Making it to the Boston Marathon 2014

[Enrique]

Thanks for reminding me what Monte says (99.9%) about injuries. I decided not to let the pain stop me so I went for a 4 mile run today. Frankly my knee wasn't that bad. It was more a sensation than pain. I've also picked up the SteveO book again to finish it. I started reading it in December and just never finished. I connected with one particular section which talks about repressed anger. While I was running I was thinking about all the things that could be making me angry inside and which I'm not allowing to come to the surface. I was a little surprised at all the possible things!! There are so many...

I read some of your past posts and your story, too. I see so many similarities to what I've gone through from a TMS perspective since I started running in 2008. I've overcome many issues and also had a consultation with Monte. AND I also have some shoulder pain right now that I think is TMS. BTW, you are a FAST runner... 3:09 marathon time is a dream for me I think I'm too old to get to that now. I'd be ecstatic with a 3:40!

 

[JoyceVT]

Hi Enrique - So glad your knee isn't too bad right now. It does sound like a TMS flare up especially when you say it's more of a sensation. I'm learning myself to know that odd sensations and twinges are TMS. Even this morning I have had some light sensations in my left shin area but when I tested it (running in my kitchen ) it felt totally fine. TMS works is strange ways. I was also agitated about something that recently went down at work and know that has caused some minor TMS flare ups this morning. But I am going to do my 6 mile recovery run with 6-8 20 second strides at the end and not worry about it.

I think it's great to confront your anger especially while running. It’s a great time to meditate on all the difficult stuff. I have the SteveO book and have read through most of it. It’s amazing what he’s been through and how he has overcome such extreme pain. I also love that he runs! I have his book sitting on the coffee table and need to thumb through it more often. It’s helpful!

It’s great to connect with another athlete who has been battling TMS and trying to train. Perhaps this thread can attract other athletes dealing with TMS and we can all help each other. I think there’s a world of endurance athletes suffering due to TMS and they are not aware of it. Perhaps this thread will come up in a google search and it will ultimately lead someone to Dr Sarno.

Thanks for you post Enrique! And by the way, you’re never too old I have a running coach and that makes all the difference.

 

[Enrique]

I hope the recovery run went well for you!

The knee is feeling ok today. I didn't have the urge to ice it like I'd been having recently. I wonder, do you use ice?? Sometimes I think it is submitting to the physical rather than psychological, but it takes the pain away for a while.

I read something today about focusing on my unhurt knee when I feel any pain. So I've been purposely trying to feel what my good knee feels like rather than on the pain area where I have been putting my mind's eye. You ever try that? Its really odd to try to focus where there is no pain. It is actually not easy for me. Ive also stopped babying the knee-- walking gently up the stairs. I think it's all helping.

A coach huh? I haven't had one since high school, but I do believe in them. I'm just not ready to pay for one. I'm too cheap
Actually, my budget is just too tight. Those darn kids cost so much!! Haha

 

[JoyceVT]

Hi Enrique, Glad the knee is feeling better. I haven’t used ice too much since learning about TMS. But that being said I did ice my shins this past January when my shin splints returned. I even went as far as soaking both in ice-cold water after running. This helped me run for a good month where the shin splint didn’t get worse but wasn’t getting better (I was still torn about certain shin splint pain being TMS or not…I know my IT band issue was TMS). I now stretch after every run, do running drills before my run, foam roll after stretching and sometimes do some self-massage on the shin areas. I like to think of this as preventative medicine but have to be careful that I’m not worrying about “injuries”.

That’s a great idea about focusing on the knee that feels good. I’m going to try that with my shin. The last week or so I’ve been feeling off and on sensations on my problem shin area. Nothing sore or painful, just TMS sensations – even feeling it this morning (vaguely). My arm/shoulder started getting better and my TMS is looking for a place to go.

I hear you about the coaching! It adds up month after month! We don’t have kids so it’s easier for me to have a coach.

Happy Friday! Hope you and everyone else has a pain-free weekend.

Joyce

 

[Enrique]

Hi Enrique, Glad the knee is feeling better. I haven’t used ice too much since learning about TMS. But that being said I did ice my shins this past January when my shin splints returned. I even went as far as soaking both in ice-cold water after running. This helped me run for a good month where the shin splint didn’t get worse but wasn’t getting better (I was still torn about certain shin splint pain being TMS or not…I know my IT band issue was TMS). I now stretch after every run, do running drills before my run, foam roll after stretching and sometimes do some self-massage on the shin areas. I like to think of this as preventative medicine but have to be careful that I’m not worrying about “injuries”.

