The Bluenose and Cabot Trail....Nova Scotia is an Awesome Place to Run...

Last weekend I was registered to run the Bluenose Half Marathon in Halifax. I love this race - I've done the full twice and was happy to return this year. It is such a great race - awesome city, mega energy, community support, great volunteers and superb organization. What made it especially meaningful to me was that my daughter was running her first half marathon and I was really looking forward to that. Of course, the middle aged runner has a middle aged body. I had been struggling the entire week prior to the race with pain in my great toe of all places. Had a lot of pain and hoped that it would resolve prior to the race. Unfortunately, it did not. I finally went to the KV After Hours clinic the Friday before the race because I had been limping around all week. Thought maybe I had a fraction in my toe. "Well, doc, what do you think it is?" "Oh, you have quite an inflamed joint there....hmmm, osteoarthritis, I think"....I was happy to hear that there was no injury but very unhappy to hear it was something from which a middle aged person would suffer :o(



Long story short - I filled my naprosyn script, deferred my race to next year and cheered my daughter Siobhan in her very first race. She came in under 2 hours - awesome race. That's her with the great form on the right. She says she'll never do another one...hahahahaha...I said that too! She's hooked.

My good friend Claire ran her first full marathon in Halifax too. I so admire her choice for her first race. Halifax is challenging - it's not easy and it's not a walk in the park - Pt. Pleasant or otherwise. Here's to you and your gutsy decision Claire!

Cabot Trail is an Incredible Experience

I had an opportunity to join all all women's team - the Fredericton Femmes Fatales - to run in the Cabot Trail relay this past weekend. If you don't know anything about this race check out the website: http://www.cabottrailrelay.com/ This 24 hour, 17 leg relay takes you around the famous Cabot Trail in Cape Breton. Great fun, great scenery and fantastic athletes - it was an amazing experience and one that I hope to repeat next year if I am still living and able. I ran leg 8 which was quite an easy leg, certainly in comparison to the rest. Hope to challenge myself next year - maybe do 9 or 10. If you want an idea as to what the legs are like the website describes each of the legs and offers a graphic representation of the elevation of each but you cannot appreciate this until you actually see it and drive it and run it. What a blast! Kudos to the organizers!

We don't have to venture far from home to experience great races!

The Middle Aged Runner

Gastro Update and Other Unpleasant Consequences of Being a Living Organism.....

You may remember last week I thought I had my GI problem solved by cutting out dairy. But, dang, as luck would have it, I ate soup at lunchtime that contained, you guessed it, cream. Of course, this has plunged me into a frenzy of label reading all week, obsessed with not allowing dairy products to enter my colon. Today, my Wednesday running group, was the test! Ran tonight AND....drum roll please.....NO ISSUES! No cramps, no stopping, no "gotta go" sensation, no need to stop at Our Lady of Perpetual Help church or the Irving. Thank you DS! Sorry, yogurt, you're out!

My experience with sharing this rather intimate issue has been interesting. I noted previously that an estimated 20 - 50% of runners suffer from this yet very little is written about it and what is out there, is reiterative. I found most of what I read to be too general and lacking in enough specifics to really be helpful. But, you know what? This is something that runners do not typically talk about. There are few who are willing to say, yeah, I suffer from this. But, ironically, runners talk about black or missing toenails, injuries, toe fungus, bloody urine, noseblowing techniques and a whole host of other distasteful ailments. What's up with that? Not that I turn my nose up at these conversations...far from it. I do object to marginalizing some issues though like, yes, the trots. I have also found out in the last two weeks that many many of my fellow running partners suffer from runner's trots - many during races. Yet, not one comment on my blog. People have spoken to me and I've received emails but there is a reluctance to talk about this issue in the public domain! Collectively, we are a vast inventory of individual experiences - we have all faced similar challenges in our running. Can we be more open about sharing how we overcame those challenges? We just need to talk about them. Let's be honest folks. We are all human and basically no different from the bear who sh**s in the woods.

