An interesting 6 days

It started with a local 5k, the Jingle Bell Run for
Arthritis that actually runs through my brother’s and friend Wilm’s
neighborhood. I’ve run it a couple of
other times. Nice race. A little downhill at the start but climbs
back up at the end. This was only my
third 5k ever, so I’m still trying to figure out the pacing.




I think I’m capable of sub 19:00 – but not yet apparently. Following were the splits



1 6:00.5 1.00 6:00.5
2 6:16.8 1.00 6:16.8


3 6:12.5 1.00 6:12.5


4 1:01.8 0.17 5:57.4






Summary 19:31.7 3.17



Avg Pace 6:09.2






Started strong, but it felt fast. Needed
to be sub 6:00 to break 19:00, especially on a gradual downhill. Tried to find a “cruise pace” for the second
mile, but it was just too slow. But it’s
what I needed to do at the time. Anyway,
it was over before I knew it. 19:31 –
New PR. Sixteen year old nephew won the race in 17:47. 1/11 AG, 6/483 overall. Brother and Wilm each won their AG too! This is a distance that really hurts. No time to pace and ya gotta go fast and it's painful.



So the next day Sunday I talked Wilm into running a 10 mile trail
course in our area. I had only run it
once before a couple of weeks earlier and as it was my first ever real trail run, I fell 4 times on my first attempt. No major damage, a couple of abrasions and
bruises, but tolerable. Much respect to
all you trail runners. But heck, it was a blast so let's do it again.





Anyway, we head out for the run and were moving pretty good around mile
three when a damn root jumped up and grabbed my foot. DOWN!!
Hard this time. Banged my knee
pretty well, but as it turns out, about four miles later a fell again and
really felt it in my ribs. My earlier
fall really racked my ribs, my knee was fine.
So I finished the run conservatively, but really started to feel pain in
my ribs, shoulder and arm the last couple of miles. I knew I’d done something. I cracked a couple of ribs twenty years ago
playing hockey so I knew what it felt like




The next day at work I couldn’t take a deep breath or raise my arm
easily. Self diagnosis – fractured rib. Took that day off.




Tuesday – popped 600mg ibuprofen and jogged 3 miles with a max pace of
about 8:30.




Wednesday felt a bit better, popped a few more ibuprofen and ran 2 ½ miles
as a warmup – yes I’m an idiot – for Thursday’s 10k Turkey Trot through
downtown Detroit. Ran three strides and
got it to about 7:15. Couldn’t take full
breaths as the ribs just killed. But in
twelve hours I was supposed to suit it up again. After all, my wife, three of my kids, my
brother and nephew and Wilm were all running.
Wasn’t going to miss this.





So I preface the next section with > I do not recommend doing this
at home:




Well, I am a bit on the competitive side, so Thanksgiving morning, still
unable to turn over in bed I got up at 4:30am. Took my 1200 ibuprofen and a
vicodin. Maybe not the best idea on the
planet, but heck, let’s see what happens.
What’s the worst that can happen?
It’s not like it’s a marathon and my kidney’s are gonna shut down. So we all head downtown. 37 degrees, 8 mph wind and 20,000 people
including the simultaneous 5k. Popped a
second vicodin an hour before and ready to roll. Damn it still hurt like hell though.






7:45 – gun goes off. The adrenaline
kicks in and the first couple of miles feel
great. Uh, oh. Mile three: I feel the ribs, breathing is shallow, do I
stay to the left and only run the 5k?
Nope. Moron. Felt like hell the rest of the way, but
somehow found a pace that I could manage. Not a PR by about 30 seconds, but a tough
course to do it on with three hairpin turns.
I figure you lose 5-8 seconds each one with deceleration and the
subsequent reacceleration.


1 6:13.8 1.00 6:13.8


2 6:21.7 1.00 6:21.7


3 6:24.9 1.00 6:24.9


4 6:25.0 1.00 6:25.0


5 6:26.3 1.00 6:26.3


6 6:24.9 1.00 6:24.9


7 1:50.6 0.31 5:56.8






Avg Pace 6:21.5



Summary 40:07 6.31




When all the painkillers wore off by evening I was wiped out. Still had a great dinner with family and
relatives. And guess what:




1^st AG > 1/206




132/7504 overall



Not bad, not a recommended way to run a race, and I sure feel it
today. Sore, but manageable.

Congrats on the two races. Especially on getting 1st in your age group in the 10K! Now as for racing on broken ribs? Nock that crap off!

Congratulations on Both Races!

That is a crazy story and I can't believe you ran the 10k. Extremely impressed. Now take some time off and heal:)

Congratulations Crazy Man!

Nice double! Wow, you are a rough and tumble middle age man, aye! Get healthy now!

Gratz, I think. Guess if there ever is a "Double Down 5K and 10K" that you'll sign up.

That was a crazy week! Can't believe you capped it off with a 17 miler to boot... Hope your rib gets better soon and great job on the races!

Yikes! That's insane, not so much for the Ibuprofen, but Vicodin? I'd be in another world! LOL

So, after all is said and done....what's the injury? Fractured ribs? How long will you rest up before you go again?

You are nuts! but I really love the hardcore attitude Trails get me all the time I must learn pick up those feet

Yipes! And you call trail runners crazy?

Congrats on the PR, and the AG win. (I sure hope you meant 1,200 mg, not 1,200 tablets...)

I'm just glad you didn't have a Warrior's Dash on the agenda!

dot520 wrote:Yikes! That's insane, not so much for the Ibuprofen, but Vicodin? I'd be in another world! LOL

So, after all is said and done....what's the injury? Fractured ribs? How long will you rest up before you go again?

So verdict looks like a couple of fractured ribs -- not broken -- 6-8 weeks to be pain free. Nothing you can do. No cast, no wrap. Just suffer and take pain killers. Will keep up the running however. A couple of tylenol keep me going and since running is fairly consistent w/o a lot of side to side stuff I can make it. I'm in the endurance building mode for Boston so there's not a ton of speedwork right now anyway.

You just made me very afraid of trail running. Congrats on awesome races while so beat up.

Now rest!

Hope it's already much better by now.

Holy crap- running on vicodin? That's impressive. I can barely get off the couch if I pop one.

Crazy 6 days indeed.