Second Best Thing to a Run

THE RUNNING STORE!

If you can't running, go talk to people about running.

In my quest to simultaneously control AND distract myself from my recent conundrum and quasi-rest, what better field trip than the Big Peach Running Store? These people are phenomenal. John and I went in, me carrying my limp, 215-mile broken Nimbus's and a pathetic look on my face. She immediately knew how to help.

We went through a battery of questions, walking, trotting on the treadmill (good news: no knee pain, though the running without a sports bra and using my hands instead was comedic...but apparently pretty common). I even got to go on the special scale that tells where your weight is on your feet - and boy is my body protecting that left side. Check out the foot scans they printed for me! The one at left is barefoot, the one at right is standing on my orthotics....goes to show what orthotics do to even out your weight and impact for the foot.

After a Saucony and a Brooks (purple! damn!) candidate were rejected, I went back to the Asics. The short story is that I am textbook stick straight on the right side, no pronation (rolling at the ankle) whatsoever, and a little pronation on the left. I run in a cushioned ride, with neutral stability...and agreed with her comment that too much stability would throw off my OTHER leg. I have been there too, before (circa 2001, thanyouverymuch).

So after about an hour of this fun, including a new sock purchase (total ruse, they had clean ones to try on with), I got into a discussion about my leaky nubbins. For my Fuel Belt...they always leak or come out completely. I was eyeing a pack of green replacement nubbins, and commented too bad they didn't have a multicolor pack, and my new friend the manager of the store dug behind the counter and gave me as a get well present (I kid you not!) FOUR count them FOUR nubbins of my choosing. I got one of each :).

I think there's something to be said for nice people who make you feel better when you're down. Hats off to Big Peach!

The Wheels on the Bus Go...clang clANG CLANG

It was bound to happen, eventually.

Ideally, it would have been oh, I don't know...back in December or so. But two weeks out from the Shamrock Half Marathon is a fine time, according to fate.

After taking an easy recovery week from the 10k, you know, just to be safe, I was ready to try for a 2:10 run on Saturday. I knew it would be difficult, so planned on starting WITH Tilley then dealing with the aftermath on the second leg. I planned to do about 6 miles with her, then see how far I could get after that.

Twas not to be.

We headed out to run out Riverside and not a measley 29 minutes in, it began. That recently-all-too-familiar feeling of a large freshwater barracuda hook wrapping in - around - and through the outside of my left knee. Or perhaps the barracuda's teeth themselves. Ever optimistic, I told myself that this was just from my time off and that a good warmup and a few stretches would solve this, as it mostly had in the past.

Wrong. Dead wrong.

After a stretch at :30...at :40....at :50...I knew I would have to hang it up. I decided to end the run through the woods on Riverside at an hour on the nose....and 1.75 miles from home. After a consultation call with Jome and Rich, and then with John, I opted to walk home to "stretch it out"...I felt marginally better (physically, not emotionally)...and then started walking up the hill to the apartment.

Holyshit.

I could barely walk up the incline....having my left leg at a 10-20 degree angle was almost too much to bear. About ten minutes later (normally a 3 minute walk, tops), I was gimping up the stairs and gave John the full rundown.

After a brief exam and a ton of questions, he told me it's a condition that basically has the overdeveloped muscles of my outside and back of the leg competing with my wimpy inner muscles in the fight to control my kneecap. In this corner, the Abductors! Heavily trained, they are the favorite. In this corner, the Adductors! (hissing from the crowd) The gritty underdogs of the leg...once strong from years of horseback riding...now? Not so much.

As predicted, the Abductors are winning and my patella scoots unnaturaly to the outside. You know, about 1200 fricking times per mile. So for Saturday's lovely route by the nice trout fishermen and the bikers, for example, that's 36,632 times where my femur and patella got jiggy....at my expense. And let's not let our old friend the IT band off the hook...responsibility also goes up the line from my knee along the IT band allllllll the way to my Pal, Piriformis...which is oft to sit like a hard, bitter crabapple inside my glutes. You know the drill, piriformis tightens, IT band draws up, abductors pull, adductors can't resist, patella slides over. That old chestnut.

