Building A Better Bumblebee

dot520 wrote:"Now, being that the race is in October, it's entirely possible that I'd be running into the teeth of a storm... so that could add an interesting extra dimension"

So it's not well enough that you are planning on the 50k after all, but you relish the thought of an additional challenge?  Ha!  You're so good amusingly insane!

Well, you know...  In for a dime, in for a dollar.   

Kidding aside, the worst windstorm on record in the Pacific Northwest came on Oct. 12, 1962. It was called the Columbus Day storm, and top winds are believed to have hit 170 mph. They don't know because all the anemometers broke before winds hit their peak.

Fear not, though. That hardly ever happens!

Mark B wrote:

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:

Mark B wrote:

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:That's cool that Alita is doing the walk - I'm on a HTC team (as of right now)

Really? That's very cool! Maybe we'll finally get a chance to meet in person.

Maybe!

That'd be fun. At least by that point, I should be ambulatory.   

I don't check in for a couple days and look at all the news!  I'd love to do the walk or the run some time...but not this year.  I'm envious of both Alita and Michele!  They run right past the small farm we used to live on near Sandy.  My brother lives there now and he always complains about the event...the vans not the participants.

Mark B wrote:

But look at the view you get as a reward! I've been on that spot on Cape Perpetua before (it's part of the U.S. Forest Service's Cape Perpetua Scenic Area), and it really is one of the best spots on the Oregon Coast.

Now, being that the race is in October, it's entirely possible that I'd be running into the teeth of a storm... so that could add an interesting extra dimension.

 DO IT!  This is my absolute favorite part of the coast.  And the view from the Adobe dining room...it feels like the waves are coming right in the window.

Great goal to get you through the times when PT seems tedious.

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:

Mark B wrote:

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:That's cool that Alita is doing the walk - I'm on a HTC team (as of right now)

Really? That's very cool! Maybe we'll finally get a chance to meet in person.

Maybe!

That'd be fun. At least by that point, I should be ambulatory.   

I don't check in for a couple days and look at all the news!  I'd love to do the walk or the run some time...but not this year.  I'm envious of both Alita and Michele!  They run right past the small farm we used to live on near Sandy.  My brother lives there now and he always complains about the event...the vans not the participants.

It can be quite the rolling catastrophe. One downside of that is that it doesn't seem to offer many chances for loved ones of those participating to spectate. It'd just add to the traffic jam. I will at least need to meet up with Alita at the beach, because it's a long walk home.

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:

But look at the view you get as a reward! I've been on that spot on Cape Perpetua before (it's part of the U.S. Forest Service's Cape Perpetua Scenic Area), and it really is one of the best spots on the Oregon Coast.

Now, being that the race is in October, it's entirely possible that I'd be running into the teeth of a storm... so that could add an interesting extra dimension.

 DO IT!  This is my absolute favorite part of the coast.  And the view from the Adobe dining room...it feels like the waves are coming right in the window.

Great goal to get you through the times when PT seems tedious.

Yes, ma'am! And you're right. I need this goal right now.

We have already booked a room at a hotel a short walk from the Adobe. This is by far my favorite part of the Oregon Coast, so to have an event like this hear is wonderful.

Running the first six miles on beach sand -- and crossing numerous small streams as they cross the beach -- ought to make for some interesting footwear conditions for the rest of the run. Heck, maybe I'll just do the first part barefoot.

Sign up is 8 a.m. tomorrow. I'll be ready.

And here's the new website: Oregon Coast 50K & 30K

Wow, that race looks beautiful.  And the 30K (50K) seems very doable!  I guess I'll see you at the beach in Seaside, OR too.

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Wow, that race looks beautiful.  And the 30K (50K) seems very doable!  I guess I'll see you at the beach in Seaside, OR too.

That'd be very cool. Looking forward to it.

Knowledge!

Joe Uhan, an elite ultra runner and PT in Eugene wrote an interesting article It’s Not About The Tibialis Anterior: High Ankle Sprains In Mountain Ultrarunners for irunfar.com that is dear to my heart.

