The True Meaning of Motivation and Inspiration

The Harwich Half Marathon this past October became my third ‘defining’ moment of my running life.  The first was my first real mile in March 2011, the second was my first actual race, the CapeAbilities 5K in May 2011.  The half marathon was the natural next step for me.  I had strictly followed a ‘beginner’ training plan from CoolRunning.com.  This made it a pretty simple process, all I had to do was run the proper distances on the proper days and I’d be prepared for success.

Now in life there are always sidetracks.  Mine was the local running club which both my Uncle Steve and best friend Emily belonged to.  They had been imploring me to give it a try for a while and I finally relented a few weeks prior to the half marathon.  Before attempting the running club, which consisted of a lot of speed work on a high school track, I needed a new pair of shoes.

Rather than sticking with the Brooks Adrenaline that I was accustomed to I decided to switch it up to Mizuno’s Wave Rider.  Those of you who have read my other postings know how my change in shoes went.  For those who have not the gist of the story is that I switched to Mizuno’s for 6 months and endured 6 months of running in pain.  The pain began that night at the running club.

I admit I was jazzed to try something new and I think that my excitement cost me that night.  We did sets of Yasso 800 sprints.  I had never heard of them before but it was twice around the track which was easy enough for me.  Despite trying the distance running sprinting is what is in my blood as my grandfather was a World Class sprinter but WWII kept him from the Olympics.

I ran the Yasso’s as hard as I could, trying to push myself at something new.  I didn’t notice the aches in my right hip until the next day when it was obvious I overdid it.  With the race so close I dialed back my running to save my hip from further injury.  Even if I had been hurt I was still going to run the race as I had more motivation than just it being my first half.

The Harwich Half fell in the first week of October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  I had decided I would wear the pink ribbon on my black shirt and run the race in honor of my Aunt Christine who had passed away from breast cancer in 2004.  It was that higher purpose that kept my mind focused on the race.

Race day was a warm autumn day, I got a great parking spot directly across the street from Harwich High School where the race began and ended.  I was able to begin my stretching there as my hip was still tight but I was undeterred.  I pinned the pink Breast Cancer Awareness ribbon to my shirt and walked slowly and deliberately across a field into the school to get my bib number and pack of goodies.

As you runners know at the starting line they have minute markers posted so that you can run with the group according to your speed.  With my hip hurting I was going to jump back to the 9 min. crowd, but I spotted my Uncle Steve and he was at the 8’s.  I wanted to at least experience some of my first Half with him so I stepped in and said I’d try to keep up as long as I could.

The gun sounded and we were off.  Things began alright, I was side by side with my uncle, of course I believe he was holding back.  About 2 miles in I felt it, a sharp pain and burn in my right groin.  I knew from the burning that it was either a tear or a severe sprain.  Early in the race still I was not trying to diagnose myself, I was just trying to keep going.

Not long after I told my uncle of my pain and said there was no way I could keep up his pace.  I told him that I would not quit though.  I patted my pink ribbon to remind myself why I was not going to quit.  He told me to shout down the pain and tell it that it was not in control.  I said I would try and he slowly pulled away and out of sight.  I was left with nearly 11 miles left to run and a hip/groin that was badly injured.

As the miles dragged on I began to find ways to use ‘mind over matter’ to manage my pain.  It started with my breathing, concentrating on it, as a sort of meditation while my feet kept moving.  My steps were very deliberate as I noticed that if my legs moved perfectly straight ahead the pain was less than if my right leg shifted a little to the left.  Does that make sense? 

Each mile marker became a beacon of hope.  Once I passed 10 I knew there was no way I could stop.  Every step hurt but that little pink ribbon was like an angel on my shoulder.  I had not told anyone but my mother that I was planning on running for Auntie Chris.  I did not want it to be a ‘look at me’ type of thing.  I still don't want it to be like that, but it would be so much more disrespectful to leave this important fact out of my story.  

