Trying Again

I ran two miles on Thursday.  That may not sound like much, but it was the first two miles I've ran since April 20...which is also about the last time this blog was updated.

I have not been idle during that time.  I've been fairly diligent with the exercise bike -- since biking was the only cardio my orthopedist said I should do while I was rehabbing -- and also lifting more consistently than I have at any time in the last 3 years.  I've still been trying to earn my donuts.

I've been in physical therapy during May and June, learning new stretches and exercises that I hope will help me avoid the knife.  I've had my muscle fascias for 36 years, after all.  I'd like to keep them.

My run on Thursday was humbling:  2 miles in 19:04.  That's fine, and honestly, I couldn't care less about speed right now.  But afterward, I felt like it had been years, not months since I ran.  Parts of my legs of hurt that hadn't hurt since I decided to take up this stupid sport in 2006.  My quads were still sore from Thursday when I headed out for the second run of this latest comeback (2 miles, 19:34) this morning. I'm sure they'll hurt like hell tonight.  I was completely out of breath.  I can go 60 minutes on the exercise bike, no problem, but running is a whole different beast.

But its what didn't hurt that's important.  Shins=fine.  Ankles=fine.  Calves=sore, but regular soreness, not injured sore.  (I think I can tell the difference!)

It's a small sample size.  Just two runs at a distance where symptoms might not show up. I'll know more at 3 miles, I think.

I'm by no means out of the woods yet.  But right now, I'll take this gladly.

Bicicle

The road to recovery looks a little longer and a lot colder than it did on Friday. In just a little bit over an hour today, I rode just short of 10 miles. It's 22F degrees right now with a "feels like" of 17, and I suspect it was even cooler than that when I set out. Though I enjoy running in the cold, once I get through the first few minutes and body warms up a bit, biking in the cold sucks! I did a decent enough job layering, with an Under Armour Cold Gear shirt, a Brooks Equilibrium long-sleeve, and my old Chicago Bulls (I can't defend my high school self against the charges of bandwagonism) Starter windbreaker, winter gloves, and a Nike headband to protect my ears.

The problem was the wind cut right through my running shoes and my feet were freezing! I also need to find a better solution for keeping my face warm w/o impeding breathing. I have a hood/neck-warmer thing that I pulled up over my mouth and nose, but it was very warm when I was out of the wind, so I'd pull it down, but then when I was going into the wind it was necessary to use it to re-cover my breathing nose and mouth, but made it a little too hard to breathe, especially since it got all wet with condensation. Perhaps some kind of biking facemask or just staying on the stationary bike until spring is the right answer?

The encouraging thing about today's workout was that I did an hour of tough cardio, which is about how long the 10K that I (foolishly?) just signed up for would take me.

The the less encouraging aspect was how much bigger the hills seemed! I quickly realized that I wouldn't be able to hack it in the hilly development (actually some roads that are supposed to be a development but where no houses have been built yet) where I was planning to ride, so I did most of my mileage in the high school parking lot. Even the inclines in the parking lot, which I didn't even notice in the spring and summer, seemed challenging now. Next time I'm on the stationary bike at the gym, I think I need to crank up the resistance and worry less about speed...not like I'm going anywhere either way, right?