Sorry if this seems like a lecture. I guess, the moral of this story is: the next time someone you're running with says: "I gotta find a bathroom" do not silently wait for them or keep on going. Say "it's the dairy dummy!"

The Middle Aged Runner

omg MOM! "Runs" Part 2..

The title? Oh, that was the reaction of my daughter upon reading my last entry. Obviously, a youthful GI tract! I, quite frankly, was very surprised to see the lack of response to my last post considering that up to 50% of runners suffer from this condition. Apparently, they suffer in silence or they just don't give a sh** (lol) when they have to run into the bushes to, you know, sh**.

Shortly after that post I had a colleague send me and email. He said, "Dairy! That's the culprit!! Cut it out!" I honestly didn't think I consumed that much dairy. But then I started to think - cream in my coffee, milk in my cereal, yogurt always at lunch. Hmmm...maybe I'll try it - I had always thought my fibre intake was the bad guy. So, my two cups of coffee in the am - black. Breakfast - no cereal for this chick - toast with peanut butter. Lunch - NO YOGURT, NO CHEESE. OK colon - your move! Sunday run - morning - not my high risk time - no problem. Monday - 10 k run at 6pm - high risk time period and history of problems (Superstore stop!) NO PROBLEM - not even an inkling, not a rumble, not a twinge, not a thought that turned into something else!

OK maybe that was an aberrant day. Tuesday - track day - high risk time - 5:30pm - history of problems (but it was at the University so access was no issue). NO PROBLEM - no inkling, no rumbling, nada!

OK - the big test - my Wednesday running group!! Historically, my biggest challenge! Here was the test. Groooaaaan....started feeling that bloatiness before I went...waaahhhh, it's not dairy. But, I bucked up, I went out for my 8 k run with my club. As I pointed out last week, however, when you run with someone they become a little more familiar with your colon than you or they ever wanted to be. Cramps, etc. had to stop a few times!! Oh, I was so disappointed!!! But, because, you become so obsessed with this horrid feeling that is all you talk about on your run. My running partner asked me what I had for lunch. Well, I had Butternut Squash soup - it must have been the fibre! "Was it homemade?" "No, Knorr". "Anytime I ever made that soup I put cream in it"......"AHA!"...Of course, the soup was made with cream! How stupid was I to not check the label! Thanks Sharon!

So, my conclusion this week is the problem is, in fact, dairy. My true evaluation will be next Wednesday though. Will look forward to my ultimate test next week.

Here's to your colon - if you're over 50 and are of average risk for colon cancer talk to your doctor about a fecal occult blood test - it's a screening test for cancer, and, no, it's not a blood test. But it can a problem early!

The Middle Aged Runner

When Your "Run" Becomes Your "Runs"

Runner's trots, runner's diarrhea...whatever you call it, it's a recipe for a ruined workout. It is estimated that 20-50% of runners suffer from this problem. I am one of them. My problem occurs when I run after 5pm. Not in the morning, not in the early afternoon, not when I run at 4:30. Thankfully, it has never happened during a race which typically are in the morning (oh, I hope I haven't jinxed myself!!) It happens when I run with my running club. You know, when you're running with someone it's difficult to be discrete. You are forced to tell your running partner what the problem is and your running partner is forced to listen to you talk about your cranky colon. When the "discomfort" sets in, it's all you can think about, it can lead to panic and can lead to desperate measures. Desperate measures for me, by the way, is ...errrr....solving the problem outside a conventional bathroom. Ahhh, in the the woods, if you're lucky enough to be running in a desolate enough area. Seems to be an easy thing for men. But, man, for me, it is extremely difficult and has only happened on a few occasions when there was no other alternative.

