Two Weeks Until Chicago

Exactly two weeks from today, I'll be running in the Soldier Field 10 in Chicago. Bum ankle or not, limping or in full stride, I plan on crossing the goal line and finishing on the 50. This is why I run and why I need to get over this left ankle injury pronto! There are more races to run and cool venues to see and I'm not going to let some crummy little ankle issue get in the way!

Injured Ankle - This Time It's My Left

I am back on the blog to report some disturbing news, my left ankle is aching and I’ve taken a break from running. About two weeks after the marathon, I was on a nice Saturday afternoon recovery run when all of a sudden I felt that familiar pain, only this time it wasn’t my right ankle, but my left. Mind starting racing. Panicked thoughts about surgery started to flood my every thought. And the fear that perhaps my time as a runner had come to an end became overwhelming.

At first I denied that there was even a problem. Must be the shoes! Must be my gait! Or lack of stretching. Over the next two weeks I desperately tried everything from having my ankle taped by Anne to wearing different kinds of shoes to work, all with the hope that the soreness would somehow magically disappear. Yet it persisted. It continued. It worsened. I knew what I had to do --- go see the doctor.

Last Tuesday I saw the awesome Dr. Marc Danziger, who thoroughly examined my ankle and determined that the tendon sheath was irritated. Could I run? Yes, as long as it doesn’t hurt, but keep it short. What about the Soldier Field 10 in Chicago which I’m supposed to run Memorial Day weekend? Yes, even if I have to limp to the finish line, it would be okay. How do we lick this? Rest and 750 mg of Relafen twice a day for two weeks. Do I need surgery? Not recommended. If rest and Relafen don’t work, then we’ll supplement with physical therapy.

I’m going to recover, I know that. Hopefully by June I’ll look back at this left ankle issue as nothing but a bump in the road. I’m anxious to start running again. I’m anxious to build off the progress I’ve made over the past two years and to maximize my ability as a runner. Yet, I also realize that rushing back will set me back. Doing too much too soon will only increase the chances that I will develop a more serious injury. Patience is the order of the day, and I’m trying my best to exercise some.

Race Pics

Approaching the finish line on my bum left knee


Anne the amazing pt stretching my knee

Kate and I in sporting"F" cancer t-shirts; she and her husband are big fans of Detroit sports teams - notice my Red Wings hat

National Marathon Race Report

After 8 months of blogging and trying to come up with interesting little bits, I’m struggling with how to summarize yesterday’s race. So let me start with a straight forward play by play, and then some thoughts.

I arrived at RFK about 30 minutes before race time and stayed in my car to keep warm --- it was freezing outside, about 30, and I was wearing only shorts with a long sleeved t-shirt and running jacket. Thankfully I had in the mess that is the trunk of my car, running gloves and an old Syracuse hat. After briefly meeting Anne and her boyfriend Bert, I lined up and boom, the race was on. The first 6-7 miles went by so quickly --- at mile 5, I picked up some Gatorade from Anne and felt really strong. A few hundred yards later, at the corner of 18^th and M, my parents were cheering me on. I felt great --- my pace was consistent (about 8:50 per mile as planned), ankle felt solid (no pain at all), and my left knee which had been acting up the past few weeks, was not giving me any trouble. At that point I’m thinking perhaps I could make a run at a pr. After seeing my parent’s, it was on to Connecticut Avenue, where my friend Emily was stationed around DuPont Circle. Still felt great, no problems at all

But then the hills started. We had quite a big one going up Columbia Road into Adams Morgan. Though the map indicated there were some hills along the course, I had not anticipated them being quite so steep and long. Ok, no big deal. I had done hill training, and knew to take them slow and steady. But the hills didn’t let up. We faced at least 3 or 4 more big ones as we made our way through Northeast during the first half of the race. Still, I felt great, was perhaps a little dehydrated, but nothing a little Gatorade wouldn’t fix. I reached the halfway point in 1 hour, 55 minutes, just as planned.

