Marathon Training: Week Five

Training is getting better. My sprained ankles are almost back to normal. Now I'll just have a few weeks of correcting imbalances that have cropped up from favoring my injuries. I'm excited to start running for real again on the earthen ground and in the outdoors.

Mon 2.5mi run + 20min cross- 20min bike and then 25min elliptical plus, I did a few back and leg extensions too.

Tue 30min bike+ strength- Wayne and I spent our day off together walking through IKEA and other furniture stores dreaming about decorating this home we're about to purchase. We got caught up and I got to the gym too late to bike for a full 30min but, they where nice enough to allow me to stay for an extra 5min and do 25min total. I pushed the pace a bit in hope of  making up for some of the lost time.

Wed 2mi tempo + 10min cross- I got called off work today and was allowed a second day in a row off from work with Wayne. I did a 10min bike and then 20min elliptical in the gym. I tried not to take a break in between exercises in order to increase the duration of cardiovascular exercise.

Fri 50min run + 20min cross- Today I went to the gym before work to do my "long run" on the elliptical. I'm feeling guilty that Wayne had to clean the house and pick out anniversary desserts for my parents while I was at work and the gym. I did a 20min easy bike than did lunges, and stretched before hopping on the elliptical for the rest of the time. I managed to get off work a little early and had time to run home and shower before my parents came to visit and we went out to dinner at a small family Italian place with awesome pizza in Belmont called Simonettie's.

Sat 2.5mi run + 35min cross- Happy 17th Anniversary to my parents and Happy 57th Birthday to Dave! My achillies complained and popped a bit throughout the run. Even though I'm gradually increasing the running impact my legs are no longer happy with my running once a week. The tendons aren't keeping up with the difference in strain between real running and cross training. Starting next week I will increase my number of running days per week by one so that in 5 weeks I will be running a bit on all 5 of my weekly training days.

Sun Roll and Ice- Again I didn't get to an ice bath today but I did a few session of rolling and local icing throughout the week.

Marathon Training: Week Three

A very hesitant and crestfallen start to the week has turned into hopeful renewal.

Mon 2mi run + 10min cross- I took the day off and Iced my ankle as often as I could before work. It feels much better tonight. I can sleep comfortably. I ran a few steps up and down hill and it still felt uncomfortable, but not sharp pain. Don't want to injure further so I guess I'll take biking tomorrow lightly and not elliptical until Friday

Tue 30min bike + strength- 10min of seated stationary bike and then 20min of the up right stationary bike. I did push the cadence and resistance a bit more than usual in order to make up for a small amount of lost ground yesterday. I just did two circuits of leg extensions, back extensions with light weight, and sit ups .

Wed 1.5mi run + 15min cross- I split my time evenly between the upright and seated stationary bikes. I increased my resistance once or twice again today. I feel pretty good. I feel like my left achillies is compensating a bit for the right ankle weakness.

Fri 40min run + 15min bike- I ran a fair amount at work today while doing a team edition showing a group of folks around the USNWC to various activities. The ankle is a little swollen still but it feels ok. This is my first day ellypticaling again after rolling ankle. Ellipticaling went well with no pain or post exercise swelling.

Sat 2mi run + 30min cross- Again my work schedule interfered with being able to attend the 9am-1pm gym hours today so, I walked and ran around the neighborhood. I walked for 22min, ran 2miles, and then walked 8 min back home.

Sun- meant to take an ice bath and foam roll but....life gets busy, I guess. I just iced my ankle with a small ice pack. It is more sore and swollen today. I'll try to be god to it.

The week went much better than I'd hoped. I don't think I'll have to further re-evaluate or adjust my training plan as I thought I might have to. Good news! Just reminding my self to go slow and be patient.

Half Marathon: Week Five

I confess and apologize to my readers, my motivation ad confidence is waning. I started on this blog journey because, Knowing that someone reads about my training progress keeps me true to my intentions to reach my goals. Running and training, however, cease to be fun when it hurts to take just a few running steps.

Thanks for your support. I will try to work back into a regular Tuesday weekly posting schedule again.

After realizing I was training too much too fast, last week, I took this one pretty easy. I didn't run on the ground at all but, went inside to the gym to bike and elliptical all week.

Mon 30min cross- Went to the gym and split my time with 15min on the elliptical and then biked easy for 15min.

Tue 4mi pace- My tendons are feeling really sore and tight today so I didn't do a workout.

Wed 30min swim- Instead of the RiverJam Swim I opted to go to the gym and try to do 40min on the elliptical but I split my time and did the last 20 min on the bike because my tendons and legs are still sore.

