Road to Recovery: Week 2

Preface

Since it's crystal clear that there is no way in hell this month's Marine Corps Marathon is happening for me. For now, I think this blog series will focus on my recovery efforts to get back into some sort of running shape after my back injury.

Diet:

Step one: Do another round of Beachbody on Demand's 21 Day Fix.

Ok, so I haven't officially started 21-Day Fix plan just yet. I was supposed to start on Monday, but oh well, feet smell. However, I have been (somewhat) monitoring what goes into my mouth and slowing down with late night eating. I will say that I have been enjoying my lunch veggie smoothies. Why eat a salad when you can drink it? ;) The only thing: I just gotta make sure that I'm near a toilet after drinking them.

Speaking of food: On Sunday, I made a quick trip to the library, and Dr. Shah's "I'm so effying hungry: why we crave what we crave -- and what to do about it" was one of the books that I checked out.

I'll keep it real:

• I only stopped by the library because I had to return an overdue book. The libraries in these parts really spoil us because they will automatically renew your book until someone else requests it.

• I really didn't look too much into the book prior to checking it out. While dropping off my overdue book, I parked in the 10-min parking lot. Since I didn't want to risk getting a ticket or towed, I had to be quick picking out my books. In this case, I definitely judged these books by their covers.

One reason to monitor my eating:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, the health benefits should be the main reason. But the real (short-term) reason -- the hubby and I booked a Christmas getaway for a few days at an all-inclusive spot in Cancún, Mexico. Hopefully, I can drop a few pounds so I will not feel so self-conscious about being shirtless at the beach.

Working out:

I'm happy to report that I have been taking advantage of my no frills Planet Fitness experience by hitting the gym on a regular basis.

Right now, I'm doing weight training (e.g., very low weight, high reps) and very easy treadmill walking/jogging, stair climbing, and elliptical 'machining'. Hopefully, I can crank up the intensity a bit more this week.

While I have been taking it easy in the gym, I wonder if I'm taking it TOO easy. That said, I guess it's better to be safe than sorry about recovering from my back injury.

When I'm not at the gym, I've been very dedicated (at least dedicated for me) to my daily stretching routine. I've been trying my hardest to work through the stretches (below) throughout the day. I admit that I'll start out strong in the morning, but my motivation kind of wanes by 3/4 pm. Oh well, Rome wasn't built in a day.

Perhaps, I'm putting the horse in front of the cart . . .

I registered for Chicago Marathon 2024's lottery.

Goals for the week:

-Figure out a work out plan.

-Start going to bed at a reasonable hour because I would not mind hitting the gym around 5-6 am.

-Do a better job with planning my meals.

Running Topics: How do races fit into your running?

Preface:

After running (pun intended) this blog for a few years, sometimes it is a bit tough to come up with topics to write about. Fortunately for me, Sara Kurth has published a massive list of potential blog topics that focuses on running (check out her blog here, ***).

Updated Preface:

Since I probably will be on the sidelines because of a recent back injury, I can use this period of time to answer/comment on some of these these running topics. Hey, it beats complaining about not being able train for the Marine Corps Marathon from now until the end of October.

How do races fit into your running (if at all)?

I guess this topic can be broken down into three categories – NYC life, Virginia life, and Maryland life.

NYC life:

I started running while living in NYC. Long story, short (or long). I “accidentally” got into run during my post-doctoral years. For my daily commute, I would ride my bicycle to and from work (about 4 miles).

Ok, four miles isn’t that much on a bicycle, BUT I had to ride across two bridges (one of which was the Queensboro Bridge). If you’ve run NYC Marathon, then you know the QB Bridge is no joke. One day, I woke up to find that BOTH of my bicycle’s tires were flat. Rather than changing the tires, I decided to run to work. Surprisingly, I actually enjoyed the run. Slowly but surely, I started to see if I could run faster than the previous week. Once I maxed out in terms of speed, I started added longer distances to my morning course until I was running around 7 miles 3-4 times a week.

A colleague told me about NYRR’s NYC Marathon 9+1 Guaranteed Entry Program (link for more info: ***) . For this program, one has to run at least 9 races and volunteer for one race to gain entry into the NYC Marathon. Back then, a lot of races were pretty cheap ($15+) so it was a good way to test my “speed” against other folks . . . and myself. Since NYRR used a coral system based on previous race times, I always hoped that ran fast enough to start in a faster corral for the next race.

