42 days and $120 to go!

I started to get back to the regular running regime this week, but my old nemesis, the pulled calf muscle, got in my way. Back from vacation, I flew to Florida for the week hoping to get in some good running. So, Tuesday morning after a 20 minute session of Yoga, I went for a 3 mile run. I noticed about three quarters of the way through the run that my right calf was beginning to tighten a little. By the end of the run, it was clear that I probably had trouble. It stiffened up over the next day or two, so I was only able to walk. The walking seemes to have loosened it up a little. I was able to run 2-3 miles on Saturday morning, but I am still feeling a little stiffness in that muscle.

In the mean time, I have decided to concentrate on my Yoga routine. My left knee, which has had a couple of surgeries over the years seems to do much better if I flex and stretch the surrounding muscles regularly. I have gotten away from the Yoga a bit lately. Getting back to it will be a good "tune-up" for the big race, which is only 6 weeks away now.

Happy Calves - How I overcame my leg cramps!

I want to summarize my experience in fighting and, I think, finally overcoming leg cramps as I have increased my running mileage. I'm not yet where I want to be in preparing for the 13 mile run in my half-ironman. I am running a comfortable hour at a time. I need to increase that to about 2 hours. I am definitely on my way to that goal. The short bullet list, ordered according to my sense of importance is:
1) Massage
2) Massage
3) Massage
4) Hydration
5) Minerals
6) Stretching
7) Warmup

Did you get the point about the massage? I really think that is the key. It is important that the muscles be completely relaxed when you do the massage. So, I sit on the floor with my knee flexed and my foot flat on the floor. Also, I repeat each stroke 30 times for each calf. I have found 3 ways to do the leg massage. 1) By hand. Using lot's of lotion if you have hairy legs like mine you press in with both thumbs at the back of each leg starting at the heel and sliding up to the knee. This is the way I massage my legs when I am in Florida since I'm sure I wouldn't be allowed to carry something like a massage stick onto the plane. 2) Using theStick. No lotion is necessary. You simply grasp the stick with both hands and slide it up the back of each leg. 3) Using a foam roller. The technique is known as Myofascial release. This concentrates specifically on those painful "Trigger Points" that can develop when you run.

So, there you have it. For now I am running practically pain free and looking forward to the increase in my mileage.

Resolving my leg cramps

I've gathered more evidence this week that the various massage methods work to relieve and prevent leg (particularly calf) cramps. It was a good week to test it out. I was in Florida for most of the week - home now - and was able to run each morning that I was down there. The weather is just about perfect with the morning temperatures in the 50s and 60s. Sunday morning I ran about an hour and 15 minutes. I felt two sharp "twinges" in my right calf on the lateral side. Shortening and slowing my stride each time was enough to allow me to continue to run. When I finished, I could feel a new trigger (tender) point near the site of the "twinges". Three times each day, I massaged both calves by sliding my thumbs from achilles tendon to knee 30 times each. I also concentrated on the new trigger point, putting just enough pressure on the point so that the pain subsided a little with the pressure. I can still feel the trigger point as I write this but the tenderness and swelling is definitely reduced from last Sunday.

Anyway, long story short, I was able to run for over an hour on Monday and Tuesday. I backed off a little on Wednesday and Thursday running about 45 minutes each day. But I finished Thursday's run with a pretty good kick. The great news is, I felt no further pain in either calf after Sunday's run. I am growing more and more convinced that massage will resolve these problems for me, allowing me to really enjoy the training runs again.

146 days and $1920 to go!

I thought of that while riding my bike.
-Albert Einstein, on the theory of relativity

It's been an interesting week. Monday started my training week with 2 unexpected 5 mile training runs in the cold and snow. I had intended to take the day off but found myself with no car and a dentist appointment in 1 hour. What would you have done?

I am still trying to figure out if there is any merit to this idea of massaging muscles to prevent cramps while running. I am not ready to declare victory but I think I may be on to something. I bought this thing called "theStick". At $35 it's a little pricey for a plastic stick with handles, but if it works it will be well worth many times that price. I have been massaging my calf muscles all week with this thing. If it actually works I will let you know.

I did take Tuesday and Thursday off, doing only my yoga routine to stay loose. Cold weather bicycling is a wonderful thing as long as I don't go too far from base so that I can come back in when important parts of my body start to freeze. The best way to combat the cold is to wear layers of light clothes and something to break the wind around your torso and chest. I have found that my Mako Surgical scrub cap makes a great lining for my bicycle helmet.

Short (and sometimes slightly longer) cold weather rides completed my training for the week. Finding myself again without a car on Wednesday I biked the 4 miles to and from the bank to cash an expense check. Friday, I biked to my daughter's office to visit her on her lunch hour. Saturday I started on a 1 hour ride but flattened my rear tube about 10 minutes into the ride. I walked home, patched the tube and then went for my ride. One circuit on the path through the park convinced me that I didn't want to do that again. The combination of snow, ice, and wet board walks had me riding no faster than a walk. It's great training for maintaining your balance on a bike but it is very tiring. Happily, today I got out for a ride before the freezing rain started. It's raining now and I can see the icycles hanging on the branches of the tree outside my back window.

I'm heading for Florida tomorrow morning where I hear it's a little warmer.

153 days and $2170 to go!

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.
T. S. Elliot

I spent the week in Florida testing my running limits. I am still struggling a little with tight calf muscles when I run, but I may be converging on a personal solution to these troubles. I suspect that my problems may be related to something called "Trigger Points" in muscles. I blogged about this yesterday.

So, it looks like the solution for me may be two-fold: 1) Daily massage of the affected muscles (my calves) to encourage blood flow and to break up the "Trigger Points" and 2) A 5 minute fast walking warmup to "let the run come to me" as the Kenyan runners put it.

I have already incorporated the walking warmup into my routine and that seems to have helped. I am looking forward to seeing if the massage will prove to be the missing ingredient that will get me back on track. It's frustrating to me because on the longer runs on which I have to stop short it's always muscle cramps that limit the distance I am able to go. I want to get to the point of being able to do a 13-15 mile run once a week before the triathlon in May. That way I will feel confident of being able to "go the distance" on the run (the final leg of the triathlon).

Tuesday I ran for about an hour and 10 minutes. All runs were at probably about an 8 and a half minute per mile pace so I'll leave figuring the mileage for these runs as your homework assignment :-) Not wanting to push my luck, I backed off to a 30 minute run on Wednesday. Thursday and Friday were 45 minutes and about an hour respectively. The good news is I felt strong through all the runs without the serious cramping that has "done me in" before. So I am optimistic that my plan for dealing with muscle cramps may work.

I got into the pool at Oberlin College this morning for some stroke drills. I'll have to say that the thinking about correct swimming form has certainly changed since I swam competitively as a young lad. I was taught to keep my shoulders and hips pretty much horizontal throughout the stroke and simply turn my head to breathe. The drills I did this morning concentrated on turning shoulders and hips vertical and practically staring at the ceiling with each breath. I am confident about completing the 1.2 mile swim at Wildflower but I am having so much fun learning about my stroke that I will certainly continue with this swimming clinic. Besides, it's hard for me to get regular pool time.