As the heat moves in …

Summer weather finally arrived today: high near 90, higher humidity than we’ve had. I waited until later to run, hitting Forbidden Drive close to 7:30 p.m. (Fortunately, sunset isn’t until a little after 8:30). Did it make a difference? I don’t know. I had to work to get tonight’s run in. Even after the first mile, when I hoped it would get easier, it didn’t. At least it didn’t get harder.

I tried to slow down, but I ended up running three miles in 33 minutes: fast for me, especially in this weather. Perhaps that explains the difficulties I was having.

A visit to the friendly neighborhood podiatrist

This morning I had my long-awaited appointment with the podiatrist. I was able to find one who is a runner, so I knew the odds of him telling me, “Hang it up, buster!” were pretty low.

I learned a few things. First, he told me that running three days in a row was not a good idea. He recommended that I limit my running to two days in a row; every other day is also fine. He recommended cross training on the other days.

I also spoke with him about Forbidden Drive. He didn’t find running on Forbidden Drive to be that much better than running on asphalt. While the surface is dirt, it’s firmly packed and therefore not very forgiving. If I wanted to run on a soft surface, he said, try grass.

I suppose that’s good news and bad news. On the one hand, I need not worry too much about not getting down to Forbidden Drive in the winter time, when darkness falls early and the park is closed after work. On the other hand, I can’t depend on the Drive to reduce my risk of injury. Well, at least it’s scenic.

No pain … well, almost

Before my Tuesday night run, I decided to make sure that I had positioned my orthotics correctly within my shoes. Instead of placing them all the way at the back, I moved them forward so that they fit the shapes of my arches better. I also tied my shoes tighter just to ensure that the orthotics wouldn’t slide back.

Well, it worked. I was able to run the entire time without foot pain. I did have some pain in my left calf, some of which went away with stretching.

As usual, I ran three miles. I ran a bit faster than I had been lately, finishing my run in a little under 34 minutes.

New pain

I can’t believe that I never blogged Friday night’s run! I had a good one, although I experienced a little bit of foot pain. I’m getting concerned that my orthotics aren’t quite right (but they are, after all, fifteen years old, so my foot may have changed some since then). Perhaps we’ll get this straightened out when I visit the podiatrist on Thursday.

Outside of that, though, it was a good, early evening run. I went down to Forbidden Drive a little after 5 p.m. When I left the office, the air seemed humid, but the moisture seemed to have dissipated by the time I got to Valley Green. The temperature seemed a  bit cooler, too. (It helps, of course, that Forbidden Drive is in a valley and runs next to a stream.) I ran slowly: three twelve-minute miles. During the first part of the run, I felt as if I were running with legs of lead.

Tonight’s run was somewhat better: I ran three miles in a bit under 34 minutes. I had some mild pain in my left foot again, but I’m more concerned about new pain in the back of my lower left leg. I’ve iced it, and that’s helped, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to continue with my reduced running schedule. :=(

I had planned to run tomorrow evening, but now I don’t think that’s going to happen.

The amazing benefits of stretching

I’ve been reading about stretching since I began running a few months ago. One of the chief lessons I’ve learned is that stretching is necessary to prevent injury and to running for many years.

When I began having foot pain two weeks ago, I turned to the internet in search of answer. The importance of stretching to prevent foot pain (including, of course, plantar fasciitis) featured prominently in every discussion that I encountered. Consequently, I started to integrate stretches for my foot and heel into my routine.

I’d been under the impression that the most immediate benefits of stretching were imperceptible: one simply gained a degree of flexibility that would aid in staving off an injury. Tonight, though, I learned that stretching actually can alleviate pain.

I went down to Forbidden Drive a little before 5 p.m. The skies were overcast, the temperature in the 60s, and the humidity low. Since I’m still taking it easy for the sake of my left foot (and I’m still experiencing some dull aches in the foot), I ran three miles. In fact, I ran a slower three miles than I usually do, finishing my run in a little under 36 minutes. I also ran without music, and I didn’t miss not having it tonight.

I drove home afterwards (a short distance from Valley Green) and began my stretching routine. Going into it, my foot was still sore, yet after doing some stretches for my foot and my heel, most of that dull ache went away! Hurrah!!!

After a (short) hiatus

Last week, I ran only three times, three miles each time. While I had intended to run yesterday, I had trouble sleeping the night before. I finally got to sleep after 5 a.m. (good thing it was Saturday!) and slept, fitfully, until late morning. Because of sleep deprivation and also my plans to run this morning, I scratched yesterday’s run and spent time instead riding a stationary bike and stretching.

Last night, however, I slept well. This morning a woke up and wasted little time getting out to Forbidden Drive. I’m still having some foot pain, so before I left the house, I did some stretching for my foot. I also walked around the house some on my tip-toes, and that caused the pain to go away.

I understand while people run with pain. What I don’t understand, though, is why people take analgesics to run pain-free (unless, of course, on the recommendations of their physicians). Aren’t we supposed to listen to what pain is telling us? If we shut it up, will we worsen injuries?

The run went well: three miles at a pace slightly below 11 minutes per mile. I completed it in just under 32'30".

