I’m a little disappointed. I’m really looking forward to my first ultra, and I thought I’d finally found one that was relatively nearby and fit into my schedule. But I’m still recovering from an injury. True, I’m making slow progress–see today’s run for example–but I doubt I’d really be ready to run 100 miles in time.

That’s not my big news, though.

I’m probably going to run the 50 mile Nashville Ultra Marathon in October. It’s the longest race they offer, and I’m certain I’ll be ready in time.

But that’s not the big news, either.

I also plan on running a few regular marathons in Nashville and in other cities around the state. Because I got a job at a school down in Tennessee, meaning goodbye graduate school.

That’s the big news.

Between finishing my dissertation, defending it, moving, and everything else, there just isn’t the time or the money for Kettle. And although that is disappointing–I wanted to start big with 100 miles, run it with Rob, etc.–I’m so excited about what’s coming instead.

Now to finish that other ultra… my dissertation…

Today I ran Boston, and I couldn’t do better than 3:41. And it was much harder (but not as hard as Grandma’s.)

But that wasn’t a result of anything but my piriformis injury. The weather was great–cool but not cold. The wind never became the issue the forecast seemed to suggest. The organization was top notch, the volunteers generous, and both fans and runners made for an awesome experience.

An experience is exactly what I was looking for. I knew I’d never run a particularly fast race, but I wanted to soak up the atmosphere of this historic race and earn the right to say “I ran Boston.” (But given the protracted recovery I’m very happy with my pace.)

What an experience it was. From the massive crowds of runners that somehow made it from Boston Common to Hopkinton for the start to the mob beyond the finish line. In between were great conversations with first-timers and veterans, including Faith from Ohio, running her first Boston 10 months after the birth of her first child. Along the way I encountered fellow Marathon Maniacs and a few runners from my neck of the woods.

The first few miles were pretty easy downhill stretches that I, despite warnings, ran pretty quickly all things considered. After that I eased off and found my groove. The crowds were amazing–so enthusiastic and so omnipresent: after a few early gaps they became a growing, nearly unbroken line of kids with oranges, friends and family with signs, and race fans with impressive noise-generating abilities.

At one point I was tempted by a giant “shortcut” sign, and the sight of the Green Line passing us reminded me both how slowly we were going and how far away Boston still was.

But really, I wouldn’t want to have missed a single mile. Finally so much I’d heard or read about became real. The students lining the course at Wellesly all-girls’ college, for instance, making a ruckus and waving signs inviting runners to give them a kiss because they were graduating, or were from Georgia, or were drunk, or just because.

And the Newton Hills. It’s not their size, but their location that make them so tough, and I’m glad to say I powered up them all, Heartbreak included. In fact, the climbs were some of the few times I was consistently passing people. (And towards the end we runners had our revenge, passing a Green Line train reduced by the crowds to little better than a crawl.)

Despite my recent injury, I was able to get by only walking twice, both times at water stops (near miles 22 and 24). And I finished strong, almost sprinting the last quarter mile or so. I didn’t start with my corral, since I knew I wouldn’t keep up, and even starting farther back there were people passing me most of the first half of the race, but I didn’t let it get me down (at least not too much.)

Part of my (relative) success, I think, was my pre-race massage. Originally I stepped inside the gym to get of the cold, but I got in line, told the guy I ended up with about my piriformis, and he went to work, stretching my legs up and across my body farther than I’d ever imagined possible.

The massage helped me loosen up, but so did the hours of waiting. But these hours weren’t without their downside. At home I’m usually on the road within an hour of getting out of bed. At other races, it’s more like 3 hours after waking up. Boston was five hours. Suddenly my usual routine wouldn’t work. I couldn’t wait until afterwards to eat, for instance.

Those hours before the race would have been a whole lot more stressful were it not for a little help from my friends. An old friend from way back in the day not only let me spend the night as his place and then woke up early on a day off from work to take me to the commuter rail station–he also came into the city and looked after my bag so I could make it to the airport without having to stash my luggage halfway across town. And my cousin put me up my first night in town, organizing a great get-together to visit relatives I haven’t seen in a while. And both of them made sure I was well-fed.

