Health issues

I have not run for the last few days, and don't know when I'll be able to resume, frankly. As the picture from my recent post shows, I was afflicted with back problems during the 5K I ran on December 3. Reflecting on it, this is precisely the same situation that occurred in the summer of 2009 when I had to take several weeks off, and visited a physical therapist (Probility) for numerous sessions in which they finally determined that, though "no one can say why" this happened, for some reason the QL (quadratus laborum) muscle in my back had tightened up, hiking one hip up considerably higher than the other, thus altering my stride and causing the back problems. The difference between the two times is that then, I was working my half-time position at Firestone, so I was able to go to the therapy sessions in the afternoon. Now, however, with a full-time job, it's hard to say just how or when the situation will improve. At present it is extremely difficult for me to arise from a seated position, or from bed ... but once I'm up I'm able to move without tremendous difficulty. I'm wary, though, of trying to run, and perhaps worsening the situation.

Holiday Hustle photo

This photo very clearly shows the severe problems with the QL muscle (quadratus laborum) in my back that hampered me in the race I ran Saturday. Throughout the second half of the 5K I had to work very hard to keep from falling.

Holiday Hustle

I ran a 5K race this afternoon ... the Holiday Hustle, in the little town of Dexter 10 miles or so west of us, which I ran also in 2008, 2009, and 2010. According to what I emailed my son and daughter yesterday ("When I ran the Holiday Hustle in 2008, my time was 29:31; in 2009 I did it in 31:38; and last year 33:01. Extrapolating from that dismal pattern, I'd expect to be 34-something this year! That Turkey Trot 5K I did on Thanksgiving was 32:55. Factoring all that in, I'd very much like to break 31 minutes. I'd be satisfied with breaking 32 ... and I'd darn well better break 33, or I'll consider it a failure.") today was a 'failure,' as I finished in 34:27. But really, a portion of me knows that just for me to get out there and do it at all was an achievement, and since I am not and have never claimed to be athletic, I can't hold myself to an overly rigorous standard. Plus, today's time was largely attributable to the problematic QL muscle (quadratus laborum) in my back which has caused me difficulty the last two years. It gave me a pretty pronounced starboard list (lean to the right) throughout the second half of the race, and I had to concentrate very hard to keep from falling. Michelle said it was quite noticeable as I came in to the finish (but then grinned and added, "Sadly, I've seen you worse.") I think that absent that problem, I could very well have met my time goals. But next year, at age 55, I'll have an additional year of strength and maturity to employ!
The online results later showed that I finished #762 out of 1076 participants ... but, even more dismally, in my age group (men 50-54) I was 28th of 31. The winner in my age group had a time of 20:03; and the overall winner sparkled in 16:05.

Turkey Trot

I was glad to get this "eating holiday" started off in a healthy way, by running a 5K race - the Turkey Trot on the University of Michigan's North Campus, which I had done previously, in 2008 and 2010. But each time has been a bit slower (2008 - 30:39; 2919 - 32:33; today - 32:55). Honestly ... you'd think I was aging or something! I came out 48th of 67 people in my age group (men 50-54), and, though I don't know where I placed, I was able, by adding up the listed finishers for all the age groups, to determine that the Turkey Trot had 1614 participants (some of which were walkers.) And it was cooler than I thought it would be, at 35 degrees.
The beginning of the race featured an amusing (in retrospect) incident that illustrated very well my notable cluelessness. The route is sort of a modified Figure 8 ... in the past it has featured a big loop down toward the School of Music, then returning to the starting area outside the Recreation Building, and then a second big loop toward the east, up through family housing. However, this year they reversed the order, which meant that, rather than starting out going west on Hubbard, we started toward the east. However, I came out and lined up where I have in the past, and then a few minutes before the race I began to wonder why no one was joining me. I looked up ... and saw hundreds of runners on the other side of the starting line, preparing to launch forward.
This reversal of the loops also made for a severe mental challenge (which I was evidently not up to), as the latter part of the race featured a daunting uphill stretch from the School of Music. Slowing down or not - all in all, I'm glad I did it.

A new adventure

On Monday morning, October 17, I was running at about 6:30 AM on terrain I knew well, but in an unlighted patch of sidewalk I crashed into a large (6-inch diameter) felled tree that lay completely across the sidewalk. It was not pretty, as my momentum carried me over and down onto the walk, where I scraped and cut myself up pretty good (though, thankfully, I did not incur any really serious injuries). So that night I purchased a head lamp from our local running equipment store, and for the last few weeks have been running with that. I run in the morning, both by temperatment and from necessity, and at this time of year when I go out at 6AM or a little before it is pitch dark - but the light makes it work quite admirably for me, lighting up a patch 15 feet or so ahead of me (and at the pace I run, that's plenty far enough!).

Big House Big Heart (October 9)

My attention was just drawn to this photo of me running in the 5K race I did a few weeks ago, taken by the photographer for Hope Clinic, for whom I ran (wearing the orange shirt) and raised funds. I was glad to learn of it, as it is one of the only photos of myself that I have in the middle of a race.

Big House Big Heart finishing photo

Here I am, breezing (well, not exactly) into the finish line at the Big House Big Heart 5K race on the 50-yard-line of Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Sunday, October 9, 2011.