Oops. My Bad.

I'm going to confess to a mistake I've made this year. It's one I've made before.

I got fat.
On purpose.

If you've tolerated, er, followed this blog for a while, you'll know that I have a tendency to go 180° away from running when I suffer a long-term injury. I guess it's a coping mechanism. I love running so much that I need to get away from that world when I'm unable to actively participate.

My "athletic" history includes both endurance activities (primarily running) and strength training; sometimes simultaneously, often not. When I shut down my running earlier this year (March 11th), I once again thought, "screw it. I'm going to 'bulk up' and get strong again." Well, I did. And now that I'm trying to get my endurance mojo back (cycling plus a little running), that decision has once again come back to bite me in the glutes.

Like most men (and many active people in general), I don't venture into things half way. I'm usually all-in. So, once I decided I was done with endurance activities, I hit the weights & food HARD. I put on 15 lbs. in no time flat. I pounded protein shakes mixed with whole milk, often a few per day. Sure, some of the weight gain was muscle, but some was also fat.

By most standards, I would STILL be considered a small-ish guy. At nearly 5' 11", I don't have a big frame. But as a distance runner, I'm a good 12-15 lbs. above my comfortable running weight. And my once prized abs are currently in hibernation (that will change.)

So I'm on a mission to reverse the damage. I haven't stopped the weight training, but I have refocused it to assist running and cycling rather than to merely see how much weight I can move and how big I can get my guns.

I've always been able to fairly easily manipulate my body weight & composition. I'm blessed with a high metabolism. However, at my current age (46), I'm noticing it's not quite as easy as it used to be. The next time I'm off the endurance bandwagon and get the bug to "get swole," remind me to go easy on the bulking up. Or, remind me to get on the bike or trainer & keep the cardio going instead.

And, misguided or not, I'm still hopeful about returning to running regularly—at least to the level I was at before my hamstring injury took me out. It'll be a long, slow process. It usually is. But there's always a little excitement and anticipation when I "start over." I just wish I didn't have to do it quite as often!

But I'm game. Let's do this.

Unshod Experiment

My lack of posts is disturbing (a bit of a Star Wars reference there)...

I wish I had more to post about. Work has been busy (a BIG plus), so any planned videos are on hold. Running is still challenging and (to be honest) frustrating. My foot is still a problem. Last Wednesday's 4x800 track workout, followed by two hard miles within Friday's 4-mile run angered my foot. I felt the repercussions all weekend. I skipped yesterday's run to give it more rest, then got on the treadmill today. I kept the run short (3 miles) and slow (9:24 pace). I focused on my turnover rate and foot strike, trying hard to land midfoot, if not a tad forefoot. Once I hit 2.75 miles, I stopped the treadmill, took off my shoes and socks, and ran the last quarter mile barefoot. I'm hoping that doing this once or twice per week will gradually strengthen the muscles and tendons in my feet. If it worsens the condition of my right foot, I'll stop.

Speaking of stopping, I may be doing that...again...depending on feedback I may soon be getting. The circumstances that kept me from seeing a new PT doctor a few weeks ago have changed, slightly, for the better, so I have the green light from the Mrs. (a.k.a. "she who must be obeyed") to seek out treatment. This time, it'll be from a doc who specializes in working with endurance athletes. I've received three recommendations from local running friends for the same doctor. He's not close, but if he can not only fix my owie, but figure out what caused it, then the drive(s) will be worth it.

I'd be lying if I said that I haven't been experiencing a mild form of depression lately. The change of seasons (here, it's been dark, cold, rainy & windy lately), coupled with my inability to run like I want to has hit me pretty hard. Like a lot of us distance runners, I have a pretty strong connection (okay, addiction) to running. While I try not to let it define me as a person, it's certainly a major part of my life. Having it taken away (again...I've been through this scenario many times before) is getting harder to deal with. If I was a drinking man, I may be working on a fifth per day by now.


One positive that has come from the down time is renewed upper body strength. During the meat of my marathon training, I neglected any strength training I should have been doing. I could do about 25 pushups, max, at that time. A few days ago I managed 50 in one set (a PR for me), along with 14 pullups (most in several years), and 30 hanging dips (another PR). Look for me on the cover of Rock-Hard Studliness soon.

I'll sign off before I start rambling about my kids and my fantasy football teams. I hope you're running strong & healthy, and if not, that you heal quickly. And put in a long run for me. I REALLY miss those.

2 a.m. Brainstorm

I woke up at 2am this morning to a major "aha" realization (okay, and a full bladder). In previous posts about my heel injury, I've mentioned a muscle weakness on my right side (glutes, hip, quad) compared to my left side. While that may be contributing to the heel problem, it still didn't make much sense to me. Why would I be weaker on my "strong" side, since I'm right-handed and right-footed? Thanks to the middle-of-the-night wake-up call, I think I have the answer: bowling. For the last three years, I've bowled on a Thursday night men's league. My "finish" position, when I release the ball, is pretty exaggerated. I bend quite a bit at the knee and put a lot of weight on my left hip (and, to a lesser extent, on my left quad - see photo below). I'm reminded of this at the start of each season, when I haven't bowled for a few weeks. My left glute KILLS me for a few days, until I get used to bowling again. Multiply this "squat" by roughly 60 times a week, for 34 weeks each year, for three years and it only makes sense that my left side would be stronger than my right. During my rehab, I've been doing my single-leg squats and have been constantly surprised by how much stronger and stable my left leg/hip/glutes are. Now it makes sense! I essentially had a three year head start on 1-legged squats with my left leg!