Being Thankful

   As I sit here next to a roaring fire I wonder to myself where the heck did the summer go? It seems like just the other day that I was running outside in shorts sweating away! But this Summer and Fall have come and gone before I knew it. Sadly with them so did my running and my plans to run my hometown marathon and first two ultra-marathons. 

   I'd be lying if I said that everything is going the way that I'd like it to. The recovery process has been irritatingly slow. I've been injured before. When you're a distance runner you become accustomed to being in discomfort and pushing through it. But I can't push through this any faster than I am. Some days I can jump out of bed and life is good. Some days I need a semi-running start and things aren't as good. But I'm trying to keep everything in perspective; over two months ago I couldn't even walk out of my bedroom. I managed to run three 12:00 miles this week and re-started my favorite core-routines.

   Distance running can be a very lonely sport. Most of your training and racing will be without anyone else. That solitude is one of the reasons that I like it so much. Some sunrises should be marveled at all alone. But now more than ever I need encouragement. I somehow was lucky enough to pick up a running coach. I've been running now for over 12 years. Over that time I've learned many good skills. I know how to safely train for a marathon, work some cross-training into my weekly routine and purchase the right type of running shoes. But is there a better way to do things? Who's going to encourage me through this slow process of returning to distance running? And more importantly, who's going to get me to cut back when I've got too much enthusiasm or push me when I don't have enough? I think I've got that covered now. For the first time in my running career I'll have someone in my corner who actually knows what they're doing. 

   I'm so tired of hospital bills and doctor office co-pays it's not even funny. It seems like everyday that a new bill comes in the mail. But I'm lucky enough to live in a part of the state that has top of the line doctors in the field of my injury. I've even discovered a new chiropractor who's also a runner. It's nice to have someone who knows why you love to run and is using state of the art equipment to treat you. Finally I've got a PT recovery program that won't take half a day to complete. 

   There will be many more obstacles that I'll have to overcome. But on the eve of the day that we are supposed to remember the great things in our lives I find myself feeling very thankful. I'm back to work, feeling better, running again and have the most amazing set of family and friends rallying behind me. 

   Happy Thanksgiving my friends...   

        

National Hug A Runner Day

   As I rolled out of a way too comfortably warm bed today I checked my trusty Google Calendar to see what was on my agenda for my only day off this week. I was hoping that today wasn't the day, but there it was staring back at me scheduled for 12:30 PM. Today I was scheduled to meet with my spinal surgeon's PA to discuss my progress so far. So I did what I typically do when faced with something as stressful as I was sure this appointment would be, I blocked it out and proceeded to be the busiest dad, husband and Facebook friend that I could be. Mornings are always rushed here in the Sandman household, I just turned it up a little to keep my mind on other things. I made breakfast, cleaned up the kitchen, sent out texts, started some laundry, sent out some birthday wishes, liked a thousand posts, took care of the hounds, shoveled about two inches of the white stuff off the driveway (yeah, winter finally here) and managed to get Sandkid off to school! It's funny how productive a type A guy with minor OCD who's trying to block something out can be!

   Then it was off to the gym to get a workout in. The whole new having an actual coach thing is working out really good so far. I'm the type of guy who follows things to the letter. So maybe having a coach with as much experience and skill as Coach Judy has will channel that dedication into the correct path to get me not only up and running again, but make me better than before? You've gotta respect someone who's run for 29 years straight! And I thought 609 days was a long time! I wasn't sure how the online thing would work, but it's much easier than I expected. What was life before email and social media? I remember sitting at work computer for the first time many years ago filled with doubt that I'd ever learn how to use the thing. Now I'm sending my coach in Virginia scanned copies of my workouts via email and giving her updates on my progress through online chats. Yeah, I got skills! 

   The plan for this week's training was a combination of both of us. I got the clearance form Coach to restart my two favorite core workout routines. Only this time using better form and inserting some minor additions here and there. It felt strange to do the movements again after not not doing them for almost three months! Even the puppy looked at me on the carpet yesterday and said, "Dude, I thought you gave those up? You look ridiculous!" But the common theme I'm getting from many back injury specialists is to strengthen, strengthen, strengthen the core. So that's what I'm going to do! My chiropractor gave me his first exercise that he wants me to start doing since I've nixed my PT, the pelvic bridge. He wants me to work up to being able to hold it for 83 seconds. Holy crap I used to think I was in shape! Going to have to work on that whole time thingy!

