PPM by 2010

2008 was definitely my best year in regards to improvement. 2007 was a good year as well culiminating with the Imogene Pass Run, but in 2008 I think I made even more progress. I had a bit more fun in 2007 running trails, but in 2008 I mostly laid some good foundation for years to come. The biggest issue I had through 2008 and which is partially continuing is my IT-problems. I started stuggling with this in late 2006 during my Imogene training; it seemed to appear after running longer than 2 hours and was most apparant during the race. I even went to a local PT for a few weeks with minimal improvements. In 2008 I purchased a gait analysis from Dr. Jeremy Rodgers. This came with free fitting for a pair of Brooks sneaks. As I suspected the gait analysis stretched into 4 visits from the original 1, but I gained some great insight into my form. 

Another great run today. Started in front of the hospital and went around counter-clockwise to the Rock Creek Trail. Took the industrial tracks to Coal Creek all the way up to the Aquarious Trail head. Did the first 4.08 easy at a 8:19 pace and an avg HR of 153. This did seem a bit high for some reason. Then did a mid-tempo for 1.78 in an avg pace of 7:12. This would have been a bit faster had I not started the lap at the bottom of the aquarious hill. Avg HR was 172 for this section.

Legs, knees and feet felt great. Gait was good with a mid to fore foot landing. Getting there!
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Explored the open space just east of Sycamore today in Louisville. Ran just about all the little trails including around the little fishing hole. Seems that a nice little cyclo cross course could be setup up back there if not a fun cross country route. Felt smooth and controlled. Focused on form and keeping my HR low, just under 147. Would have run a lot longer, wanted to hit 6; but had to head back to help clean the house for playdate. Still feeling like the Mizunos are working well and that my form continues to improve. Still feel some soreness around the calves each morning which means that I am landing more mid to forefoot. Will probably continue easy runs for the week with some small pick-ups if not a fast mile at the end of each run.

Tentative Schedule : Weekend of 2/16/2009

Excellent run with Bryan again! Started Bryan a little fast in the beginning, so we had to relax a bit in the middle. Ran from the Train Park in Louisville to the end of the Coal Creek Trail at 120th in Lafayette. Picked it up for a mid 7 up the hill to Aquarious on the way back and then ran the last .5 at a low 7. Felt excellent. No pain, felt smooth overall. Just picked up the turnover for the final tempo to the end. Knee felt great. Definitely feel like I am dialing in on the shoe thing as well as the IT thing. I think I can really confirm that my form is the main cause of the IT issue along with the more controlling and cushioned shoes. Will be running the Precision 8's for awhile until I feel confident in the stride before I go back to the Defyance's. No more superfeet for me!

http://tinyurl.com/8grdn9

3.26 miles, 623 calories, 41 minutes. Level 7 with level 11 for the last 2 minutes. Did 2 reverse sequences for 10 minutes each. Felt great.

Went to the Solepepper run at 8, but there was no one there. Seemed too cold and windy so substituted the elliptical instead. Was a bit tight this morning anyway. Still need to adjust to the perf neutral shoes at the longer distances. Run tomorrow for sure.

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Great run this morning...went over 8 miles I believe (forgot to re-start the damn Garmin after stopping for a p break. Still had a little pain after about 30 minutes in, but it was mostly because as I was tight I think. My form was definitely better today as I am better able to have good form with the Mizunos. I think I am finally able to say that I run better and feel better overall in the low profile neutral shoes. I am safely able to say that I am a neutral runner that has to really think about my form to keep from over-striding. It seems that the minimalist shoes help this. My legs seem to move more naturally and my feet hurt less. I do remember that as I went over 10-13 miles in these shoes last winter that my legs hurt; most likely from the lack of cushioning. But, I may be able to avert this this year with better form and slower mileage build-up. Hopefully over continued running I can fix this IT problem. We will see. 

I think it is time to pull the trigger on the 2009 race reason. For many reasons, 2009 will focus on speed and short workouts. It seems I am still struggling with a bum knee...it right IT is still on and off. I need to figure out my gait, the right shoes and all of this may result in a trip to Rodgers again. Regardless, I can I run at least 7 or so with little to know pain as long as long as my technique is ok. Plus, the time required for a real marathon attempt is just too great for me right now with the kids. Maybe in 2010 when the kids are old enough to get themselves up it would be better for me to have the focus to train the way I really want to, i.e. 40-50 miles with at least 2-3 21 milers through a training session. 

Did 4 miles today in 35:40. Had some pain on the left knee above the
knee, where it hurt yesterday. This seemed to get better into the run.
Had a little pain in the right anterior ankle above the joint. I
wonder if it was the Mizunos. Will try the Brooks tomorrow with the
super feet.

