Chasing my Tail

That stupid thing? Yeah, that was Saturday.

The Tail Chaser Challenge

I'd signed up for the 12 hour version, which meant I'd run 5 miles (8.05km) four times at 3-hour intervals. Well, mostly run. The event rules permitted running, walking, hiking, or any combination of the above, and the route didn't have to be the same each time. You just had to cover the distance at the set intervals, without anything assisting your progress (like a bicycle, skateboard, or piggyback ride). It all had to be done in one shot (not spread over multiple days), and had to be completed before May 31st.

Everybody got the same bib - 9 lives for everyone!

With a total of 3 runs under my belt - for a whopping sum of just over 11km - in the three weeks since messing up my back and then running for 3 hours, I figured I'd better give it a whack before the last weekend of the month, in case things went sideways on me and I had to abort & try again. So, on Saturday morning I dragged my butt out of bed and tried to steel myself for the hot day to come.

I was already feeling a little dead.

I was lazy about getting up, so I didn't even get any caffeine into me - just a small cup of cereal with cashew milk, and a medjool date with maca root powder and a bit of almond butter - before heading out at 9am for a road loop in the blazing sun. I was suffering already, and it was still early - both in the challenge, and the day! I was bound and determined to run every step of the first 5 miler, though, even if I ended up having to walk all of the subsequent ones.

My kingdom for some shade!

I had a brief respite from the scorching as I trotted down a ~200m section of trail past the halfway mark - a mere neighbourhood pathway connecting some catwalks, but lined with forget-me-nots and mature trees just barely in leaf.

Brief but enjoyable

I might look happy there, but it wouldn't last - due to my lack of training and the heat, I had to stop to drink water and catch my breath an embarrassing number of times. I also really, really needed a washroom for the last ~2.5km; I might not have had any coffee yet, but all the jostling of running had definitely mobilized my digestive tract. Fortunately I did, eventually, make it home without incident.

(Garmin data is here)

Run 1 - 8.05km in 49:21 @ 6:08/km

(Moving time only - actually took me more than 54mins with all the stopping!)

After waking Tanker up to make coffee ('cause he brews up a fierce mug, and it was now 10am anyway), I made the best discovery ever: WE HAD FREEZIES! I wrapped a soaked cooling towel around my neck and dove into a grape freezie like my life depended on it, then knocked back a cup of coffee - *cue angelic choir* - and a pineapple/orange/spinach/frozen banana smoothie. For something a bit more solid (as I hadn't really had breakfast), I also noshed on a bit of smoked turkey lunchmeat and a cinnamon raisin bagel (half with honey and almond butter, half with dairy-free cream cheez), then put myself together a little cooler bag of stuff for after the second leg. 

Tanker and I loaded up and headed over to a local trail tract, getting there about 10mins before my next start time at noon. Unfortunately my GI issues persisted even before I set off, probably due to dehydration - I'd woken up that morning in a puddle of sweat, and drank a full hand bottle (~600ml) on run #1, plus another litre or so at home before and after the first outing, but I believe I'd started off the day dehydrated and was having real trouble catching up. Not to put too fine a point on it, I ended up having to cathole not far from the trailhead before starting run #2.

So I didn't end up covered in #2..

Anyhoo, enough of that - off I trucked into the breezy forest at noon sharp, grateful for the shade and the hills giving me an excuse to walk....erhm POWERHIKE, yeah! 

Well, "power" might be overstating things a bit.

SHADE THO

My back was holding in, and my right ankle wasn't whining too much - not going to lie and say everything was rosy, but pain levels from both were quite manageable and it felt AMAZING to be moving efficiently (if not what you could really call fast) over technical trails again.

It had been rather a long time..

Oh, the brilliant green of spring on the trails..

I wasn't pushing anything hard - just running when it felt good (mostly downhill) and walking the rest, while slurping on my hand bottle. I kind of wish I'd brought either a bigger, or second bottle along; I ended up having to ration my sips a bit, which wasn't ideal. My belly still wasn't feeling great as I continued to battle dehydration, but I didn't need to go off-roading at any point, so we'll call it a win.

It was only getting hotter, though.

With all the walking - plus occasional stops to take photos, and one to give Tank (who was out hiking) a smooch when our paths crossed - it took me significantly longer to finish off the second leg, especially since it ended up being a smidge longer than I needed. Trail running is not a precise science!