Running without pain

As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ve been having a bit of foot pain in the last few days. I’ve added some stretches since then, and I’ve been running with less intensity. I think I’m seeing the payoff.

Tonight, I ran three miles, and I experienced almost no foot pain, save for a brief period mid-run. At times, the pain still comes back, but it is and always has been mild. (That’s why I’m treating it as a warning sign and am moving aggressively to forestall any more serious problems.)

The best indicator I have of whether my foot is getting better is whether I wake up with pain. I’m not there yet, but I can testify that my foot is feeling better.

Threatening skies

Tonight, I went to Forbidden Drive at about 6:00. Since I ran  before eating, I expected a better run than last night, and my expectations were met.

The skies had been overcast all afternoon, and the humidity was high. When I arrived at Forbidden Drive, I could hear thunder rumbling in the distance. Yet we weren’t under a watch or a warning, and other people (perhaps as foolish as I?) were arriving to cycle and run. According to the weather forecast, we could expect scattered thunderstorms.

Fortunately, in 32 minutes of running, no storms erupted (nor have they since). My ran did go better, although I’m still having some pains about which I’m a little concerned. I’m taking tomorrow off, and I’m going to continue to limit myself to three miles for a while.

Past perfect satisfactions

Sometimes running is like writing: the satisfactions most derive from the latter are often experienced in the past perfect, that is, “having written.” Occasionally, you’ll have a day to which you can look back and affirm your satisfactions in the simple past, but I believe that for most writers, those days are the exception rather than the rule.

I did not enjoy tonight’s run. The weather was a bit more humid than it’s been, but that didn’t bother me. Rather, I ran with a twinge of nausea, probably due to having eaten to close to my run.

Still, I did get in three miles in 33 minutes. After the first mile-and-a-half, though, I had to slow down. I turned the music off (Berio’s Coro) and focused on running more slowly. The slow pace served me well for about a half-mile, but I didn’t speed up much more for the remainder of the run. Still, it’s nice to see that, at least on the three-mile runs, I’m getting consistently faster.

Taking it easier

I think that Thursday’s five-mile run may have been a bit much. While mild, I’ve had since yesterday enough pain in my left leg—intermittently in the shin, knee, thigh—to proceed with caution. Instead of a four-mile run today, then, I ran three. I also held off on running the last half-mile faster. I think I’m going to keep to limit my runs to three miles for the next week.

I went down to Forbidden Drive a little after 7 a.m. today. The sky was overcast, the temperature in the low 60s, and the air slightly humid. Knowing that a 10K run on the segment between the Valley Green Inn and Northwestern Avenue had been scheduled for 8 AM, I set off in the opposite direction.

I ran faster than I had been the last few days. I finished the first mile in about 10’15", and I completed my entire three-mile run in a little over 32 minutes. I ran harder, too, than I had been on four-mile runs. On the three-mile runs, I’m less focused on pacing.

The accidental five

Yesterday evening, I had planned to run three miles. The skies were overcast throughout the afternoon and evening, and the weather forecast had called for thunderstorms. Unlike the previous evening, however, we were not under a severe thunderstorm watch, even the clouds seemed more threatening. Given my mild exhaustion upon arriving home, I decided to scrap last night’s run and attempt to make up some of the miles today.

While I had not originally intended to run five miles today, the unexpected day off gave me reason to attempt to cover some lost ground, so to speak. Further, the weather was cool, overcast, and drizzly: pretty good conditions for a longer run.

Since I work from home on Thursdays, I was able to run in the middle of the day. I headed down to Forbidden Drive at 11:30, parked in the upper lot, and made my way to the two-and-a-half-mile marker. Again, I was mindful of pacing: I ran all but the last half-mile at a 12- or 12-1/2-minute-mile pace. As I had done Tuesday, I picked up the pace for the last half-mile, running at about a nine-minute mile pace.

Since I’m running longer distances now, I’m also becoming aware of the need to work on speed. To be sure, I can run a minute to a minute-and-a-half faster per mile on a three-mile run, and I’ve been pacing myself conservatively on the longer runs. At what point, I wonder, will a faster pace compromise my ability to run the distances I set about to run?

I have no plans to run five miles regularly for a few more weeks. Still, it was a nice, satisfying personal accomplishment, one that helps bolster my confidence.

Sleep deprivation

I went into tonight’s run without having slept well last night. At about 2 a.m., I finally took an antihistamine that knocked me out, and while I woke up late, I still was sleep-deprived. Since I’d planned to run four-miles today, and I didn’t want to renege on my promise to myself, I knew I’d have to make a virtue out of necessity.

The virtue? Pacing. In fact, I’m happy about how slow I ran most of tonight. For all but the last half-mile, I maintained about a 12-minute mile pace. I’m hoping that my focus on a slower pace will help me ease into the hotter, more humid days to come.

As for that last half-mile? Well, I still had a good bit of energy, so I decided to push myself. I ran hard for almost all the half-mile—at about a nine-minute-mile pace. I couldn’t make the entire half-mile at that pace—I slowed down about 150 or 200 yards from the end.  But I think I’ll try incorporating a fast last half-mile into my runs.  It would be nice to run a little faster, now, wouldn’t it?