Running in Okinawa

I was plagued with injuries all last year: I pulled my hamstring in April and then pulled my achiles tendon in October. May 2010 be injury free!

I fully recovered from the hamstring injury in September and immediately starting building up mileage for a winter marathon when I pulled my achiles tendon.

I attribute my achiles tear to old shoes, under- and over-training. In October I ran Chicago Marathon as an easy-paced training run. I had no hopes of a good finishing time; just finishing would be an accomplishment since I hadn’t run farther than 16 miles before the marathon.

I ran well. My pace was faster then I’d anticipated, even with frequent potty breaks, partially due to the cold 30 degree weather and the flat course. I ran for Fred’s Team in honor of a charity to raise funds to fight cancer, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

I took a few days off to recover after the marathon and then was supposed to jump right back into training. I didn’t. In fact I only did two runs that week: one 8-miler at 6:10/mi pace and a 21-miler at 6:38/mi pace. Even though I felt great from beginning-to-end that icy-cold morning, it was only 30 minutes after the 21-miler that my achiles ruptured. I should have run a few days of recovery miles before my 21-mile attempt.

I’d finished the long run, immediately jumped in the car without any cool-down, and returned home to start the day. I’d showered and was half-way up the stairs when i felt the tear. I think I tore my achiles on the stairs. I think my shoes were a cause; they were old and worn and had thick-cushioned heels, like most running shoes on the market today, that restrict the body’s natural range of motion. You see achiles problems with women who wear high-heeled shoes often. I think thick-cushioned-running-shoes restrict the range of motion in the same manner. When I was walking up the stairs barefoot, i was using my achiles full range of motion, but it was shrunk trying to recover from the run and snapped like a rubber band.

After a year of experimenting with a heavier trainer-coined running shoe, Adidas Bostons, this year I’m changing back to Mizuno flats which I’d run in injury-free for two years.

I’ve heard once you’ve been injured, though, it’s easy to injure the same area. This year I want to start back at the basics, improve form and technique, and slowly build back into race shape.

I’d also like to mention in this post, in early 2009 i ran a 10k PR of 31:30 on a very hilly course. (note to self, i injured my hamstring the following day)

Lessons I learned from 2009
- take it easy after a race
- train consistently and smart
- run natural in lightweight shoes that don’t impede your stride.

I found an article that gives a good intro to the marathon. No need for me to write any more. Here it is:

Weather fine for Sunday Okinawa Marathon
By: Bill Charles
Date Posted: 2009-02-21
The daddy of all marathons winds its way across Okinawa Sunday, with an estimated 11,000 runners expected to test themselves on the 42.195 kilometer marathon course or on the 10 kilometer course.

Noboru Kubooka, who claimed the men’s title in last year’s Okinawa Marathon, is expected to be back to defend his title, while Okinawa’s Mariko Asato, who won the women’s crown, is expected to do the same. Asato won with a time of 2 hours 48 minutes 46 seconds, while Hiroshima-based Kubooka ran the 26-mile course in 2 hours 25 minutes 12 seconds. Of the 7,678 who ran the 2008 race, 81% finished the grueling course.
click here for the rest of the article…

I was gearing up to race for a top spot in Naha Marathon last month (I’d placed 8th in this race in 2006), but I was sent away on business for about four weeks just prior to the marathon. During which time I didn’t get any hard workouts in, and was only running every other day or so. But I can’t say all the hard training I did was for nothing. I’ve gained valuable experience in addition to a growing hunger to race again.

My friend, Thomas Kunish, and I talked about going out with the lead pack, and then pulling out early because neither of us were in shape. We’d talked about using this as a jump start to training for the next marathon, but I didn’t like the idea of starting a race knowing I would drop out early. The day before the marathon I went to pick up my race packet, and I’d remembered last year where I’d signed up, but because I was sick, I didn’t run. I thought to myself, “I’m not sick this year. I have to run.” “I have to at least try.”