoe as I only have one pair. My long term plan is to build up more pairs as my benefits package allows. These are expensive suckers at $575 a pair.

Seems to work for me, though. My pain issues have lessened quite a bit and I barely feel tinges now. I’ve run a half-marathon in these and done quite a bit of training in them.

So if you are having pain issues, even if it’s not the foot (most of my issues were lower leg and ankle), look into orthotics.

Inserts Outed - 2 of 3

I’d do a TV ad for Superfeet.

8 or 9 years ago, I was having some ankle pain. Part of what was stressing me out was I knew someone at the time who had been having similar pains and had an operation to correct their situation.

I was not enthused by the idea of an operation on my ankles.

But while I was in a running store in Saskatoon (I’ve forgotten the store name or I’d plug ’em), one of the clerks suggested that the issue could be arch-related and an insert could help.

This triggered a repressed childhood memory of having to wear shoes with extra arch support as adults believed that I had flat feet.

So I bought a pair of Superfeet and within 3 days, my pain vanished and I never looked back (hmmm... I’ve told this story before so I suppose I HAVE looked back and often... tricky business these idiomatic expressions, BID).



Compare these to the Polysorbs in the previous post.

• higher heel walls

• lots of curvature and arch support

• the edges, especially along the arch, are cut on an angle so as not to lacerate your foot

• that thing on the underside is hard plastic -- serious support, Buddy. None of those limp polysorb noodles here.



Similar price point to the Polysorbs ($25-$30). Well worth the cost. I’ve done a lot of running in these and own several pairs.

Inserts Outed -- 1 of 3

In the course of my many injuries running research, I’ve had cause to experiment with a few shoe inserts. So I’m going to discuss the three I’ve tried, starting with Spenco’s Polysorb.

My recommendation is to save your money.

They look comfortable and the extra padded “heel strike” seems just the thing to help avoid planar-type injuries, something I’ve had issues with at times.

But they didn’t help my foot issues at all.

In fact, I found them painful to wear.

Look at the edges of the insole -- they’re cut flush, perpendicular to the ground. While running, that becomes a sharp edge in your shoe that rubs and eventually cuts into your foot (ask me how I know that). You'll also notice that there's not much curvature happening here.



In the bottom photo, you can see a yellow reinforcement. That’s foam not much stiffer than jello. i.e., no support at all.


As I recall, these things were in the $25-$30 range. I could've had a dozen donuts washed down with 12 premium beers for that.

Back to the pain

So Hare and I did the Harbourfront run today in Toronto. I did the half (2;21 -- a little slower than last year) and she did the full (3:35).

Do the math. She is much faster than me.

I knew last night I wasn't going to beat last year's time when I went to Tim Hortons to get my pre-race breakfast.

They had no dutchies or apple fritters so I was forced to substitute with timbits and regular donuts. I regret not just going to a different Tims. It's bad mojo not having 3 or 4 dutchies before a big run.

Years ago, we were at an out of town event and staying at a hotel. I forgoed my Tims breakfast because I was cheap. The hotel had included a breakfast with the room so I had that. Meh coffee, a bagel, and some fruit. I had a crappy run that year and felt nausous during part of the run.

Big Rule for Serious Runners: Don't mess with your routine on race day. Don't try anything new.

But is it ART?

I was offline but now I am back in running form.

I invested (or rather, Hare's workplace benefits invested) in some ART Therapy for my legs. Painful but it appears to work.

More info about ART and its potential benefits here:

About ART Therapy

And here's the clinic I went to. I may as well give them a free plug.

Pivot Sports Medicine

Canadian Healthcare at Work

So, see if you can follow this....

Awhile ago I went to a chiropodist about the problems I've been having in my feet and legs. My thought was to get some orthotics.

While there, I had a phone conversation with my insurance company and the chiropodist about what was covered and what was not. The insurance company's position was that they're not paying for a visit or orthotics without a doctor's note recommending them.

So I went to see a doctor....

The doctor is claiming that what she needs to submit for Ins. Company approval is highly detailed and what is normally done is one goes to the chiropodist, gets fitted for orthotics and then holds off ordering them. The doctor then copies the notes from the fitting to make the recommendation that one needs them and should see a chiropodist to get fitted.

She acknowledged that this is backwards but there's no other way for her to get the information she needs to make the recommendation.

And this is the short version of my tale. >sigh<

pimp my run

Now, here is a useful site:

Map My Run

Call up a map of your city, trace a running route by dragging your cursor and it calculates the distance. Great for figuring out new routes especially.

The downside is that it only works with IE for Windows.

I suffer so you don't have to

So here is my new thing to try: don't double up on shoe inserts.

When I visited a chiropractor (see Back from App't), one of the Doc's observations were that my shoelaces were too tight and might indicate that my feet don't properly fit the shoe. The suggestion was that I double up on my inserts while waiting for orthotics (which I haven't ordered as of this writing).

The past week I've had problems along the top of my right, previously medically perfect foot. Imagine you're looking at it from the top, if the front of the ankle is 12:00, the pain is 11.

When the pain is bad, I can't run at all and I hobble a bit. The pain passes quickly but I'm aware that there's "something" there. I'm assuming swelling.

