Monday, December 6, 2010

No Run for You

I am still in my self-imposed exile from running as I work on strengthening my knee and resting my feet.  Also finally dealing with some medical issues that I had been postponing out of concern that they would derail my marathon training.  I definitely miss running, but not as much as I thought I would, which leads me to believe my need from some downtime was both physical and mental.  Looking forward to starting the new year strong and getting back into training for some yet-to-be-decided event.
Work and life have been a bit crazy, so I've fallen far behind in terms of blog posting, and following other blogs.  On the few occasions that I can reflect on this past year, where I went from never doing any race, to having completed two marathons, I try to track the tools and techniques that truly contributed to this marathon push.

Garmin - a necessary evil for me to track mileage and pace as I move along.  I'm a data junkie at work, so this is right up my alley.

FuelBelt - I'm a creature of habit with running, so this allows me to fuel at my own rate and hopefully stay ahead of dehydration when it hits 100 degrees with 800% humidity in the Carolinas.

Superfeet green insoles - Kept my Plantar Fasciitis largely under control.  Use them in all my shoes now.

Compression gear - started with compression shorts to help support a pulled hamstring.  Added 2XU calf compression sleeves for my training for my first marathon to deal with a strained left calf.  Added CEP compression socks for the last month of training for marathon 2.  The socks are great for recovery after a long run, and the fact that they squeeze your feet too really seems to help with the PF issues.  Added bonus in that my whole family thinks I look like a dork wearing them, which, although this is mostly correct, makes it more fun to wear them around the house.

iPod - my little musical friend.  Sadly, the screen on my Nano fell victim to a major downpour while in the middle of a training run, but it still works and was there for just about every mile, including the races.  Hoping to get a new one for Christmas so I can see what I'm picking to listen to.

Accelerade, Ultragen, Gu, Hammer gels - None of these things are very tasty, but they all do seem to work.  Haven't had any issues with cramping other than a minor hamstring twinge around mile 23 of my first marathon.  Wish these things were a little cheaper, especially the Ultragen.

Tempo runs, mid-foot strike form - Added tempo runs for M2 training, and worked on mid-foot strike during the training for M2.  The tempo runs really helped to recalibrate my normal running speed at a faster pace than during M1 training.  I'm still working on the mid-foot strike, but being able to do this during M2 really helped my knee to make it to the finish

Lots of other things I could list, but these were the most important and/or helpful of the bunch.

Finally, if someone approaches you to join a Fantasy Football league after you haven't watched football for about 10 years and have very little free time, run away as fast as you can.  My personality is such that I am way too analytical about the whole thing, and devote way too much time to it.  It's been mostly fun, but much more work than I would have expected.

Run swiftly my friends...

20 comments:

  1. I am glad to hear that you are taking the time to heal both mentally and physically! That is awesome! Now, someday I will follow my own advice! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Who said running is a simple sport? But anything that keeps us at it is worth every penny.
    Rest times are important, I've been told but never really listened till I got injured. Can't teach old dogs...

    ReplyDelete
  3. REST.
    RECOVER.
    GET PISSED.
    JOIN FFootball.

    It's all necessary.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I gladly embrace my inner running dork - especially when it embarasses others. If it is my wife or other family member = bonus!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sounds like the self-induced running exile was needed - enjoy the break!

    And my boys think I look ridiculous in my CEP socks which just makes me embrace them all the more ;)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lots of good stuff going into getting you back on track--I hope it's sooner rather than later.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The mere fact you are blogging about it all, probably means the exile or hiatus is nearing an end soon. My last season for Fantasy Football is nearing an end. Done it 3-4 years now. Last year, and previous to that did well. This year lost interest after the third week.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Good Tips/insight- enjoy the rest

    ReplyDelete
  9. superfeet are awesome! i've found found that for me, recovering mentally takes much longer than physically, so be sure to take as much time as you need!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Enjoy your rest time. REALLY! I am going to buy myself another couple of pairs of green superfeet myself. Right now I only have them in my running shoes, and I'm still struggling with PF.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love a lot of the items you mentioned! :0) Hope your knee is improving!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'll be sure to steer clear of the Fantasy Football...thanks for the warning. :)

    I think it's great to recap the year to see what's worked. It's something I definitely need to take some time to do too.

    Glad you're taking it easy - you seriously said 'in your face' to your knee at the marathon. You deserve a little down time!

    ReplyDelete
  13. hang in there, your body will thank you for the running rest! : )

    ReplyDelete
  14. Fantasy Football is all consuming. The highs are high and the lows are oh-so-low. I am soooooo glad that I am not playing it this year. Rest hard.

    ReplyDelete
  15. We play fantasy...but it's only for bragging rights. Hope your feeling better soon!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Fingers crossed the downtime will spring back life in the legs, and the heart! Rest up!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Great tools and techniques..wish for a fast recovery..
    --I prefer running without shoes. My toes didn't get cold. Besides, if I'm in front from the start, no one can step on them. ~Michelle Dekkers - smartwool socks

    ReplyDelete
  18. The good news is that it's my birthday on Sunday, and I've only asked for one thing: a GB win. With that being said, I think Jennings will one up my request and have a rockstar day. Here's to winning your fantasy football league!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Chris, hope you are well and healing fast. And, hope to see you running soon. Let me guess, your fantasy football team didn't make the playoffs.

    ReplyDelete
  20. All the contents you mentioned in post is too good and can be very useful. I will keep it in mind, thanks for sharing the information keep updating, looking forward for more posts.Thanks reviewzonemaker

    ReplyDelete