So, what causes runner's trots? Well, most sources cite two common theories. One is the diversion of blood from the GI tract to the legs which results in a lack of oxygen to the tissues. This, in turn, interferes with normal function and causes irritation to the bowel wall - cramping. The second theory is the simple "jiggling" motion of running stimulating peristalsis (muscle movement of the digestive tract) and subsequent cramping. Some runners begin to feel peristaltic contractions (cramps) shortly after they begin running which supports the "jiggling" theory. I start to feel discomfort about 3-5 km into my run which supports the blood diverstion theory. Who knows? What I do know for sure is that it is extremely distressing regardless of the cause.

So, what do you do about it? I was hoping to recommend a source that provided really good information about this issue but, despite how common the problem is, many running sites and mags give short shrift to the problem and advise most to ensure your route has public washrooms :o(...From my reading and my own experience I found that avoiding dehydration is crucial, don't eat within 2 hours of your run, don't chew gum EVER, I once thought a banana an hour or 2 prior would be helpful - wouldn't swear by it though. If you find one time of the day is better for you run then. Unfortunately, my schedule does not allow that during the week. Some runners are aggravated by caffeine - I have coffee in the morning and that pretty much takes care of everything! No applicable in the evening. Journal what you eat and see if there are any irritants, dairy, fibre, etc. The type of food does not seem to matter for me.

The most ridiculous piece of advice that I have heard is "go before you go out on your run". Oh, I haven't thought of that!! Geez...Oh, and then there are the folks who, when they're racing, decide that stopping is just not an option and, well, just go....YouTube has left the memory of many of these poor schleps to posterity. Just search "poopy runner" and you'll see what I mean.

It's amazing to me that a problem that is so prevalent does not seem to have a solution. We have genius engineering for shoes and clothing why not for a problem that seems to affect the majority of us? Asics? Nike? Fuel Belt? Where are you? I have never taken a medication for this but I have tried everything else. Am going to take Immodium next week (about an hour before my run) just to see, just to see IF IT WORKS!

Done.

The Middle Aged Runner

Outside the Comfort Zone

Tonight was the first night of interval training for me. I have been running all winter at the same pace - quite comfortably - never pushing the envelope, never wanting to get uncomfortable, never upping the pace. Tonight at the track was a different story. Coach Daryl was very kind in his routines tonight, knowing we were all gradually waking from our winter hibernations. So, I ran my 400s and 800s. And I honestly tried to run faster than I usually do. Around and around the track. High School rugby team practicing in the field - I didn't even notice them - so intense was my pace checking. Of course, didn't have my glasses on so i couldn't see anything on my garmin anyway but judging from the heaviness in my legs and my rather rapid respiratory rate I would guess that I was running faster than my usual pace. That's a good thing right? Don't intervals increase your VO2 max or your anerobic threshold or something? Improves performance, right? Isn't that the bottom line? But, should middle aged runners really care about performance?

This is something I have grappled with for a long time. Can I actually achieve PRs at my age? Or has that ship sailed? Should I just continue to run because I enjoy it and it keeps me fit? Or am I able to improve my times if I work hard enough? I am just not convinced that is my reality. I remember being in a spin class one day thinking that the workout was great - I was working hard, really hard. Then I got a glimpse of myself in the mirror and it looked as though I was moving in slow motion. I started to question why I was doing this - why was I working so hard for so little return? Then I wondered if I was in fact working hard. I honestly don't know if I was then or I am willing to now. Am I really willing to cross over the comfort threshold? This is the season's challenge.

Back to the track. Here's a little honesty - I gotta tell ya - I hate interval training - I hate the track - I hate the discomfort I feel - I hate that I hate this workout. And as the Spring turns into summer and the days get warmer and I am ready to spontaneously combust right there on the track - probably in front of children - the point is I will be there on the track. Truth is - this workout doesn't help me to get any faster but it does help me survive the races. I know I'll go back week after week because of that. I'll also go back for the comraderie and support of other runners, for the incredible generosity of our coach Daryl Steeves who so willingly shares his knowledge and limited time, and for the opportunity to push this old lady butt around the track at a faster pace than usual. And, I will hate it!

See you next week everyone.

Yes, Brent, there really is a blog written by me!

