Random Thoughts

1) I don't really ever run in the rain these days. 

2) I'd rather be on the trails than on the roads.

3) For now, moving slower feels better than moving faster.


Regarding number one, I suppose this is that I'm not really "training" for anything in particular, so there's no real drive to force myself into anything uncomfortable.  I've been enjoying being an animal and moving around, and doing things for the sake of enjoyment.  I couldn't resist getting out for 90 minutes on Saturday and then almost 2 hours yesterday.  Crisp, golden fall weather, perfect for making (more like attempting, but I'm getting the hang of it) some agile movements up and down the hills of Rock Creek.  I paid for it today with a bit of sluggishness but that didn't stop me from basking in the afternoon sun yet again for an hour on the Capital Crescent Trail during lunch today.

Aside: I don't buy that an ancestral interpretation of wellness should be strictly limited to the extremes of intensity, when it comes to exercise (i.e. sprinting vs. walking).  Sure, intense exercise is stressful. But the more I think about it, I can't fathom that our ancestors didn't periodically venture across diverse landscapes at an arduous (read, tempo, for you runners) pace. Have you ever tried to climb a moderate hill at elevation with 80 pounds of weight (a conservative number, in my mind, considering the weight of most ruminant carcasses) on your back?  That's not light exercise.  That's effing work.

Regarding number three, I've been toying around with something I'm calling "low heart rate training." I certainly didn't coin the term; seems like the general concept has been floating around the interwebs for some time.  I'm no zealot for the topic, but it feels right for now, mostly because it feels less stressful (during a time of high work stress) and provokes a more meditative state than higher intensity work.  I don't cover much ground, but I feel unstoppable over long durations (2 hrs +) without having to worry about stuffing my face with crappy chemical "fuel."

Number two?  Combination of positives and negatives.  On one hand, Rock Creek is such a beautiful refuge from the urban cacophony that it's hard to resist.  On the other, I move so slowly that I'm slightly uncomfortable waddling along public sidewalks, in plain view.  Plus, doesn't the crunch of leaves and scent of wet earth just appeal to your animal senses?  

Ponderings

Been thinking a ton about this blog, and what's next, since this doesn't seem to be moving in any particular direction.  I'm thinking of revamping, maybe going elsewhere, maybe just shutting this down and keeping it as a record of some thoughts I've had over the years.  I feel like I'm in a much different place than I was when this started.  I've given myself until the end of the year to articulate what shape this might take, if any.  Ran 6 very slow miles on the Capital Crescent Trail this afternoon.  Included a 1/2-mile barefoot on the gravel and it wasn't all that bad.  Very much enjoying the fall scenery and cool air.

Here We Go

I'm venturing down this path.  Feel strongly about it.

Funny that the last post I wrote mentioned Matt Fitzgerald and running on the track.  Just crossed paths with the former by way of a poorly-written article I came across while sitting on my ass tonight.  Visited the latter in person on Tuesday morning for a few 400m repeats.

Why do I say Matt's article is poorly written?  Maybe that's not fair.  He's got better chops than many, and certainly a more expansive portfolio than anything I could even approach.  And I've enjoyed most of the articles and books he's written.

Perhaps more accurately, this skeptical look at the "Paleo diet" (I hate that fucking term) seems to propagate logical fallacies at best, and completely turn folks off of the idea at worst.  Citing two vague epidemiological studies and inconvenience as the primary reasons why real food isn't worth the effort?  His first example correlates brown rice with less worse health effects than white rice.  But he frames it in a way that tries to tout grains as being able to "enhance health."  Nice twist.

How do folks buy this?  How can we say that we spent literally tens thousands of years without modern grains in our diet and that somehow we're now at risk of being "deficient" by not consuming them?  And it's not like we scraped by during those times.  We spent all those thousands of years thriving and evolving into our modern selves, all the while living without electricity, plumbing, or grocery stores.  Compare that to our current predicament, in which it's "normal" to be overweight and weak.  Are we thriving?

