Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Boston is Longer

Today I went to yoga for the first time in a month. My hip did not fall off onto the floor, even when I did Warrior 3 pose (requiring all weight on one leg). This is not me. I am not a baby. Except for the diaper part:

warrior3

It might truly be possible that I can run by the first of the year. We will see. I still have some pain and major tightness in the hip area, so I know I am continuing to heal. An MRI at the end of the month should give the final word.

This week my doc said that I need to view Boston as a long training run, not a race. We agreed that even if I cannot return to running until mid to late January, I can probably still pull out 26.2 miles in April given my fitness base. We also talked a lot about possible training errors and what I could focus on next time:

  • Running my long runs slower. My long runs should be 8:59-9:59 (McMillan Calculator). Mine were usually well under 8:50.
  • Watching heart rate, doing most long runs and easy runs in zone 2 (60%-70% of max heart rate). I do my long runs at way too high a heart rate.
  • Not upping speed and distance in the same week. I really tried to do this, but in hindsight I failed.
  • I did not put in big miles while training. I topped out at 50 miles per week. However, I ignored my body a lot. My left piriformis and hamstring hurt the entire training cycle. I am pretty sure this messed with my form and contributed to the left hip fracture. I was tired for most of my runs and even dreaded some of them because I always ended up pushing too hard and wearing myself down.

Live and learn. These strategies aren’t for everyone, but I think they could help me stay healthy. I am determined to not find myself in this place again. I know completely being void of injuries might not be possible, but there are some things I can do to decrease the risk and frequency of injury. I still plan on having biomechanical testing (gait analysis) and may be a good candidate for orthotics.

The posse at the pool asked how I injured myself. I told them running. After they sang the praises of working out in the pool and how good it is for your body, I let them know I was hoping to run another marathon in April. And not in the pool. “Tsk, tsk,” they said. “Which one?” they asked. I told them Boston. Then one lady responded, “Oh…I hear that is a long one.”

Yes, because not all marathons are the same distance.

I leave you with this insightful piece of news from the paper this morning.

001

At first I thought “Oh poor guy. Trying to break up a dog fight and getting bitten.” Then I read the part about putting his hand in the mouth and you don’t want to know what I thought.

Staying out of the dog’s mouth,

SUAR

45 comments:

  1. I think you need to submit that to Reader's Digest. The pussy posse can help pay your gym fees.

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  2. By that logic, I really need to find one of the short marathons. :)

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  3. I need to do every you suggested; slow down mostly!! I can't seem to get my legs to slow down but have been working on it. It helps when I run in the snow though since that slows me down so I don't fall.

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  4. I hear that Disney is one of those long ones, too! :)

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  5. Did my mom move to Colorado and join the pool group? She never fails to ask how long the marathon is....NEVER!!!!

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  6. something my mom would say as well...made me laugh. always a good thing. thanks.

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  7. Yep-you run just like me:) Definitely live and learn. Thank God this little life lesson is almost over for you!

    I had 2 people ask me how long the Boston marathon was after I got back and then another ask if I was going to do the Lifecare Marathon (AKA Lifecare 5K walk) the next weekend in our hometown....

    I was leaving the gym this morning and walked by the pool. A circle of old ladies (and one man with a hairy back). Totally thought of you:)

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  8. Actually, believe it or not Boston is a "long" marathon. It actually is not 26.2, rather almost 26.4...not sure where I did read this, but I did, last year, when I trained for it.
    Glad you are almost back to running. I was soooo cautious after my stress fr. I ran only 3X/week for one year after that, crosstraining in the off days. Now I can run 6 days and I am fine. I am no longer ignoring pain and I run hard in hard days and super slooow during easy days. The body adapts, but it needs years of running to get there.

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  9. So smart to learn the lessons of mistakes made. We've all made the same mistakes some time or another.

    WTH is Running and Living saying? I don't want to hear that any marathon is one step beyond 26.2!

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  10. R&L - yeah I get that, but I meant that she thinks marathons are different distances depending where you run them. I think most races might be .2 give or take depending on tangents, etc.

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  11. You have the exact issue I've been dealing with: left piraformis and hamstring! I've been documenting my recovery and the things I should(n't) do here: http://brand.blogs.com/today/health/. Not sure if any of this applies to you but who knows; see what you think. Here's to healthy hammies!

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  12. Hard lessons to learn, and even harder lessons to apply. Great news that you made it through yoga with no setbacks. Fingers crossed for a triumphant return to running at the beginning of the year. Pain-free in 2011 is my new mantra. So far it's working out for me :)

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  13. This post is cool ... have you seen stuff like this?

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  14. thanks to andrew i found your blog! excellent!

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  15. P.S. was the man put down for being stupid?

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  16. So many thoughts on this one!
    First, I think it would be a great idea to run Boston at a comfortable LR pace - it is the BEST RACE EVER! I was so glad (in hindsight of course) that I had the flu and had to slow down and enjoy the course and THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE. Boston is everything you want in a race and more. And if you're too focused on beating the clock, you will miss all of the awesomeness that it has to offer. So, don't worry about a goal time, soak it all in. Get to the starting line injury free and enjoy the run. You will not regret it. And then, come back with me in 2012 and race it! I swear, that flu was the blessing in disguise for me - I had the time of my life in that race ;)

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  17. LOL - I hear that the Boston one is a particularly long one ;)

    I've only begun my running journey last February and even tho my pace is considerably slower, I find it hard to slow down, I always want to push - so I can only imagine what kind of challenge it must be for you to really focus on doing that on long run days...

