Pain In The Butt

Monday, Nov 29, 2010:

Yesterday I really couldn’t run well, because of the pain in my left hip/cheek. Today was better, butt it still hurt.

I have an appointment with Dr Ronald Yee at Stillwater tomorrow, and wanted to be able to tell him which activities would hurt, so we went to the North St Paul Community Center to try various exercises. You guessed it: Only running and walking hurt.

Thinking about the symptoms, though, I'm leaning toward piriformis syndrome, which is when the sciatic nerve is irritated by the piriformis muscle. All of the symptoms fit. If true, that means it is NOT: (1) The hip joint failing, or (2) A muscle, tendon, or ligament in distress. I sort of hope it is piriformis syndrome, because maybe I can keep running while it's treated. I hope. Runners do not like to stop running, even if there are alternatives.

I did get in some nice aerobic exercise at the club:

• Running: 3 miles, finishing the last mile in 8:26. I count that as 125 calories per mile, total 375.
  
• Elliptical: 150 calories.
  
• Bicycle: 120 calories.
  
• Walking: 50 calories.

Total 695 calories, divide by 50 for Weight Watchers points = 13.9 points, round up to 14. I need to lose 10 or 12 pounds to get back to proper running trim, so I’m back to WW. These are points that I can eat and still be on track in the program.

Sunday, Nov 28:

I tried to run in the park, on the paved trails, but had to walk much of the time because of the pain. Am I hurting something when I run? I don’t know, but it certainly does get worse when I run. About 3.2 miles in about 38 minutes. Huh. Sunshine thinks I should make an appointment with a sports doctor, and she may be right.

Saturday, Nov 27:

Regular run with the St Croix Valley runners, except my left hip (butt) hurt so I ran the shorter 3.6-mile route while the others did their usual five. About 10-minute miles, a little walking but mostly running.

Thursday, Nov 25 (Thanksgiving Day):

Thanksgiving morning "run" with the St Croix Valley runners. Dave and I were both injured, so we walked about 2.5 miles while the others ran their usual five. Left hip joint hurts, even while walking, but more when I run.


Real food:

Way Too Fat

Me. Because of the dexamethasone (DEX) cancer treatment I have lost muscle mass, that's what it does, but at the same time I have gained weight - it does that too. Twelve pounds since the summer of 2006, when I was racing my best and ran TCM in my PR time of 3:36. The result is fat, a layer of fat on my belly and chest, exactly where it goes on men who let themselves go. Since 2006 my marathon time has gone up by almost an hour and a half, and my 1-mile race time by at least a minute and a half. I have NO doubt that this fat is at least partly responsible, along with the reduced muscle mass.

Fortunately, I have a plan. I'm a lifetime member of Weight Watchers, and still go to meetings every month with my sweeties, so I know exactly what to do. I just need to DO it! I started last Sunday, and so far so good. I've started twice before in recent months, but fallen off the wagon. Perhaps this public declaration will give me the incentive to stay on. 12-pound goal, then we'll see if that's enough.

Challenge:

Anyone want to join me? Consider it a challenge if you like - we are challenging ourselves, of course. Choose your plan (Weight Watchers is one of many good plans) and set a goal, then leave a comment here. I'll report my progress every week or two, and you can too if you wish.

Sunday, July 19, 2009:

Another trek in the park, but hot enough that I cut it short. Jim picked me up and we drove to the park to run a route on trails that neither of us has seen in a few years. It started out OK, and the new trails were as lovely as any. Mowed grass, like the others. We intended to go about 9.6 miles on a combination of the old trails and the new.

But I started to overheat in the 82-degree afternoon sun. When that happens my face becomes flushed, and I can feel it getting hot. Slowing to a walk helps a lot, and we did that with increasing frequency. Finally I decided that it would be safer to shorten the run and turn back toward the parking lot, for a total of about 6.0 miles instead of 9.6. That was a good decision. Jim seemed fine, but I wasn’t. Maybe it would have made a difference if I hadn’t eaten lunch just 90 minutes before the run, or if I had brought a water bottle along on the run. Lessons learned. Six miles in 1:00:30 for a pace of 10:05. Faster than I thought, considering the walking.

Saturday, July 18, 2009:

St Croix Valley Runners, five miles again. We tried my big-loop route for the second time, and for the second time the roads didn’t match either the map or Google Earth. New construction. So we had to reverse ourselves once and then cut across a lawn. I’m going to have to actually TRY a route before leading a bunch of runners on it. Tsk.

