Summer Running in Lancaster PA

Running with the Amish

Don't Always Blame Running

I have a tinge in my knee that comes and goes.  It starts soon in to my run, and can stay or get worse throughout the run.  When this knee pain befalls, I usually go through several weeks of modifying my gait and my shoes, until I find the right combination, and it goes away.

I also battle it by changing sides of the road when possible, because it is mostly on the inside leg when I run on crowned roads.

However, recently I realized that this knee pain is caused by a pair of shoes I sometimes wear to work.  When I wear these shoes, even for one day, I develop knee pain when I run.  Shelving this pair allows me to run with no knee pain.

Don't always blame running.  Sometimes running is the stress that exposes underlying issues.

Why We Run

This is why we run.

https://theoatmeal.com/comics/running

800m

Motivational Video

Ironman Watch

I don't wear a Smartwatch.  I have an old Timex Ironman.

Yup.  I like my old Ironman.

The Foot Plant

Here is a photo from Scott Jurek's Instagram (@scottjurek).  IMHO it clearly shows a natural footplant and an unnatural footplant.  Jurek, on the left, strikes un-naturally with his heel, while Arnulfo, on the right, strikes naturally with his forefoot.

However, Jurek is an incredible runner, and has won all the elite ultra marathons, many several times.  He also holds the Appalachian trail world record.

So, despite my theory about the natural gait, there is contrary evidence out there.

#tbt It's been 10 years this week since I first ventured to the heart of the Copper Canyon. Like many of my travels it gave me a glimpse of who I am and how running connects all humans. Arnulfo (pictured) will be at this year's Born To Run Ultra May 12-14 📸@luis_escobar #borntorun #runfree #raramuri

A photo posted by Scott Jurek (@scottjurek) on Mar 10, 2016 at 3:36pm PST

Fun Race

Wear ID

It's a good thing to wear ID while you run.  You never know what might happen.  I prefer dog tags, which I wear always, so it's a "set it and forget it" solution.  They are available for cheap on line.

That farm yup

Your Bones Aren't Smart

Your bones aren't smart, so you have to be smart for them.

Your joints don't naturally articulate in the correct way.  They just move and twist and crunch together however it happens when you throw your leg out there.

Be cognizant of how your posture and gait affects your joints.  Modify as you move to get everything working in the easiest way.  I'ts a mechanical puzzle, and the clues to getting it right are how your joints and muscles feel.

For example, I often get a dull pain in my right knee after about 45 minutes of running.  One of my solutions is to change the way I point my foot as I strike with that foot.  My right foot stike looks like this as I run:

Strike pointing towards 12 o'clock.
Strike pointing towards 11 o'clock
12 o'clock
1 o'clock
12 o'clock
11 o'clock
12 o'clock
1 o'clcok
12 o'clock
Repeat

Eventually I find a strike that reduces the dull knee pain.  Sometimes this can take a mile or more.  Usually it's pointing my foot at 11:58 as I strike, but not always.

You need to be the brains for your bones.

Modify Your Shoes

As your shoes wear, it can be helpful to modify them.  Your natural thought might be to add shoe goo and cushioned insoles to the worn spots, but consider going the other way, especially if the wear is more pronounced on either the inside or outside of your foot.

In my case, I get some wear on the outside of my heels, even though I try to use a forefoot strike.  When my heel becomes worn on the outside, I then trim the inside with a knife.  This allows me to continue wearing the old shoes, and I feel it actually improves the mechanics of my gait and foot strike.

Snot Rockets

You either shoot snot rockets, or you don't.

I do.

The technique is to hold one nostril shut and forcefully exhale air out the nose, clearing the open nostril of all debris.  It's healthy and good for you to expel all that bad gunk, although don't be so forceful that your ears pop.

The best way to learn the technique is by running in the rain.  That tends to get the fluids flowing, and if you are sloppy, cleanup is much easier.  Probably alone is best.

You should learn this.  It's good for you.  Sometimes you just need to trust me.

Wind Chill

Today I will get soaked on my run.  But the weather Gurus believe it will actually feel like the actual temperature actually.  Go figure.  Why don't they calculate "Rain Chill?"

The concept of wind chill means it feels colder when it's windy.  For a runner, this just causes more extreme feelings.  Running in to the wind I suppose you experience super-wind chill, but running with the wind, it sometimes feels like wind... warmth.

I tend to not believe the wind chill, but to read the actual temperature, and then not if it's windy or not.

Runner's Demons

Demons often hound the runner.  They are tenacious and merciless.  But run towards the morning and the demons are made irrelevant.

Traffic

There tend to be two philosophies for running with traffic.  One is "Own the road," and the other is to just be careful.  I am completely in the "careful" camp.

My number one rule is: If there is going to be a car vs runner accident, don't be there.

"Own the Road" runners like to be in the cartway, hold their line, and yell at cars who don't give them wide berth.  I find this frustrating, scary and dangerous.

Here are some of my rules.

