Put in a good 5 1/2 on Thursday in the warm sunshine. I left the office at lunch and got back in under an hour. I used the Kinder Park Trail which is finally drying out from the rain and the melt. There are still a few wet areas but everything is passable.
It's nice to see everyone getting back outside. All the play areas were full of kids and the benches evidenced that romance remains alive in Spring in Maryland! Couples were absolutely cooing over each other all around the park. Don't these people have jobs? Oh, I almost forgot the lunch hour, the double digit unemployment, and "the human desire to have you come near" captured by Mr. Mellencamp as the metaphorical walls come tumbling down.
Body is feeling alright but still going through the "ramp up" soreness phase of training. My back issues are diminishing but I have been slacking on the PT this week. Gotta get back on that today. Frederick seems a lot more realistic now than it did two weeks ago. I will take a rest from the road today and then have a go at a slow 8 on the B&A tomorrow. By next weekend I need to stretch the LSD out to at least 10 miles. Goo may be involved...and some pain.
One day at a time.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Searching for My Stride
So I got back on the horse last week and ran the following: Tuesday-3 miles, Wednesday-4 miles, Sunday-5 miles, and Tuesday-6 miles (that would be yesterday). Along the way there have been two physical therapy sessions in which I continue to see value.
I am pretty happy with where I am physically. Some leg and back soreness but no show stoppers. Also getting some weirdness in my left knee like a ligament is a little sore across the top of my kneecap.The first three outings were in mixed weather but yesterday was bursting with sunshine and temps near 60. Perfect. The water fountains have not been reopened at the B&A Ranger Station yet but the rest of the facility is open. That was my turn around point on my "out and back" six.
People are beginning to emerge from their winter hibernation and the trail was actually pretty busy for 1PM on a Tuesday. There were moms with strollers and old folks and even a few other runners. I didn't push too hard but managed 6 miles at about a 10 minute pace. Finished strong. I feel as though I am building my way back into shape. Maybe this weekend I will find my stride and do 8 or 10 miles while M is at school on Saturday.
Something new happened at the end of my run. It is my policy to never look behind me. I don't see where any good can come of it since I am always racing the clock (until the very end when I try and pass everyone I can!) So yesterday I was running along, stretching it out, and getting my rhythm back and...not looking behind me. I covered the last two hills on my return and cruised into my neighborhood, down a steep hill, and turned onto my street for the last, flat, quarter mile.
Chugging along, picking up the pace a bit, and feeling pretty good about myself with Van Halen blasting in the iPod and the sun beating down I was in my own world. Ahead I saw the mail truck pulling away from our box. I hit the driveway, iPod still cranked, and walked over to get the mail as part of my cool down. Mostly junk mail, a couple of bills, the Census...
Turning around to cross the street and head up to the house I was almost run over by a young guy in shorts and a Live Strong shirt. He must have been a hundred yards or so behind me for at least the last half mile. He was probably in his twenties and really flying. I would not have been happy to have been passed on my own street. It served as a reminder that I had better find my stride. I won't start looking back and I don't like getting passed. The running gods sent the message and I got it.
The beatings will continue until morale improves. More roadwork.
I am pretty happy with where I am physically. Some leg and back soreness but no show stoppers. Also getting some weirdness in my left knee like a ligament is a little sore across the top of my kneecap.The first three outings were in mixed weather but yesterday was bursting with sunshine and temps near 60. Perfect. The water fountains have not been reopened at the B&A Ranger Station yet but the rest of the facility is open. That was my turn around point on my "out and back" six.
People are beginning to emerge from their winter hibernation and the trail was actually pretty busy for 1PM on a Tuesday. There were moms with strollers and old folks and even a few other runners. I didn't push too hard but managed 6 miles at about a 10 minute pace. Finished strong. I feel as though I am building my way back into shape. Maybe this weekend I will find my stride and do 8 or 10 miles while M is at school on Saturday.
Something new happened at the end of my run. It is my policy to never look behind me. I don't see where any good can come of it since I am always racing the clock (until the very end when I try and pass everyone I can!) So yesterday I was running along, stretching it out, and getting my rhythm back and...not looking behind me. I covered the last two hills on my return and cruised into my neighborhood, down a steep hill, and turned onto my street for the last, flat, quarter mile.
