How Much Discomfort Can I Tolerate?!

Back to running pain free after a 3 month lay off. I still have some lingering weakness in my knee, but the stiffness which prevented me from running is mostly gone now. 

I am woefully out of shape, but, when I think about it, running 4 or 5 miles is still pretty easy. After 2 or 3 months of moderate training I should be able to run further without much trouble.

Today I ran at Busey Woods, but the paths were flooded, so I ran on the 800m oval horse track next to the woods. During the 4th mile I had a severe side cramp - I have never had one of those before - so I decided to stop running. I ate a big lunch, I am 10 pounds overweight, and my cardio fitness sucks, so I guess I deserved to get a cramp!

Over the next 2 months my goals are to increase my cardio fitness and knee strength, decrease my weight, and stop eating chocolate pudding.

The first run since my injury where I had no knee troubles.

Ran the shortened South Farms loop, and was able to finish with no problems. After the run I was watching to see if my lower/inner knee would give way as I was walking on my cool down, but even that problem is beginning to disappear. 

I am so so so happy today. First time since January that I feel like a runner. I was not sure if this day would ever come, so I am thankful for my good fortune to be in good health again, at least for today!

Tonight while I am watching the Lakers/Houston game I will foam roll both of my legs. 

I skipped my normal 1000 calorie breakfast this morning in an effort to begin losing weight. If it feels easy to run 6.5 miles now, I can't wait until I lose 10 pounds...

Another fun run. I'm slowly getting into shape - every time out I feel stronger, and the knee a little better.

Nice, warm day, ran through Busey Woods, once around the horse track, and back home. 

Good workout - 1 hour of shooting baskets at Brookens, 7 sets of stregnth exercises, and 6 miles of running at Busey Woods. 

Ran 2 miles to Busey Woods, then 5 x1 mile loops on the trails - fun!

Knee felt 80-85%.

Keep on truckin'....

I ran a 3/4 South Farms loop, the missing part being the jaunt to Busey Woods. At mile 2 my knee felt a bit unsteady, so I stopped, walked for 10 seconds, then continued running. After a few strides the knee recovered and felt strong for the remaining miles. 

Heavy rain storms blew through with strong wind, and I was reminded of the more difficult winter loops I did last year. Out in the corn fields I was running in 6 inches of water, but unlike the winter, it felt refreshing!

I ran strong most of the way, no need for stopping other than the 10 seconds at mile 2. I sprinted the final 300m, just like in the winter, and I stopped the run in front of Jimmy John's. Since I had run on an empty stomach I really wanted a sandwich, but I did not buy one because 12 miles is the minimum distance required to earn one :)

Toward the end of the run I felt a wisp of beautiful emotion which long distance training can impart - weary, yet strong, the body wanting to stop, but the will begging for just a few more steps. I am looking forward to the longer runs of 15-25 miles, hope I can get there soon...

First time in a while I have been able to run consecutive days, it felt good! No problems with the knee, but some leg fatigue from yesterday's extended miles. Did 3 sets of strength exercises after the run.

With all the rain we have had the past day or two I knew Busey Woods would be a swamp, so I laced up my Teva Racers and was looking forward to some mud running.

I ran 2 miles to the woods then did 6 x 1 mile loops. Most of the trail was decent, but there was a section where I had to run in ankle deep water for 20m. My knee did not bother me at any time during the run, so I was thrilled to not have to think about my injury, rather, just concentrate on the running and the trails. The honeysuckle was blooming all through the woods, it was nice to inhale the moist sweetness.

When I left the woods I ran back to town. My legs were covered in black mud, I must have cut quite the figure. I ran the last mile at a hard pace, I felt good, and when I got to the library I saw Rachel sitting on a bench outside and I yelled "hey sexy!"  She saw me fly by because I had only 400m left, and I heard her laugh and say something about my filthy legs.

Lots of energy today, so I rode my bike to Brookens this morning and did 10 sets of strength exercises, then shot hoops for 1 hour.

Later in the day I ran over to Busey Woods, did a loop, then circled back to town.

My quads are a bit sore from yesterdays 9.5 miles, so I will probably take tomorrow off to let my body recover.

No problems with the knee...

I have to consider myself fully recovered now, as today I was able to complete the full South Farms loop. After the run I stopped inside Jimmy John's to pick up a sandwich for the 1.3 mile walk home. Since I won't allow myself to eat a JJ  if I do not run at least 12 miles, this food was 3 months coming! :)

About mile 9 I looked up into the blue sky and saw a large sundog - I was just beginning the difficult part of the loop, but the sundog made me feel as if fate was smiling upon me for a day, and I felt a burst of energy which lasted until the end of the run. Hurray for sundogs!