(Garmin data is here)

Run 2 - 8.13km in 1:08:19 @ 8:24/km

(Moving time only - elapsed time a hair over 1h15m)

I had tucked a couple of freezies into the cooler bag in the car, and while they were definitely no longer frozen by the time we got to them - barely even slushy - they were cold and delicious. I also had a freakin' MAGICAL smoked turkey sandwich with lots of mustard, both for some protein and sodium. I hadn't used any electrolytes all day, and that may have contributed to my difficulty with hydration.

In any case, I hoped to catch up a bit by taking a different approach to leg #3. Tanker and I had talked before the event about the possibility of signing him up for the 6-hour version (you could do 6, 12, 24, 36 or 48-hour permutations), so he'd end up hiking 5mi twice, and we were going to do it together. We never actually got 'round to registering him, though, and when the chosen day came up hot and sunny (in which weather poor Tank tends to suffer quite a bit), he decided that 10 miles might be a bit much. Nonetheless, he'd hiked while I ran leg #2, and for the third outing we were going to hike together for a bit!

Though why he'd want to hang out with a dork like me, who knows?

I'd only changed my shoes, top and hat between runs #1 and #2, but did a full change - including into a cooling shirt - for #3. We hit another bit of trail very close to home (fortunately, as my laissez-faire pace for the second leg didn't leave us much time to get home, change clothes, re-pack the cooler bag and get to the trailhead!) right as the clock struck 3pm, having grabbed my 0.75L water bottle to bring along and attempt to re-hydrate while I hiked the first loop with my sweetheart.

MOAR SHADE

A red trillium along the trail

We wandered along while I slurped on my bottle, once again running shy on water and having to ration my sips while we hiked. I was happy to have my squishy hand bottle stowed in the car for the second loop, as well as another bottle for afterward!

The trout stream bridge

Checking out a trail loop we hadn't done before meant that the hiking loop ended up almost exactly at 5k, which meant I could cut off an out-and-back section after we returned to the car so I could pick up my hand bottle and drop off Tank. It was time to run again!

Or something approximating running, anyway.

Visible difference in cadence and pace, anyway!

It actually went better than I expected - the soft trail surface was forgiving on my back, and my ankle was grumbly but generally cooperative. The heat remained an issue, though, especially as much of the trail was not nearly as shady as it could be.

*panting*

There's also a big stinkin' hill, then a dip and another decent-sized hill on the way out to where we parked (as the other trailhead parking area was occupied when we went past) - I somehow managed to run the latter, but definitely walked the former.

Errhh powerhiked..

I had to do a little loop on the sun-drenched road at the trailhead to make the last few metres, but I got it done, having drunk another 400ml of water in the ~20mins I ran.

(Garmin data is here)

Run 3- 8.05km in 1:27:31 @ 10:52/km

(This was full duration - I didn't stop my watch)

More freezies from the cooler bag in the car, plus a homemade oatmeal raisin cookie each. A quick jaunt home, a slice of toast with sunbutter and raspberry jam, a change of top, hat, sunglasses, and shoes, then back out the door at 6pm on the nose for the final leg of this madness.

Still hot and sunny, though the heat had passed its peak

My back hated running down Shantz Hill, my neck and shoulder were getting very tight, my right ankle was whining a lot, and nothing felt particularly good. So, I took it as easy as I could, drinking liberally from my hand bottle as I went - I'd had the bright idea to add a scoop of eLoad this time, and I think that finally helped get me over the dehydration issue. My belly finally settled down, after spending entirely too much time in the washroom in between runs. 

Nice that someone has cleared the flood/ice jam debris from the trail

As I made my slow, rather beat-up way downstream along the Grand River, some cloud cover began to move in to give me a reprieve from the sun's merciless assault.

Cooler and shady - yes, please!

While I can't really say I finished strong, I'd hazard that running at all at this point counts as a win - with as de-trained as I'd become in the last few weeks (since learning I had a spinal injury, that I'd recently made much worse), the injuries I'm still working through, and the sudden heat and sun that day, I was surprised when I found myself powering up the last little rise at the bottom of the Grand Trunk Trail to meet Tanker in Riverbluffs Park. Once again, my route had ended up a touch long - by a whole half-kilometer!

(Garmin data is here)

Run 4 - 8.55km in 57:53 @ 6:46/km

(This is again just moving time - total duration a little more than 1h2m)

Why would I run a point-to-point for the final leg of this thing? Because it spat me out only a mile or so away from ICE CREAM.

