Category: Geek Girl Runner

Week 8
So when I last updated, I’d just found out that I do not have plantar fasciitis and that my doctor cleared me to run. Of course, I still had a raging cold. Well, the Snook and I went off to Kiama and did a 4.2km hike through the rain forest. It was a pretty good workout, and my foot felt fine through it. This week I’ve walked home from work twice, and on Tuesday I felt good enough to go for my first run in nearly two weeks. I wore my New Balance shoes instead of my Newtons, reckoning that my feet would welcome the extra padding. It was a warm day and I’m not at 100%, so I went slow. I aimed for more of a mid-foot strike, as I suspect in my Newtons I’m landing a bit too far forward. It felt fine at first, but after 20 minutes the niggle in my foot came back. It’s not really pain. It’s like a sort of a tender ache. My right arch felt like I’d just spent 12 hours walking around at DisneyWorld. You know that feeling? Not a sharp pain by any means, but a tightness and tenderness along the whole arch from the ball of my foot to the start of my heel. I still finished the run, taking a few walk breaks when necessary to keep my heart rate low. That night I went through the whole spiel my doctor had prescribed: self-massage, stretch, strengthen, and ice. I went to Spudds on Wednesday and it didn’t bother me at all. So the problem is specifically related to longer periods (20 minutes or more) of continuous running. Good to know. From now on, I’ll be taking preemptive walk breaks on all my runs.

Feb. 20: 4.2km (hike)
Feb. 22: 2.54km (walk)
Feb. 23: 5.06km
Feb. 24: 2.53km (walk)
Total this week: 14.3km
Total in 2010: 151.5km (94.7mi)

I’m counting the walks and hike this week because it was the only exercise that I could do. I am now 2.3km behind schedule to meet my 1000km goal. That’s okay. I’m just about over this cold, and I think my running distances will creep back up.

Week 7
If you’ve been listening to the podcast, you’ll have heard all about The Saga of Kris’s Right Foot over the past week. It started with tenderness/pain in my right arch while I was running, then that turned into sharper pain on the outside of my right heel. Last Friday I went to see Dr. Maja Markovic at Sydney Uni Sports Medicine. She poked and prodded my foot and took a look at my shoes. She said that my plantar fascia felt tight, and she advised a bone scan to rule out the serious stuff (stress fracture, heel spur, or full-blown plantar fasciitis). I went in for that on Tuesday. They dosed me up with radioactive technetium and then took pictures of my feet and legs over the course of a couple hours. (Though it was a weak dose and I was only radioactive for less than a day, they told me to avoid standing near any children or pregnant women! Fun.) On Wednesday I got the verdict: no serious bone problems and no PF. Hooray! Dr. Markovic has cleared me to run again. Basically, we think the problem was just that I’ve been overworking my feet (specifically my arches with the forefoot running). The scan showed some inflammation on the outside of my right foot, presumably because I’ve been favoring the arch by shifting my weight to the outside. (That’s also why my heel has been hurting.) She’s given me a routine of massage, stretching, strengthening, and icing to do, and she also wants me to see a podiatrist before I buy new shoes. But I can ease back into running again.

Of course, I caught a cold on Monday so I’ve got to get over that first. If it’s not one thing, it’s another!

Feb 17: 2.5km
Total this week: 2.5km
Total in 2010: 137.2km (85.75mi)

The only “workout” I got in this week was walking home from work yesterday. I don’t normally count walking in my weekly total, but given the doctor’s orders to start back slowly, I think this one counts. My 20km cushion in the 1000km Challenge has evaporated, and I’m now exactly on track with where I should be. I told you it’d come in handy!

Geek Girl Runner Episode 003
The third episode of the Geek Girl Runner podcast is now available! Right off the bat, I just have to apologise for the voice quality in this one. I caught a raging cold on Monday night, and I just didn’t want to wait any longer to record so I sound quite stuffed up. I was also radioactive (yes, seriously) and possibly feverish so I probably ramble a little more than usual. At any rate, thanks to everyone who listened to the first two episodes and gave feedback. This episode features: my (non-)training update; emails, comments, and shoutouts; and a discussion about running injuries.

Show links:
My long run (with photos)
Wikipedia: bone scan
Mother’s Day Classic – join the Geek Girl Runner team!
Lindfield Rotary FunRun
You Don’t Have to Run Alone podcast by Ted Beveridge
AAPSM treatment for plantar fasciitis

Thanks as usual to Nick Arthur for the use of his song “Little Donut Party”. Please give me some feedback and let me know what you think!

Mother’s Day Classic
Registration is now open for the 2010 Mother’s Day Classic. These races take place all over Australia and raise money for breast cancer research. I previously ran it in Sydney’s Domain in 2006, 2008, and 2009. I’ll be running it again this year, and I’ve created a Geek Girl Runner team that you’re all welcome to join. (Yes, boys as well as girls!) Hope to see you all there!

Week 6
I’ve backed off a little bit this week. When I was doing my run on Sunday, I noticed I was having some problems with my right foot. It just felt a little “dead,” you know? Like it was heavier than normal and not as springy. Tired. Like how your foot feels after you’ve been walking around DisneyWorld all day. On Monday I had a wicked hard workout at Spudds. I took Tuesday off as I had to fit in an appointment with my allergy specialist. On Wednesday I went for my usual run, but the problems with my right foot were still there. Now I could feel a distinct dull ache on the inside of the ball of my foot, near the arch. I ended up walking the last 1.5km of the run. I did my Spudds workout at lunchtime and it felt fine (except when running uphill). Wednesday night I iced it, and I took today off to rest. I don’t think it’s Plantar fasciitis since I don’t have any heel pain. It could be just a strained muscle in my foot. I’m going to ice it again tonight, and I’ll do an easy run tomorrow morning to test it. I’m booked in to see a sports physician Friday night just to make sure it’s okay. At any rate, slightly lower totals this week…

Feb 5: 5.62km
Feb 7: 6.65km
Feb 10: 6.00km
Total this week: 18.27km (11.4mi)
Total in 2010: 134.7km (81.2mi)

This is the first week where I didn’t run the 19.2km I need to average to meet my 1000km challenge. This is where having that cushion comes in handy. I’m still 19km ahead of schedule!

Geek Girl Runner Episode 3 will be delayed!
Sorry to have gotten your hopes up. I wanted to do one this week, but I’ve been kinda swamped. I’m busy at work; the Knitters Guild (of which I am both a group convenor and the webmaster) is embroiled in scandal; and I have to go see my allergy specialist (which throws off my whole weekly workout schedule). It’s just one of those weeks. See, this is why I didn’t promise an episode a week from the beginning!

On a more positive note, I did get to Spudds tonight for a workout. (I missed both workouts last week on account of busy-ness.) This wasn’t our normal work session; this was an actual public class that I paid for myself. There were 8 other people there, mostly guys but a couple ladies as well. I had the bright idea to wear my heart rate monitor for it, for the first time ever. We did a brisk warmup with light weights, then ran around the block. (I was already pushing 140bpm at the end of the run.) The first circuit involved the climber, the spin bike, two different rowing machines, two different stations involving a high step, a stairmaster, and free weights. We had one minute at each one, then 30 seconds recovery to move to the next. I pushed as hard as I could. I saw that I was peaking up near 160 at times. When I got to the final rowing station, I took time to clear my head and concentrate. The rower is my nemesis, and my perpetual goal is to get 100 meters in 20 seconds. I know I can do it if I have good form, but if I’m tired or distracted I flail uselessly. I strapped in, pictured what I needed to do, and got ‘er done. When the readout showed “100m” at the end, I let out a mighty roar. (I really did.) Unfortunately that marked the high point of the workout for me. I was pretty spent after that. We did another lap around the block and then came back for a second circuit. This one involved running on the treadmill, skipping rope, boxing in the ring, squats, free weights, and two stations in the “hot room.” (It’s a tiny room with electric heaters inside like a sauna, and you actually have to use a stationary bike and elliptical in there!) I was fading. The heart rate was still high, but I could tell I had used up my reserves. I was getting a little light-headed. I made it through my turn in the ring and then headed to the front door. I needed fresh air. I ended up spending the last 10 minutes of the class sitting on the stoop and trying not to puke. (It was close there for a minute.) Eventually my brain came back into my head and I could move again. As I collected my backpack to head home, I thought to check my heart rate monitor. At some point during the workout, I hit a peak of 178bpm. That’s nuts. No wonder I felt pukey!

Anyway, that’s where I’m at. Send me an update or leave a comment and let me know how you’re going with your training!

Week 5
A hot and muggy week. I missed going to Spudds three times this week, which really sucked. (Monday I was sick; Wednesday I had meetings all day.) I think the week off from weight training helped me though. My run this morning felt great, and I was able to keep a consistent pace and heart rate without too much effort. The weekly totals…

Jan 29: 5.17km
Jan 31: 7.8km
Feb 2: 5.47km
Feb 4: 5.53km
Total this week: 23.97km (15mi) – pretty much same as last week!
Total in 2010: 116.4km (72.75mi)

I’m 20km ahead of schedule for my 1000km Challenge…

“Why do I get emotional during one particular yoga pose?” That’s fascinating. I haven’t experienced that in particular – I don’t do much yoga – but I’ve had something similar running. On a handful of occasions at the end of a race or a particulary draining workout, I’ve just found myself on the verge of tears. Being wrung out makes me cry, I guess.

CoachPRS has recorded an excellent video about forefoot versus heel striking, especially with regards to overpronators. (*cough* SNOOK! *cough*) He shows exactly how the movements and strikes differ, and how the forefoot striking can benefit you.

Geek Girl Runner Episode 002
The second episode of the Geek Girl Runner podcast is now available! Thanks to everyone who listened to the first episode and gave feedback. This episode features: housekeeping, my training update; emails, comments, and shoutouts; and a discussion of forefoot running and my Newtons.

Show links:
Opera in the Domain
Sydney Fruit Bats
David Ianni – runner in Germany
Newton Running Blog
Running Podcasts
“Biomechanics of Foot Strikes…” study by Prof. Lieberman
BBC story on forefoot running
NPR study on forefoot running

Thanks as usual to Nick Arthur for the use of his song “Little Donut Party”. Please give me some feedback and let me know what you think!