Stiles Pond

I hadn't been in the water at Stiles pond since 2013.  Danny V is coming back from a stress fracture and was looking for company.  We'll hit the water for the rest of the month in the afternoons.  Not much has changed here in the last 7 years, and water-running is still really hard!

How do I look?

No one looks like this!

If I had to choose between running in the water in August or October I think I’d take October (assuming that saying “neither” is not a choice). Cold water is tough to run in, heck, just getting motivated to get into the water is difficult. August water runs can be tough as well. It seems contradictory to be immersed in water but sweating like mad. I also like October because you no longer have gawking crowds of beach goers constantly asking what you are doing. Now I have a clearer idea of why they are always asking.

I’ve been in class this week so I had to work later each day. Yesterday Dave and Mike cut out of work early which led to a surprise meeting. I was finishing up while they were starting and I was taken aback when I saw two heads bobbing along. It really is a sight to see! Now I know why people look on in wonder (if not amusement) when we trot by. Pictures don’t really do justice to how funny it looks. I mentioned how silly Dave and Mike looked and they pointed out that “it looks like you are riding a giraffe”. I can’t disagree.

Much more accurate.

Three hour tour

Set a new record this morning for the longest water run. Dave, Mike, and I spent three hours "running" around Stiles pond. The first 2 hours went by pretty easily, with lots of chatter/singing/cursing/grunting. The last 35 minutes was kind of tough. We stopped at 2:25 or so and got a gel and the legs were a bit wobbly after that. Quote of the day came from a random swimmer who stopped to chat with us. He noted that he liked swimming at Stiles because there were "a lot of chicks".

Ungulate

Did another long run with the Q-brothers at Stiles Pond this morning. Not quite the epic of last weekend but over 2 hours (2:06). Even prior to the beach being open, the water was full of swimmers. That can be a bit tough for us as the swimmers move a lot faster than we do and apparently that can't see us (????). I got hit by one earlier this week, but no collisions today.

I did not realize that Mike was an Ungulate, but he now has special shoes for when he runs in the water.

Long Run

Long tough "run" today in the water at Stiles. I headed out with the Quintal brothers and 2:25 later we finished the Magellan loop around the pond. I mapped it on USATF's running routes:
http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=309505 and it came out to 1.5 miles. It was a heck of a lot of work to cover that amount of "ground".

Here is a progression of my water runs:

04-12-97 - 1 hour U-Lowell pool (first time running in water at UL)

07-26-97 - 1 hour Walden pond (first time running in water at Walden)

07-30-97 - 1:02:30 Stiles pond (first time @ Stiles)

07-31-97 - 1:08:00 Stiles

08-02-97 - 1:25:00 Walden

08-09-97 - 1:30:00 Walden

08-11-97 - 2:00:00 Stiles

08-15-97 - 2:03:27 Stiles

07-26-09 - 2:25:00 Stiles

Long run

This morning I met up with Michael and Dave Q and we hit the water at Stiles pond at 6:30 AM. the plan was to do an hour together then I was planning on another hour. We did a nice loop - Dock, Blair witch house, Dock, Dock, and in. that took us just under 70 minutes. We headed for the cars and all had a hammer gel. I was surprised (and pleased) when they both decided to join me for another loop. We did an out/back and tried not to disturb all of the fishermen. It was hard to not sdisturb hem as we were pretty loud during most of the run. It was about as much fun as 2 hours in the water can be. Lots of laughs with the Q-brothers. It looks like they'll be joining me for some more water running over the next five weeks.

Injured - again

Bone scan came back positive for a stress fracture in the tarsal/metatarsal joint. Not really surprising considering how painful my foot has been, but still disappointing. Back to Stiles pond....

SF info:

The incidence of stress fractures in the general population is unknown, as virtually all literature on the subject is derived from a military population or advanced-level athletes. Stress fractures are estimated to constitute up to 16% of all injuries that are related to athletic participation; running is the cause in most of these cases. Most stress fractures (95%) involve the lower extremities, particularly the metatarsals.
The term Lisfranc's joint refers to the tarsometatarsal joints where the long bones (tarsals) in the foot meet the smaller bones (metatarsals) of the toes. Named for Jaques Lisfranc a surgeon in Napoleon's Army

My SF history
07/12/09 – Right foot Lisfranc’s joint (tarsal/metatarsal) stress fracture
08/31/08 – Sacrum stress fracture in two locations, 8 weeks off
12/10/06 – Left hip stress fracture of Ileum, 4 weeks off
10/14/05 – Right fibula stress fracture, 6 weeks off
02/12/98 – Sacrum stress fracture, 6 weeks off
07/03/97 – Right Navicular stress fracture, 7 weeks off
04/10/97 – Right foot signs of stress fracture - 25 days off
01/21/91 – Right foot possible stress fracture – 2 weeks off

How it affects your running
The pain from a metatarsal stress fracture is usually felt on the top of the foot, over the affected metatarsal bone. The pain can be dull or sharp, constant or intermittent.

Pain may persist at rest and may even be severe enough to prevent sleep. There may be tenderness and swelling over the stress fracture. Activities like running can make the pain from a metatarsal stress fracture worse.

Causes of Metatarsal Stress Fracture
Decreased density of the bones (e.g. osteoporosis)
Unusual stress on a metatarsal due to mal position or another forefoot deformity (e.g. bunion)
Abnormal foot structure or mechanics (e.g. flatfoot, over pronation)
Increased in hill running or speed work

Last October at Stiles....at least this year it won't be as cold.

