The Long Run

10 minute warm up on the bike, then upper body weights. Just under an hour total with the bike and weights.

Just got back from Dr.'s appointment,  no stress fracture!

Well, it still hurts to run on it though, but hopefully PT will  help get it sorted out tomorrow.

I did 10 minutes on the bike, then stretched a bit, then did 10 minutes on the arc trainer and stretched a little bit more.   Then I got onto the treadmill for another try at running.  It felt a little bit better than last time.  I think I could have gone farther but wanted to see what the physical therapist was going to recommend.

One thing that was promising is that I didn't feel like I had "forgotten" how to run.  It didn't seem odd or unfamiliar.  Now, if I can just get my hips straightened out or whatever it is that is going on. 

I got to my PT appointment on time (well sort of).  First appointment is not until tomorrow, oh well. 

AM 

I went to the Y this morning and did some cardio. I thought I would hold off until running until after PT later in the morning. I did 12 minutes on the bike then 30 minutes on the arc trainer.

Went to 9:30 appointment. Explained my symptoms and what led up to it. Took him about 5 minutes to figure things out. It was basically the same thing as last time only on the other side and more off balance than last time. The last time I could still run ok but had trouble with ab work.

He did some adjustments and then had me get on the treadmill for 5 minutes. It was the most pain free since this began. He wants me to do 5 miles some time today on a treadmill so I can stop if there is any pain. If that goes ok, then do try for 8 on Thursday, then come back and see him again on Friday to see if I'm still straightened out.

PM

I stopped by the house quickly to change then headed over to the Y.  I warmed up 8 minutes on the arc trainer then stretched my hip flexors then got on the treadmill.  I started out at just over 5 mph and gradually upped it until at 6.5.   It felt pretty good although maybe not 100%.  There were times when I wanted to go faster but I held back because I really want to be able to run tomorrow.  Felt pretty good at the end of the run.  Hopefully I'll still be in good shape in the morning.

It was an amazing feeling to be able to run again.

I started this run with a mix of hope and apprehension.  I can't afford any more mistakes right now and I didn't want to undo any progress that I had made but was hopeful I can pull things together.

I wanted to do 8 miles but left work a little bit late and hit some traffic on the way to the Y so only had time for 7 by the time I had to leave to bring Noah home.

Warmed up 8 minutes on the elliptical (all the arc trainers were busy), then got onto the treadmill.  I didn't feel great at first and thought about playing it safe but figured I would see if I'd feel better once I had loosened up.  By 6 miles I was starting to feel back to normal, maybe not 100% but getting closer.

I finished up the 7 miles in 62:52 (just under 9:00 minute pace, yay!), then got Noah from the Tae Kwon Do classroom where Jenny and Andy were also.  Noah and I headed home then got into the pool.  We swam for a while, nothing too demanding just having fun and loosening up.  Spent about 15 minutes in the hot tub.   Hour after the run and still felt ok.

Slept in a little bit while Jenny got up to do her run.  Had breakfast with the family (some awesome pancakes that Jenny made!) then headed to my PT appointment.  He adjusted me some more and stretched me out too.  Still feeling ok from yesterday's run.  Two good things about this are that my hip area does not feel any worse than yesterday and I don't feel any other soreness from running 7 miles after not running for a few weeks.  I was afraid it would be a big shock to my system but fortunately it was not.

It felt like it had been forever since I did a long run. I set my stuff out the night before but still hadn't decided on where I was going to run until I left the house. I went to Starkey park and brought my bike so I could warm up before running. I rode the bike around for about 10 minutes before stretching. The air was a chilly 58° with a little bit of fog in the air.  I saw a deer while riding the bike.  I was dressed for running, not bike riding so it felt quite chilly while I was riding.

I walked down the path to the main bike trail. I chatted a bit with a guy I had run into before who was going to do 14 miles. I was hoping to get 10 miles done today. I started running, very slowly at first.  I saw the man with the well behaved doberman.  I'm not sure what time he starts but he's always on his way back when I see him.  It hurt a little bit but felt like it might loosen up. It got better after a mile. At 3 miles I ran into Eudair coming back from her run. I hadn't seen her in quite some time. We chatted for a few minutes and then I got going again. That was the first test, I was afraid it would be tough to get going again after stopping but actually it felt easier. At 4 miles I was feeling even better and was soon at 5.  Sometime around 4 miles, Eudair's husband came zipping by on his bike and said hi as he passed me.  I decided to keep going until I hit 6 miles. It felt good but I was a little bit afraid that I would pay for it on the way back.

I turned around and started back. 7 miles, so far so good. Now the sun was up and it was getting a bit warmer especially in the open areas. At 9 miles everything was still good. Actually it felt pretty good until sometime just past 11 miles. Both my legs were hurting but not due to my injury, just from the lack of running. It wasn't terrible but I was glad when the run was done.  The temp at the end of the run was 76º .  I stretched for a bit then headed home and swam in the pool about 15 minutes to try and loosen up.

So, it wasn't my best run ever but considering the circumstances it was a great run. In some ways it felt like I was "back" but then again I'm not quite there yet.  Hopefully I can have a good recovery tomorrow and be ready for a shorter run on Monday.

Average pace: 9:05