Cursed Realm of the Faceless Ghost

AM: Another lap on the cemetery loop with Catherine this morning. My legs are still hurting, but they're getting better--enough so that I was able to hang with Catherine on the G Street descent today. 

My legs haven't actually felt sore since Saturday's race--just in pain, injury style. Fortunately, they're recovering quickly and I don't think I'm actually injured.

27:09

PM: I went out for yet another lap on the cemetery loop before dinner. My legs are actually feeling pretty good, and it seems like Sapper Joe didn't take nearly as much out of me as the Buffalo Run did. I hope I'm recovered enough to put in some good miles over my long weekend.

22:50

Catherine and I drove down to St. George this evening. We checked in to our hotel and then I went for a quick run on the bike path. My legs seem recovered, and except for some wild heartburn, I felt great. I'm hoping to put in some decent mileage over the next few days, even though the temperatures may rise into the triple digits. Yikes.

38:02 

AM: Ran 4 miles on the bike path with Catherine to start the day.

33:39

PM: I planned to go for a long run in the late afternoon., but I didn't feel well at all. Lunch was sitting in my stomach like a brick, and I had no energy. Maybe I underestimated the effect of the heat on me, or maybe it's something I ate. Either way, it was a terrible run and I had to just stop and gather myself a couple of times. I ended up with 9.65 miles

1:11:13

Normally, two runs are plenty, but I was so frustrated with the run this afternoon that I decided to try again. I ran around the hill behind the hotel (Webb Hill?) and then up a dirt road to the top for a total of 5.75 miles. I felt better than I did earlier, but far from 100 percent and my stomach was still not happy.

44:27

AM: This heat is killing me! I just feel drained every time I run down here. Plus, my stomach is not happy which may or may not have anything to do with the heat--I really don't know. Anyways, I hit the Virgin River Trail at 8:00 this morning. I followed some signs around what I guess is called the Mayor's Loop, then finished with an out and back to the trailhead by the Bloomington Country Club for a total of 9.5 miles. Now for some breakfast and a nap, so I can have a better run this afternoon (I hope).

1:10:18

PM: Stair repeats. I ran 20 sprints up the three-story staircase in the hotel tonight, walking down for recovery. Not sure how far or how long. I may need to spend more time on the stairs, though, because I just gave in to peer pressure and registered for the Speedgoat 50K. That's 12,00 feet of climbing in just over 30 miles.

I hit the Virgin River Trail at 7:30 this morning, and I was worried that today would be no better than the last two. Fortunately, I had no stomach issues until the last few miles and I was able to tolerate the heat well enough. It wasn't a great run, but it was a good one, and for now I'll take it. Three laps on the Mayor's Loop plus the out and back to the hotel for a total of 16.5 miles.

2:03:12

Back in Salt Lake as of this evening. I will miss not going to work, but I won't miss the heat.

It felt good to be away from the oppressive heat in St. George (although Salt Lake seems to be hotter than I left it), and it feels even better to be back on the trails after being (involuntarily) restricted to the bike path for the last few days.

After oversleeping by nearly an hour, I set out to run the BST. I ran east to west at what I'd describe as 50K intensity--not a relaxed pace, but not an all-out effort. Basically, I run moderate tempo on the climbs and just cruise on the flats and descents. I'd like this to replace Liberty Park as my go-to daily run over the next few months.

1:21:54

AM: I went for another trail run this morning, but I decided to get some more vertical this time. I started by running the BST up the west side before hitting the climb to the ridge in 12:01 (I'm getting faster). From the ridge I continued up the series of three consecutive summits (I wasn't doing much running on this section), eventually topping out at the radio towers. From the towers I retraced my steps back to the mouth of the canyon and then ran the BST up the other side to the meadow. Once at the meadow, I took the dirt road back into the Avenues and then ran the steep pavement descent back home. I finished with just over 10.4 miles.  

1:29:01

PM: Catherine and I ran an easy lap together around the grass at Sugarhouse Park.

 Another morning run on the BST, this time starting up Memory Grove and running the trail west to east. I was noticeably tired today, although the limiter was a lack of energy more than fatigue in the legs. I took it easy as a result, and I'll take it easier tomorrow, avoiding the trails and hills altogether. No need to overdo anything and ruin my chance for a good weekend.

