500 Miles

This should be a quick post, but I wanted to share my excitement about running again, feeling good, and even reaching 500 miles on my Nike+ app too!

A lot of us runners track our runs with the Nike+ app on our phones (especially my CRU runners who are a competitive bunch!)  I started tracking my runs in early 2012 when my wife bought me the Nike+ GPS Sportwatch for my birthday.  Since then, my Nike+ account has logged nearly every single run I've gone on.  It has completely revolutionized running for me, giving me quantified data I never had before and couldn't imagine not having now.

In fact, if my watch or phone isn't sufficiently charged, I won't run.  (And once my phone died mid-run.  I would've quit right then if I didn't have to get back home.)

Tonight was my 2nd run after injuring my back two weeks ago.  I ran just 2 miles on Monday and knew I could've gone more but didn't want to push it my first time back.  Today was that little extra push, and things were feeling great.  I've been working with a PT specialist, but I think the main medicine that's helped me has been just good old-fashioned rest.  I'm not excited about being two weeks behind schedule for my December 8th marathon, but the most important thing is that I'm feeling good.  And I'm early enough in my training to still be able to tweak the schedule a bit and continue to progress steadily.

I'm anxious to see who will be my first donor for India and for how much!  Will it be you?  :)

Week of Doom and Gloom

I haven't posted since last Friday's episode with back pain.  I also haven't run since then.  Until two days ago, I wasn't even sure I'd ever be able to safely return to running.


So on Monday, beginning of week 4, the first doctor I decided to see about my back pain was a spinal decompression chiropractor.  However, this type of "experimental" therapy isn't covered by my health insurance (or most for that matter) so $3,000 was pretty steep without shopping around.  However, he did send me out to have an MRI done, and with that I got a full report of what was going on in my back: 2 bulging discs, 2 degenerative discs, a grade 1 retrolisthesis, and some bone-on-bone joint grinding.  Uh-oh.

While I was still considering spinal decompression, he recommended I also undergo regular chiropractic treatment at the adjacent office in his complex.  Doctor visit #2.  This chiropractor had a specialty in sports medicine, so I was hoping he would understand my desire to return to running ASAP.  However, after he reviewed my MRI, he said, "This is your new reality.  You may need to consider another sport with low or no impact."  I decided to have an adjustment done, which felt better, then some kind of electrical stimulation, which ended up re-crippling me temporarily.  Thanks to my absurdly high unmet insurance deductible, this visit cost me $105, and to continue 43 more visits, the upfront cost would have been $1800 WITH insurance helping somewhat.

At this point I wanted to pay it all and fix my back now and forever.  However, common sense prevailed through gentle encouragement by my wife and others, so doctor #3 was my own primary care provider, an MD.  He put me at ease somewhat by telling me that my back was NOT in need of surgery or anything extreme, but he did think it was moderately degenerated, and believed running may not be in my best interest.  But he definitely wanted me to see a specialist, so he referred me to Spine Team Texas.

Doctor #4 was very calm and relaxed, took time to hear my story up to this point, then began to put me and my wife at ease.  She confirmed the bulging discs, but they weren't really all that bad- give them some rest.  She confirmed the degenerative discs, but this is pretty normal after 30-35 years.  Same for loss of cartilage between bones, especially for active adults.  And a grade 1 retrolisthesis?  Who DOESN'T have that?  "But grade 3 means surgery, right?" I asked.  She replied, "You know how many grade 3s I've seen in my career?  None.  Car accident trauma MIGHT cause a grade 3."

She prescribed physical therapy for core and back strengthening, something I had wanted to do in my training this year anyway, so I'm anxious to start.  So for my big question: Can I run again, and can I still train for the Dallas marathon in December?  "Yes, but you MAY cause further injury.  Maybe make this one your last full marathon."

I think I can agree with that...for now anyway.

If you like my blog so far and want to show your support of my goal to raise money for my church's mission to India, please share my blog and/or donate any amount you feel led to give.  I hope to raise a minimum of $524 (see first post on why this amount) and more with enough eyes and hearts!