But I like the route. It does have one tough hill, but that’s not all bad of course. Needs a little tune-up to avoid cutting across a lawn, but I think that’ll be easy. It doesn’t include any roads with speed limits above 30, it does include a lot of trails, and it will be exactly 5 miles when it's tuned up correctly. There’s a good chance that it will be open in the winter, too. We’ll see.

I finished the route last, in almost exactly 46 minutes, for a pace of 9:12. Good enough - it’s a masterpiece.


Recent lunch: Organic chicken, vidalia onion, Jim's broccoli, Jim's beans, organic winter squash, organic slivered almonds, organic black pepper, sea salt.

Eight Miles and Ten Miles

Wednesday October 3:

Another “long” run, this time 10 miles, mostly on my favorite trail alongside the railroad tracks, made of deep, coarse sand and some gravel. No pain at all in the plantar-fasciitis foot during the run, though it aches just a little now as I write this. I’m applying ice, as a precaution, and later in the day will switch back to warmth. Time was 1:34:06, for a pace of 9:24. Good enough for this soft trail, this distance, and my iffy state of training. This was again the longest non-stop run since May, counting 23 miles already since Saturday, what a contrast with the recent past. Wahoo!

What a wonderful, beautiful, solitary run, in the rising sun, on a trail with trees and fall color much of the way. As if to make my day, a train hooted and clattered by near the end of the run. The engineer waved. I love trains. Happy runner; the day is already a masterpiece.

Monday, October 1:

Excellent! Eight miles at the community center, four on the dreadmill and four on the steel, unforgiving indoor track. No pain in the left plantar-fasciitis heel. At all. I used my newest shoes (the ones I use for racing) with the brand-new orthotics from the Brace Place at St Croix Orthopaedics. All fine. Time was 1:11:02, for a pace of 8:52. That’s just dandy for my state of training. Longest continuous run since May.



This morning's recovery breakfast: Organic oatmeal, organic nonfat milk, organic nectarine, banana, organic plum, pistachios, kiwi, organic pomegranite juice. Estimated Weight Watcher points = 8. Picture taken on the sidewalk in the 9:00 am sun.


Last night's dinner: Organic snap peas, wild caught Alaska salmon with organic nonfat yogurt, crushed pistachios, spices. Estimated Weight Watcher points = 6.


Monday night's salad: Organic romaine, organic cashews, organic (hydroponic?) cucumbers, organic plum, blue cheese, raspberry vinegar. Estimated Weight Watcher points = 3.

MMRF Race for Research 5k

This is my race, a fundraiser for myeloma. I help with the course a little, by certifying it and assisting with directional signs and mile markers before the race. How appropriate that this should be the first pain-free race for me in months. I’m a happy runner!

Friend Jim ran very well, close to his best pace, but I was off my pace by more than a minute per mile. I’m out of shape, because the plantar fasciitis has made it so hard to run, and I wasn’t trying to push the pace. In fact when I did lengthen my stride to speed up near the finish, I felt a twinge and quickly returned to pace. But if this freedom from pain is a sign of things to come, I will relish the chance to train back up to racing form. Whoopee! Easy does it, fingers crossed, podiatrist appointment in eight days. Maybe I’ll have good things to tell him.

Carrie Tollefson, world-class middle-distance runner from Minnesota, has lost a grandmother to myeloma and was there supporting this race. She gave me a solid suggestion for the plantar fasciitis: Folske Clinic, a chiropractic clinic in Golden Valley. She asserted that Wade Folske brought an end to her own plantar fasciitis. I may eventually try that.
Tollefson jogged with the regular runners at this race. Gliding past me with a word of encouragement but no apparent effort, she slowed ahead to run with a young boy for a hundred yards or so. Later I saw her stop to tie the shoelaces of an even-younger boy. After the run she signed posters and chatted with runners until well after the awards were finished. She is not only a good runner but a good person, an example to all of us. We're lucky that she represents Minnesota in global competition, and that she is supporting this race.

For more photos and information about the race, visit Sunshine's blog.



Organic oatmeal, organic skim milk, seedless grapes, organic nectarine, kiwi, banana, pistachios. Estimated Weight Watcher points = 7.


Organic romaine lettuce, hydroponic seedless cucumbers, organic peas, crushed blue-corn chips (for crunch and salt), raspberry vinegar.


