I’ve Seen the Nike and the Damage Done

Trigger Warning!  This was written from a place of pain – self inflicted – so I have no one else to blame.

“You’re into pain and suffering, aren’t you?” asked the physical therapist.  He was kneading my calf so hard, beads of sweat were running down my face, or were they tears.  “If it doesn’t hurt, it’s not worth it, right?” he added.  When I told him I’d signed up for a 50K running race, he asked “Why would you want to do that?” 

The issue was the acute pain in my right calf.  On Monday, April 13th, I set out for an easy six mile run after work.  I soon noticed a sharp twinge in my calf.  Even though I stopped at the first sign of pain, a half mile into the run, the damage was done. 

The reason I went for a run that fateful Monday was because I missed my morning swim workout.  Had I swum 5,000 yards as planned, I would not have been running.  I had run hills the previous two days, so my calves were tired.  The result was a tear in my Achilles tendon. 

The Achilles is a large and prominent tendon that connects the gastrocnomius and soleus muscles to the heel bone.  The Achilles is the thickest tendon in the human body and can handle a load stress 7.7 times the body’s weight when running.

Here’s a little back-story:

In Greek mythology, when Achilles was a baby, his mother Thetis dipped his body into the River Styx, which was supposed to offer powers of invulnerability.  But as she held Achilles by the heel, his heel was not washed over by the water of the magical river.  Achilles grew up to be a man of war who survived many great battles.  But one day, a poisonous arrow shot at him was lodged in his heel, killing him shortly thereafter.  Metaphorically, an Achilles heel is a weakness in spite of overall strength, which can potentially lead to downfall.  

My athletic success comes not from great innate skill nor flexibility nor a high anaerobic threshold.  It comes from my ability to withstand a great amount of discomfort, during both training and racing.  That is also my weakness. 

Here are the steps I took to try to heal the injury:

Dry Needling – It is what I imagine it would feel like sitting on the sofa in Keith Richards’ living room.  Yes, my calf felt better, but it is hard to say if it was due to dry-needling or just not running for a week.

Elastic therapeutic tape or kinesio-tape – is supposed to correct the alignment of weak muscles as well as facilitating joint motion.  I found no benefit from kinesio-taping.

Duct tape – did about as much good as the kinesio tape.

 

Trainer’s Tape – Tried and true.  I used the brute force method of trainer’s tape to immobilize my calf, to support the calf so it could withstand the pounding of running.  With this approach I was able to run, clubfoot-like. 

I changed my registration in the Greenland 50K race to the 8 mile event.  If there’d been a 1 mile fun run, I’d have switched to that.  I was extremely pleased to have finished – 3^rd place in my age group. 

The bigger issue is that I don’t know when to back off the training.  One mile is too many and 1,000 not enough.  We’ve heard the old saw “the older you get, the more rest you need.”  If you don’t heed that advice, you’ll end up having to take extended time off from running, like I will. 

I am fortunate that I have other physical activities that I enjoy, namely swimming and roller-skiing.  But since I identify as a runner and am not able to run, my psyche is taking a hit.  The fact that my athletic reach exceeds my grasp IS what motivates me.  It also leads to injuries that probably could be avoided.  My body is telling me to take a break.  This time I’m listening. 

Adieu.

We Met After a Race

It was 9 A.M. on Thursday, June 8^th, 1989 and Fred Lebow had problems; about 13,000 to be accurate.  As race director for that evening's Manufacturers Hanover Corporate Challenge, Lebow was responsible for the safety of that many runners.  The temperature in Central Park was 83 degrees and the humidity was 80 percent, a combination the American College of Sports Medicine considers to be between ''high risk'' and ''very high risk'' for runners.  

The Corporate Challenge, an annual series of 3.5 mile races, was founded in 1977 by the New York Road Runners with a single race in New York City that attracted 200 runners from 50 companies.  It is now held in 13 cities, in 7 countries on 5 continents.  The Manhattan edition started and finished at The Tavern on the Green.  Little did I know I would be attending my wedding reception there in 18 months.

Take 13,000 competitive corporate types, many who had never run a race, add heat and humidity, and you have a recipe for – death.  In recent years four participants had died – two of heart attacks and two from heat stroke – not the outcomes you want for an event that promotes "fitness in the workplace."   I signed a release stating I wouldn’t hold SmithBarney (my employer) or the New York Road Runners responsible if I croaked. 

Lebow, citing concerns about the hazards of running in high heat and humidity, changed the event into a "non-competitive" ''fun run'' and removed the clock so the competitors would not be tempted to overexert themselves; a reasonable idea.  You can remove the clock, but two or more people running a course at the same time IS the definition of a race. 

Another idea was to implement a two-wave start.  Runners were asked to sort themselves into fast and slow waves.  I hadn’t run in over two years so I joined the mass of B-Wave runners. 

If they had asked a 3^rd grader how to slow down the runners, they might have said “put a rope across the road.”  If you were Lebow, you might have said “Great idea.”  And so, mid-way through the event, a couple of burly dudes ran a rope across the road – I kid you not.  By the time I got to that point in the run, there were a few thousand people piling on top of one another.  The rope served its purpose, but several people fell and were stepped upon. 

