Old Man Still running

Well, about two weeks without serious running, mostly cross-training.  Today I tested things out and the hamstring pain is still there, not much improvement.  However, after some running, the soreness left over isn't much.  So, I'm sick of not running.  When I do run the pain isn't bad, but there.  I tried wrapping the problem area while running and that helps keep the muscle in place better, or jut avoids pressing against a nerve as much.  Can't tell.   I'm going to start running again and hopefully more blood flow will make things improve.

Seven on the treadmill and seven out in the beautiful morning on JRP and Lehi roads.  Hamstring discouraging, needs physical therapy, I'm sure.  I can run fine, can block out the pain which is only about a 2, but no telling what a 100-mile run would do to it. Eventually with 100-mile runs, you get more pain in other areas so I'm sure I will not notice it after awhile, but I'd hate to damage things more.

p.m. the day was so warm, I had to get out again. 5 miles. I discovered that running stairs works well because it puts more pressure on the quads, less on the hamstring.  So I concentrated on short steps with toe strikes.  Much better.  I found some dry dirt (hard to find) above Saratoga Shores school, where there was a south-facing slope that I could run up and down.  Good fun.  Looks like I'll be doing a bunch of early-season hill training.

Progress, I think.  Perhaps this thing just needs six weeks to heal.  Its been five.  Inclined treadmill, pain wasn't bad, kept the upper hamstring wrapped, not tight.  Came away fine.

Better.  Treadmill with periodic stretching of the lower hamstring (not stretching the upper near the injury).  Pain level during running and after is less.  Hamstring seems to be improving. But also plagued badly be a runners knee in the other leg  (bruised underside knee cap).  I just can't seem to kick that one, been a problem for a year.  Holding the leg straight out for awhile, tightening the quad which tightens the tension on the knee cap seems to help. 

Treadmill, morning and noon.  Stayed home today and did some preparation for the pony express race.

Good workout this morning.  First ten miles on the treadmill,  Next went to the high school and ran stairs in the stadium.  2,000 stairs up and down.  Up the 36 stairs I would try to sprint them as fast as I could without tripping, then used a handrail going down so I wouldn't face plant.  Good hill repeats.   Ran about the grassing fields for awhile.  Then went to a high knoll over the Ranches, above Pony Express elementary.  The south-facing slope was dry and I did lots of hill repeats.  Straight up is very steep and I could keep a jog up it. Then going down I would just run all over the slope, using deer trails and creating my own.  The bush is low because of a fire there years ago, so you can run anywhere.  Plenty of rocks to make it technical.   I had a great time but probably looked like a nut to all the residents down below.   Looks like in another week all the trails on the ridges nearby should be ready to run.

Beautiful afternoon, but a cold wind.  I went back and ran all over the knoll which I will call Eagle Top since a road right by it is named that.   The south slope was protected nicely from the wind so I had a nice 4-mile run.

Treadmill, still have the hamstring pain, but not as bad as it was.  I have sympathy for Derek Rose of the Bulls who is being criticized for not coming back yet because of sore hamstring.

Out running at 4:30 a.m. How nice to run that early in shorts.  Did a crazy random run all over the ridges and trails near the Ranches in Eagle Mountain.  Even ran on a couple segments that I had never been on before.  

Hamstring still a big issue, coming to grips that I'll probably have to take off several months again this year to heal.  But it seems like taking days off set me back more than doing some running.  Oh well.  I'll give Buffalo Run a go, but it could be pretty slow.  If so, it will be fun anyway.  Well, I'll soon be 55 years old, the old body won't hold together forever.  

Near the end, while running on a high ridge, I looked down and saw a bunch of runners on a road below.   It finally dawned on me that it was the Shamrock half marathon.  I've run that a couple times and each time won my age group.   I ran down and ran along with some runners for a few hundred yards and then showed off and run up a hill bushwacking.   I went to the finish and talked with some friends.   

Funny how I've barely thought about running a 100 on Friday.  I've been so busy, running is about #5 on my priorities lately. My training shows it too.  Oh well.  I guess I better at least start thinking about it.  I'll give it a go, but there is a good chance I'll bail at mile 50 if the hamstring is getting worse.  Today it feels fine.  But if I went running, it would start complaining again.  So, I'll probably just take it easy on Friday and enjoy running with friends.  At least I finally looked at the weather and discovered that it will be cold and windy.  If it is windy at night, that will be pretty brutal out there.  I hope people are prepared for cold.   I'm just hoping for fun.  I know I can't compete as I wish.  It has been almost two years since I really could "compete" in a race and really push it.  For now, I'll just have fun and try to stay away from more injury.

