Last Sunday afternoon we were debating on whether we would attend one Thanksgiving party or both and how long we would stay at each. It didn't sit well with me because I wanted to go to the party at my friend's house rather than the other party we were invited to attend. It caused a great deal of friction and division in the home that day. Fifteen minutes prior to our departure, I climbed up into the attic to retrieve some warmer outer clothing due to cooler temperatures that had set in. I found what I wanted to wear and proceeded down the ladder back into the house. It was at this point that things took a drastic turn for the worst. Like so many times before, I was standing two steps from the ground, which equals about 2 1/2 feet off the ground, and lunged down to the ground. Instead of gracefully landing my leap, my world turned upside down instantly and my right ankle and leg were immediately engulfed in agonizing pain.
My ankle was obviously weakened from the 10K I had run the day before and when it made contact with the floor it snapped over causing excruciating pain and extreme trauma to my ligaments and ankle. I writhed on the floor in agony and flashes of all the training I had put in for running sped through my mind. My initial thought was my running career could be over for an undefined amount of time. I just wanted this pain to subside and be able to overcome another one of my classic blunders.
Over the course of the next couple of hours I found myself laid up on the couch with ice packs and starving. My family went to the picnic without me and I had to settle for some NBA basketball on T.V. The swelling in my ankle grew and manifested into something very nasty and my ankle became far from recognizable. I had only seen similar sights one time before from a sprain that I had endured and this one looked to be far, far worse. The next two days my ankle swelled to the size of a grapefruit and became black and blue and quite stiff. I proceeded to go to the Urgent Care facility and have it examined. After an examination and x-rays I was informed that I had an avulsion fracture on my ankle and would have to wear a boot and go to an Orthopedic Surgeon for an additional exam. This was not sounding too good for me and I was not looking forward to it.
My appointment would be for the following day, Wednesday, and I dreaded every waking second prior to its arrival. Then the moment of truth came when I walked into the office of the surgeon and sat on the table in his examining room. The doctor darkened the door way sooner than I anticipated. He was an older man well into his sixties and of Indian descent. He took a look at my ankle and felt around on it, probing it and asking me several questions. I answered his questions and gave him a background of my ankle injuries. He studied my unflattering extremity and said that it wasn't fractured and that he would treat it like a severe sprain. He informed me to put heat on it, do stretches and to make sure I kept it supported. I was told the swelling and pain would go away in the next couple of weeks and the range of motion for my ligaments would return a little later as well.
After his diagnosis, he walked briskly back into his office and I was on my way back home; feeling confident. To hear good news that my ankle was not fractured and that things would be getting better soon immediately made me feel better and added a spring in my step. While my ankle is still swollen and experiencing some discomfort, it has greatly improved over the last 48 hours and has restored my hope for getting back onto the roads for some running. I may be down for a short while, but I am far from out.
Friday, November 16, 2012
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Back in training
I have not written on this blog in months and feel like it's time to re-establish my "training blog".
After experiencing and enduring through 2 bouts with Plantar Fasciitis since last December I totally stopped running due to the pain.
In April I competed in the Brew to Brew 44.5 mile relay from KC to Lawrence with 4 of my ACCC cross country teammates. It was a great time of catching up and running. We each ran 2 legs of the 44.5 mile relay. I ran the 5th and last leg. That day started off cool and ended up at 92 degrees, unseasonably warm for April 1st.
That was the first real running I had engaged in for several weeks. I flirted with the idea from time to time through this past summer, but spent time recovering and healing up from the PF. Finally in August the pain had left and I was ready to begin training again.
I had my sites set upon the Dirty30: Zombie Run, the 1st weekend of October. I didn't run it for time, but more for the experience with my friend Randee Stone. Avoiding the zombies was the most fun of the whole day. Weather that day was less than ideal. It was 45 degrees and very windy. Jumping in water and mud wasn't a big deal during the course, but after the race was over, we literally were ice cubes.
The following week I was dealt a blow of 2 days of vomitting, diarreah and no fun. The Saturday after feeling normal again, I was dealt another blow: A Kidney Stone. Worst pain one could endure. It was unbelievable and I thought I was going to die. It hurt so bad.