Participants had to be “sponsored” by a company in order to be eligible to race.  It was an honor to be asked to represent your company.  It may be difficult to imagine, but it was a different era of corporate pride and the Corporate Challenge was a big deal.  Executives of major Wall Street firms (some in their seventies) ran the race.  The Corporate Challenge was broadcast – on network television.  Olympians and World Boxing Champions announced that they were going to run the race.  Grete Waitz was the official starter for the 1990 edition. 

I have no idea how long it took me to run the course, but I can tell you I beat Jerry, a corporate bond trader, and Clark from the OTC trading desk.  Serious bragging rights were at stake. 

At an after-race party, at an Upper East Side watering hole with a very unfortunate name, I met a lovely long-legged runner from Deloitte & Touche.  She said her name was Mary.  I asked her where she was from.  “Colorado” she replied.  The rest is a story for another day.  

Mementos from the night we met:

 

Feedback

The hours of daylight are in decline.  Winter is “officially” still a month away, but my tights, hat and gloves are out of basement storage.  There are about ten weeks until the day Punxsutawney Phil determines the arrival of spring.  A glance at the calendar displays four bleak months of snow, ice, frigid winds; weather a polar bear would like. 

Needing an ember to stoke my running fire, this week I received the following: 

“It is our pleasure to extend you an offer to be a part of the 2015 Runners Roost Team.”

I feel a bit like Sally Field at the Oscars.  You like me.  You really, really like me.

For those who believe in Sports Periodization, I am in the Transition Phase.  This phase is used to facilitate psychological rest, relaxation and biological regeneration as well as to maintain an acceptable level of general physical preparation.  It allows the body to fully regenerate so that it is prepared for the next season.  The feedback my body is telling me is to rest, but who’s got time for that. 

For the past three weeks I have been participating in No Shave Movember, where men grow mustaches to raise awareness for prostate cancer and to promote manliness.  The feedback I’ve received has been enlightening.  My family hates the mustache.  Close friends and co-workers find it amusing.  “Ah, No Shave Movember” they say.  Acquaintances I see infrequently give me a puzzled look until they realize there’s a caterpillar-esque growth on my upper lip.  My appearance makes total strangers feel really uncomfortable and they can’t get away from me fast enough.   What’s your feedback?

 

Are You a Runner?

That question caught me by surprise.  “Uh, yeah” I feebly replied.  I had just plucked a bottle of orange juice out of a tub of ice after finishing the HRCA Backcountry Half Marathon and one of the volunteers was guarding the drinks.  After a few seconds I was able to add “Some days more than others.”  The volunteer stood her ground.  “I didn’t see your bib.”  She clearly wanted proof that I had registered for the race.  I pulled the warm-up jacket I was wearing to reveal my bib and finisher’s medal. 

It reminded me of the time I wandered into the local vitamin store looking for some supplements.  The salesperson gave me the once-over and asked “Do you exercise at all?”

Maybe I’m reading too much into the question, but what was she implying?  That I’m not fit enough to run?  Didn’t the salt stains running down my face confirm my exertion?  Didn’t the dried boogers and Cliff-Shots on my face also validate my participation? 

But the question hits a deeper nerve.  Are you a runner?  The short answer is “heck yes.”  I am a runner and I live my life as such. 

And what does it mean to be a runner?
Is it defined by the pace we move?
Is it the volume of miles or finisher medals we accumulate?
Is it the 1,000 yard stare we perfect?
Is it the study of blisters and lost toe nails?
Is it the satisfaction of setting a goal; the struggle to overcome obstacles; and the joy of achievement?
Is it the bliss of living the good life?
Is it spending time with the nicest people you know?
Do you run because you like the way your body feels when you are moving?
Does your mood brighten when you think about the run you just did and the one you are about to do?

If you think of yourself as a runner, then you are one.

Are you a runner?

The Trouble with Rest Days

“Idle feet are the devil's playground” – Anonymous

Baseboards – specifically the cleaning of baseboards; that is my motivation.  I keep lists of things to do so I don’t find myself looking for something to do and staring at the molding and thinking “I could clean the baseboards.”  My Puritan ethic compels me to be ever active.  It is ingrained in me.   The trouble is that when I see what other things I could be doing with my time, and I do a value comparison, I start to wonder if my efforts would be better used elsewhere. 

Even rest has to have a purpose.  Since the beginning of this year I have rested 10 days.  I know this because Tyler knows this and also because these are the kinds of statistics I track.  Yesterday I found myself staring at those baseboards.  Then I remembered there were some 1 x 4s and other scrap wood in the garage and I’ve been meaning to play with that new pocket jointer I got for my birthday.  So, I built myself an end table. 

The reason I chose to rest was because today I ran the Highlands Ranch Half Marathon.  The race started in Daniels Park and ended at the Highlands Ranch Town Center.  The course followed a route along which I imagined cows were herded when the town was first settled about 140 years ago.  It was a fine late summer morning; a scattering of clouds puffed along by a soft, five mph breeze out of the east.  The temperature was about 55 degrees a gun time. 

