Charles Keeps Going

Today is the official start of my training schedule (Bryon Powell's from Relentless Forward Progress) for my first 50 miler in August. I believe Schuey is doing this one too - I am guessing he will be done just a "little" ahead of me!

My event is this one:
http://www.northcountryrun.com/index.html

I have been a bit hit or miss in my months up to this with PF issues, some laziness and last week some sort of flu thing with upper respiratory issues. I am still coughing a little, but I made it easily through today's 6 miles. Tomorrow is just 5, next day 6 - off or hiking - 12 miles, then 5 and Sunday off. At the peak I will hit 50 miles for a short stretch - not a huge mileage base, but enough for this slowish runner. I hope to go up to Manistee on April 15 to do the first official training run. You can do the 25 mile loop, or less. I plan on doing it all so I will know the route and terrain. That will be a huge help in knowing where to train around here and mentally I will have it in my memory to motivate me.

This won't be a very busy blog, but I will do at least a once a week update.
Here I go from 60 to 50!

Sounds like a fun ride you are embarking on! Good luck!

Wow! Good luck on your training! I look forward to following along!

Looking forward to following along with your training, Charles.

Well . . . I ended up with 29 miles this week.
It was supposed to be 34, but I went out yesterday for 5 and stopped within a quarter of a mile.
I have been having some pain on the top of my left foot - (I think more in the navicular area, not metatarsals) in the past week or so. It hurt some Friday, but not too bad, This time it made me want to stop. I am praying it is not a stress fracture ( I think it is). I will go to an ortho or podiatrist next week and see what they think.

Not.

Happy.

But hopeful.

Ouch - let's hope that is not the case... Hang in there buddy.

Charles - I'm going to make you feel much better by letting you know that it is probably just tendonitis. I used to get this all the time on the top of my foot where you literally tie your shoes. Ice, take some ibuprofen, and even rub in something like biofreeze. That is my take since it is very common - and I hope that is all that it is!

I am hoping you are right!
I will do more icing, etc. and see how it goes.

Yipes! Here's hoping the foot problem is just a little tendonitis.

Make sure to build up nice and easy. Don't let FOMA (Powell's term for "Fear Of Missing Out") drive you into something that really holds you back.

I'm looking forward to seeing how this works out. I think even getting ready to run 50 is a great adventure.

Michele - I really think you are correct.
I did more research and found a couple of web sites about tendonitis.
One in particular was about extensor tendonitis which describes exactly my symptoms - precisely.
I do probably tie my shoes too tightly and I think that is the major culprit.
It just started a week ago, so it may not be too bad.
Today it hurts very little when I stretch it and no pain when I am just walking.
I tried a little light running in the house and nothing - that was not true yesterday.

So . . . I am doing RICE and hope to get back into running before too long.
Yes, Mark - I will do my best to ease back.

Thank you Michele.

phooey, phooey, phooey. Don't ya hate when you are ready to run and then your body puts the brakes on?
I hope it's just tendonitis and that you are back out there soon!

Week two report - 0 miles. Yep, zero.
I have been nursing this tendonitis all week very carefully.
No running, off my feet, ice multiple times a day, elevated.
It seems to be much better and I hope to to do some short test runs soon and then get back to training.

I watched some YouTube videos about changing my lacing pattern and I know that will help.
I will also try some thin foam on top of my foot too, to give a little more protection.
All this with the assumption that it is NOT a stress fracture!

After a week off, I decided to start back running today.
I ran 6 miles on the dirt roads and some trails of the nearby wildlife refuge.
On a scale of 1 - 10, the pain in my foot was .5 - not really pain, just an awareness that it was not 100%.
I stopped at 6 miles, then walked the rest of the way (3/4 of a mile) to the parking lot.

I came home and iced it and it feels pretty good.
Tomorrow I will go back out and do 5 miles.
Happy about it and encouraged.

Good news, Charles - Good news.

John Kilpatrick wrote:Good news, Charles - Good news.

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Yeah...a Charles blog! Hoping to see some photos and videos attached here of your training.