The gym was closed the rest of the week for the 4th of July holiday. It's probably for the best. It's clear now that I will have to pause and re-evaluate my current training plan in order to recover from this injury set back so that I can still run the Marathon in January.

My new favorite hot weather snack is frozen grapes! Thanks to a silly shopper who returned their cart to the parking lot drop off and left a giant box of red Sam's Club grapes in the kid's seat.

Half Marathon: Week Four

This has been a frustrating week. After almost completing the first stage of my half marathon training plan I am left unable to run more than a mile or two, on a good day, due to my achillies tendonopothy. I will have to seriously revamp my training plans for the upcoming half and full marathons. This is frustrating and disheartening. But, this is all a learning process to determine how to work with my limitations in order to reach my Boston goal. It seems a little threatened and potentially unattainable - we shall see!

I realize that after taking two weeks off from exercise after my 10k race to let injuries heal. I may have jumped back into too much of a weekly mileage increase. I will have to take a step back and slowly transition into full time running with a lot of cross training between now and then.

Tue 30min cross+strength- Split my cross training between the stationary bike and elliptical and then did my two usual circuits of weights.

Wed 4mi run- I went to the gym to cross train since my legs feel really tired and sore. I tried to run a lap around the gym basketball court but couldn't bare more than a few steps. I biked for 40min to give my legs a break from running-like activity.

Thr 2mi run+swim- I went to the gym and used the elliptical for 20min in order to get some more time on my legs for the week. The session was nice and practically pain free.

Sat 3mi run- I did the 3mi run around Mount Holly with a fair amount of success. I did have achillies pain during the run but my legs felt recovered and happy after the run as well as the next morning

Sun 7mi run- In an effort to not further aggravate my achillies as my long runs the past two weeks seem to have done, I decided to postpone this long run until tomorrow when I can do most of it as cross training on the bike and elliptical.

My body has been feeling more and more tired over the last month. We have been very bad at going to bed at a decent hour and I've been getting only 5-7hour of sleep for the past few weeks. I think this is catching up with me and not allowing my body to recover from my training.

10k: Week Five

Welcome to this weeks instalment of my marathon journey! Last week I left you with a cliff hanger, waiting to see how my sprained ankle affects my training...But wait! There's a plot twist... the sprained ankle, is the least of my worries!

Mon 3mi run+core- I just did 20 min easy on the upright stationary bike plus two sets of weights in order to test out my sprained ankle today after a day of rest. My ankle did get more swollen after doing leg presses- perhaps do to the increase in resistance, pressure, and ankle motion- but other than that it felt great! We'll see how I feel in the morning. I do feel a small amount of achillies tendonitis as compensation for my front ankle muscles not engaging while biking.

Tue 40min cross+strength- I'm feeling weird and achy today I think it's from some old leftover corn I put on my tacos last night that may have spoiled. My ankle feels great today and some more of the swelling has gone down. This is definitely the least severe ankle sprain I've ever had.
SO... I thought I was all set to go to the gym and do some ellypticaling and biking and weights today, right after I took the dog for a walk, BUT...We walked to the corner of the block and had to turn around abruptly because I suddenly had to puke. I didn't want to barf on the side of the street with cars driving by so I hurriedly drug Honey back to the house. Blue cloudy tunnel vision, cold sweat, tingaling numb hands and feet, and light headedness, and of course a rotten feeling tummy. I didn't puke but I wish I had because now it'll probably take several days for this food poisoning to work all the way through my system.

Wed 2mi run- Still achy- every part of my body hurts. The morning was awful. I spent the night on the couch because I felt like I might vomit, but again didn't. After a long slow cold rainy day at work- which did serve as a welcome distraction from my tummy-I managed to feel well enough to put together 40min of cross training at the gym- 20min elliptical+20min on the upright stationary bike. The ellipticaling was the hardest part because it involves up and down body motion which shook up (or down) my stomach a little. After dinner I realized the sickness had been shaken down into my intestines and I again will spend the whole night on the couch, this time running back and forth to the bathroom and getting hardly any sleep.

Fri 60min cross- I almost feel normal today! I took my day off from work easy by watching vegan cooking videos, hydrating, and eating a little more food than I've been able to over the past few days. I did 50min of cross training today split evenly between the elliptical and the upright stationary bike. I was able to return to a more normal pace but can tell I have a lot of dehydration to make up for.