The beginning of the second half of the race retraced part of the first half, going down East Capital and then heading down Constitution. I took some more Gatorade from Anne at about mile 16, and at this point I was feeling a bit fatigued, but overall still felt pretty good. As I neared the corner of 9^th and Constitution, a big cheering section of my parents and friends Janet and Helen awaited me; it was so great to see them and I felt a surge of energy. That was about mile 17. About a half mile later, my left knee started aching, and aching, and I started to slow down. By mile 20 I was moving at barely a shuffle. Thank goodness for Anne, who was waiting for me right before I crossed the bridge into Anacostia. I stopped running for a good 5 minutes while Anne worked my knee, stretched and contorted it, and made me feel a whole lot better. At that point I thought I had dodged a bullet. But by mile 21, the pain was back, and to make a very long story short, I struggled over the remaining 5.2 miles. I alternated between walking and running, and the further I went, the more I walked. At mile 26, with only 385 yards to go, I was determined to run to the finish, and did --- final time of 4 hours, 19 minutes 46 seconds.

If this had happened to me before I injured my ankle, I would have been pissed off. After all, my slowest time prior to yesterday was 3 hours 56 minutes. I had never ever finished a marathon in over 4 hours. Yet, even though yesterday’s race was my slowest, it was also my most satisfying. Two years ago I never imagined I would be able to run at all, let alone finish a marathon. In the past year, I’ve gone from barely being able to run for more than 5 minutes at a time, to finishing a 26.2 mile race. That’s called progress. More importantly though, was the fact that we raised over $4,000 to support pancreatic cancer research and to raise awareness about the need to generate more support and funding for this awful disease. As I struggled to climb the final hill around mile 24, I had not a frown, but a big smile knowing how much I accomplished personally with my comeback from ankle surgery, and how much WE accomplished with the fundraising for cancer research. How could I feel nothing but satisfaction on such a day?

As I approached the finish line I saw Kate and her husband Tim cheering me on, and afterwards I was able to meet-up with them as well as my parents and the rest of my cheering section to share lots of stories and laughs. Even though yesterday’s race was the slowest I’ve ever run, it was by far the best and most memorable.

One Day to Go

In almost exactly 24 hours, a few thousand of my closest friends and I will start our 26.2 mile journey through the streets of DC. The race begins near good ole RFK Stadium, heads toward the Capitol and down Constitution, followed by a loop in Northwest and Northeast, and ending with a loop around Southwest. The reality of what I’m about to do is hitting me like a ton of bricks and I’m starting to get nervous. Last night my mind was racing --- what if my ankle doesn’t hold up? What if I catch a terrible cold in the next 24 hours? What if the electricity goes out in my apartment and I oversleep? Needless to say I don’t exactly feel rested this morning and the nervousness and worrying continues.

What to do?

Well, besides taking lots of naps, I need to stay busy today, especially since I decided to take the day off work. Tradition holds that I watch a movie to psyche myself up, and normally that movie is Rocky I, and why not. You have the great music, the scene of Rocky running up the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum, and of course the story of a long shot going the distance with the champ. But I’m thinking about breaking with tradition this year and going a different route. We’re in the thick of March Madness and this afternoon I’m going to be glued to the tv watching wall to wall games, including Syracuse making a run at their second title (Go Orange!). I can think of no better movie that melds March Madness with athletic determination than Hoosiers, the 1986 classic based on the true story of a small town Indiana high school overcoming the odds to win the Indiana High School Basketball Tournament. No one gave them a chance --- a washed up coach leading a small team from a small school --- yet through hard work, determination, grit, and teamwork, they won the state championship.

Tomorrow when I’m struggling a bit, and I will struggle at some point during the race, every marathoner does, I’m going to think about all the people who have believed in and supported me, who displayed amazing kindness and generosity as I raised money for pancreatic cancer, and who told me to keep my chin up during the really tough times when I was recovering from surgery. Will I win tomorrow’s race? Of course not, but in my own way, finishing the race will feel like making the game winning shot.

One Week to Go

It’s hard to believe that the last eight months have gone by so quickly. Back in July 2008, I could barely run more than 5 or 6 miles; the thought of completing a 26.2 mile race was a bit overwhelming, though the fact that I had so much time to train and prepare made it seem that this day would almost never come. Well, it’s almost time and I’m ready. I’ve logged the miles, done the training, lost the weight, and have stayed healthy. There have been a few aches and pains along the way, but overall I’m in a much better place than I was even a year ago.

Today I did a light workout with Anne at Gravely Point, and other than a handful of 20 minute jogs over the next few days, the training is essentially over. Now I just need to rest and relax, and look forward to next week.

Perspective

Most of us go through life looking forward to birthdays, anniversaries, and key dates that mark important events and milestones in our lives. We take for granted the fact that we’ll celebrate a birthday next year, go on vacation with our family, and endure another mediocre season with the Redskins. Some of us even look forward to running 26.2 miles. This is part of the normal rhythms of life; it’s something we all take for granted.