*If you're a member of Cornerstone Baptist Church (of Fort Worth), please disregard my requests for donations- if you're donating, it should go directly to our church... but please feel free to share my blog!

Sprinkler Gauntlet / Back Pain

This morning's run was great.  
The first few minutes into the run with the first random song from my playlist, ("Blow" by Ke$ha) and I'm feeling like I'm the star of my own movie- and it's a very cool movie about overcoming insurmountable odds, being a champion of the city, and looking great doing it.  (That's how my run music makes ME feel anyway, don't know about you.)  

So anyway, my pace was great and I felt great.  Especially after running through several industrial-grade sprinklers and getting sufficiently cooled off!  The first pass through the sprinklers was nice, but on the return trip coming back, I realized my iPhone on my left arm was in direct line-of-sight with the sprinkler sprays.  I kept going anyway, figuring the neoprene armband and window + my hand over the top would be sufficient blockage.  But shortly after that, my Nike+ app (tracking my run) started going crazy.  I was really worried I had gotten some water damage to my phone after all, but it seems to be okay.  I guess next time I need to actually dodge the sprinklers instead of enjoying them.  :(

After I got home, showered, and left for work, I started noticing how tender my low back was feeling.  I've had low back pain for a long, long time.  Most days its very mild, but other days it hurts just to bend over the sink to brush my teeth.  Today's pain was starting to feel much worse than that.  In the morning, the pain was highly focused, like I could put the tip of my finger on the spot that hurt.  By the time I got home from work, my whole low back area kept me from twisting or turning very much.  I'm still at that state now, and I'm really hoping a good night's sleep will relieve a lot of it.  Tomorrow is a non-run day, but I'm supposed to run 5 miles on Sunday.

I have no idea what I did to my low back, but in hindsight, I might have aggravated a disc when I was running through the sprinklers, twisting and bending over while running trying to avoid getting my phone wet.  I don't know- its a working theory at best.  I do know that strange pains and ailments just seem to happen during long distance training.  Its just one of those things about this sport!

Clydesdale in Dallas / How To Correctly Fall Down In The Street

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DAILY QUICKSTATS

• Marathon Training - Week 3, Day 3, 6:30am
  

• 3.10 miles / 9.42 min pace / 30:10 finish

• Outdoors: 82 deg; 62% humidity

• West Fork neighborhood / Old Denton Rd.

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So a couple weeks ago when I registered for the MetroPCS Dallas Marathon, I was pleasantly surprised to discover they offer a Clydesdale division for race registrants.  Never heard of a Clydesdale division?  Well, it’s nothing new, but not all races offer it.  The Clydesdale division is a special division for male runners who weigh 200+ lbs.  (And an Athena division for females weighing 140/150+ lbs.)  I think this means that instead of competing in the usual age brackets, I’ll be competing in a weight division instead.  (But it could be both, I’m not sure.)  

Now granted, it’s a marathon, and I’m not Ethiopian, so either way it’s not like I stand a chance of collecting a prize purse.  But being a 200+ lb. runner all my life, I like the idea of placing against other athletes more in line with how I’m built rather than those ultra-lean, no-fat, waist-as-big-as-my-left-thigh kind of dudes who run their long runs faster than I run my short runs.  

The way I see it, the more weight I can lose between now and race day without going below 200, the more competitive I can be.  (Conversely, if you’re planning on registering for Dallas and you weigh in the 195-199lb. range, it would practically behoove you to start chunking down some Ho-Ho’s and bringing donuts to the office every morning so you too can register Clydesdale-style.)  I’ve always felt I was faster than average, similarly-sized men anyway, so now as a registered Clydesdale division runner I’ll get stats on that theory after my finish.

* * *

This morning was beautiful and comfortable.  I’ve been extremely happy about my decision to start doing my training runs before work rather than afterward or late night.  Fortunately my job has a flex schedule, so as long as I put the hours in every pay period, I’m good to go.  So this morning felt surprisingly cool since there was a steady breeze.  I was concerned about having a bad run since it would be my third run in three days, (after that makeup run from last week) but actually I felt great.  So less than a half-mile in to my run, I fell on my face in the street.