1:30:25

AM: I was surprised to wake up to rain this morning, although I probably wouldn't have been if I had bothered to check a weather report. Anyways, my legs are pretty tired after the last few days, so I decided to take it easy. To and from Liberty park plus two laps on the track for a total of 6 miles.

47:13

PM: Easy 3.5 mile loop up Memory Grove and back home through the Avenues.

27:19

My cousin got married this afternoon, so I took the day off work. Since I had the time, I decided to go for a long run. I had planned a route from the Hogle Zoo to Ensign Peak, but I didn't know if I had that much time. Plus, with my decision to run Speedgoat I decided I should spend more time on the steep climbs. So, I chose to run up Black Mountain to preview the Wahsatch Steeplechase course (and help me decide if I even want to race next weekend).

 I ran up via Memory Grove, and it was rough. Actually, it wasn't too bad, and it was all runable (if you allow for a charitable interpretation of the verb run) up until the last mile before the crags. As for that last mile--wow.

Anyways, I made it as far as the crags, where I sat down, ate a gel and realized I had a lot less time than I had imagined. I quickly retraced my steps back doen the mountain and was home just in time to shower, change, pick Catherine up and drive down to the Timpanogos Temple.

2:21:24

We had to get up a little after 3:00 this morning, so Catherine and I didn't get much sleep last night. But the reason we had to get up so early was so she could run the Utah Valley half marathon, so I'm not complaining. I had fun watching her and the other runners, and I'm glad I was there when Catherine PRed by almost 20 minutes. You can read more about it on her blog.

Because my parents are in town, we went up to my Grandma's house in Bountiful for a family dinner. I decided to multitask while getting my run in, so I ran to Grandma's house. Up through Memory Grove, then out to Bountiful via the Bonneville Shoreline trail. From there it was up and down along Bountiful Boulevard until the pounding descent down 400 North. Fortunately, it ended with a hot shower and a tasty dinner.

1:48:04

Oops. I waited too long, and the Wahsatch Steeplechase is full. Obviously, it's my fault, but I'm still disappointed. I guess I'll just have to go for a very long run on Saturday.

I got up at 5:00 so I could climb Black Mountain before work. I'm hoping to become much more familiar with the route over the next six weeks, but right now I hate it. It's a beast, and I freaking HATE that last mile before the crags. But it is a good way to get some serious vertical right in my back yard.

Anyways, I was slow this morning. I was taking it easy today (as easy as you can take it on that trail), and I wish that explained my time. But the fact is I felt slow and clumsy. Not exhausted or even particularly fatigued--there just wasn't much in the tank. Today I walked several steep sections after leaving the BST and beginning the 5K to the summit (which I "ran" in 46:02, by the way). On Friday I ran most of them, so I know I can go faster.

I'm glad I could start my week with a run like this. Right now my body is rebelling against the steep hills I've been adding to my routine. But I'm the boss, and I say it will adapt, whether it likes it or not.

2:26:55

AM: Easy run at Liberty Park to let my legs recover from the last few runs. To and from, plus three laps on the cinder track for a total of 7.6 miles.

59:55

PM: Another easy run, this time up through Memory Grove and back down through the Avenues for a total of 3.5 miles.

27:49

I ran again later in the evening with Catherine, this time doing a slightly extended version of the Memory Grove loop for a total of 4 miles.

34:56

AM: I went out for a steady run on my Beck Street loop, finishing with 8 miles. Last time I ran the route it started snowing on me as I came past the capitol and I had to cut the run short. Today, there was a stiff headwind on the rise up to the capitol, but other than that the weather was great. Unfortunately, my knee has been giving me a little trouble since last night, but I'm hoping that will clear up soon. 

1:01:24

PM: Cemetery Loop with Catherine for 3 more miles.

27:55

Early run on the BST, from Dry Whatever all the way down to Ensign Peak. The climbs are actually starting to feel pretty mellow, which tells me my trips up Black Mountain are paying off. I had to get to work after, so I cut the return on the road short, coming straight down Capitol Hill instead of running down Bonneville Boulevard and out through Memory Grove. Still, it's a fairly long run, especially for a weekday morning, and it serves up some decent vertical. 

1:58:54

Easy 2 miles on the track with Catherine. 

