1 and 2 = 3

One and two put together make three. Or twelve. Or both. Depends on your perspective. Today it was both. Putting one and two together gives me twelve weeks from today and I should be about done with the Philadelphia Marathon. It will be my fourth.

But today the number was also three. Three as in three miles. On doctor's orders I went to the track and did three miles. Unlike my last "comeback" I am not excited. I am not getting too high. I am simply glad that I was able to run three miles with no issues.

My foot is not 100%. I still feel uncomfort in there. But I was able to get through it pain free and for that I am nothing short of grateful today. It has really changed my perspective.

Yes, I am thinking of Philadelphia. But I am not worried too much about it. Boston; not even on my radar right now. Just running. That is my focus. There is time for all that other stuff.

An Active Release

Finally disgusted with the waiting and the impatience, I made an appointment to see a Doctor. I heard about a local sports chiropractor at the gym last week and decided to give it a shot. After one session with Dr. E.J. Semelsberger at Pinnacle Chiropractic Sports and Spine Center (www.pcspineandsports.com) and one run through with the Active Release Technique (ART) (www.activerelease.com) I am well on my way to getting back on the roads. Well, sort of.

Based on doctor recommendations I will go run a few miles on the track this coming Sunday. I was told to run so that we could gauge how ART is working for me. That was exciting news and I am anxiously awaiting Sunday. I can honestly say that I feel better. Probably more mentally, but I also feel as if my foot has improved. I am no longer afraid to run. If it responds well, great. If not, at least I've got a treatment plan going and I should be back to normal fairly soon.

Twelve weeks and two days to go. There is still time!

Holding Pattern

My bout with platar fasciitis is by far the most frustrating injury I've ever had. It has forced me to deal with the prospect of not running for longer than I have since I began running in 2002. As the days tick away, it feels as though I have made the right decision to hold off from running another week. In the long run, I have embraced the opportunity to rest. But rest I have not done.

Several weeks ago, I spoke with a friend who told me he had purchased the P90X program (www.beachbody.com) - there is my FIRST shameless plug online. Nevertheless, I had seen the infomercials before and after speaking with him decided that since my weightlifting had stagnated and given way to more running, it might be the home fitness program I had been looking for. Incorporating a lot of additional helpful cardio and even yoga on top of the lifting aspect seemed like something that could only make me a stronger runner in the long-run (no pun intended).

I wondered how I would do both the P90 and run my normal schedule. Ironically enough, the last two weeks has been the ideal time for me to begin the program and get up to speed while waiting out my foot.

It has turned out to be a godsend. Not only am I getting more fit, it almost feels as though I haven't stopped running. My wind is good, and in strange ways, even though there is more difficult foot movements (especially on the plyometrics), it has helped my foot.

With any luck, I will be running again next week, and I believe that although I will be doing more, it should help me in the long run to be more flexible and add to my running ability. Perhaps it will be P90X that will get me to Boston.

NOTE: If you happen to read this and decide to check it out, I must tell you that you have to be in some kind of good shape before beginning this program. It is not for beginners.

Totally In Tune

What have I learned over the past couple of weeks? As tomorrow marks 3 weeks down of training for Philadelphia; leaving 13 weeks to go, I have struggled with the fact that my foot feels o.k. 95% of the time. Over the past two weeks I have reinforced in my mind something that I've known for quite awhile. I am very in tune with my body. I can tell that I am not ready to go full out marathon training yet. I know that I cannot even begin to think about running again.

Last weekend I did 3 miles and was very excited. I did it pain free. But I pushed it, and tried to go out Sunday as well. I didn't wait long enough and didn't build up slowly enough and as a result I struggled again on Monday at work. And although the stabbing pains left me a lot quicker this week, I do not want to have another setback.

So I struggle with wanting to get going. Anxious like a child in the days leading up to Christmas. Wanting to go. Wanting to run. Feeling good enough to run, but in tune enough to know that I must continue to be patient and miserable.

I think perhaps 1 mile tomorrow and a gradual build up from scratch. I try to balance the fact that I've got limited time for Philadelphia and cannot afford the patience that I now know that I need. So I'll take a shot at it and do as gradual as I can, and will do the best I can knowing somewhere in the deep part of my mind that Philadelphia may not be possible. I've got to take it one day at a time, but still live in reality knowing that I need to be smart.

