Author: Dave Whiteside

What a pleasure it is to be involved with such a great running group. Having been injured for a while and not able to run for the last 4 weeks I’ve been scheduling Sunday morning open water swims and Jen, Jeff and Dave DelMonte have been great and joined me for these. So having returned to training on Wednesday I scheduled a Sprint Triathlon this morning, hoping that the 3 of them would join me again. Several people have been talking about tri’s during our drinks at the bar after our runs and maybe doing one as a group later this year so I knew there may have been some interest but I was still amazed when 12 people signed up for this on a holiday weekend. For me I knew it was going to be a challenge having only just started swimming, not owning a bike and only ridden about 3 times in 30 years and only able to run a minute at a time followed by a minute walking and a minute stretching. I was also out late last night at a party and had done my first ever boot camp, put on by Dave Tom’s from our running group, my body was already aching. I know not many people would attempt this on their 5^th day back into training. This shows that aqua jogging really does work so if you’re feeling injured, take time off from running and keep up your fitness.

I had borrowed a mountain bike for the event but the day before I was looking at bikes on Craigslist and found a nice Trek 7.3 FX hybrid bike that I purchased so took both down with me as I knew Mike and Jose didn’t have bikes although others were bringing some for them. I get to the beach and pretty much everyone had already assembled and we even had Allen turn up to provide support on his way to paddle boarding. We took our picture and in the water we went swimming south for our half mile swim. According to … (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

For anyone reading this and being concerned that running after a hip replacement is bad, don’t be disheartened, I think a lot of my issues are due to myself, do as I say and not as I do. I’ve had great success since my operation, not having been a runner before, apart from playing soccer, to now being a pretty good runner and having won age group awards from 5K’s to marathons.

I only started having pain in my hip after my marathon back in January 2013, 2 years after my total hip replacement. I would probably caution people considering running this distance, and if you decide you want to then I would advise that you run it slower than I did, I finished in 3 hours 19 minutes. My next mistake was then not resting at least 5 days but instead began training for my next half which was 3 weeks later. Well since then I’ve had pain in my leg about 2 out of the 6 runs I was doing each week which included a long run, tempo run, interval run, speed work and then a couple of 10K’s for fun. I only started running seriously in September 2012 so I probably did too much without building a solid base. The pain appears to start higher than the operation, at the front of my leg just inside the hip bone. It then travels down the outside of my leg, wraps around the top of my knee and then down the bottom of my leg to my foot. Pushing off becomes harder as my legs starts to feel numb and then the pain at the top of my leg increases. When I stop it’s painful to walk for a couple of minutes and then I can start to hobble around after the pain has worn off and I’m able to train again the following day.

It was beginning to occur more frequently, earlier in my runs and would intensify quicker so I decided to go back to see my hip surgeon. He took x-rays and the good news was … (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

I had been having foot issues for about 3 months when I decided to try the ice compression socks from 110%. My pain was initially located along the top portion of my right foot, just below my toes, along the toes on the outside of my foot. I can’t remember doing anything to it but it felt like someone had stamped on my foot. Initially the discomfort was only during the run and shortly afterwards but over time it became more of a permanent issue, it actually started to hurt more during walking than it did during running. By this time the pain was now more on the underside of my foot just above my arch and less on the upper side of my foot. I’m no expert but researching what it could have been I thought it sounded most like Morton’s Nuroma, but I never went to a doctor to have it examined. There was slight inflammation on top of my foot but apart from that no other visible sign. About 6 weeks into this injury I thought it might have been my running shoes so before I went on vacation I decided to change them. I went from my On Cloudsurfer’s to the Saucony Powergrid Triumph 10. I loved my On’s and never had an issue with them, I always felt good after the run and felt that the absorbed the impact well but decided to opt for more of a stable shoe with more cushioning. I’m not a long term experienced runner as I only really started after my hip replacement so this is just based on my limited experience. I also took a week off from running to see if that helped but the pain came back after my second run.