I was fortunate to survive and get over the pain and discomfort; however, my training took a significant hit as I went from running 3-4 days a week to 1 run each week for a month. Surprisingly, I didn't lose much and was happy to get back to running during the last week of October.
On November 8th we ran at the airport trails and did a 6 mile test run and I felt pretty good logging a time of 56 minutes. Then on Saturday, November10th, I participated in the 1st annual OBU Bison Stampede 5K/10K run. I did the 10K - 6.2 miles in all. It was a windy morning and the temps were in the low 60s. For the lack of training I have had over past month I felt I did amazing. I set a PR for the 10K with a time of 54:24.
From this time on I will be training for some longer distance races and can't wait to see where this road leads. My goals are to run in my first marathon and ultra race. Here's to cooler weather and the 2012/2013 running season.
Anthony
After experiencing and enduring through 2 bouts with Plantar Fasciitis since last December I totally stopped running due to the pain.
In April I competed in the Brew to Brew 44.5 mile relay from KC to Lawrence with 4 of my ACCC cross country teammates. It was a great time of catching up and running. We each ran 2 legs of the 44.5 mile relay. I ran the 5th and last leg. That day started off cool and ended up at 92 degrees, unseasonably warm for April 1st.
That was the first real running I had engaged in for several weeks. I flirted with the idea from time to time through this past summer, but spent time recovering and healing up from the PF. Finally in August the pain had left and I was ready to begin training again.
I had my sites set upon the Dirty30: Zombie Run, the 1st weekend of October. I didn't run it for time, but more for the experience with my friend Randee Stone. Avoiding the zombies was the most fun of the whole day. Weather that day was less than ideal. It was 45 degrees and very windy. Jumping in water and mud wasn't a big deal during the course, but after the race was over, we literally were ice cubes.
The following week I was dealt a blow of 2 days of vomitting, diarreah and no fun. The Saturday after feeling normal again, I was dealt another blow: A Kidney Stone. Worst pain one could endure. It was unbelievable and I thought I was going to die. It hurt so bad.
I was fortunate to survive and get over the pain and discomfort; however, my training took a significant hit as I went from running 3-4 days a week to 1 run each week for a month. Surprisingly, I didn't lose much and was happy to get back to running during the last week of October.
On November 8th we ran at the airport trails and did a 6 mile test run and I felt pretty good logging a time of 56 minutes. Then on Saturday, November10th, I participated in the 1st annual OBU Bison Stampede 5K/10K run. I did the 10K - 6.2 miles in all. It was a windy morning and the temps were in the low 60s. For the lack of training I have had over past month I felt I did amazing. I set a PR for the 10K with a time of 54:24.
From this time on I will be training for some longer distance races and can't wait to see where this road leads. My goals are to run in my first marathon and ultra race. Here's to cooler weather and the 2012/2013 running season.
Anthony
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Flat Tire
Hello there my running comrades...I again must apologize for not writing anything in what seems like a decade. I haven't done much writing or running for that matter in the last 2 months; especially with the holidays it was very busy around my house and I just took a siesta and did some other things.
I figure I should probably start things back up again. A new years' resolution, but 1 month late. As they say, "Better late than never!"
One of the things that sparked my desire to get back into it was through an email I received this week from a fellow writer who asked if they could be featured as a guest writer on my blog. I have given my blessing and will post the writing when I receive it. So stay tuned...more on the horizon.
You may be curious to know why my title is called flat tire...well, because I have had a "flat" tire so-to-speak the past 2 months. Back on December 5th after running that evening with our local running club I noticed discomfort in my right foot; particularly near my heel. It did not feel well and became so painful that it was difficult to even walk on.
The next day as I got up for work was not pretty. I hobbled and hopped around my house like an elderly man...it was a sad sight, but mostly painful. I could barely walk. When I got to work I began to research what may be causing this pain and learned that it was heel spurs/Plantar Faciitis...not what I was desiring to find. It turns out that it is very painful and can last a long time. Both of my parents suffered from it and were in pain for a solid year....I don't think so! I am not about to be sidelined for a year after getting back into shape.
