Differing results from the weekend, trying to be patient, not as easy as it sounds

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

Converting my schedule was easy as far as running. I was able to get up Sunday and have a very successful 4 mile run. A run that I could probably have gone on longer. It felt real good, and I think taking the time to drive to the trail and run on gravel made a big difference.

Getting a little frustrated with the sit ups though, after a week I still couldn't do any on Saturday. Although I was able to keep up with my push ups. I guess the key is to just be patient there, keep trying, and it will come.

The down side is that after the run on Sunday I was on my feet the rest of the day, cleaning and preparing for Emily's party, then on my feet helping to make sure the party went well. So by the evening my legs were dead tired, so much so that when my alarm went off to run this morning my legs were still cramped up and tired, so I had to give it a pass.

Boy this is getting so tiresome, one step forward, one step back. I am so looking forward to seeing the doctor next week to get his input. Although one thing that I am thinking may be the case is shoes. Both pairs are now well past 250 miles, and while the conventional wisdom is that you should be able to get 300 miles I am wondering if the wear & tear of road running is causing them to lose their life early. One of the reason I think this was the difference when I did the incline, I mean if my knees and/or legs were actually damaged in some way you would have thought I would have felt the same soreness from something as strenuous as that climb, but that wasn't the case.

For financial reasons I have to wait a couple of weeks before I get new shoes, which puts me after the Dr. appointment. So we will see what he has to say. Until then I have to remain conservative and not push it too far, which is hard for me to accept, I wouldn't have thought I needed to gear so far back after completing a half marathon.

It was cold, below freezing, but the sidewalks were clear, time to run!

Dear James, Daniel and Emily

Today's workout

It was definitely chilly, I was in my layers, including the full running hat. I was determined to run however, so out I went. The thing is, while I wait to see the Doctor and wait to see what he says, I am not going to just lay around and mope, and let the downward spiral of eating too much and not exercising take hold. So I will run, maybe not as much or as long as I might like but I will run.

I will make a point to change up my schedule a little. On my schedule long Sunday runs I will take it slow, and mix in some strenuous hikes instead, like the Incline I did last weekend. Because doing that did not have any affect on my knees. The other thing, is I will take the time on my long runs to drive to a trail and run on dirt instead of concrete and asphalt, and make a point on my speed workouts to do the same: go to the track instead of road. 

That does change my days for sit ups and push ups, but that should not be a problem. And to be honest, the first day of sit ups wiped me out so I could not do one yesterday anyway so an extra day of rest won't hurt.

Today should be a good test for the new work set up with the jerry rigged standing desk. Since my knees are pretty sore, it will be good to see if the standing and stretching help the recovery more than just sitting.

Keep trying new things until I find what works

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

Trying new desk configuration at work today, testing a standing desk setup. The goal is to get my legs more stretching, less pressure on the hamstrings. We'll see how it goes, and if it works today then keep it going tomorrow after a run.

Saturday I finally got out and did the Manitou Incline hike. Wow, that was a real workout, I hiked it, took my time, kept hydrated, and walked down the Barr trail. I was glad I finally did it, I had planned to do it on my birthday but the boys illness prevented it, but Kim swapped shifts so she was home Saturday morning, which gave me a window. I would like to get back and do it again, make it a regular part of my fitness routine. Not sure how I will do so, but I definitely don't plan on letting that be the only time I go up it.

The funny thing was that as strenuous that was, bot the uphill and downhill, my legs didn't really bother me, they were sore but not overly so, and my knee pain was not present. I'm not sure what to attribute that to for sure. Part of it may have been that I wasn't running, partly I was not on concrete/asphalt. I can only test the second part of that on weekends, but I plan to do just that. On Sundays at least, get up and drive to where I will walk/run, and do so on a trail instead of the road. And limit the road running to shorter distances during the week.

Also today I returned to the sit up & push up routine, along with stretching. All of this is in search of that elusive return to form, and return to training. SO that next year I can start training for the marathon in earnest. I figure that doing some strenuous trail runs and mountain hikes will help build the leg strength I will need next year.

dammit dammit dammit, I guess I have no choice

Dear James, Daniel and Emily

Today's run was going so well, reached 3 miles at a good pace. Stopped when my leg twinged, just like I promised myself. And I made it home and everything with no problems. But when I dropped off Emily at school and was play chasing her my knee just tightened up big time. By the time I was walking to the car I was practically having to limp. And the pain is not going away (which is not all that surprising considering I am glued to a chair).

I guess I have no choice, it is time to contact the doctor about this. Again, I can walk fine, up and down hills. I can run for short distances, but if I try to get much beyond 3 miles the pain kicks in. I am not sure what it is, but I am afraid I tore something and it is just not healing properly. So it is time to do the smart thing and get a doctor appointment. It's the best thing to do if I want to keep running and achieve my future fitness goals.