Running Journal 6

Good news, good news.

I ran 4 miles, and my knees didn't hurt at all.

It was not an ideal day for a run, but I think the 8 inches of snow that fell in the last 24 hours was actually an advantage. I mean aside from the fact that it gave me a reason to go outside and shovel fluffy white powder not once but twice during a single weekend. Several inches of soft snow underfoot was the perfect cushion for a nice, slow jog up the bike trail and back.Rather than being an encumbrance, it actually freed me up to run with almost no impact on the joint.

Common sense and a healthy dose of paranoia still dictated an hour or so of stretching with an ice pack strapped to my right knee, followed by a vodka tonic for additional pain management. You can't be too careful. 

The fact remains that once a week is not a workout schedule that will build strength, endurance, speed, or aerobic capacity. You know what? I don't care. I'm able to run. At least when there's 8 inches of snow on the ground. 

Running Journal 5

Good news, bad news. Beautiful sunny day in January, although it's a bit cold, I'll take it. Had a nice walk to the cafe and church in the morning, only took half an hour to shovel the walk, and the rest was gravy. Read the paper, finish the book I've been reading for an eternity, start another book I've been itching to get into, and it's even better than I anticipated. By 5 o'clock I realize it's now or never, so strap it on and go.

Heel and toe for the first half mile, just trying to get into a rhythm and not do any damage. Once I'm warmed up, I switched to a toe-heel gait, totally different but pain free, so I just stayed with it for another couple of miles, cautiously making the turn to come back and staying on the soft surface of grass and snow every chance I got. Tuna half miles with no pain to speak of, again, I'll take it.

Cool-down was great, with an ice pack on one knee at a time, lying on my back on the mat upstairs, rotating both hips outward and inward, rotating both ankles in circles to release the leftover effects of half an hour of effort and let the muscles and joints recover. Actually drifted off into a nice nap for a few minutes, got up, got dressed, came downstairs, started a fire, mixed a drink and made guacamole before dinner.

After the endorphins, the fact remains that running once a week is not enough to have a training effect, and I have to find a way to get my New Balance butt out there more often. As in work-life balance, as in leaving the office at 5 like regular, rational people. 

Running Journal 4

The break in the weather offered me an opportunity to run, so I couldn't pass it up. It was warm and a bit raining today after several days of intense cold that coincided with a week of long workdays with little respite save eating and sleeping, so I was due. The sun actually came out a couple of times. In Central Ohio. In January.

So it came as no surprise that my knees hurt as I slowly - slowly - jogged up the bike trail, but it did surprise me a bit that the pain did not go away, as it did the last time I ran, even though I took it slowly the first mile, hung a right at Old County Line Road, and took care to alter my gait every half mile or so, and tried to be patient. No luck. Maybe less distance more often would ease the transition for my medial collateral ligaments. Cut it short at about 2.5 miles at roughly the same pace I've been running, 12-minute miles.

Maybe the cool-down will help. Ice pack on both knees and some moderate stretching for hips, back, and shoulders, but less lateral rotation to take the stress off the knees. As my own doctor, I prescribed vodka and orange juice, crackers and brie, and a turkey burger. Then I watched a pretty good movie with Tina Fey and Paul Rudd, "Admissions" with elevated legs on the coffee table, and noticed that my knees don't hurt. Note to self: repair torn ligaments with a screwdriver.

Running Journal 3

It isn't as cold as it was yesterday, and the wind has pretty much died down, so I'm taking the opportunity to go for a run. It's actually a beautiful day, and I'm going to make the most of it: basic movement outside this morning, lefse and eggs for breakfast, qigong body-mind method this afternoon, a little bit of work in the shed-garage-workshop, and as the sun begins to descend in the west, I head out on a different path. Variety is.

It's less than a mile east on Park Street to the nature preserve with a trail around a nice, quiet pond. I have it to myself, though people have been walking their dogs. Once around is about half a mile, so I do three laps, alternating heel-toe and toe-heel, and the surface is great, especially the boardwalk that crosses the marshy north end of the pond. I take a little detour on the way back to avoid the construction area where Park St. is torn up, and it works out to right around four miles in about 40 minutes, a slight improvement on my last time, not that it matters.

I'm tracking in mud and slush but it's worth it. I'll reward myself with a Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA with the last of the homemade lefse and a very garlicky guacamole. Oofda!

Running Journal 2

It's been a week, not your ideal recovery time, but I couldn't very well run up and down the mountain while I was in Tennessee over the weekend, and I worked New Year's Eve, and I went for a bike ride Monday, which was out anniversary, and, and, and; so here I am, having a more difficult time the second time out. The trail is a mess with melted snow turned to mud, and my beginner's luck has deserted me. But I did make it to Maxtown Road with a tiny bit of walking, so it's not that bad. It's New Year's Day, and I'm starting it out on the right foot.

Time is slightly faster than last time for the same distance, just under 12-minute miles, not that time matters, and I'm right around 100 breathing cycles per half-mile, but who's counting. I think I'll reward myself with a screwdriver while watching Michigan State and Stanford in the Rose Bowl.