It doesn't look like this is my problem, but it gives good suggestions that might help those of us who go off-road.

Mark B wrote:Knowledge!

Joe Uhan, an elite ultra runner and PT in Eugene wrote an interesting article It’s Not About The Tibialis Anterior: High Ankle Sprains In Mountain Ultrarunners for irunfar.com that is dear to my heart.

It doesn't look like this is my problem, but it gives good suggestions that might help those of us who go off-road.

Nice article for all of us. 

I was re-assured with his statement:  "A foot that lands more immediately under one’s center of mass is less stressful, especially on downhills, and results in less opportunity for the ankle to go places it doesn’t belong." 

This is what I'm working on, this cycle, with my stride.

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:Knowledge!

Joe Uhan, an elite ultra runner and PT in Eugene wrote an interesting article It’s Not About The Tibialis Anterior: High Ankle Sprains In Mountain Ultrarunners for irunfar.com that is dear to my heart.

It doesn't look like this is my problem, but it gives good suggestions that might help those of us who go off-road.

Nice article for all of us. 

I was re-assured with his statement:  "A foot that lands more immediately under one’s center of mass is less stressful, especially on downhills, and results in less opportunity for the ankle to go places it doesn’t belong." 

This is what I'm working on, this cycle, with my stride.

I think avoiding overstriding is one of the big benefits of minimal/barefoot/chi/pose/etc. running. If you're not slamming down with so much force every stride, you're bound to load less shock into the system.

Of course, making a change like that isn't something that happens overnight, as all those folks who bought VFFs found out the hard way.

Here's an interesting take from a PT and barefoot enthusiast on those problems, what causes them and how they can be remedied: "Too Much Too Soon Syndrome FAQ - A Look At Inside Ankle Pain"

The great thing about that post is it provides a lot of good ankle-strenghtening exercises. Check 'em out! I think they'd help whether you scamper down trails or cruise down the road.

Annd... the deed is done! Just signed up for the 50K.

      

Now, all I need to do is get ready for it!

Woo hoo!

Thanks, Jim! It made my PT chores today a little more fun.

***

The race director reports that 100 runners signed up for the 50K or 30K distance in the first hour. This with very little advance notice/hype.

Pretty clear this baby's going to sell out in its first year. But looking at where it's being run, how could it NOT?

Mark B wrote:

Here's an interesting take from a PT and barefoot enthusiast on those problems, what causes them and how they can be remedied: "Too Much Too Soon Syndrome FAQ - A Look At Inside Ankle Pain"

The great thing about that post is it provides a lot of good ankle-strenghtening exercises. Check 'em out! I think they'd help whether you scamper down trails or cruise down the road.

For my running, going down is better than going up.  And I'll check out the link.  Thanks.

Mark B wrote:Annd... the deed is done! Just signed up for the 50K.

      

Now, all I need to do is get ready for it!

You mean they don't give you the medal for just registering?

Mark B wrote:Thanks, Jim! It made my PT chores today a little more fun.

***

The race director reports that 100 runners signed up for the 50K or 30K distance in the first hour. This with very little advance notice/hype.

Pretty clear this baby's going to sell out in its first year. But looking at where it's being run, how could it NOT?

What is the cap, Mark?

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

Here's an interesting take from a PT and barefoot enthusiast on those problems, what causes them and how they can be remedied: "Too Much Too Soon Syndrome FAQ - A Look At Inside Ankle Pain"

The great thing about that post is it provides a lot of good ankle-strenghtening exercises. Check 'em out! I think they'd help whether you scamper down trails or cruise down the road.

For my running, going down is better than going up.  And I'll check out the link.  Thanks.

Mark B wrote:Annd... the deed is done! Just signed up for the 50K.

      

Now, all I need to do is get ready for it!

You mean they don't give you the medal for just registering?

Mark B wrote:Thanks, Jim! It made my PT chores today a little more fun.

***

The race director reports that 100 runners signed up for the 50K or 30K distance in the first hour. This with very little advance notice/hype.

