Too Cold To Hold 2009

Woo-hoo! A new PR for the 15K distance. I think we can confidently say that my stress-fracture recovery is now complete!

I finished this morning's Too Cold To Hold 15K (9.41 miles per GPS) in 1:17:42.8 (8:21/mi official pace; 8:16/mi per GPS).  This is more than two minutes faster than the FWRC Labor Day 15K and just shy of my "target" 8:15/mi pace.  Looks like I'll have to set a new goal pace soon. :-)

Don T and I carpooled and met up with Wilhe at the race site.  Many of my other running friends were doing the Houston Marathon on Sunday so I wasn't expecting to see a huge turnout at the race (whether I knew them or not).  It was a crisp January morning with cloudy skies.  Overall, the weather was nearly perfect with cool temperatures - a bit of headwind (13.5 MPH average from the south) was the only part that could have been improved.

I didn't really know what to expect going into this race as 9.3 miles is the farthest that I have run in over two months (since early November's DRC Half and my shin injury).  My plan was to start off with a slow pace, take walk breaks at the water stations, and finish strongly.

I worked hard at keeping a steady pace in the opening miles and I did accomplish it with a 26:02 split at the 5K mark.  The next 3.1 miles were completed in 26:37 and the final 25:04.  So I did finish strongly.  Full (per mile/5K) splits from my Garmin Forerunner 305:

Though it may seem like I slowed down in the middle of the race, the times are actually deceptive because (1) there was a lot of headwind as we ran south down the west side of White Rock Lake and (2) there were 2 water stations (and thus walk-breaks) during that stretch - there was only 1 each for the first and last 5K segments.

Speed chart - only walked at the 1.8-mile, 4.1-mile, 6.1-mile, and (briefly) 7.4-mile water stations:

I felt very good for the two big hills of the course - the ramp heading up to Mockingbird at Mile 2.9and at the south end of the lake at Mile 7.5.  For both of them, I was able to bear down and make it to the top without slowing significantly.  Elevation chart below.

Finally, here is my heart rate chart.  Good drops during the walk-breaks at Mile2 4.1 and 6.1.  I was actually planning to keep my heart rate (and pace) lower, but during the race, I felt really good - even running at a 8:16/mi average.  I was a little worried (surprised) that I was going too fast, but it just didn't feel too fast.  I guess it just goes to show that heart rate is just one factor (along with weather, course, and overall "feel") in determining the optimal speed and effort for the day.

With my time of of 1:17:43, I placed 28th out of 57 for my age group (M 35-39) and 159th out of 632, overall.  My finish time was also nearly 3 1/2 minutes faster than last year's race when I was nursing my IT band injury (uggh, bad memories).  But that's in the past, today is a great milestone - both for injury recovery and just an awesome race overall.  :-)

At the finish line, I cheered in Wilhe and Serena (who also PRed!) - somehow I missed Don - must have been grabbing water - before heading up to the Winfrey Point clubhouse for some breakfast tacos (yum) and rehydration.  The weather for the day lived up to the race's name, but solid performances and scrambled eggs, salsa and tortillas made us warm inside.

Final race results:  http://www.runontexas.com/Results/2009/TooColdToHold904905/TooColdMenu.htm

MotionBased data: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/7464559

2009 is Gonna Rock

Happy (Belated) New Year!  My blogging took a serious hit with the holidays and the first week back from work after two weeks of well-deserved vacation time.  Luckily, unlike my blogging, I was able to keep up my workouts, and I can say with a straight face that my fitness level is at the same level or better than before the holiday madness began.

On the stress-fracture-recovery front, things are looking very good.  On December 31, I did my first  post-injury, non-treadmill run since November's DRC Half - a "quarter-marathon" in my neighborhood - 6.55 miles in 59:30.  I followed that up this past Friday with an 8.31 mile run in 1:17:32.  So my shin rehab is going well and I should be all set for next weekend's Too Cold To Hold 15K (9.3 miles) and the Lake Benbrook Half-Marathon at the end of the month.

Despite what I just wrote, the majority of my workouts for the last three weeks were not runs; they were spin class sessions.  2-3 hours during the week. On Saturdays,  two one-hour spin-classes with a 15-minute cycling warm-up and either more cycling or a quick treadmill brick-run for the 15 minutes between the classes.  All of the sessions were more-or-less the same, with average heart rates between 152-156 bpm - fairly intense (effective).