I couldn’t have done it without my wife, either. She couldn’t make the trip out, but she held down the fort back home and coordinated from her computer, helping me find phone numbers, addresses, and other information, and brainstorming with me when I ran into problems. It was stressful for her, but I hope by the time she was following the race online she was able to enjoy it.

I’m not sure I’ll run Boston again anytime soon. But not for lack of desire. Between scheduling issues and the cost, it’s hard to justify. And who knows if I’ll qualify this year–I still have some recovering to do, and I’m going to have a pretty light schedule… then again, I’m probably doing Berlin in the fall, a notoriously fast race.

Tomorrow’s probably a rest day. Ok, ok, definitely a rest day. But then I’ll be back at it, trying to figure out as soon as possible if I’ll be ready for the Kettle Morraine 100 this summer.

After weeks of competition, starting with a field of more than 100 runners, moving through the round of 32, the Sweet Sixteen, the Elite Eight, and the Final Four, it comes to this. One final challenge to determine the 2010 March Mile Madness champion. The best half marathon run today or tomorrow wins it all. Who will prevail?

Maybe Steven R. Steven dominated the distance rounds, placing first in the first round, the Sweet Sixteen, and the Final Four. But he’s struggled in the speed rounds, placing in the bottom half of the the round of 32 and escaping the Elite Eight only because other runners were forced to drop out due to injury. Still, don’t count him out: previous speed rounds featured shorter distances, and this distance specialist may just have what it takes to pull out a Cinderella-story-style win.

Or maybe Henrik W. has what it takes. Henrik got off to a shaky start, finishing the first round in the bottom half of runners moving on. Or maybe he was just getting warmed up. Since then he’s come on strong, placing 4th and 5th in the round of 32 and the Sweet Sixteen, and challenging for outright wins in the Elite Eight and the Final Four. His consistency in the later rounds proves he may have just the combination of speed and endurance needed for this final round.

Whoever wins, I hope everybody has enjoyed the tournament. I definitely plan to bring it back next year, but next time with a dedicated women’s division (shout-out to Kathy S., the top woman this year!) I also hope to organize some more multi-challenge events in the coming months, so stay tuned!

1. Andrew P. has been running very well so far. After 75 miles in the first round Andrew posted the fastest 5K, flying along at 5:34/mile.
2. Timothy D. really upped his game in the second round, coming out of the pack to run the second fastest 5K of the bunch.
3. Paul S. has been Mr. Consistency, with a solid 3rd place finish in each round so far. But he’ll have to improve on that to win the whole tournament.
4. Henrik W. is moving in the right direction; he jumped up to fourth place after coming out of the first round in the middle of the pack.
5. Matthew L. has been quietly making his way through the tournament, always within striking distance of the leaders.
6. Brad B. is a bit of a Cinderella story. After tying for the last spot to reach the round of 32, he’s made a strong showing, moving into the Sweet Sixteen in the upper half of the bracket.
7. Steve S. hasn’t been coasting, by any means; he’s been in the middle of the pack to move on each round, and if he does that in the Final Four then he’ll be one of the two facing off at the very end.
8. Steven W. is another runner moving up in the pack. After 44 miles in the first round he posted an impressive 5K in the round of 32. How will he fare in the Sweet Sixteen against the likes of Paul S. and Andrew P.?
9. Chris R. started the tournament off with a bang, posting (along with Steven R.) the most miles in the round of 64+. After a good showing in the round of 32 will he reclaim the top spot and win the Sweet Sixteen?
10. Steven R. tied Chris R. in the first round, and was hot on his heels this past round. Only time will tell if this budding rivalry will continue.
11. CoachEric is slowly making his way up the leaderboard. Hopefully he can continue to improve and secure a spot in the Elite Eight.
12. Adrian W. is also climbing, but with the tough competition ahead of him it won’t be easy.
13. James B. did well in the first round: his 50+ miles put him in the top half of those moving on. He held on in the 5K, and should do well in the Sweet Sixteen, but it looks like the 10K might be a challenge.
14. Ron W. joined the challenge despite the constraints of his taper, and despite that he’s doing well. Whether he dedicates himself to winning the tournament or just enjoys the ride remains to be seen.
15. Iain is doing well, especially considering all the cycling and swimming he’s been doing during the tournament. Can the triathlete focus on running for long enough to move on to the Elite Eight?
16. Chad K. is a self-proclaimed Cinderella story, just sneaking past Kathy S. to claim the last place in the Sweet Sixteen. He has his work cut out for him.