We're so lucky to have No Udder scooping dairy-free ice cream so close to home!

So I made it though 32km - plus a bit - in a day, and actually didn't feel too awful afterward. I'm sure I had an easier time with this than many other people would due to my commitment to running multiple times per day during the 100 runs in 100 days challenge every year; at no point did I have any trouble convincing myself to head back out, even as things started to break down and hurt. 

Which I attempted to assuage by rubbing an empty cider bottle on it...after finally having a shower!

Oh, and just to make things extra dorky, I took a series of photos - one after each of my runs - to pay homage to the race logo, which appears on the awesome tubular gaiter I'll receive as my registration gift!

I'm not as cute (or flexible) as the kitty, but I did my best.

This was a fun challenge, and supports a great cause - the proceeds will all be donated to the Etobicoke Humane Society. Since there's still time to register and run or walk - you have until this Sunday - why not give it a shot?

Responding

..or trying to, at least.

The path ahead is nowhere near as well-defined as this rain-soaked trail.

I managed to take 2 full weeks off running, and even blew off my first little trot by a day so I could go have fun with Tanker on the beautiful Saturday we were given for the Victoria Day weekend.

Coffee on the lawn, a motorcycle ride, a lovely hike, and I even got to paddle my board for the first time this year!

I even kept it short for my first outing on Sunday, getting out early to beat the impending 30+ hours of rain.

Just a little more than 3km, though it was in wind gusting up to 50kph.

My back didn't complain too much, though my ankle made it abundantly clear that I'd done nothing whatsoever during my time off to release the angry calf muscle that makes it cranky. 

I've been using my inversion table daily, but that only helps my back.

I started addressing the calf tightness with some rather uncomfortable application of a lacrosse ball, and it seemed to help a fair bit. The wet weather had me in no hurry to run again on the holiday Monday, but we did get out for a nice, long (if soggy) hike at a local trail tract.

I'm so happy Tanker is willing to go for a couple of hours' wander in the rain.

I had every intention of waiting til Wednesday to run again at all, so I didn't bring kit with me to work on Tuesday...but when the weather was incredibly lovely, and a new pair of sunglasses arrived at my office for me in time for my lunch walk, I found myself doing silly things..

Yes, I ran in Chucks.
Just little bits, on the soft grass.

I did some running drills - butt kicks, high knees - and some skipping, just for giggles. I ran through the dandelions and stopped to sniff flowers.

I have no idea what these are called, but they smell divine.

When nothing felt totally awful by evening, I gathered up my kit and stuffed it in a bag to take with me to work on Wednesday, when it was predicted to be about the loveliest day of the year so far. 

My legs and lungs were not entirely prepared for hills under the blazing sun, but despite giving myself permission to stop or walk if I needed to, I actually ran a little more than 4km without a pause. 

Actual footage.
(Nah, that's unkind to the snail.)

My ankle felt ok, which was awesome - if I can just remember to keep after it, I'm hopeful I'll have that business licked. There was a bit of tightness in my glutes and hamstrings that I wasn't sure about the actual cause: I'd done some light squats (25lb kettlebell) and one-leg deadlifts (with laughable 3lb weights in each hand) on Tuesday morning, and thought the stiffness might be from that. 

Only one way to find out for sure - it was a warm, sunny, beautiful evening when I got home from work yesterday, so I headed out for another easy 20mins or so.

Because why quit when you're ahead?

No pain from either the ankle or my back while running - definitely chalking that up as a win. More tightness in the glute and hamstring today, but I had done some work yesterday morning with my big bouncy ball that might be the culprit there. Or maybe it was trying to run 2 days in a row. Or maybe I'm just screwed and running will always be a thing that hurts me; I'm not going to lie and tell you that's not a huge fear of mine, and there's definitely a strong possibility my ultra days are over.

In the meantime, though, I'll keep plugging away where I can, and see how it responds. 

..and maybe try something stupid here and there, just for kicks.

Baby steps

So, I still haven't gone for a run since I messed myself up almost 2 weeks ago..

..though I'm still getting out on the trails a bit.

See, when I did the stupid 25k run a few hours after my back went pop, I didn't really realise what the problem was...or that it was a much more severe version of something that's been plaguing me for more than a year. All I knew was that it seemed to be mostly ok while running, so I ran.