My quads have some accumulated fatigue from the past couple weeks of running, and today's run surely won't help. I guess I will need to take it easy for 3 or 4 days until the soreness subsides - it is better than a sore knee!

Ran to the arboretum, then 2 miles of barefoot running on the grass loop. First time barefoot since last autumn. My feet held up, although I have a couple of blisters from last week's training.

I don't think about my knee anymore because it does not bother me, the weakness in the lower part of the knee even disappeared. It seems odd everything would clear up at once, but I am happy about it.

Quads are still sore, so light training this week until they recover.

Easy 4.5 miles around the park, woods, and back into town. Fun!

South Farms loop and a JJ. Left at noon, temp got to mid 80's. That is not too hot, but I have not run in anything over 70 in 6 months, so I really struggled out there today - weeeeeee......

Ran to the arboretum, then 2.5 miles barefoot, along with 5 x 100m hills in bare feet. Another warm day, and I'm starting to get a tan.

I will probably take tomorrow off, my quads are fatigued, once they feel fresh it will be easier to get some good training in.

My quads are feeling stronger so I decided to keep running after 1 SF loop. I ran back home at mile 12 because the heat was getting to me, soaked my head, ate some salty foods, drank orange juice and water, then headed out for 6 more miles. When I finished I ate a JJ, but I was starting to feel nauseaus because of the heat, and I lost my appetite.

At mile 9 I ran into Yong, one of the guys I ran with last year at the track. He was out on a 14 miler, training for the Chicago marathon. He hopes to qualify for Boston by running a 3:09. We talked about ultra's and he said maybe we would run one together next summer.

Right now I'm resting, rolling an ice bottle on my legs, and feeling a warm lethargy creeping through my veins.

Ran 1 mile to Brookens, did 8 sets of stregnth exercises, 30 minutes of hoops, then ran 1 mile home.

Heading back to Brookens now to foam roll my legs and stretch while watching playoff basketball.

Ran 2 miles to the arboretum, then did 45 minutes of hill repeats at a moderate pace. The noon sun was bright and the air was humid, but my body is getting acclimated to heat and I felt pretty good. 

I bought a pair of Puma minimalist shoes over the winter, and I was finally able to wear them today for a run. They are light and flexible as ballet slippers, it is similar to running in my bare feet, and I was happy with how free and comfortable my toes felt.

I am looking forward to wearing heavier shoes, then switching to lighter ones for races and occasional training - it will be a psychological boost.

Ran around the arboretum, then did 3 sets of strength exercises.

Now I am riding my bike to Brookens to shoot 1 hour of hoops, then more strength exercises and stretching during the commercials of the Lakers/Nuggets game - fun!

Felt low on energy, so just an easy 3 miles today.

Yesterday I was having trouble keeping my eyes open during my 3 mile run. 18 hours later my energy had returned, so I planned on running a 12 mile SF loop. When I reached mile 11 at the arboretum I still felt strong, so I veered off course to the hill and started running up and down.

I did not feel like counting reps, so I set the stopwatch on my ipod and then got into a nice running groove. 2 ripped university girls started doing hill sprints on the west side of the hill 10 minutes after I started. Then a guy in silk purple basketball shorts starting doing sprints on the west side also. I was running north/south, so occasionally I would see them chugging hard at the top, then bending over from great exertion. One of the girls stopped after 12 reps, but the other girl kept going, I think she did 20, which was awesome.

When I started feeling tired I checked the stopwatch and saw that I had run the hill 56 minutes, so to make it an even number I kept going until 1 hour, then I took off for the final mile to JJ's. My legs were starting to get stiff, so I took the last mile easy. Throwing in 1 hour of hills after more than 90 minutes of running is a great workout.

When I got to JJ's I told the counter girl to put enough mustard on the sandwich to wake me up. I earned my sandwich today.....

As I ran 1 mile to Brookens this morning my legs did not feel sore from yesterday's tough session, so my fitness level is improving. I did 14 sets of strength exercises at the gym, then 30 minutes of hoops, then ran 2 more miles to work.

I am getting stronger, but I still feel below average with cardio and leg strength. My weight is also still out of control. I cut out chocolate pudding, the morning meal, and all other types of sweets. Hopefully within another month I can start to see some weight loss, which will make running a whole lot easier.  

Planned to run 5 miles, but time flew by and I ended up running 8.