Effin foot

I don't remember whether I've posted on this or not, but I have a bump under my second toe on the right foot. I have been noticing that I'm putting more weight on my heel than on my toes when I stand or walk, and it is due to that bump. I had an appointment with my doctor yesterday morning. She's not familiar with this and referred me to a podiatrist. I have an appointment tomorrow morning. She also noticed that I'm developing a smaller one in the same place on my left foot.

Last night was a track workout with my half marathon training group. We did more sets of 800s. This time he wanted us to do three sets of two. I could barely finish the second set. My times were really good, but I could feel the pain in that toe. When I told Coach about it, he said it might be a neuroma, which is easily taken care of. That is a nice thought.

He mentioned that I'm making a lot of noise when I run. That my feet are landing hard. He suggested that I try landing softer. He doesn't like the minimal shoe movement at all, because he thinks it leads to injuries, but he suggested I think about getting shoes with less cushioning than my Asics so I can feel the road and won't land so hard. It's an interesting theory.

We did a warm up mile with exercises, then I did two sets of 2x800s, and a cool down mile. Total distance was 4 miles. My lap times were pretty good: 4:19, 4:27, 4:21, and 4:30. I am happy that they improved over the past two weeks. I just hope I'll be able to get this foot issue resolved. The half marathon is only five weeks away. I should be running 10 to 12 miles this week for my long run. I'll be happy if I can do 9 Sunday.

My Birkenstocks, which I've been wearing almost daily for three years have started to wear out. The sole is good, but the footbed is torn up. I'm going to take them with me to the podiatrist to get his thoughts and then I want to know what kind of shoe he wants me in. Maybe the birks are not good for this problem. I hope he'll have an easy quick answer and not make me go through test after test.

Sunday three

I have to work again today, but since I don't have to be in until 11, I thought I would do a quick run. I ran 3.04 miles in 31:00 for an average pace of 10:11. It was a nice run around the neighborhood.

Here are some pictures of me at the Together With Love 5k last Sunday. The first one was taken by my boss. They ran a water stop. The second was taken by the official photographer at the end.

First seven in a long time

This morning I went for a long run. Seven miles! I haven't done that in months! My body did not complain and I am really happy with that. I ran from the coach to the rec trail and then out to Cannery Row. I made it to Drake Street (where the Cannery Row Deli is, and just down from the great yarn shop and Cafe La Strada) at 3.5 miles. I stopped for a minute or three to take off my arm warmers and have a GU. Then I turned around and headed home. It was a good run for the most part. Nothing bad, but it was a workout. I'm happy with it.

I ran 7.03 miles in 1:15:45 for an average pace of 10:46. Splits: 10:18, 10:30, 10:42, 10:42, 10:50, 10:48, 11:41. The first mile was fast because it was mostly downhill and the last mile was mostly uphill. If you average those together you get an 11:00 pace, which is pretty close to average. I guess what I'm saying is that I held a fairly steady pace on the flat sections.

After the run Mina came and picked me up and we went to the Loose Noodle for lunch. It was very good. Then we went down the street to Baskin Robbins. That was tasty too! I probably used up all the calories burned on the run right there, but oh well. I really enjoyed spending time with her. I miss being just down the street and I miss running with her. I look forward to seeing her again.

Two today

I had fully intended to do more. Somehow the day got away from me. There was knitting group, a trip to storage, lunch with my honey, errands, trip to a new (and fun) dog park with the pups, grocery shopping, and so on. All of a sudden it was after 5pm. I did not want to skip today, so instead of the long run I wanted to do, I did two miles. I am glad I went.

My left calf muscle is quite achy. When I transition from standing to sitting on the floor, I think it is going to pop off the bone. I'll roll it tonight and see if that helps.

Half Training Day 4

We did another track workout tonight. It was the same as last week. First we did some stadium stairs to warm up. Then we jogged a mile around the track. Then we did two sets of 2x800. I can't remember whether he said to do the first one fast or the last one. My numbers weren't as good as last week, unfortunately, but they weren't too far off. My 800s were 4:46, 4:47, 4:43, 4:41. Last week I had a few 4:31s in there. Perhaps wine tasting this afternoon was not the best idea.

