I took the majority of a month off and then tried some easy running every other day. That went ok. Easy pace, low miles, and a so-so hip. Then I tried running on back to back days. Eight easy miles on Sunday followed by five miles on Monday. Things did not go well. The hip really flared up during the Monday five miler. Should have quit at two miles and just walked back. Ended up walking/jogging the 2.5 back. Hip really sore the several days after that. I've just resolved to not attempt any more running in December and try to pick it up in January.
I've come to believe that I tore my glute medius or my TFL. Some days there is very little discomfort. Other days, the Illiac crest is very tender to the touch. I walk. I do gentle stretching. I've basically stopped the hip/glute/ab workouts to just let the muscles and tendons rest.
I've spent a lot of time thinking about my running this year, reliving the marathons, and the other races, the long runs. This leaves a smile on my face. I drive around Asheville and see the hills, thinking about how many times I've run Kimberly, Broadway, Biltmore Avenue, and the Mountain to Sea trail.
Submitted by Rush 12/19/2013 1387468321
I think I'm through the acute pain stage and now I'm just sore and stiff. Walked 20 minutes or so on Thurs and Friday and also did some very light stretches/loosening afterward. Treating the right hip very, very gingerly at this point. Exploring other things I can do to strengthen my hips and core. I've been doing the Strength Running routines religiously this year and I contribute my success this year to that. I'm putting my current injury down to stupidity fueled by a desire to be in as good condition as I could be for the Charlotte marathon. My enthusiasm overruled my judgement. Had I taken a full week off after the ACT marathon, I probably wouldn't be injured. I took two weeks off after the Biltmore marathon in March, then went on to PR and win my age group in the DuPont Half in April, as well as running very strong in the Cradle to Grave 30K in May.
Running is about discipline. It takes discipline to get up at 5:00 am, to spend Saturday and Sunday mornings up early running, doing core work 3x a week. Likewise, it takes just as much discipline to not run, to trust your training, to listen to your body, and say, "today, it's ok if I don't run."
Submitted by Rush 10/26/2013 1382798639
I did a walk in appointment early this morning with Southeastern Sports Medicine. Lots of paperwork later I had a series of x-rays taken of my right hip. A short time after that I had a long consult with a PA who, after evaluating the x-rays, told me nothing is broken and there is no evidence of arthritis in the joint. Good news on both counts.
The PA assessed that my SI joints were not aligned and that, apart from anything else, can place stress on the hip flexors. He put me through a brief range of motions and positions and then declared my SI joints in sync. As for the pain and stiffness in my soft tissue, with pain focused at the union with my illiac crest, he pronounced the diagnosis of Hip Flexor Tendonitis. I knew this. I knew this months ago, but I didn't do enough to address the issue.
So now I rest. How long remains to be seen. I'm pledging to myself to be 100% pain free before resuming training. But, is any 47 year old ever completely pain free? Maybe I can get fit in time to have a go at Myrtle Beach in March, 2014.
Submitted by Rush 10/24/2013 1382645107
Pain. Pain is the body's way of getting our attention. The body is saying, "there is something wrong HERE..right here..in the foot, or the knee or, in my case, the right hip." My hip has been bothering me for a while. What I call the 'flexor wad', the bundle of muscles, ligaments, and tendons that intersect between my illiac crest and the hip's ball joint. There's a lot going on in that area, and I'm often stiff there, noticeably less mobile than my left side.
Since a bad case of ITBS affected my right side in 2010, I've added regular (2-4 times a week) strength workout for my hips, abs, and glutes, in addition to extra flexibility work. This extra work has allowed me to run two PR marathons this year, win my age group at a half marathon, and run solid,first time, 30k. In all, I've had a great running year. But, even with the strength work and extra flex work, I routinely felt stiff and sore in my right flexor wad. I began using a lacrosse ball last year, lying on the hard rubber ball on my affected side and teasing out the muscles and tendons.
Looking back through my running log for 2013, I see my first mention of my right being tight back in March. I ran the AVL marathon at Biltmore on 3/3/13 ,took two full weeks off, then picked back up; 32 miles the first week back, 35 miles the second week. It was at the end of the second week that I made my first note about my right hip. I ran the Dupont Half marathon on 4/20 and won my age group. Felt good. On 5/17, I ran the Cradle to Grave 30K. Other than falling off a log footbridge in the last two miles, I had a fantastic race. I took a week off to recover. On 6/16 after a 15 miler, I have a note that my Rt IT band was very tight during this run. I rested my IT band from 6/19 - 6/22. For several days my notes say "IT band ok."
6/29, I have a note that my Rt hip was sore after a hilly eight mile tempo run.
7/25 after another hilly 8 mile tempo run, "Rt hip really tight despite addressing daily."
8/12 a 4 mile recover run after a 16 miler the day before, "Rt hip a little sore."
8/20 after a 9 mile track workout, "Rt hip pretty tight."
