ACUPUNCTURE THERAPY -- THE NEEDLE AND THE DAMAGE UNDONE

I am now nearing the end of my sixth week with hamstring pain. This has been one of my worst injuries in the last ten years of running. It started as a bad cramp at the end of a half marathon in Columbus and progressively got worse as the weeks went by. We've tried rest and ASTYM therapy, but neither offered a quick remedy to my problem. December and the kick off of Boston Marathon training is coming quickly. Unfortunately, my hamstring is not ready to get the party started.

My symptoms: I can run about two miles pain free, and then discomfort begins. If I push through the discomfort, the hamstring will strain and will hurt for about week. If I stop and walk before it strains, the hamstring feels sore for about a day, and then I'm pain free again. I usually don't run for a week, even though I may be pain free, but the cycle repeats.

Yesterday, my physical therapist, Justin Kiger at Mountain River Physical Therapy, tried an alternative treatment--acupuncture therapy. Basically, Justin turned me into a pin cushion or perhaps a voodoo doll. He inserted a series of needles from my lower back, into my buttocks, hamstring and calf. I must confess, this was not a painless procedure. However, I endured it and didn't cry like a baby. It was more like a steady whimper. He hopes to accelerate healing and determine whether the source of the problem is more neurological or muscular. I've had sciatica problems in the past.

I limped around the rest of the day, but Justin warned me I'd have some muscle pain from the invasive needles. Today I feel fine. My hamstring is still a little tight from yesterday's two-mile easy run, but not bad. He wants me try another easy run on Saturday to see if there is any improvement. I'll probably go through another round of acupuncture therapy on Tuesday. I'll update the blog then to let you know what happens.

Here's an article proclaiming the effectiveness of acupuncture on hamstring injuries:
http://momentummedia.uberflip.com/i/397072/15?referer=45683aa20c295ce9ecaccf337983d9c6

Hopefully, this needling will do the trick. If not, I might have to make an appointment with a psychoanalyst or maybe a whole team of psychologists.

Happy running,

Joe C. Ellis



CURSED HAMSTRING

While running the Columbus Half Marathon on October 19, I encountered some hamstring pain. The discomfort began at about the ten-mile mark, but I kept pushing it to the end. The next day I definitely felt that I had strained something back there. I continued to train for the next week and a half, but the hamstring pain worsened. I wasn't going to let this stop me. No way. But it hurt too much to run.

I decided to take a week off and let it rest. Then I tried an easy six miler. Not a good idea. I only made it through two miles before the pain began again. At two and a half I had to stop and walk home. I took two weeks off and made an appointment with a physical therapist, Justin Kiger at Mountain River Physical Therapy in St. Clarisville, Ohio.. After two sessions of ASTYM treatments, stretching and strengthening exercises, and massage with a Styrofoam roller, I convinced Justin to let me jog a few miles. With some reservation he approved.

The next day I attempted an easy six miler. The first three were pain free. At about three and a half, tightness and discomfort returned so I walked the rest of the way back. Today the hamstring is sore again. Running the Turkey Trot next week in Wheeling, WV is out of the question. Isn't it?  Now I'm seriously wondering how much this injury may impact my Boston training scheduled to begin in December. CURSED HAMSTRING!

The moral of the story: Some running injuries, especially certain hamstring strains and tears, require a long period of non-running. The pain may go completely away, but if you start back too soon, chances are you will reinjure yourself. Don't be foolish (like me). Take the time off and let it heal completely.

I've missed the last two local races, but I keep telling myself: I have bigger fish to fry. Boston training starts soon. If I'm not careful, I could screw up the month of December. I keep telling myself, "You won't go crazy if you take some time off. No. No crazy. No way. Hahahahaa. No way. I'm not crazy! Is that a purple monkey sitting next to me?"

 

 

RUNNING THE COLUMBUS HALF MARATHON--COLUMBUS, OH

One of my favorite races of the year is the Nationwide Children's Hospital Marathon and Half Marathon in Columbus, Ohio. The cause is great--supporting the Nationwide Children's Hospital and all the kids and families they serve. The course is flat, fast, and well managed. The pre-race atmosphere with fireworks, music, and 18,000 runners raring to go is unparalleled. The weather is typically good--low to mid forties and usually sunny. I was especially looking forward to this year's edition because I had placed in the top three in my age group for the last three years and wanted to keep the string going.

With about three weeks to go before the race, everyone around me caught bad colds--my grandsons, my wife, my daughter and her husband. My defenses went up: hugs only for my wife, no kissing grandpa, trying not to breath around anyone who sneezes or has the sniffles, constant hand washing, avoiding public fountains. I don't know about you, but I become a germaphobe when an important race is approaching.

Five days before the race I could tell a cold germ had entered my body. The nose felt odd. The sinuses began to drain and my throat felt tender. Immediately I rushed out to the Dollar Store to pick up a box of Zicam and begin zinc therapy--all to no avail. The day before the race I had trouble talking and a rumbling cough. Cursed cold germs!

