U-T California 10/20 Race Review

This was the inaugural U-T California 10/20, taking place in Del Mar, Solana Beach, and Encinitas (beach communities just north of San Diego) on February 16, 2014. “10” is for 10 miles, and “20” is for 20 bands.

The band at mile 1 and 9

It was a PR by definition. I’ve never run a 10 mile race before. My time was 1:09:55 (7:00 average pace) (31st female of 2060; 9th of 261 in division F30-34. 93rd overall of 3241).

The race organization was really good – same quality as RnR race series but with a similarly high entry fee of $85. This is the second in the “10/20” series by this race director – the other race being in Austin, TX. The prize money was $3,000 for first male and female, bringing out some fast elites. First place male was 48:00 (4:48 average pace) and first place female was 54:49 (5:28 average pace). Good prize money for age groups as well.

Weather was very foggy at the start and then the marine layer burned off by mile 2 or 3. It was actually pretty warm - and there was a coastal eddy wind coming off the ocean to deal with.

My goal was to keep on track with incrementally speeding up my half marathon pace. I ran a 15K at the beginning of January at 7:11 average pace, a half marathon in mid-January at 7:09 average pace, and now this 10 miler in mid-February at 7:00 – although my Garmin shows an average pace of 6:53 with a course of 10.16 miles.

Sidebar:  I read on Jake and Andrea’s Wasatch and Beyond blog that the mile markers on race courses are more accurate than a GPS watch’s mile readings, so you should manually mark your mile laps on your watch.  I forgot until a few minutes before the race so couldn’t turn off my mile auto-laps in time. I’ll definitely be trying this in the future in races when I know there is a sign posted at each mile.

Overall the course was flat - most of it along Highway 101 up the coast from Del Mar through Solana Beach and to Encinitas and back. The first and last miles are within the Del Mar fairgrounds (not on the racetrack). I have run this 101 route probably a hundred times – it was my easy weekend route for a lot of years – so it was kind of my home course. I know where the hills are. 

There was one mile that had a longish hill, which was made more difficult by the wind. But most miles were right at a 7:00 pace or just under. I ran the last two miles fast - 6:36 (lots of downhill) and 6:44 (flat). I passed 11 people in the second half of the race, continuing the trend of strong finishes in my 2014 races.

Split	Time
1	06:54.2
2	07:00.4
3	06:53.6
4	06:48.8
5	06:55.7
6	06:54.6
7	07:06.7
8	06:56.5
9	06:36.0
10	06:44.8
0.16	01:02.8

I spent a lot of the race with my eyes closed, as documented by the race photographers. During the early miles, I was closing my eyes and telling myself I was in control of the pace and I could keep it up. In the late miles, I was closing my eyes to dig deep to stay at those fast paces and not get re-passed by anyone!

And no hip pain - it absolutely vanished when I started using the inserts with a little more arch support. 

two little runners

Kristen

So You Have A Femoral Neck Stress Reaction / Fracture...

I've received quite a few questions about my recovery from my femoral neck stress reaction, and thought I would write a post about it. Sorry to our regular readers for the epic length, but I remember when I was injured and trawling blogs and forums, all I wanted to see was a detailed insight into the various stages (and timelines) of recovery I was in for. So here's mine.

Disclaimer: I am not a health or fitness professional. This post is based entirely on my own personal experience. I am a lawyer, and thus the only thing I am really qualified to write is this poorly-phrased disclaimer, which I'm sure lacks any significant legal efficacy. Let that fact be a warning regarding the extent to which you should take my advice on something that I haven't been studying/practicing for the last 7 years.

So by way of background, you can find the post in which I was injured here, the post in which I think I just have a hip flexor strain (and am whining about not running) here, and my post about my diagnosis, here.

I think the biggest question people have when faced with this injury is how long 'til I can run again, and what can I do in the interim.

The answer to that depends on the severity of your injury and particularly, whether you have a stress reaction versus a fracture. A reaction is the inflammation of the bone, which is the precursor to a stress fracture, where a crack in the bone has actually occurred. Fractures will take a LOT longer to heal, so its vital that if you suspect you have this injury (watch this video for a helpful demonstration by my doctor on self-diagnosing hip injuries) you go straight to the doctor and ask for an MRI (stress fractures often don't show up on X-Rays).

Given my disclaimer, I'm not going to be prescriptive. I am going to describe my experience. What I had, how I felt, what I did and the timeline of all of that.

I. Background To Getting Injured.
As my post on my diagnosis states, my injury was caused by low bone density in certain (not all) areas. It was diagnosed by a bone density scan. I'm relatively comfortable that my training - while heavy - was not generally too much, but it was too much with the added disability of weak bones. I was averaging around 55 miles, and had been running that mileage for quite a few weeks, after building up slowly from several weeks running in the 40s. This was not new mileage territory for me; I had run similar mileage in training for my marathon. I was taking at least 1, usually 2 rest days per week.

Leading up to the race in which I was injured, I had had a very light niggling pain in my groin, what I thought was a groin or hip flexor strain. I had had groin strains before, and given the discomfort was a 1 on the pain scale (and was markedly alleviated by stretching my quads, hips and foam rolling my hip flexor), I felt comfortable racing on it. If I had known that it had ANYTHING to do with my bone, I would not have raced. Full stop.