Here’s how to correctly and unintentionally fall down in the street:

• Prior to falling, it will be likely that doing so will be the absolute last thing on your mind.  This is the correct frame of mind to be in.  Focus on your run.

• You might like keeping your hands free during your run, but for purposes of falling down in the street, it’s better to be loaded up.  I recommend the classic water bottle/iPhone combo as these items will be cleanly ejected from your hands when you go south.
  
• When it happens, go down fast and hard.  No sense in dragging it out, and you won't have time to tuck and roll with it.

• Make sure you immediately look back at what caused you to fall.  It's never your fault anyway, but this technique will ensure any witnesses will immediately understand the situation so that hasty judgments aren't leveled at you.
  
• You may even scowl at the offending piece of asphalt and mutter something about "calling the city" as you quickly brush yourself off.
  
• Hopefully you don't need medical aid.  This list won't help with that. 

* * *

Please consider making a donation here on behalf of the children and families in India who have been and will continue to be directly loved and cared for by members of Cornerstone Baptist Church.  Any amount would be appreciated!  My pastors Bobby Herrell and Aaron Gowens are heading there this weekend for a couple of weeks.  Then a main body of travelers, many going for the first time, will be going early next year.  There is a great need for many types of gifts to these people.

Another way you can help is to share this blog!

First Blog Post / Welcome to my Training

Welcome to my first blog!  My name is Jason and I'm currently training for the MetroPCS Dallas Marathon on December 8, 2013.  This will be my third full marathon (26.2 miles if you're new) and I've decided this time to chronicle the next few months of training, experiences, lessons learned, and other random anecdotes along the way.

That covers the WHAT, but here's the WHY:
 
I am dedicating this effort to God and the work He is doing in northern India through my church, Cornerstone Baptist Church (of Fort Worth).  My goal is to raise $524 by race day.  

Is that an oddly specific amount for you?  Well here's how it breaks down: That's exactly $20 for every mile I will conquer.  Now here's the part where you're like, "Yeah, but $20 x 26 miles is..." I know, I know.  But you forgot to factor the .2 in your algorithm.  The math is sound, trust me; I'm a professional at calculators.

Now here's the part that future posts will look like...


DAILY QUICKSTATS

• Marathon Training - Week 3, Day 1, 6:30am
  

• 4.17 miles / 10.38 min pace / 44:26 finish

• Outdoors: 81 deg; 66% humidity

• Heritage-Trace Blvd / West Fork neighborhood

So I was supposed to run this 4-mile “long run” yesterday, at the end of week 2.  But after a full day of military training yesterday, I kind of didn’t have it in me. So I got a pretty decent night of sleep last night and got up at 5:30am to do it this morning. However, I’m already supposed to run 3 miles today for the start of week 3, so I’ll probably run it tomorrow morning on my non-run day. Running schedules have to be flexible and fit around your life, not overrun it. (no pun intended)

The run was fairly easy today. Texas August heat/humidity is never fun, but honestly, the worst part is the first mile. Going from a non-sweating status to a DEFINITELY-SWEATING status is kind of a gross transitional period. I hate feeling sticky, but once I’m thoroughly coated I’m good to go.

I learned a new trick for hot/humid runs today. Running in a quiet, early morning neighborhood is nice- but stifling. I didn’t feel a single breeze until I got out on the main boulevard of my subdivision. Man, running alongside traffic gave me plenty of micro-breezes, and the big Texas trucks moved a LOT of air my way.  So run near traffic, but don't play in the street.

Over the next few months of buildup to the Dallas Marathon, I anticipate running a few additional races of various lengths.  Today I signed up for Lockheed Martin's F-35 Family Picnic and 5K race on September 28.  That will be fun and I'll have the t-shirt to prove it.  I'm also hoping to register for the Clark Gardens Half-Marathon in Weatherford, TX sometime in October.

The Internet on running:  "It never gets easier, you just get better."

WHAT I FEEL LIKE

WHAT I LOOK LIKE