Perspective is everything. What we celebrate and take for granted has a much different meaning when you change your point of view. Kate makes this point so eloquently in her most recent blog post. Suffering from a horrible disease makes it difficult to look forward to birthdays, holidays, and the future in general, when the present is filled with so much uncertainty. Yet, despite every reason to despair, Kate endures, moves forward, and works through these challenges. She has hit some bumps in the road, yet refuses to give up. She remains optimistic and more committed than ever to win her epic struggle against pc, and does so with great wit and a sense of humor.

In three weeks when I cross the finish line near RFK Stadium, I look forward to celebrating with Kate. But I will not be celebrating the accomplishment of running 26.2. No, I will be celebrating Kate and her accomplishments, her spirit, and the inspiration she provides to all of us. Knowing Kate, though, I think she’ll want to celebrate the fact that I finished the race without tripping over myself. Perspective really does matter!

Kate and Pancreatic Cancer Research

After a bit of a hiatus, Kate returned to the blogosphere a few days ago with a new entry on her blog. Kate was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer two years ago, and is still fighting strong. You won’t find a more inspiring and courageous person.

I have a special plea: to those who have not made a contribution to support pancreatic research, I hope you will consider making a donation. Kate needs your support. The 37,000 people in the United States who are diagnosed every year with pc need your support. The men and women working tirelessly for a cure need your support. One day, hopefully in the not too distant future, scientists will get a handle on this horrible disease, one that kills more people in the USA every year (34,000) than AIDS (14,000). Incredibly, your United States government only spends $73 million per year on pancreatic cancer research, yet sees fit to dole out $2.5 BILLION for HIV/AIDs research. We don’t have pancreatic cancer quilts, high impact public relations campaigns, celebrity spokespeople, movies (think Philadelphia), or the media behind us. No, we just have the devastation and destruction wrought by pancreatic cancer, a disease that kills 90% of its victims within one year of diagnosis. It’s an outrage and quite frankly offensive that some people’s lives are valued more than others by our so-called elected officials. It’s offensive that some people are given priority over others based on political standing and/or political correctness. And it’s completely outrageous that Kate and people like her are essentially left to fend for themselves. This has to change. This must change. I hope my little effort can help in this regard.

One Month to Go!

That's right boys and girls, only one month to go until race day. It's hard to believe we're almost at the end. Before you know it, I'll be crossing the finish line behind RFK Stadium. Training has gone as planned. Fundraising to support pancreatic research has exceeded expectations. I'm healthy. I'm fit. And I'm ready to go. The only real outstanding issue is determining where I should eat the big post-race dinner. I'm thinking Ruth's Chris in Bethesda. What say you?

Home Stretch

It’s hard to believe, but the big race is less than five weeks away, 31 days to be exact. It’s been a long road back from surgery and rehab. Less than a year ago, I was running for just a few minutes at a time. Now I’m doing long training runs; this past Saturday I did an 18 mile run, the farthest I’ve run in over two years. The first four miles were uneventful, but then at about 4.5 miles, I felt a sharp pain in my right ankle. I had to stop running. Panic set in and I started to freak out big time. The pain felt eerily similar to what I experienced two years ago and almost in the exact same place! Thank goodness I was running with Anne. She calmly assessed the situation, had me do some stretches, and did a little Mr. Miyagi action on my ankle, and as quickly as the pain came on, it disappeared and we were able to do the remaining 14 miles without incident.

These days I’m feeling very optimistic. The 18 mile run was tiring, but I felt strong throughout and finished with energy, not exhaustion. For the first time in a while, I could actually visualize myself finishing. After two years of injury and pain, surgery and rehab, doubts and worrying, I’m finally starting to believe again: I’m starting to believe I’m a runner, not an injured runner, not a runner recovering from injury, not a runner who is out-of-shape or a runner trying to get back into the swing of things. No, I’m just a regular runner who is able to go out and run without worry. This is such a huge relief. In the darkest hours and weeks after surgery, I wondered if this day would ever come. Now I’m coming down the home stretch and those dark days are but a distant memory. Brighter days are ahead, and for that I am truly grateful.