I know diet's not the sole component in all this, and I hate to get all prophetic about it.  But it just drives me crazy that prominent people, folks that are held as leaders in their respective circles, parse together these weak-ass arguments and broadcast them to the masses.  People trust people like Matt.  Let's have some respect and offer some legitimate, concrete arguments please.

Perfect Mornings

Lots of running lately.  Been exploring some new routes around town and keeping up with the regular outings in Rock Creek with Rob.  Hopped in a 9k cross country race, a 10k here in DC, and a 5k up in PA over the last month.  Having a blast.  Things with work and wedding planning have been absolutely nuts, but when I can get enough sleep I feel pretty great.  Just some very minor issues with PF in my right foot but nothing like last summer.  Even that improves the more time I spend in minimal shoes, and the more I pay attention to proper down time.  There's a caveat, and it's that I can't just go out willy-nilly and expect things not to hurt the next day.  If I exercise a base level of awareness and avoid certain movements (which I'm convinced are just bad habits - motor patterns I've lived with for years) then things are fine.  This is just neuromuscular retraining, kind of an awesome topic that I've been geeking out about a bit, and it reminds me of certain ideas in more popular threads like Chi or Pose running, or even more recently - some of the stuff Matt Fitzgerald has been putting out.  Been talking a lot about getting to the track but the most I've been able to do are hill repeats, which are comparable.  But I miss the simplicity and regularity of the 400m oval.  Soon.

Yesterday AM, explored Charleston, WV on foot.  Somewhat cool but very humid morning left me drenched upon return.  Only saw one other runner, by the Capitol complex.  Charleston's landscape is ruled by the appurtenances of the chemical industry - tanks, rail yards, stacks, warehouses.  A 2x3 array of barges drifted down the Kanawha River as I strode against the wind along a cracked concrete path.  Harkened back to mornings of floating along the Delaware River in Port Richmond where I'd see enormous barges of trash and the occasional freighter.  Yesterday's barges were much larger and full of coal.  Gmaps says 8.2, but I feel like I was moving a little quicker than that.

Haven't done a full pavement run like yesterday in a good while, as there are so many trails and dirt paths around DC that they're almost hard to avoid on runs.  This morning I'll try the run commute to Bethesda again, along some virgin trails (to me) and a balance of sidewalk.

These mornings have been absolutely perfect.

Langstreckenlauf

Been traveling, and trying to get a run in anywhere I have the chance.  It hasn't been easy, but I managed to get a couple runs in Cairo last week, and another in Munich over the weekend.  Before that it was PA and WV, which seem so domestic after being overseas.

My favorite by far was an almost 2-hr tour around Munich.  I'm always saying there's no better way to experience a city than to run it.  Walking comes close, as does biking, but they're different and I just enjoy the distance I can cover on the run.  Cycling requires an awareness that can be distracting, but is nevertheless enjoyable.

Started near the Munich Hauptbahnhof, headed north and east and quickly got lost in the Englischer Garten, where locals surf on short boards on a standing wave in the canal.  Sounds bizarre, and it is.  The Isar River is a strange blue, which heightened my sense of Germany's cleanliness, especially after coming from the trash strewn dessert from which Cairo rises.  I didn't feel out of place running along the beautiful paths amid golden rod and dandelion throughout the Garten.  Running through there, where I'd walked the day prior, had the effect of putting a scale on the distance we'd covered.  We'd stridden a long ways!  I fell in love with Munich and left with the sense that I'll return some day.

I don't feel as if I can justifiably write about my experience in Cairo here.  It was mind opening, as I mentioned to Rob yesterday morning on a Rock Creek jaunt.  That's pretty much all I can say without getting into a discussion on world views and cultural perceptions and I'd rather let all that stew a bit longer.  My runs there were on a treadmill, behind glass, overlooking palm trees surrounding a swimming pool.  The absurdity of it all beyond words.

The Rock Creek runs with Rob become more and more regular as the spring rolls along.  We've been averaging twice a week there and looking forward to after my June wedding when I can get out for long weekend runs again.

This morning, headed to the gym for some weight training.  I've been focusing on the basics, and it's paying off.

