Soften the landing

 It's been almost 3 weeks since Tally in the Valley, and I'm still in the process of recovery.

It took rather a lot out of me, so it's sort of to be expected

My feet are healing up nicely - I've been able to wear lace-up footwear since a week after the race, and the last of the dressings (on the deepest abrasion on the inside of my right heel) was no longer necessary by Wednesday of this week.

There's still a bit of dead skin hanging around the edges of former blisters, but the new skin is strong enough to handle regular wear & tear

Almost everyone knows the basics of post-race recovery - and how that looks for each person or event is going to be a little different - but I thought I'd give you some thoughts on some less-obvious tools than epsom salt baths, massage guns, and foam rollers that I have used to help make the few days post-race a little less uncomfortable.

1. A Cane

Seriously

This is something every household should have on hand, whether they run absurdly long distances or not - almost all of us will twist an ankle or do some other bit of damage that needs a bit of assistance with walking at some point. It took me until Thursday after the race before I could hobble around without one, and it was a great help with anything that required bending at the knee: getting up and down stairs (and my house is seemingly nothing but stairs), or even getting on or off the toilet. Choose utility over looks here - we have a cool cane with a dragon head grip, but it's absolute murder on my hand if I try to actually use it to take weight off my feet. The one pictured above has a comfortable, smooth wooden grip, a sturdy rubber foot, and conveniently breaks down (like a trekking pole) to easily fit in a bag when not needed. I will often bring this to the race with me if I suspect it'll be a tough one, and I've frequently been grateful I did.

2. A plastic chair

Any cheap patio chair will do, as long as it fits in your tub or shower enclosure.

I think you know where I'm going with this

I can't tell you how many times a shower would not have happened after a race if I actually had to stand there. It can be a bit of a challenge to get all of your bits clean while seated, but if the choice is between mostly clean with a bit of fussing or utterly filthy and smelly, I'll do my best in the chair every time.

3. A laundry basket

This one is a bit more esoteric - I used a small laundry basket with a couple of towels inside underneath the covers to keep anything from touching my feet while I slept, because they looked like this (WARNING: I highly suggest you are not eating or drinking anything if you click that link. It's super gross).

I wrapped a large towel under the front edge of the basket to pad it - the smaller towel was mostly to absorb any leakage from the dressings

4. Leak protection

Ok now this is going to be a little gross, and probably more for the ladies, but here we are. I wore a pair of period panties (my favourites are made by Bambody and I purchased through amazon.ca) for a few days - ok a different pair each day folks, I'm not that disgusting (when I'm not on the trail) - after the race, for two reasons: 

                a) In really long races, all of your muscles get worn out...including those that control when things exit your body...and may take a day or two to start functioning properly again.

                b) I was so ridiculously slow moving that I could not be guaranteed to make it to the bathroom in time.

You could also use a maxi pad inside regular underwear for this purpose, but I find that my period panties give much better coverage and are less likely to leak. Better to wash a pair of underoos than have to try to spot-clean the furniture or the carpet on the way to the washroom!

..and here's a picture of a pretty sunset to try to cleanse your mind a little.

5. Shoes that are too big for you

Because of the horrible blisters and abrasions that I suffered during Tally, it wasn't possible for me to wear socks at all for a few days, let alone compression socks. The same damage to my feet also made it difficult for me to put them up at all during my workday, and as a result the swelling in my feet and ankles was astonishing!

Left is after they returned to normal size - right is Wednesday after the race

I ended up wearing Tanker's sandals for a few days. 

My usual shoe size is men's 7.5-8ish, whereas his is men's 11.5-12ish

If you don't have a big-footed person in your home willing to lend you their footwear, it might be worthwhile to invest in a pair of extra-big sandals in case this sort of thing happens to you. I highly recommend buying something easily washable (the above are EVA Birkenstocks, which are non-porous and can be scrubbed up simply with soap and water, then dried with a towel) in case of blister or wound leakage.