Since I pretend to be a doctor on the internet, I checked out eMedicine and self-diagnosed myself as Grade 1 ATFL. Seems to jibe with my symptoms.

Next up, DIY Dentistry....

Beating the Joggler at his own game

My leg was healed enough to run the 5k in Kingston on Sunday (27 min and change, thank you). A bit of an ache afterwards but not the crippling pain that turns lesser men to runny cheese.

But my amigo, Mr. Lean (who's a much better runner than I but was just getting over a chest cold and so ran the 5k with me) had a great idea to outdo the Joggler.

Now, if you haven't heard of the Joggler, I'm not linking to his site. His schtick is not only is he faster than you, not only is he doing sub-3 hour marathons, but he's doing it while JUGGLING.

And when he crosses the finish line, the photographers and TV news cameras mob him.

YOU CAN BARELY RUN TO THE CORNER ATM TO CASH YOUR WELFARE CHEQUE AND THIS GUY'S RUNNING PAST YOU WHILE JUGGLING AND MAKING RAZZBERRY NOISES.

Want to smack him across the head?

YOU CAN'T.

HE'S FASTER THAN YOU.

So if you can't beat him, join him.

Next year, Mr. Lean and I are tying our legs together and doing a few marathons three-legged.

He may juggle but I bet we get a promo deal before he does.

What a Drag it is....

And it looks like Hare may be the only one running the 1/2 in Kingston.

I thought my right calf was getting better and I'd still have a good chance of running Kingston but Saturday I re-buggered it.

Hare and I had left to have dinner with friends. Two blocks from the house, we remembered we forgot the wine. I turned to sprint back and got three steps before a sharp pain in my calf stopped me dead.

As I wimpered, sucking in my agony and trying not to topple over, Hare breezily passed me with a smile and a wave.

I've spent the last two days limping.

It sucks being old.

Road Block

So my plan to avoid injury is hitting a temporary setback.

The right calf has been aching the past week.

Odd since one would think my right calf must be pretty good since the right foot is medically perfect.

Bad timing as I'm registered for Kingston's 1/2 in a little over a week. At this point, I'm not clear it's wise to do even the 5k portion. I am healing quickly tho'.

On the advice of the Chiropractor, I bought a pair of Mephisto
sandals earlier today. Pretty comfortable but at $250 I wouldn't have bought them if there wasn't a potential health benefit involved.....

....I am just stock-piling the content for this blog, lemme tell you.

Back from App't

I had my foot appointment this morning and it went well.

I'll be discussing various learnings, etc in other posts but lemme brag to you about something.

My right foot?

It's medically perfect.

Planar Fasciitis is not a noodle soup

Last Saturday I woke up with a sore heel. Just a spot at the front of the heel, along the bottom of the foot. Legacy of my past issues with Planar Fasciitis. On the urging of Hare, I made an appointment with a foot specialist for next Tuesday with a view to getting some proper orthotics for running.

So I thought I'd limp down Memory Lane today discussing my experiences with Planar Fasciitis and dispensing free advice.

I first discovered Planar Fasciitis a day after running Toronto's Scotiabank 1/2 Marathon last September.

During the run, around the 12 km mark, I remember feeling an odd sensation like my feet had gone flat -- no pain but no arch. I concentrated on keeping the arch in my foot and after a few minutes, the sensation passed. Since there was no pain, I didn't think it was a big deal at the time -- just odd. The rest of the day, I was fine.

The next day, I was sore all over, which I was expecting. Not expected, I was limping, favouring my left foot. The rest of my pain faded over the course of the day but not that of my foot.

The second day, I was informed by friends who know more than I (or at least who've had more injuries than I) that it was likely planar and I should be icing my foot.

TIP #1: Hare advised that I buy a package of frozen peas and a "cling-wrap" bandage for the job because the peas will conform to the shape of the foot. I felt a better use of the money was mixed vegetables as I'm not that fond of peas but Hare declared that she wasn't planning to eat anything that had been strapped to my foot and that peas were cheaper. Cheapness won out.

TIP #2: the time to start icing the foot was the day of the run before the pain set in. This is now part of my standard Run Recovery Program (TM).

The third day, I was noticeably better although still limping. I went to see a doctor who's advice was "wait it out.... want some good pain killers?".

TIP #3: clinic doctors always give me bad advice and I regret the visits. Years ago, when I had problems with my wrists and my hands would go numb for long periods of time, a clinic doctor advised pain killers and hustled me out the door. Did you know they try to average 5 minutes @ patient? Your mileage may vary.

The fourth day, I was largely fine. Still iced the foot everyday for 2-3 weeks, though.

I still haven't eaten the peas. They may show up on the menu the next time we have dinner guests but Hare doesn't know that.

What?

This blog is to document my experiences in the sport of running. And by comparison, my wife, Hare's experiences.

She eats a diet rich in carbs and proteins and follows the latest science. I eat donuts with Coke and try to avoid injury.

She gets advice from ex-Olympic athletes and does a great deal of research. I rely on the advice of strangers and on kismet.

My only goal is to avoid being crippled for life.