So after discovering 110%’s line of ice compression apparel and my initial purchase of the 100% Juggler Knicker, which I will write about soon,  a few days later I decided to purchase the 110% Overdrive Black Sox & White Sleeve. These are black compression socks with a white sleeve cover … (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

I went to see my hip surgeon, Dr John Kilgore of OAWF, this afternoon to check my hip given the recent issues I’ve been having. The good news is that I got a clean bill of health, the x-rays came back showing the same as 2 years ago after my surgery and the various exercises I did without any issue. His advise was just to take it easier for a couple of weeks and also referred me to a back doctor just to make sure no issues there. He did also say that it could just be muscular which is what I think the issue is and why I’ve been using a foam roller recently. So I will continue to substitute a couple of runs for aqua runs and just take some of my other runs at less intensity. We talked about my upcoming half marathon schedule, 2 in October, 1 December, full marathon January, half in March and full marathon in Boston 2014 and he wasn’t too concerned about that. So I feel much better now and will take it easy, maintain my fitness and race again in 3 weeks.… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

Well this hasn’t been my best week since my hip replacement, actually it’s probably been my worst. It started on Friday 21st running the Clearwater Beach Series Race #2. I was running with Brianna to try to get her to go out slower as she runs out of gas closer to the finish, even though she was first female overall in the first race. We had both run Tempo’s the night before with our Head Over Heels Running Group so probably not the best preparation for it. I told her we would run together for the first 2 miles at a 6:40 pace and after that we would run our own race, that should have brought us home around 20:30, better than the first race. As we started she started surging so I had to keep talking to her to keep her on pace. I could tell she was hating it as there were several other female runners ahead of her, but her dad wanted me to hold her back as she tires at the end. We ran 6:41 for the first mile, and at the turn she tried to surge again but I reigned her in and ran 6:42 for the second mile. I could tell she was tiring, she had also done a morning run in addition to the tempo run the day before, so I started to pull away from her. I was running with 2 friends that I wanted to beat and felt great, but then at 2.25 miles my hip started hurting. I tried to find more of a level area as the beach had more of a slope this week than 2 weeks ago but couldn’t find one. By 2.5 miles my hip was really sore I had had to slow down, I was hoping I could keep in touch with the runners and still sprint in ahead of them. The hip got worse and I had to slow down even more, I actually considering stopping as it was so bad. By the end my left leg felt numb and I was hobbling, 2 … (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

Coming up to the end of my 5th week of 40+ miles as I pick up my summer training to get ready for the fall half/full marathon season. Saturday was more of a form running session with some speed work with the Head Over Heals (HOH) Running Group and Coach Ray who I train with 4 days a week. First time I’ve done plyometrics which we did on the grass which is designed to help you running form, finishing with 5 x 300 @ 4:27 – 4:50 pace. Sunday was a long run which we cut short at 10.4 miles, which included 4 bridges, as we had a fast run scheduled for Monday. My hip was sore after about mile 9 and going over the last bridge was hard work. The hip itself isn’t the issue, I think it’s more the muscle around the hip. I had another massage this week and it took Karen about 15 minutes just to get those muscles to relax as they just want to contract all the time. Luckily I now have my 100% ice compression pants so I put those on and inserted the ice packs and I knew I would be ready for the next day. The Monday Night Interval Training Group were holding there timed mile run which they do every quarter as a measure of progress / fitness. I started off controlled and wasn’t going to push too hard this night as I didn’t want to pick up an injury. The high school boys and the head over heals group I train with were there so I knew there would be a fast pace. My first quarter was around 80 seconds, the second quarter 86, slowing the third down to 88 and finishing with 82 for a 5:36 mile. 6 seconds slower then my last quarter time but I was pleased as I hadn’t been doing that much speed work and had only ran 1 race in the last 7 weeks or so. After that we ran 4.5 miles for our cool down, I remember a year ago that was … (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

I’m pleased to say that the last couple of weeks have also gone well recovering from a low just over a month ago. I’ve ran 3 long runs of 13 miles each the last 3 weekends and the hip has held up pretty good. My tempo runs have been around the 6:50 pace and also without too much hip pain until the end, but again nowhere near as bad as it had been and walking it off for a couple of minutes and I feel pretty good. My interval work has gone well and even did a good set of 8 x 60 seconds hill repeats at a 5:20 pace after a 3 mile warm-up.

This weekend was busy with 4 days of heavy running but I still feel strong. Friday night was the first of the Clearwater Beach Series 5K along the beach. Not having raced for about 7 weeks wasn’t sure how well I would do and I knew I also had a temp run scheduled for 8am the following morning. So I lined up with one of my training partners Brianna, a 17 fast high school girl that ran at the State’s last month, and off we set. My goal was to run 20:40, nothing too aggressive but respectable, the pack started around a 5:30 pace so I eased up and let Brianna go ahead. By the 1 mile mark I was on target with around 6:30 but breathing real easy, to be honest it felt like a tempo run at that time. By the turn Brianna was about 20 yards ahead of me and I soon closed the gap on her and started to run alongside her asking how she was doing. I could see she was beginning to tire so I slowed down to run with her and give her encouragement. As we went along people were cheering her as she was the first female, so I pulled ahead and told her to draft me as we were heading in to the wind. She continued to tire and the third mile was going along a … (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

Sorry I haven’t posted recently but I’ve been travelling a little and haven’t had much time. I’m going to write about how I am now, I’ve still got a couple of months of races and feelings to document but it’s easier to write about what’s fresh.