That’s our field for the Sweet Sixteen! Good luck to the participants, and I hope everybody else will cheer them on!

Late last year a frustrating injury sidelined me for several weeks. Pain on my left side, from my lower back to the back of my upper thigh. After a little research I chalked it up to sciatica. Rest and time got me back on my feet.

Then a week or so ago it started to return, that same pain. I started to take extra days off, reduce mileage, etc. All in a vain attempt to keep running. But then I realized I needed to stop.

So I did some more reading. I came to realize that the cause of my sciatic pain by all accounts seems to be piriformis syndrome. The same was probably true at the end of last year. Time and rest gave me an opportunity to heal, but I never addressed the underlying problem: weakness in my piriformis that, with regular use, turned into tightness and eventually injury.

The piriformis is a hip muscle, one of the lateral rotators. When it becomes inflamed it can put pressure on the sciatic nerve, leading to sciatica. Treatment can include corticosteroids and even surgery, but stretching and physical therapy are first steps and often effective in less severe cases.

The first step, for me at least, was to stop running. Some suggest that reducing mileage by 50% might be enough, but I’m interested in a quick recovery. Of course, the idea is to stretch and strengthen the piriformis, so simply staying in bed is not an option either. My solution? Walking.

The real key, however, is stretching. There are a number of stretches to help loosen and strengthen hip rotators and abductors. In addition, it’s important to stretch related muscles, especially the hamstrings. Massage can also help loosen up the muscles, and if you can’t afford a professional, you can certainly afford a tennis ball.

Strengthening seems a little more difficult. I’ve been focusing on core fitness, doing push-ups and crunches–the latter help stretch out the lower back and deal with sciatica symptoms. But there are also specialized resistance exercises (caution, pdf!) or even simple leg lifts.

The result? In less than a week I’m seeing real progress. In fact, my sciatica symptoms seem to have almost subsided entirely; instead of generalized and potentially overwhelming pain I’m left with localized soreness and tenderness.

My thanks go out to Jay P. and Michelle for their tips and insights. I know with their help (and all the wonderful support I’m receiving) I’ll be back running soon. Better yet, I’ll be in a much better position to avoid future injury.

In honor of the tournament kick-off tomorrow I’d like to provide a little preview, profiling a few of the runners who will be participating.

Favorites

AKA the dailymile team. Quite a few are taking part, and beyond being enthusiastic community members many are accomplished runners sure to make a good showing.

Matthew L.: Besides consistently putting up 50-60 miles each week, Matthew can pop off a 5-miler at 6:27, making him a serious threat in the 5K and 10K rounds.

Steve S.: Another double threat. Put up almost 90 miles last week, and an 18 minute 5k this week. Tapering for the HAT 50K could hold him back, though.

Kathy S.: This host of Run Talk Radio is also a serious threat. Her weekly mileage has been lower recently, but she’s been known to string together runs totaling 50+ miles.

Kristen F.: Kristen’s got the stamina for this tournament, no doubt: she logged 155 miles this week alone. The question: can she stay off the bike long enough?

Speedsters

The dailymile team isn’t the only group of accomplished runners, of course.

Steven W.: Steven’s got some speed. Even fighting the lingering effects of wine and whiskey a week ago at the Coogan’s 5K he nearly cracked 6:00/miles. But has he got legs for distance?

Andrew P.: Another speedy participant, Andrew ran a 10-miler in one hour just today. He’d be a real threat if he can make it to the speed rounds.

