JJSB's Log, Run Date: 14343 Creating Unique Isolation

I was out running recently on a frigidly cold, dark night and I realized something that made kind of a profound impact on me.  There are stretches on my runs where there are no street lights at all and woods all around and it creates a kind of unadulterated isolation that is hard to find.  Add to that the meditative state that running brings about and being bundled up in the winter gear and you begin to feel a unique connection with God and the immediate world around you.  I often do one more thing that may sound kind of crazy, but takes the experience to a whole other level.  When I am on those dark stretches, in an attempt to create as atrementous and environment as possible, I CLOSE MY EYES.  Yup, I actually close my eyes while I'm running on a dark deserted road.  Now, it's not usually for more than a few seconds; Although, I do sometimes push myself and see how long I can keep my eyes closed before I open them again.

So, back to the thing that I realized.  As I closed my eyes, bundled up in my winter running gear, on a dark stretch of isolated road, I realized that I was in a very exclusive situation.  I wondered, how many people were there on earth at that very moment, in sub freezing temperatures, bundled up in winter running gear, running down a deserted road with no other humans in sight, with eyes closed?  I kept thinking, "There are only a handful of people on earth doing this same exact thing right now.  Maybe, I could even count them on the fingers of one hand."   Percentage wise, there were probably way less than 1% of people on earth doing what I was doing at that moment.  Now, there were probably plenty of people doing everything I was doing, EXCEPT the closing of the eyes.  The closing of the eyes thing?  That set me apart.  Why?  Because it was crazy... kind of.  It didn't make sense.  It's not something that you're supposed to do.  By going that last step of closing my eyes, I ahd created a unique isolation that a fraction of the people on this earth have experienced.  Then I started thinking about how many times, doing something that you're not supposed to do, or doing something considered crazy by others, does the same thing for other people.  Sure, the experience can be negative or positive depending on what you're doing, but doing those types of things is what gives people unique and transcendent experiences in life.  Something as simple as closing your eyes while running on a cold fall day, can create this phenomenon.  At least it did for me.

Anyway, it struck me and I want to do more things like that.  More simple, yet out of the ordinary things that give me that take me to that place.

JJSB's Log, Run Date: 14301 Marathon Mourning

So, I'm still kind of in mourning over missing out on doing the KC marathon this year.  It was over a week ago and it's still in the back of my mind nagging at me.  Normally, it wouldn't be as huge of a deal, but I've come to realize that although there were many factors that contributed to me not completing the training, there was one circumstance that really blew the whole thing for me.  It pretty much kept me from focusing on everything else in my life, including running.  Honestly, I'm still kind of pissed about this circumstance, although it was nobody's fault.  I guess that really means that I'm just pissed at the circumstance itself.

Missing the marathon impacted me in a number of ways.  It meant that I failed to complete what I started.  I missed out on running with a best friend; going on a journey that I may not get another opportunity to go on.  I jeopardized my identity as a runner; at least in my own mind.  I question whether I should ever train toward a specific goal again and that feels pretty crappy.  etc. etc.

So, here I am, mourning and regretting and wondering if I should even set a future running goal.  Wondering what the point is when I may just be derailed again by another "circumstance".  I'm still running, but it's just me going out when I feel like it or when I feel like I need it.  Maybe that's the way I should keep it.  Maybe I should keep it just for myself.  Just running for meditation which is the primary reason I do it anyway.  I'm just not sure.  My outlook in regard to this seems to change daily.  One day at a time I suppose.

JJSB's Log, Run Date: 14270 The complexity of Marathon Training

I've been thinking lately about the complexity of marathon training.  This has been on my mind mostly because the last two years I have trained toward doing a marathon but have, for various reasons, chosen not to follow through to the goal.  There are so many factors that are involved that only those who have trained for a marathon can understand.   When I think back to the marathon that I ran in 2012 and all of the training that led up to it, I'm kind of amazed at how many things fell into place.  Of course, it helped that it was my first marathon and I had only started running regularly 4 months prior,  Because of this, my goal throughout training was merely to finish.  Still, the fact that I completed the 18 week training plan (that's roughly 72 run days) and only missed one training day still boggles my mind.  Throughout this training, I was able to get up early every morning (we're talking 5am on work days) AND Saturdays and complete the runs while steadily improving my pace.  Looking back, I'm not sure how I achieved this, especially since that same summer, I spent many of my run day evenings painting the entire exterior of my house in the summer heat.   The more I think about it, the more training for a marathon makes me think of a shuttle launching.  There's just so many things that have to go right to make everything "a go."  