OK, I know it's been a while since I've had an entry. Geez, I talked about motivation last time, remember? Still dealing with it....But, after being razzed so subtly, in a merciless way by a few of my running buds I thought I had better make an entry tonight...

Topic for tonight! The weather. My running group goes at 6pm. Well, as you know I am coping with a lack of inspiration, motivation and probably a few other "ions". Even the last few weeks of lovely weather has made me just want to barbeque and do crosswords on the deck perhaps accompanied by an alcoholic beverage. But, tonight....oh, cold, blowing, wet...if there ever was a night I DID NOT want to run, it was tonight! But, I made it to the door! Out the door I went. Met my group...hey, let's do some intervals! OK, that's OK - I know I have to do some real training before Halifax so i'm OK with this. So, out we go - now it's raining and cold. Down to the Rothesay commons we go - 4 intervals. No defibrillator intervention required. I was surprised that I was able to maintain my time reasonably for the first 3 (then died on the 4th but that's OK). So, back we go - my running guru, Alex, has another group going at 7 and I think, yeah, I can run with them too. May as well get the mileage in while I can.

Well, started out again at 7 - now it's snowing. Ran about 5 or 6 K with my good friend Tim. Snow, rain, sleet, cold, drivers splashing you like they think they can get you any wetter. (NOTHING WORSE THAN KV DRIVERS - BAD, WORSE, WORST, RUDE, INCONSIDERATE, PROBABLY FROM TORONTO, STUPID, OBLIVIOUS TO PEDESTRIANS AND COMMON SENSE!!!!)

But, wow, what a fantastic run...there is nothing better, nothing more fun than getting out into the slop and the mess and just running. It is a close to a childhood moment as you're ever going to get. I felt fabulous when I got home. Not only had a great run but had to blog about it too! Crappy weather = really satisfying run. The fact that I was nuts enough to go out in this and run is an accomplishment in itself. Loved it.

Wanted: Dummy's Guide to Motivation

OK...so it's February...mild winter, days are getting longer, street are dry and clear, temps are nice. So, why is it like pulling teeth to get my butt outside in my running gear? Even though the collective activity level of the entire country has, ironically, been at a standstill during the Olympics (Yay for the women's hockey team, btw) I am not warming the sofa in front of the TV every night! I get out there! But, I whine incessently before I go, I look for any excuse not to go - "I'm tired", "I don't feel well", "I'll go to the gym tonight", "I'll go to the gym this afternoon", "I went to the gym last night", "I'd rather eat". Adding to the frustration of not going is the lack of desire to go any type of distance - Should go 10 but go 6, should do an hour on the treadmill but do 40 minutes. I guess the most demotivating word is should. The "shoulds" are highly demotivating, by the way!

So, how will I get myself out of this funk? I tried going to Runner's World - they have the monthly trio - shoes, diet and motivation - in the current issue. One of the articles was how Kara Goucher has negative thoughts about her performance and that effects her motivation. You know, I am just not inspired by world class athletes - I don't identify with them - they don't run in my shoes and I certainly do not run in their's. I DO, on the other hand, identify with the experiences of local runners. I follow a blog called the KV Challenger - A Writer with a Running Problem: http://kvchallenger.blogspot.com/2010/02/my-race-schedule.html
Chuck's latest entry lists the 2010 races he intends to run - for the whole year! He also has his targets identified in each race. I read this and it hit me: For the first time in a long time, I have no goals. I've been drifting - using a lot of euphenisms to describe my running. "Running for pleasure" means "I do not want to run hard". "I love running GarminLess" means "I am running really slowly but I don't want to know that I'm running really slowly".

Goal setting will start...hmmm....tomorrow! Naahhhh...maybe tonight..who am I kidding? Tomorrow. Looks like I've made a good start at least.

Accountability - now that's a long blog entry. Won't get into that tonight. (not motivated).

Getting back into the right frame of mind, I hope, will be a short process. I'll keep you posted.

How about you? How do you regain lost motivation?

The Middle Aged Runner