18:53

My right knee hurts. It started Wednesday evening, and it was bad enough by Thursday that I wondered if I should run. I headed out in the morning to see how it felt, and it felt fine to run on, so I did nearly 15 miles on the trail without pain (although it did hurt for a couple of minutes at the start and after I stopped for a couple of minutes in the middle). After that run, however, it got worse.

Today my knee hurt quite a lot, whether I was walking or sitting, and it was very bad when I tried to jog on the track, although it felt a little better after the run. It feels partly like I bashed my knee into something and bruised my kneecap, and partly like I have a sore tendon stretched over my kneecap that hurts every time I bend it. I'm not sure what the problem is, but I took it easy today and I'll take it easy tomorrow and as long as it takes for the pain to clear up. If it doesn't feel like things are improving by Monday, I'll try to schedule and appointment with the old sawbones.

And things were going so nicely. 

Because of my knee, I actually ended up being glad I missed the Steeplechase. Maybe next year.

Instead of racing, this morning I went down to Pleasant Grove to watch Catherine race. Her race went very well--Catherine won her age group and took second overall while knocking more than two minutes off her 5K PR, and I had a lot of fun being there.

My knee was still tender, and although I haven't yet decided to stop running on it, I have decided to avoid any kind of uneven terrain until it feels better. For now, that means lots of miles on the track. After the race, I went over to Orem High for a run of my own, and ended up putting in ten miles on the track. That's a lot of circles.

My knee felt tender at first so I started off slowly, but I kept feeling better as I ran and I ended up settling into a low-7s pace, throwing in some faster efforts in the last three miles. By the end my knee ached more than it hurt, and after the run (and for the rest of the afternoon) it felt much, much better than it did yesterday.

I'm not sure what to make of that, but it seems as though the running isn't making things worse. As usual, tomorrow will be completely off, and I plan to keep things on the track for most of next week, although I may try to get some hill work in by running repeats up Ensign Peak and walking down (it seems like downhills may be what hurt my knee the most). I hope to be ready for the Gruesome Grizzly 8K next weekend. I've never run a short trail race, and I'm hoping it will be lots of fun.

1:11:53 

Rest day. Although it still hurts, my knee is feeling much better, which is encouraging. I plan to take it easy next week for as long as it takes, and hopefully I'll get better quickly. If things don't keep improving, I may try to get in to see a doctor.

AM: I'm avoiding downhill running until I'm sure my knee is better, so I woke up this morning and drove to Liberty Park, where I ran seven laps on the cinder track (10.1 miles). My knee felt good throughout the run--not normal, but not hurt, either--but it was pretty stiff and a little sore afterward. I iced it when I got home, and know I think it feels about the same as it did before the run. I'll be glad if I'm not getting worse, but I hope to see some improvement, too. I miss the trails already. 

1:10:30

PM: No more running today. My knee has been up and down throughout the day, but right now it really hurts so rest is probably the answer. This sucks. 

I've decided to take some time off and see what happens. I hate to do it, because the next few weeks are when I need to be training hard to be ready for Speedgoat, but I won't be ready fpr anything if my knee doesn't heal. I think I'll use day passes at one of the local rec centers and swim some laps to maintain my fitness while my knee recovers.

PM: I went to the aquatic center and swam continuously for an hour. I feel good now, but I haven't swam in a couple of years, so I wonder if I'll be able to lift my arms tomorrow morning. 

I'm happy to say my arms survived yesterday's swim, so swimming will be a viable cross training option for as long as me knee is giving me trouble. But injured or not, I need to get ready for the mountains, so this morning I decided to see if my knee could handle the stair-stepper. 

I spent an hour on the machine, during which I covered only 2.8 miles. According to the machine I also ascended well over 4,000 feet, so it was probably the best thing I could do to get ready for Speedgoat without actually running up mountains. And so far it didn't seem to hurt my knee at all.

AM: According to the email I received yesterday, there's a spot for me at Logan Peak this weekend, which makes my knee problem that much more annoying. Although I already knew I shouldn't run, I moved my appointment with the doctor up with hopes that he would tell me to go ahead. He didn't.

Apparently, I have "a textbook case of runner's knee," or patellofemoral pain syndrome. In other words, I ran too hard down too many hills with too little recovery and pounded the #$%@ out of the cartilage behind my right kneecap. Actually, that's a bit strong--so far I've just pounded the heck out of it. The remedy is rest (but not complete rest, by golly), physical therapy and stability shoes (possibly with orthotics).