   Coach wanted me to walk run just a mile three times this week trying to get up to 20 minutes of activity. The plan was to have this great big kickoff on Monday. But I got stuck for almost 16 hours at the hospital watching a badguy who had heart problems. Since the injury wearing a duty belt and body armor sucks royally. Sitting on hospital gurneys and bad chairs didn't help. I even had to cancel an appointment. So the big start happened on Tuesday instead. I was surprised as hell to knock out a 12 minute mile. I even managed to run at 5 MPH for the entire time! I can't put into words what it felt like to be able to run again. My mind, my body, everything felt like it was coming back online after being asleep for ages. My running shoes felt awkward as hell and it wasn't pain free. But it was a huge personal victory on a dark basement treadmill. I even managed to do it again today! 

   The doctor's visit went better than expected. Even after all the worrying. I was so afraid that I was going to get the "Surgery's the only option at this point." speech. I even wore a running top and shorts to make sure that she got the impression I'm getting better. It was like 20 degrees today with fresh snow on the ground; everyone looked at me like I was insane! Got the OK to slightly increase my nerve blocker medication if I need to and am scheduled for another visit in three months. Lots of questions and I've gotta say that I mentally feel better. There's so many negative people and information out there about this type of injury. But it's all bullshit! Surgery was discussed as an option in the future if it starts interfering with my life. She doesn't know that I'm probably the only patient who treated an extended sick leave due to a back injury as a vacation to do house improvement projects! I don't sit still!   

   As I walked out of the doctor's office my phone buzzed with a calendar reminder that made me smile. It was National Hug A Runner Day. It's been a long time. Lots of hard work. Lots of worrying. Lots of endless waiting. Sometimes you just have to put your head down, do the work and have faith that you'll finish the race. That is one hell of a difficult thing to do and this is one really freaking long race. But I'm doin it step by step. Got hugs from my wife and my little man when I got home; not because I'm a great husband or amazing father, but because I'm a runner...

   Happy National Hug A Runner Day my friends! Fast, slow, run-walker I give you a big virtual hug! So blessed that the miles continue to tick by and that the race continues...

A Comeback

   It's funny how when things seem so dark that a turnaround comes out of the blue. This week has been the incredible week that I needed in a lot of ways. It's been such a struggle here lately and it was finally nice to let some sunshine in.

   It appears that going back to work has done my back injury a bit of good. The three to four miles that I routinely walk during a shift have provided healing by bringing additional blood flow to my herniated discs. Still leaning a little. But definitely not as bad two weeks ago. Feel like I'm getting better everyday!

   I managed to actually run a whole mile! Funny when you consider that six miles was once my easy standard daily distance that I ran every day. But I'm not complaining. Even during that short distance I found myself slipping back into the old familiar routine. I felt old systems coming back online and for a brief time, it felt AMAZING! It felt really good to be back and feel like a runner again!

   After the momentous mile run I started thinking about what to do next. I've learned a lot through this experience and not surprisingly, I've got much more to discover. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? This event has challenged many of the things that I've come to rely on as standard techniques, exercises and methods for training and running. I've always been a self taught distance runner. But maybe it was time to reach out and discover what else was out there. I contacted my friend Judy Mick to bounce some ideas off her. Judy's an amazing runner, author, coach and streaker. She's what I consider to be at the pinnacle of our sport. We met through FB when I started my running streak. She makes my 609 days of non-stop running look like a walk in the park. She's been doing it non-stop for many years. She gave me some good advice and out of nowhere, offered to coach me. To say that I was surprised is an understatement. For someone to offer their time and experience to make someone else better (that they've never met in person) is such a gift. To do it just because we're friends is even more amazing. I'm more than grateful.  

   I ran another non-stop mile today and met with a new chiropractor. I felt better today than I have in a very long time. Even managed a 5 MPH pace for a brief time. The new doc did something that three I've already talked with didn't, he explained everything that was going on with me. Made some minor adjustments and we made a new attack plan for my recovery. After my appointment I felt even better mentally and physically. 

