Today was supposed to be the day that I made my Boston
dreams come true.
Today was the Newport Marathon, a relatively small race
(under 1,000 runners) on the central Oregon coast. It is a magnet for would-be Boston Marathon
qualifiers with its flat course at sea level.
According to MarathonGuide.com, Newport had 19th highest percentage of
Boston qualifiers in 2013, with 21.2 percent of finishers hitting their Boston
mark.
And it was to be a magnet for me. After running a 3:23 at the 2013 Portland Marathon, I was on pace to hit or come awful close to a BQ this year. By the end of January, I had put my money
down for Newport and had put together an aggressive training plan to get me to
my goal.
At the same time, though, a couple of old friends came back
into my life: Achilles tendonitis and lower back issues. It was three years removed reunion that I
could have done without. But, as chronic
injuries tend to do, they came back just as life on the run was starting to
really cruise.
I later figured out that the root cause of my injuries
likely was not due to running or training, but thanks to the living room
remodel we did right after Christmas. I
thought I was being smart in how I was lifting furniture and preparing the room
for contractors and carpet layers. Now I
know that smart would have been having someone else do the heavy lifting for
me.
But training, and pride in my training, compounded the
problem. I didn’t read the signals like I
should have and didn’t rest when they showed up. Continuing a streak of 12 straight months
with 100-plus miles was on my mind. I
did make it to 13, but at a price.
When the Portland snowstorm of February 2014 hit, I decided
it was a good time to take a break and rest my Achilles. A week or two off should get it back to
normal, right? Two weeks turned into two
months of reduced running. So instead of
running the Newport Marathon on May 31, I rejoiced in the fact that I was
coming back and finally seeing my mileage float around 20 miles per week again,
mostly pain free.
Every setback, however, has its positives and its lessons…if
we are willing to learn from them. This
setback for me is no different. The last
two months has provided reminders that often times are easily forgotten by
driven athletes, but are the things that keep many runners on the road more and
on the mend less. Count myself among
those, counting myself fortunate that it was not longer.
Here are some of those lessons relearned:
TAKE CARE OF THOSE HURTS NOW, NOT LATER. If I had taken care
of my Achilles right away, taken a few days off when I first noticed an issue,
I might have been at Newport today.
There is nothing worth pushing through an injury if it can be treated
immediately through icing, stretching and rest.
Even things as trivial as streaks or a few missed days of training
aren’t worth it.
If something is sore that is not typical (i.e. it worsens
when you run or affects your form), take three days off and treat through ice,
stretching, massage and rest. If it last
longer than a week, consult medical professionals.
KEEP WISE MEDICAL COUNSEL.
Since working through my first bout with the Achilles and lower back
three years ago, I have been blessed with a pair of great professionals who
have helped me to come back stronger than ever.
My podiatrist, Dr. John Mozena, is a marathoner and
national-class master’s triathlete. We
actually met during my first Portland Marathon in 2010 (but that is a story for
another blog post). He understands
endurance athletes and runners, being one himself.
My physical therapist, Scott Hein, is a wizard in every
sense of the word. Scott was the one
three years ago who linked my Achilles issues to my lower back and did so again
this time. He understands that more
important than treating the symptoms is treating the cause of the symptoms,
which aren’t always the same.
SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION SOONER THAN LATER. I made another common athlete’s mistake in
this process. I spent about a month
trying to self-treat my issues. If I had
seen John and Scott sooner, my two months off might have been one. And I might have been in Newport today (not
going for a BQ, but at least not watching an entry fee go down the tubes). If you hurt for a week, do not hesitate to
see a specialist. You’ll thank yourself
for it later.
CORE TRAIN. I have
known for a long time that core training and strength training reduce injury
and make for stronger runners. But a
weight room can be intimidating. It can
also be hard to find a plan that caters to runners who are on tight schedules.
Before my layoff, I found the book Quick Strength For Runners by Jeff Horowitz. The book lays
out an eight-week plan core strength training plan using plyometric exercises,
medical ball exercises and light weight (think 10-15 pound dumbells). The layoff actually allowed me to give the
plan a try. It has been easy and I can
feel the results. I can’t to see how
much it benefits me in racing.
INJURY DOES NOT EQUAL COMPLETE REST. Most injuries do not mean you put your feet
up for the duration. In fact, some
physical therapists’ treatment plans (such as the ASTYM performed on me) are
most effective when the patient is still active. You can’t run? Try an elliptical machine or run in the
pool. Do a hard stationery bike
workout. Start or enhance your strength
training plan. Whatever you do, don’t
just sit there.
TAKE YOUR TIME. Once
you are cleared by your doctors, that doesn’t mean immediately hammering a
30-mile week with a tempo run and track work.
You have to come back slowly and allow your body to get used to the
stresses that running puts on it. My
physical therapist put me on a “Return To Running” plan that built me back up
to regular, sustained running. It starts
with four segments of two minutes jog, two minutes walk. Sure, that’s a frustrating start to a
comeback, but remember the end goal.
When you do get back to a regular running regimen, remember
the 10 percent rule: Don’t increase your mileage by more than 10 percent each
week.
STAY POSITIVE AND STAY FOCUSED. Running is a critical part of our lives, and
it is easy to get down when we can’t do it.
Remember that injuries, even the chronic ones, are temporary
setbacks. Stay positive. Reach out to others for positive
reinforcement (social media is great for this).
READJUST YOUR GOALS.
An injury is a setback. There is
no reason it should wipe out your goals.
The Newport Marathon is gone, so I must re-adjust my goals. My outlook is now set for the Eugene Marathon’s
half-marathon at the end of July. After
that, perhaps another Portland or the Seattle Marathon in November. A trip to Boston likely will not come up
until at least 2016, and that’s fine. As
a wise runner I attend church with reminded me, Boston will still be there.