• Run on the left, in to traffic (in the USA). You want to see imminent death with a clear eye.
• On rural roads, step off the road for oncoming traffic.  Pull up and walk if approaching a dangerous intersection.
• Don't always cross at the busiest place - for example, in small towns I prefer to run the alleys rather than the main streets, which allows for easier crossings one street at a time, rather than at four-way intersections.  
• If an oncoming car is preparing to turn left, assume cars behind will swing out around them into the pedestrian lane.  
• Assume every car is being driven by a 17 year old who is texting on her phone, while eating and crying.  It's up to you to get out of the way and not be an accident.  
• If something looks the least bit dangerous, remove yourself from that situation quickly.  
• Cars are big and heavy - they will win.

Wear something reflective.  At night wear a headlamp up front and a red flashy in back.

Lobster Gloves

This winter we've had some really cold mornings, less than 10 Degrees Fahrenheit.  I discovered my Garneau bicycle gloves make great running gloves.  They are exceptionally warm.

They are "lobster" style gloves, meaning they have individual fingers, but also a fold our covering that encases two pairs of fingers.

Purchased from Performance Bicycle, which always seems to have good stuff.

The Heel Strike

It happened again.

I was chatting with a guy at a party, and he bemoaned the fact that he can't run anymore, due to a couple of compressed disks in his back.  He said the only way he was able to run as long as he did, in to his old age, was because he used heel inserts made of a substance invented by NASA.  It was a resilient rubber designed for the O rings of rocket engines after the Challenger failure.

I contend that his compressed disks are an injury directly caused by the unnatural gait of a heel strike.  You can't do a heel strike in bare feet or leather sandals.  The heel strike sends a shock wave up your leg, causing shinsplints, knee problems, and back issues.  It is not a mechanically sustainable method of running.

But I guess we will see.  This guy was 10 or 15 years my elder, and I know we all eventually get injured, wear out, and perish.  At 55 years old I still feel able bodied and capable.  I will continue to avoid the heel strike, and see if that allows me to run in to my golden years.

Winter Running

This morning my phone said it was 16 degrees.  Running in to the headwind it felt like 16 degrees with a headwind.  When I turned to run with the wind, I was much more comfortable.  I don't buy in to the idea of wind chill that says any particular temperature actually feels like a different temperature.  The temperature is the temperature - with or without wind.

Find Something To Do

If you are going to be out there pounding the roads for 45 minutes, it's important for you to find something to do.  Otherwise, you will just be tortured by daemons and haunted by the thoughts of all your past mistakes and failures.  The common ways to occupy your mind are:

• Music.  Wear earbuds and listen to music.

Earbuds

• Learn a language instead of listening to music.
• Listen to Supreme Court arguments.  You freak.
• Run with a friend.
• Run with a dog.
• Run to a bar.  Then run back.
• Run with friends to a bar.
• Run on a trail with technical footing.
• Run pushing a baby in a stroller
• Run in ALL weather conditions.
• Run at night, then run in the daytime.
• Stop and take photos along the way.

Photo of Lancaster Junction Trail, Lancaster PA, USA

My favorite is to take pictures.  I always have a phone or a waterproof camera, and wile away the miles looking for interesting things to take photos of.  Then when I get home I post them to all those good places like Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and Blogger.

I have a sweet little Fujifilm XP70 Camera.  More on that in another post.

Wear the Wrong Shoes

Ten or twelve years ago I developed severe running pain in my lower calfs.  During my runs, a slow burn would develop, and I would sometimes need to walk because the pain was too much.  It felt like some deep down layers of ligaments were torn or damaged.  Those rubbery sinewy parts that don't heal.

I unhappily concluded that all those fatties at coffee hour who say "the body just cant take all that pounding," were right.  My 30 years of running was coming to an end.  I resolved not to waste money on a new pair of running shoes unless this pain would go away.

I tried to change my gait.  I rested.  I massaged, I tried to strengthen my calfs.  I stretched.  Nothing worked.  I was done.  My body was finally worn out.

Then, for some reason, I set out one morning with a different pair of shoes.  Not a new pair, just a different pair.  And joy of joys, the pain went away!  I discovered if I wore my other pair of shoes, the pain returned.

Well, that's a simple fix.  But there is a little more to it.

As the miles add up for you over the years,  swap out your shoes frequently.  And I mean frequently.  Right now, I own two pairs of Nikes (different models), a pair of Brooks, Fila and Saucony.  Each pair gives a totally different ride.  I seldom wear the same pair for consecutive runs.  My hypothesis is that this changes the stress points on your legs and back.  If you wear the same shoes always, then the same parts of your body are stressed, and will lead to repetitive motion injuries.

Your shoes aren't only for your feet - they affect your mechanics all the way up your ankles, lower legs, knees, thighs, hips and back.  And it is true what the fatties at coffee hour say about all that pounding.  So you need to change out your shoes to vary the pounding.

You are much better off buying two different pairs of off brand shoes from the department store for $60 each, rather than one highly engineered pair from the running store for $120.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.