Nooseneck 18k - Post-Christmas Fun

I managed to convince my cousin's husband, who's a trail runner by nature, to come down to the Nooseneck 18k on Friday. He was recovering from a recent 50-miler, and initially thought the race was on Saturday, but he still gave it a go... as a recovery run. For those that don't know the course, here's a Map of it that someone created. It starts and finishes across the street from the Tavern on the Hill. For a suggested donation of $10, it's a really fun race for those that consider 11.2 miles to be fun. Thanks to Mike Tammaro and the Narragansett Running Association for putting on yet another fun runner-centric race. Looking forward to nest year's 10th anniversary.

The first mile is pretty much downhill all the way. I went out in 5:45, which was probably a bit too fast, but it was mostly gravity doing the work. By the time I settled into a 6:10 pace after mile 2, I got passed by a group of about six runners who were moving slightly under 6:00. I recognized a few faces from other races in RI, and I knew I couldn't hang, so I settled in with the first female and another guy. I could see race-winner, Matt Pelletier, for about 3 miles, then he disappeared on his way to a course record: 59:39. We kept the pace until we hit the hill on the fire road at Fisherville Brook Wildlife Refuge at mile 5. That mile is pretty tough as you go up the slightly washed out dirt road. After that, it was rolling hills with a general upward trend, keeping about a 6:30 pace. I passed the female leader and other guy at the 10 mile marker and just kept pushing the pace to the finish. I pretty much left it all on the road, as I didn't feel I had anything left in the tank when I crossed the finish line.

The worst part was that M, my cousin, and her son were cheering me on at a parked car about 100 yards from the finish. I mistook that as the finish line and checked up, only to realize I still had another 100 to sprint. Darn it. Anyway, I ended up taking 2:34 off of last year's time, and I was really happy about that.

This was my goal race for getting back into shape this fall. Now, I'm kind of taking a week to let my quads and a tweaked hip flexor (thanks to the downhills in this race) rebound. I might run a few slower, shorter runs to keep up general fitness and social contacts, but nothing too challenging until the New Year.

IT Band Syndrome (Article)

Level Renner has an article up by Ian Nurse, a Boston runner and licensed chiropractor. ARTICLE HERE

Having been through my own IT band syndrome issue in the beginning of this year, I was eager to read through the article to see if it matched with my experience. And, it did. The symptoms presented as described in the article. I, being as stupid/stubborn as I normally am, kept running through the pain hoping it would go away. I found that the faster I ran, the better it felt, but it soon got to the point where I couldn't run fast enough to keep the pain at bay. I was totally unaware of the warning signs of IT band syndrome. I guess I did enough damage to lose a good three months while trying to clear up the symptoms and build a program to keep it from happening again.

The first step in my healing process was to get an MRI. Fortunately, with my insurance this was covered 100% with a Dr's order. Great. The MRI indicated severe inflammation of the right IT band. My left one was acting up, too, but the Dr. felt that analysis of the right side would be enough to figure out what was going on with the left.

The next step was to get some physical therapy going with the folks at MedStar Harbor Hospital Sports Medicine. I highly recommend them for rehab and training. I got on a treadmill with video, and when I saw the results, I cringed. I had always wondered why I looked so awkward anytime I saw a photo of myself from a race. Now I knew why. As the PT put it, "You run like a wounded T-Rex." It was awful. My feet crossed over, like running on a tightrope. My arms stayed inside my body, shoulders curled in, and no heel kick. From seeing this, I can say that I think I probably had a combination of Nurse's causes 1, 3, and 4 that contributed to my IT band syndrome.

The rehab focused on three things: 1) strengthening glutes, hip flexors, and quads, 2) flexibility work, and 3) a complete change of running form. Running on the Alter-G definitely helped with #3, but the other two foci were down to the great work of my PTs. They worked out a bunch of strengthening exercises and flexibility stretches to help with everything. Gradually I worked up to where I got out to do 2 mi per day on the road, no more than 10 mi per week. It felt great. Hips underneath, arms swinging at the side, head up, chest out, and my key thought was to give each foot its own lane. Much like cars on the highway.

