Got an entry into the NYC Marathon

It's been a long time since I have written anything here! I am prompted to start back by the fact that I was accepted in the lottery to run the NYC Marathon. I had entered on a bit of a whim, not really expecting to get in. I have never run the NYC marathon. I haven't really been running much at all, having decided not to try to run Boston this year. In fact, I've run a grand total of 59 miles so far in 2016. My plan is to start now to gradually ramp up my running, and to hope to run a credible time in New York. I think a pretty realistic goal would be to get under 4 hours, assuming my knee cooperates. My knee has been pretty good, although it is just a bit stiff as I'm typing this. I ran a 4 mile race this weekend (the Claddagh 4 miler) on my minimal training; it did not go very well (33:16 = 8:20/mile).

Mid-March update

Well, it's now getting pretty close to the race, although as I type this it's snowing pretty hard as I look out the window. I ran an 18 miler today, and it was really quite a slog. I struggling a bit with a cold right now, but I was still surprised how much effort it took to run rather slowly. I did the same run last year at the same time quite a bit faster. Here it is in Strava: Overall, I'd say my training has been going OK (although I pretty much lost a week of training at the end of January to what I think was the flu). I have been doing a weekly track workout at BU, which has been fun. Hasn't translated into more speed, though, at least not yet. Perhaps more importantly, my knee hasn't really been giving my problems. A little over a month ago, I was feeling a lot of "clunking"/crepitance in the knee, so decided to consult a physical therapist. The exercises she gave me seem to be helping. My upcoming training schedule call for a 12 or 13 miler next weekend. I am then going to be on vacation in Telluride and Moab (will probably only run a couple of days), and then when will run the Eastern States 20 miler on March 29. I ran that race a couple of times over a decade ago, and thought I'd rather do my 20 miler as a race than as a training run. Right now, I'm planning to go out with 9:00 miles & see what happens.

February update

It's eight weeks to the Boston Marathon, so I'm starting to feel that I'm running out of time to get really fit. The Snowpocalpse has been a problem; it makes it hard to get the long runs done. Yesterday I ran 13.5 on a route that was basically up Heartbreak Hill, around the reservoir twice, and back over Heartbreak hill. This morning, my legs are a bit sore, which concerns me a bit, since I did not run hard. On the plus side, my knee is a little stiff, but not swollen. I had originally been signed up to run the Hyannis Half Marathon today, but it was cancelled because of the extreme weather (although it's not too bad today). It's been interesting to be doing a weekly track workout at BU. I kind of enjoying them, but I haven't really been able to say they are making me much faster. A couple of weeks ago, I had been pretty worried about my left patella having a lot of clicking and crepitance, but it seems to have settled down. I had intended to run the Old Fashioned 10 miler in Foxboro last weekend, but that was postponed to 3/8/15 because of weather. I'm not sure about running it - it would probably be better for me to do a non-race longer run that weekend. The weather forecast is discouraging; it doesn't look like it's going to warm up enough to melt the snow any time soon! 2/21/15: Me & Heartbreak Bill

Back on (the) track

I have decided to run the 2015 Boston Marathon in support of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center's Kidney Disease Research Fund. I had thought last year's Boston Marathon might be my last marathon, but my knee held up well, and after the race I felt I could do another, and that I could probably train a bit more and improve over last year's result. Last year, I really wasn't sure how my knee would react to the longer runs, and so I really did the minimum training to finish the race. This year, I think I can try to do a bit more. To that end, I signed up for CSU's Thursday evening indoor track workouts at BU. So far, I have done two workouts. They have gone OK, although it certainly feels a bit strange to be back on a track after being away from it for so long. But I certainly believe some speed work is needed to get me running a bit faster, as I seem to be stuck in terms of not being able to get my training or racing pace a bit quicker. I signed up for the Hangover Classic Race at Salisbury Beach on New Year's Day, which I ran last year. It's a flat 10K, so I'm hoping I can post a time that's quicker than last year's.

