A Matter of the Heel

Those of you who have been following my blog know that I have been trying to rehab my left heal for the last 6 weeks after breaking three ribs two weeks earlier. The heel has been bothering me for well over two years now. The ribs are completely healed and I have started running again. Day one of running was yesterday for a slow 2 miles and day two was today for an even slower 4 miles with a dew point of 60 degrees. Very muggy run! Glad it was only two miles.

The heel was a little sore about 3 hours after my run yesterday and today it was a little sore and tight before I ran but not enough to cause a limp. The pain is kind of a warm burning sensation right at the attachment of the Achilles to the heel bone. As I started running this morning I had a little more ache, than when I was just walking, to the heel for the first half-mile then it went away and I was fine for the rest of the run. After the run I could feel a deep burning sensation just like before I started. It was the same feeling I had before starting rehab only not as intense. The rehab consisted of wearing a boot to keep the heel stationary, and twice a week physical therapy to strengthen my foot, calf and soleus muscles.

While I am not back to where I was when I started therapy, I can tell that the heel is basically doing the same thing as before. I will take tomorrow off and see if that helps but I am not confident that it will do much but calm down a little and then flare up when I run again. This is very frustrating! I feel as though I have wasted 8 weeks that I could have been running and would have only lost 2-3 weeks from the ribs.

I guess I will try and run 3 days a week, cycle 2-3 days and swim one or two days. Swimming can be done on the same day as a run or bike ride. Hopefully by cross training in this way I can still maintain my running fitness without aggravating the heel much more.

From here I guess I need to continue to try and convince the doctor(s) to help me find the true source of my problem. I still feel that it is a nerve problem stemming from my lower back, my hip or the piriformis muscle in the buttock area. This is called Piriformis Syndrome. This muscle can get inflamed and cause the sciatic nerve to become inflamed and subsequently affect the whole leg all the way down to the foot. The problem is getting insurance to cover doing the MRI,s needed to see exactly where the inflammation is occurring. Ugh, it is all so frustrating.

Either way I have decided to train for the Tucson marathon on December 8^th.  I should have plenty of time to train for it as it is about 19 weeks away. That gives me 16 weeks of training and 3 weeks to taper. Hoping to run 6-8 miles this Sunday, even if it is really slow.

Bottom line is that the conservative treatment, with therapy, has not worked at all. I didn’t really expect it to but I was hopeful, and that kept me focused during the whole ordeal. Here’s to hoping for miracles. I can run but I am held back from doing my best because of this stupid heel. Here goes cross training. I’ll keep you posted. Thanks for letting me vent! LOL!

Happy Trails,

Russ

PS. The interview with the Jester, AKA Ed Ettinghausen is in the works. Hopefully I will have it all ready sometime early next week.

Rehab Of Heel And Ribs Almost Complete

Many of you know already that I have had some forced time off from running. For those of you who are not aware of how I got to this point see: ( Struggling With Downtime )

Today I cycled for the first time in 7 weeks. I have not run yet and will not try until I am given the go ahead by my physical therapist (PT), next Thursday. He said he would give me a protocol at that time which would probably involve only walking and cycling to begin with. In fact, I was not given the go ahead to cycle as of yet but I just could not resist the opportunity to try and see how the heel would respond. So far the heel seems fine and cycling, while bothersome, never did inflame it as much as running. I usually only noticed a problem hours to a day afterward. It has been 4 hours and so far no noticeable problem. The ribs are pretty much completely healed, as I do not notice any soreness unless I do some sort of extreme movement or pressure in the wrong place. Cycling was no problem for the ribs ( See: Trail Run,Fall, Broken Ribs, Oh My) at all, and I am sure running would not be either.

I have 6 more days until the walking boot comes off. I know I will want to try and run immediately but my PT says he will put me on a walking protocol first and graduate to running. This will be tough, but no one wants this to work more than I, so I will follow the protocol. He said cycling would probably be OK also.

