#runthebronx

In June I was injury-riddled and it was my lowest all around running month since my comeback from head injury in 2019. I was getting my Runner's Knee pain under control pretty well, working my way through it with less mileage, more rest days, foam rolling, and strength work. Then there was one morning...... I woke up with an odd left calf soreness that I shook off as just some random soreness. I opted to run through it, and struggled to about 1.75 miles, where I felt a pop in my lower left calf muscle. The pain increased substantially quickly to where I could not walk. The pain subsided over the day after I wadled like a disabled penguin 🐧🤕 to the train and went through the rest of my day. Two weeks of no running. I have already realized that I am not a young buck anymore, but the universe felt I needed one more reminder, just to keep me humble and honest to myself. I'm working back to it, pushing my "Downstate 50K" to the end of July at the earliest. I won't rule out running it in August though, I will do it when I feel ready enough. #june2021 #injury #runthebronx #runnyc #strava #garmin #ultrarunning #summertraining #altra #xeroshoes #downstate50k #mentalhealth #trailrunning https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ3e55Lnck_/?utm_medium=tumblr

DOWNSTATE 50K training cycle Week 20 (6/20-26): Total time running 0 hrs, 17 min Total elevation gain 7 ft Total distance 1.77 miles ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Sunday: I wanted to see how my calf was feeling after 1 week of no running, so I got out in Van Cortlandt for what I planned as 1 lap on the flats and then an out and back on the Putnam to the Yonkers line. If I was feeling good then 1 more lap on the flats. It started out good. I kept it slow and easy around the flats. Once on the Putnam, some soreness set in and once I got to 1.75 miles, the pain swooped back in and I was at the point where if I kept running, my calf would definitely pop again and I would not be able to even walk again. I stopped and walked back down the Putnam and cut through the John Muir trail along Van Cortlandt Lake. Recovery is happening, I just needed an additional week to get my calf back into running shape. 2nd try is coming up, with a late July 50K (hopefully 🤞🏽) #bronxrunners #runuptown #runthebronx #runnyc #strava #garmin #summertraining #downstate50k #ultrarunning #trailrunning #mentalhealth #calfstrain (at Bronx, NY) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQmoqg3H6Hf/?utm_medium=tumblr

New blog post: Setting a new half marathon PR on my 5th try running the @orchardstreetrunners Virtual Half Marathon Challenge last year. It was the peak of the pandemic and NYC was shut down. I just kept running. I mapped out the ideal route and it worked itself out. My journey to a new PR took me from an overly ambitious trail half marathon in the back hills of Van Cortlandt to an efficiently laid out course on the streets of the southeast Bronx. Please have a read! Link in bio. #orchardstreetrunners #runuptown #runthebronx #runnyc #strava #garmin #altrarunning #halfmarathon #pr (at Bronx, NY) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQelO6OHbuP/?utm_medium=tumblr

Downstate 50K Training Cycle Week 19 (6/13-19): Total time running 0 hrs, 0 min Total elevation gain 0 ft Total distance 0 miles ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• I had no choice but to take a recovery week because of the calf strain I suffered the previous week. My calf feels a lot better now, I would say 85%. There is still a slight soreness when stretching in a certain direction, so recovery is still processing. I am feeling confident to start running again, light and not everyday at first, accompanied with a lot of foam rolling and light strength work. I am pushing my 50K into July, and hopefully I encounter a cooler, not so humid, and cloudy day lol. I am monitoring the weather. #runuptown #runthebronx #runnyc #strava #garmin #garminforerunner #altrarunning #xeroshoes #springtraining #50ktraining #downstate50k #ultrarunning #trailrunning #mentalhealth (at New York, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQV_KICnGqq/?utm_medium=tumblr

Downstate 50K Training Cycle Week 18 (6/6 - 6/12): Total time running 1 hr, 20 min Total elevation gain 272 ft Total distance 8.4 miles •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• A sharp decrease in weekly mileage means only 1 thing, a new injury. This time around, as I have been recovering well from "Runner's Knee", my left calf is out of whack. I am now recovering from a mile calf strain. It happened last Thursday morning. I woke up with a really sore left calf. I didn't think much of it, expecting it to loosen up after warming up a few easy miles into my morning run. The soreness went nowhere, and stayed with me. At the 1.75 mile mark, when I crossed Kingsbridge Rd, my lower inner calf popped and the pain intensified to the point that I could not move. I could not even walk straight, so I slowly wadled my way up to the Grand Concourse to wait for the D train to go home. The pain eased up gradually throughout the day, but I still couldn't walk without a painful limp. A regular walking gait returned the next day with mild soreness. I am feeling a lot better now, but slight soreness still lingers. I will feel it out with some stretching an light recovery strength work and get back to light running by next week. It's also looking like the Downstate 50K will be pushed back to July. I did try some good new (to me) beers from Ithaca and Six Point. #bronxrunners #runuptown #runthebronx #runnyc #altrarunning #xeroshoes #strava #garmin #springtraining #downstate50k #ultrarunning #trailrunning #mentalhealth #injury #calfstrain (at Bronx, NY) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQKRGKcH8OU/?utm_medium=tumblr

