Gun show

I did the triple threat eliptical, run, swim today at the gym. 15 minutes on the eliptical, 15 minute run, some weights (you know to bulk up for the beach), and then 15 laps in the pool. It felt good to cross train, and great to actually run. I'm hoping to get a more aggressive program in place from my PT guy tomorrow, but I'm not sure if that will fly. I'm not up for another calf pop, but the slow recovery is also killing me. It's tough because the strains seemed to come out of nowhere -- no pain, no tightness, no warning.

Enough bitching. The workout felt great today, and that's the important part. Oh, and the guns are coming along. (yeah right)

Bobbing along

So, I'm on the conservative approach to healing what seems like a minor injury to the calf. I'm told that pushing that muscle too far could lead to a big tear or rupture with permanent damage. I'm not even into missing out on the summer, let alone long-term discomfort, so I've shut down the running for now.

Instead, I'm hitting the gym, doing stationary bike, some weights to work on my quirky shoulders (and the gun show), and swimming. It's a nice change of pace, although it's killing me not to run, especially with the Burlington Marathon coming up fast. Not only is Agricola running (and going to kill it, btw) I must know about six other folks in my town who are running. Plus, with work no longer an issue for the time being, I have more time to run. This experience has made me appreciate running more than ever, and it's made me realize that I am part of a running community, but beyond that injuries are no fun. Cape Cod Marathon anyone?

Pop

So, I had a setback with the calf, which is why the posts have gone by the wayside. I'll keep you updated on any progress, or any other exercise I get in, like swimming.

Agricola, nice job man. If I could run, you'd be lighting a fire under my ass with this spurt of training. Awesome to see it.

The rest of you LDT bloggers pretty much suck. There I said it.
(Unfortunately, I'm right there with you now.)

Total Elipse of the Heart

So, I had my first PT appointment this morning for my calf, and I got some good news. It looks like I didn't tear the calf, despite the pop I heard a week and a half ago. The week of rest and stretching helped me out, and now I'm on a program. I did a few minutes on the eliptical trainer (first time on one of those), and I'll go for 30 minutes tomorrow and 45 on Thursday. I have another PT appointment on Friday at which point I hope to be cleared to run.

I have to skip my half marathon this weekend -- too worried about reinjuring the leg -- but I plan on ramping up the miles fairly quickly next week. I'd love to be able to get a long run in by next weekend, April 12. That would put me 6 weeks out from the marathon when there will be no time to dick around or get reinjured, so the motivation to run and stretch should be high. ("Should" being the operable word.)

Anyway, the coolest thing about PT was being six minutes into the eliptical jaunt and thinking, "I'm back." I really felt like I was getting part of my identity back, the running part.

Oh, and happy birthday to Agricola. Welcome to the age of injuries. Keep running and stay young.