Run aftermath

I'm posting something now and will catch up on the race day itself soon...

 

Okay. I'm here. And I'm still beat tired. In short, it was a very inspirational race, practically out of body. I am starting to type some of it down now, and I'll share more details soon.

 

I can say I did not leave very much out there; I spent just about all I had, without puting my life itself at risk. My legs really took a beating because they weren't working right for the last half of the race. So I was too exhausted to do much more than eat, shower and sleep Monday night (didn't get back home until 8).

 

Tuesday, I worked the am from home and then got on a plane for Syracuse for business in the afternoon.

 

Wednesday morning, I managed to sit up in my hotel bed, but then was stuck there for the better part of an hour. I anticipated trouble the night before, because I left water, ibuprofen, and Biofreeze (like liquid Ben-Gay) on the nightstand. I hobbled to the office 2.5 hours later.

 

I was able to walk about 30-45 minutes tonight, which is the first step for post-race recovery. I hope to get a good night's sleep tonight, and keep recovering tomorrow.

Marathon Day is here!

Marathon Day, April 19 is here.


By the numbers-
Since New Year’s,

Almost 300 miles running, another 20 or so in warm-ups and cool-downs;
Over 100 running-equivalent miles on cycles or elliptical trainers
10+ runs in sub-freezing temps;
And multiple sports massages, acupuncture treatments, chiropractor adjustments, an orthopedic consult, x-rays, and an MRI, to assess and treat over-exerted body parts.
At least 150 ibuprofen tabs
And one very cold icewater bath

Balanced with at least 100 emails of support, numerous words of inspiration, a team of 550 runners, at least 200 of which I’ve been with on several group runs; plus a sister-in-law sending me several words of encouragement, diet tips, and fitness articles.

Boston Marathon Monday is here.

My aching body has loosened up except for 1 very achy right hip that has plagued me for over a month.

While I am trying not to think too much about it, I like statistics and I can’t help it:

At my average cadence, I’ll take around 35,000 steps over the marathon, so about 17,500 on my right leg, pounding that poor hip.

I’m looking at that being offset by all the inspiration I have received and the estimated 500,000 spectators that will line the course, cheering us on. The weather should be great, (or at least better than all my January runs), and if you can be one of the cheering throng…fantastic.

And if you scream, "JAMES!!!" at the top of your lungs, Thank You. And please excuse me if I don’t hear you. (I get focused sometimes).

If you can’t be there, please feel free to follow along with me on the Boston Marathon website during the race. http://baa.org/
You can look me up by last name or bib number 22963
The elite runners start at 10:00am eastern. My wave starts at approximately 10:30am (like the elite runners need a head start on me), and as I cross the start line and each 5k of the course (8 checkpoints), and finish line, my time will be automatically posted to the BAA’s website. You can also sign-up to have text alerts sent to your phone automatically through the AT&T Athlete Alert program. All these details are on the BAA’s site, which I understand will become very user-friendly on Monday.

So please run along with me and I hope give you a success story soon after the finish.

Good News! Only Painful tendonitis!

Recapping the last week:

Monday: MRI

Tuesday:

I went to a track speed workout at Tufts Tuesday night. Well, the workout was there, but I was not there to work out. I was there to get a pep talk from our coach, the legendary Jack Fultz. Legendary not just because he won the Boston Marathon in 1976, but because he is very giving of his time, ear, and advice to the Dana-Farber runners. I needed both the pep-talk, the common sense without the fear mongering of the medical fractioned, that also imparts the wisdom and realism of the athletic sports body and the athlete's mind. In short, I can feel ok about not running again before the marathon and can use ibuprofen or naproxen to attack inflammation and pain as I workout in the last days before the race. 

Wednesday:

I experienced acupuncture for the first time. I never would have thought I could relax and fall asleep with a dozen or so needles sticking in me. I could feel a shell of energy sort of flow on top of me like a blanket. Very interesting.

Thursday:

I received the preliminary results that no stress fracture, no ligament or tendon tear, no joint issue could be seen on the MRI. 

Friday:

I saw the sports medicine orthopod to give me the results. The likely issue is just microscopic strains in the tendons that are extra painful. Rest is the best healer. Don't worry about my fitness, I can't increase it now anyway. I won't forget how to run. Use pain as my guide, if I'm working out and something is painful...avoid it because it is stalling healing.

And I saw the acupuncturist again. This time using thicker needles and a device that sends tiny electric shocks into 4 of the needles every 3 seconds. Now that was kind of trippy.

Saturday:

I stopped having to walk with a limp today. I did my first cardio workout in a week on my elliptical trainer at home. I took it very easy for me. And after the hour workout strapped ice to 2 places on my hip a couple times.

Sunday:

The Dana-Farber runner's group met at the Mount Auburn club for the last tuning run (10-12 miles). I took a few strides before I left and a few more on a treadmill at the club. Just not quite ready to run yet.

I found out a fellow runner who seemed like she was fully fit and very fast just a few weeks ago, has a stress fracture in her ankle and won't race in the marathon, deferring medically until next year. This is a traumatic step for any runner, but a wise choice given the alternative of having a bad race and potentially an unhealthy summer. 

For me, it was the first time I allowed myself to be confronted by that option. I thought about it while doing a 1:45 long elliptical at the club.

Result: I feel strong. I feel healthy. I will be ready to have a good and healthy race next Monday.

X-Ray...Orthopod...MRI...tick-tock

A work colleague scared me enough based on his own experience...

 

So on the off chance I might have a stress fracture in the femoral neck (the leg bone is connected to the hip joint at the top with a ball...if the ball breaks off, well, you are in a world of hurt with a "broken hip"),

 

I went to a sports orthopedic doctor yesterday, started with x-rays, which were inconclusive. The doctor said if it feels better to rest...then rest, don't run. But since I was determined to run the marathon against his recommendation, he sent me for an MRI. I should get the results in a couple days.

 

So I will rest while I wait. (Trying to be) Confident that the 292.8 miles I ran over the last 3 months will carry me the next 26.2.

Still on the mend; Shifter's 5K

I have been slow to post new items on this blog, because I don't have a lot glowing to report. My hip is still sore. I'm stretching and still taking pain meds. My fitness regime has been limited to spinning classes and cycling. These are much lower impact, but still involve alot of motion through the upper legs and hips. We'll just keep an eye on things and try to get as much rest time as possible.

 

I did spend a couple hours on my feet in running shoes Saturday, but not running. The day was gorgeous for a nice fun run called Shifter's 5k. "Shifter" is the Rich Horgan who wrote the Boston Globe Marathon blog last weekend (http://www.boston.com/sports/marathon/blog/2010/03/long_may_you_run.html) who is also a Dana-Farber board member. One of his main fundraising efforts is organizing this run. The run starts and finishes at the Waverly Oaks Athletic Club in Waltham...well, not the athletic club, but the sports pub inside the athletic club. I guess patron's here maybe guilted somewhat while they swig beer and eat buffalo wings while watching people workout downstairs.

I digress.

I showed up to support Rich, who is a Holy Cross alum, as am I, and lend a hand as best I could without actually running. My post was in the parking lot on the last leg of the course. The parking lot is host to a variety of businesses, Chinese restaurant, liquor store, salon..all open and receiving patrons throughout the race. So for 25 minutes, my job was directing traffic and runners to safely cross paths. I must say that after flagging cars to slow down and move over, or asking people to wait to pull out, almost all were very understanding...especially when I had the opportunity to tell them that just by being patient, they were helping cure cancer!