Together With Love 5k

Today was my first 5k in a while. I was a little nervous about it, since I didn't know if I had lost much over the past few months. I am not completely out of the woods from PF, and it is lingering. I feel tingling in my arches almost every day. Thankfully rolling my legs and feet and stretches and "towel pulls" I have been doing are helping to keep it at bay.

I saw Coach Dwight before the race and he asked what pace I was planning. I told him 9:30 and he said that sounded good. I flew off the start and kept a pace in the high 8s for most of the run! Mile 1 was 8:32, mile 2 was 8:44, and mile 3 was 8:58. I registered 3.22 miles on the Garmin, but the race is 3.1, no matter what the Garmin says. I felt myself slowing at the end and I tried and tried and tried to keep my legs turning over quickly and my pace up. I think I did pretty well, but at the end I tried to sprint to the finish and I felt like my feet were stuck in mud.

I did GREAT, though! Officially I ran 3.1 miles in 28:10 for an average pace of 9:05.

I am pretty pleased with these results. Look at where I came in! I had a fun time, too, and that means a lot as well. There will be other 5ks and I intend to work on speed as well as endurance with Dwight, so I'm not upset at not PRing today. I was only 23 seconds slower than my PR anyway, so I can't complain. It seems like the last few months have not impacted me as much as I feared.

Bill didn't run it due to his ankle, so he had the pups with him waiting at the finish. It was great to see him there! After the race we went and got breakfast at Grandma's Kitchen, and it was delicious! The omelet was tasty, the hash browns were perfectly crispy, and the homemade biscuit was great. I would definitely go back there.

Tonight we are going out to dinner and I'm looking forward to it. It will be a great ending to a great day!

Half Training Day 3

We did a warm up mile on the trail first. Then Dwight looked at our running logs and sent some folks out on their long runs. I didn't want to do a long run because of the race and so he said that while he was showing the folks the trail I could do some easy laps on the track. I did two miles there. Following the two miles, Dwight showed Tammy and me how to do striders to prep for the race.

We skipped (yes, schoolgirl style) about 50 yards, jogged back, sprinted 50 yards, and walked back. We did three sets of these and then stretched.

My total running was a little over three miles, which was good.

Chevy run

I had to take the truck in to the dealer to get a recall fixed. Originally Bill was going to drive with me and then I'd take him to school. Then I thought it would be a great way to get a run in, so I ran home after dropping the truck off.

I ran 2.06 miles in 20:38, for an average pace of 10:01. My splits were 10:03 and 9:59, so I was pretty consistent. The route had heavy traffic, but I stayed on the sidewalk and looked carefully at all the driveways. It was a pretty good run.

I would have taken a longer run to get more base miles, but I have training tomorrow and a race on Sunday, so I wanted to take it easy today.

Two-fer Tuesday

I ran this morning. And then again this evening.

I set my app to a cadence of 86 again this morning and decided to do two miles and try and keep the cadence. I think I did pretty well keeping up. It was a little windy, but I was able to finish before the rains came. Although had I been caught in the rain, it wouldn't have been too bad. It wasn't a downpour or anything.

I ran 2 miles in 19:00 for an average pace of 9:30.

Tonight was the second day of half marathon training. We met at the track and started with some warm up exercises. Heel walks, one leg squats, skips, and sprints. Then we ran a warm up mile. After that we did two sets of 2x800 with 30 seconds rest in between runs and two minutes rest in between sets. Then we ran a cool down mile and did some stretches.

I didn't time my warm up mile. My cool down mile was around 11:00. My 800 splits were 4:31, 4:41, 4:41, and 4:56. It was a good effort. I'm pretty happy with today. Now the real test will be how my feet feel tomorrow. I was thinking about running in the morning, but I think it would be best to rest. Three workouts in 24 hours is probably not a good thing to do when I'm 100%. Certainly not smart while I'm healing.

Super Sunday Five

I ran to the trail and then to Fisherman's Wharf and back. It was a really nice run (other than getting hit by a guy on a bike). I tried to work on the things Coach Dwight mentioned to me yesterday. That may be why the run went so quickly. I was concentrating on all sorts of things besides the run itself.