II. Getting Injured
I got injured on September 16, 2013.

I ran my race, feeling nothing but a small amount of discomfort from miles 1-3. Thereafter I felt nothing in the injury area, until after I stopped running at the finish line. Note that I pushed very hard my last three miles, and I suspect that is where most of the damage was done. Again, if I had felt pain during the race, I would have stopped. Especially if I had known it was in my bone.

Immediately post-race, I felt strong sharp pain in the front of my hip almost as soon as I stopped running. I could just jog on it, but knew that it was bad enough that that I shouldn't. I still thought it was muscular. N.B. As the video notes, pain in the front (versus side) of the hip should be treated with caution.

The day after my race, none of my other running muscles were sore, but I could not climb stairs, hop or jog with my injured leg. Walking was low-pain as long as I walked with a stiff leg (no bending at the knee), but very slow (as Kristen will attest). The fact that walking was not bad led me to believe that I didn't have a stress fracture.

III. Recovery

Weeks 1-2 Post-Injury
Pain Level: It took about two weeks before I could properly step up on my injured leg (albeit with some discomfort). Walking with a stiff leg allowed me to walk almost no pain. I could not hop on my injured leg. Pain was about a 9-10 if I did that. Walking was about a 2-3.  Reading back on my training log entries, I note that I had a lot of stiffness in my quads, and pain in my hip flexor, when I drew my knee to my chest. This was significantly relieved by foam-rolling and stretching, which again, led me to believe that I had a muscular problem. Note, however, that foam-rolling and stretching did nothing to affect the "impact" pain, when I performed the hop test.

Cross-Training: Week 1, I did no exercise. Week 2, I believe I ellipticalled a couple of times, before realizing that it was putting pressure on my quads, which led to discomfort in my hip. I swam lightly, because kicking didn't seem to hurt, though it didn't feel like much of a workout. I did some upper body weightlifting as well. I had a sports massage that did precisely diddly-squat (i.e., nothing).

Week 3-4: Diagnosis and Beginning Cross Training
 In the third week of my injury, I got a diagnosis. I had a very high grade stress reaction, but no cracks had formed in the bone. My doctor gave me the go ahead to do non-impact cross-training by elliptical or pool running and as much strength training as I felt comfortable (obviously no jumping). I was able to walk on it, and thankfully did not have to use crutches. I am aware that usually stress fractures in this area of the bone come with crutches, so I was grateful I didn't have to use to them.

Pain Level: Hopping was producing about a 7-8 on the pain scale. Walking was a 1-2, and feeling better every day. The stiffness in my quads was beginning to release, and drawing my knee to my chest was not hurting much. I believe now that those muscles were all strained in part on their own, and in part because they were working hard to protect the bone. 

Cross-Training: Lots of foam rolling and stretching. I tried pool running about about 3 times. It was a great workout, but I felt a significant amount of discomfort during and afterwards in my hip flexor muscle. I have since read that pool-running can put a lot of strain on this area (the muscles then pulling on the bone) which can delay healing.

Instead, I found the ellipticals like this one (though not as new and snazzy) where you can set the ramp really high to focus on your gluts. I don't know if it actually strengthens your gluts, but it took all the pressure off my quads and (consequently), my hips. Because I experienced no pain doing this, I began doing regular elliptical workouts (mostly at an easy heart rate, between 145-155) with some intervals thrown in for funsies. Week 3, I did 5 elliptical workouts and Week 4 I did 6. Also focused on adding some good core strength routines in.

Weeks 5-6
Pain Level: (going off of memory) this was a frustrating period, because all my acute pain was gone. I could walk with almost no discomfort, and felt like running was not far off. As Kristen mentioned with her injury, the 90% of healing didn't take long at all. It was the remaining 10% that took the longest. At this point I think I could climb stairs with no pain. Hopping on one leg was probably a 4-5. I could do it, but it was obvious that healing was not complete.

Cross Training: gave pool running a couple more tries, but then focused on elliptical workouts about 5-6 days a week (again, feeling no pain on the high-ramp elliptical), as well as core workouts. Leg strength was still tough. I recall that squats (body or low weight) were ok, but single-leg dead lifts or lunges felt uncomfortable. I tried to do a little, to promote some strength, but kept it very low-key. My rule of thumb (and doctor's advice) during this period was a little bit of discomfort was ok, as long as I was not feeling it by the time I got round to the next workout. It was all about walking that tight-rope of maintaining some fitness and promoting blood flow and movement, but not over-doing it. Lots of stretching and foam rolling, with a focus on hips and quads.

At the end of October, I saw my doctor again, and he gave me another two weeks before I could start running again.

Weeks 7-8
Pain Level: The Pfizinger Plan for returning to running after a stress fracture, states that you should be able to walk briskly for an hour without pain before you return to running. About 6 weeks after my injury, we hiked for 8 miles which, while not particularly brisk, took us several hours. There were moments I was scared my hip would hurt, but I was mostly pain free. I felt a discomfort lower than a 1, which was more of an awareness that my hip area felt weak, rather than any actual pain. Hopping produced about 2-3 pain, but stepping up was fine. I did the occasional 2-3 meter jog down the office hallway to test my hip, and it started to feel like normal again.