I wanted to list some of the many factors that play into whether or not the training is successful:

- The intensity - training to finish is much different than training to finish at a certain pace.  Shooting for a certain pace, elevates the intensity of the training to a much higher level.

- Allergies -  Yup, those of us that suffer from seasonal allergies are somewhat at the mercy of the elements in the air.  The good news is that running greatly reduces these allergy symptoms (at least for me).  The bad news is that when allergies are especially bad, it's extremely difficult to get up early in the morning to run (see next factor) or to even make one's self get out the door at all.

- Time of day - I'm an evening runner at heart.  I simply love running in the evenings.  That being said, I believe that mornings are the best time to run if you're doing a marathon training plan.  It's cooler and it relaxes you for the rest of the day so that you don't have "the run" hanging over you.  There are a number of other reasons why I feel like mornings are the best time to run but I'll save that for another post.

- The temperature - This one is HUGE.  Small changes in temperature cause BIG changes in stress on the body.  You're pretty much at the mercy of nature on this one.  The only control you have is what time of the day you run and life confronts you with many things that make it difficult to keep a schedule. Again, this is why mornings are better because this is the coolest time of the day; Unfortunately, during the summer months, even the morning can be horribly humid.  Higher temps require adjusting your pace accordingly and this is difficult because it challenges you psychologically to be "Ok" with slower paces.

- Phsyical setbacks - With the increase in intensity of setting a goal for a specific pace, stress to joints, muscles and bones also increases.  There WILL BE aches and pains.  Especially if you are a bit older (as I am).  There is a need to constantly evaluate the aches and pains to determine if they are just minor pains that are part of the training or if they are symptomatic of  issues that could become worse if you continue with training.  These physical setbacks are difficult to interpret and can be caused by many different factors.

- Emotional and Mental Issues- Although running is an excellent activity to help with emotional and mental struggles, there are times that a person has so much other stuff going on in life that it's just too overwhelming to keep to the fairly rigid and consistent training schedule that is a must for a marathon. When these times come along, a tough decision has to be made and many times, a runner just has to concede that cutting back to a less rigid schedule is what must be done.

- Time Commitment- The time commitment of training for a marathon is HUGE.  Even if you're training to run the marathon at a fairly fast pace, the training for longer runs is to run them slower than you intend to run the marathon.  This is done in order to build up endurance.  This means, hours of running.  Unless you always get up to run in the morning, early enough so that you're finished by the time that everyone else is up and about, you end up missing out on time with friends and family.  Also, even if you do get up early, that means that you typically go to bed earlier, producing the same result.

So, there you have just some of the factors that successful marathon training depends on.  I'm sure that there are others.  Those that I mentioned above have all played some factor in my decision to stop training for a marathon this fall and so I've shared them.

Currently, I've resumed running every other day or so, or when I feel like I need to and have run shorter distances.  My primary reason for running is mental health and meditation, so that's my priority.

JJSB's Log, Run Date: 14214: Kinesiology tape for achilles heel pain. Does it work? #2

To recap from the first post and update: 

I have experienced mild to moderate pain in my Achilles heel/tendon for the past several weeks.  The pain shows up after a prolonged rest period following a run.  e.g., the next morning after a run.  The pain appeared roughly the same time I purchased a new pair of running shoes.

My sister gifted me some Kinesiology Tape which purports to, "Help relieve pain & support muscles," so I decided to try it out and pass along my findings.

There are specific methods of taping for different types of muscle pain.  I searched for videos on how to apply the tape for Achilles Heel/Tendon pain and ended up with a "Y" strip taping similar to what is seen in the picture below (Not my leg):



Soon after taping the leg, I felt less discomfort in the area I had been experiencing pain in. i.e., the point where the top of the heel bone meets the tendon. 

I took two days of rest (no running) and the pain dissipated to almost none by the end of the rest period.

I ran the morning of the third day with the new pair of running shoes and had no pain while running; However, around 5 hours post run, after a period of inactivity, the pain was just as intense as it had been at it's worst before I started using the Kinesio tape.  The pain continued to intensify that evening to the point that I finally decided to take ibuprofen.  A couple of hours afterwards, the pain had nearly disappeared and the next morning, I had no pain.