This is the longest I have run since the Big Sur Half in November. I am really happy that I could do it with no pain! Yay! Now I can relax and eat guilt free this afternoon as my Giants win the Super Bowl!

I ran 5 miles in 51:43 for an average pace of 10:21. Splits: 10:20, 10:18, 10:04, 10:14, 10:47.

Half Training Day 1

Saturday was the first meeting of the Half Marathon Training Group. I really like Dwight, the coach. He seems down to earth, he's not condescending, and he really seems to want to help us run properly. I thought the training would include long runs, but apparently the program will be individualized based on our own pace, goals, and abilities. I'm excited about that.

We ran one mile on the trails around the school. He showed us exercises to do and how to properly run up and down a hill. Then we hit the track to do an assessment mile. He ran with each of us and pointed out some things about how we run. I need to increase my cadence, shorten my stride, and keep my hands lower. I think this training will be good for me.

Fast Friday

I have been trying to increase my cadence while running. I can't seem to get past 82. I've been running there for a good eight or nine months. I can remember counting 70 and 74 for a while, so I have improved. The running wisdom is that your cadence should be at 90 and Coach Mark wanted me there. This means that your right (or left) foot hits the ground 90 times per minute. I think I've been increasing, but every time I count I still get 82.

I decided to do something about it. Speedwork is good, but I need a measurable, quantifiable thing to work on, not just trying to run "faster". Cadence is that measurable, quantifiable thing. This is my year to get faster on the long runs. This is my sub-two-hour half marathon and my 25 minute 5k year. (There! It's in print! It's real!)

I bought a metronome app. I figured that if I could listen to the beat while running, I could up my cadence. Bill found a podcast where a DJ spins techno music to a specific beat so you can set your cadence, but I don't like listening to music when I run. I thought this would be a good compromise.

I didn't want to set out right at 90 today. If it took a while to increase to 82, 90 isn't going to happen overnight (or it would have already). I set the metronome to 86 beats per minute and put it on the cowbell sound. Why not?

Holy cow, that was some workout!!

I ran two laps around the RV park and I was really pushing it! I ran 1.23 miles in 10:45 for an average pace of 8:44. 8:44!! That is really good for me! I can really see how increasing my cadence is going to make me a faster runner. Let me rephrase that. I knew it would make me faster, but now I SEE how it will make me faster. I bet I could be an 8-minute miler if I can get to 90. That would give me a 1:45 half marathon (!) and a 24:48 5k. There's my goal. That is what I want to achieve this year.

The half marathon training through work will help. The metronome app will help. But what will really get me there is my drive. I really hope I can stay injury free so I can train and get there.

Four for Tuesday

I ran again this morning. What a pleasure! OK, that's a bit of an exaggeration. I was huffing and puffing my way up a hill and I thought my lungs would just give up at any second. Still, I felt pretty good (once I finished). I ran out of the golf course and down Mark Thomas. There is a little path off the road for a block or so. I took that then ran down to Josslyn Canyon Road. I ran out there for 1.25 miles (so I could hit two and turn around). It was almost straight up hill. I have no idea how that happened. It was quite a workout. On the way up anyway. So mile 1 was nice and rolling. Mile 2 was all up. Mile 3 was all down, and mile 4 was rolling again. I turned around at the top of the hill, which was exactly 2 miles from my start point.

I did end up walking for around 30 seconds near the top of the hill. I didn't feel that I was making any progress running! The route was along a residential street. It wasn't that well traveled. Some of the houses were huge and some were tiny. It was a pretty route. I'm sure I will do it again.

I am starting the Half Marathon training program through work, even though my half will be two weeks before the program ends. We will meet Saturday mornings for the long runs and Tuesday evenings. My goal is to run 4x per week, but I want to be smart about it. If I feel pain, I'm going to dial back.

Today's run was 4.11 miles in 43:15.

Trail running

I was finally able to join the spouses running group today. I had a great time. I am sorry that the Half Training will meet on Saturday morning because I wouldn't mind joining these ladies again.
We started at the Bay School in Carmel. We ran a trail from the parking lot to the ocean and then ran for a while in the sand. It was challenging and I was afraid of twisting my ankle, but I made it through and it was a nice change of pace. I would do this run again. I'd like to bring Bill and the dogs too, since leashed dogs are welcome on the trail.