Hopefully the epidural shot I received last Monday in my sacroiliac joint will be a more complete and long-term solution to my heel and leg problems. Within 3 days of the shot I noticed a significant relief in my left hip and leg, allowing me to increase my flexibility by almost six inches in several stretches including touching my toes from a standing stiff leg bend and even down to the second finger joints being bent. Another stretch that I had been doing was from a seated position bringing my left foot up and crossing it over my right knee while bending forward at the waist. This stretch would often elicit a slight shock like sensation from my hamstrings to my heel. Not only has this disappeared, but I can now lean forward touching my head to my left leg at the knee, whereas before my head was about 6 inches away. In two days I see the pain doctor and he will hopefully prescribe at least one or more future injections to completely calm the hip and leg soreness from the nerve problem. The relief I have gotten is significant enough to verify that the main problem is a nerve inflammation

My plan for the future is to start training for another marathon as soon as possible whether or not my heel is completely better. The reason for this is that the next course of action, if it is not better, would be surgery and I do not want to be out any longer than I have to being off my feet. I would rather go into surgery from a state of maximum conditioning than to go in already having lost 10 weeks or more.

So, I have my sights set on training for the Tucson Marathon in December. I may also do a trail Ragnar in the meantime. Pray for my heel to be completely healed within the next two weeks!

Looking forward to training again very soon!

ON a lighter note, I am hoping to score an interview with The Jester, AKA Ed Ettinghausen. He is a rather prolific ultra marathoner who has just completed his 3^rd Badwater 135 mile ultra marathon, from Death Valley to the Mt. Whitney portals. This race is considered by most to be the hardest foot race in the world with temperatures reaching near 130 degrees and upwards of 150 degrees and more at road level. Make sure to check back soon!

Happy Trails,

Russ

My Bear Story

This article has nothing to do with running, but as I said in the preface to my blog I will occasionally write about gold prospecting so here is one of my prospecting stories.

Early one fall, about 12 years ago, I decide to do a little gold prospecting. I drove out the 15fwy, north to Hwy 138 and headed east toward Silverwood Lake. I turned off at Little Horse Thief Canyon to the north of the highway. The road was fairly rough and driving it was a slow task. About 10 minutes later I got to the claim and started scouting it out.

I had been here a few times before so I had a place in mind up one of the side tributaries of the small creek. I took off on foot walking up the creek bed looking for just the right spot. I soon spotted a place where the bench material was clearly sitting on top of a layer of caliche. And I knew, from pervious experience, that the best gold would be lying right on top of the caliche because it acts as false bedrock. The gold in this area is pretty fine although a few nuggets have been found, most of them have been pretty small. There is however, quite a bit of fine gold, and I was looking forward to seeing that color in the bottom of my pan.

I decided to walk back to the truck from the bank above the creek bed, just to get a little different view of the surrounding area. As I walked along I saw some fresh berries on some bushes and could tell that someone or something had already picked or eaten most of them. A little farther down I saw bear scat and could tell that he or she had enjoyed quite a meal from the berry bush. Not only that but the scat was fairly fresh, probably not more than two hours old.

I got back to the truck and made several trips back and forth carrying my equipment and buckets. I had six 5gallon buckets that I wanted to fill with screened material, and later run it through my small Gold Buddy at home in my spare time. There was no water in the creek at all and I did not have a dry washer or I would have used that.

I had gotten a late start and knew I only had about 2 hours to work before dusk. I was working with my back to the creek and my face to the bank. I had worked a fairly large opening into the bank and had quite a bit of material to screen through into buckets. Since the gold was really fine I was using a screen of ¼ inch. I wore gloves with rubber coating on the palms and fingers so as not to scrape up my hands too much. I was working mostly on my hands and knees as worked the material out from the bank.

