The Strider Half Marathon


After two day scare with knee pain, I was focused on the Strider Half Marathon, a local half marathon run by the local running club.  This half marathon is small but classy. It runs along beautiful bike trails on the east side of Milwaukee.  It starts and stops near a Beer Garden, of course.  After the race the organizers serve a breakfast of eggs, potatoes, and sausage … and beer.  The weather is usually beautiful, and it just feels good to sit and relax in a beer garden with 500 of your best running buddies after completing a half marathon.

This was also the event that, one year ago, I strained my right hip and sent myself into a tailspin of chronic hip pain. Going into this year’s event, my hip was no longer my biggest concern.  I had my knee to be concerned with now, along with the threat of going into an irregular heart rate if I pushed too hard.

 

I made it to start with all my ailments in check.  Hip and knee pain where a 1 out of 10, more like phantom pains.  I was concerned about starting too fast, so I placed myself at the very back of the pack.  What better way to ease into a run than letting the slowest participants throttle your pace.  That technique worked well. I got through the first few miles with my HR staying well within zone 2.  

 

The middle of the race was a gradual downhill toward the downtown Milwaukee lakefront.  I was able to keep a nice pace and keep my heart rate in check.  After the turn around and the start back up the gradual hill, my heart rate climbed into zone 3 and I had to throttle my pace to avoid going into zone 4.  I finished in 2:08, almost 10 minutes slower than last year, but I felt like I managed the race well.  Good practice for the Day 3 of Dopey in Disney World. 

 

I also gained confidence that I could manage my knee, hip, and heart rate issues in a longer run. The next morning, I felt pretty good.  I considered going for a short run just to prove to myself that I could run the day after a half marathon.  But I did not need to do that yet.  I felt good enough to run again, and that is all that matters at this point, building confidence that I can run consecutive days at Disney.  It was also a triumph that I did not experience the debilitating hip pain from one year ago.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Journal 13-Mar-2023

Today was the last day before I take a little break from the rigor of the exercise routine I have been doing for the past few weeks.  We leave for Sedona, Arizona, tomorrow.  I week of hiking and exploring Sedona and the surrounding area.  I’ll still be active, just not focused on trying to magically fix my hip pain. I went through my PT repertoire today.  I feel that I continue to get more effective at performing some of the more difficult ones.  I also continue to feel a transformation in the muscles around my hips, especially in my glutes.  But I also have moments of discomfort indicative of FAI or a labral tear.  I am going to let this upcoming travel adventure be a distraction from always thinking about my hip.  I am tired of wondering if I am doing, or not doing, the right thing to encourage healing.
Read more

Training in Wisconsin for runDisney Marathon Week

Image
RunDisney Marathon Week takes place in early January in typically warm and relatively dry Central Florida.  When you live in Southeast Wisconsin, however, the peak of your training is in December, when Old Man Winter is knocking on the door and trying to move in.  You must be prepared to adjust to the weather.  It could be okay, 40°-50°F and sunny.  It could be terrible with snow, ice, and temperatures well below freezing.  It’s always preferrable to run outside, if possible, but sometimes conditions make it too risky.  Hitting a slippery spot while running could result in season ending injury.  Guessing incorrectly what to wear to stay warm but not overheat can result in a very unpleasant run.   One must have alternatives.  Normally in winter I would just postpone a run if the weather was not cooperating.   But once you start a 4-day Dopey Simulation, postponing is not an option. ...
Read more

Setting Sights on the Bolder Boulder 10K

Image
  Traveling to Boulder, Colorado, to participate in the Bolder Boulder 10K had become a bi-annual event for us.  Cat’s sister lives in Boulder, within walking distance of Colorado University, so it is both a running adventure and a family event.   In 2017 I finished in just under 51 minutes, an 8:12 pace.  In 2019, I finished in 53:30, an 8:37 pace.  Age took a little toll over those two years.  Then the pandemic hit, and we skipped 2021.  Now in 2032, four years later, we are reviving the tradition.  But age and COVID-19 have taken more of a toll, and I will be happy if I can finish in under an hour.  That would be a 9:41 pace.  Based on my current pace that may be a stretch especially with the high altitude.   But I am starting to run more consistently.  My Heart Rate at the same pace seems to be coming down slowly.  That should give me a little room to inc...
Read more