Eliptical

20 minutes on the eliptical today. Patience...patience.

Recovery lesson

A quick note on recovery, and what I've learned over the past couple of days. First, icing the legs after a long run definitely speeds recovery. I went from the CCM finish to the massage tent. I'm sure the quick rub down helped a bit, but it really didn't feel like it was touching my leg issues. From the massage table, we went to the beach, where I waded thigh high into the water. I made it for a 10 count and then got pukey on the way out because the water was so cold. You know the achy feeling you get in your feet when you walk into cold water? It was like that but the whole leg, after a marathon. Ouch. Anyway, I went in about 6 - 7 times over the next 45 minutes for up to 30 seconds at a stretch, and it definitely helped my recovery. I was able to make it through the 3.5 hour ride home to VT Sunday night and, even better, was able to walk up and down stairs without major pain. Sure, I walked gingerly, but I wasn't crushed. I chaulk that up to the healing power of the ocean and specifically the cold.

More on recovery....On Monday nights, I play hockey with a great group of guys. I planned to skip, but got the urge to play as I was driving home from work yesterday. Just as I was thinking about the possibility, my buddy called to convince me to go. I ended up playing, scoring, and having fun with the crew. I was a bit worried that I'd do some damage to my legs (like literally rip my hammy out), but in the end I felt decided that using the different muscles during a skate might help loosen me up. By the time I hit the sack that night, I felt much better.

I've also picked up with a Tuesday lunchtime league, and yes, I played again today. I almost bailed, but again decided that using different muscles would help work out some of the leftover lactic acid. I was a bit slower today, but the skate did me some good. I had lots of energy for the afternoon.

Now, I'm exhausted and going to bed. I'm also walking down stairs with no pain (though still deliberately slow) on day two post-race -- the day that is always the worst for me. So, I guess I've learned that icing is a must after long runs and keeping active, even after a marathon is a good thing. I would never have expected to feel this good after feeling so bad on Sunday, so I'm passing this one on to the group. Don't rush out for a run right after a long race, but a ride, session on the eliptical, yoga? Definitely.

Good night.

Better

I got out this AM at about 7:15 -- much later than usual but I got on a late train and rolled into the office at 10:15. I'm still on the beach . . . good times. Anyway, I was actually up at 6:10, but had to make peace between the children, get them set up with some juice and sustenance and then head out. There's not much to report except that my lung capacity was better and I shaved off about 2:40 from my previous time and finished today in 26:45 on my 3.3 mile course. Still not my fastest but closer and an improvement even if it was a bit painful. Oxygen is very important for running, amazingly, and I had some more today so I feel good about my plan of action over the next week-and-a-half and will hopefully be at some semblance of full-strength come the CCMR -- at least 80%. It was nice to run at 7:15, I can't get too used to that.

Random thoughts

Just returned from a 40 minute run. It's the first time in a long time that I've run two days in a row. Feels good.

I had a few random thoughts/observations while out on the roads...

- We don't run because we feel good, we run because we want to feel good. It's an important distinction because motivation in the moments before heading out the door is almost always an issue. It occured to me that if we all waited until we felt like it, we might never run. In that sense, running is kind of a means to an end, luckily the journey to that end is usually fun, too (at least after the first 10 to 15 minutes).
- Saw a full water bottle on a stump on the side of the road today. This was a very low traffic dirt road through the woods. I didn't see any other runners out there today, but it was cool to know that somewhere nearby, someone was in the middle of a long run and would be striding by soon, releived to have made it to their next water stop. It's all about community, you know?
- Running clears the head. I'm in the midst of a job search and things can get muddled as I figure out the next step. The run always brings at least one, discrete action item or goal to the fore. Very glad that I'm back at it.

That's all from here. Later boys.

Hills

I ran directly from my house this afternoon, which means I had to tackle a steep quarter-mile hill. Definitely a test. The run went well, and it felt good to be back on my old route again. Not much else to report.