Pretty clear this baby's going to sell out in its first year. But looking at where it's being run, how could it NOT?

What is the cap, Mark?

I don't know the cap, which is why I made a point of registering the second it opened.

And as far as medals go, just getting the chance to run here is going to be better than any medal or other swag they may give away. (Note: They don't have medals at many ultras, especially the shorter ones. I did get a pint glass at the Mount Hood 50, though, and that has been a pretty awesome thing.)

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

Here's an interesting take from a PT and barefoot enthusiast on those problems, what causes them and how they can be remedied: "Too Much Too Soon Syndrome FAQ - A Look At Inside Ankle Pain"

The great thing about that post is it provides a lot of good ankle-strenghtening exercises. Check 'em out! I think they'd help whether you scamper down trails or cruise down the road.

For my running, going down is better than going up.  And I'll check out the link.  Thanks.

Mark B wrote:Annd... the deed is done! Just signed up for the 50K.

      

Now, all I need to do is get ready for it!

You mean they don't give you the medal for just registering?

Mark B wrote:Thanks, Jim! It made my PT chores today a little more fun.

***

The race director reports that 100 runners signed up for the 50K or 30K distance in the first hour. This with very little advance notice/hype.

Pretty clear this baby's going to sell out in its first year. But looking at where it's being run, how could it NOT?

What is the cap, Mark?

I don't know the cap, which is why I made a point of registering the second it opened.

And as far as medals go, just getting the chance to run here is going to be better than any medal or other swag they may give away. (Note: They don't have medals at many ultras, especially the shorter ones. I did get a pint glass at the Mount Hood 50, though, and that has been a pretty awesome thing.)

and a Rock.  We MUSTN'T forget the ROCK!

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

Here's an interesting take from a PT and barefoot enthusiast on those problems, what causes them and how they can be remedied: "Too Much Too Soon Syndrome FAQ - A Look At Inside Ankle Pain"

The great thing about that post is it provides a lot of good ankle-strenghtening exercises. Check 'em out! I think they'd help whether you scamper down trails or cruise down the road.

For my running, going down is better than going up.  And I'll check out the link.  Thanks.

Mark B wrote:Annd... the deed is done! Just signed up for the 50K.

      

Now, all I need to do is get ready for it!

You mean they don't give you the medal for just registering?

Mark B wrote:Thanks, Jim! It made my PT chores today a little more fun.

***

The race director reports that 100 runners signed up for the 50K or 30K distance in the first hour. This with very little advance notice/hype.

Pretty clear this baby's going to sell out in its first year. But looking at where it's being run, how could it NOT?

What is the cap, Mark?

I don't know the cap, which is why I made a point of registering the second it opened.

And as far as medals go, just getting the chance to run here is going to be better than any medal or other swag they may give away. (Note: They don't have medals at many ultras, especially the shorter ones. I did get a pint glass at the Mount Hood 50, though, and that has been a pretty awesome thing.)

and a Rock.  We MUSTN'T forget the ROCK!

Good point!





(And there was the DFL trophy from Charles, too. Boy, I made out like a bandit, didn't I?)

When do you expect to start running again? (Depending on the answer I'll jump on the race excitement band wagon).

Dave Wolfe wrote:When do you expect to start running again? (Depending on the answer I'll jump on the race excitement band wagon).

Uh... that's a really good question, Dave. I'm not sure. I see the PT again next week, and I hope it'll be to the point to where I can at least start easing into things again afterward. That's one reason I'm being extra diligent on the PT exercises - I want to get the core and ankle strength where it needs to be as soon as possible.

I had been trying to get in 50-miler shape in preparation for the June 50K that interested me so much, to see how/if the extra training miles helped me on race day. I'll have to try that theory out some other time, it seems.

This approach will necessarily be more minimal. Better to show up a little undertrained than not at all.

ounce wrote:What is the cap, Mark?

It took a while to nail that detail down, and I still don't have the definite number.  

But, as of now, 12 hours after registration opened, ultrasignup.com reports 83 82 81 spots available between the two races.