So I took an evening off and ran the following evening. I ran okay but still had noticeable discomfort in my heel as I ran...the longer I ran, the better it was, but still uncomfortable....when I was done, the same scenario played out and I again felt handicapped. I took another night off and proceeded to run again and still had problems. I then made a painful, but necessary decision to let my foot have some rest and time away. So between December 8th and January 29th, I did not do any kind of running or working out at all. Some days would be really painful and other days were more manageable.
I began wearing some high arched soccer style flip-flops and put some supports in my shoes and things began to improve...it is apparent that I have high arches thus causing more problems than I would like to have. Monday, the 30th of January came around and I actually felt very good and decided that I would break my time away from running and go for a run...
On a side note, I had been invited by some college teammates to join them in a race held on April 1st. It is a 44.4 mile relay event and I wanted to participate, so I said I was in...so now I have committed myself to train for something and was not totally sure if I could go through with it or not, but I was signed up.
Monday evening rolled around and I ventured out and met up with the running group that I go with and we ran a 5K...I wasn't going to go very fast and was going to just baby it, but my body said otherwise...i felt like a caged animal that had just been released. My legs and mind were ready to go and instantly snapped into running mode and thus I propelled myself into a faster than planned pace.
I ended up finishing the 5K in 25:08. Not my fastest time nor was it my slowest time ever. It was still an 8:30/mi pace and only about :30/mi off my pace that I was running in early December. The nice thing was that I was pain free during the entire run...my biggest problem was the workout my lungs got....they were tired :) and then I got home and rested and iced my heel and again the pain flared up by morning and I felt incapacitated again...but I wasn't as bad off as I have been in the past.
I rested yesterday and am ready for another go at it tonight...probably not going to push too hard, but am going to get 3 miles in and see where I stand after this evening...here's to new tires on the old model.
I will leave you with this quote that I came up with on Monday....
"Runners never get old...they just have high mileage"
it doesn't matter how old you are physically because anyone can begin running...some have run more than others and those who have run for a long time have just logged a lot of mileage...kind of like a car does after a few years.
Until next time....Scarecrow Runner
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
I confess, I have been unfaithful
No, not that kind of unfaithfulness, but in the electronic age, it could be considered that. :)
I found a new and easier way to log my mileage and workouts online and have been using it a lot lately. I have been using http://www.mapmyrun.com . I decided that it would be easier to just post my workouts and mileage on there, rather than write about my workouts. I got convicted of it today and decided I need to continue to write about my thoughts and workouts on here to give people an opportunity to "hear" me and understand what I have gone through. It has been an adventure and its no fun when someone is left on hold and is anxiously awaiting your next post.
I have not been running as hard or as often in the last 2 weeks due to life getting in the way and different projects that needed attention. I also would say I hit the wall a bit and needed to give my body a little more rest so that I can continue running with enjoyment and prevent injury. I will in the coming days and weeks continue to write about my running experiences. The last 2 weeks have in fact been perfect for running and thus I have enjoyed some nice runs where I didn't sweat to death or feel like death when I finished.
I have logged just under 32 miles for the month of September and thus I am still on pace to increase my overall monthly mileage from the month of August.
Until next time,
Scarecrow Runner
I found a new and easier way to log my mileage and workouts online and have been using it a lot lately. I have been using http://www.mapmyrun.com . I decided that it would be easier to just post my workouts and mileage on there, rather than write about my workouts. I got convicted of it today and decided I need to continue to write about my thoughts and workouts on here to give people an opportunity to "hear" me and understand what I have gone through. It has been an adventure and its no fun when someone is left on hold and is anxiously awaiting your next post.
I have not been running as hard or as often in the last 2 weeks due to life getting in the way and different projects that needed attention. I also would say I hit the wall a bit and needed to give my body a little more rest so that I can continue running with enjoyment and prevent injury. I will in the coming days and weeks continue to write about my running experiences. The last 2 weeks have in fact been perfect for running and thus I have enjoyed some nice runs where I didn't sweat to death or feel like death when I finished.
I have logged just under 32 miles for the month of September and thus I am still on pace to increase my overall monthly mileage from the month of August.