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Did a short interval workout today around the hospital. The first 1600
was at 6:51 and the second was at 6:37. Felt ok overalln a little
unmotivated...probably should have done a 3rd, but good to do the 2
that I completed. HOUR was 167 for the first one and 174 for the
second. Total distance of 3.64 in 28:43 minutes with an avg HR of 157
and a max of 183. Total avg pace of 7:53 with the walks. Ran in the
Mizunos which felt great again. No pain.

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35 minutes. 544 calories. 2.91 miles. 20 lunges. Sport with 2, 5
minute reverses on level 9.

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I am not a current Newton runner, had a pair and returned them last year due to the cost and some Morton's Neuroma in my left foot. However, this is a good overview of form and the need to have a forward lean/mid-foot/forefoot stance. I am convinced that when I am good on the form my knee hurts less.

Did a great run today with Bryan. Excellent negative split, out real slow and motored the whole way back sub 8 down into 7:30's. Lets felt great, a little knee tightness near the end, but probably could have mitigated this with some form focus. Got a nice feeling of the "pawing" today which really helped with keeping a short stride.  We ran past the gate almost to the town of Marshall before turning around. Talked most all of the way. 

Easy run with the Mizunos. No pain again. Good form. Struggled to keep
it slow, legs wanted to go faster. 4.91 miles in 39:46 at 8:06 pace.
Awesome. Another 8-9 out of 10.

It seems I am having less pain in the neutral shoes. It feels a lot
easier to have good form in the precision 8's. Maybe because they are
flexible and have a very low heel?

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44:05 total for 5.69 miles at an average 7:45 for the total run. Ran
the tempo at 7:30 for 3.43 miles in 25:42 an avg HR of 171. Felt great
overall and could have kept going for a lot longer. Only stopped when
I noticed that I had run over 25 minutes. Ran in the Mizunos which
felt great. They are very light and flexible. No pain or tightness at
all!

Awesome. 9 out of 10!

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Was ready to blow off all running for the day, but fortunately Katie convinced me to run with her sister right after getting home. Very nice surprise when I was already resigned to another day of no running or physical activity. 

Hung out with the kids this afternoon. Spent a little time at Cottonwood Park and happened on a sad sight; a noble cottonwood of long lineage has been slated for removal. This tree is certainly the largest and most majestic of cottonwoods I have seen. It will certainly be a shame to see it go as is a perfect climbing tree, even for the younger ones. However, everything must come to an end it it seems that this tree has reached this terminus. 

Did a great run with BP at noon. MP watched the kids while we hit it for a nice 5+ miler. Ran in the Defyance's today which seemed to facilitate a more natural feeling gait. Again, the knee felt better longer in the neutrals than they did with the stabilities. We will have to see how my foot feels tomorrow. Obviously we went at a nice pace, but overall I was happy with the run and with the way I felt. Need to focus on slower pace for the easy runs with a focus on form. Really had the feeling of the gait I learned with Rodgers and it felt good overall.

Did a quick run from the house when KT woke up. Weather was great, no need for a winter hat. Ran in the Sauconys to continue on my science experiment. No real pain, but did feel some tightness in my right knee again, earlier than I had with the Brooks. Still unsure of exactly what I should be wearing for shoes these days. Just frustrated that I have this IT thing that may impede my ability to run a marathon without IT pain. Or, do I just need to suck it up and plod on as marathons are supposed to hurt? Anyway, will continue the experiment and may consider heading back to Rodgers after the first of the year. Did a little over 4 miles.

Did a quick workout in the basement eliptical. Watched Journey, probably the last Warren Miller with Warren as the narrator. No offense to Johnny Mosely, but Warren is the man. Also noticed that this was probably the last movie that Dough Coombs appeared in before his death. Definitely cool to see him being over 40 ripping down Chamonix. 

Got to get out there and make a difference. Got a good start with the Lean focus, one solo project under my belt with a few co-leads. And, the presentation acceptance at AHRA in Vegas next year will keep the focus on Lean while adding a bit of professional credibility to my resume.


It looks like these recent steps are some outward cement joining me to this accidental career. Funny, I read these articles in BW about the big corporate world and here I am at a small hospital with a decent-sized staff with a reasonable amount of responsibility without the giant corporate crap. Funny how good the role and the career seems with a bit of introspection.

So, I am back to focusing on making what I have better.

Next up:

1. Make my Lean Projects successful: focus on hitting the project targets with reportable gains. Document the misses where necessary.

2. Lean for TA; maybe just a day to start. Schedule a follow-up 2 or 3 day if necessary. Confer with Gerard for guidance.

3. Work on AHRA presentation. Utilize the following to differentiate. http://tinyurl.com/5q2sdh

4. Start planning for CRA in Vegas next year

5. Finish reading Lean Books

6. Research next Bronze Lean exams

7. More to come...

Did the loop right on Coal Creek up Dillon and down 120th. Felt ok overall, HR was low to moderate. Had a little tightness in the right knee, but focused again on the form which seemed to stabilize. Wonder if the Defyances have enough support as I keep getting this sinking feeling that I am pronating even though the treadmill test does not show this. I guess I just need to keep focusing on landing on the mid-foot with short strides and a foward lean. Maybe I should get some Rodgers visits setup after the first of the year. No matter what, need to be good about doing the IT stretches/strengthening exercises with some lunges as well. I never seem to be able to bang these out at night.

