Pain

There are 11 posts tagged Pain (this is page 1 of 1).

Running Notes: Learning About Chafing

Yesterday I set a new personal record for running: 11.22 miles (18 km). While this may sound like a lot, it’s just one step for me towards a 100-mile (160km) ultramarathon. (I set this personal record entirely barefoot, as in nothing on my feet, no running sandals or anything.)

I wasn’t looking at my iPhone during the run, so I didn’t know when I passed my previous record (8mi/13km), but my body definitely felt it. 

I could tell that I was running in uncharted territory. My tight hip flexors and my left achilles tendon made themselves heard. And there was something else seeking my attention: a pain between my legs. Yup, it was chafing.

This certainly wasn’t the first time I’d experienced chafing, but it was the first time I’d experienced chafing with the knowledge that I would eventually be running much further distances. 

If I was experiencing chafing this painful at 18 km, what would it be like at 118 km?

In the past, I would simply endure the pain for a few days, waiting patiently for it to go away (if the pain is endurable, I always choose to endure it). There was no reason to learn more about chafing or even seek out a remedy. 

This time, however, was different. I’ve committed to running an ultramarathon and untreated chafing can get serious can lead to infection, or worse, it could force me to drop out of an ultramarathon.

After a painful shower, my first Google search was, “natural chafing remedy”, because there’s always a natural remedy and natural is always the best way to go. 

The next thing on my priority list was a minimalistic solution: I wanted something that was simple. One remedy caught my eye immediately. It called for making a paste to rub on the affected area using oatmeal and olive oil. I’m a huge fan of both oatmeal and olive oil and I usually have both of those ingredients nearby. Minimalist solution found.

The next step was to research prevention techniques. Chafing was certainly not a new phenomena. Throughout history, soldiers, runners, hikers, and athletes all must have experienced this. What did they do?

Unfortunately, I was unable to find anything conclusive. Suggestions for prevention varied from using vaseline and gels, to skipping the use of underwear (Roman style), to losing fat and staying hydrated. 

It looks like I’ll need to experiment with chafing prevention to find what works for me. Until then, I’ll be sleeping with olive oil and oatmeal between my legs.

My New Workout Routine: Navy SEAL PT

I've started doing a Navy SEAL calisthenic workout routine that takes about 60 minutes and consists of a warm-up, various types of pull-ups, dips, various types of pushups, various ab exercises, a very tough lying neck rotation exercise, and finally lunges, calf raises, and 250 squats.

The only thing I can keep up with is the warm-up, pull-ups, and leg exercises. However, after two weeks I'm definitely seeing huge improvement. I do this workout three days a week and mix in 4-mile, 35-40 min cardio sessions in-between.

I've never done this much running before (15 - 20 miles a week) and my calves and knees are still adjusting to all the pounding on the treadmill. I'm ignoring the pain, but I need to be careful not to injure myself (I'm crazy enough to push myself to the point of injury; I've done it before).

I rarely feel the need for inspiration when it comes to fitness, but the Navy SEALs have given me a benchmark from which I can compare my own fitness. In fact, after reading so much about them the past few weeks I have undergone some profound changes mentally. But I'll leave that for a separate post. 🙂

Hammering Nails Into My Lats

This morning I woke up to the worst pain I have ever experienced in my lats. I was unable to raise my elbows any higher than my chest without feeling extreme pain. It literally feels like someone is hammering nails into my lats every time I raise my arms. Here is the muscle in pain, the Latissimus Dorsi:

Then I realized that yesterday was my arm workout day -- a workout that I haven't done in almost a year. I did a total of 47 pull-ups and several other arm exercises, including the dumbbell decline triceps extension which also hits the lats. The pain is excruciating, but it tells me that my muscles are now in the recovery phase and that they will come back even stronger!

I decided to skip todays workout because I think at this point it will do more harm than good. You know I'm really in pain when I decide to cancel a workout. 🙂

Tired and Sore

My new workout regiment, and the changes I've made to my diet this week, are really having a draining effect. I used to get tired around one or two in the morning but now I find myself ready to collapse at eleven PM! It's now midnight and I'm still at the office--I just finished a 4 hour team discussion at work. I'm really looking forward to getting home and laying down on the hardwood floor of my new apartment.

So far this week I've been really good with sticking to my workout plan. I randomly picked one of the many workout routines I have saved in the memo list on my BlackBerry. I'll see if I can post it tomorrow. This week is mostly a warm-up to next week, which is when I plan to really get my workouts revved up.

Micro-dislocating Ankle Joint

I woke up last Monday unable to move my right ankle. It wasn't just stiff, it hurt. It was a very familiar feeling -- something I've had happen several times over the past few years. I'm not exactly sure what is happening inside the ankle, but it feels as if a bone has moved out of place, creating the same type of pain I have experienced after dislocating my ankle (of which has happened several times to both of my ankles).

Whenever this "micro-dislocation" has happened in the past, I was simply sitting down in a chair with my feet relaxed. Suddenly I would feel extreme pain in my ankle, as if it was slipping out. The pain wouldn't stop right away but would continue, even after I take pressure off the foot. I would quickly "push" it back into position disregarding the extreme pain, and after hearing a few clicks the pain would instantly subside. I tried this same technique after waking up last week, but it didn't work.

