Running Aimlessly Around the Countryside

I recently reviewed my vacation schedule at work and realized that we are at mid-year and I still have a lot of vacation left. The answer? Take a couple days off...from work that is. Scheduled activities dictated that it would be a staycation, so I put maximum use of my 12 days of freedom. My mornings were dedicated to training. I alternated days between running and cycling, and yes, I did include some rest days. It was fun to put schedule around my training rather than schedule where my training would fit. It was also fun to mix things up. I got in a muddy trail run, shared a run with my son, met up with a family friend and ran with him for a while. On the bike, I didn't get to the normal group ride,  but I got some miles in with my son, and on other days was able to beat the heat and humidity by getting out before everyone else was out of bed. The biggest positive to my time off? Year high totals for both an individual run bike and run. One day I managed to get in an 8 mile r...

I've been away again, but mainly because my free time has been severely limited as of late. Work has been crazy and the kids have been keeping the calendar very busy. Anna has begun the summer swim practice practice schedule, so I am dropping her off and heading into the office early. That has been very nice to get things going before everyone else wanders in, but I don't seem to be able to get out much earlier in the evening. When I have gotten out, it seems that Will has had baseball games. For example, this week, with the storms that were rolling across the country, he had a game suspended due to rain 2 times. It took 3 days to get the game in. The 3rd day then included another tourney game. While I'm glad to not be back at the ball park for another night, I'm disappointed that the boys are done for the season. But it also means that Will and I can ride together more. I have backed off my running mileage quite a bit to nurse through some calf tightness. I have been...

Things have been slightly crazy lately. Spring activities have been in full gear for the kids. Anna was running track and had 2 meets each week. Will is playing little league baseball and has 2 games per week. They have both been swimming and have already had their first long course swim meet. Will also did his  first triathlon of the season, and had his end of the year orchestra concert. Given all of those events, we have had very few open nights for the last month. I've been able to get my runs in over lunch, but I haven't been biking much. Bike To Work week was this week, so I decided to try my hand at the commute, which is a little over 20 miles each way. I had mapped out my routes and pre-driven them to be sure they were safe. The weather finally cooperated on Wednesday, so I dropped Anna off at swim practice (yes, we do that a couple mornings a week before school), went home and finished packing my bag. I began my journey about 5:45. The beginning of my route has a fe...

At the end of my run the other day, I had a memory of the way SNL character Roseanne Rosannadanna would end her  routines. " Well it just goes to show you, it's always something ." I finally seem to be past my Winter injury and am getting more consistent with my running. And with the weather turning back to Spring-like, I had packed my whole closet for my noon workout. Short sleeve, long sleeve, sleeveless, shorts, tights, hat, sunglasses, gloves, I was prepared for any weather possibilities, almost. I forgot one very important thing - socks. But I figured, hey, it's a short, recovery day, I should be able to do this. So off I went on my run, sans socks. And you probably know what happened. About 15 minutes in, my little toes started to feel a little rubbing. Nothing too bad, but enough that I knew there was a potential for problems. The good news was that I was already on my return to the gym, so maybe I could get by without too much trouble. Wrong. It just kept ...

I've been easing back into running for the last 2 weeks. My physical therapist gave me a return to running plan that started with walk/run combinations and finally this week switched to a full run. The plan has been working well for the tendonitis but has really revealed how much my fitness level has dropped. That really surprised me since I was dedicated to getting to the gym and using the cardio machines when I couldn't run. So what do you do when you have been on the roads for two weeks and have run one time for 25 minutes? Sign up and run a 5k! I really didn't have much of a choice. Today was the Z-run, our local 5k that supports the local schools. If you are a long time reader, you might remember that I won my age group last year. However, that was then and this is now. Last year I was base building and training to pace Jil through her first running half marathon.  This year, I had 2 weeks of running under my belt and had just spent the week fighting either severe se...

In the last week I've finally been able to begin running again after what is basically a 3 month layoff. I've started an advanced return to running progression that my physical therapist gave me. It begins with some walk/run combinations to ease back into the effort. If all goes well, over the course of 7 weeks I will be able to run for about an hour. If it wasn't for the fact that I am on the roads at all, it would be somewhat discouraging, but the fact is, I am on the roads. The good news is that my knee feels good while I'm running, although my left knee (from the injury when I was 14) as been a aggravated by some of the strengthening exercises. I do still feel a little soreness when I'm still for longer periods, but I can definitely sense progress. The worst part is my fitness. While my legs are holding up for about 3 miles in 30 minutes, my lungs are screaming. I don't think it matters what cross-training you do, there is a specificity requirement to perf...

It has been hard the past couple months not to be running. I grew a beard to protect my face during long runs, didn't need it. It was easier because only the most dedicated runners were out on the roads. As of late, that has changed. As the weather as gotten warmer and training programs for the Indianapolis Mini-Marathon have ramped up more and more people have been out on the roads. Seeing everyone out and about has been torture. I want to be out there so bad, but it's just not time yet. Last week I finally got in to see my favorite PT, Brian. In addition to overall evaluation and providing of exercises, he got out his Graston tools, and went to work on my lower quad. It was not comfortable and knew it was not going to be pretty when he said, "good, we're starting to see some red spots."  I followed up with some ice massage then got changed and headed to work. When I left, my leg didn't like being touched, not even by my dress pants. The leg stayed swollen ...