You may also want to buy a pair or two of socks that are too big as well. I used a pair of oversize non-compressive (diabetic) socks over the gauze wrap on my feet to try to keep everything in place during the night, and another pair of larger-than-I-usually-need socks on my swollen feet to keep them warm when I went to hang out on the bench at a hockey game the Thursday after the race.

..as I was still stuck in Tank's sandals

6. Hydrocolloid dressings

I've talked about these in the past for blisters, but they're honestly great for any kind of wound (including tattoos - most shops are now using these dressings instead of the old plastic wrap or absorbent pad). These self-adhesive dressings are waterproof and can stay on for multiple days - I've left them for up to a week at times - and prevent infection by sealing the wound, allowing it to heal without disturbing the body's own processes.

They're also thin and flexible to conform to contours, have a bit of stretch to accommodate swelling, and can be overlapped to cover large areas

My preferred brand is 3M Nexcare Tegaderm (link to amazon.ca - I purchased at Zehrs) but I have used Life Brand, Elastoplast, and Band-Aid brand dressings with varying success in the past. 

These dressings will even hold up to running!

So there you have it - my pro tips for making the few days after a race that has absolutely destroyed you a little more comfortable. Do you have any unusual tricks you use when recovering from a big race? Let me know in the comments!

..and be kind to yourselves out there <3

Push

 I did something last night I haven't done for a really long time.

..and something I wasn't even sure I was capable of.

As everyone who is reading this probably knows, I tend to run races long enough that walking during them is pretty much non-optional - I'm sure there are plenty of humans out there who can and do run the whole way through a 50k, but I'm not one of them.

Walking the hills keeps me from blowing myself up and being unable to even drag myself to the finish

This means walking in training is a really good idea, because it uses different muscle engagement than running, and you should train all aspects of what you expect to do in a race. 

Including eating and drinking the same things you intend to in an event, but that's a post for a different day 

Thing is, over the past few months I've incorporated walking into basically all of my runs. I've been having a bit of a tough time with fitness this year, and sometimes it's all I can do to keep my legs turning over at a run for more than a minute or two, even on flat pavement.

..which isn't a great feeling, let me tell you.

Here's an example from a recent 8k run:

Blue are run intervals, green are walk intervals, and orange is idle time (usually waiting at a stoplight or pausing to take a photo)

I try to push a bit when I run down to the market on Saturdays - partly due to the fact I'm trying to get there before everything is sold out - so I try to force myself to run all the paved sections, but I'm too clumsy and unfit to run all the technical bits without hurting myself.

Tripping and hitting my head on a rock is not a good way to get to the market, or to the start line of a race

Sometimes it's not the engine - it's the chassis. Particularly as I've been nudging mileage up in the last couple of months, I've been walking more and more of my runs just to survive: intentionally setting a limit on how many steps I'll run before I walk (I kind of always count anyway), in an effort to limit the pounding and spend a little more time just moving. 

Sometimes the intention is even to walk more than I run, though it seldom works out that way

As a result, I was left wondering - am I even still capable of running more than a handful of minutes at a time? I'd tried to push things a little earlier this week, but my longest run segment was only about four and a half minutes.

There were a couple of good-size hills that I never intended to run, but some good flat stretches as well

I mean, part of it has been due to heat and humidity: even after dark, the weather has just been gross for awhile. The heat drops, but the air still feels like trying to breathe soup. Before that, we had smoke from the wildfires that brought its own set of breathing issues. 

I might like to run through cemeteries, but I'd prefer running not to accelerate my permanent residency in one

Last night, though, the humidity finally dropped along with the temperature. By the time I was able to get away from my desk and get out the door around 10:30pm - oh how I love year-end audit season - it was down to 17c/63f. While I was tired and sore from everything since my training week is from Saturday to Thursday (Fridays off!), I also just wanted to be done so I could eat and shower and go the heck to sleep.