Until next time,
Scarecrow Runner
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Labor Day weekend
Week to date mileage: 8.96
Labor Day Weekend I didn't do a lot.
Friday was a cardio day and I did 40 minutes of cardio/cross training. 20 minutes on the elliptical and 20 minutes on the bike.
Saturday was a rest day and although I was resting, I still managed to pull up my carpet in the living room and sand down some spots on the floor. It made my back hurt, so I still did some exercise. HA! And then watched football. AHHHHH.
Sunday was church and the weather changed finally. From 100's+ for more than 50 days this summer to the upper 70s and lows in the 50's/60's...absolutely beautiful...I went for a 5.7 mile run on Sunday afternoon and enjoyed it as much as you can. :) I was proud of myself for not stopping and walking at all..I pushed, persevered and finished. I also took the kids to the park and let them enjoy the beautiful weather. They absolutely loved playing outside all day.
Monday was again beautiful and we were all at home because of Labor Day. The kids played outside all day and we had the windows open and let the cool, refreshing air blow through the house. The kids loved it so much, that they ate breakfast, lunch and dinner outside! They even got blankets and laid on the ground for a while to relax. How refreshing is that? I ended up running 3.26 miles. My legs were so tired, but I pushed through and finished. It's all about building the leg muscles and endurance up. :)
Here's to another great week! Before you know it, Halloween will be here.
Scarecrow Runner
Labor Day Weekend I didn't do a lot.
Friday was a cardio day and I did 40 minutes of cardio/cross training. 20 minutes on the elliptical and 20 minutes on the bike.
Saturday was a rest day and although I was resting, I still managed to pull up my carpet in the living room and sand down some spots on the floor. It made my back hurt, so I still did some exercise. HA! And then watched football. AHHHHH.
Sunday was church and the weather changed finally. From 100's+ for more than 50 days this summer to the upper 70s and lows in the 50's/60's...absolutely beautiful...I went for a 5.7 mile run on Sunday afternoon and enjoyed it as much as you can. :) I was proud of myself for not stopping and walking at all..I pushed, persevered and finished. I also took the kids to the park and let them enjoy the beautiful weather. They absolutely loved playing outside all day.
Monday was again beautiful and we were all at home because of Labor Day. The kids played outside all day and we had the windows open and let the cool, refreshing air blow through the house. The kids loved it so much, that they ate breakfast, lunch and dinner outside! They even got blankets and laid on the ground for a while to relax. How refreshing is that? I ended up running 3.26 miles. My legs were so tired, but I pushed through and finished. It's all about building the leg muscles and endurance up. :)
Here's to another great week! Before you know it, Halloween will be here.
Scarecrow Runner
Friday, September 2, 2011
15K training week 1: Day 4
Daily Mileage 2.00
Weekly Mileage 12.4
Total time: 114:00
Last night I ran a swift 2 mile run. I was going to take it easy, but my legs said otherwise. I was actually running at a pretty good pace. I guess that happens when you start getting into shape. What used to be the norm for a workout and was slow is now transformed. When I think I am going slow, I am actually going a lot faster. :)
I ended up running 2 miles in 15:12. My first mile was in 7:29. While this is far from my times in college, it is still an accomplishment for me. I would like to get my 2 mile time back down below 14 and then ultimately below 12 minutes. So here is to a good workout and many more to come....I am definitely welcoming September with cooler temperatures.
