“Run On For A Long Time…”

The major health issue uncovered last week turned out to be basal cell carcinoma, a common type of skin cancer that likely showed up, according to my dermatologist, as a result of the thirty days of radiation treatments that I received in the fall of 1998 in an attempt to treat a pineal gland brain tumor. The good news is that, “if you’re going to have to have cancer, this is the one to have.” It typically does not spread or cause death, but, it needs to be removed and I need to start getting more routine exams since they tend to recur.

On the more typical front, my running injuries continue to be a topic at the forefront. In this running journey that I’ve been on for nearly two years I have learned quite a bit about my body and about the benefits and limitations of running shoe salespeople, articles and books on running, doctors, chiropractors, friends, and physical therapists. While all mean well and all have had at least some positive influence on my progression as a runner, I’m learning that, ultimately, my progress is in my hands.

I’m learning to pay more attention to what my body is doing, what my morning blood sugar readings are telling me, and to respond in a constructive manner through an increasingly consistent balance of proper diet, stretching, strengthening, running, and resting. I’m learning to take the ‘big picture’ perspective instead of just basing my whole running self-esteem on the most recent run or ache.

That being said, I’m at a point where I feel confident in making a long-term commitment to participate in the 2013 Country Music Half (maybe the full if things go REALLY well between now and then) Marathon in Nashville on April 27, 2013. I feel confident committing to this, above and beyond possibly persistent injury issues, because I will be doing it to support the Hands And Feet Project which operates two orphanages (and is working on building two more) that care for orphans in Haiti. So, whether I have end up running, walking, or crawling, I will commit (as soon as the sign-up info is posted by Hands & Feet), raise the funds necessary to be a part of it and support the orphanage project, and participate. Hopefully, though, I will be able to complete it by running the full distance. We’ll see!

My new neutral running shoes arrived Wednesday and, so far, I’ve completed a 2+ mile  run and a 3+ mile run wearing them. They feel pretty good, but, since my pes anserinus bursitis and my hamstring are still quite tender, it will be a while, I’m sure before I am able to conclude whether or not the shoes have really made a difference or not. In the meantime, I will continue stretching and massaging the left leg daily while maintaining a conservative running schedule of 3 runs per week with the two shorter runs typically totaling 2-4 miles and a longer run each weekend hopefully getting about 10% longer each week (with a cutback week every few weeks).

The experiment I started late last week of dropping down to one Metformin a day, instead of two, didn’t last long. I saw a difference in my morning numbers almost immediately and I was back at the normal dose within three days.

My weight has held steady at 217. I’m hoping that with an increase in running this week, after last week’s severely restricted running schedule, the scale will drop down closer to that magical 215 barrier that I know I haven’t been below since graduating from college almost thirteen years ago.

Unsettled

This past Thursday’s doctor visits yielded some interesting results aside from the hamstring issue and my physical therapist’s advice to hold off on the half marathon training a bit. First, my cholesterol went up slightly. This, quite possibly, has something to do with the fact that I’ve been eating 1-2 eggs almost every morning for breakfast along with an apple and 2-3 slices of turkey bacon. Time to adjust! So, tomorrow I will start experimenting with some store brand equivalent to Egg Beaters.

On the upside, my A1C diabetes test came back, again, lower than my prior visit. So, I’m experimenting, with my doctor’s approval, with reducing my daily Metformin dose by 50%. If I notice my numbers staying up over the next week I may go back to the originally prescribed dose, but, so far, after two days on the lower dose, things are alright.

In fact, so far, the month of October has been a very good month for me. Again, my average daily blood sugar readings dropped below the prior month’s average from 90.6 in September to 86.8, so far, in October. On top of that, my weight dropped from 218 lbs last week to 217 this week. The monthly average for September dropped from 219 in September to 218 (so far) in October. Things are going well in the blood sugar and weight departments and I’m very pleased about that part.

I ordered a new pair of neutral running shoes last night to start wearing while I run in an effort to see if my stability plus Brooks and Asics shoes were contributing factors to my left leg injury issues. They should arrive this week. Until they do, I will continue emphasizing core and strength training. When they do arrive I will likely get a conservative run in with the new shoes before focusing, for at least a few more days, on core and strength training.