This article comes at a great time for me. I have been holding steady at just under 40 mi per week, but have wanted to start increasing slowly. This was just the reminder I needed as I start to bump mileage up. No more than 10% per week, of course. I need to especially focus on getting the strength exercises back in my routine because I have let them slip. I also need to keep up with the flexibility, too. I tend to stiffen up more with higher mileage, and it will be a battle to keep everything loose. This injury also reminded me how interconnected all the parts of the body are in running. It's not just about legs. It's arms, abs, lungs, head, ankles, etc... When one gets out of alignment, other things can go south, especially over higher mileage.

That's all. Just wanted to mention a good article to read so that you can stay ahead of IT band syndrome by knowings its symptoms and root causes.

Holiday Lights Run in South Philly

Last Thursday, I headed up to Philly to partake in the Holiday Lights Run, joint venture between the Fishtown Beer Runners and the South Philly Striders.

It was a rather short run at about 3.5 miles, but it took you through a few sections of South Philly that are noted for their light displays. There were the Smedley and South Colorado Loops and 13th Street light displays that were most memorable. All in all, it was a fun time that benefited Philabundance... thankfully we only had to run about a mile to the start of the run carrying canned goods.

S. 13th Street - linked from Passyunk Post

We chose not to head to the Sardine Bar, which was where the run was supposed to finish, just because of the sheer volume of people. Instead, we headed to the SPTR for a few beers and some grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup.

Omar wasn't a myth. #thewire

25yr old Omar McGee charged with the July 4th murder of Matthew Drake at 3200 Chelsea Terrace. #BPDDETECTIVES pic.twitter.com/0qjAhY1Nfm

— Baltimore Police (@BaltimorePolice) December 10, 2014

Trail running and responsibility Part II - Also Hunting and Responsibility

As someone who is active in both running and shooting sports, I find it especially disturbing when the two combine in a tragic way. I typically love the idea of combining trail running and shooting, a la summer biathlon. But, combining trail running and hunting can be a dangerous mix.

Yesterday, in Cape Cod, a hunter shot a jogger. Link to Article in Cape Cod Times. According to the article, it may be the case that the hunter fired twice on the jogger. I would say that both parties are lucky that the jogger did not die (especially the jogger). Also, according to the article, the jogger was wearing a white shirt. One might think that white shirt would set oneself apart from a wild animal, but apparently not. There are three points that came to mind when reading this article:

1) It is the hunter's responsibility to identify the target as a legal species to hunt. It is also the hunter's responsibility to understand the trajectory of the projectile and to be sure of his firing line, both in front of and beyond the target. In this case, the jogger had his dog with him, which could easily be mistaken, in fading light, for a deer. Perhaps, the hunter fired at the dog, and hit the jogger. Either way, this shooting is entirely on the hunter. I have heard stories of hunters so anxious to get a deer, that they fire on noise, or brush movement, rather than on a positively identified deer. It is a scary fact that this happens.

2) I always try to wear orange when running (or even hiking) in areas where hunting is permitted. A large field of orange is your best bet for being identified as a human. I'll make sure that my top layer is blaze orange during hunting season.

3) I think it is up to the users of the trails in parks/forests/managed areas to know the hunting season. It's something I definitely pay attention to when I am heading out in the fall and winter. I don't necessarily want to 100% rely upon points 1 and 2 above to keep me safe.

I was in a situation where a ranger with DNR in MD advised me that "You will encounter hunters." when she saw that I was about to go running in one of the State Parks. I asked her if she was telling me not to run (I was wear blaze orange jacket and hat), and she responded, "I'm not saying that. I'm saying you will encounter hunters." Her emphasis on the situation spooked me enough that I went to a county park where hunting was prohibited.

