2016 Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon Weekend - The 5k

2016 Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona 5k
 

I have to say, I love running this particular 5k event.  After I’d run the inaugural 5k last year (in final preparation for the next day’s race), I remembered really enjoying the race but my mind was so focused on the Marathon that I didn’t have any truly specific memories of running the 5k beyond tagging along with Ryan Hall and feeling truly relaxed and pleased.  As we drove home after the race weekend and throughout 2015 Charlene and I both knew that we wanted to run that 5k again, this time with our full attention.

Charlene and I both had the honor and pleasure of being invited to participate in the 2016 Rock ‘n’ Roll 5k.  With a year’s worth of anticipation we were both very eager to experience it again, in some ways it would be like experiencing it for the first time since we’d be fully in the moment.

I will admit to being a little nervous about this race:  It was to be the first true test of my racing capability since having surgery to repair the torn and separated labrum in my left hip.  There is a major difference between running a 5k and racing one to the best of your capability (as you no doubt know), and I hadn’t tested speed in over ½ a year.  

As part of our normal routine, Charlene and I arrived at the race site a little over an hour early:  It helps ensure good parking, leaves plenty of time to get your head on straight, and you can get in a full session of dynamic stretches and exercises to warm up.  While we were getting ourselves ready for the race and trying to shake off the morning chill we were asked to talk with ABC15 Arizona; they wanted to know where we’d come from to participate in the race(s), why we came to this particular event, what we considered special about the Rock ‘n’ Roll race series itself.  I don’t remember stepping forward to do the “mini” interview but I found myself up front and center with a smiling MaryEllen Resendez addressing me and a spotlight providing a pool of warmth:  My teeth stopped chattering and I tried my best to share my enthusiasm for the race with her.  My sister said I seemed pretty comfortable in front of the camera but to be honest I didn’t care about it at all, I was trying to entice MaryEllen to run the race too (I don’t think she did, I should have been more succinct).

Charlene and I spent a good 30 minutes or so milling about the pre-race zone soaking up the excitement and getting ourselves loosened up.  Both of us planned on letting ourselves run our best race during the 5k; we didn’t have to save strength for the Half Marathon since we already knew it would be a run/walk program due to it being my longest run in 6 months.  The excitement kicked into high gear for us as we joined the thousands of other runners in the start corrals, the race MC/announcer was really getting everyone charged up.  The pre-race nerves I had all morning finally started to calm down as gun time approached.  After a quick pre-race selfie with my sister (our #runningsiblings tradition) I put a Glukos Energy tablet in my cheek and got ready for my very first hard run.  As a general, and very good, rule you should not try new fueling or racing gear on race day but at this point I had nothing to lose and everything to gain.  The fact that I intended to run hard during the 5k made it perfect for testing Glukos since my effort levels would by sky high and the amount of time short (besides, I already knew where the porta-potties were just in case my stomach argued).

We weren’t just “let go” at the start of the 5k, we were launched.  I’m reasonably sure the MC was pulled to the edge of the platform by the suction our sudden departure created.  I do know for sure that several of the first 50 runners and I had to get control of ourselves within the first quarter mile as we all started out faster than planned due to the high energy levels.  Unlike last year, I kept mind in the present while running this course:  The variety of sights, sounds, and even “feel” of the terrain was truly inspiring.  I began to understand why I’d enjoyed the first run on the course even though my mind didn’t register it; we started out in a semi-modern industrial setting by running on an overpass crossing the Tempe Town Lake; transitioned into a stretch road that carried us along the northern edge of LoPiano Bosque Habitat (desert beauty in all it’s glory lit by the morning sun); ran briefly next to a nice neighborhood of cheering people; dropped down to run beside Tempe Town lake on a nice bike path (great spot to pick up speed too); and then finally turned sharply to sprint across the lake on a bridge (sister to the one we started on) which brought us home to the finish line.