Swimming is definitely an area that needs more focus.  I did a couple swim sessions, but the longest distance was about 1,250 yards.  I need to get back into the pool with more frequency and longer durations/distances.

But, overall, I am feeling strong and very excited for a new year of fitness and competition! 

Addicted to Caffeine? & Running Progress

Seasons Greetings!

Ugh, so busy with work and family activities pre-holiday.  Not enough time to blog regularly, but at least I've been able to keep up regular workouts for the most part.  Training log entries:

Mon, 12/8: Took the day off.  I deserved it after a solid weekend effort ... and plus I needed to get my car inspected (luckily, everything passed A-okay - my wallet exhaled a sigh of relief)

Tue, 12/9: Busy day at work.  I tried to get in a swim after work.  The first 500 yard set was at a slow but uneventful 10:55.  I got about 250 yards into the second set when I started to feel dizzy and nauseated so I had to stop.  It could have been a fluke thing, but upon reflection I realized that I might be suffering from cafffeine withdrawal! 

I've never been a big user of caffeinated drinks - I don't drink coffee for the most part.  So when I do use it, I feel its effects right away - those 1 or 2 gels with 25-40 mg of caffeine each feel great on race day. :-)  However, I have to admit that I fell into a routine of drinking one or two sodas a day (it seems to go along with meetings at work) and sometimes a gel with caffeine during spin class.  So today when I didn't have any intake, my body may have been rebelling.  Anyway, I'm going to track this closely and also gradually ramp down my daily caffeine intake until it is back to nearly zero.

Wed, 12/10: 55-min spin class (165 bpm avg hr - I was pushing hard!) followed by 2.5 miles on the treadmill in 20:42 (8:17/mi pace, 165 bpm avg hr).  My running is definitely improving - longer distances at faster paces.  And, better still, no pain in my shin post-run!

Thu, 12/11: 60-minute spin class (160 bpm avg hr)

Sat, 12/13: Double spin classes again with, like last Saturday, a quick run in the between them.  However, today, I was able to make it a 2.25 mile run (8:02/mi pace)  

Sun, 12/14: Another day of rest (well, to be honest, more of a day of errands than rest).  Christmas tree set up, some shopping completed, and major cleaning/organizing efforts going on at the Wang household ...

Mon, 12/15: 5K on the treadmill in 24:24 (7:52/mi pace, 154 bpm avg hr) ... Splits (and average heart rates):

• Mile 1: 8:07 (149 bpm)
• Mile 2: 7:56.5 (154 bpm)
• Mile 3: 7:41 (159 bpm)
• final 0.1 miles: 0:40 (169 bpm)

My overall heart rate looks (and felt) low for such a fast pace - under 160 for most of the run.  Definitely "A Good Thing" (TM).

After the run, a quick 1,000 yard swim in the pool (splits: 10:31, 10:35.5)

Tue, 12/16: 45-minute spin class (150 bpm avg hr).  The effort seems low after previous spin classes, maybe I just needed to take it easy.  Office life is stressful enough these days with end of the year project efforts.

Wed, 12/17: 3.5 mile run on the treadmill in 26:18 (7:31/mi pace)... Splits:

• Mile 1: 7:47.23 (156 bpm)
• Mile 2: 7:32.52 (168 bpm)
• Mile 3: 7:27.42 (171 bpm)
• final 0.5 miles: 3:31 (182 bpm)

and FYI my 5K split was 23:53 (half a minute faster than Monday).  High heart rates, but that was to be expected with the faster pace.  After the run, 60-minute spin class (154 bpm avg hr) - a bit lower than normal, but I needed the recovery.

As you can see, still pretty busy the last 10 days or so.  I hope I can keep it up over the holidays - especially continued progress on my running.  (Knock on wood: full recovery from injury is right around the corner!)