Hi, yes, the knee continues to improve. What originally I thought was physical and doubted was TMS, I am almost certain is TMS. It's that tiny bit of doubt that I am working on. In retrospect, think I was backsliding a bit recently, relying on R.I.C.E a bit too much. I've stopped icing the knee. You asked earlier which part of the knee hurt and I forgot to answer. It's a tiny spot of soft tissue, on the right knee, just below the patella on the inside. See pic below... the Medial patellar retinaculum is the area. So I'm running on it with some intensity and it's not getting worse. I'm still apprehensive about doing something such as a squat, lunge or even a bike ride. I'll have to face that fear soon though as I want to do a triathlon in June or July.

Talking about stretching... my routine involves similar things to what you do, but not quite in the same manner. I warm up for 5 minutes (walk/jog). Then I do very light stretching, before starting my run. I'll do run drills when I do track/speed work, but if it's a long run or a tempo run, I just start right into that workout. Afterward a workout, I spend time stretching a little longer than the pre-run routine, upper and lower body. Twice a week, typically on non-run days, I will do a 1 hour maintenance routine which entails foam rolling, cross-friction (when I feel a knot in a muscle), and then stretching. Like you, I consider this preventative/maintenance and not worry about injuries.

By the way, I looked up what my Boston qualifying time would be next year (I turn 45) and it's a slightly more feasible 3:25... it currently is 3:15 for my AG. It is still a dream of mine to run Boston so I will keep heading in that direction with my training. Last year I was on my way to run a 3:4o when I blew up at mile 21. It may have been a mental barrier that I hit, but basically my legs gave out.

Enrique

 

[JoyceVT]

Hi Enrique – That area of your knee is not a spot that TMS has plagued me in a while, but I do think it’s TMS. So good that it’s improving! Perhaps give it a few more days or a week before hopping on the bike just to build more confidence. Your maintenance program sounds really good and solid. I wonder if I’m going overboard with doing running drills before all my runs. I only do about 10-12 minutes worth of the drills/dynamic stretching and don’t them with much intensity. The focus for me is to avoid muscle imbalances and of course warm up my muscles a little bit.

Boston is really tough for men. The qualifying time for a woman my age (43) is 3:45. A 3:25 is doable. It’s really just a matter of devoting at least 6 months to a program and putting the marathon as a first priority over other races. And of course for us it’s a matter of keeping the TMS under control and getting to that starting line

Last Friday I started trying to focus on my right shin which has been the good one. It’s easier said than done! The funny thing is that on Saturday I had a 5 mile run with hill work and my right lower leg started giving me issues. My inside of the lower right leg and inner ankle were sore off and on during the run. Sometimes the soreness would be in my ankle and then it moved up to leg area and then back and forth. I had this last summer training for Philly and Monte helped me get through it and I maintained my training. So I knew it was just my TMS moving around. My shoulder is feeling great and my left shin (the one that was bugging me last week) felt good during the run. So my TMS is looking for a place to settle. I supposed my big challenge is eliminating pain for good instead of fighting all these small TMS battles that are moving around in my body. Sunday’s run was really good. It was only 8 miles (my long run so far) but I didn’t have TMS issues in both my lower legs which was great. I have some sore muscles in both my upper/inner leg muscles from racing my husband up the hills on Saturday but I’m confident that is just regular soreness and not TMS.

 

[Enrique]

I think the knee pain is TMS also.... it isnt getting worse with increased intensity and distance and actuallty feeling less pain over all. Another sign that it's TMS is that during my runs the pain moves around slightly around the knee... above the knee, under the knee cap, to the right, etc... That makes me more confident that it''s TMS. Also, I have been less fearful of using that knee when going up stairs, running across the street, etc. And the pain subsides despite the increased activity.

Your warm up routine is probably fine.... to each his own.

Boston... yes, I do want to qualify. Right now, I lack the motivation though. I want to beat my PR for a half and 10K first. Then I think I'll be more mentally ready to take on the full again. I also do believe that a running coach will be necessary if I want to get to Boston. I am getting too old to learn via mistakes. I have a friend that ran it this year. She finished a half hour before the blasts. It's too bad that the overall event and her victory was overshadowed by the terrible tragedy. The Marathon has forever been changed.

This weekend I'm planning to run a 12K for fun. The Bay to Breakers is a Bay Area classic run.... I thnk I've run it like 8 times already. Its an excuse for the nudists to do their thing out in public without getting arrested. ANd it's usually a huge party at the fnish line so we get like 25K people who show up at the start line.

