As I ran the last few miles this week I found myself laughing at my silly self a little. I've always been the type of person who takes a small amount of pride knowing that I can accomplish almost anything on my own. I think that's one of the reasons why I like distance running so much. When you're eight miles out into a 16 mile long run the only way you're going to get back home is to run the other eight miles. No teammates to carry you, no taking a seat on the bench when you're tired or saved by the bell in the final few seconds. Running is one of the most honest sports out there. What you put into it, you get out.
Through the last 12 years I've run over 60 different races. That's a lot of miles. When I was a younger runner I got the typical aches and pains that you might expect from someone growing into our sport. I didn't know about strengthening my core or stretching to improve my flexibility. I got through those hard miles with nothing other than sheer stubbornness. Nowadays I practice a dedicated strength and core routine. Even though I hate doing it, I try to stretch everyday. The aches and pains still rear their ugly head now and then. Even more so since I've gotten older. But my stubbornness continues to be stronger than ever.
Up until last year I was doing pretty good with watching those stubborn miles go by. I'd managed to self treat all of my injuries up until then. But things started to come apart that Fall. I got a serious case of peroneal tendonitis that almost sidelined my 366 Project as well as any hope for a marathon that year. I struggled through single mile runs to keep the Project going and managed to get a deferment for my hometown marathon in Rochester. The tendonitis eventually got better. But then I battled with hamstring tightness for the rest of the year right up to my last minute decision to run the Empire State Marathon as a substitute to Rochester. I ran the race, set a PR and had my best marathon racing experience to date. I capped off the year by surpassing my 366th day of running. It was a momentous 2013 with a lot of accomplishments. It's be nice to say that my good old stubbornness is what got me through those challenging times. But I'd be fibbing. I got a little help from my primary care doctor and chiropractor.
It all started after one of my running friends grew tired of me complaining about my nagging tendonitis. They suggested that I see a local chiropractor in our area who specialized in distance athletes. At first my stubborn self thought the idea of seeking help from anyone, let alone a chiropractor was ludicrous. I'd heard so many horror stories from people about these "alternative medicine" doctors who done more harm than good. Why would I pay for an expensive office visit to someone to make me feel even worse? I'd rather buy an extra pair of running shoes and suffer on. After some thought and some checking I discovered that an office visit would be covered under my current health care plan. I also discovered that this particular Chiropractor, let's call him Dr. Mike, was a marathoner and triathlete himself. I asked around my local running community and heard good things about his practice. So, I decided to give it a shot.
What I got at my first visit wasn't what I expected. I expected to get tweaked and cracked for 20 minutes. But instead Dr. Mike took the time to get to know me, my past and where I wanted to go in the future with regards to my running. I found it refreshing to talk with someone who didn't look at me like I had three heads when I told him that I run 26.2 miles for fun. He understood where I was coming from.
Over that summer Dr. Mike not only erased my tendonitis, but also eased my hamstring tightness. Aches that I endured for years were quickly erased after a few visits. Without my primary care doctor's and Dr. Mike's help I would've surely never had the great year that I did.
I was laughing this week because this old body's developed yet more aches, some tightness in my hips. What can you expect when you train for an ultra marathon and run everyday? It's time to call Dr. Mike again and make an appointment. Yes, I still have that stubbornness of my youth. But now it's more directed towards attacking hill workouts than training through injuries which can be fixed. Sometimes it's good to get out of the way of your ego. Yeah, he may be faster. But the race is long and you'll pass him in no time with a little help from your friends.
It was a good week of training. This week's 16 mile long run felt better than last week's 14 mile. I'm still struggling dealing with the high humidity here and locking down a fueling plan that works. Finally got confirmation from the new race directors for this year Rochester marathon that my deferment's been approved by the new company that bought the rights to the race. That means three very long races in three consecutive months. I've never done something like that before. It'll be interesting to see if I put Dr. Mike on speed dial or not! The home treadmill's back up and running after a visit from the fitness store tech!
Do some research, check some credentials and think about getting treatment from a chiropractor. It may make your miles a little easier. Let me know if you've had any good experiences with your doctors. Hope your training is going good. Let me know if I can help. Thanks for following my journey. Have a great week. Week four is history!
Ride that lightning my friends...
It all started after one of my running friends grew tired of me complaining about my nagging tendonitis. They suggested that I see a local chiropractor in our area who specialized in distance athletes. At first my stubborn self thought the idea of seeking help from anyone, let alone a chiropractor was ludicrous. I'd heard so many horror stories from people about these "alternative medicine" doctors who done more harm than good. Why would I pay for an expensive office visit to someone to make me feel even worse? I'd rather buy an extra pair of running shoes and suffer on. After some thought and some checking I discovered that an office visit would be covered under my current health care plan. I also discovered that this particular Chiropractor, let's call him Dr. Mike, was a marathoner and triathlete himself. I asked around my local running community and heard good things about his practice. So, I decided to give it a shot.
What I got at my first visit wasn't what I expected. I expected to get tweaked and cracked for 20 minutes. But instead Dr. Mike took the time to get to know me, my past and where I wanted to go in the future with regards to my running. I found it refreshing to talk with someone who didn't look at me like I had three heads when I told him that I run 26.2 miles for fun. He understood where I was coming from.
Over that summer Dr. Mike not only erased my tendonitis, but also eased my hamstring tightness. Aches that I endured for years were quickly erased after a few visits. Without my primary care doctor's and Dr. Mike's help I would've surely never had the great year that I did.
I was laughing this week because this old body's developed yet more aches, some tightness in my hips. What can you expect when you train for an ultra marathon and run everyday? It's time to call Dr. Mike again and make an appointment. Yes, I still have that stubbornness of my youth. But now it's more directed towards attacking hill workouts than training through injuries which can be fixed. Sometimes it's good to get out of the way of your ego. Yeah, he may be faster. But the race is long and you'll pass him in no time with a little help from your friends.
It was a good week of training. This week's 16 mile long run felt better than last week's 14 mile. I'm still struggling dealing with the high humidity here and locking down a fueling plan that works. Finally got confirmation from the new race directors for this year Rochester marathon that my deferment's been approved by the new company that bought the rights to the race. That means three very long races in three consecutive months. I've never done something like that before. It'll be interesting to see if I put Dr. Mike on speed dial or not! The home treadmill's back up and running after a visit from the fitness store tech!
Do some research, check some credentials and think about getting treatment from a chiropractor. It may make your miles a little easier. Let me know if you've had any good experiences with your doctors. Hope your training is going good. Let me know if I can help. Thanks for following my journey. Have a great week. Week four is history!
Ride that lightning my friends...
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