Ron W.: Hills, distance, and speed: Ron seems like he might have the combination necessary to succeed. Keep an eye on him!

Distance Freaks

My kinda people, these folks put in some serious mileage.

Richard L.: No slouch, Richard put together a string of 5 marathons in 7 days recently, and a Monday-Sunday week totaling 130 miles. Hard to beat that. But has he got the speed?

Linda A.: Consistently high-mileage weeks, ranging from 60+ to 90 miles. Goes to show that cross-training in the pool definitely pays off!

Nick C.: Distance shouldn’t be a problem for Nick: he just ran the Copper Canyon 50-mile Ultramarathon in under seven and a half hours, good enough for 6th place!

Triathletes and Cyclists

Some excellent athletes, but they spend a bunch of time on their bikes or in the pool. How will they fare when all that matters is the foot race?

Brad B.: Definitely has the fitness for this even, with legs that propel him over 100 miles each week. And with runs like his most recent 19-miler in the 20mph wind, he’s shown he’s a real threat.

Christine B.: Another triathlete, Chrstine also logs impressive mileage week-in and week-out. We’ll just have to wait and see if she’s a fish out of water (or cyclist off her bike) in the tournament.

Craig B.: Seems we runners might be overrun (get it, overrun?) by triathletes! Like Brad, Craig’s no stranger to the long run, and that can only help him in the first round.

Adrian W.: Adrian’s a runner, but with a 40-mile ride this week you’ve got to question his loyalty to the sport. I kid, I kid. With his 6:38 pace in the Shamrock Shuffle recently, he could make a run deep into the tournament.

Unknowns

Not everybody discovered dailymile right away, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have what it takes.

Madelyn H.: Madelyn joined the site at the end of January, and since then she’s been putting together consistently strong weeks with a mixture of medium and long-distance runs.

Anela N.: Talk about newcomer! Anela joined the site yesterday, and could be the dark horse of the tournament, so send her some motivation!

Chris B.: Ok, who am I kidding, Chris isn’t a newcomer, and is hardly an unknown. But he is coming back from injury, so there’s plenty of question as to how he’ll do. Whatever the outcome, I’m sure we’re all glad he’s back running!

Of course, with almost 90 participants so far there are dozens of other contenders out there waiting to make a name for themselves, or just have a blast taking part in the madness! So what are you waiting for, join the fun!

It’s March, and that means it’s time for Madness… March Mile Madness!

I’m organizing a 6 round tournament designed to test runners’ speed and endurance, and I’d love for you to take part. Here’s how it will work:

Round of 64+: Open to everybody and anybody, this round will consist of a simple challenge: run as many miles as you can in a week: Monday March 15 to Sunday March 21. The top 32 will move on. Join now!

Round of 32: An invite-only challenge, this round is a simple 5k race. The runners of the 16 fastest 5k races on Monday March 22, Tuesday March 23, Wednesday March 24, or Thursday March 25 will move on.

Sweet Sixteen: Another invite-only challenge, this round is a four day distance competition. The 8 runners who compile the most milage between Friday March 26 and Monday March 29 will move on.

Elite Eight: It’s getting serious. The Elite Eight will be invited to run the fastest 10k race they can between Tuesday March 30 and Thursday April 1. Only four will move on.

Final Four: More distance, but less time. Runners will have two days, Friday April 2 and Saturday April 3 to run as many miles as they can. The top two will move on.

So I’ve settled on the Kettle Moraine 100 in Wisconsin. Within driving distance, family lives in Wisconsin, etc, etc. I almost ran–well, almost registered to run–the North Face Endurance Challenge in Madison last year, and from the sound of it they use the same trails. Of course, the North Face Endurance Challenge would have been 50 miles, whereas for Kettle Moraine I’m looking at doing the full 100.

I’m conflicted about the distance. On the one hand, doing 50 seems like a waste of an opportunity. I’ve run 50 miles by myself. I run 50K all the time. I should push myself. But on the other hand, 100 miles is intimidating. 24+ hours is intimidating. The whole thing is intimidating.

