Donate now, win sunglasses!

Tifosi Optics has generously donated two pairs of sunglasses that I am raffling off to those who donate money to the Lupus Foundation in support of my 50 mile ultramarathon. Simply click here before September 15th to donate. For every $5 that you donate, you will have one chance to receive one of the pairs of sunglasses (e.g. if you donate $25, you will have five chances to win.) Please make sure to include your email when you donate so that I can contact the winners.

I've been running in a pair of these for the last few months and these are quite a step up from the cheap gas station sunglasses that I am used to. They are lightweight, stay in place while sweaty, and don't fog up. They even have interchangeable lenses. One pair is the "Slip" model. The other is the "Gavia" model. These make great sunglasses for running and, I imagine, other outdoor sports.

My goal is to sell 200 additional "tickets," which would mean another $1,000 towards our goal. Please pass this information on. Those who have already donated will automatically be entered.

Do you have a blog or website? Mention this raffle and I'll give you a free ticket. Just email the link to me at fundraising@thomaswallace.org.

Running with Your Dog

I only ran a slow 5 miles today since my knee has been bothering me. It didn't feel too bad, but I don't want to press my luck and make it worse.

I thought I'd give me thoughts as to running with dogs. Nearly every time I run, I run with my 6 year old border collie, Casey. In fact, we've been running together since he was about 1 year old and just moved into our tiny Oregon apartment from the Junction City cattle ranch where we got him. He is by far the coolest dog that I have ever met and, seriously, you can communicate with him in complete sentences. He's also an excellent running partner.

Dogs make excellent running partners. I occasionally run with other people and its a nice break, especially on long runs. However, I'm not really cut out for running in groups on a regular basis. Too often my runs must be carefully timed with work, caring for Elliott, traveling and the dozens of other things that come up on a regular basis. Casey doesn't care about any of that stuff. He is always ready to run. Not only that, but he gives me reason to run. Border collies are extremely smart dogs that are bred to work. In fact, they suffer psychologically if they can't work. Running is Casey's work and, while it can be inconvenient at times, I have probably run more regularly since Casey arrived at our home then all the previous years. (A side note, DO NOT get a dog just for motivation, especially a work dog like a border collie. They provide motivation if you already have an interest in an activity, but most people are unable to deal with high energy dogs and that's one reason too many dogs are in shelters.)

How far can dogs go? Casey is the type of dog who will run as long as I want him to. That can be a problem. In the first year that I ran with him, we had some problems with wear on his paw and at least one overheating scare. I think that the paw wear stemmed partially from the salt on the winter roads we were running on. More frequently, I get concerned that overheating will be a problem. I've carried water for him with me in the past, but now I usually just drop Casey off after 3 or 4 miles instead. On cool days (<50 style="font-weight: bold;">What do I need to run with my dog? I recommend taking your dog to obedience training. This is just a good idea under any circumstance. I've been chased by a variety of dogs and encountered a variety of people--it makes me feel better to know my dog is under control. Casey and I use a harness and a belt leash we got from campmor for around $20. It's called "The Buddy System." I recommend it as I like to have my hands free while running. Also, it is the only thing that makes running with a dog AND a stroller manageable. As note, consider bringing water for runs on warm days.

Is it good for my dog? Er, duh. It's good for you so it is also good for your dog. It's good psychologically. It's good physically. Casey just had a checkup last month and the vet commented that he had a nice low athletic heartrate. On a side note, she also recommended that I begin to give him glucosamine supplements to prevent long term wear on his joints (see previous post). Unfortunately, Casey doesn't like taking large bitter pills. Luckily I just found out that Nutro makes biscuits with supplements inside. They are technically for senior dogs, but might be worth considering if you run frequently with your dog.

It is hard not for me not to smile a little when Casey starts circling me excitedly at the mere smell of my running clothes (and he does know the difference between a cotton T-shirt and a synthetic one.) He is gets such pure enjoyment from cruising along the road with the occasional glance back to make sure I am still there. How can you not like running when you run with someone who enjoys it so much? It adds another dimension to the experience of running just watching him. Besides, its hard to skip a run with those brown eyes staring hopefully at you.

