Race Report Archives: Vineman Half 1993

Cleaning out my office, going through piles of old papers, I stumbled across a letter I'd written to a good friend about two years after leaving Charlottesville, VA for my residency in Davis, CA. In the previous year I had thought my running "career" was over thanks to a long struggle with chronic plantar fasciitis. As it turned out I still had my best running years ahead of me :-). My long road to running recovery included the discovery of "crosstraining". Prior to this discovery my only exposure to triathlon was watching the Ironman World Championships on TV every year and to briefly wonder if I could ever do that someday. My discovery of crosstraining also opened the door to triathlon as a sport I could participate in. Although I only dabbled in '92-'93, the triathlon seed was planted. It lay dormant and forgotten for ten years while I played out my life as a runner but sprouted and bloomed in 2004. The letter to my buddy chronicles this discovery which culminated in my first half ironman at Vineman in 1993. I thought it would be fun to post excerpts from the letter as it is chock full of lessons learned. I've added a few current day editorial comments in parenthesis...

Dear Ashley,

Your long lost friend/running partner has not fallen off the face of the earth or died. I've just been negligent about staying in touch. I don't remember when I last spoke to you so if some of this news is "old" please bear with me. I had a lot of trouble with a foot injury the first year I was out here in CA. Finally, in the summer of '92 the foot was so bad I could hardly walk and I was forced to stop running completely. During the subsequent months I spent a lot of time cycling and swimming (or rather trying to swim!) to try to maintain some degree of fitness. After orthotics, rest and physical therapy had all failed to improve the foot condition I began to accept the possibility that I may never be able to return to running.

As fate would have it, I met a South African orthopedic surgeon during a backpacking trip in Yosemite who happened to have a special interest in chronic heel pain in runners. He suggested some modifications to my inserts and a gradual return to running as if I had never run before, and while I should expect some heel pain initially, the pain should gradually lessen with time. Well, I took his advice and what followed was a slow, careful, often frustrating return to running. During this period I learned a great deal about patience, self control and perseverance. I learned to stop comparing my current performance to past successes and to take pride in the progress I was making. But most of all I had rediscovered the real joy of just being able to run. Now, a year and a half later, I am running without pain and without the heel lift. A month ago I ran the Portland Marathon very comfortably and a week ago I ran a half marathon in what turned out to be my first PR in two and a half years. I'm Back! A small area remains on my heel that is tender if I push on it just the right way. I feel this spot every day to remind myself that I can never take my foot or my running for granted.

A major component to my rehab was crosstraining, and I continue to to use it as part of my training. For someone like myself, whose body cannot hold up to high mileage running, it provides a way to improve cardiovascular endurance. Although I rarely run over 60-65 miles per week anymore (aah, youth!), I spend as much time working out with my heart rate in the "target zone" as someone running over 100 miles per week. Another benefit to crosstraining is that it introduced me to the sport of triathloning. While running will always be my first love triathlons are a fun way to add some variety to the road racing scene. Also, a triathlon is one hell of a workout! You are "out there" for nearly 90 minutes during a "sprint" triathlon and around two and a half hours during a standard international distance triathlon.

This summer I decided to try a half ironman distance triathlon. Just training for it got me in the best shape of my life. I joined a master's swim program to improve my swimming, by far my most pathetic sport, and I started riding with some local cycling geeks and participating in noncompetitive, organized distance rides up to 100 miles in length. The triathlon I chose was in Santa Rosa, a wine country community near the coast known for its mild summer climate. Well, it turned out that on the day of the triathlon a record heat wave hit the northern California coast. Officially the high temperature in Santa Rosa that day was 103, reached about the time I was starting to run. Race officials recorded temperatures at 115 degrees out on the unshaded run course. Which ever temperature you want to use it was UGLY out there! The run portion of the course was the most difficult thing I have EVER done in my life. There were aid stations every mile and I literally ran the course from aid station to aid station, stopping at each one to fill my cap with water (there was no ice), drink two cups of water and take to cups of water with me to just to get me to the next aid station. My only thought was "just keep running, no matter how slowly, one foot then the other foot." And somehow I did. My goal for the triathlon, if all went well, was to go under six hours. I was ecstatic with my clocking of 6:01:15 given the weather conditions that day. It was an experience I will not forget soon! And one that has definitely helped my running. You see, now if I think I'm getting tired in a race I just think back to that day and I realize how far from true fatigue I really am...THAT was tired, THIS isn't even close! And no, I have no desire to do Ironman!! (oh, I was so naive :-))

As far as the rest of my life goes, everything is going pretty well. I mostly like the residency, especially now that I'm learning to not let it take over my life, which it tries hard to do. I'm gradually learning to like California (I hated it at first) but I still get quite homesick for Virginia at times (and still do), especially during the spring and fall. I'm finally making some good friends out here, mainly through the running club I belong to, but I miss my old running buddies still...