118th BAA Marathon

Well, I completed this year's Boston Marathon in 4:13:13. I had hoped to run under 4:00, but that probably wasn't realistic given the relatively warm day, my light training miles (average 17.5/week since 1/1/14), and the fact that it had been 10 years since my last marathon. Here is my race in Strava: A bit about the race: I was in the last wave, so I did not have to get up all that early. I drove in and parked at the hospital, then took a Hubway bike to the Green line, and the T to the Common. I got there about 8, so I stood around for a while talking to members of my team (BIDMC), and dropped off my bag of sweats for after the finish. Our bus didn't leave until about 9:30, and then traffic was heavy heading out to Hopkinton on the Pike, so I think we arrived there at about 10:30. By the time I ate a yogurt, used the bathroom, and drank a little water, it was time to head for the start. I had actually not quite reached my corral when the gun went off to start the last wave, but it didn't really matter - I got in it a minute or so late. It then took me a couple of minutes to reach the starting line. The initial miles were of course crowded (in truth, it never really got uncrowded), and I did have to expend energy in slowing & speeding up to get around other runners. My first mile was surprisingly fast, even though I thought I was going quite slow. I never really got in a groove. My plan had been to run 9:00 miles, which I kind of did for the first 17 or 18, but pretty early on I knew it would not be a great race for me. The crowds were amazing - very large and very supportive. Lots of signs. By the time I made the turn onto Commonwealth Ave, I knew it was going to be a struggle, although I knew I would finish. I started to take short walk breaks at water stops, and I had to duck into one of the medical tents because the toes on my right foot were rubbing and I had to put some vaseline on them to prevent a bigger problem. My pace slowed considerable from mile 18 in (walking breaks), but I made steady progress, and finally the welcome turn onto Boylston came. I crossed the line and made my way down Boylston to the Common for my gear.

While I was a little disappointed in my time at first, upon reflection I think I did all I could on that day. More importantly, my knee felt fine, and it's continued to feel good in the days after the race. So, maybe it won't be my last marathon after all...

20 miler done

I ran what will be my longest training run on this past Saturday, a 20 miler.  I had originally been planning to run the Eastern States 20 Mile Race on Sunday, but the forecast was so ominous that I decided to run Saturday am, when the weather was really quite good.

It was quite a scene out there on the course, with literally thousands of runners doing their long run.  They actually had traffic cones and cops to direct traffic.  I ran from the Heartbreak Hill Running Company in Newton out to Natick and back.  Here it is on Strava:




I felt OK/not great.  I think I still had a bit of fatigue in my legs from the previous week, which I spent cycling in AZ (with a couple of runs added on).  The day after I returned from AZ, I went out to run 12 or 14 miles, and just felt it was too much and settled for 8.6 instead.  On the one hand, I'm a little worried about facing another 10K of running.  On the other, I have done it before, and I should be well rested on Patriot's Day.  Also, my knee feels pretty good.  I feel a little stiffness, but it hasn't been swelling.  I actually am more bothered by mild low back pain, but I have plenty of time for that to go away.

6 weeks to go...

I am feeling a bit anxious about the approach of Patriot's Day.  My mileage is very light - 20 miles per week (actually, I bit less).  I ran 10.6 yesterday.  The good news was that my knee felt fine, and also feels fine this am.  The bad news is that I was planning to run further, but my legs felt quite weary.  I had gone on my 1st real outdoor bike ride on Saturday (35 miles), and that seemed to fatigue the legs a bit.

I need to get a good, long run in on this coming Sat - 16 to 17.  I then head to AZ for a week of cycling, but should be able to get a few runs in as well.

Super 5 race, 2/2/14

I was pretty pleased with my run in the Super 5 race on 2/2/14.

To back up, I ran 12 miles on Saturday, 2/1/14.  I felt OK, not great.  I ran with a few others, so ran the first 9 or so at a pretty good clip.  I then fatigued a bit, and ran the last 2 quite slowly (9:32, 9:23).  I had originally thought I'd do 14, but decided to keep it at 12 and have a little in the tank for the race the next day.

The weather was nice for the Super 5 (around 40F, no real wind).  I felt OK on my brief warmup, and I ran evenly (7:32/7:35/7:32/7:44/7:39) for a finish on my Garmin of 37:59, which was over 3 minutes faster than I was in the same race last year.  So, I think I am starting to get a bit more fit, despite my light training miles.  I continue to ride the trainer on most of my non-run days.

My knee continues to hold up pretty well.  It's been a little bit sore from time to time, but no swelling, and I really haven't noticed pain while actually running.

Training Update - mid-January

I just got in from my long run for the week - 12.2 miles.  I didn't feel as strong as I did on last week's 10.7 mile run.  I think it was a combination of fatigue - I did a somewhat strenuous bike trainer ride yesterday -and the snowy roads/sidewalks.

Overall, I'm pleased that I'm on track with the long runs, but a little worried about my low overall mileage.  But perhaps the most important thing is that my knee seems to be tolerating the longer runs so far.  I've had a little soreness, but no real pain, and there's no swelling.  So, I will try to slightly boost my overall mileage and continue with progressing the long runs.

Details on my training are available at strava.com - search for Daniel Sullivan (Wellesley, MA).

