An Old Friend

My five mile route.  During the last two years it was the five mile loop.  I used it for my long runs.  I'd run it twice if it was a 10 miler or 3 times if it was a 15.  And even 4 times for those 20 mile runs.  It was close to home if I needed anything and it was a good gauge as to where I was in the run.  A 1/2 or a 1/3 of the way done.  I know where every mile marker is and where the uphill ends and I look forward to the downhill part that's on the way home.  I love the creek that I run by that always shady and the school that means I'm less than a mile from home.  It's familiar and comfortable and last year I couldn't stand it.  I was sick of it.  I hated running any part of it.  I needed something new to look at.  Something where I didn't know what was around the corner.  Somewhere that I wasn't sure how many miles I'd gone.  

But Saturday it was like an old friend.  I ran my 5 mile route and loved every minute of it.  I've run it in every type of weather and memories flooded over me.  I could see my oldest riding his bike beside me, my best friend running along side me and then biking the next lap.  I could remember running in terrible wind, in snow, and in the heat where I'd detour slightly for the drinking fountains on Main Street.  I remembered the dog that tore after me and then looking for it the next time around.  It was familiar and wonderful and it felt like normalcy.  I'll take some  normalcy.  Saturday it was raining.  Well more like pouring and I couldn't have been happier.  I think running in the rain is my favorite weather.  It was really coming down and was cold and foggy, but still really great.  I was wringing out my gloves on the way home and was soaked clear through.  My shoes were soaked and the squishing was pretty bad, but to run again.... wow.  It was incredible.  

The rest of the week consisted of 45 minutes on the stepper and then running 3 miles two other times on the treadmill.  I also was able to lift twice.  Good week.

Another Week, Another Report

This last week seemed to be really good.  My knees are feeling better and stronger and my bum is pretty loose and feeling good.  Tuesday I ran 2 1/2 miles doing intervals.  I kept it the same speed as last week and it felt slightly better.  I'm still struggling for breath at the last interval, but I figure that's good for my heart as long as my body can keep up.  Wednesday I did yoga after feeling a little tight in my hamstrings and was amazed at how much better I felt afterwards.  I need to remember that.  Thursday I ran 3 miles doing 8 minutes of running and 2 minutes of walking.  Saturday I went 4 1/2 miles very slow but ran the whole time.  My IT bands started to get tight towards the end so I just slowed down even more and they did well.  I had an ice bath afterwards and though my quads were still slightly sore the next day, I think I did surprisingly well.  I'm still working on a base and won't be increasing my miles too much.  But I'm excited to be back running, even if it's slower than molasses.   I'll take it.

I'm back?

So I took all of my bloggy friends' advice and took 5 whole weeks off from running and any other sort of cardio exercise.  I must say that it was good timing, if anything, being so close to Christmas.  I also went in to see my chiropractor about my piraformis.  After two visits I was almost 75% better.  It kind of made me mad I waited so long to get in there.  And after being diligent with the heating pad and stretching I'm about 97% better.  I can sit in the car without hurting.  I am no longer waking up in the middle of the night with a throbbing butt.  This is good news.  

I started running last week.  It feels like I'm starting all over again.  The out of breath phase is bad.  The sore legs.  It's all there.  But hopefully it will come back fast.  I guess it had been more than 5 weeks off.  I really haven't been normal since August.  So the first day was a shock to me about where I am now.  I was kind of depressed.  But I'm o.k. with it now.  My knees are not 100 % better either.  But I'm just taking it easy, walking when they hurt, and not pushing it.  I'm just happy to be able to run again that I think I'll just take what I can get.  I did 25 minutes the first day.  I'm going to stick to the treadmill for a while so that I don't have to deal with ice or hills or the curve of the road.  I rested the second day and then went for 45 minutes on Wed.  I ran for 6 minutes and then walked for 1 1/2 minutes.  I rested the next day and then I did my stepper thing for an hour on Friday.  Saturday I ran for 45 minutes and did 10 minutes followed by 2 minutes of walking.  I guess I'm back to working on a base.  And that's o.k. 

My plans for the next year include running the Wasatch Back in June with a team called Mommies got Back and then hopefully staying healthy enough to run the Top of Utah Marathon in September.  I hope those are reasonable goals for me.  I guess only time will tell and I'll take it as it comes.  

Thanks to all my bloggy friends who give me such good advice and support.  It is so appreciated!