Layla=Torture & The Road to Recovery

At the end of the 10:30 AM spin class this morning (the second of two), Patti, our instructor, had us finish to Layla.   A great song, but her plan also included us doing a LONG standing climb with interspersed "hovers" during the second movement ("piano coda") which is over 5 minutes in duration. Uggh!  By the end of the song, we were cursing our legs, Patti, and Eric Clapton himself. :-)

Anyway, today's torture session was necessary after slacking off Wednesday through Friday.  The week had started off well.  Sunday's workout was modeled after Thanksgiving's. It began with 30 minutes on the Stairmaster with the first 25 mins at Level 10 before backing down to Level 8 - stats: 165 floors, 3.48 miles, 415.6 calories (using weight 172 lbs), avg hr: 166+ bpm (started watch late), average pace: 89 steps/min, 831 cal/hr.  After some weight work, another go at the rower - stats: 10 minutes, 2256 meters (about the same pace as Thursday's 6-minute session), 83 calories, avg hr: 161 bpm.  And to top it all off, a 75-minute spin class (155 bpm avg heart rate).

I took Monday off to take care of some personal errands and to recover from the back-to-back weekend workouts.

Tuesday's workout wasn't as robust as I would have hoped.  Just a 45-minute spin session.  HOWEVER, I did run on the treadmill afterwards (6 MPH pace with a 5% incline) and completed an entire *0.5 miles* and had no pain in my shin the following day.  This is first time I have run since the DRC Half Marathon and the subsequent aggravation/worsening of the stress-fracture in my shin.  Woo-hoo!  The road to recovery has begun.

Unfortunately, after that small victory, crazy stuff at work intervened and made working out on Wednesday and Thursday impossible.  For Friday, there was no such excuse other than I just felt lazy.  Oh well.

So back to today ...  I did my now-normal Saturday morning routine of double-spin classes (duration/avg hr: 70 min/153 bpm and 65 min/153 bpm, respectively).  The one change from last week is that I did a 9-minute run in between the cycling sessions.  One whole mile on the treadmill!  Charts below:

In other news, I have all but signed up for the 21st Annual Lake Benbrook Half-Marathon - to be held January 31.  I know I have a long way to go before being able to do 13.1 miles, but I am confident that I can make it over the next 7 weeks.

On the Running DL; Bike & Swim Focus

Well, I decided to bite the bullet and put myself on the "disabled list" for running.  I've had pain in my left shin following my last several long runs (including Sunday's DRC Half) and even though it goes away after a day or so, it's recurrence is troubling.  With some Internet research and discussion with friends who've had similar conditions in the past, I am pretty sure that I have a stress fracture in my tibia (shin).

Anyway, I'm planning to lay off running for 4 weeks.  I'll do a 3 mile test run at the end of November and if I feel good, I'll sign up for the Dallas White Rock Half-Marathon (December 15).  Otherwise, no running or running races for me until 2009.

So with this restriction, I've been focusing on my swimming and biking.  So far this week:

Monday: A solid 2,000 yard swim in 42:39. My 500 yd splits:

• 1st 500 yds: 10:20
• 2nd 500 yds: 10:21
• Water/AccelGel break: 0:30
  
• 3rd 500 yds: 10:22
• 4th 500 yds: 10:46

Tuesday: 75 minutes of spin (159 bpm avg hr)

Wednesday: 65 minute spin class (150 bpm avg hr)

So far, so good.  The spin classes don't seem to aggravate my shin and I have been walking (even up and down stairs) without pain for the last couple days.  Staying away from running will be difficult (never thought I'd say THAT before) but I know this is the only way to let the bone heal.

Work + Sciatica + Broken Pool = No Workouts

Tuesday: Experiencing some mild tingling in my leg. Looks like sciatica - compression/irritation of the large sciatic nerve that runs from the back down the legs. Mostly like caused by overtraining/ramping up running miles too quickly ("Damnit, body, please try to keep up with me!").

At least this injury has a cool name - "ITBS" just sounds sad. (How can you take a condition seriously when it has "BS" in the name?)

Remedies: Need to be even more vigilant in my pre-and post-run stretching and lay off runnning for a week. So no running until this Sunday's Pioneer Power Sprint Tri (and that is just 3.3 miles so hopefully it will be okay). Swimming not possible - the pool at LA Fitness is closed for repairs.

Wednesday: Planned swim at lunch (called ahead - the whirlpool is still closed, but the pool has reopened - yay). Unfortunately, no dice - back-to-back conference calls scheduled. Tried to swim after work - didn't get off until almost 6:30 - too hungry :-P. Oh well, I needed another day off anyway.

Tomorrow (Thursday): Definitely going to go to spin class and swim. It's a "moral imperative"!