I hung around the finish line/secure zone for the few minutes it took for Charlene to finish by taking the time to stretch and catch my breath once I passed the photo walls and found an empty spot on the fence.  I was very happy to find that my heartrate and breathing calmed down very quickly, a good indicator that I haven’t completely lost my conditioning during the recovery from surgery.  I know that I had as big a smile on my face as my sister did when she came through the crowd of racers and photographers after her strong finish.  We both started talking about how much we enjoyed the course and how fun it was to really run it hard as we made our way over to bag check and then to Tempe Beach Park and the Finish Line Festival.  While Charlene took a few minutes to make a quick Periscope video showing the post-race activities I took a couple pictures of the racers still crossing the North Shore Beach Path imagining that I was a spectator seeing me cross that path, in my mind it was a lot like looking in an infinity mirror (watching myself run and seeing myself as I run). 

When she finished up her video, and I finished daydreaming, we walked around the festival for a few minutes to check out the tents and see all of the excited kids.  I wish we could have stayed to watch them run but I needed Ice and Charlene needed coffee.  We found a nearby Starbucks in the Downtown Tempe shopping area and let our minds and bodies relax.  I couldn’t help but check the online results while she enjoyed her tall, hot, double-carma-frapy-lip-foamy-nose drink. 

I almost fell out of my chair when my 5k results came up and showed that I’d finished 2^nd in my Age Group.  It took some time and effort to get Charlene’s results up for her 5k efforts; they showed her finish had tied for 3^rd place in her Age Group.  What a wild and awesome way to finish our first race of the weekend.

Up next – The 2016 RnR AZ Half Marathon.

*Disclaimer:   I was an invited guest to the RnRAZ, the views, reviews and opinions expressed are my own and not influenced by the organizers nor sponsors or any other company/individual affiliated with the event.

- Previous - The 2016 RnR AZ Expo

- Next - The 2016 RnR AZ Half Marathon

2016 Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon Weekend - The Half Marathon

2016 Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Half Marathon

I should have been nervous about running the RnRAZ Half Marathon:  I hadn’t run 13.1 miles since before my Labrum surgery in August 2015, and I’d only begun running again during the weekend of the 2015 Las Vegas Rock ‘n’ Roll 10k (a 2 mile walk/run trial and then walk/running the RnRLV 10k).  This would be more than double my longest run in 2 months of training; runners should not make big jumps in distance such as this, it often leads to injury.  I felt confident that I could mitigate the risks with a good plan to take walk breaks and to run much slower than I would for the 10k distance I’d proven myself on.  I believed in my heart and in my muscles that my strength and conditioning was good enough to run an entire Half Marathon at an easy pace but my safety was more important than my pride.  There is a great deal of peace in having a plan.

Doubling my longest run wasn’t the only risk I took regarding the Half Marathon:  I decided at the RnRAZ expo, just 2 days prior, that I was going to run both races fueling with Glukos Energy products.  I would never recommend changing your fueling the weekend of your big race to anyone; you just can’t know how your body will respond.  That being said (and well understood), I believed that Glukos Energy fuels would indeed work well for me after taste testing it and running with the tablets on the 5k.  At the time of the race I had no true compatible fuel on hand because none had passed my run tests the last time I trained for, or ran, a marathon (RnRAZ 2015).  I couldn’t stomach the various gels I’d tried over 10 marathons; every one either made my stomach revolt or they were too sweet and made me gag (or both in some cases).  Glukos Energy tablets and gels were so mild and light in flavor when I tested them at the Expo I knew that it would be my next training fuel.  Since I had nothing to lose and no fueling baseline I went with the new official Rock ‘n’ Roll on-course fuel.

