Recent Spectating and Pain Free Running

One thing that I've been reminded of with my Achilles tendon tweaking is that the older I get, the longer it takes to heal. Apparently, this trend continues as we age. One of my 100 year old exercise class participants recently told me, "I just don't bounce back like I did when I was 85." Point taken.

Last weekend, I ended up heading down to Zumbro River Bottoms to support several ultra buddies who were participating in the second running of the Zumbro 100 mile trail race. Since the course was a little different this year (and even "sportier" than last year since Larry took out the flat part), I really wanted to get out on the trail to check it out. I also didn't want to do anything stupid that would set me back, since my Achilles tendon still didn't like uphills. Ended up just hiking from the start/finish area to AS 1/4 for about 6 miles of very pretty trail.

Zumbro River from Pine Trail Overlook

Got to visit with Jen who was manning the AS and Donny who had started sweeping the course. Alicia was also there and we got to see a few runners come through on their last loop before heading back to watch the finish. The weather for that weekend was absolutely perfect - it was tough to maintain the discipline to not run and re-tweak my Achilles! Everything was feeling great after the hike, though it did get a little stiff and sore later that evening. Not painful, just tender. My calf also felt like it was on the verge of cramping, but never really did lock up. I decided that my game plan worked perfectly: I stressed it enough to keep it rehabbing without overdoing it.

Today I ended up at Hyland Lake on another perfect day to support my buddies who were running at Trail Mix. Since the parking area gets ridiculously crowded for this race, I didn't get out there until after 11 am when most of the 25K runners had left. The rehab had been going well since Zumbro, so I decided that I would take a stab at running in the Vibram Five Fingers for the first time in 6 weeks. Hyland is the perfect place to try since the trails are soft, flat, and non-technical.

Saw a few familiar faces in the finish area: Eve and Kim had already finished first and second for the women's 50K. Decided to head down the trail in the reverse direction to see if I could find anyone I knew. Les was on his way in to finish his 3'rd lap, Shelly wasn't far behind. Did a little running on the Lake Trail and it felt wonderful! Got almost as far as the AS that intersects Lake and Hill trail junction when Wayne came along. I ended up running back to the start/finish area with him - still pain free running :)))

Decided that I would head over to the ski hill to catch another section of the course, but.... the course had been changed and there was no ski hill section. Went up and over the ski hill to get back into the park, but didn't see any sign of the course in that area. Ended up calling it a day after running about 3 barefoot miles..... 3 pain free barefoot miles....and heading home.

Time to get back to increasing miles, but still not do anything stupid by trying to do too much, too soon. Will probably decide at the last minute whether to head out to Afton with the gang tomorrow (50K fat ass starts at 8, picnic at 3), or go back to Hyland and try to figure out what this year's Trail Mix course was. I don't suppose anyone who ran Trail Mix captured the course on their Garmin and would like to share?

See you on the trails!

Back Into the Dirt

The tweaked Achilles tendon is still not 100%, but very close. Walking and strength training are completely asymptomatic, but running..... still a little tender, especially on uphills. I'd only been doing short runs on the asphalt path near my home, but today I decided to get back onto the soft dirt trails and see how things went.

Headed out to Hyland, which is close to home and relatively flat. What a perfect day for a trail run! Sunny, little wind, no bugs, and the trails are in excellent condition! You would be hard pressed to even find a damp spot - very unlike Hyland in early April.

I parked at Jan's Place and headed towards the north end of the park, trying to remember what the Trail Mix course was (they have changed some of the trails since I last ran that race a couple years ago). I opted to skip the steep hill near the turn around point in the course as well as the ski hill (still a few patches of snow present) since hills are still bugging my tendon. This short cut would also give me the option of heading back to my car for about a 3 miler if things weren't going well. Thankfully, things were feeling pretty good as long as I didn't press on the uphills, so I did the rest of the loop to the south end of the park. Ended up with about 6 miles, which is more than I've run in what seems like forever - and so far the Achilles is still feeling pretty good :)

Felt great to get out there and play in the dirt again, and I think the softer surface probably helped a bit. Looking forward to seeing my trail running buddies again soon!

Starting Over

Remember during our last episode when I mentioned that transitioning to longer mileage while running barefoot was taking longer than I'd hoped, but I was trying to be patient and not do anything stupid?

