The Neurosis of Running

Running using the podrunner program of 150 bpm made me realize I preferred to switch back to the interval training once again. Somehow, the variety adds more spice to my running. Though I am somewhat of the obsessive-compulsive type, wanting predictability in my run therefore preferring to run in the same route over and over again, another part of me also gets easily bored with routine. That is the kind of neurosis that running has unearthed from me. A lot more is emerging.

Halfway through my one-hour slow run this morning, I began to feel the pain behind my ankles again. My new shoes still needs a lot of breaking in. I got blisters on the same spot just two days before. The other time, I failed to lace one hole at the topmost part and this caused the rubbing of the shoe on my skin. Now, I think I really need to buy the ankle protector until this part of the shoe gets softer.

I struggled with the stinging sensation on my feet and the desire to run. I endured it to the end. I recalled how author-runners relate their own experience of masochistic tendencies which they claim is common to all runners. I guess that's the kind of neurosis that a lot could identify with. Though I sighed a lot of times and missed my old Nike free shoes, I vowed I will not stop running with these new shoes until these bend and mold to the condition that I desire. This tug of war of some sort has become fairly common to me. I had this tug-of-war before with myself, pushing my body to do what it does not want to do. I just do not know if my shoe is as obedient as my body. One hour and 8 km after, I limped my way back to my car. My double band-aid, already half-stripped as well as the skin it used to protect, exposing the nasty fresh wound. No skirts and exposure of ankles for now, I suppose. Even my vanity is suppressed with this exercise. Tomorrow I will try running with a much adherent band-aid. My husband warned me that the skin may darken and thicken from the constant trauma. Should that deter me from running tomorrow? Let's see which part of me will win the battle.

Building Up for Endurance

For me, the holiday is over. I need to get back in shape, not that I have totally lost it. Just a 3-pound gain which I can easily lose. The holidays gave me a lot of excuses to miss running three times a week. But today, I have decided to break in my new shoes... a Christmas gift from my husband. Yeey!

I looked at the sky and smiled. It was casted with thick clouds. Getting back to the stadium gave me a sense of coming home. There were the usual morning runners occupying the tracks. The air was cool and the occasional blowing of the wind brought a refreshing touch to my face. Wearing my new Nike plus zoom with the nike i-pod+ sensor neatly tucked in my left shoe, I began to run and pray.

I have just finished Haruku Murakami's book and a new resolution has evolved. Running has brought me a clearer perspective of my life and where God is leading me and my family. When you run in circles in a track filled with strangers with only your i-pod as your companion and you do that for an hour, you are left with nothing but your thoughts. Most of the time, these thoughts would also desert you, bored with what you are doing and you are left with nothing in your mind. The blankness and the silence is just the perfect environment that awakens the spirit within. Then you hear the Voice that whispers so softly. Then you realize why there are some runners who prefer to do long-distance running.

After an hour of running slowly on the track, I pushed 'work out completed' in my i-pod and shifted to walking. Covering a distance of 7.96km, I have awakened my slackened body to embrace the 2009 training I have set out for it to do. For week 1 of January, I need to cover 26-km broken down as follows, at least 6-km done 3x a week for Build Up and one LSD of 9k for endurance. My ultimate weekly distance target for base training is 33-km per week which I hope to achieve sometime in April.

The basis is the recommended training program for a beginner who wish to run a half-marathon and this is to run a total distance of 20-30 miles per week (32.2 - 48.3 km/ week), with a frequency of 3-4x a week for base training. From my previous weekly distance of 15-20km/week, I am building up my mileage to that of the target. This build up should be done gradually, following the rule of not greater than 2 miles/ week (3.2 km per week) or 10% of current distance whichever is greater. Every forth week, I also incorporated an Easy Week which is equivalent to 75% of the current distance being ran.

This slow build up is done in order to teach my bones, muscles, ligaments and tendons to strengthen and adapt to the distance. This build up is a sense of programming so that normal adaptation occurs and the body does not succumb to injury. Training requires a lot of patience, consistency and discipline. There is no shortcut to my half-marathon. Cramming will not work.

I ended my morning work-out with a prayer: Lord, help me to carry my crosses daily but let it be the cross that you give me and not crosses I make for myself, for Your yoke is easy and Your burden light. May I go about my business doing things Your way because Your ways are not my ways. Your ways are better than mine.

Then I hear His voice ever so faint:

"I have plans for you... plans to prosper and bless you and not harm you. Because I have come so that you may have life and have it abundantly."

My spirit expanded. A new year is ahead of me, filled with hope and so much promise. I went home to a new book waiting for its pages to be devoured... Running and Philosophy - a marathon for the mind, edited by Michael W. Austin. This is a promising companion for my build up to base training. As I discipline my body, so will I discipline my mind and soul and feed it with healthy stuff as well.

Sports Experts

I am now reading about injuries again but this time from the Complete Running Manual. I like this book because it gives detailed but simplified explanation of basic topics on running.

