The G Running Diary

Sort of Running: 2/4/03

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Now I am getting somewhere. More stretching, a Rolfing treatment, and a massage, and I am a new woman. I was annoyed that I couldn't figure out what was wrong with me, except that some muscle in my inner thigh was sore. Well, it was my adductor muscles, of which there are three, and the middle one was giving me the trouble. You'd think I had taken up some sideways sport like basketball, but this type of thing can happen to runners. I also realized that I was leaning forward a lot more than normal in my last two long runs, and with my inherent lopsidedness, that could easily contribute to the problem. So, prevention goes like this: strengthen back muscles, lose a few pounds off the front, and find the right shoes. Guess which is the hardest? The shoes, of course. This morning I returned to the Asics Gel Cumulus with inserts that were fixed up by Dr. Hannaford. This combination is more supportive than my worn out Asics 2060s or 2050s. The morning run was only half an hour, but that is a good starting point for me. I saw frost on lawns, and even a man scraping ice off of his car windows. Yes, this is California.

When I get a rhythm going on roads, I imagine that I am Eric Clifton, running smoothly and efficiently. In the Badwater movie, "Running on the Sun," Ben Jones points out that Eric is a thing of beauty. That's how great I want to be when I run. So I just imagine it. The cold morning is a long way away from Badwater. I dressed to make sure I wouldn't be too cold. I don't mind getting hot. It's all over in 30 minutes anyway, which is barely enough time to warm up. But it's enough time to make a difference to me. I still wonder how people manage to build up their weekly mileage to 100 miles (apart from just running a 100 miler on the weekend). I would love to be used to 20 mile days, but I think it takes a long time to get there. And there are hill workouts and weight workouts and speed workouts... So, it ends up that I have to choose my training wisely, because I only have so much time. My job demands 60 hours a week, and I try to do that. For the races I have planned for the year, hill training is very important. Being able to power walk a hill at a good speed makes a big difference in a race. Part of that difference is just being able to pass other runners on the uphills. Not that I am competitive, but it is better than being passed.