Foam (Rockin' &) Rollin'

Every foam rolling session begins painfully - especially my calves and my IT band area - but it always gets more tolerable. I have begun foam rolling on days I don't run or almost immediately after a run. Ouch! The pain! The good pain!

My current roller is called "The Stick" which is from the gurus at Valley Running Co., but I've used a monster roller before that was some thing that you find in the middle of carpet rolls. Yep, you read right.

How hard to roll is always an issue with me. I begin gingerly and gradually increase the pressure. As I begin, I can feel the "knots", but by the end of the session, it's almost as if they've disappeared. I guess they get "knotted out".

A good buddy of mine (running cyborg that he is), Ross, recently said something that just made sense. I was admiring his ability to effortlessly put in 90+ miles a week when he mentioned that he does a lot of maintenance on his body. My body starts balking at my running whenever my mileage gets in the mid 40s range. Until recently, maintenance was not a concern of mine. It became a concern as I got older and the aches became more noticeable.

He is 100% correct: gotta maintain the body/

Pampering My Body

Yesterday, on a whim, I decided to pamper my body and feet by getting a sports massage. I've done this once before, but since I'd been a little achy lately, I decided to do it ASAP again.

As I blogged before, I've recently incorporated stretching and rolling into my running routine, so it made sense to get a massage.

I made an appointment for 9pm. I was a little nervous since I was scheduled to run a 20 miler the next morning. What if I was too sore? What if I'd be unable to run? Luckily, the soreness wouldn't end up settling in 'til about 24 hours later.

My massage began with a foot rub/massage. Despite having sensitive feet, it felt great. I won't lie, it was...kinda painful but not in a pain pain kinda way (if that makes sense).

What followed, was the most intense massage ever. There was quite a bit of moaning and grunting coming from that room. Several times I wondered if the room was sound-proof or what others in the building might think was going on. Yes, it was that loud.

Finally, the stretching began.  I've been stretching for a while, but prior to that, stretching (before or after a run) was a foreign concept. The massage therapist said I lacked flexibility...as if I didn't already know this.

This morning I ran 20 miles, and I felt really good. As a matter of fact, I hadn't had as good of a run as I did this morning in a looooong time. In addition to tweeking my hydration/diet during my run, I am sure the stretch the night before had quite a bit to do with it.

As I write this, the soreness is slowly creeping in.

As I've aged, I've re-discovered stretching and taking better care of my body thru diet and stretching mainly. Besides, I ask a lot of my body...it's only right I pamper it.

Pedernales Falls 60k: A Plan That Didn't Go As Planned

Dang, that's a long time.

The weeks prior to the Pedernales Falls 60k, I began doing the unthinkable: I started stretching prior to my runs, so it makes sense that I started stretching about 20 minutes before the start of the race last Saturday night. It turns out this was not such a great idea. As my awesome girlfriend, Sami, was helping me stretch, I felt a "twinge" on my upper butt cheek. It wasn't painful, but I felt it enough to immediately stop stretching.

My plan was to run at a steady 10 -12 minute pace. My main problem at each (yes, 100% of the time) race/run has been that I start too fast. Way too fast - at the expense of the latter part of the race. I'd also decided to make a better effort to drink fluids more than I usually do.

The final piece of my plan was to run the 1st loop under 4 hours, and the next one in about 4.5 hours.

The run of two 18.something mile loops began at 7pm. I had my handheld, my s caps, some stinger waffles/GUs and off I went.

The first couple miles were pretty runnable. The first "difficult" part came after running about 1/2 mile on a riverbed. I really enjoyed slab hopping. Immediately after this was a pretty gnarly incline that I decided on the spot to walk.

Pretty much the entire course was runnable. The most memorable points to me were:

1. the awesome dry riverbed.
2. that little tough incline immediately after the riverbed.
3. that dang fence line. It seemed to go on forever.
4. the steep incline (that seemed to never arrive) leading to the 3rd (and only manned aid station).

