It is amazing how fast dreams can be crushed or altered. October of 2008, I qualified for my 6th Boston marathon. I was so excited to once again go to Boston and run, I almost broke down at the finish line. I started all the planning, looking for hotels, airfare, and of course sending in my registration. Then, my plans were altered because of the LA Marathon. When it was scheduled for a May date, it pushed all my other races back. This included my team's 30K qualifying race. The people at Students Run LA didn't know the exact date of the 30 K so I waited and waited to see which date it would fall on. Typically, we have the 30K 1 month before LA, which would have put the race on the last weekend of April. That would have been perfect as that would NOT effect my Boston plans. But when the date of the race was posted, it was scheduled to be run the Sunday I was going to be in Boston. I decided that one of my responsibilities as a coach was to forgo my own pleasure and dreams and be there for my team since they run better when I am present. I felt they needed me to help them focus and qualify for LA. Thus I missed the Boston Marathon in 2009.

Fortunately, my qualifying race at the Long Beach Marathon was in the right time frame to allow me to not have to re-qualify and use my time for the 2010 Boston Marathon. Come hell or high water I was running this race. The LA Marathon was back to a March date and I was going to train great to get there. Well, if you have been following my blogs, my training was side-tracked by an injury. However, I decided early in the injury cycle that my wife and I were going regardless of the severity of the injury. I was going to run a great race since I might be able to recover by then, run a slow race and enjoy the scenery, or use the weekend as a vacation and be a spectator. But yesterday's news might crush 2010's dream.

See, my wife's company was sold and they are moving it to San Mateo. Thus, she is getting laid off. So financially we probably won't be able to make the trip to the Boston Marathon this year. And since my qualifying time ends this year, that means I will have to train and re-qualify again at another race later this year or next. Man, I want to be in Boston in April.

I still plan on training like I am going though. Today I did 45 minutes of aqua jogging and I plan to head back to the gym later to repeat the same workout or do the StairMaster for an hour. This will follow my therapy and back adjustment by my chiropractor.

Hope you have a great day

What a great weekend! First, I got in 1 hour of running which equates to a 7.5 mile run Saturday at the local track. No hip pain and only a tight hamstring at the 45 minute mark. Then on Sunday I got in 2500 meter swim, 20 minutes of aqua jogging, followed by 30 minutes on the elliptical trainer. And then the best of all- the Saints won and Peyton lost. Ahh, what a great weekend.

Today I plan on running 45 minutes on the grass field at our school which is about 5 miles. Then it is another round of PT with Dr. Smith. I hope by Saturday I will be able to run 11 miles on the streets. I am starting to get really excited about returning to training mode. Who doesn't love the feeling of chasing a dream? Can't wait for Boston!!!!

Enjoy your Monday

One week of therapy and I feel like a new man. After some very aggressive sessions of muscle stimulation, ultra sounds, stetching, and specific exercises developed by Dr. Smith to target my weak stabilizer hip muscles, I feel as if my hip/back/groin never was injured. I am getting ansy to get out there and start training again. With my main goal of running the Boston Marathon in April, which is quickly approaching, I need to get back "on the roads". In the past I would jump right back into training like I never missed a day, but as I get older and wiser, I know I need to ease back into it. So today will be a 1000 meter swim followed by 30 minutes of aqua jogging. Tomorrow I will try and do 6 easy miles on the track at Verdugo Hills High while the team does and easy 8 miler (we were going to do our 22 miler but we voted to put it off until next week since it will probably be raining on Saturday)

My plan next week is to do 3 more days of PT and one day of chiropractic adjustments and then hopefully, God-willing, fingers crossed, praying, get in an 11 mile training run on Saturday with the team.

For all those running the Surf City Marathon (full or half) enjoy the race. I would love to be there with all of you, but my thoughts and prayers are with you all-GOOD LUCK!!!!!!

Rehab seems to be working. Yesterday I had my second round of muscle stimulator and ultra sound on my torn hamstring, today it feels great. I got the therapy done at Dr. Smith's (http://www.stevesmithdc.com/) and I am convinced this is one of the best doctor's offices ever. As soon as you walk in you feel like you are walking into your family's house because everyone is so friendly and caring. On top of that, Dr. Smith really knows his "stuff". He is very knowledgeable and explains things to you in depth but at a level you can understand. if you ever get hurt, check them out, it is well worth the trip and/or money.
Today I will go back for 3rd treatment and if it goes as well as yesterday I plan on trying to run on 6 miles Saturday.