Cross Training: Still the elliptical 5-6 times a week. I added some workouts, like "Yassos" (10 x 3 mins hard, 1 min easy), which helped the time pass. I kept trying to do strength (upper body, core and light-leg strength), introducing some single-leg squats and deadlifts.

On November 6, I wrote in my training log: I haven't been able to do single leg strength work until yesterday. My hip feels a little achey, but not "re-hurt" in the way it used to after single-leg stuff. A little acheyness is fine apparently [NB: this was per my doctor's advice].

On November 11, I wrote:  Hip feeling pretty great; I know running isnt far off. Im trying to progress to where I feel zero discomfort doing elliptical upright and all my single leg weights. Once Im there, and Im close, I feel like I could start my 5 min runs. Going to follow the Pfizinger plan to return to running. I would usually be a little more aggressive than this, as I only had a stress reaction. But given that its in the femoral neck (weakest area of the femur + most time off running if I had actually fractured it), its just too risky to be anything less than conservative.

Week 9
Pain Level: Hopping produced about a 1 on the pain scale. I was under the impression I had to be at zero before I could run again, but my doctor was happy with me being able to hop several times on the injured leg, with very minimal discomfort.

Cross-Training/Return to Running: I began this training plan:http://kemibe.com/distancecoach/labreports/stressfracture.shtml. Note that I used the training plan as a guide only. I noticed that I needed more time off between runs than the plan had scheduled; often 2-3 days for the first month. Conversely, I was able to run longer, earlier, than the plan had allowed for. For instance, while many of the runs were still at 20 mins, I was able to go 30 mins. I was very careful to continue the walk breaks and assess how my hip was feeling. I went by this guide: if I felt pain at the beginning of my run, I stopped. If I only felt pain/discomfort towards the end of my run, or the day after, I would simply wait until it went away before I ran again.

Very mild discomfort in my hip continued well into January. I had no pain when hopping (the bone/impact test) but could feel that the muscles around the injury area were still tight, especially when I drove my knee upwards. Foam rolling and stretching my hips (pigeon post, standing quad stretch, seated piriformis stretch especially) really helped.

IV. Epilogue: Some Additional Notes
1) Medication:
I did not take anything for my pain. I have nothing against pain relief generally (and use it frequently for head aches and period pain) but I wanted to be very aware of how my healing was progressing. I also did not want to risk "feeling better" and then over doing it in my return to running.

2) Food:
Throughout my recovery I ate more. More of everything. More than I had been when I was running 50 miles a week (I know, I know). While my hunger dipped for a short time when I was not exercising at all, it returned with a vengence when I was cross training, and I took it as a sign that my body needed more calories to heal. I especially ate a lot of dairy products (chocolate milk after every workout, greek yogurt and almond milk daily + calcium/Vitamin D tablets).

I probably gained about 10 pounds initially and while I haven't weighed myself for a couple of months, I'm fairly certain I've dropped back down close to what I was before. And I've continued eating more. My body NEEDED the calories and macronutrients to first, recover, and second, to support my mileage build up. Im not talking about just fruit and vegetables, of which I ate plenty, but really good quality protein, healthy fats (peanut butter, avocados, etc) and a LOT of carbs by way of potatoes, rice and other whole grains. And while I'm not some snake-oil promoting, naturo-quack who thinks a good diet can cure all, I know in my case I needed it and it really did help. (I might write more about this at some point, but I couldn't have worded Kristen's nutrition post better myself).

3) Mileage and Return to Running:
Many people complain that running feels odd when they restart after an injury. I did not. Running felt perfectly normal (apart from being very conscious of weakness/discomfort in my hip).  

Below is my progression of mileage (per week) build-up to now:
November: 3, 10, 8 miles
December: 15, 14, 22, 28 miles
January: 26, 32, 35, 40 (at the beginning of Jan, I did my first fast run at (coincidentally) my first 5K (approximately 10-11 weeks post injury).
February: 42, 44
I am presently doing a long run of 13 miles each week, and 1.5 workouts (one scheduled, the other low-key fartleks or hill sprints) per week. I plan to hover around the low-40s in mileage for a month or two to avoid injury. The mileage feels very easy, and I haven't had any soreness or niggles to speak of. My calves and quads are occasionally a little tight, but this is normal.

4) Sanity (ETA)
I will be writing a post about the mental side of injuries, but I thought this post needed a specific addendum. This femoral neck injury can be the worst running injury to have. Not only because the healing time can take up to 5-6 months, but because if your stress reaction becomes a stress fracture, and your stress fracture becomes a full fracture, then hello...you're in for a hip replacement about 30-40 years early. Its really scary. And its really vital that you take recovery seriously, and give yourself a real break from thinking about running and maintaining your fitness.

It sucks. I get it. But it will end.  It will heal. It will heal stronger than it was before (the only upside to the injury). And you will be running strong and PR-ing before you know it. But don't waste a single day of recovery time. Give every day your fullest effort in avoiding anything that hurts, and doing everything that helps. That means sleep. Eat. Stretch. Roll. Spend time with your loves. Running will be there when this injury is over, I promise.

So there you have it! Hopefully I've covered everything, but please email us at twolittlerunners at gmail dot com, if you have any other questions.