Chugging along, picking up the pace a bit, and feeling pretty good about myself with Van Halen blasting in the iPod and the sun beating down I was in my own world. Ahead I saw the mail truck pulling away from our box. I hit the driveway, iPod still cranked, and walked over to get the mail as part of my cool down. Mostly junk mail, a couple of bills, the Census...
Turning around to cross the street and head up to the house I was almost run over by a young guy in shorts and a Live Strong shirt. He must have been a hundred yards or so behind me for at least the last half mile. He was probably in his twenties and really flying. I would not have been happy to have been passed on my own street. It served as a reminder that I had better find my stride. I won't start looking back and I don't like getting passed. The running gods sent the message and I got it.
The beatings will continue until morale improves. More roadwork.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Down But Not Out
OK so it's been a while since I posted. There have been a few distractions. After the strong showing at Houston I took a week off the road. Work was very busy and I had some mega travel coming up including a business trip to Brazil.
My next race was not until March and I felt I could use the rest. If I restarted my running on the Brazil trip I could tune up over the few weeks before the B&A in March and put in a respectable showing on the flat home course. Plus I would write this great blog post about running in the Southern hemisphere in the sun with the beautiful Brazileans...It was not to be however.
Brazil was beautiful and hot and hilly (I was in a town called Belo Horizonte where our company has a large factory). The area where we were staying was very nice but only for a few blocks in every direction. The site was chosen more for its proximity to the factory than for its runner friendliness. Additionally we were on a very tight schedule which left little time during daylight hours for anything but work. Bottom line...no running occurred in Brazil.
Meanwhile back at the ranch a little snow was falling. Then a little more. Then a little more. You get the idea. The winter of 09/10 in the Mid Atlantic was one for the books, literally. The weather was so bad I got stuck in Houston for an extra day and a half on the return trip and wound up watching the Super Bowl at my hotel. A new low for the time honored tradition in my experience. Once again, location of the hotel (out by Bush Intercontinental Airport so not much in the way of running room) was against me and no running. Are we seeing a theme developing here?
So I finally get home and find 36 inches of snow blanketing the homestead, the surrounding counties, and every road and trail for miles. It was cold too. Very cold. Translation-no running. But wait, the best is yet to come. There was another wave of snow the second week I was back. Full of guilt over my wife having to deal with the first one pretty much on her own while I basked in the Brazilian summer sun I was determined to make this storm as painless as possible. And it was. For her.
I am 43. Not 33 or 23 but 43. While I consider myself in good shape for a man my age a man my age should think twice before shoveling a 165 foot driveway by himself when it is covered in 12-18 inches of heavy wet snow. I was almost done. Really. I mean I was down to the last scoop or two when it happened. Tossing a shovel load of the white stuff into the hedge I wrenched my back, dropped to my knees, and said words not fit for print. I knew I was in trouble.
Two weeks later I broke down and went to the Dr. I am told this is not unusual for the 43 year old male of the species (both the injury and the reluctance to seek treatment). I could only walk with the use of a cane and things were not improving. An MRI revealed 2 bulging discs in my lower back. Prescription? Physical Therapy which of course I have all kinds of time for...NOT. It was about here that I realized (this is like a week before the B&A Trail Marathon and the snow is still everywhere) that I was not going to be running. It was a disappointment. I have gone into races both prepared and unprepared but I have always run. This was the first time I could not run. I could barely walk.
So Physical Therapy...I have always been a fast healer so this was a first for me. I must say I was skeptical but a week into it the exercises are actually helping. When I told the therapist my recovery goal was to run a marathon in 8 weeks (Frederick where I ran a PB 4:36:25 last year) she said something like "Great, heh heh, uh OK?". She just doesn't know me.
The good news is that she said I could run if it didn't hurt. I am pretty sure she said if it didn't hurt too bad. So I ran and it did hurt a little but definitely not too bad. I managed an easy 3 on Tuesday and 4 on Wednesday. Then, guess what happened! God sent rain. A lot of rain. Biblical rain. My basement is soaked, there is a small pond in my neighbor's front yard, and, you got it, no running. (Just wanted to say that I don't mind running in the rain but it was in the 50's and coming down in buckets and I figured better not to get pneumonia on top of the the PT back recovery, haven't run in 6 weeks thing...just saying).