8/26 6+ miles, "Rt hip REALLY tight after 3 miles."
Into September, after nearly every run, "Hip sore after this run."
9/28 I ran the ACT marathon in 4:14 and felt good. I took only three days off, did an easy 4, then a very hard 7 miler. Two days later, I ran Bolen's Creek up to the Black Mountain Crest Trail; 6000' of elevation change in 8 miles. The next day, I ran 10 mile flat and noted that my hip was sore.
My hip continued to bother me, but not enough to stop running until 10/14. I was having a pretty crappy morning run, feeling very drained (not suprising) and my hip was REALLY hurting during the run. At about 4.5 miles I had to pause for traffic. When I took my next running step, pain exploded in my hip. Feeling like I'd been stabbed, I stretched the best I could and walked/trotted in. I took a full week off. On 10/21 I did a 5 miles of flat and my hip flared at about 4.5. More stretching to finish the run very sore. This was the 2nd run where there was a very distinct event in my hip, when a dull ache suddenly became much sharper and distinct.
On 10/22, at the apex of stupidity, I went to the track for a 3x2 mile workout. After a long loosening, and easy mile warmup, I was finishing the second mile of the first set. Running the track counter-clockwise, just coming out of a turn, something in my hip snapped, popped, stretched, tore, or let go. It felt like stripping the insulation off a copper wire; like a sheath sliding over the underlying structure. I stepped onto the grass and took a few ginger steps. I stopped, lifted my right hand over my head and leaned to my left. There was a little grinding pop in my hip and I knew I was done.
I feel like it's all in the soft tissue and not in the joint itself. Is this related to my clubbed left foot? Does my left foot affect my running form and put undue stress on my right hip? I'm cycling through 4-5 different pairs of shoes and spending time on trails, not just hard surface all the time. The pain is definitely related to my leg swinging back. I'm going to try and make an appointment with Southeast Sports Medicine.
Submitted by Rush 10/23/2013 1382559648
This was my 4th marathon. My long term goal, to run sub 4 hours, still stands. Having run parts of this course, I didn't think this was the course to go sub-4 or even PR. In my previous 26 mile efforts, I had started between 8:45-9:00, trying to run faster than 4 hours, but in each race, I either bonked or cramped and ended up running 9:45-10:00. This event was the first one I decided not to race; I was just going to go easy and see how the day went.
This year was a big break from previous ACT races; the inclusion of the marathon being the biggest. In addition, this race started at 6:00 am, included starting waves, and the course had changed substantially. The new route avoided scaling Cherokee and no longer ran through the AVL country club.
I decided to run with the 4:15 pace group (9:45/mile). The pacers were Doug and Kristen. Doug is an ultra runner. He'd done an 80 miler earlier this year and was training for a Hundo. This was basically a training run for him. Kristen had a 3:25 marathon PR at Rochester, NY. They were both extremely friendly and supportive. There were maybe 4-5 of us who stuck with the pacers. I ran with the group for 20 miles, then another runner and myself pushed ahead. I really enjoyed running with the group, socializing, answering questions about Asheville, hanging together during the tough, quiet stretches.
The day was just about perfect. The early start (I was in the 4th wave that went off at 6:14) let us do the bulk of the mileage before the sun got over the ridge line. I took 3-4 oz of water each mile and ate a gel every 3 miles. My head stayed clear and my energy was really good through the finish. I did cramp in mile 24, after a steep climb up Depot, Oakland, and Victoria, my right hamstring clamped just as I turned onto Livingston. The last 4 miles were really tough, very steep, lots of up and down. Livingston dives back down to the river level. You then run the saddle to Clingman, another steep climb that tops out on Hilliard, a roller coaster of up and downs to Market street. Short climb up Market, right on Eagle, quick left on Spruce for the last climb. A left, right, right and you're back on Woodfin two blocks from the finish, a long chute lined with cheering spectators, a drum band, and lots of high fives. A fantastic way to finish.
I crossed in 4:14:03, a two and half minute PR. This race was fun. The course was amazing. I saw parts of Asheville and Buncombe county I'd never seen. Some images that have stuck with me: Running over I-26 in the early dawn. Crossing over the French Broad in the morning light, a flock of Canada geese honking overhead. Being awed by the wheelchair racers crawling up the hills, then FLYING the downhills. The older gentleman who was in his 34th consecutive month of running a marathon a month. My co-worker Bryan went beserker beast and laid down a 3:40, while my other co-worker Gene knocked out a 1:40 in the half.
If I'm fit, I'll definitely do this race again.
Submitted by Rush 10/5/2013 1381014543
I've been to the mountain. I'm sore, scratched, cut, bruised, and my IT band and I are going to have a long, serious talk. It took me 15 minutes to rinse the mud out of my shoes and socks. I fell off a log footbridge into a creek and banged the heck out of my left hip. The last 3 miles were tough after that. My calves are twitching, my quads are sore, and I had dirt in places that I haven't had dirt in for years. In short, I loved it!
