Long Overdue Update

I haven’t written for a few weeks. Here are just some quick updates on my training:

First, I started my 18 week training program last week with a 65 mile week. I decided to go with Pete Pfizinger’s 70 to 85 mile training program. The program starts at 65 miles and peaks at just short of 90 miles a week.

The first week went fine – though I was a bit tired after doing a 9 mile tempo run followed by a twelve mile run the next day. I was also perhaps a little aggressive on my 17 mile long run over the weekend, paying for it this week… It happened yesterday on what was supposed to be a moderate-paced eight mile run. It wasn’t the eight miles that did it, though, but running those ten 100M strides towards the end. I followed the run with a 12 mile run (was supposed to be 13) this morning during which I experienced some extreme tightness in my hips and throbbing pain in my right hip and groin area that spread into my lower abdominals.

Which leads me to my second point: I’ve come to realize that doing any sort of fast speed work or intense hill running is probably not in the cards for me. I suspect this is because my hip flexor muscles and muscles in the groin are way too tight and I probably have some unhealed muscle strains from this winter and my crazy snowy trail running adventures.

Fortunately, I seem to do fine on tempo runs and aerobic pace runs – which leads me to my third point: namely, that I now realize just how much I hate following canned training plans like the Pfizinger plan that I **was** following. Come to think of it, I was injured last year after starting a Higdon 5K training program… could there be a pattern here?

My new plan is to train similar to what I did last year, only add an extra intermediate long run (12 to 15 miles) mid-week, some longer tempo runs, and maybe the occasional long marathon pace run (all ideas I am taking from Pfizinger).

Here is hoping I feel better tomorrow.

12-Miler and Growing Older

I woke up early this morning and decided to get in a 12-miler by running two loops of Deer Grove East. I love running the trails of Deer Grove and try to hit them as many times as I can each week. There is an asphalt path that runs over gently rolling terrain with marshland, open grass fields, and some wooded sections. There is also a gravel path that follows the main path and you can run on the grass as well. I usually opt for the gravel path and grass to save my legs a bit.

The temperature was in the low 30s when I started, so I wore a light wind-breaker and some gloves. Otherwise, the weather was perfect.

I felt a few painful knots in my muscles, so started slowly. Eventually everything warmed up and I increased my pace. The run was supposed to be easy, so I held myself in check.

The only sour note was the pain in my lower abdomen. I felt it from the very start of the run and it waxed and waned throughout the run. It was never so painful that I felt I should stop, but still unpleasant.

I am still not sure what the cause is. I have actually had this lower abdominal pain for over a year. At times it has been worse than it is now, so I am not as concerned at the moment. Still, I would prefer to run without any pain at all.

Since it has lasted for so long, though, I am beginning to suspect that I might have what is known as a sports hernia. This is not the same as a traditional hernia as there is nothing protruding through the abdominal wall. Instead, it is caused by strained muscles that never heal. I have heard of people resorting to surgery as a cure. I don’t want to go that route.

I am still convinced that it is the result of combined weakness in the lower abdominals and excessive stiffness in connecting muscles. I will continue to stretch, strengthen, and apply contrast therapy. The last is a method of applying heat followed by cold and then alternating between the two. The goal is to stimulate blood flow in the injured area. For the heat, I use a bottle filled with hot water; for the cold, I use ice packs.

I am feeling less sore as I type this, so I will remain hopeful that I will beat this “injury”. I have managed to deal with all other injuries I have been afflicted with since I started running two years ago. And yes, I am an old decrepit man—I turn 40 this year.

Running Like Grandma

So I woke up Sunday morning with a pain along the inner side of my foot—it hurt just walking. I was planning on running five miles, but wondered if I should just take the day off. That would be the reasonable thing to do. After all, why risk an injury just to fit in a few more easy miles?

But that isn’t what I did. I decided to run, but with a difference. I call it “grandma” running. “Grandma” running is when you run slow and with a shortened stride. You’ve probably seen some older people running like this, thus the source of the name. And no, I am not trying to insult grandmas or slow runners—I actually find great wisdom in the way they run. You see, sometimes it is better to run slowly than to not run at all. And if you really have a problem with running this slow, just think of it as a faster alternative to walking, which is what you might be doing if you have an injury and want to get some exercise.

What are the advantages of “grandma” running as opposed to total rest or some form of cross training?

First, running at any speed is more specific to the sport of running than any other exercise. As we all know, the principle of training known as “specificity” states that the best way to train for a given sport is by practicing the actual sport or using movements that are close to the movements used in that sport. Therefore, it is better to run than to cycle, swim, or lift weights. Yes, a bout of hard cycling will do more for your aerobic system and weight lifting builds muscle, but neither help train the specific muscles used for running. Better to run slow.

Second, and probably an elaboration on the first principle, is that by running at any speed, you are continuing to put stress on your connective tissues and to build up the strength of these connective tissues. The thing that causes most injuries is not the stresses placed on the body by running, but the excessive stresses placed on the body by running too fast or too far too soon. Total rest might make the symptoms of an injury go away, but rest does not get to the root cause of most injuries. And often these root causes are weak bones, tendons, and ligaments. How do you correct these weaknesses? By running.

Third, running can actually loosen up tight muscles and work the kinks out of the legs. That is what happened with my run on Sunday. I started with a pain in the side of my foot—that was actually a cramp—and by the end of the run the pain was gone. If I hadn’t gone for those easy five miles, I might have been limping around for a week!

Dem Bones, Dem Bones

You know that old song about the thigh bone being connected to the hip bone? It’s true. Every part of your body is connected, and what effects one part can have collateral effects on other parts.

So, I have had this on-again off-again pain in my lower abdomen whenever I run hills or in deep snow (like I did this winter). At first I thought it was just a strain in my lower abdominals—makes sense, right?—but I also noticed that there was some pain and stiffness in my hips and down into the muscles that run along the inner side of the thighs (i.e. adductors). When I decided to stretch those tight thighs and hips, I soon realized just how stiff they were; we are talking rigor mortis stiff. Conclusion: tight muscles in the hips and thighs are causing related problems in the abdominals. Solution: stretch everything out.

Also, as a result of this experience, I have become obsessed with strengthening my abdominal muscles. I have been doing crunches and such since I started running again two years back, but I now realize there are more muscles then those 6-packs—or abdominis rectus for those who want to get all scientific and fancy. For instance, there is the transversus abdominis muscle. This acts like a corset around your middle and provides stability rather than motion—and while you can’t see them on the outside, you can certainly feel them on the inside when they aren’t working properly.

One good exercise for the transverse abdominis is the “Vacuum”. I’ve actually done vacuums back in the day when I was into yoga. To do them, you exhale till your lungs are empty, and then you suck your stomach inward and upward as if trying to touch your belly button to your spine (yes, I know that sounds painful). You can do this exercise while standing, sitting, or laying down—so it’s a good exercise to do while in the office.

So right now I am stretching my hips and thighs, and doing those vacuums. Only time will tell if my efforts will eliminate the pain or if I will have to go visit a medical professional after the running season is over.