NYRR also made racing life pretty easy because the the org had races every weekend. Since NYRR usually had the same races each year, it gave me a chance to compare results from year to year. Then I started to fall in love with specific races e.g., NYC Marathon, NYC Half Marathon, Ted Corbitt 15K, and its various international races (Portugal Run, Italy Run, Japan Run). I liked the last group of races because the post race celebration typically had food from local restaurants.

Wednesdays/Thursdays before these races I would get so excited heading to NYRR’s headquarters and picking up my race packet. A coworker and I would incorporate picking up my race stuff as part of our Thursday lunch routine. Lemme take that back, we incorporated this plan when NYRR was located on the Upper East Side since I used to work in the area.

Virginia/Va Beach/Hampton Roads Life:

When I moved to Va. Beach, my race life kind of took a hit. During this time, I realized that NYC spoiled me in more ways than one.

Racing organizations:

While there are a few racing orgs in Va. Beach (well, the Hampton Roads area), there isn’t one major org so races were few and far in between. Let me take it back. It was a bit too time consuming to search individual organizations to find local races. With NYRR (and later NYC Runs), I pretty much had to visit two websites to find local races.

That said, I did manage to run some races (mostly organized by J&A Racing – Link, ***) while living in Va. Beach. I’ll say that J&A Racing does a WONDERFUL job in organizing races, and you should check out their races if you are in the area.

Racing logistics:

NYC also spoiled me because the city has a pretty decent subway and bus system. Getting to and from races was a breeze bc I could rely on public transportation. However, Va. beach/Hampton Roads does not have an extensive public transportation system. That said, its public transportation has gotten better over the past few years. While in the Hampton Roads, I would find very interesting races, but then I would be like I don’t feel like driving 20, 30, 40 miles to run a 5K, 10K, or half marathon first thing in the morning. For one race that I ran in Hampton Va (about 30 miles from my house), I was very nervous about becoming injured while running. Why? Who the hell would pick me up and drive our car home?

Maryland/Washington DC Life:

Since we just moved to the area in June, there has not been much racing. I think part of this is because there aren’t as many races during the summer compared to the fall and spring. This is understandable because who the hell wants to run in this damn humidity. That said, I did find the Washington DC runs website (link: ***) and had planned on registering for a few fall races. You know, after completing the MCM. Of course, my racing life is on pause for a bit since my recent herniated lumbar disc flare up (link to previous post: ***). While fall racing might be out of the question, I’m really hoping that I can start racing during the spring. While I probably will not race in the fall, I think I can use this injury as an opportunity to volunteer with some running orgs. This is a good idea for a couple of reasons:

• I like volunteering.

• It will give me a change to learn more about the local running scene.

• I’ll have a n opportunity to meet some new folks.

Marine Corps Marathon: Training Week 8

Overview:

Looks like the die has been cast, and I’m officially registered for this year’s Marine Corps Marathon. I will admit that hitting the ‘register’ button was an impromptu decision that took place around 1 or 2 am. Although I knew nothing about this marathon at the time of registering, many folks have said that I should give it a shot.

Since I alway complain about the temperatures while training for fall marathons during the summer, this meme is perfect for me.

Training:

The previous week’s plan:

• Monday: 3mi easy

• Tuesday: X-train or rest

• Wednesday: 6mi ladders

• Thursday: 3mi easy

• Friday: X-train or rest

• Saturday: Rest bc I couldn’t get it together to do the run

• Sunday: 13mi long run

UGGGGGHHHHH! So when it rain, it pours. This week was ‘interesting’ because I had a flare up from a herniated disc in my lower back (an old injury). The pain was so bad that I had to spend most of Tuesday on the floor and in the ER.

You know you are a running when you are more concerned about when you can get back to your training during/after an injury.

What happened? Quick answer, I have no idea.

On Tuesday morning, I was doing my morning routine and shortly after taking my morning poop (yes, I managed to clean myself before the flare up), I experienced an intense pain in my lower back after pulling up my PJs. Since this is an old injury, I knew EXACTLY what was happening. For about 30 minutes, I could not pull myself from the floor and had to drag myself to our 2nd bedroom. When I have these flare ups, it’s EXTREMELY painful for me to completely stand up. Actually, it’s EXTREMELY painful for me to even partially stand up. After being in agonizing pain for about 45 minutes, we decided that it might be in my best interest to go to the ER. The annoying thing with this injury: the pain is so intense that any thought of moving is so paralyzing (no pun intended).

