ChiRunning, Tarahumara style and Uechi-ryu - a powerful combination

I'll admit that waiting for the doctor to green-light my running is a little frustrating. I have finished my medicine and I feel as strong as I ever have. My appetite has come back in full force and really want to get outside and move. I could probably get away with a run today but I won't. I know I can run so what else do I need to prove?

Yesterday I spent some time at a Waldenbooks store at a local mall. Apparently the parent company, Borders, is closing 200 stores and this one was in its final days, selling off merchandise and books at deep discounts. There wasn't a lot of inventory left and nothing was in order but I managed to find a copy of ChiRunning discounted to $7 so I snapped that up. Since reading "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall I've been intrigued by techniques that promote a more natural running style. In Born to Run, the author writes about the running style of the Tarahumara natives of Mexico who practice a style of shorter, more frequent steps combined with mid and front foot striking. It's definitely an efficient style of running and my experiments (prior to my pneumonia crash) showed that I could run faster with much less effort.

ChiRunning has many similar concepts. The author of the book, Danny Dreyer, uses the concept of Chi, a way of centering and directing energy, to help perfect his running style. Between what I am learning from about ChiRunning (not much at this point since there is a prologue, an introduction and three expository chapters before you get to the actual techniques) and what I've learned through my years of martial arts training, I am understanding where there may be some real opportunity to increase performance. Dreyer credits a T'ai Chi master who taught him about Chi and helped adapt the idea to running.

The increase in cadence with the Tarahumara style, the balance of martial arts transitioning and the forward lean and mid/front striking (common to both Chi and Tarahumara running) seem to be great combination. I am hoping I get the go-ahead for Monday so I can begin my rebuilding process for running.

Mea Culpa on the run. Now what's my next shoe?

Although it did not seem to affect me negatively, yesterday's treadmill run was clearly too much too soon. After weeks of illness I began to feel strong enough to run a few minutes to benchmark my current conditioning. What was supposed to be 5 minutes of slow running turned into 12 or 13 minutes of slow to moderate running - enough to work a sweat. Up until that point I followed my doctor's advice to the letter and that brought me to the point where I felt strong enough to try this run. I had walked about a mile on Tuesday. Yesterday afternoon I walked for 30 minutes without feel tired. I'm getting there.

I finished my course of Avelox yesterday and I'm working through my second course of Tamiflu to ensure my Type B flu is eradicated. I'm sleeping more than I had prior to contracting pneumonia but I'm finding that I need less and less sleep each day. The real test will come next week when I return to waking at a very early hour so I can make my 6:20 AM train. I won't be running Tuesday morning but if my doctor allows it I'll try a short neighborhood run on Monday. I certainly didn't mind being on the treadmill yesterday. In fact you could say I loved every second of the experience. Much of that was due to the realization that I could still run and that I wasn't transported back to mid-2008 when I struggled to cover a few long streets without a break.

I've been looking at the Brooks Running site and wondering whether the Green Silence is my next running shoe.  I'll admit that I'm still very curious to compare the Adrenalin GTS-10's to my GTS-9's and I wonder if anything could ever feel so good on my feet as the ASICS Kayano's. Life has many many choices and I like having options. The question is this: should I be true to the idea that less is more and that the best thing to do is to return to running with minimalist shoes? Or should I be seduced by the great new technologies introduced for 2010? Then again, those GTS-9's are still a mighty fine pair of running shoes.

Listen to your body, not your doctor!

Years ago, when I worked for a newspaper in the Midwest, the publisher decided to create a portfolio highlighting his senior executives. We were each professionally photographed and then asked a series of questions about who we were and how we motivated our teams. One question asked us to describe ourselves in a single word. My answer was: "Doesn't follow directions." Needless to say the publisher was unhappy when he saw the glossy brochure with  this in my profile. It didn't really matter in the end though. A month later I was off to NYC after having accepted a position at another paper. Being a little rebellious was fun and much appreciated by my colleagues.

I'm still a bit that way. Despite yesterday's post about POSTIVELY not running until next week I felt I needed to test the waters. I felt very strong this morning, as though I had turned a corner on my recovery, and it did not seem to be a big risk to hop on the treadmill for ten or so minutes. It was exciting to change into running clothes for the first time in over two weeks. I had no expectations for performance and I left my Garmin on the side table so I wouldn't be tempted to meet any speed or distance numbers. I started with three minutes at a brisk walking pace and slid the speed control to the point where I could comfortably trot without feeling as though I was doing a lot of work. I moved the slider up to quicken the pace and I maintained a constant awareness of front and midfoot striking, leaning forward as I ran. The time passed quickly and I increased the belt speed to a full run for the last couple of minutes. It felt great. I cooled down for a few more minutes by walking and that was it.

