This past month has been unlike any other I have had in my adult life. January started out pretty well, at least the first couple of days were good. I had let my hair grow for about six months or so and decided to cut it short again on January 1st (the pic to the right is the "before"...look at all of that gray hair!). Things seemed to be going well at work and I was feeling very good about a new job opportunity.
That would all change within a day or two. I was told that I probably had a hernia and then found out that my job was being terminated the following day. The potential "new" job wasn't moving along as quickly as I had hoped and I was getting nervous. Despite all of this I wasn't terrible depressed, most likely because I just despised my job and was happy to have that stress gone from my life.
The past two weeks or so have not been ideal when it comes to preparing for a race, whether it be a 5K, half marathon, triathlon, etc. I had two stretches where I didn't have a running work out for fiver or six days straight, only supplementing my relative inactivity with some swimming. Add to that the fact that I somehow committed to picking up a rather large swing set (or swing fortress) for my daughter on Saturday afternoon...and well, yeah I am not the brightest of the bright. The UNITE Half Marathon was going to be an interesting race.
Race Day Eve
I awoke Saturday morning feeling great. The two visits to my sports doc on Wednesday and Friday seemed to have done the trick. My back was good to go and I was anxious to start the day....and a busy day at that. First up was my daughters soccer game (I am the coach or her team) and it was a tough one. Plain and simple, the girls just aren't all that good right now; we have four or five girls that have never played before and it is tough to explain to them what to do (7 year olds are like that). They played hard and had fun and by the end of the game we actually were playing a lot better. I was very proud of them and I think they are improving.
Immediately following the game it was back home for a quick lunch, then off (with my father) to disassemble the GIANT swing set and transport it back to our house (only about a mile away). It tooks us about four hours of hard work before it was resting in pieces in my backyard. Both my father and I were exhausted. I don't know how I would have done it without his help (THANK YOU DAD!!!). Honestly I would probably still be over there doing it if it wasn't for him. Me, my wife and daughters then ran out to pick up a few things for the swing set (additional wood, sand paper, etc.) and grab dinner (ugh...Wendy's, definitely not the best pre-race meal). Once home I was up until around 8:30PM working on the swing set. I think got to bed around 11:00PM that night, again not early enough but it ended up being OK.
Race Morning
My alarm went off at 5:45AM and I crawled out of bed. Got in my car and made it to the College Avenue Gym parking lot by 7:00AM where I waited from my friend Chris to arrive....he overslept and showed up around 7:40AM (pretty typical for him). While waiting I downed one and half packages of strawberry Pop-Tarts and around 20 oz. of G2. The trip to the race start was only a short bus trip, very well organized. After a 20 minute wait for a port-a-pottie, Chris and I did a brief warm-up run and then made our way to the start line.
The Race
The gun went off and I felt good. Chris and I ran the first three miles together and I felt pretty solid, but then either he started to speed up or I started to slow down (I suspect a little of both). The next six miles were all at a bit slower pace than the first three, right at 7:30 pace, slower than I wanted to be but I felt like I could hold that pace for the duration. One thing that I did notice some where before mile nine was that my left hamstring wasn't completely "right". It didn't hurt, it just felt a bit tight. I tried not to think about it too much though, much easier said than done.
I made my way over a bridge to Johnson Park and right around the middle of mile nine that I could tell the wheels were about to fall off. My left hamstring was considerably tighter and I was doing everything feasible to keep it from cramping up. I hit the ten mile mark in 1:14:30 (7:27/mile average pace) and I knew that the last 5K was going to be a struggle. As I approached the Landing Lane bridge over the Raritan River I stopped for only a second or two to stretch out my hamstring, which did absolutely nothing. I continued to run. Once over the bridge and about mile 10.5 it happened, my hamstring cramped up on me and I had to stop for about 20 seconds to stretch it out. I was pissed! As I was stretching, a girl ran by me and gave me a few words of encouragement, which me being uber-competitive somehow turned it into a challenge and thus got me really pissed off. I started to run again and up the hill into the Buccleuch Park...I was never so happy to have an uphill (this seemed to help my ailing hamstring). Mile 11 was a rough 8:05 and Mile 12 was an equally sad 8:00, both the result of my trying to get my crap back together.