So I went for it.

Here goes nothing

Whether motivation or weather conditions or just plain luck, I was actually able to keep it going - I ran a little more than 4 miles, with no stops or walk breaks. My pace was nothing to brag about, and my legs are certainly more beat up than they have been for awhile for a run of such a short distance, but it feels pretty good to know I can actually do it.

Not super easy, but much more relaxed than I expected it to be

The output from SmashRun - which is a site I've used for years that gives you some pretty neat stats - was kind of impressive.

Fastest 6k in a year?

As I'm now getting close to a pretty big, scary race, I probably won't try this again any time soon - I like my walk intervals, and am now trying to let my body recover from the biggest block of running I've done in quite awhile - but I'm glad I can still control my pacing and truck along for awhile when I need to.

'cause what I've got coming is going to take every tool I've got to get through.

Happy running, y'all!

Uphill Battle

 My ankle is a jerk.

Maybe I just need to learn how to hop?

So I've been doing a lot of not-really-running, in an attempt to let it heal a bit. 

..as well as enjoying some other hobbies.

Of course, I'm not very good at staying off my feet...so I've been trying to stick to soft surfaces like trails.

Which has also let me catch the peak of trillium season

These are all very lazy "I'm all on my own and doing whatever the heck I want" trail jaunts - traipsing through the delicious scents of lilacs and lily of the valley - but the majority of them still tend to be running vs walking. 

 

Sometimes it's just a 51% majority, but still

On pavement, though - the only thing that I really have access to during the week - I mostly walk. In order to try to preserve some shred of fitness, I've had to get a bit creative with ways to get my heart rate up. Sometimes that means adding an element of resistance.

Though it does tend to be a bit tire-ing

Towing Priscilla around for a few kilometers not only provides a decent workout - especially with a few teenytiny run intervals - but also gives my neighbours a decent laugh at the idiot in the inner tube harness doing the dragging.

Fortunately I learned to stop taking myself seriously ages ago

But mostly what I do is try to find ways to go up.

Spotted: a prime candidate

I've kind of avoided running hills - particularly hill repeats - for ages, much to my detriment. I mean, I mostly walk them in races (as if I've actually raced in years) anyway, so what's the point of running them in training? I'd "power hike" instead.

I mean I'd run up little ones like this...but just in passing, not as repeats.

Here's the thing: I'm trying to avoid too much impact force on my grouchy ankle, and running uphill is much easier on your joints than running on flats or (particularly) downhills. So, with the above hill being around the back of the larger crescent off which my street curves, I can get a good brisk walk in (maybe half a kilometer) to the bottom of it, then run up it and walk back down again.

I may or may not have done that a baker's dozen times last week, and then walked the half-kilometer home from the top of it.

Passing a lilac bush in full bloom on each repeat

If I'm feeling brave, I'll go for something bigger.

Like this heckin thing

I live on top of a good size hill, with 5 ways (that I know of) to climb it - 2 of them have sidewalks or multi-use trails, one only has sidewalk for the top third, one (pictured above) is an access driveway for a stormwater management pond, and one is a trail strewn with fallen trees that doesn't actually go all the way to the top.

No sidewalks til you're already out of breath

This means I can go for a walk in almost any direction until I reach the bottom of the hill, then go climb it a different way. Hiking up Shantz Hill is a decent workout itself, but I've actually been shocked to find that I'm stronger running up hills than I would have expected.

Which is a pretty pleasant surprise, let me tell you

I don't know how well my fitness preservation strategy will work when I eventually get back to more sustained running, but it's better than nothing and is at least helping me avoid weight gain while I try to let things heal. I really long for the days of spending hours just rambling around in the woods, and can only hope I'll be back to them soon.

At least I'm still getting a taste, even if it only leaves me wanting more.

Fingers crossed I'll get this thing licked, without too much more of an uphill battle..