Sat 4.5mi run- Running on my feet today may speak volumes for how my training is progressing through this sickness. I added a half mile to the 4.1mile East Main trail that I sprained my ankle on last week. I did it in the daylight this time so it would be less dangerous but I did roll my ankle in soft grass a minute into the run just before getting to the trail. It's a little sore. I'll ice tonight. My pace is slower than I'd hoped. running this trail though I realized I'm being, perhaps, a little over cautious. My legs feel like they're just going through the motion with out real muscle effort. I did have to stop for a potty break part way through. My pace did feel like it got stronger through the run. I think I will need to stick to flatter courses and do more real running in order to gain back some of my strength and form that I might have lost.

I don't wanna push to hard and reinjure or slow my ankle recovery but I also can't allow my muscles to atrophy and loose good training ground. As scary as injury and sickness have been this week in reguard to interrupting my training plan, I think all has gone as well as possible. The sickness may have been a blessing in disguise because  I forced me to rest my ankle a bit. My ankle does feel almost healed in a weak vs the months it has taken in the past when I've run on/through the injury. I'll try to still be good and keep an eye on it.

10k: Week Four

My legs are an important part of my body image. But, after this week I'm starting to feel like I'm abusing them and clouding that image...

Mon 3mi run+core- I ran the pink loop at work again. My knee still hurts but it diminished as I ran more. It seemed to help if I allowed my feet to pronate more. Perhaps I'm still holding my ankles ridged and it's causing my knee to track differently than when I had arch supports in. Part of the reason I think I feel so tired is likely because my body is still getting used to having less structure under my feet. I felt like my core chain stabilizers are still weak. But, strength will build over time. I really should take an ice bath tomorrow.

Tue 35min cross+strength- Elypticled at the gym for 22 min and then used the seated stationary bike to take some pressure off my hips ankles and achillies. I also finally did two sets of my weight lifting routine. It feels so nice!

Wed 2mi run- Easy two lap shake out run around the whitewater channel. I feel refreshed and my feet and form feel much more stable and balanced. I got some pretty hefty bruises on my shins today when I slipped on a wet board on a course as I went out to assist a guest. My left shin especially didn't feel very nice for the first mile of the run. I love running up stairs! I wouldn't normally but with construction at work my 1mi loop around the channel has had to change a bit and it makes me feel stronger to run up stairs. Tiny bit of achillies tendonitis left but much better.

Fri 50min cross+core- I wore compression socks all day today and at work yesterday to help the bruises on my shins. It did help a lot! the one on my left ankle is definitely the worst. I split the crosstraining today 25min elypticle+25min upright stationary biking plus I did one set of weights

Sat 4mi long run- You know that feeling when you're strolling down a trail and suddenly all your body weight is resting on the top/side of your foot and you realize your toes are suddenly higher than your ankle? It's just... horrifyingly sickening. I ran our newly extended East Main trail after work today starting at 8pm- so it was dark and I sprained my ankle on a downhill in the last 300 meters of the run. I did take a flashlight with me but I could see fairly well for most of the run with my eyes adjusted to the darkness. As I was running I could tell that my feet are getting stronger! My foot is more in tune with how it should move and stabilize. Much different from when I wore my uber supportive shoes.The run was not as fast as my normal pace would have been because I was taking lots of short choppy breaking steps in order to be cautious. This raises the quality vs quantity question in my mind. Was the slower pace and risky behavior worth loosing some of the benefits that I would have gotten if I'd stuck to a better lit route? I realized on the run today that my legs are much less used to running with all the cross training I've been doing instead of splitting my runs with actual running. I'd hoped the elypticling would be equivalent but I'm not so sure.

Wanna see how well I balance rest and recovery with an ongoing training plan?
Stay tuned next week for another episode!

What is underpronation?

I grew up with a mother who worked on her feet a lot. And as many of us who work on our feet know, it can make them complain. Over her career my mother tried to keep her feet happy and went the rout of arch supports, insoles, etc. Growing up I thought of my mom as all knowing- kind of like this song from Disney's Tangled: Mother Knows Best. I love you Mom, you did teach me what you knew and thought was right.

But, because she believed arch supports and insoles where so important so did I. And because having good shoes is one of the key parts of running, I took arch supporting to the extreme with stabilizing pronation control shoes with added stiff cork high arch supports inside. This is what I ran on for years- from my freshman year track season in high school to my sophomore year of college at least. I'm discovering now that in my attempt to preemptively prevent injuries I may have caused some- possibly some of my achillies tendinopathy, and certainly my sprained ankles, because I land so far on the outside of my foot. I have forced my feet to change from neutral or possibly very slight over pronation (which probably would have improved on its own as I got stronger in running) to, at times, extreme supination or under pronation.