After a few months of consistent, gradual increases in easy barefoot miles on an indoor track, I decided that it was time to add in some "speed" intervals. This particular indoor track is very small - 16 laps/mile, which means that the corners are pretty tight. My plan was to run just a few half mile repeats after an easy warm-up and see how things felt the next day. The first couple repeats went just swell, but as soon as I took my first step on the third, my right achilles tendon had other ideas. Apparently, it doesn't like tight corners on a repetitive basis. Crap.

Next day my tendon was absolutely on fire! I figured that at least I know what to do to treat it and that it was most likely just the sheath surrounding the tendon rather than the tendon itself... and that it would take about 3 weeks to heal. Things seemed to be progressing as planned, and it even felt good enough for a test earlier this week. Until I took the first running step. No go. Back to foam rolling the calves, eccentric only calf strengthening exercises for gastroc and soleus, trying not to over do it too much during the six exercise classes that I teach every week at the nursing home, etc.

This morning was 3 weeks + 1 day after the initial tweak. Instead of heading out to Afton and pounding hills with the gang, I opted for an easy 2 mile run around Bredesen park near my home to see how things went. Felt pretty darn good! I am optimistic that I can start adding miles again, but will have to go slow since I ran low barefoot miles all winter. Again: be patient. Don't do anything stupid.

Which brings up my 2010 running plans:

Instead of the time and expense of heading up to Lutsen for the spring Superior races, I'm going to stick around town and will probably run the Two Rivers Shuffle fat ass with Shawn and crew. Distance to be determined depending on how things go, but definitely not the full 50.

Kettle Moraine 100K is out for this year for a variety of reasons, but I'd really like to run it in the near future (2011?).

Since I won't be running Kettle, I'm pondering the 50K at Afton instead of the 25K, even though the heat and humidity of Afton in July can be overpowering. It would be 8 weeks before my 50 miler at North Country in Michigan, and it's close to home so I can save $. And I may actually get a legal parking spot at the park this year since the 50K starts an hour before the 25K ;)

I hope to run Surf the Murph again in late fall, but won't decide on which distance until after North Country.

See you on the trails!

February Update

It's been awhile.

Haven't been doing any trail running, but have been doing lots of short barefoot runs on an indoor track. Only ran in shoes twice this month! Feels great, but is taking longer than I'd hoped to transition to longer mileage. Trying to be patient and not do anything stupid ;)

With the shorter mileage, I've also managed to put on a few pounds over the last 4 months since I've continued to eat as if I were still hammering out 20+ mile runs every weekend. Peri-menopause doesn't help in that regard either.

Been trying to eat healthier, as in more natural foods and in better combinations (ie veggies, good fats, protein, and carbs at every meal). This all came to mind after watching Food, Inc.and then listening to a dietician from Nutritional Weight and Wellness give a presentation. Even "good" carbs break down to sugar and result in insulin spikes when eaten alone, which in turn can affect blood cholesterol levels, inflammation, sleep quality, yadayadayada. Trader Joe's has an awesome natural peanut butter with roasted flax seeds (the almond butter with flax is pretty good too), and I've found a few local places that sell free range/grass fed meat, organic eggs, etc. Also found some awesome wheat berry and quinoa recipes :)

I've been enjoying watching the Olympics, though I seem to hear the results before I get to see the events, which kind of spoils it. I used to participate in alpine ski racing (the major source of my current knee problems), so those events are my favorite.

Still not sure what races I'll be doing this year - the column on the right side of the page will most likely change. Probably at the last minute in many cases. North Country 50 mile is the only race I've officially entered at this point, and I'll combine that with a family visit.

Can't wait for spring!

Black Bears Continued...

OK, I found some of the old pictures from the black bear den excursions that I mentioned in my last post. Keep in mind, this was almost 20 years ago and the photo prints have faded/degraded somewhat. Now I am the one who has faded and degraded ;)

The study bears all wore radio collars, so we were able to locate them by using a tracking antenna. Here we are, trudging through the North Woods behind one of Lynn's assistants who is holding the antenna.

Peering into 395's den after some snow had been cleared from the opening. Her den was like a small underground cave, maybe 8 feet long and a few feet deep.