   Comebacks don't always happen in fancy gyms, with state of the art equipment or during sensational big name races. Sometimes they happen in dark basements, on a sweaty treadmill to the sound of laundry washing while a lone lab sheep dog mix stares at some crazy guy raising his fist in victory to the Running Gods after running just a single, plain and slow mile. 

   Don't give up. Maybe the comeback you're looking for is right around the corner...    

   

Hell Of A Life

   It's been awhile since I've posted here. Not because I haven't wanted to. I actually started and deleted two previous attempts at posting. It's very difficult to put into words the thoughts, emotions and craziness that have been going through my life lately. I didn't want to turn this into a place where all I did was bitch about everything that's going wrong in my life either. I've always wanted this to be something to inspire others to unlock their true potential to be what they've always wanted regardless whether that's through running or not. 

   

   It's been challenging to feel inspiring when you go from proudly having a running streak lasting over 600 days and being on the verge of running your first 50K to not being able to even walk. I can deal with the running streak ending. It was only meant to last 366 days after all. I can deal with putting the idea of running a 50K on the Shelf of Future Stuff. Who wants to run a little over 30 miles anyways? But when you consider everything else that everyone doesn't see that I get from running, this unwelcome hiatus has been quite devastating.

   I used to think fellow co-workers who returned from an extended sick leave were completely insane when said they couldn't wait to get back to work. I don't think that's such a crazy concept anymore. Yeah it's great staying home still getting paid. Yeah it's great to have all the free time that you want. Yeah it's great to have the luxury of seeing your friends and family whenever you want. But there's things that I never considered too. I missed my friends at work and feeling like I had value in the world. All that free time gets really old when you have nothing to do and can't get around without any pain. I'm totally screwed when I retire and I will never mumble under my breath again when I'm stuck behind a slower person at the grocery store. Sure you have nothing to do but your friends and family still have their lives. The world doesn't stop when you do. There were so many boring days that when I did finally talk to or see my friends and family I overwhelmed them a bit. The worst of it all was the time to think about the worst possible outcomes of my current condition. It was and to a much lesser extent still now consuming me. The pain's always a constant reminder that it's there. Some days made me feel like I was Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. 

   I tried to do a lot of research and reach out to other back injury suffers. But that wasn't such a great thing. I read a lot of horrible stories, met some people who were mere shadows of who they once were and got the hell scared out of me. I was afraid that I was going to become addicted to pain medication, have endless, pointless surgeries and have to walk away from running and my career forever. 

   I tried to throw myself into my re-hab. My therapist in my opinion was a little too eager to feed that obsession. I got up to doing an hour and a half of strength and flexibility exercises a day. I was gaining strength but I was beating the hell out of myself while doing it. I'm the kind of person who will follow instructions to the letter. But I was getting really sick of killing myself at something that didn't seem to be working. It was so depressing to log two zero miles of running in my running log for the last two months.  

   I tried to use all my new found free time to attack some home improvement projects that have been waiting in the wind forever. Only I would take an extended sick leave into a chance to redo my kitchen. I got a lot of stuff done. It wasn't wasn't easy and it took me more time than I wanted because of the pain. It looked great but it was getting out of control. When you're out sick you can't work OT to feed the project's bankroll. 

   I'm not afraid to admit this, but many times things were so dark. Sometimes they still are. When I was younger and obese food was something that I took comfort in when I was stressed. This carried over into my adulthood as a runner. But all those miles helped to combat the stress of life and the extra calorie binge that happened every now and then. Only now there were more binges than usual and nothing to help with the extra calories or stress. After many discussions with my wife, who's a therapist, I started going to a psychiatrist to help maintain my sanity. I was having a lot of scary thoughts. The guy's amazing and specializes in helping members of the law enforcement community. It was nice to have someone to talk too and offer a different perspective. 

   I decided that I needed to go back to work to restart a normal life. I was able to stand now and walk. Got cleared by my doctor and the department's doctor to return to work full duty status. Inside I still felt weak and vulnerable. But I didn't have an endless amount of sick days either. I needed to go back. 