The “funny” thing: My flare up happened minutes after posting my training plan for the week on IG.

Normally, seven or eight weeks into marathon training, I start hating marathon training. This time around, I was so happy when the non-emergency ambulette service arrived, but it quickly became a bit of a disaster. Maybe disaster is too strong of a word.

• They left the wheelchair in the ambulette. Um if you received a call that someone cannot walk on their own, shouldn’t you meet the person with a wheelchair or a stretcher?

• I have to admit that I did not really trust them to move me from my office chair that I was sitting in to their wheelchair. I do not think they understood that ANY pressure, even my own weight, on my lower back would cause excruciating pain. Fortunately, I have a big booty so I managed to slide myself from my office chair to the wheelchair. Actually, the hubby did most of the work while the ambulette workers watched . . . at least they pushed the wheelchair.

• The folks dropped us off at the WRONG entrance of the hospital, so the hubby had to wheel me through the hospital’s laberingh to get to the ER.

The ER aspect of the trip was pretty straightforward. I will say that this experience was a bit more efficient than the ER visit associated with my last flare up seven years ago. For my last ER trip, I was admitted around 9 am and wasn’t discharged with a prescription until about 2 am. This time, I was admitted around 8:30 am and was released around 4 pm. This was wonderful, because I was discharged early enough to get my prescription filled at a pharmacy… and get lunch/early dinner. This was very important because I knew from a previous flare up that my back pain is the most intense 1st thing in the morning, so having the Rx for the muscle relaxants was very important.

The Road to Recovery:

Since I have experienced this before, I kind of know what is ahead of me. While I have not had a major flare up since 2016, I have had very minor ones over the past few years. The funny thing with this injury, I’m somewhat fine once I start moving around; however, mornings are rough especially pulling myself out of bed for the first time. Fortunately for me, the ER gave me a walking cane, which tremendously has assisted me with getting out of bed or getting up from a sofa or chair.

On Friday, I was so happy because it was the first time that I could get out of bed without using the cane. As of today (Sunday), there still is some moderate pain, but I can walk around…slowly and do some minor things around the house. I still have to mentally focus and have a game plan when getting up from a sitting or lying position. Oh, I still have to prepare/brace myself right before sneezing.

So what caused this flare up?:

To be honest, I really don’t know, but I have few theories.

• The previous evening, I did a 8 mile run on a treadmill in my apartment building gym, and the treadmill is kind of raggedy (like most of the equipment in the gym). On a couple of occasions, I noticed that the treadmill’s belt was slipping while I was running. Perhaps, I landed wrong a few times during my treadmill run.

• After my treadmill run, I might have stretched too intensely during my post-run yoga session.

• I might have worked too hard during my HIIT workout on Sunday afternoon.

What’s next?

I have no idea where this leaves me for my Marine Corps Marathon training plan. I probably will have to skip training for a couple of weeks (at least). I will say that the pain associated with my lower back is decreasing more and more with each passing day, which is a good thing. Hopefully, I can start going for “long” walks this week and come up with some next steps regarding my training at the end of this week.

This flare up has signaled that I really need to get my health/wellness/fitness life together, which I have neglected during the pandemic. The plan was to get my life back on track after the pandemic; however, I did experience a bit of a crisis over switching careers as a 40 year old person. Although I do not know what my exact plan is just yet, I do have a couple of ASAP to-do list items.

• Find a local internist and get a FULL physical.

• Return to my daily and nightly stretching

• Developing better eating habits.

Goals for the week:

-Get back to a basic level of walking.

-Iron out a plan to get my health back on track.

TRAINING PLAN:

Running playlist:

Marine Corps Marathon: Training Week 7

Overview:

Looks like the die has been cast, and I’m officially registered for this year’s Marine Corps Marathon. I will admit that hitting the ‘register’ button was an impromptu decision that took place around 1 or 2 am. Although I knew nothing about this marathon at the time of registering, many folks have said that I should give it a shot.

Since I alway complain about the temperatures while training for fall marathons during the summer, this meme is perfect for me.