The time passed quickly and I noticed that it was starting to get dark. I needed to start carrying things back to my truck before it turned to dark to see my way. I began to hurry a little more as I was not quite done. All of a sudden I felt a hot breath on the back of my neck and knew that some kind of animal was behind me. I could not see what it was without backing my body out of the small cave I had dug into the bank. I reached for my 38 Smith & Wesson revolver from my holster, holding my breath, my heart pounding I slowly removed it. My mind flashed back to having seen the bear scat earlier and I was really thinking that it could be a bear. The hair was standing up on the back of my head as I slowly turned to see a dog wagging his tail and licking my face knocking off my hat in the process. Where he had come from and how he found me I will never know for sure, but I was extremely relieved to know that it was a dog and not a bear. He did have tags and I figured he must have just wandered of from someone else hiking in the area. Then I remembered having seen a building that could have been a living quarters about a mile farther down the road once before. I then figured he must have come from there and did not try and take him back with me as he looked well fed and cared for.

I had just enough time to get everything in my truck and leave before it turned really dark, then I heard a voice calling, “Rusty, Rusty” which must have been the dogs name as he took off running in the direction of the voice. I got everything into my truck just before dark and then headed back home with a great story to tell.

Latter that weekend I ran my material and did find some pretty good gold. It was nothing to get excited about but still worth it just to see that yellow gold in bottom of my pan.

2006 The Lost Year

I have been a runner since July of 1999, when I started training for my first marathon. I started running from being a virtual couch potato. In March of 2000 I ran my first marathon and even though I swore, after crossing the finish line, that I would never run another marathon, I changed my mind and have never looked back. Even though I say I never looked back I did basically have a lost year where I only ran very sporadically and fell back into weight gain and not exorcising much at all. In fact I was clinically depressed. That year was 2006 and lasted into the early spring of 2007. According to my log book I only ran 101 miles in 2006 including the races I ran, and only 41 miles in the first 4 months of 2007, half of those in the month of April. A normal year would be between 1200 and 1600 miles for me.

Even though I call it a lost year, I had made a few desperate attempts at coming back but it never lasted more than a few days or weeks at a time. I had signed up for an adventure race in Colorado called the Imogene pass run and a good friend had signed up for it with me. Even though I was totally out of shape I followed through and left for Ouray, Colorado to run the Imogene Pass Run from the town of Ouray at 7880’ up over a 13,121’ peak and back down to the town of Telluride at 8880’. As it turned out a big snowstorm had come in two nights before the race and it was impossible for the race crew to even get their support crew to the top of the mountain and the course was altered to a 14-mile race never getting above 10,600’ in elevation. Although it was a big disappointment to everyone it was probably a good thing for me. I made it through the 14 miles but had to walk a lot more than most and finished back toward the last. Subsequently I did run this race again in 2008 and was able to complete the true course this time. See: Imogene Pass Run RaceReport.

A month later in early October, despite hardly running at all, I ran a marathon. I finished but it was my slowest marathon ever in 6:00:02. That was marathon #15. I had decided to run it even though I was not trained, because I had already paid for it and was trying desperately to get myself motivated again. It was a beautiful fall trail marathon in northern California called Bizz Johnson, with a net elevation loss of around 1800 feet. It was a kind of humiliation to me in some respects and yet it was an accomplishment to finish such a long distance without having really trained for it. I didn’t really run again until April of 2007 I had gone 16 months of hardly running at all and the last 6 months without running at all.

During this whole time I kept up with my running friends, going to breakfast on Sunday mornings to talk and see how they were all doing. They all continued to give me encouragement and did not judge me for not running with them. Through this whole time I knew that deep down inside I wanted to run again but somehow the depression just weighted me down. I took comfort in being around my friends even though I could not bring myself to run.

During this time I finally started taking medication, which I guess, eventually helped but I still wish I had not taken it as I feel that it also took something from me emotionally. While I have gotten most of my emotions back I still feel that something was taken from me. However, I did get better and eventually started running again. I have had a few ups and downs but for the most part have continued to run since starting up again in April of 2007.

I write this in the hopes that I might encourage someone else who has fallen into depression. I encourage them to keep their relationships with their running friends and to seek professional help. Don’t give up on your dreams and goals. There is always hope no matter how bleak life may appear.