It's not how fast you go

It's that you go that counts.

At least that's what I like to tell myself as glaciers go racing past me

Maybe I've spent too much time as a hobby jogger - or perhaps "experiential runner" is more accurate - but I was utterly baffled by a response I got recently.

No, it wasn't from turkey tails...but it was from a fun guy!

I'd learned that the Polar Paws Trail Race is coming back for 2022, with a brand new venue to explore. So, I passed that information (plus the link to register) along to someone I know who enjoys running trails, and has a soft heart for animals - the race has, after all, historically been a fundraiser for the Etobicoke Humane Society.

As well as a lovely time in the woods

I said I was in for the 25k and Tank (whom this person also knows) would be at the aid station all day. The person I invited told me they were really out of shape right now, so needed to work on that first - they haven't been running much.

Which I sort of get, but..

Here's the thing: if you're having trouble getting motivated to go out and run, wouldn't laying down a bit of money (for a good cause) and making a solid appointment to do so be a good idea?

Not to mention just getting some fresh air and time in the trees?

I told my invitee that there was nothing saying they had to go hard: just run a bit, walk a bit, and enjoy the time in the beauty of nature.

The person said they'd think about it.

This led me to an examination of why I race these days - I'm generally not fast enough to do anything noteworthy in the results, and I've arrived at so many start lines with injuries that it's become rather a joke. But still, I'm always happy to lay down my cash, get up before the sun, and go chase a bunch of flags that someone took the time to poke into the ground in the forest.

Sometimes for a few hours - sometimes for a few days

Apart from trying to make cutoff times (mostly out of respect for the volunteers and race directors who have lives of their own to get back to), I'm seldom concerned about the clock while I'm out there, or my particular fitness level at the time.

Chasing no-one but my own shadow, and the next lovely view

Races offer me the chance to go explore places I might not ordinarily hear about or visit, and stay out longer or in worse conditions than I otherwise might on my own.

Though some recent flooding had me questioning where the limit is in what I'll do on my own
(in the dark, with snow starting to fall)

But really, it all comes down to joy - the pure elation of setting out on a course, not knowing what beautiful sight or nefarious challenge the race director may have in store for me, or what delightful encounters I may have with wildlife or other runners (which can sometimes be considered the same thing, really - these are trail runners we're talking about!) along the way.

Frosty sunsets or sunny mud puddle jumping?

The worst thing I can think of would be never knowing what could have been, just because I didn't feel like I was in shape enough to race.

..but maybe that's just me.

See you in the woods!

Stuff I'm Loving - April 2021

 I used to do really in-depth product reviews, but I'd usually only get to them once the products were no longer current.

Which is not especially helpful if you can't actually buy that product anymore

So, I'm just going to throw out a bunch of stuff that has made me happy lately, and is still available for purchase!

Runyon Canyon Apparel

Focusing on "made in the USA" and giving back to conserve American wilderness, they donate $1 for every item sold to the "One Wild Buck" initiative to protect and preserve wildlife and open space. The real reason I ordered from them, though? A friend of mine (who turns out to be a friend of the company's owner) posted a pic of this shirt, and I knew it had to be mine.

RAWR

It's about the softest thing I've ever felt, has no seams at all at the armpits, and inside-out seams almost everywhere else so it should be chafe-free. I also ordered one of their all-mesh trucker hats with reflective (the paracord has reflective flecks, and the tag on the back is reflective), and for purchasing more than $50 of gear they sent me a free hand-screened bandana with their running lupine logo, which they offer in a dizzying array of colour combinations. I'm wearing all of these items in the photos above and below, and I love 'em!

I swear people were extra friendly to me while I was wearing this outfit, too!

Belcorva's Shorts

A friend of mine turned me on to this company, which specializes in activewear at reasonable prices and includes POCKETS of USEFUL SIZE in all of their bottoms! They have full length tights (of which I have a pair), capris, and a few different styles of shorts..