Hangover Classic 10K and training update

I ran my first 10K race since my surgery on January 1, the venerable Hangover Classic.  It was cold - mid 20s - but fortunately not too windy.  The course is pancake flat and pretty simple: head about 5K up the road, turn around and run back.  I ran pretty even splits: 7:22/7:47/8:06/8:02/8:10/8:14 with an overall time of 49:34.  In the last half mile, I felt a pain in my left hamstring, which I think was a minor pull, since it stayed with me.  Overall, I was happy with the time since I ran 24:34 in a 5K on Thanksgiving, so ran the 10K at a slightly faster pace.

This am, I did an 8.5 mile run, and out an back on the marathon course hills.  I started at the firehouse, ran to BC, did a little loop, and ran back.  I felt a bit fatigued, but my pace was better than I thought at 8:59 per mile.  I did feel the right hamstring just a bit, which made me a bit nervous, but the knee felt fine.

So, only two runs this week, but both were longish.  But, also had 3:20 on the bicycle trainer, so that hopefully helps with fitness.

Training update, 12/22/13

I did my longest run since my surgery this am - 6.8 miles.  I felt OK, but not all that fit.  More importantly, the knee didn't really bother me.  As I sit here typing this, I wonder if it's a little sore, but I think I may be paying too much attention to it.

I have been thinking about my marathon training, and I think it will probably follow the general format this week took - 3 runs (one long), 3 bikes, one day off.  This week's detail:

Monday - rest day
Tuesday - 1.5 hours on the bike (trainer) at a pretty high intensity
Wednesday - 3 mile run after work
Thurs - 1:10 on the bike, again pretty high intensity
Fri - 2 mile run after work
Sat - 2 hours on the trainer
Sun - 6.8 miles

The Sunday runs will need to get progressively longer, of course, and I will need to lengthen the other runs a bit, and maybe do 4 runs/2 bikes as things move along.

So, hopefully my knee will feel good when I wake up tomorrow!

running the Boston Marathon 2014

I just signed up to run the 2014 Boston Marathon on behalf of the hospital where I work, BIDMC.

This year's marathon will obviously be a very special event, and that has catalyzed me to find out if I can run one more marathon.  What had immediately pushed me to do this was a chance conversation with one of the doctors I know who told me he was running, and that the medical center had received many more bibs that in the past, presumably because of the medical center's role in caring for the victims of the tragedy at last year's race.

Last year, I had attended the Red Sox game, watching the Sox win a fine 3-2 victory.  After the game, I watched the runners for while just short of the 40 K mark.  I then walked back to me office at the hospital to work on paperwork for a while before heading home.  I was aware of a lot of sirens, but it didn't register that there were more than usual.  I then got a text message from a friend asking if I was OK.  I replied that I was, but asked why she was asking.  It was then that I first learned about the bombing.

My last marathon was the Boston Marathon in 2004.  It wasn't a very good performance; it was very warm that year, I was undertrained, and I really struggled.  I finished in 4:05:29, my slowest marathon ever.  At the time, I was disappointed, but figured the next one would surely be better.  But there was no next one.

While training for the 2005 race, I developed pain and swelling in my left knee, which was subsequently diagnosed as a full thickness articular cartilage defect in my trochlea.  Further investigation also showed the underside of the patella was in bad shape, too, and so I eventually underwent an autologous cartilage transplant in April, 2007.  It was a very slow recovery; I wasn't cleared to run for a year.

Since then, I haven't really run much (I've become much more of a cyclist).  I had resigned myself to the fact that my marathon running days were over.

But now I think I'd like to run one more, and the special circumstances of this year's Boston Marathon make it the one to run.  I've certainly got work to do; I haven't run more than 5 miles at a time since my surgery.  I will update my progress over the next 4 months - 131 days until race day!

 Fundraising Websites - Crowdrise

Personal Worst

I ran my college alumni cross country race yesterday, and established a personal worst time for 5K - 25:51.

I was a little surprised by that, as I didn't expect to run so slowly.  I thought my overall fitness was decent (from cycling), and I actually ran a couple of times a week in September.  My mile splits certainly were not very even - 7:31/8:45/8:32. 

I felt OK, just not very fit, but my left knee was a bit sore after the race, and remains a bit sore as I type this the following day.  Not swollen, though, so I guess that is good.

I am going to carry on with trying to do 3 runs a week, and will probably try another 5K in the next month or so.

Shouldn't be hard to beat yesterday's time :-)

recent bike rides

After a long absence...

I've started to do a little running again.  I signed up to run my college alumni cross country race later this month (5 km), so I am trying to get in some semblance of running shape by September 29.

I have been mostly cycling over the last year.  I've been riding a reasonable amount, so my aerobic condition isn't too bad, but running is a different thing than riding a bike, so I know that it will only go so far.

