Day Two

Time: 23:23
Distance: 4.99km
Pace: 4:41/km
Map

I didn't I run .01 farther!? This was my second consecutive streak of running which puts me at 99,211,458 on the list of US citizens tracking their consecutive days of running. In 20 years maybe I could be in the top 100. The thing is, I don't care about the streak. I want to run fast. Running fast means pushing the envelope and experiencing high levels of discomfort. However, I often confuse pain and injury with discomfort.

Today I jogged from our offices over to a field behind a school, but soon left because it was filled with goose shit. It was everywhere! I didn't feel like driving home with shitty shoes, so I opted to run loops around the Beverly High School track. The facility just got a nice upgrade with a field turf grass infield. The track surface is firm but mostly intact. It will make a nice venue for spring/summer workouts.

My hamstring today felt a little better. It's still tight and restrictive, but I'm able to jog with less discomfort than last week. What's strange is that I can do high knees or butt kicks with absolutely no pain. But, if I extend my leg to engage my upper hamstring, I'm immediately reminded of why I can't resume training. My normal stride is a little hampered just when I'm about to plant my right leg. I'm no physio, but that's when your upper hamstring/glute is activated which I can feel.

I'll be getting ART tomorrow to further loosen up my tight leg. I'm taking this one day at a time...

Right Direction

Time: 21:21
Distance: 4.51km
Pace: 4:44/km
Map

Hey, hey, hey... I ran today. It wasn't fast or far, but it felt fantastic. (How's that for some lame alliteration)?

I laced them up this President's Day and set off for the only track in Marblehead. It didn't take long to get there but it gave me enough time to take an evaluation of how I'm feeling. I want to run more. I didn't have that awkward sensation that you get after a long layoff. I felt good aerobically (granted I was running slow) and coordinated the entire 10 minutes to the track. After some light drills to help loosen up my hamstring I shuffled home to do some more drills.

The injury is definitely improving, but not at the point where I can resume normal training. I hope to start jogging lightly this week in order to increase blood flow. I'll get ART again this week to assist in the mobility.

Paragon Sports Run Group

Time: none

Distance: none

This morning Meagan and I headed over to Paragon Sports which is a NYC institution for sporting equipment. If you're ever in New York and find yourself near Union Square, stop in to check it out. We were on hand to chat with their run group training for 13.1 NYC and raffle off some goodies.

The weather was perfect and the crowd was enthusiastic in anticipation for a great run along the West Side Hwy. I was bummed to not be running with everyone. Instead I walked over to Starbucks and slurped the black stuff, walked through the farmers' market and chatted with people in Paragon. Meagan got to run with Jay Holder who was finishing up a 22 mile run. At least someone from Karhu can represent.

Travel to NYC

Time: none
Distance: none

I traveled from Marblehead to NYC today making several stops along the way to visit accounts. I can't really tell how my hamstring is doing having not run in a few days. I think it's getting better with my rest and massage balling. The plan will be to run early next week. I purposefully did not pack running shoes or gear in order to keep me from running with friends this weekend. Sad, but true.

City Sports & Balega

Time: none
Distance: none

Surprise, surprise... Today was another day off due to a nagging hamstring. I'm trying not to stretch it, but rather massage it with a firm round object. I drive with a Trigger Point massage ball placed underneath my upper hamstring, right where it meets the buttocks.

My travels today took me to Spark Bike & Run Sports in Taunton, MA and City Sports corporate. I like hanging out at Spark because the owner is good guy. His store is new, he's making connections with his community and he's interested in learning more about the industry. He also carries BMC bikes (repped by my buddy Liam) and will soon have Karhu.

The City Sports visit was mainly for Balega which I was fortunate enough to pick up recently. Everybody loves a good pair of socks and Balega has the best ones out there. It was the first time I had a chance to visit with the sock buyer. She was cool, British, and likes coffee. The headquarters are in the North End where the streets are narrow and it's impossible to find parking. I managed to find a spot and leave the neighborhood with no scratches on my car. The only bigger win would have been to lace up the kicks and get out for a run.

Trivia in Rhode Island

Time: none
Distance: none

Today was day off. Lame.