So, is there a right amount of pronation? There certainly is something to strive for. Your feet affect the use of joints and muscles as well as the impact on the rest of your body. Therefore normal pronation, which perhaps should be called ideal pronation, is an important part of an efficient runner's form.

Pronation is the inward rolling movement of the foot as it supports your body weight and absorbs shock. Ideally for normal pronation the arch should only roll, or compress, about fifteen percent in order to help you push off evenly from the front of the foot. The size of a runner's arch can affect its ability to roll. If you have a "normal arch" (indicated in the picture above), you're likely a normal pronator.

I definitely do believe that arch supports have a valuable place in low activity footwear for walking. And I wont deny that my feet feel so much happier when I put on my high arch supporting Birkenstocks. But, I think for now I'm gunna let my feet do what they want to while running, without the extra support. There's got to be a way to work with your feet instead of against them. Our body and feet have evolved over thousands of years, and humans where running long before high-tech shoes where invented. I'm not completely a minimal forefoot running convert. I don't know if my lower legs could handle it after all I have forced them to do over the course of approximately six years. But the research I've done on this topic suggests that as long as I make some transitions slowly I can become a healthier, less ridged and more efficient runner.

For an awesome article on foot mechanics, see this article by the British Journal of Sports Medicine brought to my attention by a Facebook post from my mother today. Thanks Ma! It uses a lot of scientific jargon but it's an informative read about the differences between running and walking and the roll the arch of our foot plays in our evolution. The article suggests foot exercises and addresses the barefoot minimalist shoes idea.

So, what is under pronation?

I found this really awesome RW video HERE.  It seems kind of crazy to me, to watch this video and notice that the runners muscle development is shaped so much like mine. Imagine that, foot strike shapes muscle formation! Click the link to read the full length article. It describes all styles of pronation and, by reading you can determine your own pronation type too!


I bought my last pair of shoes right after moving to Charlotte. That was a year an a half ago! While I haven't done any long term training plan in them, I have been a recreational runner averaging probably 1-2 runs a week over that time in them. Getting new shoes was long overdue. I've heard shoes should last up to 6 months or 500 miles. I'm certain I've exceeded both of those marks.

Inside of the fore foot doesn't touch the ground anymore

Wear is more noticeable along the outside edges

Each foot/shoe supinates differently

Choosing a pair of new shoes recently was very stressful for me. I discovered there are actually shoes made for people who supinate. Duh, there's a product for everything. But I had to decide how to choose shoes to aid in my transition to a more natural running gait.

Attributes of stability control shoes I'm trying to steer away from:

• Stability shoes have a thick ridged foam or plastic piece as part of the shoes sole under the arch of your foot. It prevents the inside part of the shoe from compressing over the use of the shoe and it holds up the arch to prevent over pronation. 
• Varying degrees of stability shoes are meant to have the runner heel strike. They have an angle cut into the outside edge of the heel intended to help your foot track through each foot strike, from the outside of your heel through to the middle toe at push off.
• Due to stability and motion control properties of these shoes your foot may not be able to bend and flex as it naturally should because the shoe is inflexible.
• Because stability shoes are intended for the runners wearing them to be heel strikers there is often a LOT of padding under the heel which causes the shoes to almost be like high heels. The idea is that having a higher heel will take strain off the achillies and calves. But this is not the natural evolutionary intent for our running form.

How do I transition slowly enough to prevent fatigue or injury from my body getting used to less structure in my shoes? How do I choose a shoe that will hold up to the mileage I plan to put in them between now and September when I run the half marathon? When buying my newest pair of running shoes last week, I struggled with deciding how light and flexible, how soft and squishy, how low the heel drop (diff in height between ball of foot and heel in sole thickness), and how neutral to go.

I ended up choosing an Asics gell-evate 2. The brand Asics is now slightly scary to me because that's what I have been wearing for most of my running career. I have a negative association with the brand and the over compensating I've been doing. But these shoes are neutral, even slightly supination minded shoes. I will not put my stiff cork insoles in them and we'll see what my foot does naturally. These Asics shoes are not as flexible or squishy as I'd hoped, nor do they have a lower heel drop but, I felt that they would be more durable than some of the other soft foam easy flexing shoes that I tried on. These shoes are a small step in the right direction and I'll meet more of the natural foot movement enabling criteria with my next pair. Hopefully a fresh start will reduce imbalances.