That ribbon was like a pacifier during those last few miles.  I had placed it over my heart and routinely patted it when the pain in my hip and groin became unbearable.  Sure, many people would have simply stopped, walked back or quit all together, and live to run another day.  That is not me.  If I had quit the race I would have felt like I was quitting on Auntie Chris.  She fought so hard for so long against her cancer that this was my way of honoring her memory, the fact that I was doing it with injuries seemed sort of appropriate. 

12 miles in I stopped and walked while trying to somehow massage the pain away for one more mile.  Several other runners shouted encouragement as they passed.  The remainder of the race was a slow, hobbling trot, but I kept going.  I got close to the finish line and Emily was there, having finished well before me, as did my Uncle Steve.  She pointed to her hip to ask how I was feeling.  I just shook my head no and kept going. 

I crossed the finish line at 1:55, I did not get much further before I found a spot along a fence and collapsed in pain.  For a few minutes I sat perfectly still afraid to move afraid to feel the pain.  It was a while before I was able to stand, I found my uncle and he congratulated me on my finish.  Everyone who ran got a medal, so I had a memento to look at and remember. 

The pain in my hip and groin was a bigger problem.  I had to stop running for weeks to try to let it heal.  As I said before, true relief only began to come when I switched shoes back to Brooks.  As I look back now though I would not change a thing.  I ran my first Half Marathon, dedicated it to a loved one, and conquered some adversity as well.  It may not have been a perfect story book ending, being injured and hobbling to the finish line, but for me it was pretty close.

Minimalist Running Shoes, Yes Or No?

     What is everyone's opinion about the new minimalist running shoe craze?  I have been reading about the benefits of barefoot running for a few months.  These shoes mimic that by being like they say a minimal shoe.  I am debating checking out the new Brooks Pure Connect once I am due for a new pair.  I have seen the FiveFingers shoes which include toes but am looking more toward the common shoe design just much lighter and thinner material-wise.
     Has anyone tried/enjoyed the FiveFingers shoe?
     I have seen that Nike, New Balance, and Saucony, in addition to Brooks have jumped into the minimalist world.  So if the heavy-hitters are producing these shoes there must be something to it, right?  It is said that barefoot running helps you feel each impact and therefore allows you to adjust your form and lessen injury.  That is something that absolutely appeals to me.  Anytime that I can lessen leg injuries I will at least try what is recommended.
     I am thinking of trying out some barefoot running on the nearby beaches soon.  I read that this helps in a few ways.  First you tend to land on your whole foot, not just the heel which is common with soft cushioned shoes.  I had a tendency to do that but have been recently trying to use shorter more frequent strides to avoid nagging knee pain.  Second, running barefoot helps strengthen the feet which will aide in better running overall.  Still I am shying away from barefooting anywhere but the soft beach sand because of the hazards of stones and various other debris.  So I want to try the shoes.
     The problem is that you cannot really try out these shoes.  You need to do proper research and make informed decisions as with any major purchase.  This is where you runners come in.  I currently run in Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12, I am a big fan of these shoes and Brooks in general.  I would love to hear from barefoot runners, or at least those of you who have tried any brand of minimalist shoe.  Let the conversation begin!

Thanks to Runner's World for some of the info I gathered for this post, you can view the lengthy article on minimalist running shoes here: Is Less More?

Destination: Boston Marathon 2013

So now it all becomes real.  Less than one calendar year.  5 years ago my Uncle Steve told me that he hoped someday to run the Boston Marathon with me.  I was not a runner, not even remotely interested in trying to be one.  I made one vain attempt to rush into being a runner, got hurt, and quit for 4+ years.

Once I began running for real 13 months ago my Uncle again brought up the possibility of running Boston with him.  He wanted me to ride the bus from Hopkinton, family, side by side at the most famous race on earth.  I laughed still but deep inside I knew that it was my ultimate goal.  I never wanted to make that known too early on.  I mean, come on, who was I to say I’d run the Boston Marathon before I even completed a 5K?  I’m sure most would have shook their heads and thought of me as delusional.

Here I sit though, the 2012 Marathon just passed 2 days ago and I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  I can’t think of a better metaphor.  In about 5 weeks I will begin a ‘beginner’ marathon training regimen.  The 20-week program will lead me almost exactly to the Cape Cod Marathon which happens in the last week of October.  My goal for that is 3:45, or roughly 8:34/mile. 