I did 3.11 miles in around 37 minutes. This gave me my first double digit mile week in months. Yay!

Running some, blogging little

Since I last posted, I ran on January 16 (3.55 miles), January 24 (3.25 miles), and today (3.84 miles). All of those runs have been pain free! Granted, my muscles have been a little sore, but I think that was from the stretching and strengthening exercises recommended by my massage therapist. I am pretty happy about this.

My run today took me along Garden Road out to the airport. I was planning four miles or 40 minutes, whichever came first. The third mile today was the fastest for me, which is unusual. I thought for sure the first would be.

I think I may run with the spouse group tomorrow morning. It would be nice to have a group to run with. I am going to do the half marathon training program at work and that meets Saturday mornings for a long run and Tuesday evenings. It will be the first time I've trained for a half in a group. Training with Bill this past fall was nice. Way better than training alone. I don't think he will do the Santa Cruz half with me this April because he is still trying to get his ankle fixed. I hope he'll be able to do another with me sometime (if, of course, he wants to do another one). I remember when his first was his last. We shall see. I feel like I need to make the Big Sur Half up to him. I was not the most fun running partner.

Running again

It has been a really long time since I ran. I mean really ran. On November 20 I ran 13.1 miles. Since then, I haven't run more than two or so. I have been battling injuries. My knee seems to be fixed. Thankfully it was a muscle issue and not a joint issue. I got clearance from the PT to run again, but my Plantar Fasciitis flared up. I could barely stand or walk. The Strassburg Socks made a huge difference.

After a week or so without pain, I decided I could try and run today. Robin (my boss at Fleet Feet Sports Monterey) had a group run this morning with the new 5k-ers, so I thought I'd tag along. I shot out ahead, which was good because the guy ran faster than the group so he followed me and knew where to turn around. I ran 3.08 miles in 32:10, for an average pace of 10:27. The best part? I did not feel pain in my knee or my feet!

When I got back to the start I knew I had a few minutes, so I decided to do some strideouts. Just a set of two. My lungs were struggling and I didn't want to push my tired legs too much, but I wanted to see what I could do. I did 30 seconds max and then one minute cool down and repeated it. My paces were surprising. First max: 6:25! First cooldown: 10:44, second max: 7:57, second cooldown: 11:19. That was 0.32 miles in 3:00.

My total run for the day was 3.4 miles in 35:10. I am happy that I did not hurt and I am pleased with my overall performance. I have lost some fitness (mostly cardiovascular) but I was able to run the entire time. It is good to know that nearly two months off (or mostly off) did not affect my ability to run 3 miles in one shot. I was feeling it at the end, though. My lungs were not happy with me. I'm really happy with the 6:25 pace. Yes, it was only 30 seconds, but I have never broken a 7:00 pace, at least to my recollection, at any time. To have broken it by that much for that long and on tired legs is super!

As I sit here post run, I can feel a little twinge in my right arch. I don't think the PF is fully gone, so I now know that I need to ease back in. I was planning on starting Half Marathon training next week, but I think I need to go one more week with a few short runs before I delve into fully training. I need my feet, not just for running but for work and life, so I have to be really careful. I signed up for the Santa Cruz Half Marathon on April 1. If I can get a 10 mile training run in before then, I'll feel OK about going into the Half. I have a little bit of time to get ready.

I tried a gel today. Six or seven years ago they made me horrifically nauseous. Today they were quite tasty! I am happy to know that they are available as an option for training and races.

It was a little chilly this morning, but the view was incredible. You just can't beat this!

Improvement

I ran Friday before going back to the Physical Therapist. Bill ran with me. I think that was the first time we've run together since the half marathon. It was nice to run with him again.

His ankle started to hurt a little on the run. My knee didn't bother me until around mile 2.2. Even then, it was very slight. We ran 2.77 miles in 28:11 for an average pace of 10:10.

I saw the PT that afternoon. He was happy to hear my progress. He mentioned that strengthening my glutes will help, so we did a bunch of exercises for that. He was amazed that I could do them all. I guess I'm not hurt enough to need physical therapy. That's a good thing.