I drove down to Providence, RI to spend some time at a Winter Rep Show. The foot traffic wasn't fantastic but I got to hang out with the Moving Comfort and Craft reps. They know the business and all of the accounts in my territory so it was fun to pick their brain. They also have house bunnies. Yes, rabbits that are basically cats, but related to Roger Rabbit. Earlier in the day one nearly got locked in the closet which wouldn't have ended well for anyone. True story.

After the expo, I met up with my former teammate Ryan Graddy. He's in med school at Brown and invited me to play trivia with some of his classmates. I was next to useless but I did know the final questions which ensured us a third place showing. The answer had to do with 80s music, Billboard Top 100 and pop music... not my strongest category. I would have excelled at rap music by Bay Area rappers in the 90s who were signed to either Death Row or Bad Boy. However, I somehow came up with the answer of Prince. Yes, the artist formerly known as Prince. I knew it.

Hurting Hamstring

Time: none
Distance: none

You're going to be seeing a lot of the above as I try to get caught up on my blog. Pretty depressing and I apologize if you're reading this in a RSS feed for a multitude of recaps as they are not going to be entertaining.

Since it's Valentine's Day and Meagan is out of town, could there be a better way to celebrate the evening than drinking a beer, rubbing arnica on your hamstring and alternating between heat/ice? I think not! I'm probably negating any benefits of my hamstring recovering by enjoying this Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, but it's delicious.

I started the day off positively by going to see Dr. Anne Gilbride who is the girlfriend of the Karhu CEO. It's unfortunate that I can't pay her in shoes. She did ART and adjusted my hips which weren't too out of place. I'm battling a really tight right hamstring that shoots signs of discomfort every time I plant and pull on my right side. Not good.

The good news? My SI Joint no longer hurts. Keep reading the catch up (ketchup?) posts to find out why my hamstring is hurt.

Schenker to the Front

Time: 38:20
Distance: 7.11 km
Pace: 5:23/km
Map

This afternoon Meagan, the Craft/Karhu GM (@CraftSportsGM) and I left the office for a little jog around the lovely town of Beverly, MA. It's a busy time of the year as people on the Craft side of the business are making the official "buy" for next year. That means if you want to be rocking the coolest baselayers, tights and jackets next fall, then the "buy" must be forecast according. Tension, tension...

We suited up in our running costumes and headed out the door in mild February conditions. I, unfortunately, could not enjoy the run as my hamstring is absolutely killing me. I have a decent range of motion on my right side, but every pull through hurts while weight bearing. The discomfort is high up near the insertion point to my butt (not what you're thinking). I will be getting treatment tomorrow, but I now recognize that this is a little more serious than I thought.

If you're on the Twitter, please follow Eric (linked above) because it's pathetic how few followers he has! (I hope he reads this).

Sir Charles of IKEA

Time: 39:39
Distance: 7.30 km
Pace: 5:26/km
Map

This morning I drove into Boston with the Karhu CEO to run along the Charles River. Our goal was to put in a few kilometers and then scope out a few parking spots near the Boston Marathon finish. I don't want to ruin any brand activation events in April, but we are going to be doing something pretty sweet involving a 24 foot Argosy.

I never really fell into a rhythm on the run for various reasons: (A) it was really cold and windy, (B) we were running slow, (C) my hamstring was hurting as if it were really cold and we were running really slow.

After the run we toured Comm. Ave, Newbury and Boylston Streets, grabbed a coffee and headed to IKEA. I got roped into the Swedish furniture behemoth part, but it was okay since I got breakfast out of it. Did you know they serve breakfast for $1.99!? Free coffee too! I'm not a fan of IKEA, but after learning of their food offerings for rock bottom prices, I could become a convert.

Lazy Sat.

Time: none
Distance: none

I decided to take the day off and spend the day nursing my hamstring. After the lousy feeling run yesterday, I thought it would be best to take it easy. Meagan is out of town in Birmingham, AL working the Mercedes Marathon Expo so I had the task of updating the Karhu Facebook page. Like it!

Lunch Run

Time: 52:06
Distance: 9.71 km
Pace: 5:22/km
Map

This afternoon I got out of the KNA offices to put in just under 10 km with the Karhu CEO and inventory manager. The pace wasn't fast, but the company was nice running around the streets of Beverly. My hamstring did not have a good run as I kept massaging my glute to relieve some of the discomfort. I thought taking yesterday off would help my cause, but apparently this is going to be a nuisance.

