I'm Sorry I Didn't Believe in You

Well, I must come clean.. I strayed.. I ran in a pair of another brand of shoes this morning. Their name is not important and before you storm out, never to talk to me again. Know that I am back and solidly in my Brooks Adrenalin 9s .. well sort of.

I am a die hard Brooks Adrenalin fan. Being wearing them since the 6 model when they helped me overcome my over pronating tendencies resulting in a back injury and some rehab and a bit of break from running...but I digress.
I also have to add in Superfeet such is my pronation. I developed a serious affection with the 7's until the 8's came out and then there was no turning back. The 8's were amazing and perfect and of course a newer younger model. The 8's took me through my first half marathon, and the next six after that, Countless 5K's 10K's and training miles were logged in my beloved 8's. I rotated pairs of course and even got a pair of ASR's. My closet was filled with Adrenalin 8's with various levels of miles as I prepared for my first marathon (Eugene 2008) and then when I set my sites on my personal holy grail, The Marathon de Paris in April of 2009.

Along the way there adventure relays; Reno Tahoe Odyssey, The Relay, Whiskeytown Relay, Redding Marathon Relay and a couple of California International Marathon Relays. My Adrenalin 8's and I were inseparable and we logged each training and race mile as a happy couple collecting bibs and finishers medals all over the place.

Until of course the 9's came out. I was forced to come to grips with the break up but was happy in my confidence in the tried and true Adrenalin line.
..but it was not to be. The 9's just didn't ride right. They felt sloppy and the support seemed "off." The Napa to Sonoma Half came and went and while it was ok.. I longed for my beloved 8's and even tried to run in an older pair but they were just too far gone. What was I to do? The fall marathon training season has realistically begun and I have started my run up to C.I.M this year with an eye towards a Boston Qualifying time. With heavy heart and credit card in hand I visited my faithful Fleet Feet and broke the news. I had to try something else, the Adrenalin 9's just werent working out.
After much hemming and hawwwing. (They really thought I should stay with the one who brought me to the dance) we settled on a shiny pair of another brand of shoes with similar features in stability. I set out for my first run in them this morning and they felt good... for about half a mile. By one mile I was in honest discomfort and turned back. by 1.75 miles I felt like there was a steel plate under my heel, my shins were on fire and I opted to walk the remaining couple of yards home.
I removed the Superfeet and did another couple of miles. Big difference but I could tell I was missing out on the stability I needed.
Despondent, I trudged back to Fleet Feet with the new shoes and my Adrenaline 9's as well as my last pair of 8's.
There had to be something amiss. The whole staff gathered to watch me run up and back along the running path. We tried other shoes, and suddenly a bright eyed young staff member asked; "what if its the Superfeet? what if they aren't the right size?"
SHAZAM!! Checking my new 9's the Superfeet were just a tad short. But wait, they are exactly the same as the Superfeet I wore in the 8's As a matter of fact, the exact same Superfeet from the 8's fit differently in the 9's. How can this be? I have faithfully and confidently ordered my 9D Adrenalins for years without even having to bother with trying them or the Superfeet on such was the consistency in fit.
Seems that the new 9's are just a tad longer than the 8's even though they are both a size 9. The changes made from model year to model year were enough to throw things off such that I developed a wandering eye and strayed from my tried and true partner. I thought of the Adrenaline's the whole time I was with the other brand, really I did. I wanted things to work with my Adrenalines but something was different and I figured we had just grown apart.
It took a competent third party to help us find our way back together and see that I just needed to adjust the fit. My 8 1/2D Adrenalines' should be here any day and I am anxious to feel that familiar feel and partnership as we head into the fall racing season and I can once again, "Run Happy!!"
Next year I have the 2010 Athens Marathon in my sites and I am sure the Adrenalins will help me celebrate the 2500th anniversary of that crazy run that started all this!

Tight laces!
Howler Monkey

Muscle Pain, Statins and Running Oh My!

The last three weeks have been HORRIBLE.. I don't know what the deal is but legs have felt like wet bags of sand, achy and my desire to run waning because of it. NOT a good combination as I have begun my run up to C.I.M and am smack in the middle of a 10K training program. At first I thought it was due to the new schedule at work (first having a job.. good thing, and three day weekends every week.. VERY good thing). Perhaps the 10 hour days and heat??? But, alas no. I have settled in and the heat wave is gone. Hmmm, what else? Ahhh. the hydration culprit?? Typical symptoms.. but I hydrated like a crazy person getting ready to run the Marathon De Sables across the Sahara and all to no avail. So, like a good runner I turned the thought process inward and let my monkey mind worry the problem during some rather painful runs. Suddenly last Wednesday I had a true ephinay. Seems the only thing that had really changed over the last three weeks was the cholesterol lowering statin medication I am on.

I have the dubious "honor" of some genetically enhanced cholesterol levels that stubbornly refused to bow to my running, diet regimen. Enter in the local cardiologist, a slew of tests and a nice prescription for Lipitor earlier this year. I will add, err brag, that I have the max heart rate of a 32 year old, and at 48 plus.. I'll take that!!