Fast friends

On Sunday, I did a 4.5 mile loop with an old friend, and I felt great. Again, I was apprehensive about the old injury, but everything felt fine. Nothing else to report, just progress. Today I plan on a solid 5 miler. More on that later.

Hot

I did 30 minutes at about 6:45AM today, and it was already hot and humid. I'm all for the heat, so I won't complain too much, but I will note that having 100% humidity before 7AM is tough. Still, glad I got in the minutes. No wildlife sightings today. They were probably all keeping cool somewhere up higher.

Wild 40

After a hiatus of a few days, I got back out on the roads on early Sunday morning. I almost went mountain biking with a few friends, but worried that I'd reinjure the leg so I bailed. There's a group of guys that ride for 3 hours every Sunday at 5:45AM (hardcore), and we were talking sh*t all night Saturday over beers. I ended up greeting them at the end of the driveway to show that I could in fact get up, but went for a run instead.

So, I took the route at the end of my road (flat, sparsely populated, nice views) and decided to tack an extra 10 minutes onto my usual 30 minute run. Near the turnaround point, I thought to myself that it would be cool to see a moose. I looked over at the beaver pond off the road and saw two big ears twitching. The calf that I saw in February was chest deep in the pond with no sign of mom (thank goodness). It loped around, snacking in the weeds for a while before finally heading back into the woods. At that point, I realized that his path would probably cross my running route, so I got a little spooked. I started my return by hooting, hollering and clapping like some crazed tourrette's syndrome runner. Cracked myself up. Needless to say, I did not cross paths with the moose, and I was releived when I hit a more "residential" area again.

The leg felt fine with the added distance. Hoping to do a few more 5 milers this week.

Paranoid

I did a 30 minute run on Friday morning and a 2 hour hike with LittleVTR on my back later that day. Rested on Saturday, played some tennis on Sunday and did another 30 minutes on Monday. Tuesday I woke up with general tightness in the calf, so I've shut things down for a couple of days.

I am completely paranoid about the calf. Running is the priority, so I'm thinking about shutting out other activities until I'm confident with it. There's a hockey group on Tuesdays that I'm passing on, hikes will be very minimal and short, and I'm not sure about more tennis. It's a strange thing to force myself to rest when all I want to do is be active.

Not much else to say. I guess the lesson is this: when you can, run.

30...

...minutes.

I got out for another 30 minute run today. Feeling good and just trying to keep from pushing too hard.

Good seeing folks at the cross this weekend.

Turning the crank

3.5 miles
30.03 minutes
Negative splits for the out and back
No pain.

Getting there.

Cautiously Optimistic

I went out for my third 30 minute run yesterday, and everything felt a-ok with the calf. I'm making myself stay on this regimen another week before adding distance and frequency. Hopefully by that point I'll be out of the woods.

Feeling It

I took a run at work yesterday -- I went out at 4:10 PM and ran for about 32 minutes and covered 4 miles so I hit what I think is a pretty decent 8 minute mile which surprised me. What I was happiest about was that my pace picked up on the second half which is always my goal on an out and back. It wasn't totally comfortable but it was a good discomfort -- I was breathing hard but it was a good hard and it was familiar. Yesterday's run was a good, confidence builder and I"m looking forward to the next run. Today is ankle stretching and rotation.

On a related note I woke up early on Wednesday and Thursday -- 6 AM -- and I'm feeling good about getting back on the morning running train. It's all about habituation, and it's time to re-habituate to earlier waking and running.

Rarities

So this post contains a bevy of rarities.

I actually went out and ran two days after a prior run -- I went on Sunday as well.
I went running on my lunch break.
I went running in Newburyport, towards Plum Island -- I've never done that.
I saw huge hawk in a tree right near the Plum Island Airport.

