Recovery Run Redux... outside!

Just finished my second recovery run of the week about an hour ago. I ran a really slow 10 minute / mile pace, which made for an enjoyable and easy run.  The only annoyance was a pretty brisk series of gusts I encountered.  IT band held up okay, but I felt the pain when I used the foam roller after the run.
Aside from wearing a normal tech shirt and nike shorts (i.e. warm weather running gear), the only thing new thing I did was drink Gatorade prior to the run (with a little bit afterwards).  Can't say that I noticed much difference on a 5k, but I'm sure Gatorade might be a good drink on longer runs.  Technically today's run was 4.99k... thank you, Runtastic.

Ten reasons why running changed my life

1. I now think of food as energy.  Inconceivable a few years ago, but it's true. Instead of deriving comfort from food, I derive strength. If it doesn't make me stronger, or contribute to my well-being, or peace of mind, then I don't want it. I still allocate a portion of my diet to things like Cheezies and Ice Cream, but I won't consume more "energy" than I actually need any more. 
2. I've beaten back diabetes. Despite being in my late 30's and aging, I've taken complete control of the wretched disease that once posed a terrific threat to my well being.  Thanks to running, I do not need to take metformin or glipizide on the days I run.  Running requires glycogen--and thanks to being a type 2 diabetic, what do I have in excess?  Exactly.
3. Ice baths. Ever take one? They do wonders for your muscles after a workout by helping to clear the lactic acid from your legs. This allows me to train more often, and that helps me control my blood sugar without medicines.
4. I better understand how my body works. It's not magic... the human body is a machine, and the better care you take of it, the better it functions.  I didn't know what a sacroiliac joint or iliotibial band was, nor that the average person's body can only process about 30 grams of carbohydrates per hour (i.e. one banana) before running.
5. I lost weight... lots of weight. I went from weighing 212lbs to 168lbs.  The correlation between running and weight loss is not necessarily supported through scientific studies.  However, when I realized how much I wanted to run, I made the decision to lose weight.  
6. I made friends without alcohol. Let's face it, a lot of socializing these days is done over a drink.  And when the drinks are done, where are your friends?
7. I've improved my cardiovascular health. Runners have lower pulses and probably live longer. I can hold my breath for much much longer than before, too.
8. A sense of accomplishment (or, I got to win a medal at something). Few feelings compare to that feeling you get when you cross the finish line of your first race.  My first race was pretty unimpressive, but it sure felt amazing when I crossed the finish line and got my name in the results of an official race.
9. Vanity.  It's impressive to say you can run several miles without stopping, or that you spent your Saturday morning running 18 kilometers.
10. I don't need a crutch.  Goodbye, cigarettes and alcohol.

How has running changed your life?

Recovery 5k... on the treadmill

Today was a recovery run day, but thanks to the snow it was a bit too slushy to go out and run.  Still, I wanted to get in some quality kilometers and flush out my legs (despite my post half marathon ice bath, where I somehow failed to submerge both quadriceps).  I ran for about 33 minutes at a *slow* place (i.e. 9:50 / mile).  I would have run quite a bit more, but I began to feel slight pangs of something from my knee.  So I halted just beyond 5k, cooled down and had a protein shake, ice bath (with complete quad submersion this time) and a banana.  I also rolled my quads, and IT bands with the foam roller.  The lactic acid feels like it's mostly gone, but we will see tomorrow morning. The big news here is that I actually stuck to my game plan and didn't overdo it.  I set out to run 5k, and I ran 5k.  I resisted the urge to do another 3 or 4 kilometers--and thus risk further inflaming my left knee.  Should also mention that I walked for about 50 minutes prior to the treadmill run.

Here's a photo of a sudden lake that formed from previously melted snow.  Yes, it's springtime in Saskatchewan.

Running News Round-up: Ninjas, Mebsanity and the Lincoln Tunnel

On Monday, Meb Keflezighi became the first American in forever (over 30 years) to win the Boston Marathon.

Ran across these items (no pun intended):

• Ninja 5K costume race scheduled for June 28 at The Horizon Center.
• Meb Keflezighi evidently won the 26.2 mile race wearing LA Gear Sneakers Skechers.  "I don't even know how people can walk in Skechers," unnamed source.
• Special treat for anyone who wants to run an entire race in a smoggy, filthy tunnel, whilst also inconveniencing an entire city and thusly bringing it to its knees: there's a 5K race in the Lincoln Tunnel. 
• I ran a half marathon... while injured. Global Saskatoon has the scoop on the race. 
• Another news story about people dying while running half marathons.  Makes you wonder if eventually participants would need to be pre-screened before being cleared to run. I hope not.