On race morning I decided to go for broke, throw caution to the wind, and go out at a pace that would give me a chance of finishing in the top three of my age group--males 55-59. For six miles I hit 6:40s and went through the 10k in 41:35. Then it hit me like a sucker punch from a schoolyard bully. Mile seven was so punishing that I decided to drop back to a seven-minute-per-mile pace. The problem with going out fast and then backing off in a big race is that with every other step another person passes you. Being constantly passed just adds to the mental battle.

By mile ten I didn't care. Go ahead and pass me. I won't put up a fight. That's right. I'm a wimp. At mile eleven my hamstring began to cramp. Great. Now I'm going to have to limp in. At mile twelve I became enveloped by a swarm of runners. What in the world? It felt like I was on an episode of The Walking Dead. Then I looked up and noticed the leader carrying a sign with the numbers 1:30. Oh no! I have just been passed by the One hour and thirty minute pace group. This can't be happening.

At that point I quit feeling sorry for myself, picked up my pace, and passed the swarm. The last half mile felt agonizing, but I finally crossed the finish line in 1:29:24. Later I found out I placed fifth in my age group. Oh well. I came, I ran, I finished. For that I am thankful. Next year I plan on wearing a hazmat suit a month before the race.

Cheers to the finishers.

My son-in-law, Ryan Shirley, and me celebrating his first Half Marathon with a shot of raspberry iced tea.

 

By the way, the amount of give-a-ways after the race is amazing. My wife goes crazy when there are free goodies for the pickins. And my friends and family feasted on Jimmy-John's free sandwiches. All in all it was a great day ... despite the cursed cold germ!

 



Happy running,

Joe C. Ells

RECAP:BARNESVILLE PUMPKIN FESTIVAL 5K and a new running cartoon

Today's Barnesville's Pumpkin Festival was run under ideal conditions with a record 615 participants. A fifty-two degree race-start temperature greeted runners and walkers as they raced through the clear, low-humidity air of western Belmont County--perfect conditions for an old guy like me.

Although not totally flat, the course is reasonable with a 300-yard medium grade hill starting just before the one-mile mark. At the top racers enjoy more than a mile and a half downhill and slightly downhill running to the finish line. I love those kind of courses--stretch out the legs and let gravity take over!

As always, race director Carl Kondrach managed an A-Number-One race--great awards, great food, great weather (Carl must have some influence with theWeather Man in the Sky), and a great community that puts on a wonderful festival, perhaps one of the biggest pumpkin festivals in the country. Many runners stay after the race and enjoy the festivities.

The only mistake I encountered today was when I picked up my packet: the name clipped to the front said JOELLA ELLIS. I asked the lady at the registration table if I was entered in the women's  race but she said no. Aw shucks!. At first I thought Coach Chrissy Lewis was pranking me because she entered the Martins Ferry coaches and runners as a team to get a discount. She laughed the hardest when she saw the name but swore she didn't do it. Then Carl followed suit and denied the deed. Finally, Carl came up with the explanation--cheerleaders. They helped put together the packets. 'Nuff said.

All in all it was a fun race with great competition. The grandmasters division is getting especially tough. Of the top four runners over 40, three were grandmasters--Wayne McCracken, age 55--18:15, Me, age 58--19:23, and Joe Klempa, age 52--19:27. Another notable grandmaster time came from female overall winner, Sherry Martin--age 52. Sherry ran 18:57 which produced an age-graded score of 91.57 percent. That, my friends, is considered world class for a 52-year-old woman. Wayne's age-graded score was 84.2 percent which is considered national class and also very impressive. If you want to check your age-graded score, go to this Runner's World link.

All in all it was a fun race with over two hundred awards and good fellowship as the temperature warmed into the 70s for the awards ceremony. Age group winners received a real pumpkin and a medal, and overall winners received a pumpkin and a trophy with a pumpkin on top. There's nothing like the Barnesville Pumpkin Festival 5K to kick off the fall season of racing!

CELL PHONE CALL? YOU'RE KIDDING??--RUNNING CARTOON OF THE WEEK

Have you ever seen this happen during a race?

Maybe so, but did the person actually answer the phone while running? 

I have a friend who told me this happened during the Nashville Marathon. The phone of a runner a few yards ahead of him rang. The guy answered it while trying to keep pace. Apparently, his wife had called him. She didn't realize he was still out on the course struggling to finish the race. She wanted him to stop by the grocery store on the way home to pick up a few things.

Last December when I was in the middle of preaching a sermon my cell phone dinged. That was unusual. I stopped, pulled out the phone and noticed I had just received a text: YOUR DAUGHTER IS ABOUT TO GIVE BIRTH TO YOUR FOURTH GRANDSON. GET TO THE HOSPITAL! My congregation wanted to know what was going on. When I told them, they insisted I leave immediately for the hospital. I think they wanted me to be there when Charlie was born, but then again, maybe they didn't want to hear any more of that sermon.