20 years ago

I've been busy last couple of days trying to get back into the swing of things at work and to get back on East Coast time. Wednesday was the final track workout for the Gate City Striders marathon group, I hope they all reach their goals at various marathons!

The water was pretty cold at Stiles but I wasn't the only one out there. I met a couple of swimmers, one of whom was hoping to make it to the 1st of November. I can only hope I won't be in the water in November. Spent an hour in the water on Wednesday and did an hour on the bike as well. Thursday I hit the bit at 3:30 AM for an hour then passed on the water in the afternoon. It was raining and I HATE running in the water without music so instead I hit the bike for another hour. Today I was back on the bike at 3:30 AM for an hour and in the Pond for an hour in the afternoon.

Busy weekend planned, with watching the Bay State Marathon and getting workouts in.....

Flashback 20 years:
I raced four times in Oct. 1988 with no wins. The best performance was probably the Grand Prix 8km where I took fourth place (won by Dartmouth grad Bob Kempainen in 23:27 – he would later run a 2:08 at the Boston marathon).

Date	Where	Dist.	Time	Pl.	What
10/02/88	Lowell, MA	4.96	23:46	4	NEAC 8K
10/09/88	Bethlehem, PA	6.21	30:59	3	Lehigh Invitational XC
10/22/88	Bourne, MA	14.60	1:15:05	R	Plymouth to P-town relay
10/30/88	Saco, ME	6.21	30:06	3	Pumpkin race

Long day

I'm at 26 hours and not going strong. Got up on Monday morning at 6AM Hawaii time and did 30 minutes walking, 30 minutes biking, 30 minutes walking then into the pool for 1.5 hours. Then we headed to the airport and flew to San Francisco and on to Boston. I didn't sleep at all (well....a couple of 15 minutes here and there).

Got home at 9:00 AM Boston time then walked for 30 minutes, biked for 1 hour and hit Stiles Pond for 45 minutes. Man the water was a lot colder than I remembered :-)

I'm definitely ready for bed. Aiming to get up at 3:30 AM tomorrow to get an hour on the bike before work. Vacation is definitely over.

Cold water, colder air

It was chilly this morning at Stiles but as I arrived at 7:20 AM half a dozen guys were just finishing their swim. A hardcore group indeed. It was 48 degrees as I dressed in my new wetsuit and the water was 62.8 degrees. I was quite comfortable as the new suit has arm coverage and I also got my aqua gloves. Ran 1:06 this morn then went to the USATF NE office to do some research (old Stu's 30Km results), then back in the water for another half-hour. A couple of fisherman asked me how I was touching bottom in the middle of the pond. They laughed when I told them I was running but not touching bottom.

New PR!

This is not a personal record I had ever hoped to get....

Today was the latest date that I've ever run in the water outside. The previous "best" was Sept. 29 in 1997 when I was out for 5 months with a fractured Navicular.

1 hour in the water today plus some walking at lunch.

Added the picture above to the slideshow. Very rare shot of a singlet that was used for a short time around 1980. Flying Feet was a running store in the Worcester area who sponsored CMS. You can read about it in some of the CMS newsletters that are scanned and online at the CMS website.

Injuries suck

Flashback to 2002, I was injured just prior to Mt Washington and pretty bummed about not being able to run. We went to the Spaghetti shed for dinner and Francis B drew a picture of me in crayon on the paper tablecloth. I liked it so much I framed the drawing (and made t-shirts out of it).

Injuries still suck, but at least I'm not on crutches or in a boot. 1:20 in the water this morn at Stiles pond. The water was dead flat which makes the running a lot easier. Air temp was higher than water temp and it was very foggy. No one else in the water this morn.

Monkey?

Boy was it chilly at Stiles today. Only did 45 minutes. The rain wasn't bad, just made it harder to see but the waves were tough. Add to that no music due to the wet conditions and it made for a less "fun" run than usual. I've been listening to Dropkick Murphy's and The Offspring this week. Lot's of fast tunes! I've ordered a new wetsuit with arm coverage and a pair of gloves. That should help for the next couple of weeks. Coming up on four weeks without running and four to go.

Read about password security in the Globe yesterday. Very surprised by the top 10 passwords, especially #6. What the heck is that all about?

1. password
2. 123456
3. qwerty
4. abc123
5. letmein
6. monkey
7. myspace1
8. password1
9. link182
10. (your first name)

Mass town bagging on hold

Did an hour in Stiles today. I also looked at some new wetsuits and gloves. Thinking ahead to late October in the water.

My goal of running in every town in Massachusetts is on hold for a little while. Here is a map with towns I've completed.

Weekends are tough

It is harder to not run on a weekend than a weekday, just too much free time on weekends. I filled some of the time by going with Double-J to the Ogunquit for the Lobster Dash. I took some video and a ton of pictures.

Then off to Stiles pond for a water run. Only went 45 minutes today as the hour-plus yesterday has left the back of my knees a bit raw. The wet suit I'm wearing is not really designed for running motion and it bunches behind the knee.

Other than that, all systems go....

Stiles - not alone

Saw two swimmers while I was running in the water at stiles pond. I forgot how silly running in the water looks to people who have no idea what I'm doing.

I thought it would be funny to map my "run" on USATF's America's running routes. Check it out at Stiles Pond.

45 minutes in the water today. Aiming to get to 1 hour a day on the weekend.

Cautious Doctor

Ugh. Saw the Dr. today and he wants me out for "at least" another 6 weeks AND no biking.

The only positive I got today was that I didn't feel too bad testing out running in the water at Stiles pond in Boxford. The true test will be if I can handle the cold in late October. Time will tell...