I knew that this half marathon would be special, for personal and family reasons, but I never expected it to start off on such a great note as finding out that our race day invitation included Pre- and Post-race VIP access (as well as the all-important parking pass).  The Half Marathon Pre-race private VIP area was located at The Handlebar Tempe bar, a really nice bike (and RnR runner) friendly beer garden in historic downtown Tempe.  They had the bar opened wide up for us, literally; the back side of the bar is actually a garage door which they had rolled up to expand the whole facility to an outdoor seating area.  The outdoor section had big heating lamps stationed all around the tables so we were comfortable almost everywhere.  Rock ‘n’ Roll also brought a few Porta-potties to a far section of the outdoor area to combat the always-present line of runners in need.  Another great perk that the VIP access brought was having our very own Gear Check right there at the bar.  Charlene and I created a short Periscope report for everyone interested in watching that early, I felt like the cameraman for a roving race news crew.  Heh.  That entire VIP set up put us in a great frame of mind before the race, the buzz and movement from all of the racers was excited and anticipatory.  I think the bar employees even wanted to go running with us but that’s just speculation.  What I know for sure is that the comfort of the VIP area had me completely relaxed and race ready.

The VIP area was a quick walk away from the race start line so it only took a few minutes to get there once the corrals were opened for everyone.  Charlene and I were able to find an open spot in Corral 3 to finish warming up and soak in the race atmosphere.  I’ve always enjoyed looking out over the sea of runners at Rock ‘n’ Roll events; the Half Marathon alone was over 11 thousand people (that was wild to see).   

Once our corral crossed the start line I felt like I’d stepped through the front door of my childhood house; many great memories, a level of comfort despite someone else owning it, and the feeling that it still welcomed me.  We kept to an easy pace that wouldn’t wind us but was enough of a stretch that our muscles didn’t cramp from moving in an awkward way.  I did have to break plan and pattern after the second mile as we neared the All Pro DJ stand; he was playing once of David Bowie’s songs as tribute while we were in earshot so I had to pull up in front of his stand and show him the St. Jude’s dedication bib I dedicated to the Rock ‘n’ Roll legends memory (I wore it for both of the 5k and half marathon).  I yelled a quick “Thank You” for playing David’s song and caught up with Charlene to finish the run.  I think that one of the nicest things about having bands and DJs on the race course is having a favorite current or old song playing as you run by, it gives you a spiritual lift even if your smiling and happy already.  I believe that my sister and I were having a great time during the entire run even though her stomach betrayed her around mile 11.  Even after that quick stop we were both in very high spirits, especially as we rounded the final corner of the race and saw that the race clock was still under 2 hours.  I had hoped we’d be able to run the half marathon in under 2 hours but it wasn’t a priority; when I saw that we were close but still under I told my sister “Let’s beat the clock” and we both kicked up the pace to close the final meters.  We finished at 1:59:08 (gun time) and couldn’t have been happier for each other.  We knew our chip time would be well under that since we started in corral 3 but beating the course clock just made the completion of this goal that much more real.  

We capped off the morning be exercising the Post-Race benefits of our VIP passes (wrist bands).  We found the VIP bag check truck quickly enough and got our stuff with no line or hassle, picked up our remix medals, and then made our way over to the VIP area.  The first thing we did once we arrived was to go check out the massive spread of food and get me signed up for a much needed massage.  Those two benefits alone made the VIP pass a high priority for all of my future RnR races; the food they offered fit both my sister’s dietary needs and my crazy picky stomach; the massage kept me from cramping up and protected my muscles from the coming 5 hour drive home.  One of the benefits of the VIP pass that I hadn’t considered ahead of time was that we’d have the opportunity to see and maybe even chat with some of the Elites from the race too.  While I was chowing down a turkey wrap sandwich, Charlene made a Periscope interview with Roosevelt Cooper, the Men’s Overall 2^nd place winner (huge score).  We even had the opportunity to chat with a friend of hers while they ate lunch and I chatted with a couple of runners who had flown in from Pennsylvania for the race.

The last thing we did before leaving the finisher’s festival was to visit the Toyota booth, they were making personalized/custom souvenir 45rmp records for the asking.  They told me the records didn’t have anything recorded on them (Toyota jingles though the years?), they were just for the coolness effect.  Can’t argue there, they are a definite classic Rock ‘n’ Roll look.  

The long drive home was filled with excited conversation, just as it was last year, but much more relaxing and leg cramp free.  We stopped in Wikieup Arizona to stretch, eat and drink, and change drivers.  We also took the opportunity to get our finisher pictures done so we could have something with each of us wearing all of the race weekend medals.

