The Troof

OK, so I have a been a tiny bit absent, but not for a lack of action...whoa, that doesn't sound PG. Anywho, I think I have found a way to a) keep my cardio fitness up enough to manage 26.2 come October while leg knee heals and b) a form of exercise that will not bore the ever-living @!$%!@$#!$# out of me. What is it, you ask? Come on now, Reader, you know better than that! I have to be as long winded as humanly possible, skip over a few details, rant about something that shares no context to the current post (kind of like right now, perhaps?), and most likely publish the post, only to have to follow up with a subsequent post detailing the answer. So, let's start that long-winded bit...right now!

Soooooo, I have been kind of going out of my mind...well...even more so than I already am. I didn't realize how much I have come to rely on my running to even out my days. Not only does it burn off the infinite amount of energy that runs through my veins at all points of the day and night (I am the type that can wake up at 3:30 in the morning and play a full court game of bball with out missing a beat, and yes, I would dunk all up on and over your dome), but it also regulated my mood. That whole "runners high" bit? Well, I wouldn't go that far, but running certainly has become an integral part of keeping me feeling normal, that my day was complete because I hit the pavement. Now that I am forced to shelve the running kicks for the time being, my energy has hit dangerous levels. Like, if G.W.B. 43 was running my endocrine system, my color code would be flashing RED...that and the voice of my conscience would have a fake Texas accent and want me to clear large amounts of brush. Now where was I...

Brian Hetzel needs to contact Stella to find out how the !#$! she got her groove back and which direction he should go to find his. Damn it...I feel like a bump on a log every day that goes by that I can't run. It doesn't help that the marathon date is now approaching fast and furious, Vin Diesel style. I have heard from a number of people that if I just let my knee rest for 10-14 days, I should be fine. Hearing this is encouraging, as running all over Boston in poom-poom shorts and a headband for the last 6 months has not been easy. I mean, sure, I look fresh to death, but this training bit has taken a lot of time, dedication, and filthy amounts of Body Glide and nipple patches. 

Yes, I went there - get over it...although how great would it be to see a NASCAR sponsored by Nip Guards? Hahaha. Picture it...

"And there is the number 22 Nip Guards car playing bumper cars with Jeff Gordon."

That would be hilar...What? I am not, I just thought it would be funny if...What? I will get to the point, I just thought this was funny so I took some creative license and...FINE. RELAX. I'll get back to the story. 

Gosh, Puuuuuuuuuushy. 

Anyway, it got to the point earlier this week where I seriously thought I was going to run really fast into a wall if I didn't exercise. I could literally feel myself getting out of shape. OK, maybe this is an exaggeration, but we're talking about me here, so, yeah. I tried to test the knee out with a few really short runs but didn't get very far. Frustrated, I weaved in and out of traffic going much faster than I usually do (I have more speeding tickets than I care to talk about) on my way back to my parent's house in Springfield, MA.

There, I found my road bike in the basement, covered in dust, staring at me. So, with no other options other than swimming...I will touch on that in a later post...I brought her over to get tuned up and headed out.

And that's where the adventure began....

No change

Nothing has changed...well...it's only been about 24 hours but still. What can I say, I am hoping that one of these mornings I am going to wake up and it will be as good as new. 

The more and more I think about the race, the more I come to the realization that I will finish the race one way or another and my feet will be involved. I may have to walk it, who knows, but I will be there regardless; I made that promise.

Other results from the race

Well, this is not the result I was looking or hoping for...more of one that I was fearing. 

So, I have been talking about my right knee on here, mentioning that it has been bothering me, hampering me from properly training. Well, it has certainly reared its ugly head and got my complete attention. I woke up on Sunday and my knee felt really tight and sore. I know it is my IT band, I mean I can actually SEE that it is swollen. I tried it out by going for a very brief run, but the pain didn't go away. 

I know, I know, how would it...Hey, you never know. 

Shut up.

Anyway, it got pretty tight on the drive home. I stretched it out when I got back to my apartment, hoping that would help out some. It didn't feel too, too bad the following day, Monday, so I tested it out on a four mile run. I could "feel" the ligament throughout the entire run, especially when I chased after a few middle schoolers shouting out explatives to random people walking by, minding their own business. What? They were rude and deserved to get chased. Little buggers....Anyway, when I got home, I stretched a bit, but didn't feel any significant pain. I thought I had taken care of what ever was making it enflamed...of course I did. So, with that thought in mind, I tried to tackle 6 miles yesterday, a run that normally is easy and thoughtless. Well, it proved to be just that...for about 4 miles and a half miles. It was at this point that the pain in my IT band became so bad that I had to actually stop and stand still. I stretched it out, which is not a TON of fun, and proceeded to walk for a half mile. 