   The first week of being back at work is in the books. I knew it was going to be challenging and tough. My uniform fit like garbage because I've gained some weight. The gunbelt that once was just something that I wore became a pain in my side, literally. I typically daily walk over three miles when I'm at work and it was challenging to have to do that again. Holy crap I never realized how much walking that is! My entire life I've had a minor foot impediment that causes my left foot to slightly turn in. The back pain is causing my body to shift to the left. This is a common symptom of a back injury and happens involuntary. Those two things coupled together have garnered much attention from bad guys and co-workers alike. It gets really old hearing about how I'm leaning the 1000th time. The constant reminder sucks. The naysayers who assured me that my injury was from running and told me to give it up weren't very helpful or educated about what I'm going through. The injury has nothing to do with running, running actually increases blood flow and healing and makes it feel better. I'm worried some of my supervisors will force me to go back on sick leave or light duty too because of the visible leaning. I sure as hell don't want to go back out sick and certainly don't want to get moved to the 3PM-11PM or 11PM-7AM shifts on light duty either. I was nervous as hell and all of these things just made that worse.

   But my friends made the transition back easier and my self esteem grew as the week passed. After talking with a friend who's a supervisor I changed some things around. We were talking about how some people suffering from back injuries let it define them and how they can use that as an excuse to never return to something like running. I don't know why, but it hit home when he said, "When you're ready you'll just do it." 

   I started strictly enforcing taking my nerve medication and OTC pain medication, not just when I needed it. I religiously started using ice and my TENS machine again. Only I would pick the week that I return to work to start learning how to run again with my therapist's walk-run program! Again I think that it's a little too aggressive. So I rearranged some of the steps and I'm happy to report that for the last three days the visible shifting is gone. Only I notice the minuscule shift when I stare back at myself in the mirror. Last night I walk-ran a little over a mile and it felt damn good. Yes there was pain but it was manageable and for some reason felt like something that won't last. It took me twice as long as what used to be an easy slow warm-up mile. But a little over a mile is a little over a mile. It still counts and felt like a new beginning. I also felt like writing here again.

   Facing your own worst fears and your worst critic, yourself is incredibly scary. It makes you question who you are and where you're going. But the past in the past. The future is unwritten. It won't be easy. But if there's one thing I'm good at it's putting my head down and pushing on. Call it blind faith that through hard work anything is achievable. Nothing is for certain. I could never run again or I could. Maybe this is the defining moment that few blessed people get to experience in their lives that give them inspiration to do amazing, positive things. I've learned some things that only could be taught through an event like this. It's a hell of a life. But I'm going live it one mile at a time.        

The Power Of Writing It Down

   

   Here we are my friends and my favorite time of year has finally arrived in upstate NY, Fall! For those of you who live in the warmer parts of the country, I pity you! Well, maybe not by the time February creeps along with the never-ending drudgery of Winter. But seriously you're missing out on some of the best running weather on the planet and breathtaking views of Fall foliage. I love this time of year. It never seems to last long enough for me. It's been cruel and unusual punishment for me to not be running out there right now. But there will be other Falls to enjoy.

   With all this extra time on my hands I decided to put it to some good use and did something that I've been trying to do for a while, I reorganized my training log. That sucker's been with me from the beginning and has all sorts of information about me, my running and racing spanning my entire 13 year journey. It's frankly amazing that I still have it. It's survived several moves, accidental deletions and even a Gatorade spill or two. When the IT people of the world ramble on and on about saving your important data in many different formats in many different places, take their pesky know-it-all advice and make the effort. After too many close calls, these days my juicy running secrets are saved in at least four different locations. I've learned to not take chances with my Holy Grail. 

   So there I was obsessively going over the thing the other night. Through the years I've tried some stock programs but I always keep coming back to my self-created Excel worksheet. I like it because it's mine, easy to use and of course has a lot of history. You can pick any date going all the way back to December 1, 2002 and I could tell you what time I ran, how far, the weather conditions and even what shoes I wore. It's become sort of a diary of my life too. I've written something in it pretty much everyday. Sometimes it's more about my life than running. The funny part is that I rarely look back and read my notes. That night I took the time and went back to the beginning. 

   Back to December 8, 2002 when I ran one of my first long runs. I laughed out loud as I read the notes for the day. "10 miles. Felt like shit. My nipples damn near felt like they rubbed off." Ah the glory of discovering what chaffing is for the very first time! That shit can bring a grown man to his knees! 