Mojo

Turned out to be a pretty fun-filled weekend - more so than I expected it would be due to some catch up I've been playing at the office.  Rob convinced me to head out for a run in RCP with him Saturday morning, and it turned out to be decent.  I was fully prepared to put the brakes on should any issues arise, but things never got out of control and my feet felt pretty good during and after.  35 minutes isn't much, but I'll take it in hopes of maybe stretching that out a bit as Spring approaches.  Spent the remainder of the morning cruising around the tri-county area checking out a couple of local farmer's markets.

In exchange for the run yesterday, I got Rob on board for the Bike Rack's Sunday morning group ride.  We headed out around 8:30 for what ended up being a fairly social ride.  There were definitely some intense moments, and the Falls Rd hill still hurts pretty bad.  The experiment with zero food intake before & during worked out in my favor, and I felt strong during the entire ride.  Last thing I ate was dinner on Saturday evening, so I left the house on Sunday in somewhat of a fasted state.  But not hungry, owing to the supremely satiating dinner the night before (the winter stew I've been dipping into for the past few weeks, which gets a thick layer of congealed fatty goodness on top if left to cool...mmmmm).

Ended up being about 3 hours, so it seems the sugary supplements just aren't necessary for me up to that point.  It felt kind of relieving not taking anything as the rest of the riders sucked on blocks, gels, drinks, whatever other little crutches we're convinced that we all of the sudden need to do what we humans have been doing for thousands upon thousands of years.  Not sure what happens after the three-hour mark, but my guess is that things might begin to deteriorate around 3.5 hrs.  I'll probably be strategic about eating during the ride next weekend, since it'll probably be 5+ hours.  I'm tempted to go without, but not sure it's the proper venue to risk a complete bonk.  So it's not that I'm completely denying that nutrition is important during a long event, but rather that strategy (in both a macro and micro sense, i.e. what & how you eat in the months leading up, and then the hours and minutes during) is key.  One thing I've noticed is that there's a period of about 15 minutes at the outset of any ride or run where my body feels slow and sluggish, like I'm warming up the engine.  But after that it's a steady, controlled burn.  Perhaps this is what many folks come to after doing this sort of thing for a while, and if that's the case, then I chalk it up to my inexperience.  But with all the crap at the checkout counter of your local running store, and the daily emails I get from various reliable sources suggesting I'm naturally lacking the basic tools to thrive, that these performance enhancers are essential, somehow I'm not convinced this is the case.

Got to double dip again yesterday with a hike in RCP before dinner.  Have a crazy week ahead of me, but I'll be looking to check in pretty regularly.

Going Somewhere, Maybe?

Still transitioning here, although I'm not sure where I'm headed.  Not a whole lot of running to report, but I am doing fairly regular hill sprints during my morning walks in Rock Creek.  I'm very excited for the spring and summer when I can get out there earlier and with more sunlight.  Maybe I'll even get back into some real runs.

I've committed to a 50-mile mountain bike race weekend after next (26th) down in Richmond.  No serious training, although I've gotten out for a few group road rides and a couple solo extended commutes on the bike.  Part of the motivation was a 3 hour mountain bike ride I did on New Year's Day - first time I've ever been on one of these goofy two wheelers.  Now I understand.  Wish I could do it more, but I don't have a mountain bike and the closest trails are a drive away.  Beyond the group and extended solo ride, just been my typical morning evening commutes with some intensity injected when I feel like it.

The 50-miler will be an interesting experiment on multiple fronts - given that it'll be the second time I've ever ridden a mountain bike.  It'll also be the first endurance event I've done since the marathon last year, and the first I've ever done since I gave up grains, sugars, and processed foods.  Speaking of diet, I've been eating a TON of fat lately, namely saturated fats such as clarified butter, organ meats (!), coconut oil, and even some cultured whole fat yogurt.  How have I been missing this for so long? 

Otherwise, feeling absolutely full of energy, even under all the work and life stress.  Even been successful at reducing that a bit, and improving my sleep some.  All these things really seem to be compounding, and I'm loving it.

