Balancing Acts

No bugs, colorful leaves; cool, crisp weather... many consider fall the best time of year to run. Let's rewind a bit though: Sorry if it sounds like somebody pissed in my Cheerios but we haven't had bugs in a long while thanks to the drought. The lack of rain also dried out the vegetation and many of the leaves have fallen prematurely with that first really windy day last week. The temperatures have been okay though... slightly above normal overall lately, but I personally love those damp, cold days of October where dark skies serve as a contrasting backdrop for technicolor leaves. Not so much this year. It is 2020, after all. 

I actually ran a few miles with the cross country team the other day with no repercussions with the plantar fasciitis/heel issues, or the hamstrings for that matter. I have been wearing an ankle brace for much of the day lately and also during that run. It appears to be helping, but I still have a ways to go. 

The workouts are continuing, with the focus on glutes one day day and core work the other. It's a bit tough sometimes to get them in since teaching and cross country practice make for a very long day and I often have to do at last an hour or more of work in the evenings. Balance that with wanting to spend time with Kate and the dogs and it's a bit tough and tiring, but it's been working okay so far. I've been sleeping well at nights lately as a result, at least. 

Looking forward in the shorter term, I hope to get in another run or two by the end of the week, hopefully one with the team for part of their run and another with my speedy dog, Moxie, over the weekend. Both will be short and slow, but I really hope by Christmas break I will be running somewhat regularly again. That would be great, but I'll take things as they come and adjust as needed... and am at least partially satisfied with being proactive and trying to make it happen. 

Bald Bluff Mountain With Moxie and Hagrid

 Running is pretty tough to do, but hiking not so much. It doesn't aggravate the hamstrings as much and wearing an ankle brace helps with the plantar fasciitis. So, with Kate heading into town to run errands, I took the dogs to and headed to a local mountain called Bald Bluff. 

Coaching Cross Country

This weekend was the Festival of Champions.... normally not just the largest cross country race in the state, but the region. In the past, the event has drawn more than 1600 runners from states and provinces ranging from Rhode Island to Canada's Prince Edward Island where we converge in Belfast to compete on what many regard as the best cross country course in the area.

As you can imagine, this year was much different. Only regional teams competed, for a total of  just 120-something competitors. Varsity only and one coach on the premises at a time. No spectators allowed. Boys and girls races several hours apart. This helped maintain the state guideline of no more than 100 people for an outdoor gathering. However, our state has been fortunate enough to have competent and excellent state leadership and our corona numbers are relatively very low as a result. Most of us can see the big picture and want to keep our state safe and functional and are doing our part. 

The other coach, Louie, coached the boys team in the morning and I coached the girls in the afternoon. We had a blast! The approach this year is to put extra focus on keeping it fun and there was much laughter, joking (often at my expense), and all around positive vibes. Oh, and they ran well also. Goals were identified for this short season and the day provided a good building point moving forward. 

If you have ever considered coaching, give it a shot! Sharing the joy of running, the camaraderie, and the shenanigans make every year a blast. The championships are merely a bonus, and I'll brag a bit and mention that I have a few under my belt, including winning the state championship a few years ago, but the less competitive years are just as much fun. I mean, dude, it's running! How can it not be? Times are crazy, but I feel extremely fortunate to coach, and teach as well, and don't take for granted that I make a living helping young adults reach their potential in both the classroom and on the trails. The kids for the most part are really stoked to be back. Look closely under all of those masks and you'll see the smiles. A big part of my job is to keep them there. 

Plan of Attack

Those tight hamstrings and that plantar fasciitis in the left foot... argh. I thought I would share my plan of attack, which I have developed based on talking with other coaches, runners, and my own research and experiences. 

I would love to get some help from a specialist, but here's the deal: healthcare REALLY sucks in downeast Maine. No, I'm serious. Gone are the days when I lived in the southern part of the state and I could get an appointment with my primary care doc within a day or two, and then begin the process of manipulating that visit to get a referral to the incredibly awesome Orthopedic Associates of Portland. 

Instead, I am now literally going on one year just to get an appointment with a primary care doctor and this is really common. There are a lucky few who have PCP's that can see them quicker, but those doctors are rarely never accepting new patients. I have noticed that the people that have these PCP's will be the first to let you know they have them. Assholes. 

So, going on my own, this is what I have recently started doing and why:

1. Two sets of exercises that alternate each day. Rest days taken when extra crazy days happen, which is usually once or twice a week. 

2. One day focuses on glute activation including strengthening machines, monster and lateral walks with bands, and other exercises and stretches targeting the muscle group. 

3. The other day focuses on core work and lower back, including a pretty common array of exercises and stretches. 

The theory is pretty simple: Activating and strengthening those glute muscles will take the load off the hamstrings. And the core work will be another side weapon to help ensure proper posture, form, and ripped abs to impress cougars at the beach. 

I did something similar last winter with good success. However, I focused more on the core, which isn't bad, but I eventually neglected the light glute activation I was doing and it caught up to me. This time around I am hitting the glutes harder and more regularly, and am hopeful I will see a difference. 

As for the plantar fasciitis, well, I'm not sure. I am hoping the above will help it as a side effect, but I am looking into a specific plan. It's pretty bad right now. Barefoot running cured it 12 or so years ago, but with harder grounds with the cooler and shorter days, it's not as easy. 

