Motivated to Succeed

PM - Did 150 situps, 200 crunches, 50 pushups and 3 x 15 @ 12 lbs.

Anticipating the Dr.'s appointment on Wednesday afternoon.  I have tried my best to stay off my feet, and I make sure to wear the heel lift when I'm up and about.  I really like to think that it is getting better, but I will have to leave that up to the specialist to determine.  Still looking forward to some kind of running this spring, and hopefully a slow, steady buildup for the marathon.  Crossing my fingers!!

I got to hold my soon-to-be niece, Jane this weekend.  It is such an awesome feeling to hold a baby.  You truly take that miracle for granted until an opportunity like that just fills you with wonder and amazement.  She is so beautiful and absolutely adorable, and it was so nice to see the family come together at Emma's house to share in this awesome experience.  It's hard to believe she's only a month old.  I can't wait to spoil her when she grows up :-D!  It will definitely be cool to be, Uncle Benn!

Above: A picture of "the bean" [Jane  - 1 mos. old] and me! She's so adorable and I can tell she has runner's legs and feet already! I'm going to have to teach her the art of the long distance runner! :) Perhaps a future Olympian!

AM - Did 200 situps, 250 crunches, 80 pushups and 3 x 15 @ 12 lbs; Gorgeous day out. Mid 30s; Hasn't been this warm since the injury like 6 weeks ago. Really trying to stay positive but finding it increasingly hard to do. Don't want to try anything until I see the specialist though. Praying that I can run again. I would take 10 minute miles even, just don't want to hear the dreaded words "Your running career is over". gag.

PM - 150 situps, 200 crunches, 50 pushups, 3 x 15 @ 12 lbs.  Exhausted, though on a positive, I haven't had any pain on my achilles in a while; kind of anxious to see what the story is with it.  I really just want to start running again.  I don't wish a forced hiatus from our sport on any one of you. Phew it's exhausting in itself. 

AM - 200 crunches, 100 situps, 3 x 15 @12 lbs;

Getting nervous about the specialist tomorrow.  My achilles is feeling better - the heel lift definitely helps! But I don't want to hear that it is torn or whatever.  I just really want to be able to start doing a couple miles here!  I tried to take a picture to show how I am overpronating, which you all say is probably the cause for my problems, but I already have had orthotics that I have used for 3 years, so they are supposed to correct them. Praying that tomorrow brings good news.

2:00 PM - Went for a walk at moderate pace.  Ended up doing 20:00 pain free minutes and 1.07 miles.  I feel that progress is in order and am anxiously awaiting tomorrow afternoon's appointment.

TODAY = DOCTOR DAY!! Appointment Time: 3:00pm - So I nervously parked the car about quarter to in the parking lot and made my way inside.  Filled out some paperwork, and sat there looking through the adventure and skiing magazines until they called my name.  The guy that called my name was pretty cool and laid back and brought me to a room and went "So you think you have achilles tendinitis?" And I gave my whole shpeel about January 21st running on the treadmill, soreness afterwards, red, puffy, iced 20 on, 20 off for a couple hours, then four to five times a day after that.  Practice R.I.C.E. (rest, ice, compression, elevation) for a few weeks, then after reading a couple of articles and books about the matter, decided on implementing a heel lift, and experimented with slight stretching and eccentric exercises, then thought better of the latter once it seemed to be doing more harm than good.  Meanwhile I forgot to pause and when I finally did the guy looks at me dumbfounded and goes "Right, the doctor will be in to see you in a minute". Oops!  So then the doc comes in, a nice guy tall, late 30s or so; Turns out he is a runner as well, a pronator like me, and has successfully completed 15 marathons.  So I lapsed into my story again, explaining how I came up with a heel lift and everything, step by step how I've been monitoring my progress, and trying to take it easy.  He agrees with everything I've been doing.  He checked out the achilles and since I was pretty pain free, he explained that if I had come to the office earlier he probably would not have done much differently.  Achilles tendinitis is different for each runner, he said and, that I show a lot of dedication and self control being able to stay away from running.  At this point I couldn't hold back and explained that actually I'm a member of a really cool running blog, and thankfully there are a lot of friends here who have offered insight, suggestions, and some of the best motivation and encouragement that I've ever received.  To make a long story short, it felt good to hear from him when talking to the nurse, "You know, it is nice to have a patient that treats himself the correct way; this is a sharp young man.  Wish we had more people like him." I also told him how I managed 20 pain free minutes of walking yesterday, and he told me to start back slowly, progressing to 3 miles of painfree walking and then slowly incorporating say a half mile of light (10-12 minute pace) jogging when I felt ready, using walking as a warm up and cool down.  While at work on my break, I was perusing Noake's Lore of Running, and looking at his suggestion for beginner marathoners.  He had a table of using minutes, rather than miles to record progress, much like Gordon Bloch in his book How to Train for and Run Your Best Marathon; Now I'm not even considering a marathon at all and am promptly sending a cancellation for my entry for the 6/1 race (I feel it's the right thing to do; rather than risk reinjury) - But I think I can tailor their plans my needs. Noakes' suggests 5 days of 25-30 minutes of walking/running for the first 3 weeks of the beginner plan, I will modify this slightly, go by feel, and hopefully by the end of march progress to light runs. Perhaps uplifting, was reading about the early 1900s runners that used walking for recovery and actual training, advocating this activity for its easing of the pressure and impact on the joints.  So, in short slow and steady is the suggestion and my decision. I am going to go check out some new shoes tomorrow, as per the doctor's suggestion, he recommended Brooks' Addictions (aptly named, don't you think?) and gave me a running store about an hour away that is great for helping you try out new running stuff.  I might go there tomorrow after I finish my work.