I managed to finish the 1st loop at around 3:40 which was a little faster than I'd wanted. I was a little concerned at this point because my lower back/upper butt cheek area was really bothering me. This caused me to modify my so called plan of mine.

Feeling pretty crappy at the end of the 1st loop, I made the decision right then/there that I wasn't going to reach my finishing goal. I think I probably didn't eat and drink as much as I should've.

At my buddy, David's, urging (and it didn't take much to convince me), I decided to take a little while before starting the 2nd and final loop. I took about 15 minutes. During this time, there were quite a few runners coming/going onto their 2nd loop.

Dang, all the runners leaving looked (and I'm sure felt) the opposite of how I felt. I figured I'd try to "latch" on to 1 of them and try to keep up.

I ended up running with Gumaro Rodriguez. We began chatting almost immediately and didn't stop until about mile 36.

I had a terrible 2nd loop. Nausea settled in quickly. Gumaro ran with me the entire loop. I kept telling him to take off and not wait for me, but he refused. He said he was good. I owe him a big thank you, because if I had to run that loop by my lonesome, I probably would've DNF'd. No doubt about it. I considered stopping at several points, since I felt so crappy. I almost turned back at the dreaded incline after the riverbed, but Nancy Marks, convinced me otherwise (without even telling me not to do it).

All this time, I continued telling Gumaro to take off, but he just wouldn't. That guy is 1 tough runner. I'm envious.

Finally, he took me up on my offer, and took off around mile 36. At around that time, I could hear noise and see some lighting coming from the start/finish area. This encouraged me to run a little faster to get there quicker.

As soon as I got to the finish line, Gumaro, my awesome girlfriend, Sami (who had a really nice run in the 30k herself) and a couple other runners who had finished anywhere from 5 minutes ago to a couple hours ago were there to greet me. I thought that finish line would never get there.

My 1 & only.

I finished in 9 hours and 57 minutes - quite a bit slower than I planned...who am I kidding??? Quite a lot slower than I planned.

Sami asked me if I was hungry or I told her I was hungry - I forget. Anyway, 1 of the disadvantages of being a slow runner is that all the faster runners have eaten all the food. She handed me a plate of pickles, onions and tomatos - they looked delicious, but I could only eat a bit.

My plan didn't quite work out the way I wanted it to, but you know what??? It's ok. I made friends with new runners, met some old running friends I had not seen in a while, and had a great time.

All in all, it was a great time, and I can't wait for the next 60k in 3 weeks...well, maybe the 30k this time.

SLUG  LIFE: gangstas - that's how we roll.

Phantom Pains : The Runners' Sickness

There's a new malady going around, but the odd thing is that it only seems to afflict runners. The funniest thing of all is that it strikes days prior to a run/race.

Its name? Phantom pain.

I have been a victim of it many times. Heading into Saturday's Pedernales Falls 60k, I thought I'd been cured. Lately, I've felt great!!!

...but I spoke too soon.

During yesterday's 10 miler, my lower back began aching. After the run, my achilles heel decided to join in on the fun.

I woke up today stiff & limping. WTF, is wrong with me??? Is it real??? Is it psychosomatic??? Am I not vaccinated against this illness???

Cheating On My Hokas With The Altra Torin...

Several weeks ago, I made the decision to switch from my beloved Hokas to a "less bulky" running shoe. I'm not sure if it's just me, but deciding on a shoe is pretty difficult - especially when you're breaking up with a shoe that's done you no wrong (I'm willing to overlook a lot more rolled ankles lately). It took a while, but I narrowed the choices down to three: Altra, Inov8 and Pearl Izumi (while leaning towards the Altras).

Anyway, despite thinking that my running was coming along pretty well in my Hokas, I kinda wanted to find 'less' of a shoe while not completely going over to the other side - the minimal side. I felt (and still do) that I've gone as fast as I will ever go in my Hokas, I have been wanting to improve my endurance and swiftness lately. I needed a shoe that can go fast and the distance. Don't get me wrong, though, my Hokas have been, are, and will be, my distance trail shoe probably forever.