So where does that leave me?

I spent a day in the mental shitter - realizing this may botch my plans to go race with JoMarie and Amelia. I got deeper by realizing that the plan to do an Olympic Tri in a matter of 7 weeks is a stretch. But then I stopped the mental panic and thought, enough. Let's give it a week and see what the outcome is...the good news is with rest, ice, and some strengthening work this is fixable.

Let's just hope it's in time.

My New Favorite Place(s)

So after yesterday's ride fiasco, I was determined to go out for some serious redemption on my Sunday long run. After several hours of nagging from Tilley, we packed up and headed over to Martin Lake, the loveli lake discovered on yesterday's debacle. I had gmap pedometered the lake and knew it was just over 2 miles around. I had a vague idea of how far to tack on on Riverside Drive to get to my desired somewhere between 4.5 and 4.75, based upon how I was feeling. My longest run in a while was 5 miles a few weeks ago, and after the not so hot feeling of this week's earlier runs, I just wanted to stay in tact and out of major pain.

We parked at the pool and headed out on the North shore of the lake. The path was okay, but a little on the narrow side and fairly decently cambered in many places. But it was pretty and I knew we would level out on Riverside so I wasn't that troubled. Lots of people walking their dogs and such, and I couldn't get over how much the lake reminded me of good ole lake Audubon in Reston (pictured here, where I used to live, train, race...)

We hit Riverside and hooked a left and ran along the river, enjoying the view as the sun came out and I proceeded to roast in my midweight knicker-long sleeve jersey combination. We even saw a guy trout fishing in the river and I gave a respectful nod and mental shout out to the Trout Unlimited sign about limiting kills ans catch-and release. We went all the way to Old Riverside, which as fate would have it, is unpaved. We ran down alongside some kooky old-school river homes amidst newer builds, and I thought, what a great place to have a house. Right on the river too. We headed as far as The House With The Really Big Barky Black Dog That Looked Like That Bear Dog That Time (Tilley's words, not mine) and turned back, meeting a nice little dog named Rex briefly (Tilley: "He was nice!").

Again, with the roasting in the sun on the road. We hit the turn for the Lake, ran across the levee, and started the retreat on the South shore. SURPRISE! Not a paved trail, but a Nature Trail. Trail run time! It was actually kinda nice, and made for a nice mental diversion on the last part of what is normally the "please, o please, let this be over SOON". I let Tilley off leash and she enjoyed scampering along amongst the roots, definitely winning in the sure-footedness contest (hey, she has 4, I only have 2). We got back to car after an hour (and yes, just a hair's breadth over 5 miles as it turned out, after all) and stretched/Recoverited/went for a walk back around part of the Nature trail to cool down. I was shocked that I felt good after all that madness.

Still giddy from the run, I went home and changed, did a quick drive-by-2-Cheese-Krystal break, and headed for....drumroll...THE PEARL IZUMI OUTLET! I went seeking tights mostly but also to see what other deals could be had. I was giddy and couldn't wait. The short story is that many of the items weren't much of a deal, but they had clearance and sample items that WERE. But unlike other outlets where sometimes if you wonder if the marked down items are really a deal, in this case I was familiar enough with the products to know that say, a pair of bib shorts for $30 is a *damn* good deal, to the tune of $100 savings. At the register, I got even bolder to ask if they offered any purchase-wide discounts. She kind of hemmed and hawed; I asked if they gave club discounts, not really, mostly for events they gave out coupons on occasion in schwag bags. I looked crestfallen. Finally she says "are there any events you have done recently I could put it under?" I proffered Emerald Pointe Tri, and she bit. 15% off my entire check!!! All in all I ended up walking out with $524 of stuff....for $137! I shit you not. I present the loot to you here in this grainy but heartfelt photo. Three way tie for fave items? The bib shorts, the jersey jacket ($25 less 15%, not $100), and the adorable run knickers with the blue at the knee and the gold logo :)