It's been over a month, but I just finished part 4 of my quest for a new 13.1 PR @orchardstreetrunners @nyrr. This time I added the Virtual Brooklyn Half because Cayuga 50 was postponed. It was back to the east Bronx, with a beautiful sunrise that I got to experience on my warmup up the Grand Concourse. Please have a read. Link in bio. #bronxrunners #runuptown #runthebronx #runnyc #strava #garmin #garminforerunner #altrarunning #xeroshoes #halfmarathon #pandemic #orchardstreetrunners #nyrr #brooklynhalf #virtualracing (at Bronx, NY) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQEFkwqHoD3/?utm_medium=tumblr

Downstate 50K Training Cycle Week 15 (5/16-22): Total time running 5 hrs, 12 mon Total elevation gain 1,844 ft Total distance 35.5 miles •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• I decided on the name "Downstate 50K." I will elaborate below ⬇️. ● Monday road run: Van Cortlandt Lake and back ○ Wednesday trail run: warmup on the Flats and then up into the back hills. I was testing my knees with an easy run with as much hiking as necessary on ascents and descents. Felt great with 794 total feet of climbing. ○ Friday road run: GPS/GLONASS on my @garmin was acting wacky on the first 2 miles, giving me earlier than usual mile splits and a sub 6:00/mile pace on the 2nd mile. That would never happen, so I stopped and restarted. My watch tech got it together and I completed my run with realistic data. #firstworldproblem ○ Saturday XC run: up to Van Cortlandt and onto the OCA up to the DMX Ventilator Tower, and back around the Reservoir. Humid and summery, and I felt good for most of the run. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• For NYers, "upstate" and "downstate" mean different things depending on where you grew up. Me being a PA transplant, I did some research and the state government classifies "downstate" as the entire area served by the MTA. That is Orange, Rockland, Dutchess, Putnam, Westchester, New York City, Nassau, & Suffolk counties. I'm calling my solo 50K downstate bc most of the route will be in Westchester County, on the 26 mile Old Croton Aqueduct trail. I plan on reaching 31.1 miles (50K) in Van Cortlandt. #bronxrunners #runuptown #runwestchester #runthebronx #runnyc #strava #garmin #garminforerunner #altrarunning #xeroshoes #downstate50k #ultra #ultrarunning #trailrunning #mentalhealth https://www.instagram.com/p/CPN1df1nk1o/?utm_medium=tumblr

Cayuga Trails 50K Training Cycle Week 13 (5/2-8): Total time running 4 hrs, 51 min Total elevation gain 1,312 ft Total distance 28.6 miles ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Sunday Hill Sprints Sandwich 🥪: up to VCP, hill sprints (10 × 10 sec), and back. I saw the biggest swan ever in Van Cortlandt Lake chasing a smaller goose. Alpha-bird vibes. ○ Wednesday long run: Old Croton Aqueduct Trail from Sleepy Hollow to Croton Gorge Park and back. A rainy, solitary, fun long run up the good ol OCA. The best "be a responsible dog owner" sign is in Ossining. That sign needs to be posted every 6 ft of every block in NYC. 🐶💩🗑 My knees were super sore after this run, which kept me from running the rest of the week, giving me a lot of thinking time. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• I am currently at a training impasse, with knee pain being the symptom of overuse and an improper training protocol. As I think about my training over the past 6 years of running, I can see where I made consecutive errors, which have built up to this latest injury. Last year I coped with some really painful shin splints and learned to foam roll daily. That has fallen by the wayside along with strength work and consistent running. All of that combined with an erratic amount of sleep over the years has brought me to this moment. I will not be traveling to Ithaca this year for the Cayuga Trails 50K, withdrawing from the race. However, I plan to run a Virtual 50K in its place. It will likely not be on race day, but soon after, before the summer takes over and the intense heat, humidity and sun arrive. This is a learning process. I have come to a peaceful acceptance that this is part of my journey. It is a good idea for me to sit down and review what I am doing and make necessary changes with this realization. My 40s have been very challenging thus far and I need to acknowledge the lessons learned and grow into my conscious, improved self. 🙏🏽 #bronxrunners #runuptown #runwestchester #runthebronx #runnyc #strava #garmin #altrarunning #xeroshoes #cayugatrails50k #springtraining #springrunning #ultra #ultrarunning #trailrunning #mentalhealth https://www.instagram.com/p/COsfuVcHO8C/?igshid=1hzwe34f5vr0h