Got any cool injury stories or tips? Whats the worst running injury you've ever had? Did you nearly throw your fridge out the window in frustration? Did you have the presence of mind to eat everything in the fridge before you threw it out the window?

Nutrition for Runners - Approach to Training (and getting more veg!)

I read Matt Fitzgerald’s new book on nutrition for runners. It’s called The New Rules of Marathon and Half-Marathon Nutrition: A Cutting-Edge Plan to Fuel Your Body Beyond “the Wall.” Catchy!

The book summarizes recent literature on how to best eat during your taper and for race day. This is all good stuff – and I've read variations on it before in other books –  but it's mostly irrelevant to me right now because I am only doing half marathons this year. And for those I don't need to do a fat load/carb load during my taper or any thing extraordinary food-wise for race day.

So the most interesting information to me was on how to best eat during those long months of training.You know it’s really important to eat right and to get enough calories during your training cycle. First, it makes those hard workouts easier to complete – and more effective. Ever tried running a long tempo on an empty stomach? It’s enough to make you cry. And if you’re not eating enough, and enough of the right stuff, you are more prone to injury. I've also found that eating lots of good calories during high mileage weeks combats the runner-grumpies that I typically get when running over 50 miles per week.

The book proposes a “Two-Rule Diet” for runners. It's actually pretty good. It's not a gimmick. Do read on...

Rule 1 is getting enough carbs. Your sources of carbs are vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. The more you train, the more carbs your muscles use, and the more carbs you use, the more carbs you need to eat. I’ll let Matt fill you in on why and how much you need. It’s anti-Paleo.

Rule 2 is to maximize the overall quality of your diet in order to get to or maintain your ideal racing weight – let’s just call that your healthy weight. He puts all foods into 10 categories. Basically, the best quality, most nutrient dense foods are the top 6. They also happen to be the least calorically dense foods. The lower quality, less nutritious – but higher calorie – foods are at the bottom of the list, 7-10.

1. Vegetables (including legumes)
2. Fruits
3. Nuts and seeds
4. Fish and lean meats
5. Whole grains
6. Dairy products
7. Refined grains
8. Fatty meats
9. Sweets
10. Fried foods

It’s simple: Eat more 1 than 2, 2 than 3, 3 than 4, 4 than 5, 5 than 6, 6 than 7, 7 than 8, 8 than 9, and 9 than 10. Stick to a week timeframe to measure. It won’t be possible to follow the rule in every meal and snack. Biasing your diet to foods in the top 6 will allow you to attain or maintain your healthy weight. And you should eat as much as your appetite dictates – as long as you are sticking to mostly the top 6.

My takeaways were that I should eat more vegetables, less fruit, and more whole grains. I am a fruit monster and tend to get more 2 than 1. Cutting back on fruit was easy. But upping the vegetables was more of a challenge. (More on whole grains at a later date...still experimenting with them.)

So ideas on how to get more veggies...do tell!

Soup! Even the stuff in the can counts! I usually take a sandwich to work and eat at my desk. Adding a can of soup was a really simple way to get another vegetable serving.

Bonus if you can find all the soup ingredients in your kitchen.

Cut vegetables. Keep cut up vegetables around. Just cut them up right away when you are unloading them.

Pull them out of the fridge for an afternoon snack or when you get home from work. Eat with hummus,Greek yogurt veggie dip, salsa, or guac. It stops me from mowing down a bunch of chips (category 10) before I start making dinner.

Salads. Keeping lettuce on hand to whip up a quick side salad for dinner –  also using your stock of cut vegetables. I dress most of my salads with just a splash of lemon juice or white wine vinegar and some olive oil. Maybe a turn or two of the pepper mill and some sea salt.

These are pretty obvious ideas...Any good veg snacks in your routine?

two little runners
Kristen

My favorite intersection

The corner of San Diego and California in San Diego, CA. Any unusual intersections in your neck of the woods?

two little runners

Kristen

Park Run 5K (Albert Park) Recap

Its still January in 'Merica, so I can still post January stuff, right? Wait, I wrote that sentence three days ago, and its now no longer January even there. Bugger.

I have been promising posts to Kristen, lately, and promptly following up with... no posts. Its kinda tough to blog, when you don't have a table... chairs... place to live... hotspotting wireless from your iPhone....

Anyway, I'm doing a bang-up job with the excuses, but should probably just get straight to the running stuff. Right-o.

So I ran a 5K.

I'll repeat that.

I ran a 5K.

It was about as yuck as I imagined... and I did it at a time in my running life that was probably going to make it even less a pleasurable or rewarding than usual. This was my first race back - indeed, really the first fast running I had done - since my injury. (I have had a few questions about my femoral neck stress reaction, and am currently composing a post on my recovery! Coming soon! That's not even slightly a promise!)

Anyway, so lets see. I was out for 8 weeks from Sept-Nov, and began running between 15-20 miles a week through December. In late December, my dear friend Racer was all like "Hey, you should do this 5K with me." I'm like, this sounds like a great idea. Except I don't want to run a 5K. He's like "[something or rather blah blah] fast, flat course."

I'm like well, ok, I should probably do one at some point. And its a fast, flat course, how bad can it be??