I'm on board with the first two (only because insurance will cover the therapy), but I'm not so sure about the third. I don't want to go all Born to Run on anyone--I'm not worried that the shoes will hurt me--but I'm skeptical that the shoes will really make a difference. And I'm not sure I want to drop 70 bucks on a pair of Mountain Masochists to find out, especially when my Cascadias have plenty of life left in them. Please let me know if you have an opinion one way or the other.

Anyways, the doctor says I'm probably fine running on the track, and he says I can use the stair stepper, although he doesn't really endorse it. But so far the stair machine seems to leave my leg feeling better (plus, Speedgoat), so I think I'll keep using it. I'll also throw in regular miles on the track so I don't forget how to run. I'd like to join my friend on his Timp run/scramble next Friday, so that will serve as an indicator of where I stand. If my knee handles it, I'll ease back into my regular routine. If not, I'll revise my plans accordingly.

As for this morning's workout--another hour on the stair machine for a sweaty good time. According to the machine, I ascended well over 4,000 feet, but who knows how accurate that is. According to the same machine, my effort was equal to 25K in an hour, and we all know that probably isn't happening for anyone ever and certainly not for me right now. I'll just put down three miles and call it good.

PM: I ran four easy miles on the track with Tigger. An hour later my knee seems to be holding up fine, so that's encouraging. I'm still tentatively planning on racing the Gruesome Grizzly on Saturday to test my knee (and my speed). 

30:28

Another easy four miles on the track this evening with a few strides thrown in. So far my knee seems to be improving. We'll see how it behaves tomorrow.

28:58 

AM: Catherine and I went down to Provo for the Gruesome Grizzly 8K. I'm sure I could learn some lessons from this morning, but right now I'd rather forget the whole thing.

I wasn't even sure if I should be running because of my knee, and by the time we arrived at the start I decided that I was going to run with Catherine instead of racing off the front. But when we started I couldn't resist, and I settled into third place as we left the parking lot.

I was fine up the first climb, but my stomach felt a little off. That's no surprise--it usually feels off when I push hard. I think that's because I almost never train for this kind of effort, so when it's time to go my stomach doesn't know what to do. Anyways, instead of pushing through I gave up mentally, and shortly after, on the Grizzly climb, I pretty much gave up physically.

I could have run that climb, but instead I walked most of it (almost all of it, in fact). Several runners caught me and passed me, but I decided to tuck into the group and hang on for the ride. At the top of the climb I passed a couple of runners on the flat and settled into a groove, but I just couldn't push. My head wasn't in the game, and my body responded accordingly. I'm the master of negative self-talk, and after a mile I had worked myself into quite a funk.

So of course, when my knee started acting up on the descent, I cracked. I don't regret that I walked in for the last 1.5 miles--there was no reason to push through and make my knee worse--but I do regret that I was happy to have an excuse to quit, and I'm disappointed with the way my race went up until that point.

It's interesting to listen to your thoughts as runners pass you continuously as you walk to the finish. Mine fell into three categories: jealousy ("look at that punk running--I wish I could still run"), guilt (almost every runner who passed me had something encouraging to say--I wish I could have responded by putting in an effort), and shame(I felt this urge to explain to everyone that I was walking because I was hurt because I was afraid people would think I just couldn't handle the course). 

Anyways, some days are better than others. After the race, Catherine and I chatted with Jun for a while, and we both won prizes in the raffle. Plus, Catherine took third in her age group, extending her reign of terror (such as it is) to two weeks. So it wasn't all bad :)

PM: Catherine had to work in the afternoon, so I decided to hike up Grandeur Peak after lunch. (And that was a planned hike--not a planned run that turned into a hike when I couldn't cut it.) That trail is still a beast--over 3,00 feet of vertical in about two miles. My knee was fine on the way up, but it protested all the way down. In fact, I actually descended more slowly than I climbed. Needless to say, my knee and I are not on speaking terms right now. 

Rest day. I was worried I had set myself back after my knee pain yesterday, but I don't feel any worse and I think I'm still moving in the right direction. I plan to do some easy running tomorrow, and I won some KT Tape in the raffle yesterday, so we'll see of that helps. I'm skeptical, but hopeful, too.