In all I probably covered a mile to a mile and a half. I wasn't the runner I was a month ago but that was fine. As long as I keep my progress modest I think I can rebuild my conditioning in the next 30 days. I didn't follow directions but I'm happy I listened to my body. I didn't push past my limits and I'm happy with today's workout. Just please don't tell Dr. L.

The long road to recovery

"I want you to listen very closely. Do not run today. Do not run this week. When I see you next Monday I'll let you know when you can start running again."

Those were the words of my pulmonologist when I saw him on Tuesday. I totally understood his position. He had just looked at my X-Rays which show that I am still battling pneumonia. He stepped up my Avelox and my Tamiflu doses. "This is a serious illness. Do you understand?" Yes doctor.

Later that day my wife and I went for a walk around the neighborhood. We covered about a mile and it really helped me understand that my level of conditioning has dropped. Any thoughts about immediately returning to 5 mile runs under 9:00 min per mile were quickly dashed. Yesterday I ran up the stairs with some laundry and found myself winded. I'm beginning to realize how long the road to recovery might be.

On the positive side it's almost like starting again and I can go into my return to running knowing things to avoid and things to expect. I'll try to maintain the front/midfoot striking form and hopefully that will become a natural style for me. I want to try out some less cushioned running shoes to strengthen my feet and better support the Tarahumara running style. I spent the last year as the Emerging Runner, going from inactive to plenty active. This will be the year of the re-Emerging Runner - version 2.0. I can't wait to hit the road but I will respectfully wait until I'm ready. Doctor's orders.

Metaphorically, a house fell on me last week

The last time I sat down to write a post on the Emerging Runner I had no idea what was in store for me in the days to come. I was on my end-of-year vacation and was experiencing some symptoms of a coming cold but I still had enough strength to have run four miles of trails the day before. On Wednesday the 30th I went out for a fun family lunch event and by mid afternoon my world had started to crumble around me with a force that I could never have predicted. What began as a series of chills, intense fatigue and coughing along with a complete lack of appetite led to a week-plus of hell that included a five day stay in the hospital that involved a course of anti-viral and anti-biotic megabomb IVs around the clock.

Due to the New Year's holiday I was unable to see my doctor until Monday morning. He immediately diagnosed pneumonia and sent me to a pulmonologist who put me through a series of tests and X-rays before sending me to the hospital. My wife and I followed the grim and tedious process of getting checked into the hospital and I found myself hours later saying goodbye to my wife and kids as they brought me into a small airless room and began sticking needles in me everywhere. The time passed and I was eventually moved into the hallway accompanied by numerous others whose horrific coughs and other noises made me wonder how sick they must be. After hours of laying there on this stretcher they moved me into a room facing dozens of patients. I discovered that I needed to be isolated because I was deeply contagious. My pneumonia, characterized on the diagnosis sheet as "Severe Community Acquired Pneumonia" was very bad. I had patches on multiple lobes of my lungs. The level of discomfort was intense.

I was eventually moved upstairs to a quieter room that had its own bathroom (sort of). The bathroom was like something you'd find on a boat where the unit could be swung out from under a cabinet. The days in that room were horrifying dull and I began to hate the isolation, the depressing surroundings and the constant changing of the IVs. My wife was an incredible friend and resource for me. She'd arrive as soon as she got the kids off to school and she stayed with me until she had to leave to be there when they arrived home. Mid way through the week my doctor, who initially indicated a two day stay, broke the news that the earliest I would be leaving was Friday. My mind became focused completely on what it would be like to leave to hospital. I felt as though I'd never get there.

When the doctor gave me my release on Friday morning I was beside myself with joy. It still took hours to complete the processing but when I finally reached the point of crossing the threshold between the hospital and the outside world I was hit with an intense feeling of freedom. That was easily the most depressing week I had ever spent, anywhere. I still have a ways to go to get past the residual pneumonia and I have full course of powerful antibiotics to get through over the next couple of weeks. I feel stronger today than I have for over two weeks and I'm starting to think about getting out for a mile run as soon as my doctor gives me permission.  As a marathoner himself, I'm hoping he'll keep an open mind. I am so happy to be back reporting on the progress of the Emerging Runner. Looking ahead to my next run is giving me something I haven't had in weeks - hope.