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  18. Thanks for the advice. I need to slow down on my long runs too. Must. avoid. injury in 2011!

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  19. great advice. my right pirformis (at least i think that's it) is really bugging me now...any live and learn tips for getting rid of the bother?

    eeeek. boston :D

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  20. Great plan. I am praying all goes well with this recovery and you are back up running to BOSTON healthy as a horse. A nice bigg SUAR horse!
    LC

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  21. Can someone please find me one of those short marathons :)

    Great that you made it through yoga and have a game plan to get you to and through Boston!

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  22. People that don't run really are clueless eh??? Sounds like your getting everything set for the first of the year! It ought to he great!

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  23. Hindsight is wonderful. Hope things continue to swing up for you.

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  24. Don't worry, Bethie...I'll keep your paceometer slow!!

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  25. Long runs in Zone 2: yes, yes, yes. Sounds like a very solid plan by you and your Doc. Full disclosure: I really don't know what I'm talking about. There's really only ONE THING that kept me out of Medical School; high school.

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  26. You might not be that baby, but you are a babe!!! and I bet Boston will be a breeze. I know a lot of people who have run a marathon on far less training than you, but you don't want to be out there all day, so keep up the work in the pool, and on the bike.

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  27. Yeah, Boston's one of the longest. Yesterday I told someone I was training for a marathon, and she said, "what kind?" A PIE-EATING marathon, obviously.

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  28. I went to Yoga for the first time in awhile tonight too. So excited to watch you come back to running.

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  29. when i read, "Then one lady responded, “Oh…I hear that is a long one.”" i immediately thought, "TWSS", but then realized it IS what she said.
    does it still count?
    Adam, can i get a TWSS???

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  30. The first two bullet points are me to a tee so don't feel alone.

    I feel like my form/gait goes to hell when I run slower.

    Anyway yes Boston is a 'long one'. I bet the PP will ask you if you won when you return!

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  31. "Then one lady responded, “Oh…I hear that is a long one.”

    Yes, because not all marathons are the same distance. "

    I really Chuckled out load on this one! I guess we are so into our running world we forget not everyone knows what THE BOSTON is or how far a Marathon is! Funny

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  32. I moved from Fort Collins to Boston a month ago and I can't wait for Marathon Monday. I hope you can run so I can cheer for you!

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  33. Had to look it up. TWSS = that's what she said.

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  34. If everything else fails just roller skate the marathon... I'm sure that genius from Longmont without a hand would go with you... :)

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  35. local running club has a group that meets all winter long for Saturday long runs, specifically started for anyone training for Boston. (Because when it's 14 degrees with a 4 windchill it helps to have other people suffering with you.) It may? make you feel better to know that group isn't even starting until January 10th.

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  36. Oh man, people can be so thick! On another note, I know how hard it is to be side lined by an injury, can't wait to hear you are running again.

    My husband works in Longmont, we call it Longtucky.

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  37. I'm glad to read that you're feeling better. I often train harder than I should too. I need to try harder at running slower. I laughed at the "I heard that's a long one." I get similar comments from people at work when they ask about my running, races, and distances. Ahhh, non runners are so funny. ;)

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  38. Boston is totally longer.
    once you add in the dumps.
    it's.
    totally.
    longer.

    yay for starting the morning with a laugh.
    YAY YOU - YAY for January!
    YAY for Vegas in February. ;) ok fine...yay for Vegas "one day". nope not droppin' it.

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  39. Your sign-offs always crack me up!

    Sounds like a smart plan for getting yourself to the start (and finish) line free of injury. You can do this!!

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  40. Gotta love the non-runners and the marathon. If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me how long the next marathon I'm doing is...Sheesh!

    Hopefully you can run next month. Sending you healing vibes. (And maybe I'll send you booze if you can't.) LOL

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  41. Lets hope it's all good news from here onwards. I agree 100% with slower long runs. Take care!

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  42. Devils advocate again: all marathons are NOT the same length! Pike's Peak was always 24-25 miles (probably changed in the past few years); lots of trail marathons are only approximate. Road marathons are better, but New York City was short by 150 meters from 1977-1981 and several others have been mismeasured, especially when course changes are made due to construction.

    The "Barkley Marathons" are 60 and 100 miles!

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  43. i think we all tend to forget that more, faster, harder isn't always better. some times less is more.

    i'll be running boston for fun to take it all in. i'll be looking for you.

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  44. My husband just finished his 5th marathon this fall, and every time his mom asks how far it is. "Is this one longer than Boston?" We keep telling her that they're all the same, but to no avail.....

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  45. all solid advice. Although, I've always had a hard time running my slow runs as slow as the experts say. I always feel really "choppy" when I slow that down that much.

    What are your thoughts on running boston as a training run? Is that something that you'll be able to do??

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