I will be very strict with my training, not going to stray from the allotted runs for any reason.  I do plan on running as many as 6 races during the summer, but they will all be shorter runs, no halfs.  Once the Cape Marathon is over I will likely rest a bit and then begin a similar training program for Boston.  Luckily for me I have a very strong connection which is going to help me get into the race, hey, it’s as much who you know as what you know usually, right?

This race, this goal, has taken on a far greater purpose for me with the news that my Uncle Steve has a fractured hip and is out indefinitely.  He has always supported me and stood by me even well before I was a runner.  Now I am going to do the same for him.  If it is at all humanly possible I am not going to let him give up on running.  He has run Boston several times, he’s an Ultra Marathoner, I believe that he is in too deep to not try to make the incredible comeback. 

I am going to be extremely focused and extremely determined to make sure that I am standing at the starting line in Boston in 362 days.  What once was a mythical place now feels like a real destination.  Soon I will be heading into uncharted waters, then again running in general was pretty uncharted when I began 13 months ago.  Boston 2013 is just the next logical step in my journey.

Certainly there will be times where I want to give up or slow down.  I’ll bet when I do my first 20-mile run, probably in the August sun, I will be wondering if it is all worth it.  All I will have to do is remember the bigger picture.  I want so badly to run this race.  It will be an amazing achievement to be able to always say I ran the Boston Marathon even once.  It will be an even greater honor to run it with my favorite uncle, and to be there with him to soak in the atmosphere and know that I pushed myself and made it to my ultimate destination. 

In my weakest moments I will keep those words and images in my mind.  They will keep my legs moving.  I will be there April 15, 2013 at the starting line in Hopkinton, nothing and nobody will shake me from my path.  Have you ever been motivated to run a race for someone other than yourself?  For those of you who have run marathons what was the training like for your first?  How much did it differ from previous training?  What should I be expecting?    

The motivation for us starts now.

   

The Runner's High A Gateway to the Running Addiction

I had always heard about the ‘runner’s high.’  It is that point in a run when the adrenaline takes over and the endorphins give you a feeling that is hard to describe.  That feeling is what keeps a lot of runners going.  I know that after the first time I felt that rush I became addicted to running.  It was the hunger for that rush that kept me going through injuries, it still does. 

For me it usually happens on a slower run about 7-8 miles in, during a faster run I might get the runner’s high during Mile 3.  The reason I know this is because I am very aware of that feeling now when it comes upon me.  It is like someone flips on a ‘happy switch’ in my head.  Does the runner’s high give you that sort of feeling?  Are you able to notice when the endorphins kick in?

It is the runner’s high that much like any other drug leads to addiction.  Granted, a running addiction is far healthier than most other addictions, but it is one nonetheless.  I have been fortunate enough to not suffer a major injury in my running time.  That being said, I have had injuries which have forced me to the sidelines for a few weeks.  The running addiction really shows itself during that downtime, it’s like suffering from withdrawls. 

My most glaring example of the running addiction is the following story.  Last June I had a bad case of jumper’s knee, along with a sore Achilles in my opposite leg.  Common sense said to rest, the running addiction said to find a way around the pain.  I bought a brace specifically for the jumper’s knee which didn’t help.  Then I bought a regular knee brace to use along with an ankle brace which doubled as an Achilles brace.  I padded that with a sock on the inside, the brace, and a sock on the outside.  All I kept thinking was how Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling had the sutures put in to keep his ankle tendon in place during the 2004 World Series.  Obviously my injury was not that serious, but I was doing all sorts of odd remedies to speed up my recovery.

I would run slowly warming my legs up and slowly picking up speed just so I could feel that rush.  It was just so I could satisfy that addiction.  Part of me thinks that the addiction actually helps me heal faster because I am willing to do whatever it takes to get back to running full-time.  Do any of you find this to be true?  Do you enjoy that feeling of the runner’s high so much that it in a weird way helps you recover from injury faster?