Training Rut

I’ve hit a rut in training, something not totally unexpected, but very frustrating. I’m trying to do all my runs, but it’s quite difficult these days. First, the weather has been absolutely lousy. Over the past week here in the DC area we’ve had snow and sleet, freezing rain, and the biggest enemy of any runner, particularly me --- ice. I admit it, I have an ice phobia, and for good reason. In January of 2008, I slipped on black ice and fractured my left radial bone (left elbow). This was a particularly nasty, and painful, injury as the elbow cannot be set in a cast, nor immobilized for extended periods of time. The pain of pt for this particular injury was worse than even rehabbing my ankle. So anytime I even catch a glimpse of ice, I'm homebound.

The second impediment to training over the past couple of weeks has been a lingering sinus infection. My nose is quite stuffy, my ears ache, my sinuses kill me, and my balance is a bit off --- not exactly a recipe for going out and doing a 7-8 mile mid-week run, let alone a long training run on the weekend. I’ve probably missed about 50% of my scheduled training runs over the past two weeks.

None of this is the end of the world. My sinus infection has finally started to clear up, and the weather seems to be improving, though the forecasters are predicting snow showers tonight and possibly tomorrow, with “minimal” accumulation. My motivation, though, is a bit lacking. I’ve spent the last year getting back to my old running self, and I’m probably 75 to 80 percent there…the last bit shouldn’t be that hard. My fitness level has dramatically improved, my legs are strong, and my endurance is improving by the week. Mentally, though, I’m struggling to find my motivation and I’m not sure why. I have so much to run for, but when I don’t feel well and the weather is less than desirable, my first instinct is not to lace up my shoes and power through, but to hit the couch and watch ESPN.

I will break out of this rut; I always have in similar situations in the past. I just need to find my groove again. A week of decent weather and good health would help, but irrespective, with less than 50 days to go until the big race, the fact that I will soon be running 26.2 miles is motivation enough.

Da Bears

I’ve decided to add a new race to my schedule for 2009, the Soldier Field 10 in Chicago over Memorial Day weekend. The finish is the 50 yard line of Soldier Field. How cool is that? Football legends such as Mike Ditka, Walter Payton, and Dick Butkus have graced this stadium. Now you can add Fullenbaum to the list! I’ll certainly write more as the date approaches. Needless to say, I'm very excited and look forward to proudly wearing my Redskins hat as I cross the 50.

Winter Running Blues

The one downside about signing up for a March marathon is that a majority training takes place in wintertime. In years past, winter running was a piece of cake. I’d run in snow, sub-freezing temperatures, and I would do it most of the time in nothing more than a pair of shorts and long sleeved t-shirt. I still remember running in the Jingle All the Way 10k years ago in nothing more than shorts and a short sleeved t-shirt, despite the fact that it was snowing and 29.

These days, however, I find it more difficult to get outside when it’s cold and dark, damp and dank, and just downright depressing. I don’t know if it’s old age or the long layoff from running during the recovery from injury, but now I’m wearing long pants instead of shorts, three layers of shirts instead of one, and I’m even running inside a couple of days a week. Everyone from friends and family, to running buddies and pt’s, have even suggested, gasp, running on a treadmill. The treadmill, in this man’s opinion, is an evil piece of exercise equipment. It reduces you to nothing more than a gerbil, just running in place second after second, minute after minute, mile after mile. I can think of nothing more boring.

So I’m in a bind. I’m having a tough time running outside 6 days a week, I despise the treadmill, yet I have lots of training still to go before the big race in March. The solution --- an indoor track. Unfortunately, there are very few in this area, most are on college campuses or that far away land of Virginia. There is a little know gem, though, at Bally’s gym on Rockville Pike. The have an indoor track, 1/10th of a mile in distance, that should do the trick. I joined about a month ago and run there about once or twice a week. It’s a pain for sure; having to turn so often puts pressure on my hips, yet this slight discomfort is far preferable to the boredom of the treadmill.

The weather forecasters are predicting an arctic blast to move through the DC area on Thursday and Friday of this week. Originally, I was scheduled to do a 15 mile run on Saturday, but I’m going to Florida to visit my 86 year old grandfather and won’t have time to do such a long run between playing golf and eating early bird dinners at his Del Boca Vista retirement compound (think Seinfeld). I’m going to get creative and instead do my long run inside on Friday night --- 5 miles on the track followed by 5 on the treadmill, and then the last 5 on the track again. Is this ideal? Nope, not by a long shot, but it allows me to get the miles which should payoff down the road in March.