I am not good a going slow, in any regard. So, the idea of walking back to my apartment was not one that sat well with me. It is also why I have FAR too many scars, surgical repairs, pins, etc. for a 30-year old. So what did I do? That's right, I tried to start running again with about a mile to go from home. I got about 100 meters down the road before a shooting pain ripped through my knee to stop in my tracks and throw some serious shadow box punches through the air. I don't know WHAT THE FREAKING DEAL IS, but my body is angry at me. I mean, I know what the deal is, I just don't know why it is happening now, with less than two months left before the race, after putting mile after mile in. I ended up walking the rest of the way, which was also extremely painful. Yes, I know, I have done a number to this IT band, and I am not exactly sure where it leaves me. I stretched my knee really well last night, I stretched all the areas connected to the IT band, even my booty. I then iced it, took some ibuprofen, and went to bed, hoping for the best.

I woke up this morning, took one step and almost fell over. My whole leg is so damn tight, my IT is throbbing as I write this, and seems to be getting worse with every step. There is absolutely no way that I will be running today, tomorrow, or in the near future. I mean, I will pray for something awesome to conspire, but I also am not holding my breath. 

So what does this mean? Well, I am not exactly sure. I have registered for the race, I have set up plans to get down there, etc. I have put in countless hours to prepare, and I am not one to back off, even if it is the right thing to do. And then there is the Petit Family, who I am running this marathon for. Thinking about them, I have come to this early decision - it doesn't matter how I feel on race day, I will toe that line. I may have to walk the whole thing, but I don't care, I will finish it. I will be damned if this hiccup is going to stop me from accomplishing that. In all honestly, I have always believed this training is bigger than me, wholeheartedly. I made a promise, and I will keep it regardless. 

Any thoughts, hints, stretching routines, methods of treatment for IT bands, etc. is welcomed...actually I begging any and all of you to help me out!

Really, really dejected and frustrated-

-B

This just solidifies the fact that I will be in Arizona in mid January to run the Rock n' Roll marathon. 

The Race

Although I have been running a good amount since February, I was still a bit apprehensive about running the 6K this past weekend. But, I said I would run it and it was to be a good test of exactly where I stood on the conditioning scale. I could have bailed and run the 5k but that would have been a cop-0ut for me, as I knew I was in good enough shape to run a decent 6k. I also was a bit worried about my right knee, which had become a problem after finishing my last 20-mile adventure. I had dialed down the amount of daily miles in the previous week and a half, but not much had changed; my knee was still bothering me. 

Race day was great - minus the humidity. Why is it that every time I decide to run a race, one where I am looking to put down a decent personal time, mother nature is like TAKE THAT! MN, you are a sour @#$*%. Seriously, can't I get some love on the weather tip? Man...Anway, I toed the line with 93 other runners, a mixture of current student-athletes and alumna. I made sure to find my way to the back, as I was not trying to kid anyone by thinking I was going to break a course record. I also didn't want to pull my usual blazing first mile only to fade hard afterwards; not this time. So, the gun went off and so did I, settling to the back and being happy about it!

I felt great through the first mile, actually felt like I was just maintaining, not really pushing at all. 

"6:45...6:46...6:47...," the bald man with the clipboard shouted.

Normally, I would have been concerned about that pace, but I felt fine. In past years, I felt OK at that pace but knew I was going to run out of gas. Not this time, though, I felt my legs under me and knew I had enough in the tank to run it out. 

I started to pick off a handful or runners as they came back after starting off too fast, which is normally my role. It was nice to have someone take over the reigns for once! I still felt pretty good at mile 2, which is where I found two current Lady Saints and decided to hang on their pace. I also decided to act like a complete wierdo, which is not uncommon, for the race photographer...

What? Someone had to do it. And the double bandana, while also dope-boy fresh, is a shout out to Ry-Ry, the colors of his beloved 'Cuse. 