Arresting Developments in Saskatoon (or, today's extended Half Marathon recap).

Saskatoon Police Half Marathon
Downtown Core, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Distance: 21K
Time: 2:19:18
Pace: 10:15
Best Split: 8:46
Rank: 42/57
AG: 43.38%
Post race meal: Chocolate Milk, Iced Coffee and Blueberry Muffin from Tim Hortons

Comments: Some days you have it, some days you don't.  Let's look at the positives: I finished... despite two injuries (IT Band and SI Joint Syndromes).

The highlight of the day was when my knee seemed to buckle from the IT band pain.  Of course, sans a foam roller, I had to get by using my phone to release the IT band.  That was not terribly pleasant, but it allowed me the ability to finish without destroying my knee.

The race started at 8am on a misty Sunday morning. Runners crossed the start line, which was between police cars with whirling police lights.  Notice the theme here?
(Luckily, as bad as my time was, it did not lead to my arrest.)  After a circuitous route through Downtown Core, we wound down to Victoria Park and along the river.  I ran a tad bit faster than I had planned to.  Right around 5k is when my knee started to hurt, and my quads and hamstrings started to argue with me.  The problem is basically this: because of the SI Joint point, I needed to have a hip adjustment (simple procedure... done several times). Because my hips adjusted and aligned properly, I'm now "burning different fibers of the same muscles."  In English, I'm rebuilding my leg endurance.  I'm not really able to do much about my muscles during a race, but my knee was another matter.  As I mentioned before, I used my android phone (in lieu of a foam roller) to massage my IT band. The result was that the horrific/sharp pain that accompanies IT band syndrome was minimized.  Alas, I would have to do this virtually every 1-3 kilometers, and that is what really killed my pace.

Taper tantrums, Cheezies and the run up to the Saskatoon Police Half Marathon

My next (and 2nd official) half marathon is tomorrow, and I am ready to go.  At gun time, it will have been 8 days since my last run--thank you IT Band--when I did 18 kilometers.  That's some serious tapering on my part.

If I weren't doing a half, I'd have taken some easy 5k treadmill recovery runs.  For the record, I do not expect to set a new half marathon PR tomorrow.  The reasons are pretty clear, my IT band is really being trouble.

My weight (currently 175, which is good for my height and frame... I'm 6 feet tall) is probably 3-4 lbs heavier this time around.  That said, my training has consisted of 175 kilometers over the last 6 weeks (compared to 130 kilometers in the same period leading up to my first half marathon)--since virtually all of this has been at 480-500 meters elevation (not to mention the running in Alberta, where the elevation is over 1,000), I'm properly acclimated to running in Saskatoon. If I'm really lucky, and my IT band holds up, you never know... Maybe I beat my half time from Ontario?  Hmmm....

In the lead up to tomorrow's race, I've cut back on processed foods, and pretty much eliminated junk food.... Well except for part of a bag of Cheezies, a few servings of Spicy Kraft Dinner... and a handful of Maltesers.  Oy vey.

Of course, my real diet has consisted of items like green bell peppers, breakfast sausage, eggs, broccoli, bananas, crystal light, chicken and (occasionally) pasta.  Right now it looks like my dinner before the half marathon will be a homemade pizza (isn't my girlfriend awesome?).

The weather at gun time will be anywhere from +1C to +5C (31-41F).  If it reaches +5, this *could* the warmest run I've had over 12 kilometers in as many years.  Strange, but true.  I intend to wear my Brooks Adrenaline GTS running shoes, Brooks pants + Reebok top with 1/4 zipper.  Would be nice to wear the fitted Under Armour leggings, but hey.

So my prediction, unfortunately, is that I am going to finish in 2 hours and 20 minutes.  My IT band has hurt profusely on every recent instance of running above 5k.  Additionally, my body still needs to adjust to the hip adjustments--trust me, my leg muscles are learning to run again right now.  That said, my work with the foam roller (only recently begun), proper rest, and actual improvement might make it possible to come in under 2 hours.  My goal, is 1:59, by the way.

On a more positive note, I'm scheduled to be in Winnipeg in about 7 weeks for the Manitoba Half Marathon. Winnipeg is 200 meters below Saskatoon in altitude, so that (along with a careful start to my marathon training) could be an advantage.  Obviously, my goal will be to set a new PR; but I'll be aiming for 1:45.  After that, the next half marathon will be in July in Saskatoon.

