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For the past month, I’ve been unable to run. An injury to my IT band has made even walking painful sometimes. But after a visit to a sports injury doctor last week, I was cleared to return to marathon training on Saturday. Naturally I was very excited.
I’ve been biking moderate distances (12 to 20 miles) in order to maintain my aerobic conditioning, but that doesn’t compare to a two or three hour run. I took a three mile run mid-week, which felt good after I’d warmed up.
Saturday morning was like Christmas — I rose eager to see my new friends again. I went through my pre-run routine (hydrate, prep water bottles, gather gear), hopped on my bike, and pedaled into Portland. The 12-mile ride was good warm up, helping to wake my sleepy muscles. I arrived at the starting point early, which allowed me go through my entire stretching routine.
On the road again
I was a little worried as my group headed out. My leg was sore. Our group was scheduled to do 13 or 16 miles, but I spoke with the run leader, and explained that I might have to turn back at the five mile point (which would give me a ten mile run). She understood, and checked in with me frequently as we made our way down Portland’s waterfront and out onto the Springwater Trail.
Fortunately, my leg felt fine. I made it to the 6.5 mile turnaround ecstatic that everything felt great. But on the return trip, I ran into a little problem.
Runners always have little injuries. During our group runs, we like to share them with each other. On Saturday, I experienced another one. The little toe on my right foot began to hurt. I pulled off my shoe to check for pebbles or splinters, but found none. (I shifted the seam of my sock, though, since it seemed likely to have been the source of the problem.)
I continued to run for another twenty minutes, but at the 10.5 mile point, I had to stop and walk. My toe was killing me, and my legs felt like jelly. One of my companions was also in pain, so we walked the last couple miles together.
![[chart demonsrating that my heart rate varies by pace]](http://www.getfitslowly.com/images/junetraining.jpg "I love my GPS trainer")
A graph of heart rate vs. speed. For the first 6.5 miles, we’re doing about 4.5 miles per hour and my heart rate is about 158bpm. On the return trip (without a group leader), we were a little faster at about 4.6mph, and my heart rate jumped to 167bpm. When we started walking, we were traveling 3.6mph and my heart rate was about 148bpm. See that bizarre speed spike at about mile 10? That’s one of the weaknesses of this device, which I hope to review soon.
Though I might have felt defeated for not being able to run all thirteen miles, I actually felt good about my performance. The nagging injury didn’t bother me. My aerobic capacity was fine. Mentally, I was strong. The real problem was the toe, which turns out to have developed an enormous blister (it’s huge — it looks like it doubled the size of the toe!). I know that’s temporary, so I can deal with it.
I biked home, drew an ice bath, took some ibuprofen, and did some stretching. Do you know how I felt on Sunday morning? It felt awesome! When I rolled out of bed, nothing on my body was sore! (After sitting at my computer for half an hour, my IT band did stiffen, however, and I haven’t done anything about my blister yet.)
The road ahead
So, I got a lot of exercise last week. I biked 67 miles and I ran 16. (Not to mention weights, pushups, and stretching.) I feel fine. I feel like I’m doing exactly what my body is capable of.
Now I need to bump up my weekly distance. I know that I’m only supposed to bump up my mileage about 10% each week. That’s going to be a challenge for me. I’m going to want to go out and add distance in great chunks. I’ll try to resist the urge. For now, I’m going to add one mile to my mid-week run and one mile to my weekend run every seven days. (Yes, that’s a little more than 10%, but I think it’s fine.) When the weekend runs plateau at 16 miles in a couple weeks, I’ll begin adding in a third running day which, at the advice of my doctor, will focus on interval training.
Meanwhile, I’ll continue getting in miles on the bike. I’ve been biking to the gym (5.5 mile round trip) and for errands, but I need to keep adding longer rides when possible. Cycle Oregon is only about two months away!
(The only negative thing about the past week? Since my weight bottomed out at 188, I’ve put on three pounds. Since I resumed exercising, I’ve been ravenous. Maybe Greenman is right — maybe it’s difficult to focus on exercise and weight loss at the same time…)
Mac
15 responses so far ↓
1 steve // Jun 23, 2008 at 7:43 am
I’m looking forward to your HRM review. I have a Timex HRM and experience those HR spikes as well. I’m not really sure of the cause, but I’ve actually stopped using it because it spikes so often! And there’s no Mac client.
2 Chris // Jun 23, 2008 at 7:44 am
What’s the name of the GPS logging device?
)
(in lieu of a full review
3 J.D. // Jun 23, 2008 at 7:54 am
4 crossn81 // Jun 23, 2008 at 8:23 am
I just started reading GFS but have followed GRS for a while. I wanted to comment that I’m really surprised that your body didn’t revolt on you for trying to run 13 miles after not having run for so long. Generally speaking you want to build your mileage back up from a very low base, even if you have been doing other cardio. Welcome back to running!!
5 Red // Jun 23, 2008 at 8:32 am
Also, within the past 6 months they released the Garmin Forerunner 405, which is the first one to *really* be watch size.
Not that I’m willing to pay the $300 amazon is charging for it, but it looks to be quite the snazzy gadget.