In Tall Buildings

It's been a tiresome week, with a pre-holiday push at work and some late nights that I've had to plan around.  Been playing a ton of music, mostly banjo, with the regular band and also with some other folks around town.  Everyone seems to be holing up for the winter, and left inside with access to instruments I guess the melodies start to flow. 

Running has been regular and I'm just kind of heading out with no specific intentions for each run.  I picked up the intensity a little bit yesterday on a shorter treadmill run, hitting some strides and fast 2:00 pickups.  Felt a little bit awkward.  I've discovered through the recent barefoot running and exercises that my right arch, foot, and supporting musculature are just generally weaker and less stable than the left.  This has led to some discomfort as I work to improve the deficiency there, mostly in the form of tenderness along the outside of the right ankle.  The peroneous tendons run beneath the lateral malleolus and pass through some retinaculi (kind of like pulleys, directing the force through the tendons - see image).  The peroneous longus tendon especially plays a role in supporting the lateral longitudinal arch, and I've learned how to engage that muscle group to raise the arch.  I guess I'm doing this more subconsciously during runs now, and there's just a bit of strain there as the tendons adapt to the increased loads.  All of this is speculation, of course, since everything I've learned about anatomy has been through experimentation and reading.  But one thing for sure is that when I consciously flex the peroneus muscles, I feel less strain on the plantar fascia. I don't have the same plantar issues on the left, and the left arch seems much more supple than the right.  Again, just a theory.  We'll see how it pans out.

Getting back to music, I'll be making a larger effort to up the intensity of my playing and rehearsing through the new year.  We're playing a show on NYE, and it's somewhat of a farewell show, so I'd really like to be well prepared.  I've challenged myself to pickup the banjo every day, even if it's only for a few minutes.  But for now, gotta get back to work.

Someday my baby
When I am a man
And others have taught me
The best that they can

They'll sell me a suit
And cut off my hair
And send me to work in tall buildings
-John Hartford

Deferred

This has tended to be a busy time of year for me, with both holiday and work travel coinciding with an already pretty tight schedule.  Had some great runs out west following Thanksgiving, including one very memorable trek up Squaw Pass Rd to an elevation of about 9200'.  Will be helpful to remember in the future that running uphill requires an eventual run back downhill.  Surprisingly, didn't really beat me up too much.

Since, been grabbing runs between 3 and 10 miles where I can find time.  Feet are feeling stronger but still stiff in the mornings.  Been getting weeks in the 40 mile range and looking to continue that going into the new year.  Diet experiment has been enlightening in many ways and still learning about foods my body does well with (and the opposite extreme, wheat be damned).

Brainstorming ways I can recharge this blog.  More on that next time.

Slugs

Been running, just not been blogging.  I won't make an effort to recap all the details of the past week but I'll note that it included daily runs with a few strength routines mixed in there.  Spent the past weekend in Boston where I was reacquainted with the Charles River paths.  Saturday explored down to MGH and the Museum of Science and Sunday went the opposite direction out to Watertown.  What a great place to run.

So I guess running has been going fairly well, although some issues still haven't completely resolved.  Right heel and left arch are more of a nuisance than anything serious, but after a quicker road run last Thursday the right heel was definitely more sore than it's been in a while.  Felt OK after taking Friday off.  All this seems to boil down to a process of adjustment.  Feedback and fine tuning, rest and growth.  The process of adapting to lighter footwear is a slow one, but one I'm convinced will pay dividends in the long run.  Pun intended.

Tired this morning after a double day of morning weights and a short run yesterday evening.  Couldn't find a rhythm in Rock Creek, and this was probably a combination of mental and physical fatigue (can't seem to get enough sleep lately), the wet and sloppy trails, GI issues (I learned the hard way how long hard-boiled eggs stay fresh), and anxiety about upcoming holiday travel.  Observed a slug belly up in the mud at one point and quickly identified with it.  Some days you feel like a slug, I guess. 

Looking forward to hopping a flight to Colorado tomorrow.  MM's parents have moved into a new house, and should give me plenty of streets to explore in the pre-dawn hours.  But it's a holiday, and I have a stockpile of DNR cards to cash in should I feel so obliged.