It sounds like you are getting a handle on the Shin TMS. Pain moving around is as sure sign. One thing I read today is about the conditioning aspect of pain. It's way to easy to let a certain action or activity trigger the pain and then become a conditioned response - a la Pavlov dogs. I think my knee pain was starting to become conditioned until I broke the imprint by getting angry and by thinking psychological. I'm certain your shin pain will soon be a thing of the past.

Here's to heathly and productive training!

 

[JoyceVT]

When pain moves around it’s a sure sign of TMS. I do think your knee and my shin will be a thing of the past. (At least the serious shin pain that causes me to start from scratch). Conditioning is a big thing. My husband has some TMS on his hip and it’s an area where he has a bone spur. He feels it the most in the mornings and then later in the day it’s pretty good. He has become conditioned to feel soreness in the mornings or even moving his leg a certain way. Luckily it doesn't hurt to run.

Boston was so sad and tragic and it will never be the same. I’ve had two chances to run it but injuries (TMS) prevented me last year and this year. There is a part of me that is disappointed I never got to experience Boston before this year, before all the horror. I’ll be signing up again for sure but it will be quite a different atmosphere. I still can’t imagine what it will feel like running through the finish area next year. I’m glad your friend was safe. I’m sure it was a very emotional day for her. I have friends from Vermont who ran it and finished before the bombs. They are still healing in non-physical ways.

That 12K sounds like so much fun. I like races that have good parties at the end. I’d love to someday do a marathon or half marathon out in the San Francisco area or even wine country. It’s been ages since we’ve been there. I love Northern California. We used to live in San Diego country in the late nineties.

My first races are in July and they are only 5Ks to be used as speed work. I suppose I’ll race my way back into marathon shape

 

[Enrique]

I love 5K's and can't wait to do one soon. I've been holding off because of my knee, but yesterday I did some speed work around the field where my son was at soccer practice and my knee felt great. I see a 5K soon in my training

I’d love to someday do a marathon or half marathon out in the San Francisco area or even wine country. It’s been ages since we’ve been there. I love Northern California.

Well, if you do ever sign up for one, let me know. Maybe I would be able to run it also!

 

[JoyceVT]

That's so great to hear you did speedwork and your knee felt great. Sure sign of TMS! If/when I sign up for something out west I'll let you know.

My TMS was getting the better of me yesterday. Had some minor shin/inner lower leg soreness before my run during the day and then afterward. The run wasn't bad at all though. And then at night it felt better and seems fine today except for a few random twinges here and there which I know is TMS. Definitely going to be a battle keeping my TMS from popping up in my shin and different places in my body but I'm determined! Going to do some journaling and then start the day here in my cubicle

 

[Enrique]

It will be a battle worth fighting. Pull out all the stops and keep the TMS at bay!

I'm excited for this weekend's 12k. I'm just going to take it slow and treat it like a long run, but it should be a ton of fun!

 

[JoyceVT]

Best wishes for a great run this weekend Enrique!

Looking foward to some minor speedwork tonight. Haven't ran at a 10K pace in a while so it should be interesting

 

[stayfit65]

Question to you runners, who are a heck of a lot faster than me. My back pain, I know is TMS. But, my knee has been hurting a little off and on for the last year, and it does a significant POP at around mile 4 or 5 in a run, then it clicks, and sometimes clicks and hurts on the outside, especially going downhill. But, later in the day, and the next day, it is fine...does this sound like a legitimate knee prob or TMS? It swells just a little but that comes and goes,too. Ive been hesitant to see anyone about it, or get imaging...what do you pros think? There will be no stopping me from running...I'm addicted to it...time off from a true injury, yes, but never quitting...thanks, guys.

 

[Enrique]

Hi Stayfit,

To me it sounds like nothing serious. Usually popping or clicking is just a benign thing. I get pops and clicks every once in a while with no pain. You say the pain goes away later in the day. Do you think the pain could be triggered by the "event" of popping/clicking? Maybe pain is a conditioned response?

 

[JoyceVT]

Hi Stayfit65- I was talking to my husband about your knee and he has had clicking and popping in his knee in the past. It normally just goes away. He is a TMSer like myself and believes it's TMS.

Hi Enrique - how was your 12K? Hope it went well.