Since coming back I have finished another 7 marathons. I truly enjoy running again. I am rehabbing an injury right now and have another two weeks to go until I can try and resume running. It has been hard these last 6 weeks to not run at all. I am really looking forward to being able to run again and train for my next marathon. Hopefully that will be the Tucson marathon in December.

Happy Trails,

Russ

13 Benefits of Running

Running has many health benefits. But, just what are these benefits and what do they mean for your health and well being? I have listed 13 ways that running can benefit you. There are probably many more but these are some of the primary benefits to running.

Weight Control:

It doesn’t take a genius to know that running burns a lot of calories. The reason for this is that it involves almost all the muscles in the body especially the largest muscles, those in the legs. Because of this, there is almost no other exorcise that will burn more calories faster than running. This can obviously help in controlling ones weight. This is true unless one subscribes to the notion, “I run to eat!” This phrase can be a double hazard for runners as it can sabotage the weight loss or control that would normally occur from running. The other problem is, eating the wrong foods such as those high in fat and or sugar can still cause cardio vascular disease, even in runners, if it is over done!

Prevents Muscle and Bone Loss:

Running can build more muscle mass in your legs. Proper nutrition with the correct balance of protein and carbohydrate is essential or the reverse can occur. Studies show that running helps build stronger bones especially in the mid and lower body. It can actually help reverse osteoporosis  along with a proper diet. This is especially helpful to those over the age of 50, as that is when a greater number of people start losing bone mass from inactivity.

Cardiovascular Health and Blood Pressure:

Running can dramatically improve Cardiovascular Health! Running helps to control cholesterol, reduces blood pressure and increases vascularity. These things will help keep your heart healthy dramatically decreasing your chances of a heart attack. It also increases corpuscles, thereby improving circulation throughout the body and the extremities. This in turn can make your skin tone look healthier and more vibrant.

General Health:

Running improves general overall health. Keeping the body moving improves join health and balance, as well as helping to maintain a healthy weight. In general running helps improve the immune system although extremely long distance running can bring down the immune system for a short period of time.

Improved Sense of Well Being:

Running has been show to improve how one feels about themselves. It instills a sense of accomplishment and confidence.

Relieves Stress:

Running is a great stress reliever. Studies show that runners report that they have much less stress than those who do not run. It is a great time to work things out that are bothering you. Running with others can help relieve stress by venting and exorcising at the same time.

Relieves Depression:

Running may be just as effective—and in some instances better—than SSRI drugs in treating depression. These antidepressant meds keep neurotransmitters such as serotonin and norepineprhine in the synapses longer, improving both mood and outlook. However, aerobic exercise does the same thing. Studies show, patients who were successfully treated with SSRIs relapsed sooner than those who stayed physically active. Other studies using placebo suggest that running was just as effective if not better than SSRIs in decreasing depression. Science Direct

Runner’s High:

The famed "runner’s high" often associated with the release of endorphins, has sometimes been dismissed as myth. However, recent research has shown that it is indeed a fact. One generally has to run more than 30 minutes for the true effect to occur but there is more than compelling evidence to support the “Runner’s High.” About.com Sports Medicine

Improved Coordination and Balance:

Running improves overall coordination and balance. Have you ever noticed older runners and how they move easier and younger than their age counterparts who are not runners? Running oils up all the joints in the body, keeping them more pliable and strong. Because of this it enhances all aspects of your life and your health. You can do things others your age are unable to do without hurting themselves because your body is able to cope with the stress placed on it!

Versatility:

Running helps with so many other facets of your life. It doesn’t cost a lot of money and you can do it virtually anywhere. You can go on an impromptu hike and not kill yourself. You will have no problem navigating stairs. Playing almost any sport will be easier. It can help you be a better dancer, have more endurance for a round of golf. It makes you capable of doing a lot more things in life that you probably would never do because you would think it would make you too sore or you would feel dead after doing it. You might find you are less tired after a shopping spree to the mall.