Injury Status

Even though the pace of yesterday's run was slow, it was the longest distance that I've completed since my IT-band troubles. My right knee was a little sore yesterday afternoon/evening and this morning it's still not 100% (walking and going up stairs are okay; going down stairs still a little painful), but overall it's recovering well. I think the PattStrap is definitely helping to slow/minimize the rate of IT-band the friction during the running.

I'm happy that I'm able to be able to run again, but annoyed/confused that my the rest of my body/legs - especially my LEFT knee - is totally ready for 16+ mile runs while my right knee is still a little gimpy.

More rehab work is needed ...

PattStrap Review

I posted a review of the PattStrap on their site today (kept getting reminder emails from the vendor to do this). It's at http://pattstrap.com/pattstrap-counter-force-knee-strap-pri-28.html?reviews_id=107 but I'll reproduce it here in case they remove the reviews in the future:

PattStrap Knee Compression Strap
$18.50USD
by Andrien Wang
Date Added: Wednesday 06 February, 2008

I had IT-band trouble in my right knee/leg during marathon training (was up to about 19-20 mile runs when the "IT" hit the fan). Recovery has been slow (I'm back up to 7-8 miles now) but the PattStrap seems to have helped. I think it is a good product, but as another reviewer mentioned it sometimes curls up on the edges. Unlike that reviewer's experience, who had the problem after about 20 uses, mine has started this problem after only 5 runs. Maybe I just got a bad PattStrap. I'll try the other one (they come in a pair) and see if that one stays flat longer. I'm [also a little] disappointed that the "bulk-pack" option has been discontinued.

Rating: [4 of 5 Stars!]

UPDATE:

PattStrap Knee Compression Strap
$18.50USD
by Andrien Wang
Date Added: Saturday 09 February, 2008

Update to my last review (Wednesday, Feb 6). The last sentence is incorrect. I misread "10 Pair Bundle (Discounted)" as "Discontinued" - totally my fault! The PattStrap is still working great for me. I ran 16.5 miles this morning and will be doing the Cowtown (Fort Worth) Half Marathon on February 23 - something unfathomable just a few weeks ago.

Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!]

Update link: http://pattstrap.com/pattstrap-counter-force-knee-strap-pri-28.html?reviews_id=108

Lake Benbrook Half-Marathon

I'm very pleased with my performance at the Lake Benbrook Half-Marathon. Unfortunately, I only did about 9.25 miles of the 13.1-mile course, so my official time was "did not finish". So why am I proud of a DNF? Allow me to explain ...

As I slowly heal up from my bout with iliotibial band friction syndrome, the most important thing for me to do (or, rather, not do) is to stop running at the first sign of pain.

Jarrod, Derek and I headed out at a 9:15/mi pace, which was not bad considering the out-and-back course was quite hilly. As we reached the second water stop at the 4.6 mile mark, I noticed that my knee was starting to throb. The pain wasn't too bad, but I had to make a decision. I probably could have continued and made it to the 6.5-mile turnaround point, but instead I turned around and walked back toward the start/finish line.

It was really tough to turn around and see all of the runners still heading out with determination to complete their goal. Saw all of the other runners and a few walkers too heading out to the turnaround. Actually, only a few minutes after I turned around, I got passed by the overall winner (who finished the race in 1:17:38!) After waving to the final walker about 3.5 miles from the start, the walk (over an hour total) got a little lonely. But I resisted the urge to run or even jog - I walked the entire 4.62 miles back to the start. As the lead runners and then the "main competitve pack" (including many Fort Worth Running Club members) passed me, I got to view the race from a different perspective.

In the end, I am really glad I am turned around when I did and that I "stayed the course" by not running on the way back in. Even though I could have jogged to at least the halfway point, if I would have made it that far, my adrenaline/blockheadedness would have kicked in and I would have wanted to run the entire course - knee pain be damned. That could have been disasterous since even walking the entire way back, by about a mile from the end, I could definitely feel my IT band making its presence known.

So I ran almost 5 miles without pain and I avoided further injury. That's about as good a day as I could have. Like I said: pleased ...

Discretion is the better part of valor. Better to "lose this battle" to have a chance to "win the war". Only two months to go until the Galveston Lonestar Half-Ironman tri!

