Moving to Minimalist - Chas Madden Running History

My first recollection of a running related injury was 9 years ago in 2002.  I had completed my first half marathon in Indianapolis on a Saturday.  (If you haven't participated in the Indy half marathon http://www.500festival.com/marathon, I highly recommend it.  35,000+ participants, great crowds and a flat course make it an attractive first race.)  The following day I decided to play in my regularly scheduled soccer game.  To keep my shin guards in place I used straps around my ankle and Achilles tendon.  Following the game I experienced my first bout of Achilles tendonitis, seemingly caused by the tight straps around an already sensitive Achilles.  In retrospect, driving the 5 hours from Indianapolis back to Akron, only to jump from our truck straight to the soccer field was not very smart!

Fast forward 4 years to August of 2006.  I am now 33 years old, 15 pounds heavier, no longer jogging regularly; we have 2 kids instead of one etc. etc.   Needing to find an activity that I could do on a consistent basis, I decided to pick up running again.  Not a fan of treadmills or running indoors, I had 2 simple goals.  Run 3-4 times a week without worrying about speed or distance, and run outside.  I thought if I could survive the heat and humidity in August as well as the snow and cold of January that we experience in Northeast Ohio for one year, then I could continue this activity indefinitely.

In those early days I didn't even wear a watch, which helped to keep me relaxed.  During the week I ran at lunch, and returned to my desk showered, but still sweating.  Things were going pretty well.  In late September of 2006 I traveled to Atlanta to visit family.  Six weeks into my new regimen I had lost 10-15 pounds, was running 3-4 miles, 3-4 times a week and once in a while would bump my mileage up to 5 or 6 miles.  Also in Atlanta at the time was my Uncle Bob, who had run the Indy Half Marathon in 2002 with me.  Unlike me, he had maintained and improved his running regimen over the previous 4 years.  At the time Uncle Bob was practicing the "Galloway Run-Walk-Run” technique.  The principle is to build in scheduled walks to your runs, especially on your longer runs.  Long story short, I convinced myself that by adhering to this technique I might be able to join my uncle on a longer than usual 10 mile run from our hotel to my brother's house. 

They call it "HOTLanta" for a reason.  I actually felt really good for the first 7 miles, then, probably due to lack of proper hydration, my calves started to cramp up.  While Uncle Bob rubbed it in by running a couple extra miles down the Silver Comet Trail http://www.silvercometga.com, I stayed behind, stretched and drank water.  By the time he had circled back to me I was able to hobble the final 2 miles to the house. 

This experience was the start of what would be chronic calf and Achilles tendon issues over the next 5 years.  At least a couple times a year I would get tendonitis in one or both of my Achilles tendons.  Typically this was preceded by or accompanied by extremely tight calves.  Up until this spring I would ice, stretch, use ibuprofen and basically run through the pain until they felt better.  Flare ups were usually correlated to a change in seasons, or preparation for an event, when I would be increasing my mileage or pace or both. 

On April 17^th, 2011 as I was preparing for my fourth Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon (half marathon) http://www.clevelandmarathon.com I took advantage of a Sunday morning without rain (there were very few the spring of 2011) to try to get a 7-8 miles in.  As is my custom, I procrastinated a little bit and got a late start.  Then 2 miles in, I needed to make a quick stop at our local gym...  By the time I got back on the road I realized that I was behind schedule and was running a route I wasn't familiar with.  My wife Heather needed me home at a certain time and I wasn't going to make it in time!  So after about 3 miles I really started to push it, and continued at maximum effort until I got home.  As luck would have it, my mother in law was running later than I was, so my 10 minutes of tardiness went mostly un-noticed.  However as I was running that day I could tell that I was going to have a flare up, and sure enough that evening and the following days I was sidled with worse than usual soreness in my left Achilles.  Over the next couple of weeks I decreased my mileage and pace and rested more than usual.  I also mixed in more biking and cross training to give it a break. 

No luck. 

Discouraged, I resigned myself to the fact that I wouldn't be running with Heather in the Cleveland half.  I also resigned myself to the reality that I needed to take a step backwards prior to moving forward again.  Over the past five years I had run at least once every week without missing a week.  In addition to various Turkey Trots, relays and fun runs, I had run 4 half marathons and each finishing time was better than the last.  The last thing I wanted to do was stop running, but it had become less enjoyable and now it was impeding other aspects of my life.  I also wanted to continue progressing, which at age 38 probably means longer distances as opposed to faster times, but I think I have the capacity for both.  I would love to do a full marathon at least once.  I would love to do certain half marathons or full marathons such as the Pike's Peak Ascent and Marathon http://www.pikespeakmarathon.org/, that are especially challenging.  Most of all I would like to have the confidence that running will not cause an injury that limits other aspects of my life.

I was one of many who read, and immensely enjoyed, Born To Run, and Chris McDougall's preceding article in Runner's World.  I buy into the concept of minimalist running from a purely common sense perspective.  After consulting a physician, I decided that trying to move to a minimalist style was worth a shot, and the following blog will document my transition.