Ilialtibial band syndrome management

So my greatest concern as my training progresses is suffering an overuse related injury. This is another of the reasons why I am comfortable having so many days off from running as part of my training schedule (see previous post for my schedule). It's also the only problem that I had when training for the Huff 50k a few years ago. Specifically, I had trouble with my left knee, which I am fairly certain was due to iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS). Best I can figure this is when a tendon that runs the length of your knee starts rubbing against bone.

Check out this site for more information on ITBS. To me, it feels like a sharp pain in my knee that only affects me when running and goes away when walking. It is also more intense when going downhill.

I'm not a doctor, etc... However, here's what has worked for me gleaned from a variety of readings.

1) Stretch. Honestly, I hate to stretch, but in the long run this has been the most effective treatment for me. Runner's World has a good description of the stretch that I use. From what I have read it is important to stretch after running and not before. Your muscles should be warmed up after a run and you are less prone to injure yourself. My strategy is just to stretch whenever I am thinking about it. I leave a jumprope laying around as a reminder to stretch at least once or twice a day. That and Elliott likes to play with the jumprope.

2) Stop. I've had trouble following this advice myself, but it is important. Continuing to run just further inflames the area. This is typically an overuse injury. Don't run so much.

3) Change shoes. I have mixed feelings about this. Most website claim that overpronation is a problem and you should switch to a more stable shoe. I've actually had more success switching to a less stable shoe--specifically the Nike Free. I'm not sure what this means, but if it works what can you say?

4) Glucosamine Sulfate. Okay, you should always be careful about taking supplements, but these seem to be effective for me. I take 500-1000 mg per day. My verterinarian thinks the stuff is a good idea and recommended that I even give some to Casey to make sure his joints are healthy in the long run. You can find some more information here. I also take fish oil (anti-inflammatory) and multivitamins. I use whey protein as a supplement too--largely because Holli and I don't eat much meat.

5) Ice. In the past I have iced my knee after running. I think this is a good idea if you start having a problem. However, I recommend stretching and even taking glucosamine first as preventative measures. I've had success with this strategy so far... Well, at least until last weekend. See comments below.

Now, part of the reason that I bring this up is that my right knee started bothering my while running in Victoria. I'm fairly certain that this is because I stopped stretching and taking glucosamine while I was there. Perhaps the lower protein consumption also made a difference--who knows? I'm going to try and take it easy this week and see how things go. Luckily, there is still ample time before the race for me to take a step back without throwing off my training too much.

Mt. Douglas

My long run turned into a regular run since I decided to go out to dinner with some people from MSU. We went to a seafood place overlooking the bay. It was nice to get a chance to see downtown Victoria.

I wanted to get at least a bit of a run in so I ran to the top of Mt. Douglas after I got back to my room. I'd had my eye on this park since there was a race being held there today. I decided to go to sessions instead of the race, but I figured I could still get some of the experience just running it myself. It isn't a high peak, but I promise you it was steep. The sun was started to set when I started my ascent and it was pretty close to dark by the time I got to the top. That was okay since there was a paved road the whole way and a parking lot at the top with several people enjoying the view. The view of Victoria was awesome and well worth the time it took to get up there. It was dark enough you could see all the lights of the city, but still bright enough you could see the bay and the Olympic Mountains in the distance. Very nice.

So I only ran 9 miles instead of the 20 I had planned. That's okay--sometimes you just need to go with the flow. Besides, I figure the hill more than made up for it.

I gotta leave for the airport at like 4:30 AM so I better get some sleep. Next post should be back in the US.

Tifosi Optics Sunglasses

I have a new supporter! Tifosi, a small sunglasses company, is sending me some sunglasses. I think that I will probably raffle a pair off or something. Hmmm... Maybe I'll throw in free tickets for everyone who has donated and then give tickets to everyone who donates $5 or $1 through http://www.firstgiving.com/brianthomas between now and some date in the future. Or maybe I should wait and see if I can get more donations for more of a blow out... If you have any ideas on how to maximize donations with the chance for free sunglasses, please feel free to post them in the comments or email me.

I'm still in Victoria. I'm going to go for a run and think about it.