Here I am entering the den - hanging upside down with two guys holding my ankles. Many people ask if it smelled bad. No, it smelled like dirt. During hibernation, bears do not eat, drink, urinate, or defecate - and hibernation in northern Minnesota typically lasts from October until mid-April - about 6 months! Their physiology is actually quite fascinating! Most other mammals would die of dehydration or renal failure after only a week or two without water. Bears will lose approximately 25% (as much as 40% for a lactating sow) of their body weight during hibernation, but seem to retain muscle and bone mass, so it's all fat loss. They give birth and nurse their cubs during this time as well. Try doing THAT while you're"sleeping" :)

This particular bear, 395, had two cubs even though she was 21 years old at the time (that's an old bear)! For reference, Lily the Internet Sensation is 3. We got the cubs out first and promptly got them inside our jackets to keep them warm. Cubs are typically born in mid to late January and are practically hairless, weighing less than a pound. This excursion took place in mid-March, so the cubs were approximately 2 month old fuzz balls and weighed about 3 pounds.

Cute little buggers, aren't they? Their eyes were just starting to open. Check out the claws on the front feet!

And the little pink feet on the hind legs!

After the cubs were taken care of, it was time to get Mama out of the den. Since she was sedated throughout this entire process, she was limp as a rag, weighed about as much as the average human male, and you already saw the den opening. Not an easy job!

Once she was out, she got a thorough check up: weighed, blood drawn, breast milk sample taken, teeth checked and measured, pads of feet checked (they shed the outer layers of skin during hibernation), brand spankin' new radio collar put on, etc.

The sedative makes their eyes twitch back and forth - kind of eerie. Soon our job was finished and it was time to carefully put the bear family back where they belonged and say goodbye. The entire experience was one of the most fulfilling of my life and gave me a new found appreciation for black bears. Thanks for letting me tag along, Lynn!

Dr. Lynn Rogers, March 1991

Black Bears

In March of 1991, I had the privilege of visiting (and entering) occupied black bear dens in northeastern Minnesota with a bear researcher named Dr. Lynn Rogers. It was an awesome experience: cross country skiing, snow shoeing, snowmobiling, and good ol' fashioned bushwacking through thigh deep snow just to get to the dens. The study bears all had radio collars, and Lynn's assistants had a tracking antena, which is how we knew where they were.

I remember one of the dens being in a small hidden cave in the ground somewhere between Ely and Isabella. Two guys held me by my ankles while I hung awkwardly upside down, wiggling between rocks to get into the den. The bear was called "395" and she had 2 cubs, a male and female, both of which weighed about 3 pounds (cubs are typically born in January and weigh less than a pound at birth). Their front feet were about the size of silver dollars and their claws made them stick to my ragg wool sweater like velcro. We got the cubs out first and put them inside our coats to keep them warm while we wrestled Mama Bear out of the den (she was sedated through this entire process). She was weighed, had blood drawn, had a breast milk sample taken, teeth checked and canines measured, checked to see if she had shed the pads of her feet, changed out her radio collar, etc. The cubs were also weighed, gender and identifying features noted, pictures taken. They bawled at first, sounding almost like human infants. Little pink feet and noses, their eyes were just starting to open (I really need to go find the pictures). Finally, Mama was gently lowered back into her den and her cubs were returned to her.

Dr. Rogers is still doing his black bear research in the Ely area, and this winter his team installed a camera into one of the bear dens. Late this morning, Lily the Black Bear gave birth to her first cub. You can watch it here:

Winter Blues

OK, so winter isn't my favorite time of year for running. I don't like running on ice or in sub-zero temps, and the hamster wheel drives me stone. cold. insane. I've chosen to do more short runs on an indoor track while upping my barefoot miles, strength training, and I keep meaning to get to a yoga class but haven't pulled it off yet. I've also been working on getting my shoulders fixed up (tendinitis on both sides from teaching 6 theraband classes per week at a nursing home). That's finally healing up, and I just started more aggressive upper body strength exercises this past week :)

Speaking of the nursing home, one of my 98 year old exercise participants told me last week what he wants engraved on his headstone when his last day finally arrives:

"The pills didn't work."

The more I think about that one, the funnier it gets.

Still unsure of my 2010 race plans - there will probably be more "seat of the pants" last minute decisions and/or fat ass runs this year, mainly because of financial concerns and my current lack of training miles (haven't done a double digit mile run since Surf the Murph).

This weekend I will attend either the MDRA annual meeting to score some free pizza, or the NSCA Winter Strength & Conditioning Clinic to get some CEU's for one of my certifications.

Hope to get out on the trails soon!