So I did it, and it hurt like a mofo (as I understand all 5Ks do). Aaaaand Racer told me afterwards that he was going to mention the possibility of the wind being horrible, but decided against it to ensure I'd come along. Hmmmm. Well played, Racer, well played.

Time was 20:37. Splits were: 6:22, 6:37, 6:51 and 6:18 for the 0.1. Average pace was 6:37. Yowch.

To put this in perspective, this is almost the same pace as I ran the last 5K of my last half marathon in September.  I don't think I've lost quite that much fitness... So what went wrong?

First,  I obviously went out too fast in the first mile. I was planning a 6:30, and had no idea how that felt, so crashed and burned! Second, the headwind was pretty hardcore in the second half of the race. Finally, I guess I have a little to learn about racing 5Ks! Kristen (resident 5K expert!) gave me some great pointers beforehand, but I kind of failed to execute those... I'll definitely try harder next time (e.g. to go out at a reasonable pace in the beginning, when it all still feels relatively delightful!)

Here are some pictures from the race (I'm in the blue top, light yellow shorts; Rory is in red top, black shorts).

Starting out at about a 6:10 pace. This cannot possibly go wrong.

Not even considering the possibility that a lovely tail wind on a loop course would result in a headwind later on.

Just after I said goodbye to Racer in order to let him beat me when I realized I couldn't keep up with his pace. Next time, Racer, next time.

And just focused on passing as many people as possible.

Pain place... and not even at mile 2. Good signs.

Racer on the home stretch, looking strong...

Pain place here is evolving into something akin to despair and questioning my life choices.

Despite very seriously considering DNF-ing at least every 0.2 of a mile, I actually ended up coming in second female (and kind of kicked myself, because if I'd known the lady in front of me was first, I might have tried to pass her).

Anyway I actually really liked this race. Its a free, timed entry, through Park Runs, which are done throughout the world, as I understand it, in many major cities. I understand that its usually a larger field, which could be good to compete in... on this day (Jan 3rd) I actually was second female. The people who run it are really friendly and the whole thing is a fun start to a weekend.

So thats that. I might do more of this 5K business at some point... if nothing else, it represents a challenge... which my little black competitive heart just adores :)

~Penny

All Clear!

Had a visit to the doctor today to check out my hip. Dr. Penny was right - bursitis in the hip was the diagnosis. The bursa is a little sack of fluid between the bony protrusion of your hip and your IT band. Mine is ANGRY!!!!! But not bad enough, and hasn't been around long enough, for a steroid injection. Any one ever had one of those?

The doc said the cause of the bursitis is a mechanics issue. My right arch "collapsing" during the foot strike. I have high arches, but I guess a bit of a pronation issue on this side. He told me to get an insole for more arch support. He also said that you can't really strengthen your arches (it's been studied). But he said the problem sort of comes and goes, so I may not need the insole in the future.

The collapsing of my right arch is creating a bigger"Q-angle" on the right side of my body than on my left side. A Q-angle is the angle of your femur, running from the edge of your hip to your patella. The bigger Q-angle on my right side is causing all the extra soreness in my right glute and hip. So the theory goes...

By OpenStax College [CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Bottom line - I can go back to running immediately!

I stopped by the running store after the appointment and got a custom insert for $80. It is supposed to last 1,500 miles. And while I was there . . .

I found a strap for stretching. A mini foam roller for travel. And in the clearance room, gloves and a Nike Run neon yellow T-shirt for $15. Remember two years ago after the Olympics and every one was wearing Nike in neon yellow? Now, dozens of these shirts are collecting dust on the clearance racks!

two little runners
Kristen

Big Surf

When you live in a surf town, big surf is a big deal. Everyone was talking about the big surf all week - and luckily it continued into the weekend.

I substituted my Saturday run (giving the hip an extra day off) for a stroll along Sunset Cliffs to check out the waves.

These are 7-10 foot waves with occasional 12 footers.

And it was a perfect opportunity to wear my new Panama hat! Since the hat is the statement piece of the outfit, I kept the rest of the ensemble plain. Navy top, light blue skinnies, boat shoes.

I think it's pretty cute, and I got a lot of compliments on it. I think I'll get a lot of use out of it.

two little runners
Kristen

December in the Southern Hemisphere and Running in the Mornington Peninsula (VIC) and Adelaide (SA)

So it's probably about time I showed you some more of the places I have been running since being back in Australia. I gotta say... goshdarnit, everything you hear about Australia being beautiful? ALL TRUE. Not just propaganda from the Australian Tourism Board. They may not tell you about our obnoxious drinking habits, and the absurd number of creatures here that can kill you... but it IS a very pretty place indeed. 'Specially for running.

For Christmas, my husband and I went down to the Mornington Peninsula to my aunty and uncle's place in Sorrento. The row of seaside towns along the Peninsula, offers about 25 miles/40kms of virtually uninterrupted cliff-side/beach trails, 6 of which I used as my first "long"(ish) run since my injury.

 

The trail was mostly gravel and sand (whoa, sand-trail running is haaaaard) and some of these wooden boardwalks that lead down to all the different beaches along the Peninsula. 

This is December in the Southern Hemisphere, y'all....

 

We then got the ferry across Port Phillip Bay (no screen-shot map...I'll allow you to exercise your Google maps skillz...you're welcome). The Sorrento harbour (where you get the ferry from) is equally gorgeous...

