Saturday, June 28, 2008

The Slow Build

When I last posted I was threatening to get up early the next morning to get my 2.5 mile run in. I am happy to report that I did get up and got it done before work. Go me! Later that day the physical therapist had me run a mile on the t-mill. I haven't run on the t-mill since then, June 11. It has been all outside running for me. I am a happy man.

I have been taking it very, very slow and easy getting back into this. I seriously cannot figure out how I had the time to run, let alone blog, before the injury. Now that all the dust has settled from the bathroom remodel (I'll get pix ups someday, promise), graduation and visiting relatives, I think I can find a better balance. Or maybe I'll just ignore everything and go running!

I was able to start running the first week of June as planned. My weekly mileage totals have been low, low, low.
June 2-8 4.5 miles
June 9-15 7.1 miles
June 16-22 8.5 miles

I've even made it back to Bonelli but have limited myself to the paved picnic loop and other roads. I was able to do a fun 3.6 miler one day while my sisters and a niece walked in the opposite direction. We saw each other multiple times as I ran the loop twice for the one loop walking. At that point it was my longest run and I did it using a 4:1 run:walk ratio.

This week at physical therapy the doc told me he wanted me to ramp things up considerably to see how my leg would hold up. I didn't want to go too crazy but I did get in three pretty good runs.

Tues: 3 miles on the equestrian trail in Via Verde
Thurs: 4 miles on Raging Waters Dr and "cottontail trail" in Bonelli
Sat: 6.5 miles on Robert's Loop

I did today's long run with a 6:1 run:walk ratio. My pace has been hovering at 10:00 plus. Slow, considering where I was before the injury, but it feels good to be running. I've definitely lost some aerobic capacity and there's a lot more bounce around the middle and more chafing between the legs than there used to be. The training buildup should help both areas.

I am also the proud owner of a new "Stick" and a foam roller. I've added these to my arsenal to help fend off any future setbacks. Stretching is still an issue for me, but I'm making improvements.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

The Lure of an Unpainted Door

I had all the best intentions. It was only a measly 2.5 miles.

When I got home from work I really had planned on going for my second "real" run. The last 0.5% of the bathroom project, the unpainted door, called out. I just could not resist the need to have it painted before my brother and his wife showed up later that evening.

I was able to paint the outside before Lisa arrived home with the groceries. Then my focus switched to preparing my now world famous pasta puttanesca for my parents (this time with chicken only). Lisa took over with the brush while I slaved over the stove. After dinner I finished the last few strokes on the back of the door.

I sat around chatting with my parents, waiting for the pasta to digest a little before taking off. Just as I was about to change into my running clothes, my brother pulled into the driveway. We sat around and talked some more. I heated up the leftover puttanesca that had just gone into the refrigerator. We worked on the details for them to see a taping of the Price is Right in the morning.

Before I knew it the time was well past 10:00 and I still needed to study for my final exam in Business 101 on Wednesday evening. I didn't really give it the attention it needed but I will have some time tomorrow to look over my notes a time or two.

I decided to knock out a quick post. If I didn't run at least I could blog. I may attempt to get up early and knock out the 2.5 miles as the sun rises.

Stay tuned.

8 Minutes

Last Monday, June 2, I was allowed to run on the treadmill at my physical therapy appointment. It was only 8 minutes, but it felt good. I was happy. June 2 puts me right on schedule for a completely new buildup for that December marathon and 13th state I was planning on.

At my Thursday appointment I got to run for a complete mile, uninterrupted. The pace was slow, 10:00 per mile, but I was running. I land too hard. I am a pretty noisy runner and even more so on a treadmill. They want me to keep my lower abs tight and to lengthen my stride a bit. I can get it done when they are standing there reminding and coaching me. I'm not so sure how it will go when I have to do it on my own.

The doc gave me permission to go for a short run on my own over the weekend as long as I stayed off concrete. That wasn't a problem for me.

We went got up early (4:00) Saturday morning to take my parents to see the launching of the hot air balloons down in Temecula at 6:00 a.m. My parents came in from OH on Tuesday. My brother and sisters and assorted nieces begin arriving today. I spent most of Sunday doing all the final detail work on the bathroom remodel so it was 8:00 p.m. before I got out there for my run.

I headed over to the trusty old equestrian path in Via Verde. I hadn't forgotten how to run. I was afraid that I might. I was pretty slow but I covered 2.5 miles. This was a little more than the doc had wanted but I couldn't let myself turn around until I hit a landmark (stop sign). Since I had more than doubled my mileage with that run, he didn't let me run on the treadmill yesterday at PT, but told me to run again outside on Tuesday. That was an agreeable trade off to me.

I'm woefully behind on keeping up with all of you, but now that the bathroom renovation is 99.5% complete, and with graduation festivities winding down this week and house guests returning home things should start to get back to a more normal state and I will be a runner and a blogger once again.

Thanks for waiting for me.