Another thing I took away from Noakes' that resonates in all the blogs here at FRB is that a run (or walk) is what youmake of it.  There is a positive to every day, and something to learn from every run. Every step is helping us to become more aware of our bodies and our place in the world.  I think that it will be important to continue to draw on the support of others that have gone through such problems and continue to blog.  Finding something positive, or something learned about each and every day will aid the healing progress.  The doc said I'm well on my way to healing and getting back out on the roads.

Thanks for all of your concerns, suggestions, and unwavering support. You guys and gals make each and every day a great one. As Jody would say, "Happy Running!", and thanks a million.  You truly are amazing people, and have changed my outlook on not only training, but my life and my impact on others'.

>>Benn<<

2:00 PM - Made the drive down to Albany to find the Fit Feet Running speciality store that the doctor mentioned, and found it with ease.  Really loved the guy that was working there; he actually knew stuff, as opposed to every other store I've gone to.  And the shoe fit! Tried on the Brooks Addiction 7 and found it to be roomy and comfortable. He had me hop on a treadmill to test it out. It's nice. They have a treadmill and a camera set up  behind it to video your running gait if needed. After only about 2 minutes I knew this shoe was a winner. A little pricey, but I think well worth the investment.  I still love my Asics 2110s and 2120s, but they just don't have the necessary support that I need right now.

This afternoon I walked a gentle 30 minutes.  It feels like spring outside, just about 40 degrees and sunny with crystal clear blue skies.  Gorgeous.

Total Time: 30:00   Total Mileage: 1.65    Average Pace: 18:10/ mile

Thanks for all of your support everyone! Think Spring!

7:00 PM - 50 pushups, 100 situps, 200 crunches, 3 x 15 @ 12 lbs arms

9:00 AM - Went for a walk in my new Brooks' Addictions. Felt calm and pain free the entire time.  Made sure to ease into it and 10 mins of light stretching before hand, followed by 15 minutes of stretching after the walk.  We have lucked out the last two days for weather - I hear we have a nasty storm ready to pound us once again this weekend.  Read some of latest issue of Running Times, and really enjoyed the article about 5 best races of all time, though I think there are a hundred more that could have made the list. Also the article on Kara Goucher was motivating.  Looking forward to the weekend, and then easing into perhaps 4 or 5 walks next week.

Total Time: 37:00   Total Mileage: 2.07 miles    Average Pace: 17:52 / mile

Mile 1: 18:13

Mile 2: 17:39

11:00 PM - After work, did 225 easy crunches just for fun. :) Felt good this week to actually have some (+) mileage on the board! Tomorrow will most likely be a rest day, and then an easy day on Sunday.  We're making progress towards spring!

2:00 PM  - 200 crunches and 50 pushups, followed by a nice 2.1 mile stroll on the treadmill.  Felt nice and easy.  Feeling pretty good today. 

Total Mileage: 2.1 miles   Total Time:  37:30  Average Pace:  17:51 / mile

11:00 AM - "Taking steps in the right direction" ... . I went for an easy walk on the treadmill because it's cold and snowy outside.  Did light stretching before and after.  Felt really good. Took out the last half of the heel lift this morning and was just "testing the waters" to see how the achilles felt.  It felt great.  Did not push it and was monitoring for pain, and didn't feel any. Granted this isn't running, and the test will come later next week when I start to do a slow couple minutes of jogging.  We'll see how it goes.  But, this is good.  Good progress and long awaited.  Now the key is not to push too hard to deminish the risk of reinjury!