   Back to April 20, 2005 when my newly born son and I had our first run together. I can still remember the crisp chill in the air. I bundled him up in three different sets of winter clothing. I don't think he could move his legs or arms, but at least he was warm. "5.25 miles. It felt good to run outside just for fun with him for the first time. Didn't get a lot of sleep though." I called myself zombie runner that year. Newborns and sleep don't go hand in hand. I still don't know how I managed to run with my eyes shut!  

   Back to September 23, 2012 when I finally broke the four hour wall in a marathon. I remember that it was just the perfect day for a marathon. "26.2 miles in 3:56:37. History was made!" I remember crossing that finish line, my iPod randomly shuffling to my all time favorite running song. What a rush to accomplish something that I'd been trying to do for 10 years. 

   Pretty cool stuff. Especially when your on the injured list and feeling like your never going to be able to run again. Let's look at some of the reasons why having a training log can help you become a better runner. 

   Organization. Some people are good at managing their time. Some aren't. I happen to be very good at making what little free-time that I do have count. But as I've gotten older things have gotten pretty crazy. Things come up as your responsibilities grow. Throw in the added pressure of training for a marathon and your head will spin. Having a training log will help you organize your workouts so that you know what you're going to do and when you should be doing it. It'll also help you have some flexibility when unexpected things come up. Even new runners quickly realize that there's more to running a race than just getting out the door or hitting the treadmill everyday. Specificity rules our world and it's nice to have something to make order out of all the chaos.  

   Mileage. If you're a runner then you obviously like to run. But sometimes too much of a good thing can be bad. Even the elite runners of our sport don't put up 100+ mile weeks all year long. They track their mileage and make adjustments according to their specific plans and goals. Sometimes running can become super addictive. It feels great and you can want that all the time. The urge to do it more often and longer can be very strong. But to become a better runner training should progress more slowly than you'd think. Tracking your mileage with a training log will give you solid numbers to work with as a guide. It'll also help you track mileage that you put on your shoes. Unfortunately the things don't last forever.  

   

   Slumps. Everyone has them. It's cold outside, raining, snowing, you don't feel like going for a run. Sometimes runners can become complacent with their training. After running the same speed, distance or workout for weeks at a time your body naturally adjusts. Everything will be easier and sometimes you'll like it that way. No hard work and just some coasting. That's OK for short periods. But what happens when it becomes a prolonged period of time? Keeping a training log will help you identify why you've fallen into a slump and how long you've languished there.  

   Improvement. On the same line as with slumps, having a training log can show improvements that you've made. The physical changes that happen when you become a runner are very slight at first. Your body adjusts and it's hard to notice the changes in yourself. But when viewed over a long time-frame those changes can be incredible to look at. A training log can help you to identify the things that helped you make those improvements. The more information that you put in your notes, the easier it'll be to see what works for you. It could be your pace work, your diet, your daily amount of sleep all contributing to your new successes. If you don't track it you may just overlook it altogether. 

   Accountability. Sometimes the weather will be shitty, you'll have to stay late at work or your running partner will cancel last minute. Things come up. That's life. But you can't just wing it all training season when training for longer distance races. Unless you're a highly experienced runner, you need to put in the training to go the long distances. Having a training log will hold you accountable to that training. I can't tell you how terrible a blank day looks to me when I look at my log. It almost screams at me to go out and get some miles under my belt. A training log can help motivate you and keep yourself honest. It'll help you follow through on your training so you show up to the starting line of your race strong and healthy. Good things come to those who work their asses off.   

   Confidence. My confidence has been in the tank since this crazy thing with my back. So many days of not running have left me feeling like I'm sham. I'm supposed to be this big-time runner to everyone who knows me. But here I am still unable to get out there. I really needed to get my head out from may ass and taking a good long look at my log helped me do that. Looking back I've run over 66 different races logging over 27,000 miles. As I went through the years I was amazed at how far I've really come. Yes, there are days with nothing logged but big fat zeros. But there were some incredibly high mileage weeks. Yes, there were weeks of boring flat numbers. But there was hard data showing 25 lbs. of weight loss, steady improvements and long stretches of double digit running. Yes, there were times on injury where I felt like it was the end of the world (a lot like now). But it also showed how gradual, steady, slow recovery brought me back stronger and better than before. Trials I'd long beaten and forgotten came back to me. Getting injured is part of any adult athlete's life. It happens no matter what you do. Having a training log will give you the confidence that you'll heal to run another day. Looking over 13 years I noticed way more victories than defeats. Having my younger self smack me around a little did much to boost my attitude. Glad that I had that reference to look back on.       

