PRK Don't Stand for "PaRK It"!

I am 18 days post-op from PRK corrective eye surgery and I hit the trails like a wild turkey tonight!  In fact I saw two wild turkeys, each about thrice the size of Piya!  I surprised one of them and I thought he was going to charge me with his loud squawking and chordling, but my fleetness of foot had me around the bend 'fore he could peck my heels!  In the mornings, before a day's worth of med drop residue, I can see like an eagle, especially when it's sunny and bright.  Both eyes are about the same in progress now, I'd say 95%.

Boy it's fun running trails--tonight at Battle Creek Regional Park.  It's just big enough to get good and lost, but not so big that you get good and lost for long.  It's a trail with lots of ups and downs, twists and turns, a few downed trees to jump, mud puddles, a healthy portion of spaghetti tree roots, and some straightaways to find my groove in.  It is "groomed" and safe enough for me to go at about a 7:45 pace.  I'm thinking of organizing a trail training option for our Team World Vision--that'd be fun going single-file, hoping to avoid the ol' branch slap!

I'm 6 days away from my pre-training month when miles will pick up significantly and I'll start some hills.  My hopes to get eye recovery underway, drop a few kilos, and build a bit of a base to move forward with has all taken pretty good shape in April. My first race takes place in a couple weeks at the ACPE National Meeting in Indianapolis.  Hopefully the non-human turkeys will be few that day.

America's Fastest Couple are Members of Team World Vision!

Sara & Ryan Hall

Perhaps the world's fastest married couple, Ryan and Sara Hall, are part of Team World Vision, you can be too by running with us at this years Twin Cities Marathon, or by giving financial gifts to support the cause!

2-Time Marathon Olympian Ryan holds the record for the fastest marathon ever ran on U.S. soil!  Sara was a 7-Time All American at Stanford and the 2012 National Cross Country Champion!

Check out their interview with Minnesota's own Olympian Carrie Tollefson on CTolleRun., including their work in Zambia with World Vision.

Going Under the Laser

After 23 years of wearing contacts everyday I am going under the laser tomorrow for PRK corrective surgery.  I just can't imagine sticking plastic in my eye for another 30 years, and my rigorous sweating will not allow me to wear glasses during all my runs....so.....  PRK is alot like Lasik except that instead of making a cornea "flap" to access the deeper cornea for correction, it abrasions off the outer epithelial cells of the cornea, and then they grow back in a few days.  The actual laser correction is identical to Lasik.  I decided on PRK because 1) I have slightly thin corneas, though still a candidate for Lasik, and PRK preserves more corneal tissue than Lasik, 2) The flap-related risks and complications during surgery and for the rest of my life with Lasik do not exist with PRK, 3) Most studies show that visual outcomes are slightly (2-3%) better than Lasik, 4) Dry eye is usually less pronounced with PRK because it destroys fewer nerves, 5) I am active with running and toddler rough-housing and don't want to worry about the integrity of my cornea, 6) PRK has almost no limiting effects if I were to need other eye surgery in the future like some in my family have, 7) The Navy endorses PRK outright for it's pilots but not Lasik, 8) I am a great candidate with minimal correction needed, so "best case scenario" should be more likely for me, 9) My Ophthalmologist at the University of Minnesota electively chose to have PRK for himself, when he was a "slam-dunk" candidate for Lasik.

The downside of PRK is a longer and more uncomfortable recovery.  I will have "bandage" contacts in for a week until the epithelium has grown in.  Days 3-5 can be quite scratchy, light sensitive, and hard to keep eyes open.  Vision should be pretty good after 7 days, pretty darn good after 30, really good after 90, and great by 6 months. 

As for running, I'll be laid up for about 2-3 weeks, which is just in time to start my 4 week "pre-training" on May 6th.  I've been running about 10 miles a week the last month, but will have to hang up the shoes for a while.  It'll be great to run unencumbered this summer!  Wish me luck.

Donkey Kick

Piya, my daughter and future running companion, must have got the memo on the need for a strong core.  Here she is doing her Donkey Kicks whilst wearing her giraffe tights and new tutu.

James O'Keefe: Cardiologist's Research on Running/Exercise

"Not survival of the fittest, but survival of the moderately fit"

12:15 --  Clear summary of the "zone of benefit" for running (both miles per week and avg. pace) in a study of 50,000 runners coming out soon.  Perhaps it's easier to run too much than we think?