PR and Injury Updates

After looking up some previous 4-mile times, I figured out that my time with Shelby last week was a PR (personal record) for a 4-mile run. So far, two of my PRs came during runs with Shelby, but here's my list for now.

• 5k: Start to Finish (late July 2009), 24:51. No Shelby.
• 4-mile: Westport St. Patrick's Day Run (13 March 2010), 33:05. Shelby!
• 10k: Pilgrim Pacer (mid-November 2009), 52:04.4. Shelby!
• Half-marathon: Georgetown to Idaho Springs (early August 2009), 2:03: ??. No Shelby.
  

Of course, the half-marathon time is my only half-marathon time and was done at 8,500-feet altitude with a bum toe, but hey, at least I've done one. Over the last year, my 5k time dropped by 30 seconds, my 4-mile time dropped by a minute, and my 10k time dropped by over two minutes. I doubt I'll see much gain in my 5k time, but I could see all the other times dropping a bit, especially if I can manage to do another half-marathon.

I'm losing hope that I will be able to do my first marathon this year, though, because my sesamoiditis problems made a come back. Embracing a 3-day a week running program (with two cross-training days) and going to a sports medicine doc has helped tremendously. However, I run so much on my toes/forefoot and have high enough arches that I just don't think my toe can take anything longer than a half. We'll see. I'd rather be able to keep running shorter distances than end up side-lined with injuries because of training for longer distances.

Part of my problem is I like being able to take off from my doorstep, which means running on uneven, crappy concrete side walks. I don't like the idea of driving to run, but a good compromise might be to drive to a trail to do my weekend long runs. Shelby and I would both enjoy the change in scenery, and running on trails or grass would be much easier on my entire body. Looking out on today's early spring snow, I'm not sure we'll be making any treks out today, but this is something to consider for future weekends.

Another topic I've been researching quite a bit is barefoot running. I'll not go into details here (another post for another day), but I know that if I wanted to try it, it would be mean going back to the very basics--walk 20 minutes, jog 5, walk 20 minutes, jog 5, and up for months. The one issue that I need to have addressed before I even try is whether it's a good option for someone with the kind of toe problem I have because it sounds like it would be worse for me, considering how much stress barefoot running puts on the forefoot. We'll see, but I am planning to buy my first pair of Vibram FiveFinger shoes, simply because I have wanted a pair since I tried on a pair of a student in one of my classes two or three years ago. I love toe socks, sandles, and barefoot walking whenever I can get away with it, so these shoes seem like just the thing for me.

The whole process of (unexpectedly) falling in love/getting addicted to running and dealing with frustrating injuries has been a good experience for me in acknowledging limitations (in particular, anatomical limitations), assessing and re-assessing the goals I had become obsessive about (like doing a marathon this year), and making accommodations to get at the base issue: I want to be able to keep running, no matter the distance, simply because I enjoy getting out with Shelby. If/when I keep that base issue in mind, I stop feeling frustrated and end up doing a much better job of accepting the bad/hard days and injuries.

Now, I need to apply this process to other areas of my life . . .

St. Patrick's Day Run

Okay, long time, no post, but I've been plagued with minor injuries this year, causing me to cancel out of both trail runs I planned to do with Shelby. So, my first run with Shelby this year ended up coming four days ago: In honor of St. Patrick's Day, Shelby and I ran the Westport St. Patrick's Day Run! I don't have pictures, but suffice to say, we were super cute in our matching shamrock accessories. We started in the back of the 4,500-person pack, one of only a few dog-person running pairs, and finished in 33:05, a time I was impressed with because of how many people we had to pass in that first mile. Whew!

As usual, we had a blast--Shelby is quite the competitor and is at the perfect height for finding gaps in crowds. Of course, gaps that work for her aren't always big enough for me to squeeze through, so there was a lot of apologizing and excusing myself, but no one seemed to care. Everyone we passed smiled and made a good-humored comment about needing "one of those" (referring to my four-legged pulling machine) or "cheating." The kids watching the run got the biggest kick out of Shelby: Their eyes lit up as they pointed and shouted, "Look at the dog!"

We've both been a little sore since then, but it was a good tempo run. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Attachment

I don't enjoy running without Shelby any more.

I noticed this dependence issue arising over the summer as we trained for the half-marathon in Colorado: I had to do a few runs without her because I wasn't sure if I could keep going without her companionship and constant tugs. I did, and I was fine, but I felt like I was missing a limb. This feeling subsided a bit when I had to take some time off for my toe to heal, got back into running ever so slowly, and did several races on my own. But after doing a race with her, I found in a 5k today that I didn't really enjoy the run much. I had too much fun talking to everyone last week as we sped by and watching the smiles creep onto people's faces when they saw her tongue lolling all over, and I love that she doesn't let me slow down--she just looks up at my every so often and keeps pulling.