There were a few familiar faces in the race.  Fellow Runners Roost teammate Matt Peharda was the overall winner.  Deb Cunningham won the female 50 – 59 age group.  Dave Pierce finished second in the male 50 – 59 age group.  It was a 1 – 2 finish for Phidippides Track Club as I was fortunate to finish first in the 50 – 59 age group (4^th overall).

As I waited for the start, noticing many runners with compression socks and Garmins, I overheard two runners discussing a training method one of them had read about.  My mind drifted through their conversation, but I heard the words research, university, data and results.  I thought about what they were saying, not about the new training method, but about the professors who spent the time studying it. 

We live in an era of great discoveries in athletic performance.  Through scientific research and actual competition, we’ve seen improvements in speed, endurance and stamina.  Our ignorance shrinks by fractions.  What we know is dwarfed by what we don’t know about our bodies’ capabilities.  Are these results asymptotic or limitless? 

Breaking Training

We do not run in a Peter Pan world; forever young until we are not.  We age by degrees and can quantify the decline in our physical abilities.  Thank God for age groups!  The perplexing thing is not that it happens.  It is that we are shocked when it happens to us.

I had the great luxury of spending the weekend with some old friends;

Watching the Rockies Win!

Playing a round at the Vail Golf Club!

Eating at Yama Sushi!

And hiking in West Vail!

 

It has been a very good summer for the Mather clan and we treated ourselves to a vacation at the swanky Phoenician in Scottsdale, AZ.  Not surprising, it was really hot there – like Badwater hot.  The temperature hit a high of 109 degrees.  When I left the hotel at 4:30 AM to go for a run it was 88 degrees.

On Thursday I ran a 10 mile out-and-back route along the Arizona Canal.  At the turnaround I stopped to remove a pebble from my shoe.  To my surprise, when I bent to untie my shoe I saw several small shells.  I put a few in my pocket before shuffling back to the hotel.  Those shells were Quagga Mussels which cause hundreds of millions of dollars in maintenance and damage repairs to public works around the country.

It was nice to have a little diversion from hard training.  I still ran and swam, but my mileage / yardage for the week was much lower, as was the intensity of the workouts.  I swam with the Sun Devil Masters team two of the days.  On Saturday I joined the Mummy Mountain Runners for a 10 mile loop around their namesake peak.  It was a spectacular tour past the mansions of Paradise Valley.  Adding the distance to, and from, the meet-up place gave me 16 miles for the day.

Lounging by, and in, the Phoenician’s mother of pearl pool gave me time to cast my eyes to the future.  My next race is the Highlands Ranch Half Marathon on Labor Day.  Beyond that I’m not really sure what my running future holds.  No one sees around life’s corners and that is a blessing.  Whether we saunter, shuffle or sprint we greet events in stride.  Savor the surprise. 

Age Before Beauty – As If

I was hoping to title this entry “Third Time’s a Charm”, but that was not to be.  This past Tuesday I completed my involvement in the 2014 Aquaman Swim - Run Series organized by Without Limits Productions.  While the race series does not officially end until July 29^th, I can finish no better nor worse than 2^nd in the overall standings.  This is the third time I’ve competed in this event and my third runner-up finish.  I’ve had enough splash ‘n’ dash fun for the summer. 

Points are awarded based on the best four finishes.  I have 74 points and Antonio Soto has 78.  For the record, I am old enough to be Antonio’s father.  He is 28 and I am 50.  Not to cry in your Gatorade, but it is a sad day when you realize you just can’t compete on a non age-graded level. 

 

I put in a lot of effort to prepare for this event and was physically drained after Tuesday’s race.  After nearly three hours of racing, there was only a minute and eight seconds difference in our overall times.  I should be happy that I was even competitive in the race, but I like to win and I train so I can give myself the best shot at doing that.

After all of my races I like to do a post-mortem.  This gives me the chance to learn; to see where I can improve and to stroke myself for doing something well.  I look for the positives in races and in this case, they were easy to spot. 

1.     I actually won one of the races.

2.     I had the fastest average transition of anyone in the race.

3.  Most importantly, I became better acquainted with Galen Classen and Tom Weber.

I have known Galen through officiating Colorado high school swim meets.  Earlier this summer Galen supported his brother Ken’s participation in the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim Race. 

Tom and I train with the Phidippides Track Club.  It was great hearing about the races he competed in this summer.  On Bike to Work Day Tom ran the 31 miles from his home in Thornton to his office in the Tech Center - a very impressive feat. 

I should also comment about the venue.  I like open-water swimming.  I love the smell of pond scum in the evening…smells like victory.  The weather was almost ideal for the swim portion of the race.  There was little wind which means there were few waves.  The course is a triangle with the hypotenuse pointing straight at the Cherry Creek Dam, which looms about a quarter mile from the far buoy. 

 

The run course is an out and back affair.  Starting at the swim beach, it goes uphill towards Parker Road where the turnaround is. 

After the race the event organizers treat the athletes to pizza from Pudge Brothers.  It is a really nice touch.  I’ve never met a slice I didn’t like so I’ve really enjoyed these past four Tuesdays.