 

The ferry took us across to Queenscliff, on the other side of the bay, and we drove from there to the Adelaide hills to visit my sister and brother-in-law and then drive back with them to Melbourne. 

Got my runs in there, through some really beautiful country-side...

We stayed at my brother-in-law's parents' farm house. Just down the road (before a very steep  climb to the house) is this row of flowers that attracts a RIDICULOUS number of butterflies.  Its pretty magical running through them (while panting and puffing your way up the hill).

 They also provide an excellent excuse to take a break from the hill to snap a picture or two...

I did all my runs pretty slow, because it was really warm, even quite early in the morning.  I refueled with my favorite new brand of chocolate milk, which is unfortunately only found in the great state of South Australia.  I guzzled several of these before we left Adelaide. They are approx 250 calories, for 100% RDI of calcium.  BOOM.

And finally... the little people who were more fun to hang out with than any butterflies or chocolate milk...

At Adelaide Zoo, checking out the pandas

  Aaaaand.... the funny man/snuggle pot....

Next up.... some New Years beers (coincidence that that rhymes?? I think not...) and a 5K recap. Yes, that's right... I finally ran a 5K. Now I know why I have not run one of those before.

~ Penny

I'm a sucker for a shoe sale

I went online to buy my next pair of Saucony Mirages and ended up with pairs of Sketcher GoRun 2s and Saucony Virratas. Big sales! The Sketchers were $50 and the Sauconys were $70. January must be the time of year to buy running shoes!

They are both light weight trainers in the minimalist category. The Sketchers are 4mm drop and Saucs are 0mm. But they have cushioning so I've read. I was really surprised with how light they were when I took them out of the boxes. 

Off to try them out! 

two little runners

Kristen 

Pain in the Gluteus Medius, I think?

The day after the Carlsbad Half, my right hip was back to feeling cranky. (It didn’t bother me at all during the race.) Otherwise, my soreness was even in both sides of my body. I was pretty sore in the usual spot – the entire front and back of the leg – and also in my forearms and biceps.

Anticipating said hip crankiness, I scheduled a massage for Monday after work. I started out the massage on my stomach. It felt like the therapist was using her feet…and sure enough when I flipped over, I saw that she was. The modality is called Ashiatsu. The therapist uses an overhead support system to control her body weight and massages with the feet.

By U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Europe District from Wiesbaden, Germany (USACE host Health Fair  Uploaded by SchuminWeb) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0) or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

This was very effective on the quads, which took out a lot of the tension in my right hip. I’ve never felt so much relief from a massage.

Following the massage, I did a long stretching session with yoga, foam rolling, sticking, and restorative yoga poses. I repeated it Tuesday morning and again Tuesday night. And my right hip now feels exactly the same as my left hip. They are sore, but balanced.

The exact muscle that is acting up is the gluteus medius. You can find it by putting your hands on the upper part of your butt, and when you walk, it is the muscle that contracts.

Behold the gluteus medius:

By Anatomography (en:Anatomography (setting page of this image)) [CC-BY-SA-2.1-jp (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.1/jp/deed.en)], via Wikimedia Commons

I’m not sure how to correct it. Brainstorming:

It could be a muscle imbalance? Perhaps my right gluteus medius is weaker than the left, and therefore the hip is collapsing on the right foot strike. But I see no signs of hip tilting in my running pictures. Or, it could be that my right inner quad is weak, relative to the right gluteus medius, which would cause an outward rotation and misalignment the leg.

It could be tight quads? When the quad are tight, they pull on stuff that tugs on the gluteus medius. (We’re very scientific here.) I felt reference pain during the quad massage in my hip, so it’s true. The massage therapist told me that the stick is a great tool for getting at the quad muscle, especially just above the knee. She’s right, it’s better than foam rolling this area.

It could be a tight psoas? The massage therapist checked that out, and it wasn’t painful at all.

It could be skeletal?

It could be the result of too fast of a mileage build up? Suggested by Penny - and a likely scenario…

I guess I lay off the long runs for a few weeks, work on the tight quads, and go about strengthening gluteus medius and inner thighs?

two little runners
Kristen

Carlsbad Half Marathon 2014 Race Recap

1:33:42 (7:09) – a new PR by 30 seconds!

I decided to target 7:15 for the first half of the race, and I was more or less spot on. My plan for the second half was to go faster and to define what that pace would be on the fly during the race. The second half of the race went better than I expected. I sunk into a 7:00 pace and found the zone, taking it to 6:39 in the last mile, and then down to 6:24 to the finish – with lots of energy to spare.

This is the second time I’ve run the Carlsbad Half, and I’ll definitely do it again. The race is well organized, tons of volunteers and water stations, lots of spectators, live bands, nice finisher metals, and the course is scenic.  Miles 2 through 11 are along the Pacific Coast Highway with ocean views the entire way. The course is rolling hills, but nothing significant. And this time of year, you are almost guaranteed perfect running weather. It was about 55 at the start at 7:45 a.m. – a little warmer than usual but gorgeous.

The scenery. And big surf! 4-6 footers with occasional 8s that day.