I was aghast! How could my cholesterol numbers have remained unchanged (by even one point) from my pre running days three years ago to post marathon, half a dozen half marathons and all the miles in between??? After much hoowing and hahing I submitted to the doc (and treadmill tests and blood draws) and began the regimen of those like me, a statin and a baby aspirin a day. Those of you who know me know I was NOT a happy camper and made the doc explain ALL the variables, natural approaches (red rice yeast) etc. We settled on one and I started all this hoopla back in January.

The good news was that once on Liptor my "bad" cholesterol plummeted, and the good stuff went up. Total numbers are now at 137 where I was over 200 before!! Good stuff and all was good with no side effects.
Enter in our corporate America and immutable health care system. Seems that Lipitor is expensive and my current health care insurance provider felt that something else was in order. The doc put me on "Simvastatin" and upped the dose cause apparently it takes more of the synthetic stuff to do what Lipitor does.. ok my first thought is "isn't this ALL synthetic??".. Come on anytime I put a foreign chemical in my body to raise or lower anything (keep your minds out of the gutter) it seems that's synthetic, but I digress.

The possible side effects of statins are widely published, albeit downplayed by the pharmaceutical community, but seriously in comparison a heart attack, quadruple bypass or memorial service hardly seem worth NOT addressing the issue of high cholesterol. But, chief among the side effects is muscle pain, known medically as "myalgia." And lets see.."muscle weakness, weakness in the legs".. yeah DUH... There are a lot of other possible side effects, one of which comes much more quickly to the attention of my male readership but you can investigate that one on your own! :-)

Well this monkey quickly stopped taking the Simvastatin and contacted my medical professional who put me back on the Lipitor (which IS covered under the new jobs insurance). Today's speed workout was markedly better. Even I imagine there was a tad bit of psychosomatic involvement here but after frustrating and painful runs the last couple of weeks I finally felt somewhat back to normal.

There is lots of information out there about fat soluble and water soluble statins and the relation to muscle pain and whether tests for elevated CPK ( creatine phosphokinase) levels are a good indicator. Generally fat soluble statins are thought to be at an increased risk for muscle pain and water soluble not so much. Bottom line is that all the manufactures say it can happen, there can be damage and should be reported to your health care professional right away.

My point fellow monkeys is BE INFORMED.. (Here comes the fine print) Do your research and know what you are putting in your body, the potential side effects and benefits and discuss thoroughly each of your options with your doctor, P.A., Shaman, Wiccan High Priestess or whatever. What works for me, might not work for you, and vice versa. Statins can be actual lifesavers and I had pretty dramatic results. My comments are not a condemnation or recommendation for any of the products listed. All us monkeys are different and your mileage may vary. This advice is worth exactly what you have paid me for it.
Stay tuned and lets see if going back to that little white oval tablet does the trick.
Tight Laces and happy running.

Flying Monkeys go national!

Well gang it was an amazing weekend!! First trying to stay cool in 100+ temps in NorCal!!! One of the best ways I have found is to get some altitude and some water.. Mix it with a little mud and you have the Mudskipper adventure relay!! Kosmo and I headed up to Magalia this last Saturday with our trusty "Mojo Monkey" photographer, Kosmos's very nice mountain bike and my new FitCity singlet. I have been following Pamela LeBlanc on Twitter and her blog for the Austin Texas fitness oriented crowd. Pamela "tweets" some excellent articles on the fitness scene in general and on goings on in Austin. I was able to cajole a "FitCity" singlet from Ms LeBlanc and promised to wear it so we could do a Where's Waldo-ish "Where in California is the FitCity singlet?" Look for future posts and check out Pam's blog and tweets.. great stuff.

Kosmo and I.. humbly.. KICKED BUTT up in Magalia.. sorry.. can't be too humble cause we took second place in the long course group!! Kosmo was on fire on the bike and was tearing up the bike course. All total we each had to do a mix of 13 miles of trail running and mountain biking. Twenty-six miles in 1:30:28 (yes of course we were running/riding at the same time).. but we gave those young 2o year olds who took first place a run for their money and we heard that they were asking "where are those old guys"..throughout the race. Not bad for a could of ahem.. 40 something guys. Trailhead Adventures puts on a really great event to benefit California Vocations so in addition to a great time they raised some money for a good cause. Keep an eye on their website for upcoming events. These folks are all heart and there was a BBQ afterwards too.. :-)

The Fleet Feet summer 10K program continues and HUGE props to those runners who are braving the current heat wave to get their training on.