I can’t thank Rock ‘n’ Roll enough for the wonderful life memories the RnR Arizona race weekend has given my sister and I, and for giving us the opportunity to participate in and share this experience with everyone.

*Disclaimer:   I was an invited guest to the RnRAZ, the views, reviews and opinions expressed are my own and not influenced by the organizers nor sponsors or any other company/individual affiliated with the event.
- Previously - The 2016 RnR AZ 5k

One step forward, 5 thousand back

My review of the Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas race, and everything pertinent leading up to this blog can be found at (or through) this link:

Post-surgery Final Week

Setbacks happen during recoveries, sometimes.  We try to prevent them but cannot always succeed; it’s part of being human.  I’ve tried to do everything right after the surgery on my left hip as well as during physical therapy (perhaps I did or maybe I didn’t do enough) but I ended up injuring myself shortly after my big “debut” at the November 15, 2015 Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas 10k.
 

The RnR 10k went pretty well despite Sis and I getting up very early in Anaheim, CA for her Avengers Half Marathon.  Immediately after she finished the run and stretching we then drove back to Vegas for the 10k.  We arrived in plenty of time to get warmed and loosened up before the starting gun sent us up the Strip.  My right hip complained a lot during the run, especially with the interval change from walking to running (which has always been a problem for me).  It continued to let me know it was unhappy after crossing the finish line and finding our way through the finisher’s zone; that was due as much to the nasty turn in the weather as it was to being tired from the first long run in many months.  I was definitely very tired after the race; almost marathon tired by way of comparison.

My quads and hamstrings were really sore and stiff Monday:  I didn’t really push myself beyond hard racing levels but my muscles were telling me plainly that I’d pushed it a little too hard during the 10k.  I felt very thankful that my right hip felt great though, it didn’t twinge or give any pulling sensations (neither did the left side for that matter).  I took the off of running, just walked a little at work to stretch my legs.  Even my session of home physical therapy felt great after work, the muscles seemed to appreciate the resistance training.

The Tuesday after the 10k my quads and hamstrings were still generally sore but moved easier than the day before.  My hips felt completely normal; not even a hint of the discomfort I had Sunday night.  The weather turned rather wonderful by the afternoon so I was able to get in a nice 2 mile track run during lunch.  I increased my interval time to 4 minutes running and 1 minute walking, but kept my speed low to avoid straining my legs further.  The run was very relaxing and with the 4 minute interval I could go almost 2 laps without walking so it felt more like training last year.  I didn’t have any issues at all this time, with my hip, no complaints during warm up or during the run itself: That was a big relief.  I stretched, foam rolled, and iced after returning to my office; being of the mindset that until I’m in true running shape I have to stay aggressive with my recovery activities to keep complications at bay.

The next day (Wednesday) my legs still felt tight but not alarmingly so; the hamstrings and quads still needed more recovery time.  I started using self-massage device to loosen my hamstrings while sitting at my desk:  It’s a hard rubber ball approximately the size of a racquetball that you can put your body weight onto to give a deep point massage to a sore muscle.  Normally it really helps me out so this seemed the perfect time.  My home physical therapy session that night went well enough too, it was a little tough starting with the tired and sore muscles but by the time I finished I felt stronger and relaxed.