The next day was my long run.  As I really began to suspect the new shoes at this point, I ran in some trusty "old" Brooks Adrenalines that I had been running in for two years and had approximately 650 miles on.  The 9 mile run went beautifully.  The first half mile, I experienced some mild pain, but from there on out, nothing.  Of course, the real test would be the inactivity following the run.  I experienced absolutely no heel pain that evening, and none the following day.

The following day was a rest day and I continued to feel no pain.

At this point, the tape had started to peel a bit from the back of the leg, to the point that it was irritating.  I decided to take the tape off at this point and not to apply more.

The next two days, I did 4 & 7 mile runs with my previous Asics which had approximately 750 miles on them and once again experienced no pain during or after the runs.

At this time, I was pain free for 5 days so I decided it was time to try the new shoes again.  Sure enough, the heel pain showed up again after the run, though not nearly as intense as it had been.

So, here is my take on the Kinesiology Tape:

The Claim:

"Helps relieve pain & support muscles" The tape "... lifts the skin to help maintain flexibility, improve circulation..."  "...pressure and irritation are decreased to help alleviate pain"

My experience: 

There is some validity to the claim that the tape helps maintain flexibility.  It functions similarly to a larger brace but with much less bulk and significantly less support.  The results is, as you would expect, a modicum of support with a large amount of flexibility.  Whether, this combination will be sufficient to provide noticeable relief for the wearer depends greatly on the type and location of the pain.  For me, the benefits were noticeable, but were not significant; However, I could envision many muscular ailments that would benefit greatly from the use of the tape. 

The Claim:

"Stays on in water"  & "Wearable up to 5 days"

My experience:

The tape absolutely stays on in water.  I had the tape on for a period of 6 days and was impressed with how well it adhered to the skin even after several showers.  After the first 3 days, there was a bit of the tape that came up from the sole of my foot, but I think this was mostly due to the motion of walking while I was wearing socks and shoes at work.  When I took off my socks that evening, the edge of the tape got stuck to the sock, so I simply snipped off the small part that had come unstuck and was surprised to find that the remainder stayed firmly attached to the skin.

The tape was indeed wearable for 5 days; In fact, it wasn't until the 6th day that the tape began to pull up a bit from the back of the Achilles tendon.  I was again impressed.

The Claim:

"Comfortable"  & "Breathable"

My experience:

Again, absolutely true.  I was skeptical, especially as the area I taped involved the tape stretching down the back of my calf and onto the sole of my foot.  It honestly felt like there was nothing there as far as having something stuck to my skin even when the muscles were stretched.  I was once again, surprised and impressed.

In Summary: I would definitely recommend the Kinesiology tape for certain muscle ailments.  I believe that it does give a level of support while continuing to allow for an extremely free range of motion.  This is especially beneficial to athletes; However, I also believe that the tape only treats the symptoms and that rest and/or other methods of treatment should be sought out for continued muscle pain and discomfort.  I'll definitely hold on to the remainder of the roll for use as minor support for muscle related soreness that I experience from time to time in my running activities.

JJSB's Log, Run Date: 14207: Kinesiology tape for achilles heel pain. Does it work? #1

Several weeks ago, I began having some pain at the top of my heel on my right foot; The notorious Achilles tendon.  I thought that perhaps it was due to some new running shoes that I had purchased not long before the pain showed up but wasn't sure.  I purchased some Asics, which was what I had been running in previously, but it was a different model so that could have caused some problems.  Or it could be that I was still in the break in period.   I kept running, rotating between my current 3 pairs of running shoes and the pain has persisted.  It's not too severe and hurts only a little when I begin a run and then goes away for the rest of the run.  It hurts the most after I have been at rest for some time, for example, after a night's sleep.  Again, it's not too severe, but is annoying and sort of persistent.  When I push on the area where the Achilles tendon meets the top of the heel, it hurts a lot.  It's only on my right foot which also makes it a bit confusing.

Meanwhile, my sister visited last week and brought a few little gifts along for my family and I.  She handed me something that I hadn't heard of before: Kinesiology tape.  She explained to me that some athletes use it to aid in pain relief in muscles, etc.  I took some time to look it up and it seems that the "experts" are a bit divided as to whether it give any actual benefit or not.  I was a bit skeptical, but being the scientific type that I am and having the tape there in front of me and the pain there in my right heel, I thought I'd check it out and pass along my findings.