I'll admit that prior to a couple months ago, I had no idea what a phrase like zero drop meant. Several months ago, one of my friends told me that my Hokas were 04 mm drop shoes - whatever that meant. Once he explained that it meant that was the difference between the heel height and the midfoot height (if I'm paraphrasing him correctly), it kinda made sense. Hey, I'm just a dumb & crazy runner. I don't need much explanation - just point me in the right direction and tell me to run. 

This past weekend we visited Houston and made it a point to stop by Luke's Locker. I kinda had my mind set on Altras, but I went in there with an open mind. I tried on some Altras, Inov8s, Montrail and even a shoe I didn't expect to see...Scott EVO shoe. Just a side note, I've read a lot of positive things about it in several mags, but it just didn't feel 'right' to me.

I tried on quite a bit of shoes since they had a huge selection, but in the end I decided to go with the Altra Torrin. I liked their look, the cushioning and the wiiiiiiiide toe box - my toes gotta breathe & move around.

The day I was going to do a 10 miler in 'em, I decided to wear them to work. I wanted to see if I'd feel a difference. I usually wear my older (but reliable) Asics 2170 to work since I'm on my feet all day. I've got to say that they gave me more of a 'flat foot' feel, but, overall, no problemo.

That same evening, I did my first run in a non Hoka shoe in over a year. I was a little hesitant initially because I've felt absolutely no foot pain in my Hokas and was afraid my feet would feel the difference from all that cushioning to less...plus the whole zero drop thing.

From the get go, I felt myself running...dare I say - graceful. Keep in mind that I've never used that word to describe my running. I'm used to running and wanting to smash everything in sight, but I really couldn't do that with the Torins - I knew I'd feel it. I felt like a ballerina. Almost.

We ended up doing a speedy (in terms of me) 11 miler on the sidewalk/pavement. It definately was a different feel when compared to my Hokas. I felt lighter and like I was running a bit faster which I may have since I was more or less right on splits I wanted to hit.

My feet were a little sore afterwards but nothing unusual I think. I told myself I'd feel a difference since I was running in a less cushioned shoe. I say less cushioned but it's not really that accurate of a description. I think that I'm destined to think shoes are not or less cushioned since I value my Hokas so highly.

Any complaints? Well, I thought and still think the traction is not the best. I've run a bit on a light dirt trail, and I found myself slipping and at times sliding. Not a good combination to a clumsy runner like moi (that's 'me' in French - I think).

I felt so comfortable in them, that there is a slight chance that I'll be running in them for my next race - The Pedernales Falls 60k Night Trail Race.

I'll feel more comfortable about 'em as I get more mileage & wear & tear in 'em, but for now, they're a thumbs up.

When Teacher Appreciation Week Attacks

Recently, very recently, I began eating better. My diet used to consist of twinkies, Oreos & assorted fast foods. I really can't call it unhealthy eating because I didn't know any better, and most importantly (to me at the time) I felt fine. At least I thought so.

Plus, eating better means no junk food in the apartment ready to be devoured. If it was readily available, I'm sure I'd resort to my old junk food habit. It's kinda disgusting when I think about it now.

Fast forward about 2.5 months, and now I know what eating & feeling better is like. Since substituting more of a plant-based diet for the twinkies, cookies & assorted processed fast food, I've noticed a change in my running. I'm sure it's had a better impact in other areas but especially my running.

I've also noticed that I really don't crave junk food very much anymore. Who woulda thunk it. Well, I have woken up in the middle of the night looking for junk food and've discovered none. The biggest surprise has been that I go back to bed and not to the nearest convenience store. I used to call it midnight snacking.

Last week was teacher appreciation week, and our school had sweets everyday & every period. What did I do? I indulged. Big time. I had cake, cookies, more cake. This was the case for 5 straight days from 8:30a-4pm. So, yes, I fell off the wagon.