Distractions

1:30+ running in Rock Creek this morning.  After 50 min or so of lackluster trail stomping, I took my shoes off for 10 minutes to see if I could find a rhythm.  Not sure how this works, but once I put my shoes back on the final 30 minutes of the run were some of the best I've had in a long time.  It's almost like I had to prompt the muscle memory for lighter footfalls (such as required for running barefoot on a gravel laden dirt trail) and then it stuck around for the rest of the run.  Hips (especially glutes) are very much involved here, and I relished in the sense of coordination and strength that seems to be returning to my stride.  Gym strenght training is helping.  Feet feel great now, with the only complaint being the plantar irritation (it has lingered for the past few months).  But even that felt better once I went barefoot.  Wondering if this will ultimately resolve through these barefoot "moments?"  Also, right shin is almost a forgotten injury.  Good riddance.

My major frustration these days is not finding the time to check in here.  I feel like I've made some huge progress over the past couple of weeks.  It would be nice to divulge some of that and where I think the change has taken root.  In a nutshell, I think it's mostly that I've been allowing myself to do what I want, and heeding the feedback I get from my body.  The new diet has also made a significant impact.  Not stuffing myself full of chocolate and ice cream and cereal and pasta, I'm discovering new tastes I never knew I had.  Put like that, it's a wonder I didn't make this connection sooner.  I guess I'd always suspected that nutrition makes a big difference, just was never willing to look past my fears and insecurities.  Don't we deserve to eat whatever we want when we are working so hard burning calories?  Apparently it's not that simple.  Also, with a lack of training pressure (i.e. upcoming races on the calendar) I guess I'm just not pushing myself as much as I would be otherwise.  Speed does occasionally work its way into my legs, such as the last 15 minutes of today's run.  It's just sporadic, and mostly when I'm not really making an effort.  Which is the best kind of speed.

Also did 1:30 on Saturday, :30 and weights on Sunday, :50 yesterday AM, :30 yesterday PM.  This has been almost exclusively soft surfaces and trails.

This window has sat open for 7 hours, guess I got distracted.

Progressing

Ran around by headlamp for an hour in Rock Creek this morning.  I've wrapped up my runs of late with the feeling that I could do this for hours on end.  Partly due to the relaxed pace I've been running, but also because it's just so much fun.  Mostly ran today although I'm still taking walking breaks periodically just to check in with the leg, which is better by the day.  I'm back to 100% minimal or barefoot, and I find that with a little extra awareness it is entirely doable and in fact ideal (speaking for myself here).  I was headed in this direction this spring but the pressure to train pushed me to exceed my rate of adaptation.  A little mindfulness and a lack of pressure this time around seems to be going a long way.  Form has been critical and I think this is really an individual process.

Yesterday did the following exercises at the gym: machine single leg press, swiss ball leg curl, standing dumbbell calf raises, dumbbell lunges, dumbbell renegade rows, barbell squat, barbell bench press, and five types of range-of-motion hip excersises on the cable machine.  Similar excersises had been prescribed to me in the past for physical therapy, but instead of performing them lying down (e.g. four-way straight leg raises) these involve a lot more specificity in that you have to support yourself on your non-exercising leg.  They are adapted from this book, which is not very good reading but is a great resource for running-specific strength exercises.  It's also got some pretty thorough analyses of various stride patterns.  The whole gym session took two hours, and I'd hope to trim that by 10 or 20 minutes in the future.  The emphasis of all this is general strength and core/hip stabilization.

Autumnal Bliss

Sage pork loin, kale and chard, and sweet potato.  Still licking my chops.  I'm loving getting back into minding what I eat.  This is about three weeks now that I've abstained from grains, dairy, and most processed foods and I would really recommend everyone try something like this especially if GI trouble is ever a concern.  My stomach feels great.  I've had a healthy layer of extra fat around my midsection for the past couple of years even as my training ramped up over the summer.  I can feel it now starting to melt away (for the record, summer weight topped out at about 151, I'm at about 148 average these days).  Energy is great.  I'm not calling it Paleo because I think labels are restrictive.  But it's close to that I guess.  As a former yoga instructor used to say, if you truly enjoy what you eat in the sense that it feels good, it is healthful.  Ice cream tastes good but it makes me feel like shit, so I can't say honestly that I enjoy it.