Today however it is not raining hard and it's Sunday which I often use for an LSD run. LSD at this point in my training is probably 5 miles. Sheesh - it used to be in the high teens. I am planning on hitting the trail as soon as the temp breaks into the 50's. I have a little less than 2 months to pull it together for the hilliest Marathon on my schedule. I can do it.
See you on the trail.
My next race was not until March and I felt I could use the rest. If I restarted my running on the Brazil trip I could tune up over the few weeks before the B&A in March and put in a respectable showing on the flat home course. Plus I would write this great blog post about running in the Southern hemisphere in the sun with the beautiful Brazileans...It was not to be however.
Brazil was beautiful and hot and hilly (I was in a town called Belo Horizonte where our company has a large factory). The area where we were staying was very nice but only for a few blocks in every direction. The site was chosen more for its proximity to the factory than for its runner friendliness. Additionally we were on a very tight schedule which left little time during daylight hours for anything but work. Bottom line...no running occurred in Brazil.
Meanwhile back at the ranch a little snow was falling. Then a little more. Then a little more. You get the idea. The winter of 09/10 in the Mid Atlantic was one for the books, literally. The weather was so bad I got stuck in Houston for an extra day and a half on the return trip and wound up watching the Super Bowl at my hotel. A new low for the time honored tradition in my experience. Once again, location of the hotel (out by Bush Intercontinental Airport so not much in the way of running room) was against me and no running. Are we seeing a theme developing here?
So I finally get home and find 36 inches of snow blanketing the homestead, the surrounding counties, and every road and trail for miles. It was cold too. Very cold. Translation-no running. But wait, the best is yet to come. There was another wave of snow the second week I was back. Full of guilt over my wife having to deal with the first one pretty much on her own while I basked in the Brazilian summer sun I was determined to make this storm as painless as possible. And it was. For her.
I am 43. Not 33 or 23 but 43. While I consider myself in good shape for a man my age a man my age should think twice before shoveling a 165 foot driveway by himself when it is covered in 12-18 inches of heavy wet snow. I was almost done. Really. I mean I was down to the last scoop or two when it happened. Tossing a shovel load of the white stuff into the hedge I wrenched my back, dropped to my knees, and said words not fit for print. I knew I was in trouble.
Two weeks later I broke down and went to the Dr. I am told this is not unusual for the 43 year old male of the species (both the injury and the reluctance to seek treatment). I could only walk with the use of a cane and things were not improving. An MRI revealed 2 bulging discs in my lower back. Prescription? Physical Therapy which of course I have all kinds of time for...NOT. It was about here that I realized (this is like a week before the B&A Trail Marathon and the snow is still everywhere) that I was not going to be running. It was a disappointment. I have gone into races both prepared and unprepared but I have always run. This was the first time I could not run. I could barely walk.
So Physical Therapy...I have always been a fast healer so this was a first for me. I must say I was skeptical but a week into it the exercises are actually helping. When I told the therapist my recovery goal was to run a marathon in 8 weeks (Frederick where I ran a PB 4:36:25 last year) she said something like "Great, heh heh, uh OK?". She just doesn't know me.
The good news is that she said I could run if it didn't hurt. I am pretty sure she said if it didn't hurt too bad. So I ran and it did hurt a little but definitely not too bad. I managed an easy 3 on Tuesday and 4 on Wednesday. Then, guess what happened! God sent rain. A lot of rain. Biblical rain. My basement is soaked, there is a small pond in my neighbor's front yard, and, you got it, no running. (Just wanted to say that I don't mind running in the rain but it was in the 50's and coming down in buckets and I figured better not to get pneumonia on top of the the PT back recovery, haven't run in 6 weeks thing...just saying).
Today however it is not raining hard and it's Sunday which I often use for an LSD run. LSD at this point in my training is probably 5 miles. Sheesh - it used to be in the high teens. I am planning on hitting the trail as soon as the temp breaks into the 50's. I have a little less than 2 months to pull it together for the hilliest Marathon on my schedule. I can do it.
See you on the trail.
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