Weekly Mileage 12.4
Total time: 114:00
Last night I ran a swift 2 mile run. I was going to take it easy, but my legs said otherwise. I was actually running at a pretty good pace. I guess that happens when you start getting into shape. What used to be the norm for a workout and was slow is now transformed. When I think I am going slow, I am actually going a lot faster. :)
I ended up running 2 miles in 15:12. My first mile was in 7:29. While this is far from my times in college, it is still an accomplishment for me. I would like to get my 2 mile time back down below 14 and then ultimately below 12 minutes. So here is to a good workout and many more to come....I am definitely welcoming September with cooler temperatures.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
15K training week 1: Day 3 and 4
Daily Mileage: 7.1 Weekly Mileage: 10.4Overall Time: 99:00
My workout on Wednesday consisted of some "track work". Of course I do not have a track to run on, so I simulated it on the treadmill as best as I could. It was some interval work that needed to be done for me. 4 sets of 800 meters. This is the equivalent of a 3200 meter run or 2 miles. I did a 1/2 mile warm up and a 1/4 mile warm down. In between each interval I jogged/walked a 1/4 mile or 250 meters. This brought my overall total for the day to 3 miles. I pushed myself pretty hard. The workout called for me to run it at 5k pace and lately my 5k pace has been between 8 minutes and 8:30...but my college pace was much, much faster and that is where I would like to be once again....somewhere in the upper 5 minute to lower 6 minute pace...I definitely got some work to do...
I ran the first 800 at a 7:03 pace...then the 2nd and 3rd 800 I ran at a 6:58 pace and the final 800 I pushed myself and ran at a 6:27 pace. I know running on the treadmill is not the same as running outside on the roads or track, but it definitely is a great substitute for running in the extreme heat...it looks like the heat wave is tapering for at least a few days. A cold front is supposed to push through on Saturday night and the highs for Sunday through Wednesday are in the mid 80s...much more like it! It may be perfect weather for my cross country run on the 10th...
Thursday, Sept 1st....the 1st day of September and I woke up feeling like total crap. I was extremely sleepy, fatigued and felt nauseous...not a good morning. Since I needed to go get my car tag during lunch today, I totally scrapped my plans for running and thought maybe I should just substitute my rest day on Friday for today, but no...I decided after lunch that I am still going to do my run today. It isn't a killer workout anyways. It is only a 2 mile run mixed with some strength training...I figure I will do some body weight lunges, mixed with pushups and situps and then do my strength workout on Friday...that would be a good way to workout hard to not have any running to worry about and just pump some mean iron. :)
So here is to the month of September. I finished the month of August with 65.76 miles..looking forward to hitting close to 80 for the month of September as I push myself to train for the Tulsa Run in October. I haven't made a complete commitment to run this race yet, but that is my goal.
My workout on Wednesday consisted of some "track work". Of course I do not have a track to run on, so I simulated it on the treadmill as best as I could. It was some interval work that needed to be done for me. 4 sets of 800 meters. This is the equivalent of a 3200 meter run or 2 miles. I did a 1/2 mile warm up and a 1/4 mile warm down. In between each interval I jogged/walked a 1/4 mile or 250 meters. This brought my overall total for the day to 3 miles. I pushed myself pretty hard. The workout called for me to run it at 5k pace and lately my 5k pace has been between 8 minutes and 8:30...but my college pace was much, much faster and that is where I would like to be once again....somewhere in the upper 5 minute to lower 6 minute pace...I definitely got some work to do...
I ran the first 800 at a 7:03 pace...then the 2nd and 3rd 800 I ran at a 6:58 pace and the final 800 I pushed myself and ran at a 6:27 pace. I know running on the treadmill is not the same as running outside on the roads or track, but it definitely is a great substitute for running in the extreme heat...it looks like the heat wave is tapering for at least a few days. A cold front is supposed to push through on Saturday night and the highs for Sunday through Wednesday are in the mid 80s...much more like it! It may be perfect weather for my cross country run on the 10th...
Thursday, Sept 1st....the 1st day of September and I woke up feeling like total crap. I was extremely sleepy, fatigued and felt nauseous...not a good morning. Since I needed to go get my car tag during lunch today, I totally scrapped my plans for running and thought maybe I should just substitute my rest day on Friday for today, but no...I decided after lunch that I am still going to do my run today. It isn't a killer workout anyways. It is only a 2 mile run mixed with some strength training...I figure I will do some body weight lunges, mixed with pushups and situps and then do my strength workout on Friday...that would be a good way to workout hard to not have any running to worry about and just pump some mean iron. :)
So here is to the month of September. I finished the month of August with 65.76 miles..looking forward to hitting close to 80 for the month of September as I push myself to train for the Tulsa Run in October. I haven't made a complete commitment to run this race yet, but that is my goal.
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