There are actually a bunch of videos that show how to apply it for specific types of pain in the body and one of them happens to be Achilles heel and tendon pain.  This one from Runner's World was very simple and well done so I used it as a guideline to tape my right leg.

Because the process of evaluating the kinesio tape takes place over a period of time, I'll be posting roughly twice a week for 2-4 weeks or so as to whether the stuff lives up to the claims for me and I'll give a recap at the end.

I taped my right leg exactly as shown in the video on Wednesday night, just before bedtime.  Fairly soon after taping the leg, I felt less discomfort in the area I had been experiencing pain in.  Some of the critics of the tape, feel that there is a placebo effect so that could be at play some here but I think probably not as I was somewhat skeptical to begin with.  I think a better explanation, is that the tape does give a certain level of support, just like a wrap would, so it alleviates some muscle pain because of this.  I followed the taping with a couple of days of rest from running and my heel felt progressively better over those two days.  I think that this was probably due to the rest, more than the tape, but the pain did seem to dissipate more quickly while wearing the tape.  I ran this morning (Saturday) and had no pain while running.  It is now about 5 hours post run and I am laying on the couch and my heel does indeed hurt.  The pain is moderate and a bit more intense, if I stretch the Achilles by tilting the tip of my toe towards my head.  I would say that this pain is typical for what I have been experiencing after a prolonged rest period after a run before I started using the tape.     I'll be doing my long run tomorrow morning which is 9 miles for this week so I'll plan on posting again in a few days.

JJSB's Log, Run Date: 14202 Marathon Dissapointments #1

A little less than two years ago, I ran in the KC marathon.  There were many positives from the experience but there were also a number of negatives, the biggest being the total time it took me to finish.  I know that the main thing is to finish, especially on the first marathon; However, I felt that I really had the potential to do so much better.  I finished with a total time of 4:56:58 (a pace of 11:20/mile)  I'm glad to have finished strong at the end but still, I couldn't help but hash and rehash everything that I feel contributed to a disappointing performance.  I decided to use this blog to review things that I did (or didn't do) to prepare myself for the next marathon I take part in.

The first mistake I made that contributed to all of the other mistakes may surprise you:  

  I followed the rules.

That's right, I followed the rules.  This turned out to be a HUGE mistake in one specific area.  The race info states, "For insurance and safety purposes, we do not allow headphones, earbuds, Ipods, radios, and other hearing devices or animals on the course."   I took this statement seriously and so for the first time throughout my entire marathon training period that year, I did not run using my Runkeeper app.  (Nor did I bring my basset hound along, but I knew better than to do that anyway.  He wouldn't make it a mile.)

When I showed up at the race and saw the multitude of folks with headphones, I began to realize that there was no way race officials could police that many people in regards to wearing headphones, etc. and apparently everyone else running the race knew this.  At this point, I was disappointed not to have my phone with the app so as to help me pace myself, but I didn't think it was that big of a deal.  I was sorely mistaken.  If I had been running by myself, I probably could have done a pretty good job pacing myself for the time I wanted to finish with; However, surrounded by marathoners AND half marathoners made it extremely difficult to determine exactly what pace I was at.  I had to time reference and no mile reference for most of the first half of the marathon which led to other factors that negatively influenced my performance.  (More to come on those factors in upcoming blog posts.)

So, there you have it.  The #1 biggest mistake that I made was following the rules.  Rest assured, if I do end up running the KC marathon this year (as I am currently training to), I will not make the same mistake again.

JJSB's Log, Run Date: 14191

I'm on my 4th week of an 18 week marathon training plan and in a little bit of a running slump.  I'm not sure what's causing it.  Could be allergies (mine are pretty bad right now) or it could be the July heat (which hasn't really been as bad as it could be).  Or, it could just be what it is:  A running slump.  One of the things that I've discovered is that no matter how long someone has been a runner, there are still down days and down times.  Aka: "Runner's Slump."   Even if you do everything "right."  Even if you get plenty of quality sleep, stay hydrated, run at a reasonable pace, choose the coolest time of the day, etc., there will still be days when your legs feel like huge weights.  When these times come, and they will, the only thing you can do is power through and know that although you're in the midst of a down run, there will also be up runs.  Runs in which you feel like a super hero.  Those runs make it all worth it.