As you may recall since my 3:19 marathon in January, (too) quickly followed by a couple of half’s (1:35 & 1:31) my left hip had been getting gradually worse. It got to the point where about 5 miles into a run I would feel it starting to ache, I was unable to push off hard and then my left calf would also feel like it was getting numb. I had to cut my long runs down to 6.2 miles and by the end I was walking with a limp as bad as before my surgery. The good news was that it didn’t last that long and 5 minutes later it didn’t feel that bad, but it got to the point where I was having to ice every evening.

Then my good (right) hip started hurting, but more during the evening lying down in bed, I would wake up in the morning and the top area felt sore. Not the same as my left hip before I had it replaced which was at the side, but at the top. It got easier as the day went on but I have started sleeping with a pillow between my legs again which I think has helped it. I don’t know if this was related to my left hip hurting and maybe effecting how I was running but was annoying.

Then I started having piriformis issues in my left butt, which felt like I had been sitting on a hard seat for several hours. I don’t think it hurt that much during running but it was a pain I could feel most of the day. The bones on the top of my right foot below my toes also started getting worse, and just walking it felt like I had a broken bone as if someone had stamped on … (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the events in Boston yesterday. The best thing we can do is to show our support and to continue doing what we do. We didn’t give up because of our hip replacements and we’re not going to give up due to cowardly acts of violence. My mind is set, despite the pain I went through running my marathon I will run Boston in 2014 to show my support.… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

Well after completing my first marathon, I had 3 weeks to prepare for my next half marathon the St Pete Rock ‘n’ Roll on Feb 10^th, which would be my second. So I only took 1 day off and then did a light recovery jog with my coach Ray on Tuesday evening, a 7 mile run Wednesday including 2 bridges, tempo run Thursday, Yasso 800’s on Saturday, a 2 hour 3/1 Hal Higdon half marathon run Sunday and interval training Monday. Knowing what I do now I should have taken more time off and then not trained quite as hard, my hip never had time to recover and I continue to have some pain up to now. The following week I came down with a head cold but still carried on training through this with similar intensity as I was aiming to beat my first half marathon time of 1:34:04. By the time Sunday came round with 1 week to go it felt like my cold had gone, only to wake up on Monday morning and the cold had moved down to my chest. Now I had to decide do I carry on training or not as what I read on some websites suggested it’s okay to train with colds above the shoulders but below you should rest, but with 6 days to go I pushed on. By Wednesday it was worse so I called the doctors to get an appointment and I went Thursday morning, he said I had bronchitis and gave me some antibiotics so I took the next 2 days off leading up to the half.

I finished the race in 1:35:06 in 111^th position out of 4,399, a little off goal, here’s my post race notes from my Garmin log:

So as I mentioned in my last blog, the week before I was due to run my first half marathon having read a bunch of Runners World magazines while vacationing in St Maarten I decided I was going to run a marathon 6 weeks later. Probably not the best decision as I didn’t know how this run was going to turn out but it was the last day before the price went up and as I was somewhat fit I thought I may as well go for it. So the day after I returned from vacation I went for a long 16 mile run at an 8:49 average pace, my longest run so far rather than starting to taper for the half. I did a light jog the day later, ran with the IRB running group on Wednesday and then another light jog before my first half marathon race. You can read about my first half which I completed in 1:34:04 and I felt pretty good after the race. I took the Monday off to recover but had to get straight back into training for the marathon now less than 6 weeks away. I now had to take my low 30+ weekly miles up closer to 50 to get fit for the marathon. Just to apply more pressure to myself I also decided that I was going after a Boston Qualifier time which for my age group was 3 hours 30 minutes, a tall order for sure.