We'll see how it goes.

Rebooting

Given how toxic the world is right now and its permeation into most forms of social media, I recently deactivated my Facebook account. It's only been a few days, but I truly don't miss it. In fact, I feel very liberated. 

Blogging though? I do miss it. And I miss running. I've been plagued with injuries for the past year, mostly centered around incredibly tight hamstrings and adductors with a case of plantar fasciitis in the left foot as well, which have greatly limited my activity. But now, with coaching cross country, I am working with runners six days a week and that will naturally make anyone want to run. It's time to get serious about crawling back into the ring.... and maybe blogging.

Why the blog? Nobody blogs anymore! And plus, there's Strava! Ah, Strava. I love it and unlike Facebook, I have zero plans of getting rid of it. That platform is great on so many different levels and I'm a big fan. However, I feel that blogging is a more appropriate means of diving deeper into topics, thoughts, and whatever else. Plus, I love writing. So, I figured this might be a good time to start up again, but with a different approach. 

In the past, my blog was my running log. Strava fills that need much more effectively though. However, I would like to journal my attempts at overcoming these recent injuries as I cross into the realm of an "aging runner".  

The hay days of blogging may have come and gone, but so be it. This is for me. Trends are trends, but one's own heart is never wrong. The blog is more personal, intimate, and less in-your-face since you actually have to go to the site, as opposed to something you might not want to see popping up in a feed. Time will tell, but I like the idea of setting up my homestead in these forgotten lands, where the soil is perhaps more fertile and healthy than many remember. Until next time...

Things, Stuff, and Canicross

A lot has happened since my last post: Our girls' cross country team won the state championship, I registered for the MDI Marathon this October, ran a bunch of races, ranging from 5ks to half-marathons (and doing quite well), and have been strategically creeping my weekly mileage up to the 40s for now, while maintaining bread and butter workouts from intervals to long runs.

Epic Finale 5K

Being more open to road running is one of the smartest things I have done in a while. It allows for more options, being able to track consistent splits is super valuable for getting faster, and there are more races available. Sure, trails are more fun, and somewhat easier on the body, but doing both just gives more options, and I'm enjoying feeling fast again for the first time in years. One should never underestimate consistent leg turnover if they are serious about gaining speed.

Another dimension I've added to my running is canicross, which is a cool sounding word that basically means running with your dog. We adopted Moxie, a greyhound/pitbull mix, last December. She is a natural runner, and goes bonkers when she realizes we're about to do a run together. I bought a basic hands-free leash set-up a few months ago, and just upgraded to a true, racing set-up which should be arriving soon. We'll be competing in the Pineland Canicross this May, and expect to do well there.

Moxie during a water break.

I can't express how much fun it is taking her out on the local logging roads. She just loves it so much and it's great to have some enthusiastic company out in the woods. I've taught her some running commands and she is super-focused for the most part. She knows "sow ahead", which really sounds like a quick sue-head... adopted from my wild boar hunting days, using dogs. That command has two-purposes: Get back out in front or go faster.  She also knows "haw" (left) and "gee" (right). A simple "easy" to slow down... we're working on that that one. She doesn't like to slow down.

Moxie on the run

Our other dog, Hagrid, is less enthusiastic about running, but enjoys the occasional 2-3 mile jaunt with Kate. The beagle and hound in him comes out and his nose is often right on the ground, picking up the scents of various woodland creatures and overcome by a desire to track them down. That's fine, he's just doing what he's genetically programmed to do, but one has to expect quite a few sniff breaks when taking him out for a run. Moxie... she just goes.

Hagrid and Moxie

It's great that the dogs and doing more racing have breathed new life in my running. Frankly, prior to all of that, running has felt a bit stale. No more. I've met many awesome new folks at local races, been enjoying the quicker turnover in my legs, and of course and having a blast with Moxie out on the logging roads and trails. Coaching again has also been a huge contributor. If you're surrounded daily by young, fast enthusiastic runners, I dare you not to be affected by it. Doing the workouts with them is a win-win and a lot of fun... and it's nice to know that even though I'm in my mid-forties, I would still make varsity.

Looking forward to warmer temps ahead!

Running is Becoming Fun Again

I've taken most of the past week off (around 12 miles of running) to speed up recovery from the most annoying head cold I've ever had. It seems to have worked.

In that time, it's been a busy week, going into the weekend. Yesterday, our cross country team had a meet up in Presque Isle. We got back around 8pm last night, then it was get home, get to bed, then wake up early to meet up with the team again to volunteer at the Mt. Desert Island Marathon. Hagrid came along and provided lots of smiles for everyone.

This marathon holds a very special place in my heart. It was my first marathon. It was (and still is) my fastest marathon. I've run it seven times total and had a great time each time... even that one year I had stomach issues and had a disappointing performance.

The last time I was there in any capacity was when I ran it last in 2012 and PR'd with a time of 3:07:58. Being back there today at a water station and then a trip over to the finish and seeing the runners out there busting their tailss, smiling, having fun, and soaking in an electric, positive atmosphere fueled a desire... I can't wait to run it next year.