I ran 3 times last week (only 2.6 to 3.2 miles at a time), so I am going to aim for 3 runs a week for now.

I will try to post a bit more frequently on how this latest attempt to ramp up my running goes!

Cyclocross and another try at running

As I wrote in my last post, I decided my knee needed a break from running, so I haven't run at all since 9/8/11.

I have tried cyclocross racing, and have had fun doing it, although it's been pretty humbling, since I have been at the tail end of the race in all 4 races I have done.  Bike racing is pretty different than running, in that everyone out there is pretty serious.  In truth, my fitness is not very high, so perhaps I shouldn't be surprised to be bringing up the rear.  In today's race at Shedd Park in Lowell, I was DFL, although I guess I can say I beat the 7 DNFs.

But I do miss running.  The knee feels OK now, so I think I'm going to again give it a go and see what happens.  Indeed, I entered a Thanksgiving Day race today,  the Fisher Cats 5K in Manchester, NH.   It will no doubt be a bit of a struggle on zero miles of training, but maybe the cycling will help.  I'll post a post-mortum after the race.

MRI result

I finally got a call about my MRI result yesterday (it was 16 days after it was done).  The news wasn't that good, if about what I expected.

It showed that the grafts on my patella and trochlea are intact, but there was a significant amount of edema under the patellar graft.  One would hope not to see that 4 years out from the surgery, since it suggests that the quality of the cartilage in the graft isn't that good.

 I didn't speak to the surgeon himself, but rather his assistant.  She told me they didn't think I should be doing high impact activities, like running.

The plan is to repeat the MRI in 6 months, and if it looks similar, to consider taking a look arthroscopically to see if the graft is soft.  But I'm not really sure what could be done about that - I didn't think to ask.

So, the return to running is on hold.  Maybe permanently.  However, I think I will continue to update the blog with my progress on other activities.  I will concentrate on cycling, and I am now planning to make a serious attempt to improve my cross country skate skiing over this coming winter.

MRI postponed

I was supposed to have my knee MRI last week, but I was postponed, a bit to my surprise.

The week before, we were on vacation in the Canadian Rockies, which was wonderful.  We did a Backroads family multi-sport trip, with cycling, hiking and a little rafting.  My knee actually felt OK, but I would add the qualifier that it wasn't all that rigorous, being a family trip.

 Anyway, on the way home, I tweaked my back lifting luggage.  As a consequence, I was taking some ibuprofen.  The MRI needs to be done with intravenous contrast to get a good look at the cartilage.  Very rarely, intravenous contrast can cause serious kidney problems, although this happens almost exclusively in people who already have serious kidney disease.  Medications like ibuprofen can in theory cause kidney dysfunction, although probably not in reasonably healthy people (I think I am in that category).  At the MRI, I had to fill out a fairly long questionnaire, which includes questions about recent ibuprofen use.  Since I had taken some that morning, they cancelled me.  Kind of ridiculous in my opinion.  Fortunately, it's not exactly urgent that I get the scan, and the facility was right on my way to work, so it wasn't as annoying as it could have been.

The knee feels quite a bit better than it did when I first made the doctor's appointment that led to the MRI, but I will still go ahead with the scan this coming week, since I would like to know what's going on in there.  If it looks good, then I think I will feel I can try to up my mileage & see how it goes.  I only ran 23 miles (but cycled 272).

Update - MRI scheduled

I'm overdue for an update.

I saw my orthopedist in mid July, since I was worried about the knee pain I have been having.

He told me he thought it could be the patch over the cartilage graft having come loose & causing trouble.  Or deterioration of the graft (which would obviously be a bad thing).  So, I'm scheduled for an MRI the week after next; it was delayed because of my vacation plans.

While vacationing in northern Michigan, I was pretty active, and the knee didn't feel too bad, so maybe things aren't too bad after all.  But I am interested to know what the MRI will show.

It's kind of a rainy Sunday morning, not very good for riding the bike, so will probably head out for a short run in a bit.

Schofield school 5K

Contrary to my post earlier today, I didn't jog the race with my son, as he ran with my wife.  I ran it myself, although I hesitate to say I raced it.

Warming up, my knee was sore, and I entertained the idea of not running, but figured it would feel better once I was running, and it did.

I finished in 24:22, not my slowest ever 5K, but pretty slow.  Looking back, I ran the same course in 19:39 in 2002.  I did my typical a-bit-too-fast 1st mile, then ran an 8:03 2nd mile over the hilly mile of the course.  From my Garmin .

It was a nice day to run, and the knee didn't really bother me.  I had an average heart rate of 166, so I wasn't taking it easy; just not in very good shape...