Improves Ones Mood:

The Runner’s High we mentioned above actually continues past the run. The neurochemicals released while running have a long-term affect on your mood level even after your run. This is probably one of the reasons runners have such a hard time dealing with not being able to run after sustaining an injury or when something else comes up that keeps them from their normal run. My wife and kids will sometimes say to me, when I get a little cranky, “Have you run yet today?”

Fountain of Youth:

Running has so many great affects on the body that it is often referred to as the fountain of youth! Although running may or may not extend your life, certainly your quality of life will be much healthier into old age than those who do not. It keeps both the body and mind in a healthier, more vibrant state.

Improved Brain Health:

A 2011 study reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), indicates older adults who exercised regularly increased the volume of their hippocampus—the area of the brain responsible for learning and memory—by two percent, compared to inactive peers. That may not sound like a lot until you realize that this part of the brain isn't known for increasing at any point in adulthood. It is much more likely to decrease. What's more, running appears to "preserve" many brain cells that would otherwise die. University of Illinois researchers exposed mice to three types of brain stimulators, savory foods, new toys and exercise wheels. The wheel was the only one that increased cognitive function.

This is by no means an exhaustive list on the benefits of running but I hope it has enlightened you and that you share it with your friends and loved ones. We need to spread the gospel of running and help others improve their health and enjoyment of life.

Happy Trails,

Russ

Running Dreams!

Do you ever dream about running? Not just daydreaming but literally dreaming about running in your sleep. I have done this many times but it seems most prevalent just before a race event. As many of you know I am five weeks along in rehabbing my ribs from a fall and three weeks in on rehabbing my heel from chronic pain that I have run with for over 2 years now. We had a group outing yesterday that I had helped organize. It was hard, knowing I could not join in on the trail run, but I went along with the group and waited for them to return, then joined them for the BBQ afterward. The night before this event I had a dream about running. Many of my dreams do not always make total sense or flow in an organized manner and so it was with this dream.

I was apparently in the middle a 100-mile race. I have never even done a 50k ultra before but I have wanted to try an ultra race for sometime now. Part of the reason I have not actually trained for one is my chronic pain problem. Anyway back to the dream.

The dream started with me running through a mountainous area and I was ascending up a rather steep slope. I started running the slope but found myself going anaerobic and had to slow to a fast walk. Then two other runners passed me and I wondered to myself if they were going anaerobic also or if they really had that much in reserve before they had hit the hill. I decided to let them go, as I knew if I tried to keep up I would just be killing my chances for a successful finish.

As I crested the hill I could see they had gained about a quarter mile on me and I just let myself loose on the downhill. My goal on the downhill was to not fall and to just keep it under control without having to break my natural stride. Soon I realized that I was gaining on the two guys who had passed me on the uphill and I worried that I might be running too fast. A quick assessment of my breathing told me that I was doing just fine and so I kept my pace. Now I had to fight the urge to push it even harder to make sure that I would catch up and maybe even be able to pass them. Suddenly I saw the front runner fall, the runner directly behind him tried to jump over the stumbling runner in front but could not quite avoid clipping him and tumbling to the ground himself. I was now right upon them as they both got up to assess their state and hopefully continue. I asked if they were OK as I passed by and they both assured me they were.

I took a quick glance behind me as I came to another ascent. I could no longer see the other two runners. Suddenly my dream shifted away from the race and back to what I think was a half marathon, training race. I found myself close to the finish of the race with an age-group competitor just ahead of me I decided to try and pick of the pace and catch him. As he turned a corner in front of me I saw him glance back at me and pick up his pace, as he knew I had gained on him. We then turned another corner and had about 200 yards to go to the finish line with me just 20 feet behind him. I started to give another kick and found myself neck and neck with him just 20 feet from the finish line where I somehow tripped over my own feet and took a really hard fall to the pavement dashing my hopes of beating him and hurting myself in the process.

Suddenly I was back in the 100-mile race and feeling really tired at about mile 70. I just did not want to continue and I knew that there was an aid station less than two miles ahead. I told myself to just walk to the aid station and then I could withdraw from the race. As I walked I began to feel a little better and by the time I got to the aid station I got some food and liquid refreshment and just sat in a chair for about five minutes. After resting five minutes I felt an overwhelming urge to want to go to sleep but somehow I got back up out of the comfortable chair and started moving again. Slowly at first and then back into a jog and finally into actual 10 minute per mile run pace. I did not know where the energy came from but I was thrilled that I felt revived again.