Training:

The previous week’s plan:

• Monday: 3mi easy

• Tuesday: X-train or rest

• Wednesday: 6mi ladders

• Thursday: 3mi easy

• Friday: X-train or rest

• Saturday: Rest bc I couldn’t get it together to do the run

• Sunday: 13mi long run

One cool thing about running in this is seeing so many ‘wild’ animals. I routinely see deer, rabbits, and chipmunks during my runs – something that I rarely saw in in NYC.

I think that I should invest in one of these alarms. Actually, maybe I could get my iPhone to play a sound clip of a vomiting dog as the alarm.

Normally, seven or eight weeks into marathon training, I start hating marathon training. This time around, I’ve noticed that I’m looking forward to certain workouts especially speed workouts and long runs (for the most point). This week’s speed workout called for ladders, which are “fun”. This week’s ladders were 400 m (VO2 max pace) -> 800 m (tempo run pace) -> 1600 m (marathon pace) -> 1600 m -> 800 m -> 400 m. I dunno, there’s something about a speed workout that makes me feel quite accomplished.

Although I’m sticking to my plan (and completing the majority of my training runs), I think the plan is a bit too easy (at times). Ok, I take that back, it’s not too easy. Having run about 8 or 9 marathons, I know that I can (and should) do more. That said, I have to keep reminding myself that I’m starting from scratch.

LONG RUN CHRONICLES:

I’ve had it! I’m done trying to use my long runs as a way to explore my new area. I’m realizing that combining technology with a long run frustrates the hell out of me. For this week’s 13 mile long run, I found a nice little route on Strava that would give me a tour of the Silver Spring/Wheaton/Glenmont area. Long story short, I ran about 10 out of the planned 13 miles. You can see below that I did not close the loop.

Issue 1: Strava’s map did not let me zoom in far enough to see certain street names. Unfortunately, I had to rely on the the little blue tracker dot, which would take a few minutes to update - probably due to a weak signal in the area. On multiple occasions, I did not know if I made the correct turn until a few meters after making the turn. Some might know that backtracking is one of my biggest annoyances while running.

Issue 2: Since I’m still somewhat unfamiliar with the area, I had to constantly check the app to make sure that I was on the correct route. Over time, this became mentally draining and lowered my motivation. One aspect that I like about long runs is not having to check my watch of phone a bunch of times. Since I constantly had to check app’s map to figure out where was or where I was going, I’m frequently reminded about how slow I’m running slow or how many miles are remaining. This isn’t a bad thing at the beginning of a run, but about midway, I’m over it (especially when it’s hot).

Issue 3: At some point during the run, I was like something isn’t right especially once I saw this sign.

When I started the route, I was running in the opposite direction of the route’s outline. Around Mile 9, I noticed that I was running in the correct direction of the route. So I was like how the hell did this happen? One possibility: When my new running shorts become wet with sweat, they start “controlling” my phone. So, I think my shorts selected a different route while I was running, which I started following the second route instead of my original route. When I realized this happened, I was beyond pissed off and became extra annoyed because it was getting hotter. Since I was near a bus stop, I took the bus back to the park’s parking lot. The sad thing: At that point, I just had to run along the bus route to return to my starting point. But, like I said earlier, I was over it. Also, there was no shade on that street.

Going forward for long runs, I just gonna build off of my Forest Glen to the Washington Monument 10-mile route. I pretty much have to make 1-2 turns and run in a straight line to the tall, pointy building.

For instance, if I have a 15 mile run, I can do one or two things:

• Run 7.5 in one direction and 7.5 miles back to return to my starting point.

• Run the 10 mile route, run an additional 5 miles in Washington DC, and take the metro back to Silver Spring, MD. Since DC somewhat is built on a grid and most of of the streets are lettered and numbered, it’s pretty much impossible to get lost.

Strength Training:

Last week, I mentioned that I joined my local rec center. So, um, yeah, no, I think that I’ll just have to bite the bullet and get a REAL gym membership. My local rec center gym is pretty close, I have a couple of “minor” issues:

• the weight room was pretty small, and I’ve seen larger weight rooms in hotels.

• the hours are kind of weird. In my history of “rec center’ing”, I don’t think I’ve visited a rec center that didn’t open before 7 am. The hours of operation for the one nearest to us are from 9 am to 8 pm.

Goals for the week:

-Starting riding my bicycle from work to sneak in an extra cardio workout.

-Return to nightly stretching.

-Register for a few races. Someone on Twitter (or was it Facebook) clued me in to Run Washington, which has a collection of races in DC, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV).

TRAINING PLAN:

Running playlist: