10 days out

I'm now 10 days out from the PRP injection into my achilles. Overall things are feeling pretty good. Not certain how I'm supposed to feel at this juncture, but figure reduced pain is a good thing. I was able to enjoy a spectacular day of alpine skiing today without a glitch of achilles pain. Unfortunately the rest of my body hurt. In a couple days I plan on ditching the walking boot I'm in and transitioning back to normal footware. This will spare me the awkward explanation of PRP to compassionate folks politely asking me what I did to my foot. I'm hopeful to be running in 2-3 weeks. Until then, a bit more PT, stretching and eccentric achilles loading. And of course, spinning.

National Cross Country Meet and PRP

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to watch the USATF cross country national championships in Spokane. Take home point...there are some wicked fast runners out there. The women's race featured Shalane Flannigan vs the rest of the field. It was pretty obvious after the first 2k that Shalane was essentially out for a controlled tempo run while everyone else was red lining it. She easily won the 8k event running a 5:04 pace. The men's race was also amazing to watch. Dathan Ritzenheim is as smooth as they come. I witnessed him effortlessly run with a pack of three runners, gradually pulling away from the rest of the field. Finally with about 3k to go, he turned on the burners and blew away the final two runners. He completed the 12k course at a 4:38 pace. I swear his last 3k was proably around a 4:20 pace. It was freakishly amazing. I put this picture in because when Ritz decided to kick, he actually passed the green photography vehicle. The vehicle had to short cut the race to get back in front of him.

It was also fun watching Max King run the race. He ran an incredible time, averaging a 4:48 pace, but said his legs felt heavy and finished in 11th place, which was lower than he hoped.

Katie ran the women's race however it wasn't as enjoyable to watch. She partially ruptured her plantar fascia about 1 mile into the race and ran the final 4 miles in severe pain. She still finished in a time that most women would die to run, but for her, it was nowhere near her potential. She is now hobbling around in a walking boot. She did the same thing to her other foot during Xterra nationals and now that foot is better than ever. We hope for the same recovery with this foot.

Today I made the decision to have a PRP injection into my left achilles tendon. The decision was not an easy one, as I have progressively increased my weekly mileage without any worsening of my condition. At the end of the day though, I still had pain in my achilles. I figured if it's going to heal completely, this is my best option.

I had the injection performed by Dr. Flattery at the Center of Integrated Medicine. He is the local injection guru and is the same physician that treated Kami Semick. Have to say it went well but man is it painful. I immediately hit the vicodin when I got home and it barely takes the edge off things. Plan over the next two weeks is for a walking boot and gentle range of motion activities, followed by gradual return to running. Hopefully I can crosstrain and more importantly control the "calories in" while my "calories out" are reduced. If all goes well then I'll probably have my right achilles treated in a couple weeks. I'm already dreading it. It's been 4 hours so time to hit the Vicodin again.

If it's good enough for Brandon...

I came across this article today on the Oregonlive website about PRP therapy. Funny how they call it "cutting-edge." I think it is more accurately described as "not very well studied." Anyhow, interesting how they are using it among professional athletes, especially those who haven't been injured all that long. Maybe I'll wait and see how Brandon responds to therapy before going through it myself.




"Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy will undergo a cutting-edge, non-surgical technique today in Seattle to treat his strained right hamstring.Roy will have Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) injected into his hamstring, which is designed to stop the bleeding on his hamstring while also releasing growth factors that aid the healing process. The procedure will be performed in Seattle by team doctors of the Seattle Seahawks, the NFL team that Blazers owner Paul Allen also owns. Roy on Thursday flew from Philadelphia to Seattle to meet with the Seahawks doctors. PRP includes extracting blood from Roy, then placing it in a centrifuge for 15 minutes, which separates red blood cells from platelets, forming a gel. That gel is injected into the injured area.Roy will be re-examined on Thursday before the team leaves for a two-game trip with stops in Houston (Jan. 29) and Dallas (Jan. 30). Roy will miss four games before that examination - tonight in Boston, Saturday in Detroit, and home games against New Orleans (Jan. 25) and Utah (Jan. 27).Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard said he is hoping Roy can return in seven-to-10 days, possibly placing his return for the Jan. 29 game at Houston or a Feb. 1 home game against Charlotte.The PRP technique has become popular in the NFL because it speeds the recovery."

Achilles Anniversary

It was a year ago today, or at least pretty close, that I suffered my first achilles tendon injury. I recall a beautiful, sunny morning in south central AZ. My family was packing for a car trip to Disneyland with my folks. I had to run back into the house for something when I felt this discomfort develop in my left achilles tendon. I figured it was one of those things that would work out over the next couple of hours. I was actually surprised after a couple days that the pain was still there... Little did I realize it would be a pain in my a** for an entire year.

So here I am, celebrating my one year anniversary with my achilles tendonopathy. Can't say I'm happy in this relationship and am looking for a way out. Katie and I have been researching PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) therapy for a while now and I'm wondering if it is time to pull the trigger. For those of you not in the know, PRP therapy is a fairly new treatment modality where your own plasma (containing healing factors) is injected into the injury site. The theory is that by directly injecting important healing factors, it will stimulate repair of the injured area. The problem is that this has been poorly studied and data are lacking to support it as a recommended therapeutic option. Within the past week, a research article in JAMA (Journal of American Medical Association) was published showing no improvement in outcome with PRP vs placebo in a small Dutch clinical trial using PRP for treatment of achilles tendonopathy. On the flip side, I have talked to people, runners, who seem to believe the exact opposite, that PRP works.

I have set some pretty high racing goals this year, none of which I'll be able to reach unless my achilles injuries heal. I'm currently taking some time off from running and focussing more on rehab, which includes PT and eccentric loading of my achilles. If anyone has insight to PRP therapy or anecdotal evidence of it working, please leave me a comment. Thanks.

Good Vibes

I'm lovin the Vibes. Put in another 2 mile cool down run today and have to say they felt very natural. They don't seem to alter my stride at all. The only negative is a small blister that has developed over my big toe at the mtp joint where the sole wraps around the side. It should callous up soon and be non-problematic before long. This is no fault of the shoe, I just have a deformed foot.
It's amazing how much you feel the change in running surface with VFFs. Not just rocks and stuff but the transition from road to sidewalk pavers was incredible. I have known this all along and typically avoid sidwalks/pavers when possible, but to feel the difference running in VFFs was dramatic. There is absolutely zero give when running on pavers as opposed to the road. I could just feel each stride jolting my bones and joints. Can't wait for spring to come around so I can hit the trails.

Finally Inspired

Over the past two months following Twin Cities marathon, I have been running completely uninspired. I don't have a goal on the horizon and have been struggling with a couple nagging injuries. The cold weather and short days don't help either. Today however was a big day. I'm anticipating huge changes from this day forward. My running will soon be resurrected by the purchase of two new items. This is pretty typical for me and somewhat depressing where I need to buy something to spark my interest and motivate me to run. These two new products however are going to change me entirely.

I am a frequent visitor to Bronco Billy's blog. He has been transitioning to minimalist running over the past several weeks. While I don't share the same goal, to become a minimalist runner, I do believe that there is value in running technique and strengthening that goes along with the transition. That being said, purchase #1 today was a slick new pair of vibram five fingers. I went with the black ones. Can't say it was love at first site or feel. There certainly are no style points with these things and I actually struggled to get my deformed toes in the nice little toe shoots. Once they were in, I suppose they felt ok. I ran on the treadmill at FZ for a 1/4 mile or so and decided to purchase them. This evening I did a 1 mile cool down run in them on the snow and ice. Have to say they kind of hurt my feet, but I have extremely wimpy feet from years of coddling. Other than that, it was fun. I look forward to putting in more miles with them. Hopefully can work up to a 10k over the next few weeks. I already run in racing flats quite a bit so I think the transition should go fairly rapid. Just hope my Achilles' hang in there.

My second purchase today was a pair of compression calf sleeves. I wore them around a bit today but think I might have to get a size smaller. I'll report back after I've run in them a couple times. I did receive a pair of compression stockings this year for Christmas and have been using them regularly for post run recovery. I wore them all day at work yesterday and have to say my Achilles felt better than it has in a long time. Probably a placebo effect but it sure was nice not having pain. I think adding calf compression to my running is going to be huge.

I did also purchase a hat today, which is fun to have but not all that inspiring.

So, I now have something to do. Over the next 4 weeks of winter, before I start picking up my training, I plan to strengthen my feet and work on my form in the context of breaking in my vibram five fingers. Should be fun and hopefully inspiring. Perhaps it will even help my injuries.

2009 Year in Review

As 2009 comes to an end, it's always fun to reflect on the year in running. This year was once again a lot of fun. What a great running community we have here in Bend. I feel fortunate to have two quality running stores in town that keep us all appropriately "shoed" and active. I also feel fortunate to run with the quality group of runners that gathers each Tuesday at TPG. Many help to push me, while others are just flat out inspiring. Ryan "Hobbit" Rein in Mercer Island is a nice extended addition to the community and always keeps me motivated with his hobbitude. Overall a great group of people. That being said...

The year began with a major decision...do I hire a coach or not? If so, who should I hire? Well it ultimately came down to two individuals, Alberto Salazar and Andy Martin. After I looked at their credentials, it was no contest, Martin had a far superior resume. After all, Martin could boast of victories at the Light of hope 5k and Flying Pig Marathon. He also holds course records at Horse Butte and Dirty Half. What has Salazar done lately? Nothing. Welcome aboard Andy Martin.

I set out some goals with my newly hired coach. 1. Sub 6:00 pace at Dirty Half, 2. Win Haulin Aspen Marathon with new course record, 3. New PR in the marathon, low 2:30's acceptable, sub 2:30 ideal.

Seemed simple enough. We got to work early. Typically I like to challenge myself by being lazy until 2-3 weeks before Dirty Half and then start running a bunch of tempos. This year was different. My coach brought to my attention a new word...Consistency. I had to look it up. Never really struck a cord with me before. Nonetheless, I began logging consistent miles each week, gradually building up until the week before Dirty Half, then actually tapered. Well the philosophy worked. I ran a 1:18:00, good enough for a 5:57 pace and accomplishment of goal #1. Ideally I would have liked to win the race but Santiago Ocariz came out of nowhere to kick my butt in his star spangled shorts.On to goal #2. My training continued. Martin kept preaching consistency. I kept following his instructions. Before long I was logging 70-80 mile weeks, incorporating track work, tempo runs and long runs into the mix. There was a brief detour in training to run the Cascade Lakes Relay, one of my favorite events. It's always fun to get together with this group. We once again won by several hours, and most importantly had a blast. Shortly after CLR I began my fine tuning for the Haulin Aspen Marathon, including a couple of runs on the upper section. I admittedly unleashed some profanity my first time on the course, as I breached the 5th false summit on the everlasting climb to the radio tower. I repented and moved on. Ultimately it helped prepare me for the race, which I won with a new course record of 2:51. Goal #2 accomplished.

On to goal #3, the toughest of the group, a sub 2:30 marathon, or somewhere close to that. I selected the Twin Cities Marathon as the designated course, as it serves as the national masters road marathon championships, in which I am hoping to compete in 2010. The build up to the race was, well... consistent. I was able to peak out at 90+ miles per week with many quality miles. I never could get over Achilles tendonopathy, so embraced it and decided to enjoy my time with it. For the first 2-3 miles on every run, it was just me and my aching Achilles tendon. It had my full attention. Gradually it would demand less of me and by mile 4 or so I would be feeling pretty good and finish up strong. Later my other Achilles decided it also needed some attention, now I split time equally between the two.

The trip back to Minneapolis was awesome. There was a cool group of Central Oregonians and Washingtonians that met up at the race, making for a good time. The race went well for me with a 2:31:12 finish, a new PR. Not quite the sub 2:30 I was initially hoping for but definitely a step in the right direction.



Post race has been met with injury fury. Bilateral Achilles tendonopathy and left foot extensor hallicus longus tendonitis has knocked me down, but I'm slowly crawling back. Next year I turn 40 and have big plans for the master's division. I'm just hoping I can get my body to buy in to the program.

2009 Awards

Best Memory: Cascade Lakes Relay. How could you not relish heat exhaustion and dehydration followed by a sleepless night and an early morning tempo run with a belly ache. This year we added a couple new faces to the guy's van in James and Teague. Both were awesome to have aboard. Nice job to Cindy too, seamlessly stepping in for Cory. Michael's speedoman costume topped off the weekend. Look forward to next year.



Best Race: Twin Cities Marathon. New PR, cool course, fun group and lots of meals at the Old Spaghetti Factory. Enough said.

Most Disappointing: Unfortunately this award goes to my wife. She was running awesome, claiming victory in the Dirty Half and crushing her CLR legs, but was ultimately brought down by injury. Darn plantar fasciitis. She stoically ran hard in the Xterra Nationals and placed well but did not have an opportunity to fulfill her potential. She does win an additional award for most diligent rehab. I have been living with a wife who stretches her calves and massages her foot nonstop. Cooking, working, cleaning, putting the kids down, lounging, doesn't matter. My calves and feet feel better just being around her. Let's just hope persistence pays off and she can run pain-free next year. The marathon Olympic trials are waiting.




Most Improved: Toss-up between Teague Hatfield and Dave Webster. Both were very impressive in 2009. I'm still wowed by Dave's 2:57 marathon and second place age group finish at CIM. Teague on the other hand kicked butt at the TPG workouts, ran a solid PR at the Dirty Half, and held his own anchoring our CLR team. I can't decide. Maybe Teague wins and Dave gets Most Inspirational. We'll let the fans vote on this one.










Most Valuable: Male: Max won the most money this year so literally he is the most valuable. He also ran a bunch of fast races, claiming victory in just about all of them...except NYC. Still a 2:19 marathon at NYC is quite impressive. Way to go Max. Others receiving votes- Sean Meissner- multiple first place visits at marathon and ultra distance including victory at the Canadian Death Race, crushing cover boy Dean Karnazes. Santi Ocariz- the young nordic skier who should convert to full time runner. He was impressive at the 1/2 marathon distance winning the coveted Dirty Half and beating a stacked field in the Haulin Aspen. Female: Kami Semick. USATF agrees with this, and who could possibly refute it.

2010 goals

• 1st place master's division at national trail 1/2 marathon championships (only if run on the Dirty Half course)
• Top 5 at the master's national road marathon championships- Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon, Minneapolis
• 1st place master's division at national trail marathon championships- Lithia Loop, Ashland
• Marathon Olympic qualifying time for Katie
• Finish trans Rockies stage race. Top 3 finish in coed or master's depending on division entered.
• Marathon PR
• Run an ultra, probably 50k, win the master's division, beat Meissner if he enters the race.
• Get over my Achilles injuries and run pain free!

Look forward to toeing the line with you all in 2010.