6 WeightLadder // Jun 23, 2008 at 9:22 am
Good stuff JD… Stick to the stretching…
7 Kym // Jun 23, 2008 at 9:39 am
Great job getting back out there again! Since you’ve made running sound so good, I decided to start trying that (on the treadmill at the gym, not outside as it’s a scorching temp outside here in so-cal) in lieu of my usual elliptical. It is HARD! Reading about you doing an easy 3 mile run…I don’t know how that is easy, haha. I’ve only been running for about a week, so clearly you have much more experience. I can run about 2 miles (and I’m completely dead by the end of that) at about 4.5mph. I hope to get up to your level of running some day! Keep up the good work! Truly an inspiration.
8 Sheamus // Jun 23, 2008 at 10:02 am
I’m not being flippant or rude, but I sure am confused!
How can you run at 4.6mph? That’s a moderate walking pace - 13 minute miles. I realise you’re injured but you stated your ‘group’ was running that fast. You can’t possibly be running at that slow a speed.
Are you sure your machine isn’t broken? Again, no offense or anything - the numbers just don’t add up. I’ve only returned to running in the last month myself and I average about 7:45/mile.
9 J.D. // Jun 23, 2008 at 10:16 am
No, those are the right numbers. I never said I was running quickly!
The pace group I’m in is doing 13 minute miles. Mac, too, has trouble calling this running, but it is. I realize that in relative terms, that seems slow, but remember that when I did 10 minute miles for my race recently, I hurt myself. Remember where I’m starting from: 40 pounds overweight and sedentary for a decade.
Perhaps “jogging” would be a better term, but everyone in the clinic calls it running, no matter what the speed. (And remember, there are two groups slower than the one I’m in — the slowest one does 15 minute miles. Running.)
My goal for next year? Be able to start the season in April running with a group that does 10 minute miles. That may actually be too ambitious, but I have nine months to get there.
10 Sheamus // Jun 23, 2008 at 11:00 am
Okay!
As said, no offense. I lost 41 pounds myself over 13 weeks between December ‘07 and March ‘08, from 218 down to 177 pounds, mostly doing a very intensive variation on the Daniel Craig workout - six times a week at the gym with a big emphasis on lots of reps and hill-walking on the treadmill.
However, even at 218 a lot of that was muscle - too much, I determined, but at the time it was somewhat important for my job (or so I told myself - I’m a licensed doorman, aka a bouncer). I’ve been a heavy gym user for many years and have always been pretty sporty/active.
A big chunk of it was good old-fashioned fat, though, thanks to good old-fashioned eating. So I killed myself for 13 weeks (of a planned 16-week program) and it just fell off me.
I’ve maintained my weight between 175-185 ever since.
I’ve since started to become enthusiastic about getting back into running - I used to run regularly about a decade or so ago - and my yearnings to do a marathon myself (and, ultimately, an Ironman) have returned. I’ve run a half marathon before but that’s it.
My goal is to get down to about 160 now, but I think I’m going to have to catabolise a lot more muscle to achieve that. Since I’ve started to run again I’ve leaned out considerably in the mirror but my weight isn’t budging. My diet is solid (low-to-moderate GI) and I can only assume that either I’ve reached some kind of frustrating equilibrium or I’ve put a couple of pounds of muscle on my quads now that my running muscle memory has returned!
One step at a time though. Best of luck with your own pursuits. I know how much injuries suck - I tore my rotator cuff myself a few years back and it killed my interest in the gym for months. All credit to you for not only hanging in there, but pushing through.
11 Andrew is getting fit // Jun 23, 2008 at 11:40 am
Congrats on going the distance! That blister sounds nasty.
12 Miguel Wickert // Jun 23, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Thanks for the support! I’m glad your recovery is coming along. I remind my friends about being careful because the last thing you want is an injury.
What heart rate monitor do you use?
13 Rollo Jenkins // Jun 23, 2008 at 6:02 pm
Why don’t you just drive the 13 miles? Why bike or run? Can’t you afford a car? Gas?
14 greenman2001 // Jun 23, 2008 at 7:01 pm
I like how relaxed you are about the benchmarks in the Pushup Challenge. (Hell, you’re moving BACKWARDS in your weight training, and you’re okay with that too!) I don’t understand why you can’t bring the same attitude to your running. I really don’t. It’s painful to watch. I’m reminded of something my doctor likes to say: people have a short memory for pain.
15 How to Protect Your Ankles While Jogging | Health, Fitness, Exercise, and Weight Loss (66 pounds in 15 weeks) // Aug 4, 2008 at 6:14 am
[...] Jogging injuries are very common and can strike everyone from beginners to seasoned pros. One area of the body that is frequently injured during jogging are ankles. Few of us think about our ankles until we’re hobbling around, incapacitated due to a strain, sprain or crack. You rely on your ankles every day and you owe it to them to practice sound techniques to avoid injury. Here are some tips on how to protect those ankles while you’re jogging. Before you even start running, focus on lower leg stretches. A lot of runners make the mistake of focusing more on their quads and upper legs, but your lower legs and ankles will need some time as well. You can also work on stretches outside of your workouts to increase ankle strength and mobility. One of the best stretches to try involves standing a on a slightly raised surface, with one foot on the ground and one up on the surface. [...]
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