Total Time:  55:00  Total Mileage:  3.02    Average Pace:  18:12 / mile

9:00 AM - One step at a time. Slow and steady.  I can do this.

With temps projected for 40+ degrees 5 days in a row with no storms, this week will be a good week for walking :).  Did a very easy walk today and it was crazy how fast it went.  While I am definitely biased towards running, I can live with walking. It's progress, and still 'steps' in the right direction (literally).  Slow and steady, monitoring how I felt.  No pain at all, though I might put the heel lift in today when walking around campus, as I have to take 4 flights of stairs up and down to class. Might be a smart decision. Great races everyone at Moab! I'm looking forward to everyone's spring race reports!!

Total Time:  53:00   Total Mileage:  3.03  Average Pace:  17:29

1:30 PM - short 10 minute walk.  .56 miles @18:00 min/mi

9:30 AM - Did a nice 1 mile walk @ 17:42 pace, and then decided to gently "test the waters".  It worked nicely.  Did a .25 "shuffle jog" @ 15:00 /mile pace.  This is huge progress for me, and the first time I have tried to do a run in about a month.  Then cooled down with .5 miles

Total Time:  30:16    Total Mileage:  1.75 miles    Average Pace:  17:17 / mile

Think I might take tomorrow off.  I have done 6 days in a row. I think duly earned! Come on recovery!

4:00 PM - Quick 10:00 walk before heading down to class. .61 miles @ 16:23 / mile

11:00 AM  - So I know it's my day "off" but I got my new issue of Runner's World, and I felt really guilty about gaining so much weight in the last two months, so I refused to just take a day off.  Decided to go nice and easy.  Did a mile of walking, and then my 15:00 pace "shuffle" (this time did it for .34 miles in 5:00), then a .65 mile cool down. Felt good and pain free. Probably tomorrow = the day off and then sometime this weekend going to try for a 7 or 8 minute "shuffle" or maybe 2 x 4 min at same pace.

Total Time:  35:00  Total Mileage:  2.00 miles  Average Pace:  17:30

Happy and Safe Running to everyone!  Think Spring!!

9:30 AM - Walked a mile in 17:40, then decided to pick it up a bit and do my "shuffle-jog" routine: today I was able to do .5 miles in 7:08 (14:16 pace) with no pain. Cooled down with a .57 mile walk.

Total Time: 35:00  Total Mileage:  2.07 miles  Average Pace:  16:54 / mile

Steady as she goes... making progress one step at a time!

9:00 AM  -  Went for a walk before having to get ready for work.  Did my normal slow mile "warm up". First mile in 17:39; then decided to do my "shuffle" a little longer today.  Ended up doing .75 miles in 10:36. (14:08 pace!) Longest "jog/run" in a long time.  No pain at all. Afterwards, eased into a nice walk again to finish out the morning outing.

Total Time: 35:03  Total Distance:  2.15 miles  Average Pace:  16:18 /mi

Slow and steady progress.  One foot in front of the other.  Step by step on the path of recovery! 

11:00 AM - Went walking with Emmy.  Found a nice little nature trail, and though it was wet and a lot of ice on the trail, we really enjoyed ourselves.  Then went walking around Stockbridge, Massachusetts where everyone was so friendly - that cozy small New England village feeling. During the nature trail run, I did a slow "shuffle" 1.01 miles in 14:29, though the second half was arguably faster between 12:20 and 12:30 per mile pace.  No pain at all yesterday or this morning.  Feeling great!

Total Time:  53:00 Total Distance: 3.00 miles  Average Pace:  17:40/mile

11:00 AM - Went walking on another nature trail with Emmy. This one was covered in snow on parts though, but it was fun :).  We did a little bit of jogging (me @ about 13:00 min/ mile pace) for about .5 miles. Was a blast because it was mid 40s and sunny! Now it's in the low 30's though and snowing. Ick! Spring's almost here though... I can feel it!!

Run Safe, Run Fast, Run With a Smile! :)

Total Time:  36:20  Total Mileage: 2 miles  Average Pace:  18:10

11:00 AM - Happy St. Patrick's Day to all of our FRB members! I was still in Massachusetts before class this afternoon, and Emmy and I decided to celebrate St. Patrick's Day the right way - none of that silly drunken nonsense for us - so we went to DUBLIN! (Dublin Street that is! ;p).  We started with walking, and then we progressed to a nice jog as we got onto the side road. It felt really nice to be able to go for a stroll. Big progress again today. No pain either!  Was able to do 1 mile @ 9:30-9:40 pace! Then cooled down with a 1.7 mile walk.  Overall, really happy today and really excited about what's in store for this coming spring!