I have also been in a situation where I was running in a state park in which hunting is expressly forbidden, and signs are posted at the boundaries. As I came off the trail, I observed a hunter hauling a tree stand and bow into the park off the side of the road. When I got back to my office I called the police and informed them of what I saw. When I left my office and passed by the location where the hunter had been, I saw the cops talking to the man, and all of his equipment was on the side of the road. I'm not sure what was happening, but it sure seemed like this was the case of hunter with no clue (or no regard) for the laws that were in place to protect the many park users who run and bike there.

Bottom line: stay safe, and take every precaution to protect yourself.

Trail running and responsibility

This weekend, I organized a trail run in Patapsco State Park that had two options, 6 miles and 8 miles in length. I did through a Meetup group that I normally run with. Out of the 10 people who came to the group run, only three had run trails before. I didn't think it was that big of a deal, because it would be a good introduction to trail running: half paved road, half rock/root/hilly trails. It was a misty rainy day, but the temperature was great for the run.

We all decided to run back to the cars together. We were making an effort to look after the slower runners, with the goal of losing no one. One woman, with GPS phone/maps, said she would just walk the last mile, and that she was OK. We told her we would wait for her at the cars. Well, after 20 minutes, she was a no-show. A couple of us went out to the trail and started running in reverse to find her. No luck. Her sister, who had also run with us, called and texted her, but it just went straight to voicemail with no response. After 20 minutes of looking, we got a little more nervous. We ended up leaving without her, and her sister was calling the ranger station to get help. I felt bad leaving, but I had M sitting in my parking lot waiting for me.

An hour later, I got a text from the sister that they had found her. She got lost walking, and she had no signal. After this experience, it will probably be the last trail run that I host. The worry about a lost runner, particularly a young woman with a dead phone, was definitely not worth any of the benefit that I got out of the run. I felt personally responsible for her safety and well-being, even though she is an adult who was capable of making her own decisions. I'll continue to run trails, but I won't head out as an organizer again.

Love the Nooseneck 18k...

Nooseneck 18k Blurb in Level Renner. Fun race to run on the day after Christmas. Last year, I took my mom to the race. She stayed inside the Tavern on the Hill at the bar due to the cold and snow. She had as much fun sitting there as I did running it. She said she learned more about hunting turkeys than she ever thought she would in her life from some of the folks at the bar. She also learned how to play Keno. It's also where I discovered Two Roads Brewing, which went well with some very good clam cakes and chowder, post-race.

Turkey Buster 5k

After a wonderful Thanksgiving Day holiday with M's Aunt and Uncle in Jersey, we decided to run the Marlton Lakes Turkey (Buster) Trot 5k this past Saturday. She had been training hard for a PR in the 5k, and she figured that the flat central Jersey landscape was the best bet for a fast 5k. We got there at about 8:30, and the temperature was 28 F, which for me is a good temperature, for her, a little cold. There were only 37 runner; I think the cold kept some people away. According to the race director, the course was marked with "chalk arrows" and "cones with arrows". There was no leading bike or car, and the roads were open.

When the bullhorn went off, I went out front and kept going. At the half-mile mark I was about a bit ahead of the second place runner, at about 5:30 pace. As I neared 0.8 miles, a Cadillac pulled out of driveway right in front of me. I swung to the left side of the road and just kept going. Unfortunately, that move made me miss the faint chalk arrows indicating a right turn. It wasn't until I got to a tee in the road about a block and half up, that I realized something was wrong. No arrows or cones. I heard someone yell, and looked back to see the other runners turning right where the Caddy pulled out. I managed to catch up to the lead and get ahead again, but any hopes of my PR were dashed.

Not so for M. She ran a great race at 7:02 pace, with a shoe that came untied in the first mile. Her 21:49 was a PR by at least a minute, and she won the women's race. Two fantastic races for her this weekend. It's great when someone trains hard, and it pays off.