Thank you kindly. Sorry I just now got back to you. I have 2 Tumblr accounts so I just saw that I had a message. I appreciate you adding the credit. Dev was pretty sick to see in person that close up and snap pictures of. If I ever run into her again I’ll be sure to let you know!
-Dustin
Got my free supply of Pom’s Recovery concentrate in the mail today! I’ve always liked their regular juice and can’t wait to see how their recovery product works. I’ll let you all know my thoughts on it soon.
Brooks Ravenna
I stopped by PR Arlington today to get a gait analysis done and see how my stride was looking now that I’m back to training. Dave Miller helped me out and we ultimately decided on a pair of Brooks trainers. I’m running in the Brooks Ravenna now. The shoes are lightweight, comfortable, and supportive where I need it. Compared to the Nike LunarElite+ that I was training in, the Ravenna is more flexible but seems to be about the same weight.
The Ravenna stops top my left ankle from rolling in, which allows me to have a more efficient stride. An inefficient stride can be a factor when it comes to injuries. This is my first pair of Brooks and so far I dig ‘em. I actually got to meet and talk with a rep about them after my run too!
The last time I took an extended break from running due to injury was during my junior year of college when I had arthroscopic knee surgery. It has been 4 years since I have taken more than 2 weeks off at a time from doing the sport I love. While having to take time off from anything you love is difficult, I believe that when you get back to doing what you love you find a new appreciation for exactly what it is you are doing. Last weekend I watched several of my friends compete in the Air Force Cycling Classic. Watching both them and the professionals really made it sink in just how much I miss racing and competing.
Tonight I had my first “official” day back to running. I stepped out of my building and immediately starting sweating thanks to the heat of summer and the humidity of a nearby storm. I looked at my watch when I thought I was around a mile in, only to discover I had completed all of 4 minutes of running. It’s amazing to think about the fact that last year I didn’t stop running until I crossed the finish line of my first marathon and yet after 4 minutes I was really feeling it. I managed to squeak out another 18 minutes and called it a day.
I have been looking forward to this day for 6 weeks and it didn’t disappoint. I can’t wait to find my fitness and my stride again.
Das Boot
Yep, you guessed it…lower stress fracture of my tibia. Unfortunately I will be out for about 4 more weeks while I wear the boot and heal up. In my off time I’m going to keep working on my core and upper body. I will have to get a little creative because I am not allowed to do any exercise that puts weight on my leg.
I haven’t taken a span of more than 2 days off from running since last year’s marathon. I am enjoying getting caught up on some movies and cooking more for myself. Dr. Krista Austin recently helped me out and provided some great ideas for healthy meals! I will keep you all updated with my progress!
Welcome to my new sanctuary. I’m very fortunate to work at a place that believes in fitness and provides a great gym to work on just that. While I’m not running I’m spending my workout time on these Schwinn spin bikes. One of my coworkers was nice enough to bring in several spinning dvd’s as well that make it much easier to pass the time while sitting still! It’s not running, but this is a great alternative that I am thankful to have.
I’ve been wearing the Zensah Compression Sleeve quite a bit since the pain in my leg escalated. The purpose of wearing the sleeve is to help promote blood circulation in my leg. Increased blood circulation means that oxygen can get to the muscles faster, which helps speed recovery. I have found that when I wear the sleeve overnight my leg feels better and the muscles feel nice and relaxed. Hit the link to read more about the Zensah Compression Sleeve.
Over the last week and a half I have developed an increasing amount of pain in my left leg/foot/ankle and felt it was time to take action before it got any worse. Yesterday I went to Arthritis & Sports in Sterling, VA to do just that. The crew here has helped me out in the past and does a wonderful job keeping my Mom’s knees working the best they can.
After getting x-rays taken I met with Dr. Wilson, who is the foot and ankle master at the clinic. The doc took a look at my illuminated bones and said, “I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is that I see no break, that bad news is that due to your foot structure you would have had trouble standing on your tip-toes, thus rendering you useless as a ballet dancer.” Next he poked around on my leg and pinpointed a troubling spot, which he told me is most likely a stress fracture of the lower 3rd of my tibia. For now Dr. Wilson has left my diagnosis as ‘Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome’. To be certain that there is actually a break I will be getting an MRI and bone scan done.