Finally, while this has nothing to do with running, my visit to a dermatologist yielded the somewhat unsettling news that the spot on the side of my head that I noticed several weeks ago was suspicious enough to warrant immediate removal and the doctor’s assessment that there is a 50% chance that it is skin cancer. He concurred with my theory that the 30 days of radiation treatments that I received in 1998 to treat a brain tumor was the likely culprit, if, that is, the spot does actually turn out to be cancer. He did state that the odds are good that, if it is cancer, that it is a basal cell carcinoma which, as he put it, is the best kind of cancer to get because it is localized and highly curable. That being said, with the high risk of secondary cancer that I know I’m at because of my radiation treatments, the news was and is, at least, unsettling because I know that, even if this one is ok, the potential for more cancer developing as time goes on is significant.

I’m supposed to find the results of their analysis of the removed tissue this week. We’ll see. God is my strength.

Half To Put It Off

Ignorant, spastic optimism fell victim to reality today. I knew that it was going to require a very smooth several weeks without injury issues, that I already knew were going to be a problem, when I declared this past weekend that I was planning to do the Mistletoe Half-Marathon in Winston Salem this on 12/2. The bright idea to take aim at December being the time for my first half came just hours after a 5.5 mile run with my wife on Sunday. It was a run that rode the last fumes of the Decadron steroid patch that had been placed on the inside of my left knee just a couple of weeks earlier to ease a pesky case of pes anserinus bursitis. The temperatures were low, the aches in my leg still manageable, and my spirits were high.

Today, however, after dealing with three days of leg discomfort, I had an appointment with my family physician who, after feeling the lump of scar tissue on my hamstring behind my knee,  seconded what I’d been told before about, apparently, having tweaked my hamstring in my left leg at one time. I then had an afternoon appointment with the physical therapist who gave me the following recommendations:

1. Give running a break for a week or two and, subsequently, give up on the 12/2 half marathon (“There will be more races,” she said.)
2. Spend my time focusing on strengthening my core, knee stability, balance and hamstrings more than I have so far: instead of 2-3 core workouts a week, aim for 6-7.
3. Routinely stretch my left leg more
4. Either try some neutral running shoes (instead of the stability shoes recommended to me a year and a half ago by the “pros” at the running store or try some custom orthotics (seeing as how they are $250, I’m going to try the neutral running shoes first)

So, there you have it. My approach for the next couple of weeks will be built on a foundation of core training, stretching, and limited running. It is definitely a blow to my enthusiasm. I’m addicted to running. I’m not addicted to core workouts on a towel on the dining room floor and strength training in a stuffy spare bedroom. But, it is what it is.
Grrr.

4 Miles And A Plan

My planned schedule, as of 6/3/12, to be able to participate in and complete the Athens Half Marathon in Athens, GA on 10/21/12.

With a couple of appointments at the running doc, a week and a half of doing prescribed core-strengthening exercises, and a pain-free four miles in today (my longest distance run so far in 2012), my optimism is gaining speed and I’m beginning shift my attention back to the bigger picture. With a sense of very cautious optimism I’ve been reading MARATHONING FOR MORTALS of and on for a month or so and I finally feel like I can now start carefully moving forward with a plan to build my mileage in advance of the AthHalf Half Marathon in Athens, GA in October.

The book, in combination with numerous other sources recommends 2-3 short runs during the week to be followed by a longer run on the weekend. In addition, to the short runs, cross-training should be sprinkled in with a rest day or two. So, with that information in mind, my typical schedule will look something like this (with inevitable minor adjustments as necessary from week to week):

• cross-training (e.g., low-weight/high rep strength training, elliptical machine cardio, core strengthening exercises as prescribed by Dr. Duffy at Greenapple Sports & Wellness)
• short run for 30-40 minutes
• rest/core strengthening exercises as prescribed by Dr. Duffy at Greenapple Sports & Wellness
• short run for 30-40 minutes
• cross-training (e.g., low-weight/high rep strength training, elliptical machine cardio, core strengthening exercises as prescribed by Dr. Duffy at Greenapple Sports & Wellness)
• long run (see schedule to the right)

The long run, in general, will never increase in distance by more than 10% from one week to the next and, during some weeks, will either level off or cut back a bit. According to a lot of what I’ve read, this will hopefully increase my chances of being able to build mileage without as much of a risk of overuse injuries on account of my body not being ready for the extra workload.