My training for C.I.M continues and is going well.
Stay tuned next week for a reviw of the new Omega juicer and some great recipes.
Follow on Twitter : a13pt1runner
Tight Laces and Happy Running
Ed

Summer Sizzler and onward

Well it seems I have rested enough.. time to set some new goals and get back in the swing of things. During Reno Tahoe Odyssey I met some fantastic new friends and one of them, Brian Hamilton graciously built me a fantastic training plan for the California International Marathon. This week also started the Fleet Feet Chico Summer 10k training group so I will be chronicling the progress toward the goal for that program's goal, The Summer Sizzler 10k here in Chico as well as progress into the fall half marathon season as all of that goes into my build up for C.I.M.

Todays run was a "easy" 6 miles with the last mile at 10K pace. Weather was perfect and logged negative splits 8:46/8:36/8:09/8:03/7:58 and 7:04 for that last mile. That puts the total for the week at 24.5 miles and keeps things right on track. Switching my long runs to Sundays or Fridays for a few weeks and tomorrow will be a 10miler with some of the group.

I have recently been trying out the Cwx compression shorts for Fleet Feet and I have to say I love these things. VERY comfortable to wear and really support your upper leg muscles. I still swear by my "Skins" for recovery but check out the Cwx shorts. Their website advertises 26& less energy expenditure than regular tights and 36% less than regular shorts. I don't know if I can calibrate them that closely but they do feel like I have more energy during the run.

Next weekend is the Western States 100 miler and since that is still quite a ways off for me... yours truly will be competing in the "Mudskipper" bike/run obstical race here locally. Sure there will be some hiliarous pics from the finish line mud pit up on my Facebook page!

Keep Running! Enjoy your summer and stay tuned and hydrated!

A Journey of 26.2 miles

I wanted to let some time pass after the race to reflect on the experience in Paris and, so I can comment on the other marathons my friends have done this spring.

They say that a journey of a thousand miles begins with just one step.. Arguably the, the journey of running a marathon means about 42,000 steps just the day of the race. And, if one factors in (at least my own) training miles its something in the neighborhood of 694,400 steps to get to race day. A daunting amount of preparation for some three odd hours of running.
But, if you have run any distance event one knows that it is not just the training nor the amount of time on your feet.. for me.. it was at mile 23 when my brain told me that this was complete madness and it was everything I could do to focus on keeping my feet moving and moving fast enough to hit my goal.

I did it, I broke the 4 hour mark while dealing with water bottles and their caps, wet pavement, cobblestone (don't get me started) and dare I mention them.. orange and banana peels! And it was while I was grumbling to myself at about mile 19 when the crowd was thick and I was absolutely prevented from running any faster that I came across a runner who had a profound effect on me.
I don't know his name, or even where he was from; but there he was, blind, navigating the same streets, the same hazards, surely the same mental and physical fatigue. He had the aide of a guide runner, joined by a small tether. That was the image that got me past my "wall" a few miles later when my brain urged me to stop, and the image that prompted me to reach out to organizations like the USABA and CDifferent when I got back home. What had he had to overcome to get to that point? How many "steps" to prepare?

It was that entire experience that made me even more excited to cheer on each of my friends as they each ran, and turned in incredible times in Boston and Eugene and Oklahoma City over the last few weeks. Everyone overcoming their own challenges, accomplishing goals; running to beat cancer, in memory or in honor of others, or to raise money for causes they believe in.
"
There is a passage in John L. Parker's sequel to Once a Runner, "Again To Carthadge" where the main character, Quentin Cassidy tries to explain why he runs. Cassidy explains that when he runs he is always moving up, improving.... silly me, I thought he meant getting faster.

436 Miles, 8 Days

WOW! I am just 8 days out from the Paris Marathon! Had a nice little jaunt round Upper Park with Tina and "Cindy" this morning and that brings my total mileage preparing for Paris to 436 miles since the first week of December. We leave next Wednesday so I can have a few days to get over jet-lag and do some sightseeing before the races. Saturday is the UNESCO 5K or "Course de l'Unesco" and then the marathon on Sunday the 5th.
The pre-race expo looks to be fantastic and I am sure some of my tourist dollars are going to go to some memorabilia. I can't believe the race is upon me; seems like I have been training since forever for it. I feel great and ready. I had a terrific run at the Shamrock-N and set a new PR of 1:44:57. If I am able to hold that kind of pace for Paris then I should be able to hit my goal of breaking 4 hours. If anyone is actually awake here in the U.S. you can check out MySports.com and plug in my bib number (32292) and see me run past the cameras they have set up along the course. Don't worry.. you can go in later and look. The race starts at quarter to 1 in the morning west coast time so most everyone I know will be snoozing during the race!
My next post will likely be after the race so look for some pics here and on Facebook. Thanks for all the support over the last few months! Bon Voyage!

Log Your Run

Hey Monkeys,
Got turned on to this great site "Log Your Run." You can find routes others have submitted, track your own runs including which shoes you wore, the weather, all kinds of cool stuff.
Check it out! Great way to keep track of your routes, mileage on your shoes etc.
You can find the Google Map of wherever your ran, or want to run and plot out the route to see how far the mileage is. I think it will be great to use to plan out H3 runs!