When Mammoths Travel

So my partner Josh, greatest partner in the world, has gotten me tickets to Europe and I leave on Monday :) This means I will have the opportunity to run in Berlin, Amsterdam, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. This is one happy Mammoth.

So the question is what do Mammoths do when they have to travel? Well you need to look at the weather and pack appropriately. I went to Academy Sports and TJ Maxx to buy new running pants, under shirts (wicking tech please) and a new running jacket. Europe is cold this time of year and Scotland will be wet and rainy so I needed to get some gear to combat the rain. I am so excited about the running in different countries and making new friends on the trail.

I am packing all of my running gear, two pairs of shoes, and my iPod and iPhone. I am also packing my after care gear as well.

I will be blogging about my adventures so stay tuned.

Oh and for those of you who don't know I am now sponsored by Brooks Shoes. They will be helping me with my races in the Spring. So thanks Brooks and its your shoes that will get me through.

Pain in the Paw: Medicating

So I will confess some things here. I use 1000 mgs of ibuprofen before I run a 5k or 1/2. I do this prophylacticly because I know the kind of pain I deal with. Like I said in my last post I have numerous injuries I deal with and this is a temporary solution. I have noticed that as I drop weight I am in less and less pain.

Dean Karnazes says that distance running is the number one way men lose weight and keep it off. He talks about meeting the Governor of Arkansas Mike Huckaby and how he related his story of weight loss and how running was the way he kept it off. Governor Huckaby also said that at first it was painful to run but as his weight decreased so did his dependence on pain meds to get him through.

My little Mammoths you are going to experience pain. Most of it is temporary and can be fixed with an ibuprofen and RICEing, however, some pain you need to see the doctor about. Do Not Be A Hero!!! This is funny coming from me and some of the people I trained with while at H3 will tell me that I should take my own advice but seriously folks if it is more than a nagging ache you need to get checked out. Remember it is always better to miss two days of training and rest, then two months lying around recuperating from a more serious injury.

Dealing with the hurt paw

Eventually its going to happen. You are going to get hurt. The key is to manage your mind during this time. So far I have ruptured a disc in my back, dealt with a serious infection in my legs, and have arthritic knees, but being the bad ass Mammoth that I am I will not let that slow me down. But being a determined Mammoth doesn't mean that I can't be a smart one.

The first thing you need to do is manage your pain and injury. All Mammoths should be RICEing. RICE stands for Rest, Ice, Compress, and Elevate your legs.

Rest: We don't have to go after it six days a week. Most of the workouts I see have you running between 3 or 4 days a week so just keep it slow and steady.

Ice: Ice is my new best friend, especially on my knees. Without ice I would not be able to continue. I use it for twenty minutes on and twenty minutes off and I do it for an hour. You need to find your own tolerance for this because this can be very challenging.

Compress: For us Mammoths this is a hard one. The problem is that compression socks just don't come in our size. I have used an ace bandage in conjunction with my ice to help out with this.

Elevate: I elevate my legs every night when I sleep. I use a medical wedge I got for 20 bucks at a local drug store. It keeps my legs up over my heart and that is the most important thing to remember, your legs must be elevated over your heart.

Alright Mammoths this is the first installment. I will talk about painkillers on the next post.

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to post them and I will answer them as best I can :)

Happy Running