Happy running,

Joe C. Ellis

RECAP -- THE GATORADE STEELER 5K

Wow. Talk about tough competition in the old-guy age groups. The Gatorade-Steelers 5k brought in the best of the best master and grand master runners in the tri-state region. Why? Steelers tickets. Age group winners were awarded a pair of tickets to a Steelers game along with a trophy and a Gatorade towel.No wonder almost 3000 runners toed the line for this past Monday's race (Labor Day). Steelers! Steelers! Steelers!

Old guys especially like the idea of winning Steeler tickets. We were around during the 70s when the Steelers rose to power and dominated the NFL by winning four Super Bowls during that decade. Names like Mean Joe Greene, Terry Bradshaw, Jack Lambert, Franco Harris, and Mike Webster reverberate in the tunnel of our memories and arenas of our minds.

Unfortunately, although I ran a good race (19:21), I didn't come close to winning the tickets. John Brockenbrough of Murraysville, PA took the prize in the 55 to 59 year old category by running an impressive 18:09, more than a minute ahead of me. Two Pittsburgh guys, Carl Hubel and Sherman Snyder, finished second and third, 18:31 and 18:55 respectively. I ended up fifth.

However, my team took second in the team competition, so I didn't go home empty handed. Chrissy Lewis (19:15), Ed Liberatore (19:41), two fellow teachers at Martins Ferry High School, and I represented the Purple Riders, and we each took home a Steeler football, a Gatorade towel, and a Steeler ball cap. Not a bad haul for three small-towners in a big-city race. Chrissy also ran her best race of the year, finishing second in her age division.

Other notable times: Men's winner--Jed Christiansen, 14:23. Women's winner--Carley Seymour, 16:24. Men's Master winner -- James Hommes, 16:25. Women's Master winner--Jo Rupp, 20:31, Men's Grandmaster winner--Paul Zimmeman, 16:28 (this guy is world class and a former top placer at Boston), and Women's Grandmaster winner--Roxanne Roma-Picard, 21:36. Did you notice there were no foreign names listed? Probably because there were no cash awards, and when you say "football" to international runners they envision World Cup Soccer. I'm not sure how many Kenyan Steeler fans are out there. Maybe a few.

All in all it was a great couple of days. My wife and I stayed at the Wyndham near the Point. We hung out with friends, enjoyed the "new" Pittsburgh, and soaked in the beauty of the three rivers (Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio) and Appalachian foothills. I was impressed with the new look of the downtown area, which has been turned from a grimy rust-belt city into a magnificent metropolis which respects its blue-collar roots but definitely embraces contemporary rebirth.

Will I return next year? I hope to, especially if they keep the race on Labor Day. As a lay pastor I only get a few Sundays off a year. Usually on those days I'm running half-marathons, marathons, or hanging out at the beach. Anyway, I definitely consider this one a 5-star race. Go Steelers!

2nd Place -- Team Competition

Martins Ferry Purple Rider Teachers

Joe Ellis, Chrissy Lewis, and Ed Liberatore



FUN SUMMER RACES

The start of the Chautauqua Days 5K

(unknown, Joe Ellis, Josh Taylor, Wayne McCracken, Jared Ullom, Ryan Lewton, Sherri Martin)

 

 

After training all spring and racing varying distances from 5K to the marathon, I find summer to be a challenging time to maintain a good level of fitness. Throw in the heat and humidity of the Ohio Valley and that difficulty escalates.

To escape the pressure to be on top of my game, I take a slightly different approach to my training and racing in the summer. I cut back my mileage, worry less about hitting good interval times, and participate in several fun local races.

On July 4th I ran Wheeling's Freedom 5 Miler. I've been competing in this race for many years and enjoy it immensely, perhaps because my birthday is on July 4th. It's become a tradition to start my birthday with this flat, fast 5-mile race. Usually this race is a scorcher weather wise, but this year we were blessed with temperatures in the 60s. Not bad at all. It's a laid-back event with usually about 200 or so participants. I get a little bit slower every year, but that's okay--being that my birthday is on race day, I'm reminded that age takes its toll--that's a fact that anyone over forty must confront.

This past Saturday I ran the Chautauqua Days 5K in Bethesda, Ohio. I've run this small-town event since its inception three years ago. Well directed by Rod Miller and Cindy Foose, the race starts and finishes at the Bethesda Park which has nice facilities and a picnic area. In fact the event seems like a big runner's picnic. We were serenaded by a super live band called Muddle and feasted on some great eats after the race provided by Rollin Smoke Foods. The awards were quickly presented after the last finisher crossed the line. Those who wanted to hang out at the Chautauqua Days Festival could stick around and visit all the booths, watch the parade, and participate in various competitions.

In the next few weeks I plan on running the Run Walk Roll 5K (Saturday, July 19) which starts and finishes at Generations Restaurant in Wheeling and the Debbie Green 5K (Saturday, August 2) which starts and finishes near the Civic Center in downtown Wheeling. Both races are a lot of fun and a good way to finish off my summer racing schedule. Come and join us, if you're not too far away!

Once September gets here, I need to get serious again. The Columbus Half will be coming up in mid October. Then in December the big challenge starts--TRAINING FOR THE BOSTON MARATHON!

Have a fun summer of running,

Joe C. Ellis