Tomorrow Is Huge!

Tomorrow morning, at 7AM, I will start my longest run of the season. 17 miles! I haven’t run this much since the last marathon in June. I’m so excited…yet nervous at the same time. Wish me luck!

7 Mile Recovery

My ankle has had some time to get better. For most of the week, I walked around in the ankle brace for additional support. I kept telling myself that I would run just 3.5 miles–half of my scheduled distance. Last night, I made an executive decision to run the full seven miles. No problems at all!

The morning started off VERY cold, but luckily I wore layers to keep myself from freezing into an ice cube. Today’s run was a simple out and back–out Griffith Park, on Riverside through Burbank (right near where Disney and Warner Bros. meet) and back. Towards the end, the sun started showing its face and it started getting warm. The last couple of miles were slower, but we came in on pace.

This was also my first week running in my new orthotics (made by Swiss Balance). They are semi-rigid and are custom made. They feel great…an excellent amount of cushion and support. I think that I have to return my new shoes (Brooks Beast) because when worn with the orthotics, I have too much medial support. Stay tuned on this.

I had no severe problems running in the new orthotics. During the first mile or two, I had slight pain in my arch, but I know this is because I’m not used to wearing these inserts. Also, towards the end of the run, I could feel some discomfort in my achilles tendon. This is normal because since these orthotics position my foot in the proper spot, I am strengthening muscles that I have not used. It’s just a matter of getting used to my new running toy 🙂

Next week is a nice, long 17 mile run. I can’t wait!!

Here is the map of today’s run.

14 Miler and I’m Hurt

Up until now, this whole marathon training experience has been a fairytale. I’ve been running long distances without getting too sore. My confidence has been growing. My legs are getting stronger and I’m able to run longer and faster. Until yesterday’s 14 mile run.

The run started off great. I didn’t get tired or anything. The route was to run out of Griffith Park, through Burbank, Toluca Lake and then back to the starting point.

Between mile five and six, I was starting to run faster and stronger, but then, on the street, my right foot came down on a tree cone. My ankle rolled and the pain was quite sharp. I thought that I’d be able to walk it off and then start running again, but when the time came to kick up the run, my hip started to give out. I must have pulled my hip when my body reacted to the ankle injury.

I was able to walk/run to the eight mile marker and called it a day. I’ve come to far in my training to get injured seriously. The next two weeks are seven mile runs, so I have plenty of time to recover.

I’ve been using the RICE method to combat the injuries:

R: Rest

I: Ice

C: Compression

E: Elevation

So….I was unable to complete the full 14 miles. It was quite upsetting yesterday. I’ve never been a real athlete at anything, but now I know what it’s like to actually lose at something in sports. It was MY day…I was going to conquer the 14 miler…but I didn’t. That’s ok, because I will get there…just a little longer than I had expected.

On to some other business…on Friday, I was fit for my first pair of orthotics. I will be incorporating that into my shorter runs and see how it goes. I will report back on this.

Also, I purchased a new pair of shoes from FrontRunners (shameless plug). I got the Brooks Beast…everyone has been telling me that I should get this shoe because of my flat feet and severe pronation issues. I will give an update on this when I start using these shoes on my runs.

As always, here is the map of the run…

6 Miles!

Although I’ve run two marathons, it’s still important for me to say, “I never thought that a six mile run would be short.”

Today was our six mile recovery run. This was a great chance for all of the AIDS Marathoners to run a nice easy pace while we recover from the 12 miler last week.

We had a fantastic route. Out of Griffith Park on the north side and alongside Riverside Dr. through Glendale and Burbank. A simple out and back.

I felt good throughout the duration of this run. Towards the end of the first mile, I stayed behind with my cousin Ashu, because he was going through some knee troubles. He had to stop and go back because he was clearly in too much pain. Get well soon Cuz!

Since I was so far behind, I decided to latch onto another pace group…the 10 minute milers…I was able to keep up with them for about 5 minutes, but luckily at this point I caught up to my original group, and I was able to finish with them.

This shorter run also gave me the chance to try out a couple of products. First, I still start will Accel Gel. Unlike PowerGel, I didn’t get nauseous from this gel. It tasted like the inside of a candy bar, and I was able to carry on with my run without any problems. I approve…and I think I will train with this next week for the 14 miler.

Next, Superfeet. I put these insoles on my shoes on Thursday. I put them in my dressier shoes and experienced some initial pain. It’s more of a break-in pain, than an uncomfortable pain. After the first day, I was fine until…this morning.

Running in the Superfeet was initially weird. During the first 2-3 miles, running in the insoles was a bit painful. After I got warmed up, my feet felt great. I will continue to use the SuperFeet.

I’m fundraising and I need help. Please visit http://www.davenadkarni.org to help out.

Here is the map of today’s run…

Insoles

I’ve been an advocate on insoles ever since I first sold shoes at Champs Sports (1998). Back then, I thought it was just some way of increasing our sales numbers. Now, having run two marathons and working for a real running store, I’ve learned that it’s much more than numbers.

My feet are trouble. I am a severe over-pronator (my ankles roll in and my toes point out). Most people pronate, so I’m not THAT freakish, but I digress.

Like many people, I can’t afford orthotics ($200-$500), so I purchased Sole insoles. They’ve worked great, but I want to explore other options. Today I got a pair of Superfeet Blue. I will wear them for couple of days and get used to them. Then I will run the six miler in my new insoles.

For the record, my podiatrist recommended these insoles, so it has to be worth a shot.

This weekend, I will report back on the new insoles as well as Accel Gel (see the post below this).