ME > NH > MA

Time: none
Distance: none

Today I traveled down from Maine back home after a few days of being on the road. I opted to not run as the hotel I stayed in wasn't the greatest and my hamstring is not in the best of shape. I hope by resting my leg I'll be able to have a decent weekend of activity.

Vision Lost

This is not how I envisioned my training after Meagan's Olympic Trials performance. I had hoped to start running my own workouts eared to running a spring marathon. There was even talk about getting an entry into the Boston Marathon, but all of that has been put on pause. I had been having some slight discomfort in my low right side of my back, hip, groin during the last couple of runs with Meagan leading up to the Trials. In Houston, the pain wasn't getting any better, so I opted to take Saturday (the only running I did was to cheer on the runners) and Sunday off. Fast forward to today and I'm still having the same discomfort whenever I land on my right side.

I'm pretty convinced it's my SI joint and I'll find out more this Saturday when I go to see a chiropractor. I have run a bit which I'll update soon.

Since I'm not really running, check out a few recent articles about work:

Antenna Mag & Candy Washington

I didn't attend Project NY, but it's a big shoe and fashion trade show. My sense is that people way cooler that you or me browse mostly underground brands looking for the next biggest urban trends.

I don't really work on the Karhu Originals side of the business, but I wear the shoes all the time. There is something about the brand's unique history that I like. Wearing brightly colored mesh upper shoes also gets a big boring as I spend enough time in running shoes. When I visit accounts or hang out with my friends, I prefer to wear Karhu Originals. (Yes, that was a Dos XX reference).

Running with the Trials Competitors

Run I
Time: 47:57
Distance: 10.67 km
Pace: 4:30/km
Map

Run II
Time: 29:46
Distance: 6.61km
Pace: 4:30/km
Map

Meagan and I jogged over to the Hilton to meet up with Caitlin, and Allison Mascas and Scott MacPherson of Team Rogue Elite. The group of us jogged out to the Allen Parkway where there are no lights to cross. Lots of participants were out getting in their last runs before toeing the line tomorrow. Deena Kastor even said "good morning" as we crossed a street close to the hotel.

The hotel lobby is buzzing with activity and everyone looks fit. Both the men and women competing look smaller in person than in video interviews or pictures. Most of the participants I know are just happy to be in attendance and don't have any aspirations to actually be in the top 3. However, all wish to have a great race and take as many scalps as possible. On my second run with Jesse Armijo and Joe Moore, they both talked about picking up the carnage late in the race if they just ran a consistent pace of 5:15 to 5:20. I'm rooting for the little guys, the guys who are just happy to be in the race, the ones who hit late qualifying times at CIM or small marathons on the Gulf. They have no shot at being top 10 and little shot at being top 25, but it will be fun to watch guys like Joe and Jesse.

The rest of the day was spent hanging around the hotel and making sure Meagan had everything she needed. One interesting story that is relevant to the USATF uniform rules involves Craft. Meagan took her jersey to the uniform check-in and had no issues. On the other hand, Joe took his uniform to the check-in and came down to lunch with duct tape over the "Craft" portion of the logo but not the six dots.

After our meal, I went up to the uniform committee and simply explained that I had two athletes competing, both with the same logo and one has duct tape on, the other doesn't. I showed them my jacket and continued asking questions in the politest way possible. Craft didn't appear on the list of pre-approved brands, but  I eventually got to speak with someone who knew the rules. Turns out, they didn't know Craft was the actual apparel manufacturer and not some other sponsor which means the logo is permitted to be visible. I immediately told Joe to peel off the tape and that he would be good to rock the Elite Jersey. Problem averted!

I avoided the technical meeting and instead chatted with Pat Price of Writing About Running concerning some Karhu articles we would like him to explore. I met up with Meagan's parents and chilled in their hotel room before dinner. I ate dinner and enjoyed the very same meal I had for lunch (the steak was much better this time). I chatted with many friends running the race and wished them all best of luck. Tomorrow is going to be bad ass!

For updates on Meagan's progress during the race... follow me on twitter (@jokin359).