Monday, October 29, 2012

Hold On Tight!

The "perfect storm" is coming. I think Toronto may be spared, but the East coast is definitely in trouble. For the runners out there, in particular those preparing for the NYC Marathon set to go this coming Sunday, this is not good news at all. More importantly, it's just scary how much havoc may be wreaked along the coast and beyond. You'd better hold fast!

As far as yours truly is concerned, we've had shitty weather here for the past few days and things are not going to improve before they get worse. I ran seven times last week (twice on Thursday to fit on both offspring, off day on Friday). Everything was fine and I kept each run really easy save for Saturday's jaunt where I ran for 26 minutes (longest time on the road yet in this, the most recent version, of yet another one of my pattended "comebacks") and picked up the pace a tad. On Sunday I dragged my older son out into the crappy rain and wind for an easy 20 minutes. He apparently lost feeling in his legs and contracted a massive ear and headache in the process, but I still say it was worth it. Which of his teammates or so called "competitors" were out there, I asked? Nobody was a stupid dedicated as we were! Yay!!!

Today might be a forced off day as the City is under the threat of a major wind and rain warning, or somesuch. We'll see. I may just go anyway. Out into the wind and float back, right?

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Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Well, Here We Go Again...

I ran six times last week. Rudimentary math says that means I didn't run just one day. Call me crazy, but when one attempts a return to running from a year-plus of injury "time out" shouldn't one follow a less aggressive strategy?

F that, I say! Same thing I'm saying to the pain in my abdomen that has returned after doing a few sprints with my older son last week. It's just scar tissue from an appendectomy I had as a wee lad (those Austrian doctors left some scars, damn it!, and after a year of tests and therapy that's the best explanation that anyone's come up with). So, my strategy is the same as the one I employed when my ankle was the main source of pain and the inspiration to the title of this blog (sounds more appealing than "Waddling, Shitty Crotch and All", no?). Run, run, run, and it will either give out completely (thereby making diagnosis easier and treatment more focused) or it will magically repair itself. So far, no ankle surgery. Why fix it if it ain't broke?! (The strategy, that is, not the ankle. That shit's messed up!)

Anyway, perhaps it's just the frustration borne of more than a year missed that has me trying this one on for size. Perhaps it's the bourbon. Whatever the case, it's going to be interesting!

Last night, sandwiched nicely into the middle of the three runs I've already completed this week (20 mins, 25 mins, 20 mins) I even dusted off the old Garmin and took it for a spin. Stats aren't pretty (managed just 4.44km in those 25 minutes), but it was fun. And isn't that the point? I'm looking forward to running tomorrow so something must be working, but I know it's early days...

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Friday, October 19, 2012

Seriously?!

I've neglected this blog. There's no way around it. I've been about as successful at posting running related updates as A-Fraud has been at hitting this month, especially against right-handed pitchers. In short, not very...

However, as my body allows I will endeavor to record my running progress here as I still believe it is a good way to not only keep track of things that are good, but also to remind me of things that lead to bad. I'm injury prone, though I hate to admit it in such stark terms. I prefer to say I over train, am overzealous, hate sitting still, etc. But that's just tiptoeing around the truth, isn't it?

So, because this blog was an outlet for me as I attempt(ed) to become a runner I'm posting an update. Why? I've actually been running a little bit!

Won't bother with real details. My Garmin is still safely tucked away somewhere, battery completely dead after more than a year of non-usage. I'm running (probably better to characterize it as "jogging" actually, but I do NOT hop around at red lights and some would say that's what distinguishes a "runner" from a "jogger". Discuss?)

I've stopped massage therapy as I started to get the feeling that I was firmly into the billable hours portion of the program and not getting any better. Instead, I've started to weight train my lower half with the same principles that helped eliminate a lingering case of runner's knee from my right leg a couple of years ago. It's been almost four weeks and things are definitely improving!

This week is a testament to that improvement. I've run every day (5 so far), really easy, really slow, and averaging just 20 minutes/run. Sometimes I'll join my youngest on his daily ten minute runs to school then jog back home before proceeding to bike to work. (I don't force him to do this, BTW. He has declared from the first day of school that he wants to do this and has been true to his word. Usually I bike beside him, but I absolutely love it when I can run with him.) Sometimes I grab the older one and we go for a nice jog so that he can get in better shape for his basketball efforts. Sometimes I just go on my own. Whatever the case, it's been slow and fun!

Five days in a row. Easy. This can't possibly end well...

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