Rain, lots and lots of rain. Mud, lots and lots of shoe-sucking mud. Mud over the tops of your shoes, over the tops of your ankles, mud up to your shins. Lagoons of water on the trail, some holding deep holes that you would sink in up to your knee. A roaring creek crossing (on the out and and the back), the water almost up to my hips. And right smack in the middle...a mountain. I mean a MOUNTAIN. I knew it was there. I'd studied the course map. I'd looked at the terrain. "It looks like we run up this valley until we hit a wall. Then we climb the wall.", I told a guy before the race. And that was pretty much it.
The course was great. A little bit of asphalt in the begining. Some gravel roads and miles of single track. Lots of foot bridges. Some made out of logs with a handrail; some like boardwalks. Good support with water, Gatorade, GU gels, and fruit. I'd decided to try to just drink to thirst today and push the sugar. I didn't carry my Camelbak,and I ate a gel every 20 minutes. I felt like my energy levels stayed strong. I did have one setback early. At some point, I must have stopped my watch, maybe trying to wipe water off it's face. When I went through the 3 mile marker in 19 minutes, I knew something was wrong and then I realized my watch had stopped. I asked a fellow runner what our elapsed time was. My watch was 9 minutes off. Oh no, now I had to do math.
Mile markers were set every three miles. That was fine until about mile 12 or so, then it became psychologically harder as I knew my watch was wrong and the GPS was wrong too. It would have been easier on me to be able to tick off the miles. The 15 to 18 stretch seemed to take forever, but then my hip was throbbing pretty bad too.
Great free lunch after the race with a free beer. Live bluegrass music under the pavilion. Overall a very well run event that I can't wait to do again.
I finished 26/154 and 6/18 M40-49. If they had done five year age groups, I would have won M45-49. I ran 2:57:29. I started too fast. All week I had told myself to go out conservative until I climbed the mountain at 9 & 10 and then push hard on the back. I just didn't slow down and that, combined with falling off the log, hurt me in the last three miles. I was still "flying" at mile 15.
Link: http://rightontimeproductions.blogspot.com/2013/05/cradle-to-grave-30k-and-rock-bye-5k.html
Submitted by Rush 5/18/2013 1368911358
Once more up this mammoth climb. I'm starting to get some landmarks and time standards on the way up. After 40 minutes of none stop, calf-ripping climbing, the trail levels out some and runs parallel to the ridge line and makes for some spectacular running. The air cools and the flora is different. It's glorious up high.
Digging my new Brooks Pure Grit trail shoes.
Submitted by Rush 5/16/2013 1368665346
This was my second go at this race. My first was back in 2011, which was my first half marathon. I think my longest run ever, up to that point, was 12 miles. I was a distance newb. That day the temps hit around 80 by noon. I had cramps. I ran a 2:11 high.
I came in to this year's race healthy and feeling good. I arrived early enough for a very easy 3 mile jog followed by a good loosening session. There was a brief prayer for the Boston bombing victims and we were off. I wasn't 100% sure what pace I was going to run, but I knew I wanted to push myself. I decided not to carry my Camelbak and to wear my lightweight Brooks Pure Connect. I knew the first 2 miles were mostly downhill but I didn't want to start off absolutely flying (which I did in 'll). I quickly realized my Garmin was going to be off. Running in the boondocks, under a tree canopy, with lots and lots of turns, stressed the wrist gps beyond it's operational parameters (it logged the race at 12.65 miles) After two miles I was feeling really good and decided to just go for it today.
I finished in 1:46:50 for 18th overall and 1st place in my age group (M 45-49). Had I not stopped to pee in mile 9, I might have squeeked a PR (1:46:02). Likewise I did two, 10 step walk breaks, on steep stretches of the back (around mile 11). Overall, I was very satisfied with the run.
Results
Link: http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20130420/NEWS/130429991
Submitted by Rush 4/25/2013 1366915008
Last Sunday, during my long run, I was bitten by a dog, the first time that's ever happened to me in my life.
I think this must be a summer home. I ran by the property all winter and never saw a soul. Today, there was a man on a riding lawn mower and a full grown Weimaraner leased to the side deck. The house sits very close to the road and the dog went nuts as I ran by. I don't think the man on the mower noticed.
My run was a long out and back, so about an hour later, I approached the house from the other direction. The man was working near his front steps. I said hello, he said hi. I took about 3 more steps and the Weimaraner came flying off the deck and bit me on the left thigh. I threw my hands over my head, making myself big as possible and screamed, "NO! NO! NO!". The dog backed off long enough for the owner to run over and grab it.
The owner took me in his home, apologized profusely, gave me Hydrogen Peroxide to soak the scrape, and gave me $20 for my torn shorts. Spoiled what had been a good day.
Submitted by Rush 4/15/2013 1365984032
Submitted by Rush 4/1/2013 1364837995
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