Workin it out

Strangely motivated. Wanting to start training again kind of came out of the blue and I was surprised by it, but i'm even more surprised that regardless of the current injury I am motivated to get over it and run. I would have expected to be discouraged and go right back to the sedentary lifestyle but this is not so. Furthermore, although necessary, I am 'working out,' and enjoying it, which is a first.


I went to my massage therapist on tuesday and unfortunately it wasn't the miracle cure I was hoping for. In fact he more or less just confirmed what I had figured out on the internet(which was actually worth the fee).  It is indeed the psoas/iliopsoas that is tight, and the reason why is that my gluteus medius(I think) was not firing to keep my spine stable, and so my psoas stepped in to do a bang up job. It turns out, in my massage therapists opinion, that it wasn't so much the ramping up of the long run but just the transition from a life of sitting all the time(school) to starting to run again that was the likely problem. SO, what to do?  I went back to this article I found on how to release your psoas, and have been diligently trying to follow it, which has been helpful, and I've decided to work out my core like never before.  In the past I've found that really concentrating on the exercises necessary to relieve the symptoms of an injury can get you back on the road in a hurry, then you can back off a bit for a longer term cure. Hitting it hard at the start has worked for me in the past, perhaps that is because the biggest strength gains are made from weak muscles!


The workout I decided on was conveniently found in the most recent edition of Canadian Running Magazine written by Jon-Erik Kawamoto(StrongerRunner.com).  The article has a number of core exercises which go from moderate to very difficult, obviously depending on what you have to work with(virtually nothing in my case). You can do all of them in your home with things from around the house, save for an exercise ball.  I don't have an exercise ball so I didn't do those two exercises but you can substitute a tension band with an old bicycle tube, and a medicine ball with a stack of books bound with a belt.  I've only done the exercises a couple of times, and not even the full number of sets because I am so weak but I feel like its going to help my problem by stabilizing my core and getting the right muscles firing at the right time. It is mind boggling how weak my core is, and I don't want to think of how much faster I could have run in the past had I been more professional about my training! More importantly i'm being proactive. I'm planning on going for a jog tomorrow so we'll see how it goes. Here's hoping.

Here's a great video of Billy Mills(Oglala Lakota) '64 Olympic 10k champ I watched yesterday, keep the sound on!


Post Script: Here is the link to the core workout I mentioned above.

Laid up

I didn't really think it would happen this quickly. With a more than ambitious ramping up of the long run I expected some kind of injury to happen. Sounds silly but, I expected to have some IT band issues or something in the lower legs, injuries i've had before and know how to deal with quickly. Unfortunately this was not the case and a problem that was bound to happen finally did.  For years I have neglected to develop a strong core, which is probably the most important thing you can do as a runner, from an efficiency perspective. A strong stable core reduces rotation and so the power you deliver to the ground is directed forward and not dissipated by lateral or rotational movement. Nevertheless, my neglect has come back and bit me in the ass, literally. My left psoas/iliopsoas (unsure of the specifics) is very sore. On my last long run a week ago, I went for a relaxed 24.5miles, and in the last 45mins I felt a tightening in my lower back/pelvis and by the end of the run it was very uncomfortable. Anyhow, it turns out those particular muscles are really hard to get at and any kind of self therapy has been ineffective at releasing the tightness fully. So i'm waiting to see my massage therapist on tuesday, i'm sure he'll cure me. In the meantime i'm doing some exercises to help strengthen my core without furthering the imbalance. Moral of the story, when you feel unbalanced, you probably are! I am excited to build a strong core and the reality check was good for me, i'm setting some more modest goals. Looking forward to getting back out there. I've decided to commit to doing an Ultramarathon this year, i've been wanting to do one since I was 13 and its time to satisfy the urge.

Revived

30min. Soaked already, but warmed up and awake, not chipper by any means.
60min. Grind mind. Realizing its going to be a tough slog, but nice to be running Burnaby Lake again.
90min. Grind time. Longest run in a long time. BCIT to Rupert is going to be tough.
120min. The wall. I now realize 'the wall' does exist, and its a product of not being in shape.
130min. Satisfaction. I am a distance runner once again.


It wasn't fast. It wasn't even particularly long(18mi), but I have always said that I don't feel like I can call myself a distance runner until I get a 120min run under my belt. Truthfully, I don't mean it. I've always been a distance runner, I expect I always will be. The reasons for being one have changed at times, and i've racked up a number of zero mileage weeks, nevertheless, I am a distance runner.


I've only done a few runs now and i'm a bit reluctant to say i'm back to running. Over the last couple of years I have made a number of attempts to get back at it, all of which have failed. Like the morning after a good night by the fire, there's almost no smoke, just warmth, if you're lucky, and careful, you can get it going again. This time, the flame has returned. I don't mean the competitive fire, I mean the will and desire to run long, to run far, to become exhausted, to suffer, to go beyond fatigue. I am excited to go far, not limiting myself to structured workouts, structured weeks, months, years even. I'm going to rest, then i'm going to run, and see how far it takes me. Hopefully not to injury, and hopefully not insanity(some might say i've been there in training before).


It's running time again, and i'm going to chronicle my progression and journey once again, if only as a log, or journal for myself. Any feedback is welcomed.


So far:
Today - 18mi
Two days ago - 7.5mi
Four days ago - 12.5mi
Six days ago - 5.7mi
Eight days ago - 10mi
Ten days ago - 5mi