Thursday, 4 days after the RnR 10k, life took a very wrong turn (well, I did anyway);  I overslept in the morning, missed my bus to work, had to rush to out of the house in time to drive myself, and ended up forgetting half of my lunch on the kitchen counter.  I never got out of the “rush” mindset that day (as I bet everyone can understand); I couldn’t get my head straight regarding my everyday job, I forgot to eat or drink enough through the morning, I even felt late and rushed for my training run even though I’m free to do it whenever I want (within reason).  I allowed myself to feel so rushed that I only performed a cursory warm up before running, the kind of thing I could get away with before the hip surgery and I think that caused me to cast the final “straw” onto my left leg.  I planned on running only for 20 minutes but to increase my running interval to 5 minutes with 1 minute of walking.  The first interval went well but I started to feel an irritation in my left shin/knee area near the end of the second interval.  It calmed down during the walk period but ramped up again as soon as the 3^rd run interval started.  I tried adjusting my form, especially to ensure I wasn’t dorsiflexing (pulling my toes up toward my knee), I thought I moved better but it felt like I really lacked grace.  The irritation remained as I transitioned to the walk period.  This time during the walk period the irritation remained but being so close to my goal time I allowed myself to start the 4^th running interval since it would only last for a minute.  That minute was very uncomfortable as my irritation progressed to ache and then pain.  The quarter mile walk back to my office was very uncomfortable after that; stretching and icing didn’t even help once I returned to my office.  I figured I’d pushed too hard and given myself shin splints again, a rooky mistake but one I’ve dealt with before.  By the end of the work day I couldn’t walk without a limp and the 10 minute walk to the bus stop for the ride home left me shaking and hurting for the entire 1 hour ride.

I’d hoped that my shin would feel better after a night’s sleep but it felt about the same; tight and very sore.  I could walk, with a limp, but it certainly wasn’t comfortable.  I made sure to tell my physical therapist when I talked to him and pointed out the singular spot of pain (while it radiated out from there, the sore point felt like an invisible bruise) during my normally scheduled Friday appointment.  As soon as I showed him where I felt it he said I have something called Pes Anserine Bursitis: An inflamed bursa sac in the area of my knee where the hamstring tendons come together into one big band and then anchor to the inside of the lower part of the knee.  

He told me to start icing the entire knee multiple times every day, apply an ice cube to the hurt spot itself and rub it there for 7 minutes (no more than 8 minutes) to give it a deep chill.  He said I could continue to do the workouts for my hip, and that I should take some kind of over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication to decrease the inflammation in the knee. 

 

The weekend went pretty rough:  I spent the majority of it in my living room icing the left shin, resting, and wishing I could take my leg off and leave it in a different room.  There were a few bad hours on Friday when the bursitis hurt so bad that I dug out my crutches and wouldn’t even put my foot on the ground to support the weight of the leg itself.  It actually hurt worse than anything I’d felt after hip surgery; so bad I even took one of my post-surgery pain pills (which didn’t help any with the pain but it made me dizzy and stupid so I cared a little less).  Over Saturday and Sunday things didn’t improve much except that I didn’t have to use the crutches again.  I was thankful that I didn’t have home physical therapy scheduled over the weekend, I couldn’t have done it.

My shin pain didn’t improve at all during the first two work days before Thanksgiving, at times the throbbing was so bad I couldn’t even focus on my computer screen to get any work done.  It was bad enough that I took the day before Thanksgiving off to see the physical therapist; I just couldn’t wait another week for my regularly scheduled appointment, the bursitis pain was too much for yet another week without help.  After the he tested it he had me stop almost all activities, increase the icing frequency to every 2 hours (10 minutes with general ice pack, 7 minutes of direct spot icing with an ice cube), and start taking ibuprofen plus aspirin 3 times a day to fight the inflammation and pain.  My physical therapist also restricted all resistance training for the hip to remove any of the exercises that would stress the leg.  I even chose to shorten the stationary bike rides because they would hurt after just a few minutes.  He did give me a small nugget of hope; once we got the bursitis inflammation decreased enough the majority of the pain would vanish and then the lingering aches would fade away fast.  I just had to keep on it and be patient.