Race results (even though I'm not on them :-P): http://www.clinesrunningcorner.com/benbrookhalfres_08.pdf

IT Band Syndrome

Yep, I think it is pretty clear I have that I have IT Band Syndrome.

No, I'm not talking about the urge to play "Guitar Hero" with four other programmers (although I probably have that syndrome too). IT (iliotibial) Band [Friction] Syndrome is a fairly common knee injury/ailment that afflicts runners. There are several causes of it including ramping up mileage too quickly and running on uneven surfaces or down hills. I was guilty of both of these.

Unfortunately, the only "treatment" at this time is to stop running. After the IT band heals up somewhat, I can try to avoid future injury by stretching and targeted strength training.

Some links about ITBS:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iliotibial_band_syndrome
• http://www.itbs.info/
• http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/0168.htm
• http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/itband.v2.html
• http://www.physsportsmed.com/issues/2000/02_00/fredericson.htm

Too Cold To Hold

I still can't run.

Or rather I did run ... but probably shouldn't have.

Jarrod, Matt and I ran the Too Cold To Hold 15K at White Rock Lake this morning. Don did the 5K.

Did the 15K (9.3 miles) in 1:21:05 (8:43/mi pace). The first 6 miles weren't too bad - did the first 7 miles in 60:25 for a 8:38/mi pace. However, my knee really started to act up for the last couple of miles. It took me 20:40 for the last 2.3 miles for an 8:59/mi pace as I hobbled along. Very frustrating to limp cross the finish line - barely winded.

Afterwards, my knee got really stiff (the cold weather probably didn't help) and walking back to our car was a chore. Let's see how I feel tomorrow.

Final results at http://www.runontexas.com/Results/Winter2008/TooColdToHold2008/TooColdMenu.htm

I Can't Run

The big news: my knee is feeling A LOT better today. Yesterday, it was still painful to go up and down stairs, but today no pain at all. Still, I want to stay away from running and even cycling for as long as possible to avoid aggravating it. Hopefully, it will be better for Saturday's 15K race.

So what can do you when you are trying to avoid running? Swim!

3,000 yards in 1:06:01 and 42:55 for the 2,000 yard Half-Ironman swim distance. Splits (last Monday's times in the parentheses):

• 1st 500 yds: 10:41.5 (10:19)
• 2nd 500 yds: 10:33.5 (10:44.5)
• 3rd 500 yds: 10:49 (10:33)
• 4th 500 yds: 10:51 (10:47.5)
• Accel Gel & water break: 0:44 (0:34)
• 5th 500 yds: 11:15.5 (10:46)
• 6th 500 yds: 11:06.5 (10:54)

Slower than last week, but still not too bad.

Yay ... but Ouch!

Another 19 miles on my running shoes!

I had my first successful run with the "Ranch View Gang". There were about 25 people - many marathon veterans and a few hopefuls - in the group this morning. We left just after 7:00 from the Panera Bread parking lot for an 8 mile loop, about half of which was on the Cowtown course. Then we did another 6 miles of hill work around the Fort Worth Zoo, TCU, and the surrounding neighborhoods. I was very pleased to be able to keep up with the faster runners for most of the entire 14.25 miles and finished the distance in about 2 hours and 8 minutes at just under a 9:00/mi pace.

Since I wanted to actually do about 20 miles today (as prescribed by my marathon training plan), after a short break, I started out on the Trinity Trails to get in another 6 miles. About a mile into my second run, I started noticing that my right knee was giving off a twinge of pain. I slowed to a jog and mixed in some walking as well, but the pain continued. Not wanting to do further damage, I turned around at about 2 1/2 miles and walked almost the entire way back (once in a while I tried to jog: Hmm, has my knee loosened up? OW OW! Nope ...). Surprisingly, I could "speed walk" with no pain at all and I probably averaged a 13:00/mi pace for the walk. The pain only occurs when I go from bent to straight and put downward force/weight on it.

This afternoon, while doing some shopping, the pain was definitely still there, although I could minimize (and virtually eliminate) it by altering my gait (i.e., don't bend my knee). Anyway, I think it's just a strain or sprain somewhere. I'm going to try to lay off of it for a few days and hope it recovers on its own. I guess I'll be doing a lot of swimming for the early part of next week. It's disappointing because except for the knee, the rest of my legs and body feel fine after doing over 19 miles this morning.

Hoping for the best ...