I tried something new this race that I will definitely not do again. I read in a running book the suggestion of taking a sleeping pill the night before a race. I take a sleeping pill when I travel to the east cost for work. I need it to fall asleep early, and I wanted to go to bed early for this race. I thought I would be okay under race conditions, which is sort of getting up on east coast time = 3 hours earlier than I'm used to. But I was quite drowsy all morning, even during the race. I didn't get the cobwebs out until well into the second half of the race. I don't think it affected my athletic performance, but it probably affected my concentration. 

The Splits

Split	Time
1	0:07:30
2	0:07:01
3	0:07:15
4	0:07:10
5	0:07:20
6	0:07:05
6.7		48:53 (7:18)
7	0:07:15
8	0:06:54
9	0:06:56
10	0:06:59
11	0:07:08
12	0:06:59
13	0:06:39
6.4	0:01:33	44:49 (7:00)
Total		1:33:42 (7:09)

I massively negative split this race. I ran the first 6.7 miles at an average pace of 7:18. And the last 6.4 miles at an average pace of 7:00. So my plan was a little bit too conservative in the first half. But that just leaves another PR opportunity in the near future. I look forward to shaving 30 to 60 seconds off of my next half marathon. Perhaps racing more often and targeting incremental PRs are the way to go?

The Stats

Overall: 206 of 7256 (1st place was 1:02:13)
Women overall: 45 of 4303 (1st place was 1:14:17)
Division F30-34: 12 of 795 (1st place was 1:21:31)

The Details

Mile 1 – 7:30
I was assigned to Wave 1. It’s a small pleasure in life to start a race in the first wave! This was my slowest mile, due to traffic at the start and a hill. This course has rolling hills throughout, and Mile 1 has the biggest climb. I tried to run the rolling hills by trying to keep the same effort level whether I was running up or downhill. I always seemed to pass people on the downhills.

Mile 2 – 7:01
This was a flat mile and because I ran the first mile a bit slow and because this mile featured a heavy metal band, I think I ran it fast. I also got a snot misting from a guy in front of me when he blew out his nose. Disgusting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mile 3 – 7:15
I remember thinking about how I should fuel at water stations for the first time during this mile. Luckily, this race has water stations at almost every mile, so I didn’t need to plan ahead. And at one of the later miles, they give out orange slices, which was so refreshing!

Mile 4 – 7:10
Grabbed a Gu this mile, I think. I was wearing arm warmers again (love them!) and discovered that I could easily hold the Gu in the arm warmer without having to grip them in my hand (love them more now!).

Mile 5 – 7:20
Ate about half the Gu during this mile. Got water.

Mile 6 – 7:05
The turn around and the halfway mark happened this mile. Began considering how fast to go in the second half.

Mile 7 – 7:15
This mile had an uphill and a downhill. Also grabbed some Gatorade. When I saw 7:15 for my split, I got motivated to speed up.

Mile 8 – 6:54 / Mile 9 – 6:56
Nice downhill miles. Got an orange slice and ate another half of a Gu. Pulled away from the 1:35 pace group, which made me happy. It was a very chatty group. It's sort of annoying when you aren't part of the chat.

Mile 10 – 6:59
This mile was flat, which allowed me to think about how I was feeling. With some visualization and mantras, I convinced myself I felt relaxed and in control of my breath at this pace.

Mile 11 – 7:08
This was a downhill mile, but I ran it slow. I started running with a group here but realized they were slowing down.

Mile 12 – 6:59
Broke away from the group. This mile was uphill, so it was a pretty solid effort to run it at this pace.

Mile 13 – 6:39 / Last bit 1:33 (6:24 pace)
This mile began with a nice downhill, allowing me to pick up my pace without feeling the effort of that. I kept up the speedier pace once the course leveled out. I got into the zone (first time ever in a race) and felt relaxed and strong. My breathing was under control, and I felt like a running machine. I was having so much fun passing every one in sight - men, women, half marathoners, marathoners.

The running machine.

Sped up a little bit more in the last 0.1. It's just not right If I don't feel disoriented and pukey when I cross the finish line.

Disoriented...crossing the marathon side of the finish line, oops!
I wonder how many people were telling me to move over...

two little runners
Kristen

Big week to medium week to crap-my-hip-hurts week

Medium week:  Following my big 48 mile week, including a PR 15K!, I cut back a little bit for a 35 mile week and also began my pull up workouts. I was feeling energized, great, and positive. Looking forward to the Carlsbad Half (on Sunday 1/19)!

Su 1/5

Needed a REST DAY post-race. Did Yoga For Athletes DVD, felt amazing!

M 1/6

RUN: 8.75 miles easy in the morning.

PULL UP: Workout #1. 3x10 assisted pullup, 3x15 low row, 3x15 3 way shoulder raises, 3x10 assisted dips.

Tu 1/7

RUN: Legs and core workout.