Did you know that there are actually many sports experts with different specialization? There's the sports physician who is what you may refer to as the "general practitioner in sports". He can refer you to the right specialist after he assesses your problem. The physiotherapists are those who specializes on muscles and bone movements involving joints and spines. They can give therapy using various modalities such as ultrasound, massage, electrotherapy and the like. Locally, they are the physical therapists. No, they are not your regular masseaus at the spa. They've earned a bachelor of science degree in physical therapy and are licensed under the professional regulations commissions. The osteopaths are also trained in the anatomy and physiology of the musculoskeletal system but their focus is on the body's self-healing capacity. So they create a state of balance by touch and pressure. I just do not know if we can categorize our local "manghihilot" under this category. What about the chiropractor? They seem to function like the osteopaths but with more focus on the limb and spine and easing fluidity of movement in these areas. The biokineticists are those who will analyze a runner's move and relate it to how it can potentially cause injury. They can prescribe a training program to correct any muscle imbalances. The posture therapist on the other hand cuts the yellow pages of a telephone directory into wedges and puts it in the shoes of the patient to balance uneven posture. Hmmn, sounds weird to me. The orthopedic surgeon is the specialist who you want to avoid as a runner because he can charge you expensively and his treatment is really invasive. Recovery from his treatment is also long. And to avoid him, you should consult the earlier specialists that I have mentioned if you think you have a minor injury that is not relieved by the usual RICE self-treatment (rest, ice, compression and elevation). Oh, before I forget, there is one more specialist that I have not mentioned. It is the podiatrist. Contrary to what my husband suggested that this is a specialist closely related to the OB-gynecologists because of how the name sounds (my eyes are rolling), the podiatrists focus on the feet and foot-related conditions such as overpronation and supination and other biomechanics which may require the use of orthotics (those special foot accessories that may be inserted in the shoes, but not the yellow classified ads used by the posture therapists). There are many podiatrists in the US but I do not know of anyone in the Philippines. Perhaps I should get a special training for this particular specialty. It's good to diversify into something which you are particularly interested in, i.e. the foot of a runner.... not that other like-sounding part.

Have You Heard of Fartlek?

Does the word 'Fartlek' sound familiar to you or is it totally foreign? I can't blame you if you answered... 'totally foreign' because it is actually a Swedish word. What does it stands for?

If you've heard about intervals for speed then this concept is just related. When you do speed training and you do it in intervals, you follow a more structured course. This means you run as fast as you can at your planned distance, say 200-400 meters then you follow it up with a fixed recovery time, say 1-2km. You do this for a couple of repeats according to your speed training plan.

As for Fartlek, it is a much more flexible and fun way of doing speed training. There is no fixed interval of speed and recovery runs. Instead the speed runs is determined randomly. For instance, if you're running in an oval track, you will decide to run your fast pace whenever you pass by Mr. Grandpa Walker and return to recovery runs when you pass by him again. If you are running in a subdivision, you will decide to run fast whenever you pass by a red gate then proceed to recovery runs when you pass by a brown gate. You create your own rules to determine when to do your speedwork and when to do recovery runs. This adds excitement and variety to your runs. Try it!

Running with a Stitch?

Remember that painful discomfort just under your ribcage? That is what you call the stitch. When we were still kids, I'd often hear adults warn us not to run right after a meal because we would get an "appendix" (a term commonly used to mean appendicitis). Of course, we never heeded the advise of the adults and would still proceed on running and then one of us would suddenly come crouched down with a stitch and he would be shouting, "I have an appendix!" Of course, he has an appendix. All human beings have an appendix unless you've gone through the surgical removal called appendectomy.

Anyway, we all knew that the stitch does fade away with rest and did not warrant any surgical intervention. It is just interesting to note that the actual physiology of a stitch is actually caused by spasm of the diaphragm. I never really encountered that in medical school. Perhaps it was too benign to be included in our discussions. But for a runner, this can be detrimental especially if it hits you when you are crucially competing and nearing the end of the race. So what can you possibly do about it? The Complete Running Manual advises that you take in deep breaths with your chest and stomach and blow it out deeply as well using your abdomen. If this does not work, you can raise your arms above your head and slow down to a walk. If still this does not work, you may press through the stitch with your fingers which may bring temporary relief. But it does go away in time and definitely it is not your appendix that's causing the problem.

Injury? Heaven Forbid!

I was surprised to read that most beginners get injured during the first 6 months of running. And guess what the two most common culprits for these minor injuries?

First is trying to do too much and second is wearing the wrong kind of shoes.

I can just totally relate to the first reason. When you finally decide to take up running, you get so fired up and want to do it everyday, hoping that you can make up for the lost time. Sometimes, you also want to increase your mileage immediately to have that sense of accomplishment. I have to caution you.... do not get tempted to fall into these temptations. Because if you do, you may suffer an injury that will make you unfit to run for months! That will definitely suck!