I was bogged down with some chores for most of the day, including winterizing my bike, which mostly consists of tuning it up and putting the fenders back on.  I also reinstalled the rear rack in hopes of using panniers more often than my shoulder bag.  I don't have a hose outside, and I discovered that washing a bike in a shower is much more trouble than it's worth, as it involves then washing the shower and then taking a shower.  I'm growing tired of this closet apartment day by day.

After tooling around with the bike and then some other organizing, I was frustrated that most of the day had passed in spite of my intentions to head to the gym.  I had accepted that I wouldn't get in any exercise today, but about an hour before dinner I realized that I could fit in a decent run and still have time to cook.  I headed down to Rock Creek for some exploration and found myself on some carriage roads I've never seen before.  The scenery is almost perfect, and several times I found myself in awe at the utter beauty of the orange and yellow that now lines the stoney trails.  Turned out to have a pretty good run, even though the right shin is still on the mend.  It's at the point where it feels safe to run, and I've been good about adjusting based on feedback I get on the fly.  37 minutes on some uncharted, forgotten path.

This evening's jaunt quite harmoniously complemented a longer trip through RCP I had yesterday morning.  I set out with expectations low, just looking to spend some time outside.  I wound up doing a loop and getting lost on some game trails only to run up on what was probably the biggest white-tailed deer I've ever seen in person.  I got close to him, enough that his musk was pungent, and then realized that there were actually four or five other deer within sight that I hadn't noticed.  Most of the outing was run, but I took walking breaks, and even took off the shoes for 15 minutes or so of authentic barefoot running.  Haha.  I guess I'm a sucker for fads after all.  One hour and thirty minutes spent in autumnal bliss.

By the way, if anyone in DC actually stumbles across this, check out the lineup at Red Palace next Saturday night.  I'll be accompanying Naseem of Kingsley Flood on various acoustic devices.  Should be rad.

Test Runs

Here I find myself in a transitional phase again, and given that I haven't really been running, entries here feel a little awkward.  There have also been logistical challenges that have always been there, such as finding an appropriate time to post, that seem more pronounced now that there is not a convenient format such as summarizing my runs or divulging my weekly mileage.

When things are in flux for me, they tend to be in flux, and I often combat the feeling of helplessness that occasionally accompanies these periods by engaging myself in alternative interests.  For now this feels refreshing, like I've been able to explore some ideas I've been toying around with but haven't been able to invest in due to the pressure of getting daily runs in.

The biggest things have been nutrition and conceptualizing my training strategies, in addition to reacquainting myself with music and some other hobbies of mine.  Regarding the former, I've never been a die-hard believer in anything resembling a fad, but I admit I've been toying around with a Paleo-esque nutrition scheme, and even picked up some reading relevant to endurance athletes.  I've come across Friel before and if he thinks something like this is worthwhile, I'll at least entertain the idea.  Over the past few years a GI issue has surfaced for me that is sometimes associated with gluten intolerance, and while I've never considered a wheat-free diet, it seems like a logical step to try and mitigate some of the symptoms.  And regarding carbs and energy as they relate to endurance training, I've recently discovered that many of the old standby's that many runners fall back on here, such as consuming gels and supplements, are just unnecessary for me.  In all the hundreds of miles I put in leading up to MCM, I only consumed one gel.  Those hundred calories of sugar were strategic, and I think they should be by default as opposed to something I just do every few miles in a long run.  The diet thing will be something I continue to explore and report back on here.  It's been about 10 days, and so far so good, but I've realized that I'll need to consume MASSIVE amounts of vegetables and supplement with more fruits than would otherwise be promoted by cavemen types in order to get enough calories.  But I'm not a caveman, and I don't aspire to that, so I'll continue with whatever works for me.