Looking at the registered runner list, there are now 80 81 people signed up for the 30K, and 138 for the 50K.

That works out to 300 slots total, but I don't know if they're split 150/150 or are weighted toward one race more than the other.

At any rate, if anybody is wanting to do the 50K, they'd better sign up now.

Funny thing on the entrant list. It rates us by our "Rank" based on the number of races run using ultrasignup and the race times. Well, my races were not exactly without some level of catastrophe, so I'm at the bottom of the ranked list. My "Age Rank" is a slightly higher number, but it's still at the bottom of the list. Well, if that doesn't keep me humble, nothing will.

***

Postscript: The RD responded to a question and confirmed there were 300 slots for the races. It appears that it's 300 across both races.

***

Postscript 2: There's a very good reason my Rank is so low. The site has data from me at three races: The Mount Hood 50, DFL after my right ankle gave out; Tecumseh Trail Marathon, walked/limped most of the last half after my left ankle/foot gave out; The Beacon Rock 25K, where I walked/limped/hobbled the last third of the race when *both* of my feet/ankles gave out. That tends to impact the finishing times, just a bit.

Let me know if you can see a trend about what derails these trail efforts for me...

Well, ahem, I think the PT work should take care of that ankle giving out thing - don't ya think?????  

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Well, ahem, I think the PT work should take care of that ankle giving out thing - don't ya think?????  

Ding! Ding! Ding! She nails it on the first try!   

(And I hope you're right!)

Mark B wrote:

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Well, ahem, I think the PT work should take care of that ankle giving out thing - don't ya think?????  

Ding! Ding! Ding! She nails it on the first try!   

(And I hope you're right!)

Michele's smart like that.

I thought this would be my last update on how fast the race is filling up. They were down to having only six slots left this afternoon (impressive!), but they got so excited they added 100 more slots! Hm. Hope it doesn't get too crowded on the trails.

Quick update. I'm still working the PT exercises, slowly increasing the number of reps and looking forward to getting the MRI of my foot Monday and seeing the PT again on Thursday.

Today, I walked about 4 miles or so shadowing Alec's middle school band as it took part in a big parade this morning. It was the 50th anniversary of the parade, so it was very well-attended by entrants and the community. I enjoyed seeing all the different faces of the community along the parade route, and taking part in the parade. It was nice.

I was also happy to not feel any foot/ankle pain during or after the walk. I think that bodes well.

A few photos from the fun...



Banner holding duty before the parade. Luckily, they found students to carry it during the parade.



Alec warming up.



The kids. The guy crouching in the front is the director, who just turned 25, so he's a kid, too.

Whoo-hoo! Finally, it's MRI day!

Should I be excited about this? Well, maybe. After weeks of waiting, I got the MRI done on my foot and ankle. It was my first MRI in the traditional giant doughnut device, and I can see why folks prone to anxiety might have a rough time with it. Luckily, that's not my issue. My issue, of course, is being able to hold still for more than 3.27 seconds at a time. They seemed to notice that right away, and braced and packed my foot and toes accordingly.

I didn't realize just how involved and labor-intensive MRIs are. No wonder they're so expensive. Thank you, insurance!

Not much to do during the scan, so I took my resting pulse rate a few times (52), pondered once again the process in which I quit-but-quickly-allowed-myself-to-be-persuaded-to-not-quit at Mount Hood and perversely hoped that the scan turned up *something* so I wasn't wasting everybody's time and money. I also calculated in my head that, if there was some sort of stress reaction/fracture in my foot, it'd be nearly entirely healed by now.

So, as that was going on, and the machine was jackhammering around me, the radiologist apparently saw something unusual in the area where my foot had been hurting. So they injected me with something to boost the contrast and ran a couple more scans. They told me the radiologist would review the MRI today, but it might be a day or two before it makes its way to my doctor. Oh well.

One disappointment was that I barely got a chance to see any bit of the scan (alas), other than one cross section of my ankle. Kind of looked like a slice of head cheese, in grayscale.