Maybe I'm just tired from the sinus infection plaguing me this week; maybe I've just done too many 5ks and 10ks lately and need to train again for something longer to keep me feeling challenged.

Maybe I'm just overly attached to running with my dog. Whatever.

Shelby's First 10K!

The nice people at the Pilgrim Pacer last weekend let Shelby run, and she was super: She stayed glued to the side of the trail and didn't interrupt anyone's running. Her only issue was a short spell of impatience before the start--she was super excited and started giving her screechy bark, but once the race started, she was off. In fact, the only time Shelby wasn't leading the way was at the end (as shown in the pic). We finished out in 52:04 even after the hills at the end that just about took us both out. She made everyone smile, and I smiled with them: I couldn't ask for a better running buddy.

More Tentative Hurrahs

This week, Shelby and I have run between 14 and 15 miles: 2.5 miles Tuesday, 3 miles Wednesday, 5 miles Saturday, and 4 miles Sunday. I didn't intend to run that much, but everything has felt good so far--and she was soooo much calmer every day after our runs. Without the activity, she has put on a little weight and taken to chasing my cat and Meeso, some times going on random sprints around the house late at night. She gets bored at the dog park after 20 minutes or so, so that wasn't helping as much as I had hoped.

Not running had the opposite effect on me: My mood slumped considerably, and I felt tired much of the time. This year's running span has been my longest consecutive stretch of running (or doing any kind of exercise) without a break in my life at nine months (so far), and the positive addiction wasn't evident until the toe forced me to take those three weeks off. Getting my bike out again was great, but it didn't provide the same intensity and has the added issue of being dangerous in a city that is not bike friendly. I couldn't stand going to the gym, trying to find machines to use that would give me the same exhausted, exhilarated, fulfilled feeling that running gave me. Swimming, biking, elliptical machines--none of them did it. I like running too much--purposeless, random running just to get out and move without mechanical devices aiding the way. Weird. I never thought I would admit to such a thing, but there it is. It makes me feel good, it has reshaped my body a bit (more on that later), and it gives me a chance to bond with Shelby and what bit of nature I can experience in a city environment. I like running.

If I can keep taking it slow and keeping the mileage within reason, I'm hoping we'll be in good shape for whatever short runs I sign up this fall (our zoo's 4-mile run is one of my favs, and I signed up to be one leg in a marathon relay team months ago). I'm still considering doing the MS150 this year, too, now that I've gotten back onto my bike. We'll see.

Back?

I went to a podiatrist three weeks ago who declared "seisamoiditis" after talking with me and looking over x-rays. That was a good thing because it means none of the bones are fractured, but he still suggested a foot brace/walking caste thing--even though he said it wouldn't help my foot heal any more quickly. I opted out of that and went my merry way, getting out my bike again to try to keep in shape for the 4-6 weeks he suggested I rest.

The bike's been good to me: I quickly remembered how much I love riding (I used to ride everywhere and do MS150s every fall), but I was still antsy to get back to my morning runs. Last week, after more than two weeks, my foot was feeling fine, so I tried out running on a treadmill. The first day, I only did one mile, and while my foot didn't bother me too much, I was disappointed at how winded I felt. I'd been exercising almost every day, but the biking, swimming, and other activities just didn't get my heart going the way running does. The next day, I did two miles and felt good, but I quit when my foot started bothering me and decided to take a few days off.

The pain didn't last past the second I stepped off the treadmill, so today, after three more days without running, I took off with Shelby for a 2.5 miler. She was ecstatic, almost knocking me down the stairs when I left her out of her crate after putting Meeso into hers. We took a well-worn path to a nearby park, and Shelby--and my foot--did great. Again, though, the breathing got me: Shelby wanted to go the same speed we had been going a month ago, and I kept having to tug on her leash to get her to slow down so I could gulp enough air to keep going.

I'm a little disappointed at how quickly I lost the pace I worked for months to gain, but the joy of being out again more than makes up for it. I know I can get it back; I just have to make sure I don't push too hard or too much in the process . . .

Sad Eyes

Shelby got pretty excited this morning when she saw me get out my Asics, the shoes I have been wearing because they have the best padding for my toe. When I didn't make a move for her running leash, though, her tail drooped, and I got the sad eyes. Less than a week until the podiatrist visit . . .