Dynamic Duos: Running with Brooke

Jim S.

She has big brown eyes and long golden eyelashes -- the kind that would make Brooke Shields envious. Her hair is golden and she has just the right amount of curl to attract the attention of everyone she passes. And her personality is always irrepressibly joyful.

As a result, she often is stopped by people wishing to meet her. She is always happy to make their acquaintance, especially when we are on our morning run along the Hudson River. She is Brooke, my daugter. My omission of the “h” is intentional, because Brooke is my dog.

Brooke is a two year old Goldendoodle, a hybrid Golden Retriever and Standard Poodle. I chose this hybrid because I wanted a dog that was hypoallergenic, smart, gentle, and a good running companion.

As I am writing this sentence she is laying on her back on my living room rug with one of her favorite bones in her mouth. I have raised her in many respects like a human child and she behaves like an obedient and sometimes demanding toddler. She knows all of the standard dog tricks plus a few more because she likes to learn and gain more treats and affection.

Her favorite toy is her Cuz ball. She is part retriever so she loves to retrieve toys any time of the day or night. She has a certain growl sound that she makes when she wants to play. And I can never say no to those big brown eyes.

But Brooke’s real passion is going for our morning run. She has been my running partner since last November. For most dog breeds it is recommended to let their bodies completely mature to adult size before you exercise them on long runs. In a recent issue of Running Times, Goldendoodles were highly rated as a breed that could stand up well to the rigors of runs up to ten miles.

When we run along the Hudson, she is careful to pace herself always by my right side. She seems proud and happy every time we are out. For me it is hard work. For Brooke it is work, but it is also an opportunity to meet new people and sometimes other dogs. She is a “glad hander,” always ready to share affection with anyone who will give her some friendly eye contact. She is never distracted by other dogs when we are on one of our runs. She seems to know that the focus when we run together is running and she never deviates or pauses except for the occasional water stop.

I have also taken her to some state parks where she most enjoys to run. She has this habit of looking up at my face every few minutes as if she is making sure that I am doing alright and to see if I am pleased with her performance. I always answer her glance with a “good girl.” And she wags her tail and presses onward. I am lucky to have her.

For those of you who are running alone and would consider getting a dog as a running partner, I highly recommend Goldendoodles. They are easy to train. They love to please. And you do not have to buy them any running gear.

Runner Who's Not Jim S on left with
Goldendoodle Running Companion Who's not Brooke on Right :)

For next year’s ING NYC Marathon, don’t be surprised if a certain runner named Brooke is seen crossing the finish line in Central Park, tail wagging and smiling as she picks up her medal. So if you ever see us running together some morning along the Hudson Riverfront, please be sure to stop for a few seconds and say hello to the gray-haired fellow running with a really cute Goldendoodle.

Although Brooke is not my daughter, but my "dauger," I wish to thank her on this Father's Day for all of the love and joy that she gives to me, her doting dog-Dad.  And, I offer best wishes for a Happy Father's Day to all of the dads, children, spouses and partners, dogs and cats, and everyone who celebrates this fine day!

Who else runs with their dog?  Please share your story in the comments section of this blog post, below.

Jim S.

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Coping with Injury



Jim S

 The Flexor Hallucis Longus tendon.  Anyone ever watch the musical, “The Music Man?”  There is a song called, “Ya Got Trouble," sung by Robert Preston in the movie version.  Tear your flexor hallucis longus and as the lyrics of the song warn, “ya got trouble my friend,” only this time it starts with a capital "FHL" instead of a "T."

The Injury

This injury is usually a result of repetitive stress of the tendon.  So it is like many other conditions, like plantar fasciitis, that onset as a result of repetitive stress.  In my case there was no sudden “pop” or sharp pain.  I was just doing some running one night in late December on a treadmill and the area on the inside lower left ankle became sore.  The soreness became worse as I tried to continue to run for the next few days.  The pain became more intense and it spread all the way to beneath my big toe.  At this time, in the middle of January, I began to think I had a significant injury and I sought the help of an orthopedic surgeon.

The FHL tendon does three functions for us.  It flexes the big toe, elevates the arch, and assists with pointing the toes away from the body.  It attaches at two points, beneath the distal phalanx, or the end bone of the big toe, and runs along beneath your arch and over your inner ankle bone to insert into the FHL muscle about five inches above your ankle.  The FHL muscle is the most powerful of the deep muscles of your lower leg.

After my x-ray and MRI examinations were completed, my doctor identified tears to the flexor hallucis longus tendon, along with the adjacent posterior tibialis tendon.  There was a great deal of fluid present in the area around the two tendons and my Achilles tendon.  As a result, he had to wait for the excess fluid to dissipate before he could administer a cortisone injection.  He advised me at the time that my condition was found more commonly in ballet dancers.  It has even been called, “dancer’s tendonitis.”  It results from repetitive push-off movements of the forefoot while dancing or running.