   Fun. After a while having a training log sort of takes on a life of it's own. It grows and grows. It's fun to have all of that data to play with. It's cool to be able to say that I've run around the planet distance wise. It makes me feel like a superstar to look at my times and note that my older self has been much faster than my younger. 609 days of running in a row is more of an accomplishment for me than all the races I've finished. Having a training log will give you some funny stuff to look back on and bragging rights for a lifetime.   

   So if you don't have a training log think about starting one. It'll give your a lot to think about, obsess about and laugh at. There's pros and cons to paper ones versus computer based ones; and prefab ones versus self-made. It's your preference. If you'd like a basic format to work with I'd be glad to help you get started. If you already have one let me know what you use. I'm always looking for ways to improve mine.

   It's been a good week. I'm not going to talk about it yet because I don't want to jinx anything! Training logs can make you quite superstitious too! So instead ,I'll leave you with some poetry:

Something stirring deep down inside, 

Not yet come to the surface, 

The call of the road is strong & not forgotten, 

Not pain, Not fear,

Not sweat, Not tear,

Nothing will be able to hold it back,

One foot in front of the other,

Slowly it will begin anew... 

   

One With The Old Man

   Today was an odd day of sorts. 24 years ago on this day my father passed away from brain cancer. It was one of the most challenging things that I've ever gone through. Over the course of nine months I watched my dad, who was this tall, strong, fearless guy wither away to almost nothingness. In the end his mind and body were a mere shadow of the amazing man that he was. It was a point in my life that would define the person that I am today. That single event took me on the longest journey. Luckily with a little help I climbed my way out of nastier sections and eventually decided to honor the man that was my father by following in the family business of law enforcement. I proudly wear his badge number today. 

   As children we look to our parents as the ideal type of people that we should strive to be when we grow up. But as we get older we begin to notice that our parents aren't perfect. Even they have their faults. My dad had his demons and was far from a saint. But I choose a long time ago to forgive the faults and embrace the man that he was.

   I've never admitted this to anyone, but one of the reasons that I took up long distance running was because, when compared to dying of brain cancer, running a marathon is a piece of cake. The man had the stamina to last nine months of drugs, chemotherapy and radiation treatment. If he could do that, then I could last 26.2 miles in a foot race. I dedicated my first race to him and his tenacity.     
   Through the years after his passing I've done many different things on this day. I've wallowed in grief that he wasn't still here, toasted him one too many at his favorite bar and spent the day fishing like we used to when I was young. Today my son ran a mile long race with his classmates for school. Since being out sick from work I've really enjoyed the extra time with him. Gone are the pressures of time, training and work. I've become a bus driver some days, a school teacher on others and a tutor on our patio. Needless to say I jumped at the opportunity to spend this morning with him as a volunteer on the course. 

   The race was run at a local park called North Ponds. We actually used to live in a set of apartments that backed up to it. It's a beautiful park that has a one mile paved trail that encompasses two gigantic ponds. In my opinion it's one of the nicest places to walk or run. Especially during the Fall. When the leaves are at their peak, it's just breathtaking. 

   Woke up early to get my PT exercises in, got the little guy on the bus and headed over to the park. I showed up on time and found out where I was supposed to be stationed. It was really nice to see so many volunteers there as well as the local Fleet Feet running the finish line. Very organized other than where to initially meet up with your school's gym teachers. 

 It was a beautiful Fall day and while chatting with a neighbor who's daughter was also running, the buses started arriving. It wasn't just my son's fourth grade class, but all the district's fourth grades running the race. Lots of kids everywhere! 

   Up until today it seemed like the second round of spinal injections had really helped ease some of the inflammation on the pinched nerve. But standing for two hours cheering all the kids on was rough. I gritted through it and got to see him run on by. He was all business, but I did at least get a smile and a wave. Watching him and so many other kids pushing themselves today made me smile. What incredible effort!

   Caught up with him at the finish line. What a man he's growing into. He's already so tall, probably going to be as tall as his grandfather was. It seems like overnight he went from this tiny little bean to almost a teenager in size. It's been amazing watching him become what he is today. I tried not to embarrass him too much in front of his friends and left a short time later. 