In the mean time I present, Project Get Swole. Running is out for now, but I can still cross-train and keep myself active as long as I do not stress my leg. For cardio I will be spending most of my time on the stationary bike and may run in the pool on weekends. Besides cardio I am dedicating time to building up my scrawny frame through weights and other strength training exercises. It is very important to me to stay as active as possible while I work through this. Not being able to run is disappointing on a daily basis, but I am thankful that I can still do other physical activities.
Tonight I received my samples of Generation UCAN in the mail. Big thanks to Peter Kaufman for being kind enough to send these my way. Over the next week I will be using these pre and post workouts to help aid in hydration and recovery.
The 2010 edition of Athens, GA Twilight was filled with rain and wind provided by a nearby tropical storm, and smaller crowds than the usual 30,000 that are expected to line the streets of the downtown. Even though the weather was less than optimal people were still in good spirits and having a great time. My day began with a stop to Jittery Joe’s for pre-race coffee and then I headed downtown for the first race of the day, the 5k run.
At 8:30 am I was cruising through the streets of Athens with a small crowd of fellow runners. I hit the first mile in 4:45, which was a little faster than I wanted to go out in, but it was mostly a flat to downhill mile. By mile two I settled into the lead pack with two other runners (Nate Peck of ZAP Fitness + a UGA runner). Just after the two mile mark we descended and ascended a set of rolling hills. I felt great after this section, so I decided to pick it up and close a bit of the gap that Peck opened up on the field. Coming down the home stretch I heard foot steps coming up quickly behind me and had to kick a little harder right at the end to secure 2nd place overall to Peck in 15:35. The man right who finished in 3rd was Drew Haro, a local to Athens. Drew is a great guy and it was a pleasure meeting and hanging with him. Thanks to my finishing place I qualified for the $1000 mile later in the evening.
The format for the $1000 mile is that the top 15 men and women from the 5k in the morning run 1.5 laps on the cycling criterium course at 7:15 pm. The prize money actually went five places deep, with a bonus for 1st place after the first lap and a $1000 bonus to the first sub-4 mile. Well, 7:15 pm came and passed. Everyone stayed close to the parking garage, jogging around, making small talk, and trying to keep loose. Thanks to rain falling at up to an inch per hour things were running about an hour late. A little after 8 pm the hand-cycles finished their race and then we were escorted onto the course. Despite the rain spectators lined the course all the way around. We were allowed a quick strider or two, then settled into our starting position on the backstretch of the course. A few seconds later we were off.
Everyone charged the uphill start, fueled by an adrenaline filled atmosphere provided by the spectators and the world renowned announcer. As we crested the uphill I heard my former teammate Tom Carpenter yell, “Go D-Whit!” We quickly made it to turn three of the course I found myself right in the mix up front and in a great position. After we navigated a huge puddle on turn four and entered the homestretch for the first time we were greeted with tons of screaming fans cheering us on. Three men took off in seek of the $50 bonus. I picked it up, but chose to be conservative and save my energy for the hill on the backstretch. My second go round on the hill I was in 6th place and feeling confident in my ability to pick off at least one runner and put myself in a position to make top five. Near the top of the hill I passed a fading runner and focused on driving my arms and looking for the next person to go after. Right before I entered the last two sharp turns I took out another runner and put myself in 4th place. Powered by the roars on the homestretch I made myself a split second promise. That promise was that no matter how bad I was hurting I would find a way to hold my ground and try to close on 3rd place. I put on the blinders, shifted into my last gear, and pushed hard all the way through the line.
4 minutes and 28 seconds later the blur of a race was complete. I had finished 4th and kept the promise to myself. The street mile was awesome and such a rush! This was definitely a unique set of races and I loved that I was able to be a part of them this year.
Next up is the Patriot’s Cup 8k Corporate challenge on May 2nd. I will be supporting the company I work for (BIT Systems, Inc.) and trying to help bring home some hardware!