Does running cause weight gain?

A few months ago (in February, actually) I stepped on the scales to see that I had suddenly gained 5 pounds since my previous weigh-in.  This came just a few days after the longest run of my life (13.1 miles, which I ran on a whim during my Saturday morning run).  I immediately suspected that body was probably hoarding energy after the shock of the long run.  But I decided to look into this weight gain a little further to see if I could learn why I had randomly put on weight.

First, I made no changes to my diet (I didn't eat more than usual); additionally, aside from the long run, there were no other changes to my lifestyle that might prompt a weight gain.

There are, essentially two schools of thought: 1) you gain weight because you overeat in response to the additional hunger from running, and 2) the second school of thought is that your body gains weight because it's storing energy and/or water (and here we have a few divergent theories).

Anyone who tracks what they eat and acts responsibly, isn't going to overeat--nor is this review meant to address such issues, at any rate.   So let's talk about what's actually happening to a healthy person who goes for a long run and gains weight without actually stuffing their face.

Coach Jeff at Runners Connect has an interesting article about running and weight gain. "Drink a gallon of water and you’ve instantly gained 8.3 pounds."  His key points are that you will:

• Your body will store extra water to "repair damaged muscle fibers and to deliver glycogen to the working muscles" (short term).
• Your body will build muscle [by running] (long term).
• If you eat too much...

As an aside: I've noticed that despite the addition of about 6lbs this year, my waist has only minutely expanded.  In other words, my size 32 pants continue to fit.  I believe the cause of my own weight gain has been in doing less walking and cross-training this year as compared to last year.

Running News Round-up: Death, Taxes, Boston and Blood Sugar.

By now you've probably heard about the two fatalities this past weekend at the Rock ’n’ Roll Half Marathon in Raleigh.  One of the deceased runners, Derrick Myers, is profiled in The Charlotte Observer. The 35 year old runner collapsed near the finish line.  Meanwhile in Galveston, Texas, a third runner died near the finish line of the Run Like a Diva Half Marathon.

The New York Times has a write-up about the Boston Marathon bomber.
It seems like a British guy won the North Korean Half Marathon--interesting article that talks about what running a race there is even like.

As everyone knows, Monday (4/21) is the Boston Marathon.  Those of us who took zero steps to be included in this year's race will be relaxing in the comfort of our respective domiciles.  I definitely want to run this race one day.  Right now, I think that just completing a marathon should be (and is) my objective. As some of you know, I am scheduled to make my first attempt in September at the Queen City Marathon.  QCM is a "Boston Qualifying" race, of course. but my objective is to complete the race, not qualify for anything.

In my own world of news: I'll be running the Saskatoon Police Half Marathon one week from today. My personal best is just over 1:57 (note: I've run one official half marathon race).  Since I'll be running a tougher course at a higher elevation than in Southern Ontario, I'm not expecting to set a new personal record.  The course is near (and along) the river, and it should be an interesting race.

I noticed an article on NPR (also, The Guardian has a write-up as well) about how low blood sugar causes crankiness. I'd be interested in seeing more about how elevated blood sugar (i.e. beyond the norm) alters one's mood.  My experience is that melancholy often ensues.

Eighteen Kilometers

Woke up at 6:30am and by 8:45am was blazing a trail with the SRRA long run group.  I fueled up with a cup of corn flakes and crystal light two hours before the run, and then a big banana thirty minutes prior. As usual I packed a 250ml water bottle, and a Mars bar.

The first stretch of the run was on Broadway Avenue, over the bridge and right onto the trail along the river (parallel to Spadina Crescent). 

As we passed 5 kilometers, I actually thought my it band problems might be a thing of the past. But immediately upon having that though, I began to feel a minor amount of discomfort in my left knee. Over the next 4 kilometers things got progressively worse until finally I did something I never thought I'd do... I dropped back from the group and alternated between walking and running at a 5k race pace.  I kept up with this for a few kilometers before even that became too much.

Ever since my chiropractor began doing a weekly hip adjustment procedure on me, running has become more and more tough.  Thinking is that now that my hips are aligned properly, I'm using "different fibers of the same muscles".  Thus, I'm starting over in certain ways.

Realizing that I'm pretty happy not to be running an actual race, I reason that it's okay to run-walk because my situation is no longer a matter of will power, or mind over matter.  I'm simply training too hard given my physical condition.

For one of the few times on a run, I stop to photograph two geese along the river.  Yesterday's snowfall blanketed the city with a sheet of white powder.