Total Time: ~54:00  Total Distance: 4 miles  Average Pace:  13:30

2:00 PM - Did a 1 mile walking "warm up", .75 mile run in 10:00, then 1.25 mile walk "warm down".  Feeling pretty good, and really looking forward to being able to get out there for some easy runs.

Total Time: ~ 45:00  Total Distance:  3 miles   Average Pace: 15:00 / mile

Took yesterday off after 13 days in a row!! Today = 1.0 miles nice and easy at 16:00  and then 2 hours of ping pong (not the wussy kind either, but intense table tennis action; this I counted for a mile of x- training) :)

Stay safe, Think SPRING, and waddle on friends! The best is yet to come!!

9:00 AM - So today was a greatday already! Did a 1 mile warm up walk in 15:38, then was able to do 1.5 miles of jogging @ 12:00 min / mile pace!! (Huge improvement and pain free and longest run since about the second week in February!), then cooled down with .5 mile walk @ about the same speed as the warm up.  Felt really great today! :)

Total Time: 41:38  Total Distance:  3 miles  Average Pace:  13:52 / mile

Rest up fellow FRBloggers.... SPRING IS HERE !!!

11:00 AM - Gorgeous weather today, though somewhat windy. Sunny with temps right around 40; Emmy and I went to her high school track to reminisce and get in a nice walk / jog!  It went simply splendid, and it was so cool to be able to get out for another walk in this soon-to-be-spring weather.  Ended up doing a 1 mile warm up walk in about 14:26, then did a 1 mile "jog" at about 9:42 pace (pain free! yes!) then walked a mile, and did another .5 miles of jogging @ 9:56 pace.  Man that felt really great! :) So happy that things are on the upswing.  Will make sure to take it nice and slow though so that improvements will continue!

Total Time: 52:30  Total Distance:  4 miles  Average Pace:  13:07 / mile pace

Happy Easter Fellow FRBloggers! ( A safe travel to any of our members and their families travelling to see loved ones this weekend.  Congratulations  to everyone for a consistent winter training season. Hope everyone is as excited as I am about SPRING! Best of luck to everyone and those of you who are also in the middle of a 'healing' phase like me, you're in my prayers!  Great things are still to come in 2008!)

Have fun.  Run strong.  Run safe.  And keep on truckin'!

10:00 PM - Had a wonderful Easter with Emma and her family in Massachusetts, and after a nice lunch, I zipped home and got to see my sister before she headed back to school as well.  Have been feeling pretty good these past few days, and I am anxiously anticipating the Spring and hopefully being able to slowly get back into my running 'thang'.  Keeping it slow and steady though for now.  Did a mile walk for warm up, light stretching, then 1 mile @ 12:00 jogging, then .5 miles walking to cool off.  All in all a nice excursion.

Total Time: 35:23  Total Distance:  2.5 miles   Average Pace:  14:09 / mile

10:00 AM - Since it's only been about 12 hours since I did my walk last night, I did not want to push it too hard.  Did a mile warm up, then 1 mile slow jogging @ 12:00, then a 5 minute walking cool down. Read some from Jack Batten'sThe Complete Jogger (c. 1977) and I have found at least through the first 30 pages that Batten supports what I am feeling about my training right now.  He suggests:

• 1. Train, don't Strain (oh how true is that!)
• 2. Practice LSD (long, slow distance)
• 3. Let progress come at your own pace. (I think of the three, this has been the most difficult, but most rewarding concept for me to embrace during my 2 month layoff; We all heal at different rates, as do we progress in our training, but if you try to push the pace too early, you are only going to achieve minimal satisfaction and prolonged setbacks e.g. one step forward, 2 steps back)

Total Time: 32:25  Total Distance: 2.33 miles  Average Pace: 13:54 / mile

Best of luck to everyone recouping after a stressful winter.  We've made it.  The end is in sight! And from there it's smooth roads and Spring delights! Cruise on friends!

3:00 PM - Went on the treadmill and did 2.08 miles in 28:00, with 10:00 minutes of jogging @ about 11:48 pace.  Felt really good and relaxed.  Really feeling great today.  Light stretching afterwards.

Total Time: 28:00  Total Distance:  2.08 miles  Average Pace: 13:27 / mile

8:00 AM - Great day for a walk.  Feeling pretty good today, no soreness or tightness.  Did some light stretching and off I went.  Ended up doing over 40 minutes straight without breaks, sign that my fitness is slowly coming back. (all painfree mind you).  And big breakthrough:  After 1 mile warm up, did 1.75 miles of jogging non-stop (Most since January!)  I think the slow, cautious progression of training has been an important part of my progress.  I think things are definitely on the upswing!  1 mile of warm up walk, 1.75 miles of jogging @ 11:31 pace!!, .5 miles cool down.

