16 Feb 2009

Chilly today! The scheduled 4 miles ended up closer to 6, but it was a quite pleasant 6 miles (5.5, actually). I was amazed it was still light out, even though it was nearly 630 when I finished! Spring is on its way, I guess. JUST visible up the street, making its slow but inevitable way towards us, bringing with it longer days, warmer days, flowers, puppies and yes, allergies, too. But I say it's a pretty fair trade-off. I'm going to do my best to remember this when I'm running tonight in the still-chilly evening air. I'm going to savor it, because it's not going to last. Yes, it's cold. But I'll miss it, come the 90-plus days of summer. So I'm going to be as present in the cold tonight as I can be; I'm going to ingrain that sensation in my brain, so I can revisit it when I'm sweating buckets in July and August. Cold. Yay.

14 Feb 2009

A good running day. I met the Team out at Byrd Park, and I'm really glad I did. Holly McFeely and her daughter (a patient honoree) Emma were there for our Mission Moment. It was truly heartbreaking to hear about what Emma went through, being diagnosed with leukemia and undergoing chemotherapy at only 10 weeks old. But at the same time, it was incredibly inspiring. Emma recovered (8 years in remission today!), and is a more accomplished athlete than I am! She is a triathlete as well as a future marathoner (as proudly proclaimed by her sweatshirt).
Her mother, Holly, gave this advice (paraphrased, not quoted): When you're out there running, and you get to mile 17 or 18 and your legs hurt and you're miserable, think about Emma. Think about the pain and trauma she went through during her chemotherapy. Think about all the other people out there undergoing chemotherapy now. That is a more painful and horrible experience than any pain you might be feeling from running a few miles.
Perspective.

12 Feb 2009

Took last night off, had dinner plans; but I'm going to try for a nice 4 miles tonight. I'm going to miss the long run tomorrow, but I'm going to make up for it by running to Coleman's house before the 5k, then running the 5k, then running some after. It may not be one long 14 miles, but I'll get my mileage in, one way or the other.

11 Feb 2009

Another decent 4 mile run; the knee continues to heal. I am going to give myself a rest today, and do another mid-light jog tomorrow. I am going to miss the long run on Saturday; I am signed up for a Valentine's Day 5k at Forest Hill Park. To make up for it, though, I am going to run TO the park before the race, and home again after. This will make up most of my scheduled long run, and I think will make it easier to accomplish without the motivation of my teammates around me.
I am going to pause on my way to the park, though, to meet up with the team at Byrd Park, and join in the stretching and mission moment.

10 Feb 2009

Did 4 miles yesterday, instead of my scheduled 7; but ran a faster pace than usual (about 9:15 instead of 10:00). Felt good, both to accomplish the faster run, and to run, period. The knee felt pretty good, although I found if I landed at all forward on my left foot, there was some pain. As long as I kept my form under control, I was fine, though. So, my conclusion: I'm not recovered, but I'm recovering. I'll chalk that up as a "win."

9 Feb 2009

I took today off, hoping a little extra down-time would speed the recovery of my knee/hip. I'm going to try going for a jog today, though. I'm scheduled to do 7 miles, which is less distance than I did on Saturday, before the pain kicked in, so we'll see. I'm not going to push it, though. I'd rather cut back and recover than over-train (I've been warned against the potentially permanent perils of this - try saying THAT three times fast!) and make things worse. Fingers crossed.

7 Feb 2009

Well, the slight knee pain was NOT from sleeping funny on my leg, it seems. Saturday's run was curtailed by said knee pain. About 10 miles in, it hit me. Never excruciating, but enough to force me to walk the last 6 miles of the route. Best theory at the moment is ITB Syndrome, which is basically just when the tendon that runs from your hip to your knee pulls tight and rubs against your knee bone, causing discomfort. I've got some stretches and whatnot I can do to alleviate the pain and I should be good to go (hopefully) by next weekend.
As an additional treatment suggestion, Coach Chuck advised me to take an ice bath. I have heard of this practice, but have never tried it myself. Fill a tub with cold tap water, then dump in a bag of ice (I used 16lbs), then hop in. Yikes. Cold? Yes, very. Apparently, this weekend also happened to be the annual Polar Plunge, so I guess I can't feel TOO bad about my fifteen minutes of discomfort when compared to guys who jump full-on into water that is most likely colder (or at least AS cold) as what I was in, only up to my waist, with a sweatshirt on and a cup of hot coffee in my hand. And in hindsight, the ice bath really wasn't that bad. I'd do it again.
So, from frosted faces to icy baths, I can say I've experienced my share of cold this winter. Bring on the Spring.