   I would've loved the opportunity to run with him today. But today just wasn't my day. There will be other races with him. Standing in the bright sunlight I watched him as he turned the corner near where I was stationed. If you squinted hard enough you could almost see a really tall man with an old Irish cap running alongside him.    

   Sometimes it's worth it to sit out a race. Miss you pop. Thanks for running with him today...

GUTR Sweatband Review

   

   Ever since I was a young boy I realized that I wasn't like other people in many different ways. I liked anchovies on my pizza, I found the smell of gasoline oddly pleasant and I sweated like a pig wrapped in cellophane sitting in a sauna whenever I exercised. Not a pretty sight for a short little chubby kid trying to survive his way through sixth grade gym class!

   As I got older and fitter I discovered that my mutant ability to profusely sweat diminished a little with the extra weight gone. But when I took up running I discovered that it was still with me. Whenever I went on any run lasting more than a mile I sweated a little more than average. 

   I know that sweating is a gross topic but it's something that we all have to deal with. You can deny it all you want! Ha! Whether you're a distance runner or not sweating is perfectly normal. It's your body's natural way to regulate internal temperature and also serves to flush toxins out of your system. Most people sweat in response to warm temperatures, exercise and stressful situations. I was lucky because I wasn't someone with the medical condition of "Hyperhidrosis". When you have this condition you sweat even without the typical conditions present. My problem was just that when I did sweat, there was buckets of the stuff to go around. I've always been the generous type!

   When I started to train for my first marathon I went on some really, really long runs. Some of them lasting two, three or even four hours. Because of the length of these runs I started to have to modify some of the things that I wore because of my sweat. 

   Regular cotton clothing just didn't work anymore because it soaked up all of the sweat like a dry sponge. I had to buy all new sweat wicking clothing. These days this type of clothing has become the standard for most athletes, runner or not. I never see anyone rocking the cotton stuff anymore unless they're some cagey veteran from the start of the running boom. Dude, if you can pull off cotton shorts, more power to you! I'm not that guy!

 Another thing I started doing was applying things like band aids, smearing petroleum jelly and shaking talcum powder in all the wondrous places that I chaffed. For those of you who haven't experienced the awesomeness of chaffing, well then you haven't truly lived! You'd think that a small piece of clothing simply rubbing against your body is no big deal. But you throw in a little extra sweat and have it rub for let's say five hours straight, then you have a real freaking problem! It's a tricky thing to avoid unless you're experienced enough to know the target parts it can occur on your own body. Unfortunately it's different from person to person and even different from clothing item to item. The only surefire way to figure it out is with damned painful trial an error. With my copious amounts of sweat I've had chaffing almost everywhere on my body. Bloody nipples that looked like matching gunshot wounds. Marks on my back that looked like I was whipped on a prison boat. Bloody inner thighs that looked like a midget boxer used my private parts as a punching bag. Who said running wasn't a bloody sport? Not fun! Even more delightful when you don't know you have it until you step into the shower and start washing. When water and soap mixes with your sweat the sensation is like razor blades on your newly chaffed parts. Lot's of swearing in the shower after long races! I now use some great products like Body Glide which is similar to petroleum but much less greasy; and Squeaky Cheeks which is similar to talcum powder but an incredible product that lasts much, much longer. I've got it down to such a science that I rarely have to deal with this issue anymore thank God!

   So I've made all of these changes and have a fairly good handle on my sweating problem. But there was one aspect of it that continued to elude me until this summer. What to do about the problem of sweat running into my eyes when I'm out there running for half a day? Sure wearing a running hat, cap or headband can help. But eventually they too reach a point where they're too soaked to be effective anymore. I got skin cancer a few years back so I don't dare run outside any more without sunscreen. When you mix sunscreen with the sweat running down your head it can completely blind you for the remainder of your run. I've tried everything to stop this. I've used sunscreen in spray, lotion and stick form and tried applying it different ways on my face. But it's always a constant problem. Typically it ruins my eyes so badly that I can't wear my contacts for the rest of the day and they hurt until the following morning. I can't tell you how irritatingly dangerous it is to be 10 miles from home and practically blind. It's amazing that I haven't run into a tree of moving car yet! 