The following weekend I upped my long run to 20 miles, running the first 11.2 without stopping but then made it back to my truck to get a drink of water and a gel and change out of my new On Cloudsurfers which were tight before heading off. I was pleased with my pace of 7:51 running 2:37:09, by the time I finished it was 70 degrees. The following weekend I ran with Park from the Monday Night Interval Running Group and with Ray, my coach from the Head Over Heels Running Group, riding alongside on his bike. We started at 5:30 … (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

So as I mentioned in my last blog a few people from our IRB running group were running the Holiday Half Marathon on Dec 9^th from Madeira Beach up to Largo and I volunteered to setup some Sunday long runs to help them. The light training started September 2^nd and we ran 7 miles at around a 8 min/mile pace. I was pleased with that as I was only running 3 times a week then with an average mileage of about 15 miles per week. The week after we ran 7.23 miles at a slower pace of 8:30, we skipped the following week when I went on vacation and on my return we ran 9.75 miles at 8:25 pace. After that I thought I may as well run the half with them even though my furthest race so far was still a 5K, now I had 2 more months to get ready. As some of you may know from a previous blog, I did run the distance a half marathon about a year ago when I went out for a 3 mile jog and saw my neighbor and actually ended up running 13.1 miles. So I knew I could run the distance but now needed to set myself a time goal. Olesiya, my main rival from the club was an experienced runner and had ran over a dozen half’s with a best time of 1:42:38 set a few weeks earlier, so I set my target at 1:42. The next week we ran 10.71 miles at a pace of 8:15. I had started to run faster than the others and would run ahead and after each mile loop back to them and then turn around again. Now I had increased my average mileage to between 30 – 35 miles training 5 times a week up from 3 times. I ran my first 10K race the first weekend in October and then the weekend after ran 11 miles at 8:15 pace.

On Sunday October 21^st I ran my first practice half marathon with a time of 1:45:39 exactly 8 … (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

So after meeting Albert, Ray and Mary at my best 5K since my hip replacement, I decided it was time to take my running to the next level. I was probably running about 15 miles a week, up from 12, at this time but decided while I was on vacation I was going to run more. Off down to Marco Island we went after the race equipped with lots of running apparel. I was true to my word and ran each day average about 6 miles a day (and since then I’ve kept this up running 5-6 times a week for the last 6 months average 30-35 miles a week). The following weekend I started training with Ray, running quarter mile splits with Mary and a couple of others. Now I was running with 3 different groups and running by myself the other days, learning about tempo runs, long slow runs and many other terms I had never heard but was enjoying every moment of it and staying fit with no pain in the hip.

I guess somewhere along the way I got talked into running the Susan G Komen 10K on October 6^th, I had never ran a race that far so wasn’t sure what to expect. I prepared running 10k’s along the beach for the two weeks before the race Wednesday’s with the Indian Rocks Beach running group and was feeling good, just not sure how fast I would be. I started off at a steady pace with a 7:23 mile and felt good and ran 7:18 and 7:20 the next 2 miles. By mile 4 the pace started to take its toll and I slowed to 7:29 but that allowed me to recover a little and push harder for the last 2 miles. I knew Olesiya would be close behind me as she had run many 10k’s so I picked up the pace and ran the last 2 miles at 7:10 and was still able to put in a sprint at the end, finishing in 45:11 and more importantly ahead of Olesiya. I’m so thankful … (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

Just to recap I had my hip replacement on Dec 6th, 2010 and I’m just writing my blog to catch up over last 2 years. Last week I covered the period leading up to my operation and the first 2 weeks by which time I was walking over a mile without assistance and returned back to work. Now the real training starts having set the date of my first 5K race to be the Guppy Gallop on April 6th, the race I started my 8 month training plan leading up to my operation the year earlier. Judy, my wife, would drive me to work in the morning and pick me up before rush hour, when we got home we would go for a walk. I very quickly progressed from 1 mile to 3 – 4 miles within a couple of weeks, with walks along the beach or over Belleair Causeway bridge. I actually felt great walking and had no pain whatsoever and I wasn’t taking any medication, I didn’t even go back to the liquid Glucosamine and Chondroitin I had been taking prior to my operation. I felt as healthy as I did many years before just wasn’t quite as mobile yet, the biggest difference was I would get tired very quickly and had to take a nap. After about 6 weeks I honestly felt like I could start jogging but was forbidden, by Judy and my Doctor, until after my 3 month checkup so I was good and didn’t rush it as the last thing I wanted was to undo anything. The limp that was a feature of how I walked was gone and there was a new found spring in my step, looking at me you wouldn’t know I had a new hip. I did however continue to take the stairs slowly holding on to the rail, no point falling there so be cautious and take your time. Putting on my socks was now beginning to get easier although I never got to the point before the operation where I couldn’t put them on by myself but it … (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)