Luckily, the run group eases up and waits for me at a waypoint; once I've caught up to them, I'm advised to get a foam roller.  From there I run-walk at a close distance until we reach the last three kilometers.  At this point the snow is beginning to really melt, and what were once snow-covered paths, are not water-soaked paths.  I stayed with the group until 300 meters from the end, when the incline of the Broadway Avenue bridge, and the crunchy ice beneath my feet was too much for my left knee.  For once, I elect not to push it.

Once we're back in front of Brainsport, I realize that my body is in agony.  I spring into action and buy a liter of chocolate milk and a small bag of sun chips from 7-11.  Ah, relief.

I'm totally getting a foam roller tonight.  Because next week:

Further reading:
Ask The Running Doc: How do I get rid of IT Band Syndrome?

The delicate art of selecting 5K running music

You're three quarters of the way through a 5k race and you're feeling zapped from running at such a fast pace.  You're nearly out of breath as you try to keep your mind from thinking about how your body feels. You steal a glace to your left and see the blurry outline of a competitor looking to overtake you. He has no earbuds in, and he's wearing funny glasses. You decide to empty the tank and reach for greatness; you can taste the glory of an impressive finish... you can feel the finish line getting closer, and the sweet sweet oxygen waiting for you.  It's there... just another few minutes; and you can do anything for a few minutes, right?  So what song do you want playing?!

At a recent 5K race in Calgary, I would have liked Eye of the Tiger or Don't Stop Believing. Truly.  I feel like I can endure all matter of agony if I can I hear the virile strains of Steve Perry, or the sure proclamations of certain victory and infinite life from whoever the lead singer of Survivor is.  Instead I got "Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy" by Queen.  Now I *love* Queen and can think of a ton of Queen songs that would make excellent running songs, but this is not one of them.  It's like listening to Wagner while getting an enema, or carving a turkey while listening to a mash-up of Megadeath and Haircut 100.

Witness the awesome power of Eye of the Tiger:

Interesting Running News: London Marathon, Protests, Corn Starch and Bandits.

Venezuelans in the US hold a protest race.  If they succeed in raising money to topple their government, wouldn't that be interesting?

On the opposite side of the relevance spectrum, runners get doused in colored corn starch in Oregon (protesting cleanliness and colorlessness, I'm guessing). You can read the Daily Emerald article about Color Me Rad at this link.

Organizers of the Boston Marathon are sick of race bandits and are implementing new measures to thwart them.  Maybe the Boston Athletic Association will hire Burt Reynolds to smoke out the bandits?

Scientific studies show conclusively that eating Fruit Loops will improve your run time.


London Marathon:

Dude proposed to his girlfriend while running the marathon.  No word of her response in the article, oddly enough.

Wales Online has an interesting article about a guy who has run every London Marathon.  Show off.

The results from the big race are in.

Saturday's Long Run Recap: Twelve Kilometers

I woke up at 7am and had some crystal light and a medium sized blueberry muffin.  Run time was 90 minutes away, so I needed to start thinking about what I was going to wear: which shoes, which technical shirt and so forth.
I've broken my habit of not stretching prior to running and stretched my hamstrings.  The SI joint pain I've been having, and the complementary problems have gradually made my runs more and more painful.
Today's long was was supposed to be a quick and painless 12k.  I even joked to my girlfriend (the night before) that it was basically a rest day.
As usual the meet-up place is Brainsport on Broadway Avenue.
The blueberry muffin was a big mistake. I learn this painful lesson (again) around the 4th kilometer. A moment later my left lateral ligament in my left knee is starting to feel like hell.  Hmmm, I wonder, how am I going to complete today's run?
Sure enough, it gets worse as we descend on the dirt trails off the river at a fairly fast pace. Despite a general lack of ice anywhere, I actually manage to stumble on a rock, but that was as close as I came to falling down.
We pass the Mendel Art Galley and I do a hit and run check in on Four Square and unlock the "Warhol Badge".
The wind is brisk (at 40kph in some places), and this fact is killing our pace.
After six kilometers we come to a stop and turn around, but not before some of us refuel. In an instant, cliff bars, gels and assorted consumables are in the hands of the other runners.  I generally don't refuel during runs under 16k, but if I were going to refuel, I'd eat a banana or have a GU (or other power gel).
Rather than heading to Saskatchewan Crescent, we stay on Spadina Crescent and complete out run "out and back" style.  My knee responded well to the Tylenol tablets I had taken on the run.  I'm certainly not pain free, but I'm not on the verge of dropping out of the run either (as I was two weeks prior).
After we reach Rotary Park (roughly 11k into our run), we do a hill.  To my own embarrassment, my breathing is becoming more and more labored.  Soon I'm wondering what the hell is happening to me that I'd be winded from a simple hill (and given how many times I aced the Williamsburg Bridge in New York, my concern is legit).
Then comes a gentle wave of stomach discomfort.  Could it be that swallowing Tylenol and gulping water on the run was a bad idea? I've never been sick on a run before, but I'm getting close.  My god, I thought when it was all happening, am I actually getting my ass kicked by a 12k run?!
I'm relieved when we finally arrive at Broadway Avenue.
When my girlfriend and I drove to a late breakfast later, we both noted the strong winds and swirling dust of snow, as well as the fact that it was a chilly -3C outside.  I asked myself: I actually ran in this?!

