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.