Being sidelined is no fun. Moreover, it can be frustrating. My left knee has been bothering me throughout last week and my coach, who I very much idolized, pulled the plug for me at mile 2.55. It was a beautiful day out at Palos Verdes where we were training on Sunday. The roads there were rolling and hilly as they were compensated by clear views of Catalina Island and sea side parks with green green grass and gorgeous cliffs. I was indeed jealous of others who were able to put down 15 to 20 miles on such beautiful day, but this is for the better. Had my coach not pulled the plug for me, I may have been on my way to develop a chronic problem while being stubborn and trying to run right below the threshold of pain.
Afterall, maybe I had abused my privilege throughout the previous weekend until last week (And I'll be honest here).
| Date | Miles | Elev. Gain (ft) | Note |
| 01/07 | l0.5 | 3035 | Mt. Wilson - Hike Run |
| 01/08 | 17 | 3500 | Course Marked 6k + 21k |
| 01/09 | 17 | 3500 | Preview run 6k and then did 21k course |
| 01/10 | 3.2 | 800 | run out my soreness |
| 01/11 | 6.5 | 200 | Speed work - felt pain before warm up |
| Total til pain | 54.7 | 11035 |
On 01/11, I pushed pretty hard, but I felt great after the initial warm up. I was able to do four miles on the average of sub 7 minutes, which was the fastest I've ever ran. That said, it didn't mean that I pushed through my limit and capability. It was more like I hadn't try pushing that hard before and dig in that deep. I didn't think that was the cause of my knee problem. The knee problem was most likely to be caused by lack of rest. After that weekend, my calves were sore for days, yet I continued to run and on top of which, probably a big no no, I played basketball on MWF and soccer on TTH in addition to P90X cross training. Now, I'm paying for it.
Since that Tuesday, I have ran:
| 01/13 | 7.5 | 1000 | Thursday morning - + some pain |
| 01/15 | 7.5 | 1000 | Turned a 15 mi run into a 2hr 7.5 mile hike |
| 01/16 | 2.55 | 200 | Speed work - felt pain before warm up |
| Total | 17.55 | 2200 | All with pinch |
Since the 2.55 mi run on Sunday, I haven't done much but ice, foam roll and rest. I did do cross training on P90X (week 5 of the 90 cycle; Chest Shoulder and Tri) just to keep myself sane from not running much and not playing sports. I even went to Top To Top yesterday and bought myself a pair of Asics Foundation 9, a pair which has less support than Brooks Beast and a pair which I've had before Brooks Beast (my size 13 is heavy but very supportive). Besides that, I'm also interested on the Brooks Green Silence in which I've heard plenty of great things on. But Top to Top didn't carry them yet so Lawrence, the sales person which sold me my previous shoe and my latest addition had me try on a pair of Saucony Fasttwitch 4. It was amazingly light and too bad Running Warehouse doesn't carry size 13 while they're on sale!!! It's good to have several pairs to run with and each with various amount of support, working my way to run with less pronation and more efficient.
I've also been eying on the New Balance Minimus. Here is Anton talking about them.
All in all, the problem may have led by various causes. It could've been the waayy over worn Brooks Beast that I've had for over a year and many miles (Bulldog, Firetrails and many practices and even practices for North Face 50). It could've been the fact that I hadn't been resting much.
Besides that fact that it's frustrating not to be able to run, it's also scary. I want to be able to run States with a healthy body and give it the best shot. When you face an injury, the most important race gets flashed right in front of you, warning you to be careful and be smart about it. One lesson I'm learning here is that I need to listen to my body. Know when to push, know when to stop.
Haven't been able to run, I've been reading many blogs and watching a few videos to amp up my hunger for my next training run (when I'm ready). Enjoy a few of my recommendations.
Blogs I've been reading for inspiration:
June Caseria - My 2011 Western States (We're the only two SoCal Coyotes that got selected) partner in crime. SoCal Xterra Female Age Group Champ.
Dominic Grossman - One of the fastest (Top 10 at AC100 & 11th at Badwater) SoCal Coyotes (Running group I train and run with here in SoCal)
Katie DeSplinter - Another bad ass Coyote
Here is Katie and Dominic
Josh Spector - Current Part Coyote Coach - 8th overall at AC100 - Ironman (So much to learn from him!)
Then there are the professionals:
Anton Krupicka - One of the fastest ultra runners in the country, Leadville 100 champ, Miwok 100k champ and 2nd overall at Western States 100.
Geoff Roes - 2010 Ultrarunner of the year. Western States 100 Champ (set course record)
Scott Jurek - 2 Time Badwater Champ and 7 time Western States champ.
Cool Salomon Shoe Video!
Happy running. If you're in the cold, stay warm. See you out on the trails... soon!
good for you, listening to the body and taking it easy. Easing off now will pay off huge - you definitely don't want to have something that lingers. And there will be plenty more beautiful sun-shiny days in LA to train! I got a pair of the Green Silence recently and am digging them so far.
ReplyDeleteThanks Coach! Haven't seen you in a while (since that pouring day on Westridge). Hope all is well with you.
ReplyDelete