Simply another challenge for me. And yet another side of running that I knew existed but haven't had to deal with much. This is perhaps the worst. A pain free injury? Yes. More like a discomfort that I don't want becoming pain riddled. Amazing.....

Dam-Mitt

Since I haven't been in formal school or formal English class in years, pardon me if I mistakenly call the heading of this post by the wrong phrase. My synonym should be obvious to pick up on. Obviously I'm not angry at my baseball mitt, I am angry period. I suppose frustrated more than anything.

Although I had a wonderful 3 miler on Saturday, I may have tried to get back to normal too fast and with my 3 miler Sunday I experienced the same "twinges" early on in the run and then throughout. My foot has been teetering on the brink of going back to square one for days. Although today is a good day, I am not getting too excited. I have now planned on being off of running until Sunday and once again on the shelf. I'm even afraid to run on Sunday for fear that I'll have those twinges again and then time starts becoming a factor.

With just over 13 weeks until Philadelphia, I am not to the critical stage yet, but with each passing day I fall further behind. Not only because I am not running, but I am losing the ground gained over the summer. I no longer feel as if I'll never be able to run again (even though it feels that way sometimes), but with the 12 week window coming up this Sunday, I am dangerously close to a decision I don't want to have to make.

I take comfort in the fact that my best marathon (not time-wise) was Baltimore, and I only had 11 weeks to prepare for it. In; as irony would have it, 11 more days, I'll be sitting at 11 weeks until Philadelphia. A challenge? Sure. But at what point does reality and being smart about it kick in and I have to think of possibly dropping back to the half or not going at all? I'm very close to going white car on someone (see 5 posts ago).

A Pair of Elevens

Not shoes. Days. That's how long I was off from running while my foot was getting better. Today I got back out on the road and did a measley three miles, but it felt good to finally be training again.

I wouldn't say that I'm at 100%, but 95% for sure. No major hurdles throughout the run other than the humidity and fatigue. I was able to run and move around a little bit this week as I umpired the AAABA tournament and I think that helped me get back so quickly.

A week ago I would have felt there was no chance I was running for a minimum of two weeks. But once again, my mind was too negative. It felt great to be running again, and I'm going to be careful. My goal is to peak 14 weeks from tomorrow.

Maybe eleven is my lucky number? I suppose it could be my version of thirteen. Guess it depends on how you look at it. All I know is that a pair of elevens within three months of each other tells me I need to do more cross training and a little less focusing on speed all the time. Another lesson learned.

Change of Plans?

Today I read in the newspaper something that I have been wanting to read since I began running marathons just over a year ago. With plans to run in New York, Chicago and hopefully Boston someday, the city that was at the top of my list didn't exist. Anymore, anyway. After running for 19 years, the Pittsburgh Marathon called it quits. But after reading this article and then doing some web searching I am very confident that the Pittsburgh Marathon will return in 2008. I am in the process of gladly changing my plans if this is in fact the case.

With just over 9 months to go before the May 4 date that I read about, I can only imagine that it will be just weeks before hearing whether or not one of the top 20 marathons in the country will return.

I hope that by the time I'm into full training swing again and before I toe the line in my home state in November, I will also have plans to toe it again on the other side of the state closer to home. Pittsburgh, PA.

Having that option would be wonderful. And in an odd twist, I could complete something I hadn't intended to do when I began running marathons. Running the AFC North Division (Cleveland, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh?). Weird, but it could happen. I wonder how many would be in that club?

101 Days

After another struggle with injury, I decided to play it smart and wait it out. All of my instincts fought me to get out on the road. It has been 9 days since I went on a training run.

I am better. But not foolish enough to think that I am 100%. Amazing the little difference one can feel between 90% and 100%, but there is a difference. So to avoid another setback, I will play it smart. Maybe Saturday, Sunday for sure.

Now the goal is to set my mind on going easy and coming back slowly. Two things NOT in my forte. But hopefully I've learned something. And my running journey continues.

101 days to Philly.....

When the Going Gets Tough

The tough get patient. That is perhaps one of the toughest things to do. Waiting out an injury and being patient is not my forte, but it has become the necessary evil of long distance running. My latest, a bout with plantar fasciitis (I now know the correct spelling) has me very impatient. Although it has been less than a week, I have difficulty not running. I am anxious to get my training back on track, but know that the best I can do is wait. I should be out on my Sunday long run right now, but instead I do the next best thing. Sit here and write about it.