Total Time:  41:18  Total Distance:  3.25 miles   Average Pace:  12:42 / mile

1:00 PM - Study break before lunch.  Went for a nice 20:00 walk.  Did easy 1.4 miles.

Total Time: 20:00  Total Distance:  1.4 miles  Average Pace:  14:17 / mile

9:00 AM -  Easy day today.  No soreness from the last week, so that's good!  Anxiously anticipating Spring and Summer this year!  Did 1 mile warm up walk, 1 mile jog in11:23, and then .5 mile walking cool down.  Feeling good.  Light stretching afterwards.

Total Time:  33:55  Total Distance:  2.5 miles   Average Pace:  13:34 / mile

Reading Running A to Z: An Encyclopedia for the Thoughtful Runner  (circa 1983) Some of the stuff in here is great!  I will have to post some of the 'fashion tips' on here later. :)

Hope everyone is recouperating nicely; Have a safe and happy run all!

12:00 PM - Quick 15:00 on treadmill.  Included a .75 mile in 8:29 (11:18 pace).  Total distance was 1.2 miles for this short little jaunt.  Now time to study and then off to work until 11:30 tonight. Ick.

12:30 PM - Today is an easy day.  Did 2.25 miles in 30:18 including 1 mile of jogging @ 11:28 pace.  Felt nice and relaxed.  Want to go more, but have to continue to do slow, steady increases. I might in the near future aim for doing on - off of 1 mile jogging one day, 2 miles of jogging the next day...  Not sure how fast to increase though.  Feels good to see continued improvements. 

300 crunches, 150 situps, 100 pushups and 3 x 15 @ 12 lb weight for arms.  Stretching

Total Time:  30:18  Total Distance: 2.25 miles  Avg. Pace: 13:28 / mile

Today is a day off.  After 8 straight days, taking a breather :).  Plus with a nice walk/jog tomorrow I'll be right on pace for improvement from last week's 18+.  Hoping to get to 21 or 22 after tomorrow.  Then start transitioning to the 2 miles of jogging a day for 5 days.. for 10 miles of jogging next week and see how that feels.  On a downside.. I could see part of my lawn yesterday and the track as well was almost completely melted, yet woke up this morning to 6" of fresh snow.  GRRRR! I thought we were done with this junk!

Keep on truckin' FRBloggers! We're almost there!! We can do it!

7:00 PM  -  The best is yet to come! Felt really good after a day off; Now if only I could feel as motivated about my homework as I do about my training's steady progression!  Started off with easy walking and then eased into a jog.  I ended up doing the longest steady run since January!  Did 2 completely "pain free" miles in 22:06 (11:03 / mile pace!). Then cooled down with a brisk walk.  Stretching.  I'm getting excited about fitness coming back.  Goal is to do 2 miles at a time several times this week and then start easing into a 2 - 2.5 or 3 on off sequence in the following week. :)  Running is definitely one of the most amazing feelings in the world! So glad I can feel this again!  Hope all my fellow FRBloggers are healing up nicely!

Total Time: 41:00 Total Distance: 3.26  Average Pace: 12:34/Mile

4:00 PM - Progress is in order - hopped on the treadmill to get in another day of training.  Really getting optimistic that once Mother Nature decides to stop giving us snow so that it can melt a bit that I can get out on the roads. Gorgeous sunny day here and temps in the mid 30s :) Really awesome!  Did walking warmp up, eased into a nice jog. Two miles in 21:51! 10:55 PACE!! Woot! Walking cool down, and stretching. 

Total Time: 41:00 Total Distance: 3.30 Average Pace: 12:25

On the mend! Keep on truckin' FRB >> We'll get there I'm sure of it! One way or another, whether run, bike, swim, hop or waltz we'll get there! Great job everyone, and Happy Spring!

11:00 AM - Freezing rain today. Blah. But tomorrow is supposed to be thunderstorms and temperatures in the 50s, so I am holding out hope that perhaps I might see the lawn again sometime. Felt really good today. No soreness at all.  Did my normal warm up walk, then eased into a jog. Couldn't have asked for anything better. Ran 2.5 miles in 27:00 @ 10:48 / mile pace. This truly shows that all this work is paying off.  I am steadily progressing, and I have no doubt that I'll be able to call myself a runner once again! :).  Did my warm down walk and then stretched.

Total Time: 48:52 Total Distance: 4.00 miles Average Pace: 12:13 / mile