About the top of the foot...I'm one of those folks that keep the laces as loose as possible because pressure on that area causes me grief. It also forces me to lace the ankle area more securely or the shoes will fly off. Hoping that's all it is, just tendonitis.

Good, I'm glad you foot is feeling better. It's always interesting to me how we can make little adjustments like a different pattern for shoe laces and that can make life better!

Yesterday was my third day of running after a week off and it went well.
No pain while running and afterwards maybe a little pain.
I ice it and all is well.

Either tomorrow or Saturday I will do 16 miles and I expect it to go well.
The Muscatatuck Wildlife Refuge is a beautiful place known especially for birders to visit.
I still run on the main roads there - dirt roads with some gravel.
I have been exploring some old roads where no traffic is allowed and some trails.
Susie came with me yesterday and took a few photos along the way.
Sometime I will bring a camera with me to get some shots out in the woods.

Here is my main training area which will soon be supplemented with trail running at a nearby forest and also over at Brown County where the Tecumseh Trail marathon is run in December.

Wow...your running route is sooo nice!

It is wonderful out there.
When you run by water - you hear frogs jumping into the water - Canada Geese - other waterfowl, etc.
In the woods it is just beautiful.
The refuge opens an hour before sunrise and an hour after sunset.
I plan on getting there early in the AM to do my 16 miles before it gets warm.
A lot of it is flat, but there are some "rollers" - nothing major, but enough for me.

I got my 16 miles in this morning at the wildlife refuge. It opens an hour before sunrise, so I got there about 6:30 and started out in the dark. I used one set of Knucklelights, but did not need them for very long.

With my foot injury, I have been taking my runs pretty slowly to be on the safe side.
Lately my 5 & 6 miles runs have averaged around 13:45 miles - which includes a ratio of 3 minutes of running and 1 minute of walking.

Today I did 16 miles with average of 13:19 miles, again with the 3/1 ratio and a few extra walk sections.
My fastest miles were at mile 9 & 12, with others very close. I talked to myself quite a bit and told Charles to go ahead and speed up a little and see what happens. More and more I am struck by how much of this is mental.
I am gradually - very gradually - upping my pace. At my 50-miler I would be thrilled to average 12 minute miles and be done in 10 hours. And I really think that is doable. I am getting so much better at not bailing out.

My foot did not hurt at all, but I am icing it to be safe.
Good times.

5 mile run - 59:26 - 11:53 pace.
Last year at this time, for the entire month my average was 11:39.
My average for my first HM was 10:17 last May.
I just have gotten used to a slower pace since then, but I can go faster if I push myself.
38 miles for the week - Monday through Sunday.
I normally don't run on Sunday, but my long run had to be on Saturday instead of my normal Friday.
THis week, starting tomorrow is a step back week.
I think on one "rest" day, I will go do some hiking in the hills of a nearby forest.
Just beautiful weather.

Still looking good Charles and those are some really pretty pictures! Keep up the good work and Happy Easter!

Thankfully, I am still on schedule with my 50-mile plan from Powell's "Relentless Forward Progress".
This week my long run is only 16, the next 2 weeks 18 and then on up. The run following the long run will also soon start to ramp up - not quite the big B2B runs that some training schedules promote, but close.

I tried out my new Nathan 020 hydration vest yesterday and I really like it. Once you get it cinched properly for your fit, it almost disappears. I like the pockets up front too. I rarely run with an iPod, but at the Refuge it is much safer because of the minimal traffic. I still like hearing things around me though. I found online a small clip on speaker that is made for runners, walkers, bikers, etc. so they can hear their music without using earbuds. I will get it next week and I hope it works well.

Great news about the foot, Charles! It's nice to see you back out there.

The wildlife refuge looks like a great place to run! We have one near where I live, but they have clearly posted "No Running" signs. I guess they don't want to spook the waterfowl. Or the ornithologists.

Alita tried out the Nathan pack when I was looking for a bigger hydration pack last summer. She fell in love with it so much, she was almost ready to start training for a trail race just as an excuse to get it.

That road surface looks pretty gravely. Is it the chunky stuff like they have on the roads around Tecumseh? If it is, I can understand why your feet might complain until they get used to the surface. That's a lot of unforgiving rock.