Training?  I'm thinking long term.  This break is refreshing, but I want to get to the point where I don't need to interrupt long stretches of running because of injuries (that is, after all, the only reason I haven't been running lately).  I've done much better in this regard over the past year, and things feel like they continue to improve as I learn more, but there's still progress to be made.  I'd like to establish a regular circuit of races, where I'm not feeling pressure necessarily to peak for one event, but rather implement them as training and "fun."  In a way, it's also a way to integrate my running identity, which is something that perhaps I haven't always been open to for one reason or another.  This weekend is the Jug Bay 10k, and I've been considering showing up on a whim (there's also a 5k) but that's mostly a matter of how my leg feels.  It's improved a ton over the past week.  I'm off to the gym now, and we'll give it a test run.

Rainy Day at the Gym

Different kind of a Saturday.  Rainy, so headed to the gym for an hour or so brisk walking on the treadmill followed by some lifting.  Typical barrage of squats, presses, lunges, etc.  Light weights to start out.  Legs, and especially feet and ankles, are feeling good.  All this walking around lately seems to be a great way to recover from hard training.

While my body is resting my mind remains fixated on running.  To fuel the fire I picked up some new books, and am beginning with Matt Fitzgerald's "Run: The Mind-body Method of Running by Feel."  Feels appropriate for where I'm at.  I'm concerned about the somewhat apologetic tone of the opening pages (Fitzgerald admits that as he continues to grow and learn, his opinions change regarding training) but on the other hand I kind of appreciate his candidness.  Somewhat representative of the process he's trying to explain.  But a book about growth and change might be frustrating if this approach develops between the front and back covers of the book itself.

The Ever-changing Rock Creek Park

Beautiful morning for a walk through Rock Creek.  There were several moments this morning, and again in the afternoon, where I could not for the life of me recognize which trail I was walking.  With yellow leaves covering the once familiar stones and roots, and sparser trees exposing surrounding terrain, I actually managed to get lost out there.

Snapped the above photo of a plaque on an otherwise non-descript boulder near the top of the western ridge of the park.  I wandered past it into a strange depression surrounded by earthen mounds and then trenches.  Upon investigation, I realize that what I observed was likely the core of a Union stronghold, where large artillery was stationed during the Civil War.  I don't know that I've ever witnessed an historic site (I'll limit this statement to American historic sites) so candidly and be able to sense the proximity of that era.  I think the feeling had something to do with how concealed the site is, in that you'd really have to be looking for it or be a runner or hiker or otherwise just stumble upon it like I did, to find it.  Independence Hall, Mt. Vernon, etc. just seem so washed up and fairy tale to relate to.

So, I guess a 40 min walk this morning and again this afternoon make it an "easy" day.  Leg continues to improve, although the few times I broke into a jog I couldn't sustain it without discomfort, so it's not quite there yet. Strange thing about this injury is that the exact same thing happened to my left leg (the most representative description of what I think is going on is here) and I somehow made it through a marathon with it.  I guess it couldn't have been as severe, or maybe I was more hell bent on meeting my goal.  After Grandma's in June, three weeks of downtime building up to light mileage was enough for it to pass.  I'm hoping the same will be true with the right leg.  

I have a lot of thoughts about why I've been afflicted with this particular injury, and they end up mostly in the opinion that it's part of a growth process.  Building up to Grandma's and more so to MCM, I've learned a ton about running, particularly running form, and as I've adjusted over the past year my body has had to cope with it accordingly.  The article linked above suggests a stress reaction in the tibia, one that I think slight adjustments (improvements) in my form, such as might be informed by the barefoot drills I've been doing, could potentially cause.  The good thing about stress reactions is that the healing process eventually catches up, and you wind up stronger than before.

Yesterday I spent some time at the gym in the morning and again in the afternoon.  Morning featured some weights and 20 minutes of brisk walking at maximum incline on the treadmill.  Evening was only the latter.  Treadmill at max incline is quite challenging actually, to my surprise.  