Treadmill.  For the first time in nearly eight weeks, very little pain in the hamstring as long as I kept the speed slower than 10:00 pace which is a decent 100-mile pace.  So I'm encouraged.  I did have to stop several times to stretch.  So I'm pretty convinced that I am healing.  So, I'll approach this race very different.  In stead of going out fast as usual, I'll maintain more of a steady pace like Matt Watts does.  Hopefully that will work.  It is going to be really cold.

A very short report.  This was my third running of the Buffalo Run 100.  With a bad hamstring, I decided to just treat it as a training run, take it easy, and see what I could do, likely quitting at 50 miles.  I hadn't really trained much in the past 8 weeks since straining the muscle running a silly 5K.

The hamstring started to complain during the first mile, so I just held back.  But I had a great time.  For much of the first 40 miles I ran near my friend, Kristle Liddle, the eventual woman's winner.  It was fun to talk, stategize, and try to help her draft against the wind.  I encouraged her to blast past another woman who we were trailing for miles so she would mentally crush the other runner.  We ran very steady 10:30 miles and rarely walked.  At the Ranch we did pass the other runner. By mile 40, when I stopped to put on more layers for the evening, I fell behind, almost caught back up but just couldn't quite get there.   It got very cold, but I had plenty on to keep me warm. Wind chill during the night would dip into the teens and my water bottle would freeze up between aid stations.

I finished my first 50 in about 9:30.  That shocked me, I didn't think I was going that fast.  On the bright side, I never felt bone pain at all from my break last year.  I'm back from that!   Also on the bright side, by mile 50 the hamstring felt fine (or just as sore as my quads and other muscles.)   I was ready to roll.

I charged up the hill and was about to catch other runners when I ran out of gas.  I struggled for energy for a long time after that, so had to back off.  Buddy Tom Jackson caught up and went ahead.  But only two other runners passed me for the rest of the way.  For the last 25 miles, I just concentrated on averaging 15:00 miles including stops.   It was a cold, but wonderful night.   In the morning, the bacon at the Ranch brought me back to life.

I predicted correctly when I would see the front-running 50-milers coming toward me and I had fun greeting much of the front-mid-pack, most of who somehow knew my name.   Great fun.

I really took the last couple hours easy, just enjoying the morning.  I could not see any other runners ahead nor any behind.  I came in alone at 23:11.  I was very pleased to finish my first sub-24-hour 100 in two years.   It feels like I'm almost back.  I put in about an 80% effort and anxious to try to run a race at 100% effort soon.

Next up, North Coast 24-hour in Cleveland, OH, in four weeks, one of the most competitive fixed-time races in the country.   My hope is always a 100-mile PR and 24-hour distance PR.   We shall see.

Recovery is going very fast, typical when I take a 100-mile race easy.  I can already pass the jog down the stairs test.  The hamstring is sore, but it should be after 100 miles.  We'll see how it feels by the end of the week.   My energy and appetite bounced back much faster than normal.   I only had one very small blister on a toe.  No new injuries.  I'm anxious to be out running again.

Running 100 miles is the secret to curing all your ills.  I'm serious.  This has happened many times to me.  I go into a race with a nagging muscle or tendon issue.  I come out of it cured.  My nagging hamstring issue seems to be gone.  I ran totally pain free for the first time in a long time.   I just did a "getting out the kinks" treadmill run this morning and it went great.   Just some knee joint pain now and then which is normal after a 100.  But the leg muscles feel great.  So, recovery was just 5 days this time....a sure sign that I really was a slacker during the 100.   But, now I can get back to training and focus on the next race.

Did a nice long recovery run.  Ran from home all the way to Fairfield (used the heated bathroom...it is the best).  The sun rose and warmed thing up.  I then ran on ATV trails to Cedar Fort and used the gas station there as an aid station.  Next, ran on dirt roads to the north end of Cedar Valley near Camp Williams and then headed to the Ranches.  Stopped at the convenient store there, and then headed for home.   Legs felt pretty good.  The hamstring is still a little sore, but not much, lots better than last year.  It was nice to be able to do a long training run, the longest since December.

Gotta love the stupid running dreams that ultrarunners have, they tend to be similar.  I had one of the frustrating ones last nights.   Was going to run the Wasatch 100, but the course had been significantly changed into a giant loop course.   I had run the changed course the year before, but for the life of me, I just couldn't figure out where the start was even when trying to examine maps.  Finally I get to the start in time.   But the start was set up like some sort of massive marathon.  I watched a handful of elite runners head off in the first wave and then then I was scrambling to get ready.  Of course my drop bags were missing, oh well.  There were over 2000 runners and we were starting in order of our bibs.   I looked down to my bib and I noticed that I was wearing a hand-draw bib I had made up.  I of course had lost my bib.  But then it occurred to me that they were using chip timing and my custom bib had no chip.  I couldn't start with a fake bib.   No one was around to help.   I was frantic, it all was about to start.  And then I woke up.  Good thing.