My weekend started off with a good bit of TMS on Friday when I did my run and went into Saturday but by Sunday I was on top of things again. I had some harder (10K paced) intervals on Friday mixed in a 7 mile run. I started to feel my left shin doing some warm up drills and also my left groin area was sore (thought I legitmately did something to my right groin the previous weekend but then it got better during the week and moved over a little to the left area). After about 2/10 of a mile my shin was pretty good and only felt some light sensations doing the intervals (6:39-6:45 pace). At night it felt fine and was good the rest of the weekend. My left groin area was very sore after Friday's run and very uncomfortable during Saturday's slow recovery run on some trails. I got really mad about all this and felt pretty confident this was another TMS outburst looking for a place to reside. By Sunday morning there was improvement and my mid day 9 miler went pretty well with just some dull light soreness that felt better after 5 miles. This all sounds crazy and TMS can sometimes drive me crazy I'm obsessive compulsive about this stuff and worry too much. I'm still learning how to stay on top of my TMS and not let it rule my life!!

I'm confident this week will be a good week in regards to running and keeping my TMS at bay. Plus it's a recovery week after 3 weeks of building so perfect timing!

 

[Enrique]

Hi Joyce,

Crazy TMS! it sounds like you had quite a weekend there and that it turned out well. That's really great!

My 12K went fine. I ran it with a friend who doesn't do hardly any running so we basically jogged the whole thing. I think my pace was 10 or 11 min per mile which is normally hard to maintain (my legs want to go faster than that), but there are two reasons I did not have that problem. First, my friend was with me and secondly, I went wine tasting (drinking) the day before with my wife for her birthday. Soooo, I wasn't in any shape to run fast . But... I went the entire distance which is the longest since I first felt the knee pain and my knee felt fine. There's just a minor sensation and once during the run I felt a twinge of pain, but it melted away very, very quickly and I was just fine at the end. Actually my upper left calf hurt a bit afterward, but that's all. I believe that might be TMS too because I've felt similar soreness for some time.. .but it hasn't really affected me much in terms of running. It's more of a nuisance. And it feels good today. I'm slowly building my fitness back up.... Tomorrow is a speed day again so I plan to do some faster 10K pacing (which for me is around 7:30) and see how that goes. I am confident that it will go fine.

Enjoy the recovery week!!

 

[JoyceVT]

Wine tasting is so much fun! I remember a couple years ago doing a 60 mile very hilly bike ride after a wine festival during our humid warm Vt weather. Tough but still fun.

Glad everything went well with the 12K and your knee tms didn't get out of control. I've also had some minor TMS stuff in my calves here and there. It ususally goes away pretty quickly.

Yesterday my TMS was great but it was a rest day and I only did core work and upper body stuff. I rotate DVDs and routines for core work and did 16 minutes of Insanity's cardio Abs and then this 10 minute yoga ab workout with Rodney Yee (think that's his name). Both workouts did stress my upper inner leg a bit and I'm feeling random twinges just sitting here this morning, but I know this is just TMS looking for a place to go. Even felt some random twinges inm shin area this morning but when I test things, my legs are fine. It's a constant battle to stay on top of it.

I'm also agitated and bummed I won't be running our local marathon (Keybank Vermont City Marathon) this weekend. I ran it 2 years ago and it was my first marathon. I wish so much I was running the maraton and not missing out. I wouldn't be surprised if I get a little more TMS later in the week or the weekend...unless I can stay distracted. Maybe some wine tasting would be a good option for us this coming weekend to get my mind off the maraton. Surprisingly we have a few decent wineries where the vines survive our barbaric winter temps!

 

[stayfit65]

Hey guys, just wanted to say thank you for the words of encouragement. I have been feeling better in the last week. Did a faster run on the treadmill Sunday for 4 miles, and NO popping, clicking, or pain was present...yep, I think it's TMS. AND, the back pain had kinda been in a holding pattern, which has been just plain annoying. But I reminded myself not to fight it and say to myself, "It's not that bad." And it just has melted away more and more!!! So THANK YOU for the encouragement to just keep plugging along and not feed it.

 

[JoyceVT]

Stayfit65 - that's great news about your knee and your back pain melting away! So glad to know you are also getting through your TMS and running!

 

[Enrique]

Stayfit65 -- very cool! Good for you!!

Joyce -- I know how you feel about the marathon you will be missing. I missed out on a bunch of races late last year that I usually participate in. It's a bummer. But, try to focus on the positive...

Well, for me today was a tougher day than usual. I was feeling the knee pain more than usual. I was really battling the negative thoughts of fear and doubt all day long. I tried to keep my mind on the psychological as much as I could... turning away undesirable thoughts and replacing with positive. But it did feel a little bit like a lost battle today. I did my run anyway tonight... only 3 miles and not to hard. I had weird pains all over the place.... above the knee, below the knee... even some sensations on my other knee.

Well, tomorrow's a rest day and I plan to do some meditation/relaxation/positive imagery as well as my regular maintenance routine. I'm expecting a better day tomorrow.