W 1/8

RUN: 7 miles easy, but hilly, in the morning

PULL UP: 2 miles easy on treadmill as warm up to pull up workout #2. 2x20 pushups, 3 sets cable rows, 3 sets military press, 3 sets pullovers, 2 sets 3 way plank

Th1/9

RUN: Speed workout on treadmill 6.5 miles total with 6 x 0.6 at 9.0 (6:39 pace) with 0.25 rest intervals at 6.0 (10:00) @ 2%

F 1/10

RUN: 2 miles easy on treadmill

PULL UP: Workout #3. 3x15 bar pull ups, 3x15 supinated pull downs, 3x15 upright rows, 3x15 close grip bench press

Sa 1/11

RUN: 8 miles easy

Crap-my-hip-hurts week:  So I went on a 15.5 mile long run on Sunday. Goal was a confidence boosting run for the race. After, my legs felt cranky. You know--sore, tense, curled up. By Monday, I noticed stiffness and soreness in my right hip.

Then Tuesday I sat on an airplane to Chicago for 4+ hours. Sat in meetings all day Wednesday and then another 4+ hour flight back to San Diego. Not good for el hippo.

I consulted Penny, who suggested it was hip bursitis, and then I consulted the internets, which pretty much confirmed it. 

I came across a Dr. Metzl video on Runner's World website on hip injuries, which I think EVERY RUNNER NEEDS TO WATCH!!!!!!! Hip injuries are potentially very serious, as we've all learned from Penny's femoral neck stress reaction. In short, pain in the front of the hip - bad, bad, bad! STOP RUNNING!!! Pain in the side of the hip - you're probably alright. Usually a case of too much too soon. 

Please, please, please watch the video!!

So I laid low the rest of the week. Doing tons of yoga, stretching, rolling. And I'm feeling pretty decent! Race day is Sunday!!

Su 1/12

RUN: 15.5 miles

M 1/13

RUN: 3 miles easy on treadmill.

PULL UP: 3x20 push ups; 3x15 single arm rows (20 lbs); 3x15 front raises (10 pound plate); 3 way planks 2x30 seconds.

Th 1/14

RUN: legs and core workout.

W 1/15

Traveling, etc. for work. No workouts.

Th 1/16

PULL UP: 3x10 assisted chin ups, 3x15 low rows, 3x15 3 way shoulder raises, 3x6 dips (unassisted), 3x15 bar pull ups, 3x30 sec 3 way planks.

F 1/17

Yoga, stretching, rolling

S 1/18

Yoga, stretching, rolling

Kristen 

Going Home(Grown) and Getting Running (And Moo-ed At)

I'm still alive! Hullo hullo! As promised, coming to you at approximately 3 a.m. U.S.-Pacific time

Obviously everyone gets vaaaay busy over the holidays. This becomes exponentially more ridiculous when you're moving countries, packing up your crap, finding new places to live, leaving old jobs, beginning new ones... AND BEGINNING RUNNING AGAIN OMG. 

So, yar, beginning running again would probably have been even more exciting that moving countries... if it wasn't for my renewed ability to cuddle THE CUTEST NIECES AND NEPHEWS IN THE WORLD OMG. 

LOOK AT THAT FACE

For the first couple of weeks here, I stayed at my parents' place in country Victoria (cuddling said nieces and nephews). My parents are avid gardeners and apparently are also trying their hand at forestry. I am actually being serious. Parts of the property are getting that kept-wild look.

 Here is the civilized side: roses...pretty lawn...solar panels...

 

 And out the back, the veggie garden, "orchard" and beyond...

Aaand...gah, forest!

There is a garage here somewhere...

Anyway, parentals, as I know you are reading this, the place looks GREAT. And I have certainly been enjoying the "fruits" of your labor. My running has been fueled by all-sorts of home-grown goodies. Snow peas, broccoli, mini squash (actual squash, not pumpkins... look up the difference Americans)... all different types of lettuce, apricots, cherries...

It's pretty amazing to be able to walk outside to "gather" together your lunch!

Running has been going well also. I spent December building up from my run-walks on the Pfizinger plan, to unbroken runs, which felt like a real victory! As Kristen said, the last 10% of healing seems to take forever, and building mileage through that is a frustrating experience. But it's rewarding when you take it reeeeeally slow, and just focus on being healthy, before being fit.

Mileage wise, my first week running was 3 miles, then 10 miles, both in November, 2013.

Weeks 1-4 of December were: 8.5 miles, 14 miles, 15 miles and 22 miles respectively. Frankly, I haven't been off running too long, so the weekly mileage is not a big deal (in terms of taking it slow building up again). Going from 0 miles to almost 30 (presently) has felt like nothing in the rest of my body; no soreness or the stiffness I got when I first started running distances. All of the distances were run at a high-end easy pace... around 8-8:30min/mile.

What HAS been crucial, is keeping each run slow, and relatively short in order to not to put too much stress on my recently healed hip. I am very careful in building up the distance/intensity of individual runs, and making sure I have rest days between runs, and most especially if I've just run more than I have before. Initially my runs were 3-4 miles, then 4-5 miles, now they are between 5-11 miles (more on recent training later).

All in all, I would say its been a successful recovery, hurrah! Occasionally I have nearly panic-texted Kristen in the middle of the night (her time) whole-heartedly believing I've reinjured myself, but they always turn out to be phantom pains. The ONLY redeeming feature of these sorts of bone injuries, is that the bone actually heals stronger than it was originally. Good consolation prize, I reckon!

And I'll leave you with a picture of the road I spent most of my December runs on. Sun, trees, a very open road...and cows that seem to moo at my running in either a mocking or encouraging fashion... I can't really tell which:

~ Penny