Sunday's race in Saskatoon (which I didn't register for) is a 5k fun run by the Saskatoon Zoo Society.  Although I love the idea of the race, I want my first race in Saskatoon to be a timed event.  That said, the Saskatoon Police Half Marathon on April 27th is coming very soon... and I am registered.

Paris of the Prairies

It was cold, snowing and icy out, but my run group strode confidently along tree-lined University Drive toward Saskatchewan Crescent. On the ground ahead were numerous snow-covered sheets of ice.

Since arriving in Saskatchewan I've had a few people ask me if I owned a pair of spikes--in my immensely ignorant knowledge base, I had no idea why the hell anyone would attach spikes to their shoes while running, but then I ran here.

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan is a city of less than 300,000 people. It is situated in the center of the province; and until recently, was considered the sunniest city in Canada (anyone who has *ever* driven west on College Drive at 6pm knows the unspeakable joy of being painfully blinded and unable to see ahead sans sunglasses).  Despite the sunshine, temperatures routinely descend to -30C in the winter (in fact, the windchill reached below -50 less than a few months ago).

It is here, in a city known for its sunlight, cold winters and bridges, that I'm training for my first marathon: the Queen City Marathon, to be held in Regina, SK on September 7th 2014.

Saskatoon is also called the Paris of the Prairies.  It's a beautiful city in a lot of ways, and quite an excellent city in which to run.  Not only do you get moderately warm summers (ie it's never too hot to run), but the frigid winter provides a unique running challenge for the dedicated runner.

At just under 500 meters (or 1640 ft), the air is noticeably thinner than at sea level (thus, providing a nice bit of altitude training for folks like myself). But it's the lack of chaos and constant traffic that make this a great city to train in.

On our run along University Drive, there are no cars operating, and this allows us to run in the street.

We cut left towards the river and then head for the Meewasin Trail, which runs along the river on both sides.  Once on the trail, it becomes apparent that the patches and sheets of black ice concealed under a blanket of fresh snow will be a cause for concern throughout today's run.

I relax, however, because something tells me that this is not my day to be horribly injured on a running trail.  For three others, however, it was.  

My running group was comprised of a dozen or so runners from the Saskatoon Road Runners Association who hold a weekly long run on Saturday mornings at 8:30am.  Today's long run, my first with the group, would be 16 kilometers (10 miles).  Since I had no idea how long the run would be, I ran the distance without refueling  during the run.  Yes, that happened, and I don't run more than 10k without refueling.

The SRRA runners were training for the Saskatchewan Half Marathon (run along with a full marathon, 10k and 5k) on May 25th.  I registered for the 5k race last December.  And so each Saturday they perform a long run at about a 5:30-5:45 per kilometer pace.

When we hit the home stretch and emerged from the trail to enter Spadina Crescent, snow started to fall heavier. Our meet-up place (the same each week) was Brainsport on Broadway Avenue.  As we neared the store, we passed another run group on the Broadway Bridge.  That felt kind of nice.

In future posts I'll talk more about the Meewasin trails, running in Saskatoon, and matter of running-related topics.

Raison d'etre

I write this blog because I'm a 37 year old diabetic, a former open heart surgery patient (albeit, I was 2 when that happened) who is training for his first marathon.  My story is a little unique because of the struggles I've endured to even get to the point I'm at now.  Like most runners, I've battled overuse injuries, fatigue, the weather and life issues along the way. But I've made some pretty gutsy decisions at times, and pushed forward when maybe caution was a better solution.

Regardless, I write this blog to share my experiences training for my first marathon.  You will no doubt recognize some or all of what I do, and be fairly surprised at other things I do.

Feel free to write me with any questions you may have.  I can be reached at johninsask (at) yahoo.ca