Including THE PERFECT PAIR to go with my RAWR shirt!

I'm not as big a fan of their tights - despite the huge, quite-useful pockets - as they're on the high waisted side and my stumpy little torso does not get on well with that cut. They ride down, leading to the Dreaded Cantaloupe Crotch, aka melonspace. This is an issue I face a lot, so your mileage may vary, but anything that comes down below my knees tends to be prone to it. For that reason, I have declined to try any of their capri-length tights, which pains me as they come in some really awesome colours!

The shorts, however? I have one pair each of two different styles, and I'm a fan! The compression-style shorts seen above have giant pockets on each thigh; my only quibble with them is that perhaps they're a bit too large, as the top of the pocket sits higher than you'd expect (like hip height), and my phone sinks down to the very bottom of the pocket when running with it. 

Not me - this image is from their site

I have a similar sort of issue with the Runner's Dream 5-pocket shorts I got from them back in the winter, in which I've run a few times now: the inner compression shorts have pockets that come up so high that it's pretty much impossible to get anything in or out of them while wearing them, and the pockets of the outer shorts come up past my hip crease, which can make it a bit awkward to have a large object (like my phone in there), particularly as the zip-secured opening is fairly narrow. I will say this, though: I expected to hate them, and to be completely unable to get my phone in or out of the pocket while moving, but I have been pleasantly surprised! It's not the easiest thing, but it works.

Again, photo from their site - the pair I have is plain black.

The fit is a bit strange on first blush; they're quite snug in the thighs, but have a bit of extra room (on me) at the waist. Here's the thing about that, though: the legs stay put, and I say that as someone whose thighs laugh at that very suggestion. I have spent a lot of my life digging shorts that "don't ride up!" according to 8 million reviews out of where - you guessed it - they rode up. These don't. The bagging at the waist is solved by the drawstring, and means if I'm having a bloaty day or have just put on a few extra winter pounds, I can adjust the fit to my own comfort. 

Both pairs of shorts also have a small zip pocket at the lower back with reflective strips for visibility

Gym Rings

Not a brand - just a pair of wooden rings on heavy-duty straps. I bought a pair for under $40 off amazon.ca, tossed them up in my livingroom (I have a couple of eye bolts in the archway that used to be a wall I've been using to attach free-swinging climbing holds for doing pull-ups and stuff), and promptly got my arse kicked.

In the best of ways, that is.

I didn't think they'd be quite so difficult, but that just means it's a great challenge for me to work away at. Heck, I couldn't do a single pull-up before about 3 years ago, so I have no reason to believe I can't make some improvements!

Slackline Industries Play Line

Speaking of challenging..

I mean, at least I'm realistic about it.

This just came in on Monday, and we've had it out a grand total of once so far; on Tanker's birthday on Tuesday evening. It's TOUGH, and so far we've only been able to accomplish anything on it by using the "help line" that our kit came with. However, we were only able to play around with it for about 25mins - over at the local schoolyard, because we haven't had any trees in our backyard for almost 3 years now - before we had to pull it down to run away from an incoming thunderstorm.

Heck, we weren't even using the helpline correctly, since one of the trees bends away massively between the height of the two lines

Tank turns out to be amazingly good at it, though!

We had a hoot, and can't wait to get it back out again - or better yet, for when we're able to get together with friends and toss the line up so we can all have some laughs by giving it a try.

Speaking of which, the last thing I'm loving right now is that my sweetheart has just yesterday got his first dose of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. While he's had some pretty unpleasant side effects today - he was sent home from work at lunchtime after some digestive issues, full-body aches, chills, and even some respiratory issues - it's one step closer to being able to gather with and hug the people we've been missing this past year.

Deep breath and hold tight; just as the trails get a little greener each day right now, a future full of races and parties and freedom draws a little closer with every sunrise.

And I'm RAWR-ing to go!