I love that moment that I realize that the endorphins have kicked in.  I was running in Hull, Massachusetts, an hour from me on Cape Cod, last week and was able to pinpoint that moment.  It was just over 7 miles in and I was running back to the beginning of my 9.5 mile loop at Nantasket Beach when that ‘happy switch’ was turned on in my head.  I couldn’t stop smiling and enjoyed waving to a bunch of little kids playing at a playground too.  I often wish I could bottle that feeling.   

I am sure that every runner is different as far as how long it takes to get that feeling or whether you can pinpoint when it happens.  However I am pretty certain that it is the runner’s high that leads to the running addiction.  It is an addiction I don’t ever plan on getting help for!

It's Gotta Be the Shoes

I am sure that all seasoned runners know the importance of the right pair of shoes when it comes to running.  In fact I am sure most people period know this.  I knew that it mattered but I didn’t realize just how much until just recently.

When I began running last March I was running in a pair of New Balance.  After only a few weeks I knew I needed a new pair so I went to a local shoes store, Hanlon’s.  There the running-savvy staff would measure my feet and get me into a pair of shoes specifically for running.  The funny thing was once I got measured I found out that I had been wearing the wrong sized shoes for a long time.  I had thought I was a size 10 ½, but no I was measured out to be a 9 ½.  So there was a potential problem taken care of.  I was put into a pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 11, I was told they were perfect for beginners.

I ran in those shoes for 5 months, ran 4 races in them, had a few nagging injuries, but they were a good shoe.  However, as it came time for my first half marathon I decided that it might be time to try something else.  I thought there might be another shoe that would give me stability combined with pain-free running.  I was pointed to the Mizuno Wave Rider 14. 

I was deep into my training for the Harwich Half in October when I changed shoes, a big no-no.  Now, I had upped my longest runs to 15 miles right after I changed to the Mizuno.  I ended up with a pulled hip flexor in my right leg which I assumed was only a side effect of my increased training.  I injured that hip and my right groin during the race itself.  It was a terrible pain, the burn in my groin led me to believe it was torn, though not bad enough to require surgery.  I finished the half in 1:55, collapsing in pain at the end. 

Still, I believed that the injuries were from the training and nothing else.  I continued on, having to seriously cut back my running and training because of lingering pain in my hip and groin.  I thought rest would cure it, I’m sure normally it would have if I had been in the right shoes.  I ended up getting another pair of Mizuno and the pain of running did not cease.  I was getting blisters all the time and just could not shake the injuries to my hip and groin.

By the time January rolled around I had run another 5K and an indoor half on a track in New Hampshire.  The half was cut short due to pulling both calves 11 miles in.  Reducing my electrolyte intake in the weeks before that race hurt me, but I still was avoiding the obvious solution.  After that debacle I forced myself to take 3 weeks off from running to heal my injuries.  For the most part it worked, until I began running again and it all came back.

I was getting discouraged, putting back on weight that I had lost, and thinking there had to be something wrong.  Like I said, sometimes the most obvious answer is the hardest to find.  Suddenly it clicked, I had been running injured for 6 months.  What had I been doing differently?  Nothing, except for the brand of shoes which I changed.  I felt hopeful when I went back into Hanlon’s and bought a brand new pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12. 

That was the answer!  Sure enough, now about a month after that realization I just finished my 5^th run of the week.  This week was the first time since right before Christmas that I ran 3 straight days, and 5 days in a week.  Sure I am being cautious, running with a brace on my left knee after dealing with some bad tendonitis, but with each successful pain-free run I am closer to taking that off as well.

So I learned the long and hard way how important the right shoes are.  I left Brooks for Mizuno and ended up injured for 6 months.  I am sure that plenty of runners have done the opposite, or with 2 totally different brands.  My story is not unique, except possibly for how long it took me to realize what I was doing wrong.  I am back with Brooks and plan to stay with them for a long time.  Have any of you experienced the same thing?  Have you switched shoes only to get injured?  On average how many different pairs of shoes did you go through before you found the right ones for you?

My new Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12