For the first few days, I had to limp around. It was too painful to walk normally. Climbing stairs felt awkward. After moving around for a few days with a dysfunctional ankle, my knee and hip started to suffer as well, since those joints were not being used properly. By Thursday, my ankle had become quite swollen. So, I iced it every morning after that and by Saturday the swelling was gone.

I forced myself to try and walk normally, but the pain was hard to ignore. I stretched it several times a day, but it felt as if there was something more than stiffness causing the pain. By Sunday evening, I was starting to wonder if I should have a doctor look at it.

This Monday morning I woke up and to my amazement, my ankle had returned to normal. I tried stretching it in several different directions which had caused extreme pain all week and I wasn't able to recreate any pain! Exactly one week: I woke up last Monday morning with extreme pain, one week went by, and then I woke up yesterday to discover the pain gone. I don't know how else to describe this other than a "micro-dislocation".

The whole week I was telling myself how I will start, and stick to, a regular exercise routine as soon as my ankle gets better. I didn't realize how fortunate I was until I lost the functionality of what I took for granted. What better wake up message than to be crippled for one week and then just as quickly be given another chance.

Sore II

I'm still very sore, maybe even more sore, from my workouts this week. I can feel big changes already though. If I can keep up this workout schedule for the next 6 - 8 weeks, I'm sure I can pack on huge amounts of mass. I've been drinking non-fat yogurt shakes with pineapple, whey, and flax oil. It's the perfect recovery shake for repairing damaged tissue. I've been trying to consume lots of good carbohydrates during the day and increase my protein intake to add extra calories to my diet. The weight's I'm using are definitely the heaviest I've ever used on a consistent basis.

Here are the remaining two days of my workout (Thursday and Friday). The same rules mentioned at the bottom of the original post still apply. And again, the 35 LB Olympic size bar bell is not included in the weights listed.

Workout C
Pullup, 4 sets, 8 reps
Neutral Grip Dumbbell Press, 4 sets, 8 reps, 45 LBS
Weighted Chinup, 3 sets, 5 reps, 16 LBS
Lateral Raise, 3 sets, 8 reps, 25 LBS
Bench Press, 3 sets, 6 reps, 160 LBS
Barbell Curl, 3 sets, 8 reps, 50 LBS
Decline Dumbbell Triceps Extention, 3 sets, 8. reps, 30 LBS 30 LBS
Incline Dumbbell Curl, 3 sets, 12 reps, 20 LBS

Workout D
Deadlift, 3 sets, 6 reps, 140 LBS
Side Plank, 3 sets, 20 second hold
Front Squat, 4 sets, 8 reps, 60 LBS
Good Morning, 4 sets, 8 reps, 60 LBS
Overhead Squat, 3 sets, 5 reps, 30 LBS
Calf Raise, 3 sets, 10 reps, 35 LBS
Swiss Ball Curl Up, 3 sets, 15 reps

Sore

I started a new workout regiment yesterday, a four day split: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. I'm going heavy to put on some mass. My bench press is the heaviest I've ever used on a regular basis; 37 LBS more than my own body weight. Statistically speaking, the average man can bench press 93% of his own body weight one time (one rep max). I knew I would feel sore the day after, and boy, do I feel sore, especially my chest. Below is the workout I completed yesterday and today. I don't know what weights I'll be using for Thursday and Friday's workouts, so I'll post those workouts on Friday.

The Olympic size barbell that I use is 35lbs. To make it easier while I'm adding/removing weights during the workout, I do not add that weight into the numbers below. I felt like puking after the AB workout today. ABs are certainly the hardest muscle to work, and the rarest to see in full view.

Workout A (Monday)
Bench Press, 3 sets, 5 reps, 170 LBS
Dumbbell Row, 3 sets, 6 reps, 45 LBS
Dumbbell Bench Press, 4 sets, 8 reps, 50 LBS
Snatch-Grip Barbell Row, 4 sets, 8 reps, 90 LBS
Incline Dumbbell Press, 3 sets, 12 reps, 40 LBS
Dumbbell External Rotation, 3 sets, 10 reps, 8 LBS

Workout B (Tuesday)
Squat, 3 sets, 6 reps, 100 LBS
Rear-delt Raise, 3 sets, 10 reps, 20 LBS
Romanian Deadlift, 4 sets, 8 reps, 100 LBS
Dumbbell Split Squat, 4 sets, 8 reps 35 LBS
Swiss Ball Jackknife, 3 sets, 10 reps
Bicycle Crunches, 3 sets, 50 reps
Swiss Ball Rollout, 3 sets, 10 reps

Oh, I almost forgot to mention: The first two exercises in each workout are done back to back, one set of each exercise with a 60 second rest in between until all sets are complete. The remaining exercises are done in pairs as supersets; one set of each exercise without rest in between, then a 60 second rest, until all sets of those two exercises are complete. The only exception to this rule is on Workout B: the last three exercises (the AB workout) are done one after another without rest until one set of each has been completed, then a 60 second rest.