Grass-fed antibiotic-free bison, organic squash, organic sweet potatoes, onions, organic beans. We're eating mostly-vegetarian right now, not much bison; this photo is from a few weeks ago.

Food Pictures

Exercise:

I rode the bike again today, mostly on my beloved sandy-dirt road along the railroad track. Occasionally bumpy and rocky, it's inappropriate for a road bike, but my hybrid bike with wider tires and shock absorbers works fine. It's fun, in fact. Today, about an hour of mostly hard work.

The knee complained a little, but less than before. The plantar-fasciitis foot is still sore from yesterday's run but getting better. I'm trying Mary's "P.F. Arch Brace" today; we'll see if it helps.

Food Pictures:

As you see, I am currently into publication of food pictures. Mostly high-quality food that is very good for me, and which also can be arranged to look appetizing in a photo. In truth, it's the food that we normally eat, not prepared specially for the camera, maybe just arranged a little.

My Sunshine does the cooking, bless her heart; I couldn't do it. I arrange the food on a plate or in a bowl, perhaps adding fruit, berries, or nuts. Then I take my prospective meal out to the picnic table, if possible, and shoot it in sunlight with a decent digital camera. Or inside with poorer light or flash if necessary. The photography delays my enjoyment of the meal by perhaps two minutes, not more.

This happens once or twice a day. It might be a fruit-laden breakfast, a delicious salad, a dinner plate, or even a dessert bowl. In every case, it is eaten and enjoyed within seconds after the photo is taken. By me.

Later the photo is downloaded and processed so that it becomes roughly full screen (max 800 x 600) if you click on it, and so that it downloads quickly. I save the original higher-resolution JPG for some photos, but for most the internet copy is all that remains.

I usually also provide my estimate of Weight Watcher points, as I am a lifetime member of Weight Watchers and active in the "flex" program. Most of the foods (except for nuts) are also Weight Watcher "core" foods.

So far I've had favorable comments on the pictures; thank you for those. I like the whole process: arrangement of the food, photography, enjoyment, and publication. The pictures will keep coming for a while. I'll probably tire of it when the most-picturesque foods become less available in the winter.


Live one day at a time and make it a masterpiece! Guilt-free fruit dessert:

Organic nectarine, organic strawberries, blueberries, organic red seedless grapes, slight drizzle of local honey. Estimated Weight Watcher points = 3.

There Is No Finish Line

NSP Community Center indoor track 3.0 mi in 25:36, pace 8:32. The purpose of today’s run was to keep everything working at “peak” level for the Winter Carnival half marathon on Saturday. Pace didn’t matter much, so I relaxed and just picked ‘em up and put ‘em down. That was followed by upper-body resistance training involving seven different exercises, plus some walking. Weight Watchers activity points: 7.5 for running (2.5/mi), 3.5 for resistance (0.5 per two-set exercise), and 1 for walking, total 12 points. I get to eat those, roughly another 600 calories :-)

Splits: 8:39, 8:28, 8:29. Breathing: five footfalls per full breath throughout.
Monday Zeke talked about how we run even when there is no specific race or goal in mind. That reminded me of this sign in the Nike store in New York City. It’s not only a statement about running and training, but about life in general. Life goes on. Live one day at a time and make it a masterpiece.

Weight Watchers Works

Weight Watchers:

They didn't pay me to post this.

About five years ago I weighed 197 pounds dressed, a perfect weight for a 6-foot plus guy with a big frame. Except I'm not six feet tall, and I have a light frame; I was "portly" at 197. Eagle Momma and Sweet Pea were already in Weight Watchers, and it was working for them, so I joined too. I did the program, like they said to do it, and it worked.

When I had lost about 20 pounds, I started running and got "hooked" on that; then the weight loss was even easier. I still go monthly as a "lifetime" non-paying member; I'll go tonight. There are other programs, but I don't know anything about them. I just know that WW works, if I DO the program like they say.

Running:

NSP Community Center indoor track, two miles, 17:50, pace 8:55. Just a very nice little run to keep the blood moving during recovery from the marathon and 1-mile race. I had intended to run a bit longer if I felt really good, but felt a little strain in the groin left over from the races, and a significantly upset stomach for some unknown reason, so the two miles on the training plan were quite enough. That was followed by a regular program of upper-body exercises, which I like to do once a week or so.

The annual Minnesota Distance Running Association (MDRA) meeting and pizza party is this Saturday, January 20, from 11:30 to 2:00 at the Edina Community Center. This is your chance to meet runners by the score. And the pizza is good too.