Here's how to avoid injury when you begin and I lift it right up the page of "Running for Fitness":

1) If you are new to running, walk for the first month;

2) Build up slowly; never increase your mileage by more than two miles or 10 percent, whichever is greater;

3) Get proper running shoes from a specialist running shop;

4) Run on grass or trails rather than roads and pavements if possible;

5) Get advice from experienced runners;

6) Ignore the feeling in your first three months that you could be doing more;

7) See a physiotherapist to get advice on how you might improve your running style

Another practical approach to knowing if you're running too fast is the TALK TEST. I was amazed that there is such a thing as a talk test... How does this work? Well, if you cannot talk in complete sentences during your training runs, you are running too fast.

I have trouble doing this test because I do not want to talk to anybody when I run. I get autistic and I am in a world of my own... there is such great freedom in having your own space, your own time and your own world during that 30-60 minutes work out.

Anyway, why all these advice to be very patient and to pace yourself properly? It's because your body needs to adapt to the regular impact of the ground against your feet. It will not take overnight for your ligaments to strengthen and your muscles to develop.

Below is a sample training program for a complete beginner which you may want to adapt if you are totally new to running. What I used was the training program from Podrunner. My husband chose the podrunner interval because it gives you a program of walking and running intervals just like the one shown below but the 10 week to 5-km program from podrunner seems shorter compared to that of the table. What I do is to closely "listen" to my body and assess how it responds to the training program so I know that I am not pushing myself too much. Just thinking of the months of rest due to injury keeps me very patient and gives me the temperance I need in order to avoid such an unfortunate incident.

Getting Started

I thought that the only thing that I would need to get into running is simply to make that decision that I am going to start running. It came as a surprise to read that there are basic things that you need to do before you start running.

If you are generally healthy, meaning no chest pains, difficulty of breathing on exertion, no other medical conditions, no previous injuries and you are not middle-aged nor older, then you could go ahead and move on and get started. Otherwise, you should see a doctor first and get medical clearance. I agree with this because recently I have heard of many incidents when someone just collapsed and died after getting into a sudden rigorous activity. What's more surprising, even young people (as young as late 20's) have heart attacks. It's not a fable. I am a doctor. These are facts and current observations. So just to be on the safe side, when in doubt, ask your doctor.

Now that you've had your medical clearance, you should have the basic running gear... meaning a good pair of running shoes. Running can be the cheapest sports that you can get involved in. Perhaps the most expensive thing that you need to buy in order to get into running is your running shoes. And for females, it is also important to wear sports bra especially if you're a size C or D. You do not want to look so trim and fit on your belly and have dangling you-know-whats up there. The rest of the running gears are just accessories that will help you run but may not necessarily be that essential for you. As for me, the MP4 player is a must because my running program is from podrunner. My husband downloaded the podrunner interval for 5-km in 10 weeks and this has really helped me to be consistent with the sports. You can get a very cheap MP4 player nowadays. An i-pod is not a must. However, some people wanted to track their running activity through other gadgets like pedometer and the like. As for me, the public oval track with its meter-markings suffices to monitor my distance. I only pay P5.00 to use the facility and I'm good to go. No need to make this new hobby a burden to the family budget. 'Less is more'. That's a favorite saying of my husband. Just keep it simple. The "lower the maintenance", the better.

The Miracle Run

I am not a runner. I actually hated running. When I joined the 10-km Miracle Run last August 17, 2008 it was literally a 'miracle' for me. It is my husband who really loves to run and he was the one who pre-registered for the event. As for me, it was a very last minute decision. But for someone who hated running, you should congratulate me for finishing the course.... by walking.

I finished it at 1:41:08.

That's when it all started.

Two days after the event, I was still taking Eperisone Hydrochloride (Myonal), a muscle relaxant and Ibuprofen-Paracetamol (Alaxan) three times a day. I could barely walk straight. Then I decided to learn how to run. And not just that, I decided to learn to love running.
So I searched through my husband's library and saw this book, "Running for Fitness" by Owen Barder. It's just a 154-paged book, nothing to be afraid of. Totally looked harmless to me. It was very easy to carry around so I brought it with me to work. When my friend congratulated me, having heard from my husband that I completed a 10-km venture, I proudly held up the book and showed him my latest book-find.

He looked at me with disbelief and uttered, "Do you really have to read that in order to run?"

That caught me offguard. I did not know that there are actually people who just get into a hobby or a new interest without exerting an effort to read about the stuff. For me, if you are interested in something, you have to read about it and learn as much as possible about the object of interest if you really wanted to get the most out of it. Call me nutty, which I am, if nutty means being very theoretical about things first before putting it into practice.

Reading the book was very informative and I swear, it prevented me from falling into the many pitfalls that beginners tend to get into as they embark in this totally new world of running. For those who dislike opening a reading material which is thicker than a magazine, I welcome you to my blogsite, where I shall share with you little pieces of information about running which shall not cause you indigestion or diarrhea. This is for those who just love to run and do not want to waste their precious time idling around with a thick book on their hand.