In terms of my general weekly update, after hitting my lowest weekly blood sugar average last week since being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, my blood sugar average for this week inched back up a bit from 91.3-94.8. My weekly weight average, however, inched lower from 231.5 to 231.2. This morning’s reading was a beautiful sight and a great way to start of this week: 229.8! I’m finally back under 230 for the first time since putting 26 pounds back on during the winter. This time its staying off for good!

After running two 5K’s in 2012 (setting a PR in March with 30:39) I’ve decided to put them on the back-burner in the interest of maintaining my focus and sticking to my half-marathon plan. I still might try an 8K or a 10K once my mileage gets a little higher, but, 5K’s are not important at this point.

All in all, I’m excited. I’m feeling good and I remain extremely grateful to those who’ve played a role in encouraging me along the way. Most notably: Bob Marchinko, Kevin O’Neil, Gerry Ayers, Jared Shoemaker, Claire Watts, Kelley Vinson, Bryan Graff, Christa Graff, Sandy Gunger, David Miller, Gary Ferro, Dave Fish, Nick Miller, my wife Angela Rockwell, and, certainly, my late father James A. Rockwell who gladly handed over some extra cash (things were a bit tight at the time) for me to purchase my first new pair of quality running shoes (now worn out and retired) There are also a number of others – too many to mention – who’ve made encouraging comments along the way and I am grateful to each of them.

Thank God for running.

Moving Forward With Tentative Confidence

I’ve been running on pins and needles, so to speak, for the past couple of weeks trying to gauge the amount of discomfort I’

One of the main books that I'm learning and drawing inspiration from in my quest to continue running and, someday, hopefully, complete a marathon: MARATHONING FOR MORTALS by John "The Penguin" Bingham and Coach Jenny Hadfield.

ve felt in my knees and left hip-joint from day-to-day. In the hopes of holding off any kind of irreparable damage and delay in my running progress I ramped up the pace and depth of my research into what might be causing the pain and how to deal with it effectively. At the same time I’ve been tentatively entertaining the prospect possibly being able to attempt a half-marathon in the fall or winter of 2012-2013. Of course, getting the injury issues in order has to happen first.

The general feedback that I’ve been getting from talking to other runners and reading is that my pain is likely due to a combination of circumstances including my over-zealous mileage increases within the last year, the breakdown of my running shoes, and poorly executed stretching/icing/training routines. All of this has led me to take inventory of why I run, what I’m hoping to do, and what I need to change in order to give myself the best chance to accomplish my goals through running. The most common advice given with regards to how to prevent this problem from getting worse and, hopefully, how to help it to get better is to scale back and be patient. Run less. Use dynamic stretching after warming up before a run and static stretching at the end. Take rest days in between run days. So, that is my new plan.

This was the first week of attempting to implement my new plan and the first week went well. Running two miles, three times in a week is certainly not an achievement, but, doing so with seemingly less discomfort after each successive run was enough to give me some confidence that this plan may have a chance of working.

In the meantime, I plan to be very careful about increasing my mileage by no more than 10% each week and running no more than three or maybe four times a week. The book has stressed the importance of barely-runners, like myself (my term, not theirs), taking a day or two off between each run in order to allow our legs the time they need to heal and grow stronger in between runs. Supposedly, as time goes on they will become more and more able to handle the abusive workload that runners’ legs (particularly heavier ones like myself) experience. Only time will tell, of course, if such optimism and progress will manifest itself in my legs.

On the blood-sugar/weight front, it was a good week. I kept my blood sugar down and lost a full pound since last week. Hopefully both trends will continue to develop this week.