"Not all pain is significant." (2)

In an earlier post about the significance of pain in running, I wrote that I needed more data points. Well, last weekend, I got a new data point--painfully. After I fell on a patch of ice in mile 3 of a 20-mile run, I decided to continue and try to finish the run. The upper left leg, which took the brunt of the contact with the ice, didn't feel completely normal, but, after a few hundred meters, it felt good enough to go on--so I thought. After mile 11, I took a 1/4 mile walking break for a Gu and water. When I started up again, that upper left leg felt stiff and somewhat painful. This time, even after a while, it still didn't feel quite right. So, I decided to cut the run short (at 13 miles) and head home.

I could hardly walk the rest of the day.

My lesson learned, besides to walk around and not across ice (!), is that the significance of pain depends on the context. When Scott Jurek torn his ligaments at mile 44 of the 2001 Western States 100, he calculated that he could continue the race--which he won--without lasting damage. But, that was during a race. In my case, I was finishing up week 12 of a 16-week training cycle for the upcoming Shamrock Marathon. In hindsight, I should have headed home right after my fall on the ice. I should have told myself that to be ready for the race is more important than to finish that week's long run. Had I not continued the run after my fall, perhaps I would be further along in my recovery, which, at one week after, is back to normal walking but not quite to running. Withdrawal symptoms getting worse ...

Respect the ice (or R.I.C.E.)!

That was a stupid run this morning. Started off the 20-mile run fine; temperature comfortably in the upper teens. But, after two miles, I decided to go on the road, instead of staying within the nicely plowed parking lot of the local library/community center. Going by the middle school, I saw the ice patch, slowed to a walk, but, instead of taking a bit more time to go around the patch, tried to walk across it (stupid!). Next thing I knew, the left side of the upper leg, left side of the upper body, and left forearm hit the pavement in sequence. Veni, vedi, but, alas, not vici! I stopped for a bit to assess, felt generally OK, and continued on, albeit at a slower pace. After Mile 13, I decided to cut the run short and head home. Damage assessment: Bruised area on the left leg and upper body (and bruised ego) and a rather sore left hamstring, probably due to the sudden fall and, perhaps, the additional 11 miles afterwards. Lesson learned: Respect the ice (or R.I.C.E.)!

Winter Storm Pax and core exercises

The two rounds of wintry weather this week, courtesy of Winter Storm Pax, brought 15-20 inches of snow to my neighborhood. It began in the evening this past Wednesday, so I was able to do my 12-mile run that morning, as scheduled. Temperature was in the single digits. I had three tech shirts on, under a windbreaker. The latter, not of the breathable kind, resulted in a first for me: Ice crystals lined its inside, at the end of the run. Very interesting. But, I digress ...

By Thursday morning, the snow had already accumulated more than 10 inches, with more falling. I had an 8-mile tempo run that morning. What to do? In the basement was the "dreadmill." The thought of an 8-mile run on that would normally have been quite daunting. That morning, though, it didn't bother me much--probably had something to do with its not-in-working condition! There was also the Nordic Track, which, for me, is a lot more palatable as an indoor alternative to running; it's also really good for cross training. But, I didn't go for that either, because, with hours of shoveling ahead of me, I knew I already had a solid cross-training workout!

From Thursday afternoon through Friday, in several two-hour sessions, I almost got the driveway completely shoveled out, with the only work left being that ridge of hard-packed snow/ice that the county plow always leaves behind, when it eventually comes around to our local street. It occurred to me, as I was finishing up, that the 10 or so hours I'd spent on this shoveling not only constituted good overall cross training, in lieu of the 8-mile run that I couldn't do, but also actually included at least three of the pre- or post-run core exercises that are in my current training plan (for the March Shamrock Marathon)--except they are the "advanced" versions: (1) Lean forward, bend knee, shovel snow, stand up (i.e., front lunge, the hard way); (2) hold shovel with snow, step back while turning 120-degrees, bend knee, discharge snow from shovel (i.e., diagonal lunge with twist, the hard way); and (3) for very wet—and heavy—snow, lean forward, bend knee, shovel snow, squat down, stand up while holding shovel with snow (i.e., body+snow weight squat, the hard way).