Did a set of 10 chin ups.

Katie is off for the day working...so, it is my day with the kids. Started the day at Lamars, which is my all time favorite morning treat. Unfortunately, the weather is a bit cold for something outside this morning so we just headed out for a drive around South Boulder. Great neighborhood that backs right up to the hills around NCAR. Would be a great place to live if we did not like Louisville so much. Anyway, the day has a few cool activities left starting with a little homework for the boys and then a little fun with the new train. And, if the roads are fine we will hit the Air and Space Museum at Stapleton this afternoon. Should be a great Sunday with dad!

Did a 8.08 run from the house. Ran through Superior, around Target/Costco and then up to Davidson Mesa a back. Ran fairly easy for the first 3/4 and then did a tempo on the last 2 miles, basically because I was late getting back for Katie's run. Felt ok overall, no acute knee pain just a bit of normal discomfort. Excited to bang out an 8miler without any real issues. HR averaged at 156 with a max of 183 probably coming up the Davidson Mesa hill along 36.

Been spending some time pondering the weekend, would have responded sooner but was just not ready. It was long, very long...longer than I appreciated. I felt great the first 9 or so miles and then at mile 9 I started noticing my right IT band. This of course distracted me a bit. I also had to make a pit stop in Cheeseman which of course cost me some time. I found myself stopping briefly at each water station to get fluids down. I also found that I got sick of the gels after about 4 of them and switched to the Gatorade around mile 19 or so. This seemed to help a bit and certainly did not hurt. I basically just kept alternating between running for as long as I could and then walking briefly at water stops and a bit more frequently after mile 22 or so. I finished in 3:49, well off of my goal; but decent nonetheless. I did not hit the wall at any point, it was just generally hard. I felt that the IT thing came from my form; as I tire I tend to revert back to old habits of over-striding which inflames the IT which of course gets even worse as the miles tick away. I did Advil around mile 14 or so which definitely dulled the pain enough to carry on through the rest of the race.

I thought that the marathon was a lot harder than Imogene. I have read in many places that the effort for Imogene is pretty close to a marathon and that the time for Imogene is usually really close to a projected marathon time. The reality for me is that I had a much easier time at Imogene last year finishing around 3:25. And, I felt I had did about as good as I could this year at Denver given the perfect weather, a great night sleep and awesome family/moral support. Whereas several of the guys who had done a marathon and Imogene both finished with similar times between the two races. I guess I am just more of a trail runner/climber. Additionally, I think that trail running is a lot easier on my IT band as the terrain is much more variable.



Some of my lessons include adding more longer runs next time, maybe 2-3 21 milers rather than just 1. However, I think the program that we followed was right for me as I had not done a marathon before.

I will definitely focus more on the form thing as I know if I can keep my foot strike under my center of gravity my knees generally feel fine. I had had a gait analysis by Jeremy Rodgers (Sports Chiro in Louisville) and he had confirmed that I was over-striding with a major heal strike. I even have to mpegs that prove it in slow motion. I had just never been able to perfect the form over long distances; mostly because of laziness as it was just easier to run the old way. I now have the time to re-focus on form; well at least after a good break from running.

I will also figure out the shoe thing a lot sooner. I switched to a new pair about a week or so before the 21 miler. The new shoes were exactly the same as the old ones but for some reason they hit my right arch the wrong way. I originally thought I had injured myself on the 21 but it ended up being the shoes. So, coach Phil recommended I go back to the old ones (400 miles at that point) as there was not time to break in a new pair. This was the right decision with the least risk but I definitely felt that the old ones were nearly dead.

I will also try a different fueling strategy next time as well. The gels just sucked after the 4th one. I think I will give the Hammer stuff a try as drinking a mixed fluid seems like a better idea at this point.

At any rate, it was an amazing experience. I am extremely excited to have finally completed a marathon within a respectable time. Plus, the medal rocks!

Thanks for guiding me and the rest of the group through a great summer session!

Dad's b-day with the kids. This was taken on the day after his 70th.

Here is Dad on his B-day; we did a ski day at Breck!. I hope I look like this at 70.

Heading out for a 5-6 miler with Katie and the Pieper. Will post run specifics in a bit.

Feeling a bit on edge this morning, still lacking patience these days...mostly with the kids. I have been feeling this way on and off since the marathon and even more since the great crash. I am also feeling less productive at work. Maybe I need to run more? This always seems like a good answer to my troubles.

Back from the run. Ran with Bryan the whole way at a 9:23 for about 6.54 miles. Felt great overall. Pace was perfect, no pain throughout the entire run. Added the super-feet to Defyances; seemed to be a good addition. Perfect way to start Thanksgiving day!