This morning I got in 1000 meters of swimming and 30 minutes of aqua jogging. I plan on returning this afternoon, after therapy to repeat the same workout. It still isn't like running on land but it is keeping me in decent shape. Once this hammy heals I won't be to out of shape to get back into longer runs. Still, I know I need to patient.


Good luck with your training and enjoy your day.

I am starting to feel like a professional athlete with a team of doctors. Yesterday I had a chrio appointment. She treated my hamstring with a muscle stimulator (if you never had one done it feels like a 1000 tiny, tiny fingers massaging the area) then hit it with ultra sound. My hip feels great today. Tonight I have my 2nd vistit with Dr. Smith for a therapy session. Hope that goes well. Then Thursday it is Dr. Smith again. That will be 4 doctor appointments in 4 days. The cycle starts again next week with 4 more vistits. I am hoping by next Saturday I can get in 11 miles with my team (they are running 22 buut I want to try and get their pacing down for the LA Marathon).

The team is having a 3 mile time trial today. The weather is good and they have been running so many hills lately they should run pretty well. Most of the kids I have seen are already nervous for today's "race".

Have a great Wednesday

I finally think I found the problem in my hip/hamstring. Yesterday I went to see a new doctor, Dr. Steven Smith at chiropractor, and he was awesome. My appointment was scheduled for 6 pm, meaning I was one of the last people he would see. I didn't leave there until almost 7:45!!!! And it wasn't because he was seeing other patients, that time was devoted entirely to me.
The meeting started with me talking for 20 minutes about all the prior doctors and their diagnoses, all the time he just listened intently and took copious notes. Then he went through each of the other diagnoses and told me why he didn't think they were those. We then went through a bunch of range of motion exercises, various strength tests, and stretches. He finally told me he thinks it is a micro tear of the hamstring where it connects to the buttocks. He told me, and showed me, that if it was a tear of the hamstring why was the hip and abductor affected. Then he told me some really good news and some bad news. First the bad, he has treated it before and it takes a long, long time to heal. Now the good, he said I could slowly start to run a few days a week as long as I stayed away from hills and speed. Man was I happy!!!!!!!

One other side not, he initially thought it might be a labrum tear of the hip. he said if it was he would send me to a doctor in Burbank that is a hip specialist to get an MRI and see about surgery immediately since hip tears could lead to an arthritic hip. He said it would be expensive since it was an out-of-pocket, non insurance covered expense. Obviously I was nervous because that would be expensive. But he said that he would help me fight with my insurance company since they didn't diagnosis it correctly the first time. What doctor does that?

So today I have another physical therapy session with Dr. Smith, and a few more in the next few weeks. Hopefully I will be in decent shape come Boston.

Today's workout is rest. After 5 on Saturday, 45 minutes of aqua jogging on Sunday, and another 5 miles yesterday, my legs are tired and sore from trying to get back into running shape.

Have a great day

Feeling better after this weekend, that is for sure. On Saturday while the team was running 8 hilly miles I went Verdugo Hills High and tried out the hip/back on the track. Intially, my body was stiff and almost unused to running. But the hip/back were fine. I ran 3 miles without any pain or discomfort. However, my hamstring started to get tight, presumably from the hip injury, so I stopped and stretched for a few minutes. I felt good so I finished with 2 more miles, and I honestly could have done more but didn't want to push it. Throughout the entire run I was well aware of the hip as pain would slowly creep in then quickly disappear. The back felt great. When I was done I went back to meet the team and stretched.

Sunday, I decided to finally try aqua jogging. I had purchased a floatation belt to allow me to float and run in place. What a piece of crap that was! So I took it off and decided to try running in place. I found the right spot in the pool at 4 1/2 feet which allowed me to mimic my running motion and not feel strange doing it. I put in 45 minutes and when I got out of the pool I actually felt taxed and my quads/calves were tired. I haven't felt that in weeks so I was so happy. My initial thought on aqua running was that it would be boring and not a good workout. Now I feel different. At times it can be boring, it is similar to running on a treadmill but without a TV or music, but it is different in the fact that you really need to focus on your form because that can easily go to crap. Also, you have to raise your quads higher and fight the water resistance which made for a great workout. I will now use aqua jogging 3-4 times a week as a way to rehad/recover from my injury and I will definitely use it as a 2nd workout when I am healthy. I loved it and highly recommend it.

Today I will run 3-4 miles on our grass field at school while the team does their 4 miles. I also have a new doctor's appointment at Smith Chiropractic Clinic in Pasadena at 6 tonight. Really excited to see him since he comes highly recommended. I will blog about experience tomorrow.


Enjoy your Monday