I'd planned to take some down time after that "race" anyway, and did so - I'm terrible at just lazing around, though, so I went for a few gentle walks with Tank on Sunday, and did some pull-ups n my rock rings in the livingroom. I did shy away from doing offset hanging knee raises, as my back was still quite tender.

Come Monday I was back at the office, and with the power of the internet constantly in front of me, I started doing a bit of searching to see if I could figure out what I'd done to myself.

Paging Dr. Google...paging Dr. Google..

Within a half-hour I'd stumbled on something that not only seemed to fit the symptoms I'd had since Saturday, but also the persistent, burning pain and cramping I'd had in my left glutes, hamstrings, and hip since somewhere around March of 2019.

Spondylolisthesis. 

Basically: I broke a bit off a vertebra, and now it can slip out of place.

So the pressure of the displaced vertebra on my nerves explains the wandering, on-again-off-again pain in my left hip, butt, and leg, plus the lack of flexibility I've been dealing with. I used to be able to fold in half and put my palms flat on the floor; for the past year I've been unable to reach past mid-shin without bending my knees. The worst part is sitting in the car; I'd started to suspect over the last couple of months that it might be something spinal, since I could ease the burning pain in my left glutes and hamstrings by dropping my seat back and laying closer to flat. This rather confirmed it.

For some reason I felt like a spinal injury should probably not be ignored.

Unable to see my awesome RMT, chiropractor, physiotherapist, or osteopath due to the pandemic closing all their practices, I started scouring used sites for something that my RMT had suggested when I texted her about how I'd managed to hurt myself this time. I'm rather embarrassed to say how often those conversations happen..

In any case, I managed to find what I was looking for (at a price I could mostly afford) for sale in Brantford, where Tank and I picked it up on Saturday.

And it sort of stows out of the way..

I got quite a bit of relief from my first use, and have been on it daily since.

Though I can't say it's the most comfortable thing in the world; it's not nearly as nice as the one my RMT has.

The relief from the inversion table hasn't been as marked since that first day, but the back pain hasn't been as bad overall, either. I'm told that this is pretty much as expected for my issue. My reading on the subject also suggests that there's no real treatment for what's wrong with me, apart from rest and strengthening my (already regularly-worked) core musculature to support the slippage. It seems if things get really horrible then spinal fusion is the final resort, but since it has a very poor historical record of proving any relief to patients, that's not a road I really want to contemplate.

So I'm in a bit of a weird place right now. My back has been improving, and I now know that I ran 100km reasonably well last year with it at least partially messed up. That ought to be comforting, but I know I've made it much worse now, and being over forty I'm not sure how well I'll be able to bounce back from this. 

And while I'm enjoying going for more walks with Tanker, I'd really like to be able to run trails again.

I've been trying to take care of myself as best I can - limiting myself to walking on my lunch instead of running, and modifying the strength work I do 5-ish times per week to include more yoga and less stress-inducing bending of my spine. I'm now to the point I can function pain free basically all day, though every now and then I'll move wrong and the pain will flare.

Yes, I've even been doing yoga.

While I know this isn't something with which I should trifle, patience is not my forte, and a nagging part of my brain keeps telling me that I managed to run 25k within hours of the acute injury, so why not go for a run anyway?

I keep trying to shut it up, but on Wednesday, when I found myself out for a lunch walk on a beautiful day (after the stupid mid-May snow finally blew away), wearing running shoes..

Oops.

I ran across an intersection. It was hard to stop my legs when I got to the other side, but I did so. Then I ran another road crossing, and then another. I finished by running along the side of my office building, with a bit of a walk to "cool down" after.

The longest "interval" was about 100 steps.

Then, I waited to see the fallout. My back didn't seem to protest, though; it's still not perfect, but it didn't really seem to get worse.

I haven't tried again yet. The weather was better than expected when I got home from work yesterday, but I went for a walk with Tanker instead. Today is not only my usual day off (though that really just means I didn't do a strength workout this morning before heading to the office), but it's hosing rain out there. Tomorrow is supposed to be the nicest day of the year so far, though, so I may just try pushing my luck a little..

A tiptoe through the trilliums would be lovely!

With trails beginning to re-open throughout the province, I can only hope the worst of this is behind me now. At least I finally know what the problem is, so I'm better equipped to come up with some management strategies. I can't give up hope of getting back to long days of rambling happily through the woods, but I'll try to take it slow and allow myself some time to heal.

Baby steps, right?