Just yesterday, I made a connection: all of last week I was sluggish & had several terrible lack-of-energy workouts. I thought I was just having an "off" day, but I think the junk food did me in.

I learned my lesson.

Lack-of-energy workouts suck.

Pandora's Box Of Rox - Race Report

Leading up to Pandora's Marathon, we'd decided to camp out. Having always stayed somewhere the night before a tejas trails event, this'd be new, and I was looking forward to it.

We got there around 11pm and suddenly realized how cold it was. Fortunately, we set up our tent in record time. We stayed up for a bit trying to stay warm. It was so cold that I decided to park my car inches from the tent - in the hopes that the heat from the engine would provide some heat. That didn't work out too well. Apologies for Tim Smith & co. for being kinda loud and waking them up.

I woke up freezing at 5am. I decided to thaw out in the car since I was already sore from sleeping on the floor (next time, I'm getting a pad of some sort). Btw, my car's thermometer said it was 37 degrees. 37 degrees!!!

I quickly changed and ended up napping on/off until I heard Joe P's distant voice saying "3 minutes...3 minutes...". We ran to the start line, I lined up towards the front. Not too close to the front, but pretty close. I always start questioning myself when lining up for races...do I belong close to the front? should I line up towards the middle? the back? Argh!!! I don't have to tell you I tend to overthink things.

I'd decided earlier in the week to run w/o a handheld since the weather was going to be pretty mild. This was the only thing that made me nervous. I felt pretty comfortable about my fitness level, the rocky terrain, etc. This race was supposed to be a gauge for how much I'd improved or not since I'd decided very recently to get a little more serious about my running.

Loop 1: I started pretty quick - on purpose. I was going to go out at a somewhat (for me) aggressive pace. Other than my fingers freezing, I felt well. Having run this course once before (at night), I'd forgotten how rocky & treacherous this course was. I rolled my ankle several times and my achille's heel was burning from miles 3-7ish. I forced myself to drink a cup of gatorade and water and have a 1/4 of orange at each aid station. Overall, this loop was pretty swift. Despite rolling my ankle several times and having a serious upset stomach, I finished it in 2:02ish.

Observations from Loop 1 - I didn't regret starting w/o any hydration. My ankles were on fire from a couple really nasty twists...and I regret having tried something new to eat the night before.

Loop 2: As I came in from loop 1, I ran directly to the restroom. 3 minutes later, I started loop 2. My plan was to not waste any time in between loops and at the aid stations. So far so good. At around mile 16, I rolled my ankle again. This time, I had to walk. I walked for what seemed like a couple miles. It was pretty painful, and I considered calling it a day. After taking a couple aspirin, the pain went away, and I was able to continue running. I caught up to my friends (Carlos, Alex & Billy) several miles later and began running w/ them. I think I was beginning to fatigue because I kept tripping so many times. They were all close calls, but I managed to not fall. I, finally, reached the last aid station and knew there was only about 1.7 miles left. I tried to finish strong, but it was starting to warm up a bit, and I could feel it affecting me. Luckliy, it was over pretty soon afterwards.

I ended up finishing in 4:35.

Observations from Loop 2 - My ankles took a beating from all the rollings/twists. I only regretted not using some sort of hydration the last couple miles. Perhaps I'm justifying it to myself, but I know I would've used a handheld or my hydration vest if it was a little longer distance...I think.

Overall, I'm very pleased with my running. For the longest time, my average ROAD marathon finish time was 4:30ish. The fact that I ran a 4:35 considering the terrain, has me feeling pretty good going into my next race (whichever that will be).

I'm also considering the unthinkable - switching to INOV8 shoes. I thought I'd never quit my Hokas, but several people think that they may be responsible for the increased ankle twists. Although, I feel I've become faster (thanks to my Hokas), I'm open minded and am willing to be unfaithful to them.

- Picures courtesy of Jackie Dove -