12,000 feet of climbing is a scary thought. It’s not the 18,000 feet of the Western States 100, but it’s significantly more than, say the Lean Horse 100.

There are other considerations, too. No buckle for finishers (you get a kettle instead.) But it works schedule-wise, and travel-wise, etc. And it might provide an opportunity to meet up with Rob again. So there are lots of reasons to do it.

And so I will, barring any unforeseen circumstances. But not without trepidation.

1. More privacy options.
   This is something my wife mentioned on Run Talk Radio a little while back. When I was starting out, I was a little shy about sharing my miles. I really wanted greater granularity when it came to privacy. Ideally, I’d love to see options where posts can be made private, friends only, or public. At this point I’m not sure that I’d avoid posting publicly all that often, but the option would be nice.
2. Sanity checks.
   I’ve almost made the mistake myself: posting a 262-mile run instead of 26.2 miles, or missing a digit while entering my time. It would be nice if the site checked to make sure what you were entering makes sense. Not that I think dailymile should prevent you from posting something that seems extreme… I just think the site should prompt you to make sure you didn’t make a mistake. So, for example, a run over 150 miles or under 3 minutes/mile might trigger a sanity check, a simple dialog asking if you possibly made a typo. Similar appropriately gauged triggers for cycling, swimming, etc. could be implemented as well.
3. More options for challenges.
   I think that the challenges on dailymile have a lot of potential yet. Multi-sport challenges, group or team challenges, etc.
4. Better gear management.
   I love using dailymile to keep track of how many miles my shoes have on them (and how little rubber the soles have left), but I wish the feature was a little more developed. In particular, I’d love to hide gear without retiring it–I want to keep the info on my older shoes in dailymile, but I don’t want to always see those older shoes when posting runs. Also, stats about your gear seem a little hidden right now, it would be nice if they were available from the analytics page.
5. Exporting data.
   I’m not looking to leave, but being able to easily get my data into Excel, Numbers, or OpenOffice for custom graphs and charts would be pretty cool.

Those are just a few ideas I wanted to jot down. They’re only meant as a starting point for thinking about what dailymile can offer down the road–they are by no means a criticism. I’ve been loving the site since I joined, more and more each day, to be honest, and I’m excited to see what comes next… whether it’s Garmin-integration or something else entirely!

I ran my first marathon in 2008 in Potsdam, Germany. But that wasn’t my first marathon experience.

My first marathon experience came two years before that in Mombasa, Kenya. I didn’t run, but rather I helped organize the first (and only) Americans in Mombasa Marathon.

It was the summer of 2006, and I was in Mombasa learning Swahili with a small group of Americans. Several were runners, and two had the bright idea of running a marathon. Their first. On their own.

So I pitched in. We measured out a course–nearly a dozen laps along Mama Ngina Drive, with beautiful ocean views. Bright and early one weekend they set out, and I set up shop outside the Florida Club halfway along the course with water, candy, and other essentials. Time and time again they went by, and each time I recorded their time and helped them refuel and rehydrate.

Then came the moment of truth–the lead runner passed me on her way out for the second to last time, and I started back towards the start/finish line. It was a bit of a hike, and I knew I’d need a little time to get the finish prepared. So instead of waiting with food and water at the Florida Club, I waited at Treasury Square, closer to home base. After the lead runner headed out on the last lap, I’d head to the finish.

As she finished her second to last lap, the lead runner shook her head. She stopped for some water, and I asked her what was wrong.

“I was so mad at you, Jason!” she told me. “I thought you abandoned me!” Turns out I hadn’t made my plan clear. When she got to the old aid station location, suffering more than ever in the African heat, I had simply vanished, and it appeared she was out of luck for the rest of the race.

Fortunately she made it to my new, temporary aid station, and with my (minor) help she ultimately finished her first marathon, with an (unofficial) Boston qualifying time! (The other runner finished as well, with the help of a friendly local pacing her on bike.)