I had 1.1 miles left and I was determined to finish strong, so I put my head down and did my best to tough out that last stretch . I made it without any more leg cramps, finishing in 1:38:38 (see mile splits below).
1 - 7:26 - 0:07:26 - A little crowded but not bad
2 - 7:17 - 0:14:43 - Feeling good
3 - 7:02 - 0:21:46 - Downhill, it's all good
4 - 7:30 - 0:29:16 - Back to reality for next six miles
5 - 7:33 - 0:36:50
6 - 7:30 - 0:44:20
7 - 7:33 - 0:51:53
8 - 7:29 - 0:59:23
9 - 7:27 - 1:06:51
10 - 7:38 - 1:14:30 - hamstring starting to bother me
11 - 8:05 - 1:22:35 - Ouch! Leg cramp
12 - 8:00 - 1:30:35 - Recovering from cramp, uphill
13 - 7:17 - 1:37:52 - Trying to finish strong
13.10 - 0:45 - 1:38:38
Post Race
Chris was waiting for me at the finish line, having run it in 1:32:50 (awesome race for him). We hobbled back to our cars to get some money for a post-race meal, along the way I saw Yasi coming down the home stretch with a smile on her face and gave her a shout. Chris and I finished the day by getting some cheese steaks with egg from the grease trucks....oh so good!
Post Race Analysis
Overall I am happy with my race, especially considering the events that led up to it, e.g. back spasms, swing set, etc. I felt good early on and I think I would have run it a minimum of two minutes faster had I not lost all of those training days. I don't know that I could have kept up with Chris, but I think a sub-1:35 was doable. Next up is the Broad Street Run in Philadelphia on May 2nd, a fast 10 miler that I think I can get close to 1:10 (7:00/mile)...well, maybe 1:12:30 (7:15/mile).
Work time!
I am tentatively feeling "OK" today. I still feel the slightest twinge in on the left side of my mid-back. I went in to see Dr. Derek this morning at 7:00AM and he worked on my back pretty good and followed it up with some electric stim and heat. I was a bit sore when I left his office but feel better now, aside from that twinge. I am optimistic about this coming Sunday, but still fear that I am my back is going to lock up on me during the race. I have put in all of 16 miles running since Monday April 5th which definitely scares me a bit.
On a positive note, I did make it to the gym last night and managed to get my swim on, although not for as long as I had hoped. Let me preface my swim report by stating that I did some abdominal work in the gym first, then took a ten minute HOT shower during which I stretched the heck out of my back. I then followed that up with a 10 minute session in the sauna (only because the pool was littered with 3 - 12 year olds there for swim lessons and swim team practice).
Once most of the munchins cleared out, I hopped in and felt awesome in the water, like really, really good. My first 100M was absolutely lightening for me.....1:47 (translates to a 1:38/100 yd). I followed that up with an additional 400M where I didn't so much as peek over 2:00. I was absolutely stoked. I then did 3 x 250M and averaged about 5 minutes for each interval. This was by far the best and fastest that I have swam in a very long time. It got me thinking that maybe I am better off swimming in the afternoon or evenings rather than in the early AM. Of course I don't have the luxury in my schedule to be able to do this, but it was a nice thought none-the-less. At least it gives me thought that my swimming is a bit better than I think.
I opted to end my swim after only 1,250M because I could feel it a bit in my back and I didn't want to risk putting it into a full spasm again. Plus, I figured I should head home and spend some time with my ladies before bedtime.
That is about all for now; I am just hoping that my back will return to normal by Sunday so that I can run fast and strong. Cheers!
I just watched a video of Chris McCormack (Macca Takes Miami). It was short and sweet, but really got me anxious to get back to real training and racing. I am a big fan of his and although I don't foresee me every reaching the heights that he has reached in the sport of triathlon (unless I quit my job, train 40 hours a week, oh and lose about 40 lbs), I still think I can do some good things within my age group over the next few years if I train hard.