It was at this point where I started to feel the humidity. I mean, I hydrated for a few days before the race, so I was fine for a while. But, I do not do well in humidity, as any loyal reader of this blog will know. I really needed some water, but there was none offer on-course, which needs to change before next year's race. I mean, I didn't wilt and slow way down, I just could

 feel my body become less responsive to the ground. It was also zapping my energy, as before I felt as though I could pick up the pace at any point. But, as the race wore on, even though it was only a bit over 3 miles, I felt as though I was trying to maintain my initial pace.

The SLU XC course isn't a particularly fast one, as there are a number of ups and downs, places where you will get caught up. For me, the race-killer is the short but steep hill coming out of the woods near the baseball field. Hills and I do not get along normally as I have long legs, but this hill seems to have my number  more than others. Is it the roots, the loose dirt, the incline, the fact that it is also so damn muggy, the mental idea of a hill? I have no idea, I just know it hurts and slows me down quite a bit and takes a while to recover from. Here, check out my face coming up the hill for the second time, I am not even pandering for the camera:

Damn hill, who put that there. But, I did know that I only had a half mile or so left to go, so I was not overly worried. I knew that I had a good 300 meters before the start of the long homestretch, which I could use to recover before trying to kick it in. 

Well, I was a bit more zapped coming out of the woods than I thought I was going to be. I wanted to hammer coming around the turn to home, but didn't feel like I had much left in me. With that said, I have never been one to qu

estion or care what I have or have not had in the tank. So, with that thought, I put my head down and gave a push forward. My legs responded this time, and I started to gain ground on a handful of people ahead of me. Unfortunately, the rest of my body was not in sync and I really began to feel it! 

"Briiiiiaaaaaan...what are you doing....Briiiaaaaan....hey, down here, your stomach, remember me? Yeah, we are going to need you to slow up a bit...Briiiiaaaaan...fine, don't listen and see what happens!"

That was the message I got with a hundred meters to go. Check out the facial expression I was sporting with about 25 meters to go...

Yeeeeeeaaaaaaeah... 

I wasn't feeling too hot. I can't tell you how excited I was to see that finish line. I am not going to line, I definitely dry heaved, twice actually, right at the end; once with about 10 meters to go and once right after the finish line. Ahhh, just like old times! I don't know w

hat it is, but I almost always dry heave after a distance race. 

Yummy. Chewed banana, anyone?

I ended up finishing in the mid 26's for the 6k, which is about a 7:15 mm pace. Not blazing fast but certainly quicker than I have run in the past. I think I could have run faster if I drank something during the race, but oh well. I was happy with the time, especially after not having run a ton in the previous week.

In the end, a good time was had by all, just as Wellsie would have wanted it. The alumns capped it off as only the mud and blood do, with Sergis in the belly! And if anyone forgot, it 386-4581 :) Thank you to all who made the trip to lovely Canton, NY. We were able to raise an additional $1500 to go towards the Track and Field awards area to be bestowed in Wellsie's name. That means we are about halfway to our goal of 6K now...keep it coming! For more information, contact the XC and Track and Field coaches at St. Lawrence University, www.stlawu.edu/sports, or head on over to www.run4stlawrence where one of us can point you in the right direction. 

See you all at XC Regionals in Canton on November 15!

-B

Wellsie's Run - Why we return

Every fall, St. Lawrence University XC and Track and Field alumna return to campus for a sole purpose: to celebrate the life and message of Ryan "Wellsie" Wells. Who is he? Well, that would take a million blogs to cover everything he stood for, but I will do my best.

Wellsie was everything you want, and desire, to be. I know, that sounds cliche but it is true; ask anyone who knew or met him. He was that once-in-a-lifetime soul that lived life to its absolutely fullest and inspired those around him to do

 the same. It was not unusual for me to get a call from Wellsie at midnight just to say hello. On asking him where he was, he would say, 

"I am on way down to Bethpage to play the Black course." 

"But Wellsie, it's midnight on a weekeday," I would reply, knowing that this meant nothing to him. 

"I know, but I want to play it, so why not do it now?"

I couldn't fault him, he lived as many of us always have wanted - to the fullest. He would jump in the car on the fly if you needed him, he was quick with a joke when you were down, and did everything, I mean EVERYTHING, at 100%. Proof of this could be found in his support for the 'Cuse, his beloved Orange. You think you are a big fan? Please...