Also, I plan to see if I can start seeing the therapist this week. In the meantime, I'm also starting to stretch regularly, and I'm trying to use the foam roller, too. If there's anything I can do to heal faster, I'd better do it. 

AM: My knee felt pretty good all day yesterday. Before going to bed last night I applied some KT Tape (following the runner's knee instructions), and right away my knee felt almost normal. When I woke up today I thought there was no way it could be this easy--my knee felt great and I was about to toss my skepticism aside and buy a whole case of the miracle tape.

Unfortunately, the miracle was over as soon as I hit the track. I wasn't in agony, but my knee certainly didn't feel normal, and the tape did nothing to change that. Or maybe it did something--it's really hard to tell sometimes. Anyways, I'll keep using the tape because it was free and it doesn't seem to be hurting. I'll wait till the roll is gone to decided whether it's actually worth buying.

Anyways, my knee felt okay--not great, but okay--throughout my five-mile jog, but it hurt quite a bit when I stopped. Very stiff and sore. But 30 minutes after my run it felt no worse than it did before my run. I'm not sure if this means I should keep running on the track or not. The doctor said it would be okay, and it doesn't seem to make things worse, but my goal is to get better, not to not get worse. For now, I think I'll continue doing easy runs on the track, plus workouts on the stair-stepper, in the pool, and on the treadmill (at a steep incline). Unfortunately, I suspect Speedgoat won't be happening this year.

37:40

PM: Treadmill miles. I've found that while my knee is tolerable running at easy paces on the flats, it seems to feel just fine running uphill. I figure that's a pretty good deal, since it means I can maintain my strength without pounding my knee too hard.

With that in mind, I started with a 10-minute warmup and then set the treadmill to 15 percent for a 30-minute hill climb. I started with 2.5 minutes at 5 mph, then I did three 5-minute reps at 5.5 mph with five minutes at 5 mph between them (I finished the last interval with 30 seconds at 6.5 mph). I ended the climb with another 2.5 minutes at 5 mph, then I leveled out the treadmill and ran at an easy pace until I hit 5 miles in just over 50 minutes.    

AM: I planned to be at the gym by 6:00 this morning so I could spend an hour on the elliptical, but I got a late start and didn't get there till 6:20. Unfortunately, there was no one there yet, so I went to the track at East High. (It turns out that the gym opens at 6:30, not 6:00, but it's been so long since I've gone in the morning that I had forgotten. Oops.)

I ran three easy miles (maybe more--sometimes I lose track) on the track, but that was it because my knee was feeling sore (I can't wait to start therapy tomorrow). East High is more interesting than West High. Yesterday, the only people on the West High track were two senior women walking with trekking poles. Today at East High I shared the track with--in addition to several runners--three middle-aged triathletes, two Cross Fitters, and one race walker. Excellent people watching.

No watch.

PM: Back to the gym for 50 minutes on the elliptical. It's boring, but my knee has no objections.

I had my first appointment with the physical therapist this morning. The real work will start on the next visit, but I did get some stretches and exercises to do at home. According to the therapist, I started taking care of my knee soon enough that we should be able to resolve the problem quickly. Let's hope so.

I think the biggest benefit of therapy will be having some to tell me what not to do. For example, the therapist told me not to run for the next couple of days. He said the elliptical was fine, and at first he approved hiking. Then he found out I was planning to hike up the face of Granduer Peak, so he told me not to hike. Although the climb would be fine, the descent would set me back. I already knew that, of course, but I probably would have gone for the hike if the therapist hadn't told me not to.

After my appointment I went to the gym and did one hour on the elliptical, followed by 15 minutes and just over one mile of hiking on the treadmill at a 15 percent grade. (Because the therapist told me not to hike because of the descents, I figured this was fair game.)

In the evening I went back to the gym with Catherine and hiked uphill for 30 more minutes on the treadmill. This time I did intervals (yes, apparently you can walk intervals) to experiment with how fast I can hike. I didn't discover my limit, but I did find out that 12:30 per mile is walkable. At that pace, it's actually more efficient to run. But to become a faster runner I often run steep hills at paces that would be hiked more efficiently, so I suppose hiking at paces better suited to running is the way to become a faster hiker.

Last day to withdraw my Speedgoat registration is July 11. I won't make a decision until then.