That brings me to where I am today....my back is still not so great. I went to my sports doctor, Advanced Sports Chiropractic, yesterday and had some heat and electric stim, then stretched and rubbed down, followed by an ice pack. I was told by Dr. Derek that it is definitely back spasms and just my muscles that are acting up (nothing with my joints which is a good thing). I told him about my race this Sunday and he explained to me that I will probably not be setting a PR. He thinks I will be able to run and do an OK job, but based on my lack of running over the past two weeks, I shouldn't expect to run anywhere near where I wanted to run. I have another appointment with him on Friday morning so that he can stretch me out for the weekend. I am going to keep an open mind for Sunday and take what my body, the course and the weather give me. If I feel good at the start I will push the pace and see if I can hold it. If I feel like crap, I'll just make it a nice up-tempo training run.
As for training, I am going to try and get in the pool tonight after work and try to swim 2,000M (or more), of course depending on how my back feels. Other than that I have been taking it easy since Tuesday night, when my back started to flare up again. I really should have taken it easy on Sunday and Monday, but the weather was so nice I just wanted to be outside enjoying it on my bike and running. Lesson learned I guess, I have to listen to my body a bit better and not be greedy.
The rest of my week is a pretty busy one:
Friday
- 7:00AM - Doctor
- 12:00PM - Pick-up race packet in Piscataway for the Unite Half Marathon
- 4:30PM - Pick-up girls from school
- 7:00PM - 9:30PM - Father/Daughter dance with my 7 year old
Saturday
- 11:00AM - Soccer Game (I am coaching my 7 year olds team)
- 1:00PM till dark - Dismantle and transport a "new" swing set to our house (then figure out where to put it)
Sunday
- 6:00AM - Get up and out of the house and make my way to Rutgers
- 8:30AM - Run the Unite Half Marathon, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ
- 2:00PM - 3:00PM - Soccer Game - yes another game to coach
- 4:00PM till dark - Work on the yard and swing set.
That's it. There will be a lot of dancing, running around, coaching and physical labor over the next three to four days. I hope that my body holds up. Enjoy the weather today, I hear it is going to get cold and wet here in the tri-state area over the next four days. Ciao!
I can hop in the pool and swim a mile and a half without too much of a problem. I can get on my trainer and pedal away for an hour and a half and feel no ill effects. I can go out and run 12+ miles and still run around with my girls at the park. All of the previous are no match for me, I am an athlete, a fine tuned machine ready for action. So, if everything I have stated above is accurate, then how in the hell do I manage to hurt myself reaching for a brush?
I was sitting down on a stool in my daughters bathroom, I had to get her ready for school and thus needed a brush to take care of her hair. So I reached underneath the sink and BANG!...I get a twinge in my lower back. I knew immediately that it wasn't a good thing. Then slowly but surely over the next 30 seconds my whole lower back began to cramp up on me. I don't know why it happened but it did, my lower back went into spasms and today, 24 hours later it still is hurting.
It blows my mind how I can beat the crap out my body day in and day out, then I tweak my back doing an everyday task. Maybe it is my body's way of telling me that I need to rest for a day or two.
The past few days have been pretty difficult to get any real training in, but I did manage to have fun with my girls. Tuesday I took the day off to spend with my daughters because my oldest didn't have school. Aside from a dentist visit in the morning it the day was to do with as we wanted. First things first, we had pancakes for breakfast, always a good way to start the day. Then it was to the dentist, where we were happy to find out that K's teeth were in great shape. After the teeth cleaning it was off to play some miniature golf. We all had a good time running around the empty mini-golf course. Somehow we managed to lose a ball in a pond (yeah, don't ask), saw three little frogs sitting my said pond (big highlight), and learn a little about putting. After that is was off to grab lunch at Wendy's....I really didn't want to get fast food, but it was a treat for the girls and they do have Frosties. Right from lunch we headed over to the "Green Park" to just run around and have fun. It was packed and my oldest knew one or two girls, so she had a blast playing with them. This brought us to around 3:30PM and it was time to get home and chill before soccer practice (6:00PM that night).