"Wellsie, what are you listening to?"

"Ah, just a CD 'Melo made for me."

"Riiiight...of course"

or

"Wellsie, is that a 'Cuse championship ring?"

"Yeah, got it from Boeheim."

That's how my boy Ryan Wells rolled.

All of this is well and good, but Ryan's true character shone through during his battle with cancer. I didn't use the word fight, because it didn't sound  strong enough. You see, Ryan went to war with his disease, battled it at every turn, and never EVER gave up. 

"I'm going to treat it like the flu, Boo, that's all it is."

And that is just what he did. It didn't trump him when he didn't have enough energy to even open his eyelids, when his hair fell out, when he spent week after week away from home tucked away in some sterile room in Sloan Kettering, or when the disease came back for a second and third time. He needed surgery to stop the spread of the disease? 

"Let's do it."

It didn't matter to him, he was going to come out on top. The disease never defined him, but his battle persona did. I know Lance Armstrong is revered for his strength, but I'm sorry. Lance, you don't have @#$% on Wellsie, not an iota. Whether the fir

st, second or third time he fought it, Wellsie came out guns blazing. And it was a sight to behold. 

I am not doing this special guy justice...just know that he was incredible, a one-of-a-kind. I miss my boy, I wish I could hit a 'Cuse football game with him, like I promised I would, I wish I could crush some of his mom's homemade meatballs in Canastota and toss the the football around afterwards. Most of all, I just wish the world could have

 had him for just a little longer; it would be a much better place for it.

I miss you, bud - Make it clap ;)

For those of you that knew Ry and read this blog - please feel free to post stories of him, funny things you remember, etc. I would love to hear and share them with the rest of the folks that wander on through.

Run for Wellsie up at SLU

I will post my full report from this past weekend up at SLU when I have a chance tomorrow. In the meantime, check out the money post-race feast I hammered at Dana, who was always really good to me (photo credits to Sammy): 

You know what that is right there? Well, it is actually two things:

1) Straight money

2) Me winning at Breakfast

Yes, brown rice, pasta with cheese, a blueberry bagel with PB and honey and pepperoni pizza do INFACT go together, so stop hating. 

Hater.

I win.

PS- I washed it all down with a nice, cool Coca-Cola Classic. Eat it!

Hopefully my Rx

Check it- Just landed what I hope to be my cure:

Yes, sir. Orthotics, B#$!@#S!

If you look close, really close, you can see that they are actually made of money. Yeah, I know, I didn't realize orthotics were made of money, either. I guess tha...

What? Yeah, money, that is what I said. Did I stutter? What? I don't know why, I just know that they have to be made out of money if anyone in his/her right mind is going to charge $300+ for foam. So, I concluded that they are, in fact, not foam at all but money. It's all logic; if you paid attention you would understand. Will you let me get back to my post? What? I know Wolf Blitzer is really a robot, everyone knows that. Now will you let me finish my post? Thank you.

Sorry about that. Some people have no shame. Anyway, I hope these orthotics do the trick, as I am not about to stop running for an extended period of time. The marathon is in less than two months and I still have work to do. I am running, period. Whether or not my body gets that is besides the point.

I will toe that line.

A bit damaged

So I haven't really recovered from that 20 miler...actually, I think I kind of broke myself a bit. Actually, I know I did. At mile 15 I experienced serious leg pain and should have stopped. But, anyone who knows me will tell you that I am not good at listening to my body when it is telling me to chill out. I bulled through the last 5 and did some damage to my knees.

I had been feeling pain in the outside of my knees for a while, but figured it would go away. Unfortunately, throwing down 20 miles on top of a tweak, especially in these. They are the Nike Lunar trainers, which I piked up a few weeks back. They are light, which is very good for my rebuilt ankle, and are neutral with a ton of room in the forefoot for people like me with wide feet. But, I found out they are not GREAT for really long runs.

I got to mile 10 feeling awesome, hammering 7:30 miles, which is a decent pace for me. But, my knees started to hurt at mile 12, mostly my IT bands. By mile 15 I was in serious pain, to the point where I had to stop and still, hoping the throbbing in my legs would fade. I was a ways out, and I am inpatient as all get out, so walking was not an option. I decided to push through it, which now I realize was not the smart choice.

I am not sure where this leaves me, but you can bet I am not going to give up.