I went out on Sunday for a 32 minute run. I told myself I'm not going to publish a post unless I go again on Tuesday -- the once/week running post is silly. I set my alarm for 6 AM and turned it off at 5:52 AM -- Child Two called out and woke me.
I tried to get up at 6:20 but it was dark . . . I wimped out. However, the weather is outrageously balmy today, pushing 60 F, so I threw my gear in my bag and went for it.

Sunday's run (3.7 in 32:16) was better than today's (3.5-4.0 in 30:25, I'm not sure where I turned around) which was hard. Maybe it was the warmth. Maybe I was bonking a bit because I was hungry. Maybe I'm just not in great shape right now. One thing running has taught me is humility -- there is no replacement for miles not run and you've got to work your way back. The ankle hurt pretty good at the beginning but feels OK right now. It's really something I need to monitor.

The view on this run was lovely -- I ran along the Joppa Flats at the mouth of the Merrimack River and the water was glass flat and a beautiful winter blue. The flats teemed with sea birds and geese and it was really great.

Happy New Year!

I went for my second run since hurting my ankle in November. I didn't wrap the thing and just went out and hit it. I nearly bailed because I was feeling pretty lazy but sucked it up and went. I did my 3.3 mile route in 29:52. Certainly not my quickest for that distance but not bad. The inside of my shin above the ankle was sore but the ankle joint itself was not too bad. Swelling was minimal -- meaning the ankle was no more swollen post-run than it was prior to departure. I feel pretty good today but my legs are a bit sore -- oh, well, it's time to work back to fitness. I'm going to go again tomorrow and looking forward to it.

So, there are 7 hours and 22 minutes left in this year. All in all, it's been a good year and this blog has been lots of fun. I think that the blog did what I intended it to do when it started in February. It's been great sharing our experiences up here and keeping in touch. This silly thing is as much about life and friendships as it is about running, I think. So, to all of my fellow LDT-ers and anybody stumbling across our little blog, I wish you and your families a Happy, Healthy, and Wonderful New Year in 2008. Keep blogging. Keep running. Be well.

Test Run

I went out Saturday for about 21 minutes. I covered somewhere between 2 and 2.25 miles. I had fully intended on doing something short and slow like this and it was probably a good decision. The ankle was pretty sore through the first half, but started feeling better on the return. It was tender afterwards as well, but nothing major to report. It was in decent shape on Sunday which was good because I was outside shoveling for about two hours. I was thinking about going today, but yesterday's workout and the fact that the world was an ice sheet today canceled those thoughts.

When running on level ground the ankle feels OK. As soon as the surface gets uneven or bumpy, or goes up or down a hill it's sore. Running in conditions such as we're experiencing now is always dicey, and even more so on a balky ankle. I lost more than a little conditioning and leg strength during my hiatus, which is a bummer, but both will come back. It was good to get out and felt good, mentally. I enjoyed the motion and was also happy to have overcome inertia.

On the Shelf and Thanks

Hey guys, thanks for your kind words. We're all doing well, my uncle's funeral is over and life continues. I'm going to commit myself to be there in some way for his son -- I can't imagine being 17, getting ready to graduate from HS, and losing your father.

I'm currently on the shelf with my bum ankle . . . it's healing, and I'm actually finding that being on it, though leaving it tender and sore at the end of the day, is helping it to get better because it feels more flexible and the swelling is not as great as it had beeen when I was ensconced on the couch. One thing helping recovery is that I've been icing it a ton at night. I've perfected my ice method -- one side for 30 minutes, then the other, and repeat for 2 hours. I think I'll be on the shelf for a couple of weeks which is a bummer because I was having some amazing runs, and the run when I hurt myself was no exception. I've been having some intense, emotional runs and the workouts have been very mentally and emotionally cathartic. I can't wait to get back to it. As far as your comment about "life interweaving our posts" VTR, we've woven running etc. into each of our lives -- we carry our life with us every time we run and running provides a time to reflect.

Thanks again, gentlemen, your support means a lot. Happy Thanksgiving, we've got much for which to be thankful.