I have been on the bike and will be doing that again today, perhaps even dipping in the pool and swimming some laps, which I absolutely hate. But I will try to maintain my level of fitness and do the best I can with my foot. What I hate the most is the uncertainty that every single step brings. Will I feel that sharp stabbing pain that I felt on Monday and Tuesday? It's much duller (if that is a word) now, but still comes and goes. I walk babying it, but do not want to suffer any kind of setback. Even the smallest of walking distances without having my "needles" is a positive that I grasp onto and hope that I am getting better. I feel like I'm improving, but not as fast or as well as I want to be.

So the time ticks by and I look at the calendar and am at least thankful that it happened now. I plan and re-plan and adjust. Perhaps I should do less of that and get going when my body says it's o.k. to go. Then do what feels right. Perhaps the best approach to this next marathon will be less planning and more feeling? It's more mind games like this that I consider with each passing day. I just hope these thoughts become reality sooner rather than later.

Don't Make Me Go White Car on Your Ass

This one was just too good to pass up, whilst I rehabilitate my slight case of plantar fascia. To fully understand where I'm going with this, a bit of a history lesson first.

Several years ago, I received a t-shirt from my brother Rick at Christmas that has become "that" t-shirt. One my wife despises, and one that has become my 'go to' around the house type shirt. Every guy has one. I just learned of one of our neighbors Mr. Bubbles shirt. I'll come back to the shirt.

Last summer I drove home from work, minding my own business and pulled into my garage like I always do. Several minutes later a police officer knocked on my front door and wondered if I drove a white car. Moments before I drove past a group of neighbor kids, an older gentleman driving a white car had attempted to offer candy to these kids. When they saw my car, they called the police who were following up on a lead. When the officer saw that I did not fit the description (a man in his 60's with white hair), it was simply a case of mistaken identity.

Last night at 3:00 a.m. the faint sound of a barking dog worked it's way through our open window and as I began to focus in, became louder and more clear over the humming sound of our ceiling fan. In my head I thought, 'someone will hear it and either bring it in or get it to stop'. A half hour later, the dog had continued to bark incessantly. Losing patience and now wide awake I decided that I would go and investigate the whereabouts of this barking. Because of the time of night and because I wasn't exactly sure where it was coming from I pulled the car out of the garage and drove toward the sound. Turns out it was only a couple hundred yards away. The dog was sitting at the base of a speed limit sign at the edge of a yard whose house was up for sale and vacant. Still, plenty of houses surrounded this area and I found it hard to believe nobody had either come outside to investigate (like me) or call the police.

Since the road I was sitting on can actually be busy and does have a posted speed limit of 35 I thought I would pull around the block to a safer location before calling the police. As I came around the block it became apparent that one of the neighbors had awoken (all of her lights were on and she stood in the doorway with a phone in her hand) and called the police who were now pulling up on us (me and the dog) from the opposite direction.

Amazingly, as the officer got out of his car and approached me, he said they had received a report of a white car driving around the neighborhood. To make a long story short(er), we figured out that the dog had broken free from it's porch but dragged it's leash behind it and had gotten it wrapped around the speed limit sign. All is well that ends well, but not before a second police unit had arrived on the scene and one other neighbor.

When I returned to the house, my wife Becky and I had a laugh because as I described to her the events from above it dawned upon me that I was wearing that shirt Rick had given me years ago and that I now typically sleep in during the summer time. Since it is a summer shirt now, the sleeves have since been cut off but the words on the front are still legible. We laughed at the prospect of how it would have been a perfect scene to be shown on Cops. There I am in the middle of the night with a cutoff t-shirt that reads "Don't Make Me Go Hockey On Your Ass" in my now infamous white car.

Needless to say, the transition as we laughed was a simple one. I now have a new phrase to use, since Becky made the observation that it might be time to begin looking for a new car. What does this have to do with running? Absolutely nothing. But since I had to take this morning off because of nagging foot pain, it gave me something to write about. And it gave me a new phrase to use now and probably forever. "Don't Make Me Go White Car On Your Ass."