   Up until recently the only solution was to run without sunscreen on my face. Which really isn't a solution and too dangerous. I decided to do a little research online and discovered something called the GUTR sweatband. It's not like a typical sweatband for two reasons: Instead of being made of a sweat wicking or absorbing material it's made of high quality silicone. The other difference is that it has a small channel that catches sweat running down your forehead that then re-directs the sweat away from your eyes to the sides of your head where it runs down to your chin. Very similar to the way a roof gutter re-directs rainwater. Hence the clever product name! It retails for about $20 US and comes in white, black and blue colors. It attaches with velcro and is adjustable, so one-size fits all. The company also makes slightly more expensive versions for industrial and military use. I liked the simplicity of the product. It makes sense. I liked the fact that it wasn't fabric. In my opinion, nothing that's made of fabric is going to work well as a sweatband for distance runners. I loved the price. If it didn't work well, I wasn't out a ton of money. 

   Luckily for us northeastern distance runners this summer wasn't really a summer at all. It didn't last very long here. But when it was hot in the earlier part of the summer, it was really hot and humid. Prime sweating conditions for longer runs. I got a chance to put this headband through it's paces. To be honest, I was expecting this it to be OK for an average person. But not work all that well for a person like me. Well I was pleasantly surprised. 

   The PROS: This product did exactly what it was supposed to. Run after run it did a very good job of directing sweat away from my eyes. It was comfortable and didn't slide down my forehead when I applied it properly. It didn't cut my circulation off and the material didn't wear at all. It was very comfortable. After a few runs I didn't even realize that I was wearing it anymore. 

   The CONS: Every time that I put the thing on to go out for a run my wife and son couldn't help but laugh. I must admit that while wearing it I looked like an extra from some space alien aerobics movie. Even when wearing the white model it did manage to stand out quite a bit. So there I was sneaking out into my garage before my run to put the dang thing on to avoid the cynical laughter. After some trial and error I discovered that it could be easily hidden when I wore my running visor and sun glasses. Some minor adjustments were needed with how I wore them on my head but nothing major. Even runners should have some fashion sense! I'd look ridiculous wearing this on a treadmill inside the gym! Even I have standards! I found that while it did a great job directing the sweat away from your forehead, if you jumped, veered or looked straight down that some of the collected sweat would fall out of the channel. This could be a problem for a cyclist. It's made to fit underneath a cycling helmet, but when you lean forward to get more aerodynamic the sweat could  possibly fall out. I didn't test this theory. It usually fell onto the outside of my glasses and away from my eyes when this rarely happened. The only other thing I can say is that it doesn't do anything about the sweat that can sometimes collect on spots below the band. But hey, nothing's perfect. 

   Overall I was very impressed with this product. It's price, material and performance were all well worth the money. I'd even pay a little more than retail for it. If you live in a warmer climate and or have a sweating issue consider trying the GUTR headband. It's a cheap fix that may make the hot, humid, long and sweaty ones a little safer and more comfortable! Let me know if you give it a try. I'd love to hear your take!

   Still pluggin away at my PT exercises. Sometimes they feel like they're not doing anything at all. I know they probably are so I'm keepin the faith. I came across a neat little new machine at my gym called the AMT Stride Right. It's similar to an elliptical machine but it adjusts to your stride throughout your workout. I discovered that if I pushed it that it was similar to running in weightlessness. I'm getting really tired of walking on the treadmill. So this new machine felt freaking amazing! Go for my second round of x-ray guided steroid injections tomorrow. Hopefully it'll speed the healing process despite the pain of the procedure. Love pulling my shorts down halfway so a room full of strangers can do the procedure. Gotta remember to "polish" my tramp stamp area before I leave tomorrow! Really frustrated and worried with not being able to stand straight. But I'm working as hard as I can. It's still weird being home this much. My Type-A personality is enjoying getting some things done around the house. It was kind of a downer today because it was the running of the Rochester half and full marathon. I was supposed to run the full this year as a training run for the ultra. The weather really sucked with heavy rains. So at least my record of never running a marathon in the rain still stands! I'm the kind of guy who works hard when I have a goal set before me. Despite all the depressing stories, despite the pain, despite all the feelings of hopelessness and frustration, mark my words, I'm going to run again. This bullshit of giving up running after having herniated discs isn't going to work for me. If you happen to run Rochester next year, look around at the start line. You may just find a familiar face who's got one hell of a comeback story...