I found myself passing a few other runners that looked as if they were going through the same thing I had just gone through during the last half hour only they had 10 more miles to the next aid station. I wondered if they would be able to make it and tried to offer words of encouragement.

All of a sudden my dream changed again, with me in the middle of a swim in an ironman competition where I got kicked in the face causing me to accidentally swallow water during a breath and start choking. This in turn caused me great panic, as I knew I was out in the middle of an expanse of water with no way to touch the bottom and compose myself. Suddenly I found myself sinking under the water trying to hold my breath but actually breathing in water. Then the dream changed again with me back in the 100-mile race.

Now I was near the finish line and people were beginning to line the course and yell out words of encouragement. I was so tired, but now I could actually see the finish line and was sure I would be able to cross the line and finish. My legs were quite wobbly but I still managed a slight jog but definitely not a run. Suddenly I was awakened by the alarm clock. “No,” I said to myself, “I want to finish the race.” I so badly wanted to go back to sleep and finish my dream and the race but new I would over sleep.

Everything in the dream was as real as if I had been in an actual race and the disappointment of not finishing was just as strong as if I had been in an actual race. How nice it would be to enter that dream again and be able to finish the race.

How about you? Do you ever dream about running? Let me know about it by sharing in the comments section or if you follow my posts on Facebook comment there!

Happy Trails,

Russ

Struggling With Downtime

 It has been five weeks since I last ran and I am struggling to keep a positive mental attitude! In the meantime I have been doing a lot of writing, but not so much about running because writing about running kind of depresses me at the moment. The hardest part is, that now my ribs are healed enough to run, but I chose to try and fix my chronic left heel pain so I have been in a walking boot for 3 weeks, which I am also supposed to wear even when I sleep. This boot keeps my heel immobile. The only time I am supposed to have it off is for showering, physical therapy exorcises, and swimming. If you have been following my blogs at all you know I am a terrible swimmer. I have 3 more weeks of the boot and physical therapy. So far I have really not noticed any difference in my heel and am not optimistic that what I am going through will actually help, which makes matters even worse.

If my heel were feeling even a little better than is does, from not running for even three days, then I would have some optimism but it does not. I am determined to follow through with the therapy and the boot regimen in the slight hope that it will actually help. But, the longer I go without seeing results the harder it is and the more I long to run even if I continue to have the heel pain.

I am close to a large group of runners and hear from many them every day on facebook. I also meet with some of them almost every Sunday morning at Panera Bread after their run. I love to hear about how their runs went and what races they are preparing for, but I miss not being able to share how mine went. Still, just being close to them and hearing their enthusiasm about running keeps me going mentally. I draw a sense of belonging and camaraderie from just being around them and being able to feel their sense of accomplishment and enjoyment of what they have just experienced. For some this might be depressing but for me I draw strength and connectedness from mingling with the group even though I cannot run with them right now. This whole thing would be so much harder without being able to talk and commiserate with my fellow runners.

So what are my plans if the therapy does not work? The answer to that depends on what my doctor says, but most likely surgery would be in the works. That would mean being away from running for 3-6 months. If that is the decision then I will put off the surgery until I complete another marathon and hopefully have the surgery scheduled for the week after the marathon. That way I will be near top shape and not lose as much fitness. It would be awful to go strait from 8 weeks of not running to an additional 3-6 months of not running and be out a total of 8-10 months. I cringe even thinking about it.

There is one other possibility and that is that all of this is actually being caused by a nerve problem originating in my hip and traveling down my whole leg to the heel and foot. I will be having an epidural on Monday, July 15^th. If that gives relief to the nerve problem and allows the muscles to relax more, then that may solve the other problem also.

Still holding on to the hope that I will not need surgery.

Happy Trails,

Russ Barber