Since I am a severe over-pronator, I am more prone to incur this type of injury because the constant inward rolling motion of my feet puts more stress on my arches than for those fortunate enough to have a neutral running stance.  So a quick yell out to the rest of you over-pronators out there, those super-cool vibram toe shoes are not for you.  Even with the use of an orthotic it is possible to suffer an injury to the FHL tendon or the posterior tibialis tendon.  Make sure that the orthotic you do use also has a posted heel.

Healing and Recovery

In the meantime, about twelve weeks, I had to stop all running and limit my workouts to a stationary bike.  I also used the R.I.C.E. (Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate) rehabilitation regime in order to bring down the inflammation and speed the healing of the tears.  This injury was the most frustrating running injury I have ever suffered.  I could walk daily with almost no pain, but trying to run for only a span of thirty seconds would bring the pain level up to excruciating.  Any activity that would require an impact of my left foot on any surface would bring an instant pain reminder that all was not well.

Many of us are often tempted to try to reduce our recommended rehab time in these kinds of cases.  Do this at the risk of making your condition a chronic and lifelong source of pain.  Be very conservative and follow your doctor’s orders.

Finally, on my birthday, the levels of fluid had reduced enough for me to get the cortisone shot.  Then it was another two-week ban from running before I could resume any regular training. 

Resuming Training

Once you resume running it is best to start from the beginning with runs on a treadmill or some other softer surface.  Limit your time to ten to fifteen minutes. As long as you are not feeling any pain you can then add time at the rate of about ten percent per week.  So I am now back on the treadmill and back to running along the Hudson River with my dog, Brooke.  I am up to one hour now and looking forward to running a marathon this fall.

Good luck to the rest of you and I hope to see you someday on the Saturday morning NY Flyers group run that I co-lead with Scott S, or on some other occasion.

Jim S

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Ragnar Relayted: The Flying Borgnines Report

To put it succinctly, “Ragnar Rocks!” First, some general comments and observations from a relay race newbie: The race organization was very good and the volunteer level was also very good. The race route was easy to follow if you were running. I personally only noticed two or three overturned signs for the legs I ran. It would have been better on the morale side if the race was well-known in the towns that we ran through because there was no crowd support along the way but it is only in its second year so maybe that will come with time.

This was my first relay and as a result of the privilege of working closely with 11 outstanding team members I am completely sold on relaying. From the first rounds of email correspondence, to the team meeting a few weeks prior to race day, to the thirty hours or so of traveling, cheering, becoming grateful for the invention of the porta-john, and loving the site of a gym hardwood floor at 3:00am, it was just magnificent and magical. My more practical tips for aspiring relayers: bring a large quantity of baby wipes(that baby fresh scent is immensely more preferable to the alternative when many of you have run a leg in 90 degree heat combined with what seemed to be 90 percent humidity); oatmeal cookies from Inatesso in BPC taste great and help you finish that last leg; van size should be of Chevy Suburban proportions, our Chrysler mini-vans were nice but about three feet too short on interior floor space; pay attention to the navigation pages handed out by the race crew and don’t rely on GPS; and finally savor every moment together because you will really miss every one of your teammates the next few days.

The Flying Borgnines!

Finally, let me share some humorous stories and observations courtesy of The Flying Borgnines. Ray S. learned to never again consume a large meal featuring beef brisket less than one hour before running an 8 plus mile leg on a 90 degree day. He had to stop a few times along his leg and deposit that meal along the roadside. He is now known as the “Mad Yakker”. Binu T. was our toughest warrior having run his second and third leg on a rolled left ankle which he rolled on both legs. Despite his considerable pain he managed to run two of the fastest legs on what were rated very hard legs. Courtney L. pound for pound was probably our strongest warrior. And she will probably be in charge of the navigating duties in the future for her van. Cristina B. maintains an incredibly calm and reassuring demeanor even in the most demanding and sometimes chaotic conditions. And Sungwon H. brings along an incredible amount of enthusiasm and caring for her teammates as well as being a top-notch athlete. Finally, Alan G. proved that his best days as an athlete are definitely not all behind him. He was also an emotional leader for the team.

As for my van mates, kudos to Kenny H. for being probably the steadiest presence in our van and the most dependable. He was really rock-solid. Mark N. was also doing his first relay and he exceeded by a considerable margin his expectations for his performance. He was also the best navigator any team could have to sort the roads out in the dead of night. Without him we might still be driving somewhere between Garrison and Dobbs Ferry. Beth W. was both lots of fun, as she personally guaranteed us and pretty fast on the road. Beth is also prone to race hallucinations as she mistook a tree stump for a deer. Alisa N. is both genuinely warm and quick to laugh. She is also a very good road warrior. The day after Ragnar finished Alisa did a duathlon. Ami I. is also a fighter like Binu because she had to overcome an ailment that began in her second leg but she refused to let anyone down. I also learned that she is an outstanding snowboarder and I am looking forward to hearing about her planned trip to parts of Asia. A very graceful teammate. As for me, I just drove where directed, ran when I was supposed to, and loved every minute of the time spent with a great bunch of teammates. I eagerly look forward to the next opportunity to participate in a relay. It was a blast and I hope all the other Flyer Teams had as much fun as we did! - Jim S.

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