The bursitis really had me feeling beaten down over the first two weeks after it struck; I had to give up the Turkey Trot (a favored race I had run 3 years straight up to that point), I couldn't walk a single kilometer without sheering pain there was no hope for 5km or even one mile.  I couldn’t help but feel like my running hopes in general were dwindling; it put my recovery on hold; my December runs were in danger of being cancelled all together; my plans to run the Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Half in January could even have to be cancelled depending on how long the bursitis lasted.  I saw a lot of negative changes happening with this setback and they were just piling on top of the other negative aspects of the injury and subsequent surgery that had dominated almost the entirety of 2015.  I won’t go so far as saying I was depressed (I am all too familiar with that disorder, this wasn’t even close) but the despondency had its effect:  I started drinking a lot of soda again, I increased the amount of sweet fruit I eat a day, I gave up on taking the bus to work for fear of the pain associated with walking to the bus stop at night, I dreaded (and considered stopping) icing every two hours because it leaves me feeling cold all over despite it being a necessity.  I even began to feel disconnected with my joy of running, as if it were a thing of the past that really didn’t have much to do with the person I have become.  The only things that kept me from giving up the desire to run again were my sister and knowing that what I was feeling was a natural part of the process and I’ve actually expected some type of setback; if I’m anything, I’m pragmatic.  I just didn’t expect the pain, but who does? 

 

It took about 2 weeks (and 2 physical therapy sessions) to be able to walk without a limp and 3 weeks before I could risk trying to run again.  I couldn’t help but feel like this could well be the last time I'd try to run again, fear of pain and disappointment make powerful deterrents.   I got to the point of feeling so disconnected from running that one evening while driving home from work I spotted a new section of road near my house, I immediately imagined someone running on it (like trekking through fresh fallen snow) but that someone wasn’t me.  I felt a slight twinge of regret but thought to myself in all honesty, "I bet some runner will enjoy being able to test that road while it's still closed."  Last year that someone would have been me without a doubt, but looking at it at that moment I had zero connection to the action.  Perhaps it was a form of runner’s amnesia; the kind that lets us foolishly sign up for marathon after marathon (my preferred distance) despite how we felt moments after crossing the finish line barely able to walk to the medical tent.   Maybe my mind and spirit had put up some kind of protective wall between the once overwhelming desire to run and my damaged body so I would give it all of the necessary time to heal.  Maybe, for a time, I really was prepared to simply quit running and go back to the sedentary life of a recluse.  What I am positive about now is that moment of heartbreak allowed me to acknowledge the potential loss; the need for patience and continued healing; and while I “Want” to run, simply wanting isn’t enough I have to put in all of the work needed no matter how long it took.  I won’t allow myself to be ruled by fear, even if it’s fear of pain.  We’re going to hurt a lot throughout our lives, sometimes chronic (my left arm) sometimes acute (my left shin, my left hip), I’m not going to live in fear of it.

The A.R.T. (Active Release Techniques) and massages my physical therapist gave me over the first three weeks of the bursitis plus the icing, anti-inflammatories, and self-treatments I performed at home and at work put me back onto the road to full recovery from the original surgery.  The bursitis acted a lot like my PT said; once we calmed the initial bursitis inflammation based pain the rest faded away after just a few days.  It ended up taking 23 days to get over the bursitis completely and return to running.  The PT and I discussed which exercises and stretches I need to do regularly to prevent another instance of this Pes Anserine issue, and don’t doubt that I make sure to do plenty of dynamic stretches and warm up exercises before every run.  If I can avoid the kind of mind blanking pain the first two weeks of that bursitis gave me, I’ll happily spend 20 minutes warming up for 20 minutes of exercise (hell, for that level of pain I’ll spend 2 hours warming up for 10 minutes of running).

I’ve never actively considered myself indestructible though I know I’ve been guilty of it as a kid and guilty of pushing my good fortune as an adult.  I’ve had people accuse me of being a robot and/or “unbreakable” but it’s never been anywhere near true:  I’ve suffered many minor injuries up to this point, they just weren’t bad enough to stop my running and they were correctable through minor adjustments in my running form or in fixing muscle conditioning imbalances.  The torn labrum, femur birth defect, and subsequent surgery were beyond my control.  The Pes Anserine Bursitis; maybe it was a complication of the surgery, maybe it’s just one of the other semi-common injuries runners suffer often, I prefer to believe it was my fault.  That may initially sound dumb but think about it as a point of control:  If it was my fault then it’s mine to control and prevent in the future.