As I'm now solidly into a rebuilding period with no definite goals for the next year or more, I'm in no hurry to get back to the level at which I was training over the summer.  Base training for me has coincided with strength training (body weight exercises, yoga,  as well as lifting free weights) in the past, and this will be a theme for the remainder of the year.  I'll be looking to establish a sustainable routine, hopefully featuring a healthy dose of running, and perhaps entertaining the idea of focusing on some shorter races.  Time will tell.

PT

Not much to report on the running front.  Right leg is still hurt, but doing better.  Been doing some hill walking in Rock Creek Park for rehab.  Fulfills the urge to get out and do something while allowing the shin to heal.  Also mixing in some time at the gym, where I'm always amazed at how quickly I lose strength in certain areas (stability ball hamstring curls!!).  

Mon: 55 am walk/ 45 pm walk

Tue: gym am / 45 pm walk

Wed: 60 am walk / 30 pm walk

As the leg improves the walking time will slowly transition to running time.  Walks have been in Vibram FFs and occasional barefoot.  Also have been biking a lot to get my aerobic kicks.  Should hopefully be working some runs back in within the next week or two.

Exchange

Joined Amanda for a run in the park this morning.  I've known her for a long time.  She never was a runner, but has started running over the past few years and has found that she's quite naturally inclined.  Last time I ran with her she was visiting DC.  Now she's moved here permanently (temporarily permanent, just like everyone in DC) and I took her up on the opportunity to show her around some of the trails in Rock Creek Park.

Shin was a little stiff when I woke up, so I took a little ibuprofen, which is not something I normally justify.  Maybe I was just feeling the urge to forget about it for a little while.  I like to think of it as a compromise, a deal with the devil in exchange for a beautiful 45 minutes of sunshine and orange leaves and good company.  I'll be hoping to avoid these exchanges because of how it hampers the healing process, but for today it was worth it.

In the end, I didn't totally forget about the shin today, and in light of that I'll probably stay off it for a day or two.

What I'm Glad For

After a full night's sleep I actually felt pretty decent this morning.  Good energy, mentally and physically, and ready to go enjoy the crisp fall air.  Figured I'd head out for my normal Saturday run as planned before Maia and her mother (she's visiting from Denver) woke up.

I took a few steps, and while attempting to find a rhythm, just couldn't take my mind off my right leg.  It's feeling a little chewed up again, and strangely I also had some pretty sharp pain in my right heel.  All this was enough to cause me to come to a full stop after 5 minutes, turn off my route, and walk home.

So I'm sitting here, caught between feelings of defeat and relief, not really sure what's going to happen next.  What I do know is that my leg will require some more rest to fully recover.  This doesn't fit very well into my plan to run a marathon next weekend, and I'm digesting that.

The relieving part of all this is that I don't feel like I have to run.  If I hadn't been dealing with this leg issue for a few weeks already, if I'd been just a little bit more consistent over the past month (with everything - mileage, intensity, sleep), and if I wasn't feeling so sluggish (I know, it's normal during a taper), then maybe I would be more apt to push things a little more.  But the truth is that I've been struggling a bit, and there's been an undercurrent of doubt during the whole buildup to this point.  In a sense I hate when these prophecies of mine become self-fulfilling, and maybe I need to figure out how to flip the doubt into confidence (I do feel like I did that for Grandma's).  On the other hand, maybe it's intuition, and I need to be more attuned to that.

Not sure what all this means for next week.  I'm in a reduced mileage mode, and to treat this as a recovery period just feels like the right thing to do (duh).  MCM would have been my final crack at a marathon until 2013, as I have some other things going on next year, including a wedding, that will take priority.

So, it's looking like one marathon will have been enough for me this year.  It's been a hard thing to accept, and I'm struck at how much of a grievance process there's been.  I'm hoping not to lose touch here (on this blog) as there's the curiosity of where my entries will go outside of a training focus.  Beyond that, only time will tell.

We do all these runs, cover all this ground for a single opportunity to perform well, a mere stitch in the fabric.  But the fabric remains, and for that I am glad.

T.G.I.F

5 easy miles on the treadmill. Tired lately. That's all I got.