Less pain

I saw the doctor on Monday and she wasn't sure what was going on with the knee. She referred me to a physical therapist. I was able to get the authorization from insurance immediately and then set the appointment for Wednesday. I was thrilled that the process was so quick.

I went for a run on Tuesday and to my great surprise, my knee did not bother me as much nor until close to the end. The Garmin batteries were dead so I used a combination of my watch and my iPhone. I took the dogs on the first lap and then went solo on the second lap. Each lap was around 1.33 miles. I think my time was around 25:30, so that gives me a 2.66 mile run in 25:30 at an average pace of 9:35, which is pretty quick.

I was surprised that my knee didn't hurt on the second lap. I fully expected to have to stop early and walk the rest of the way. It did twinge some, but nothing like it had been. I was really happy with that.

So I went to the physical therapist yesterday. He seemed very nice and knowledgeable. He asked me to walk and said that I have an interesting walk. My knees bend either in or out (I forget which) and so my legs do not form a straight line. He doesn't think that is the problem, but it was just something he noticed.

He took a look at my knees (which I am always cautious about) and said that he doesn't think the problem is in the knee itself. The location of pain is off to the outside of the knee, and he thinks it is either a strain of the peroneus muscle or a tendinitis of some sort. He is surprised that it doesn't hurt at any other time except when running. So he worked the muscle (painfully, I might add) for ten or fifteen minutes and then iced it.

My job is to run on it and see if the pain is still there sometime between then and Friday afternoon, when I have my next appointment. If the pain goes away or lessens, he is going to think that was the problem. He'll look at my running gait to see if that created the problem and show me how to fix it if it should recur. If it still hurts, then he'll explore other options. I hope it is as easy a fix as he seems to think!

Still here

I ran with Ty and Mina this morning. The first 1.5 miles were great! Like I could run forever! Then my knee announced its presence. The pain was excruciating. I had to stop and walk. Twice in the last mile. Not fun at all. I wish I knew what was going on.

We ran 2.64 miles in 29:04 for an average pace of 11:00.

At work I learned about bra fitting and shoe inserts. We watched some videos on how to fit the Superfeet insoles. Robin let me try them and I noticed a difference. They're not bunk ... they seem to have an effect. I'm going to try and break them in slowly and see how I do. Maybe they'll help the knee. I'm getting desperate. I think I am going to pass on the Jungle Bell Run this Saturday. If I do go, I'm walking with the dogs and not running. Bummer.

I also looked into the Napa to Sonoma Half Marathon, as I thought that would be a lot of fun to do. It would, but it is sold out. The thing isn't until next July, but it is sold out now. Bummer.

Sprinting, walking, sprinting, running, ow

So I wanted to test the Brooks Adrenaline today. The great folks at Fleet Feet Sports Monterey (my new employers) fitted me for shoes. New shoes are a perk of the job. They are supposed to be for work and not for running, but I feel it is important to know how they feel while running. I won't run in them often.

So Tawny, Rava, and I sprinted over to Mina's. We ran 0.47 miles in 3:26, which is a 7:17 pace. That is INCREDIBLE!

Then we walked with Mina who pushed Tyson in the stroller. I let the dogs sniff whatever they wanted, so it took a while to walk. I'm not upset. They will be tired today, and perhaps the stimulation from the walk will keep them from being too bored this afternoon. We walked 1.69 miles in 44:42 for an average pace of 26:26.

Then the dogs and I sprinted home. We took the same route, and I wanted to beat our time. We did ... sort of. We made it in 3:29, but the Garmin registered 0.37 miles. We took the same route!! So our average pace was 9:28, according to the Garmin. Still, not bad.

Then I dropped the dogs in the house and took off for my own run. I got about two minutes in when I felt that weird pain in my left knee. The same pain from Wednesday. I know it isn't the shoes, or I would not have felt it both days in both shoes. I will have to keep watching that. I modified my route to do a short loop rather than a long one as I had originally planned. Then I modified it even further, thinking it would get me home faster. It didn't. I think it took the same distance, but the change of scenery was nice. I ran 1.19 miles in 11:47 for an average pace of 9:55. I'm happy with that.

Overall, the runs today were great and I like the way the shoes feel when I run. There is plenty of room in the toe box and they are comfortable.

Well, I have to go. Can't be late for work!