Back to Running

This morning's run was my first since August 16, two days previous to my doctor's instructions to take a couple of weeks off for what seemed to be a strained abductor.

I don't think I have ever run so gently or practiced such good form than I did this morning. For 5 miles, I held my breath, just waiting for that tug. I ran my old neighborhood course rather than the Creek Turnpike trail to avoid hills as much as possible. As I rounded the corner of my street and saw my house while simultaneously not feeling pain, I breathed a sigh of relief. I could feel where the infraction was, but had no pain there. The site seemed a little fatigued, but I would assume that's just a result of the fact that at one time recently, there was something wrong there.

Despite the lofty plans I've created in my head over the past couple of weeks, I will go ahead and take tomorrow off, continuing with my stretching exercises, and then, back on Wednesday and Thursday, as usual, still probably in my neighborhood for the rest of the week. I have not decided what I'm going to do Saturday. While I'd love to do the full 18 miles scheduled with the Runner's World group, that may not be the wisest decision. Maybe about half the course this Saturday, the full 12 the Saturday after, and back on track for 20 the week after that.

So Ready

Yesterday evening, I again branched out (by necessity) and I attended a cardio-boxing class at L.A. Boxing with a buddy of mine. I knew it would be challenging and I was/was not (pleasantly?) surprised, depending on how you look at it.

We started out with 15 minutes of "warm-up." This consisted of running in place, mountain climbers, push-ups, jumping jacks, and several other exercises--far more than what I would normally anticipate a warm up to be. I was sweating by the time we were finished warming up--and I was getting worried.

We then started into some shadow boxing. No gloves, just a time to work on "form." I had no form, so this period of time was useless for me. All the while, the guy leading the class explained the 6 basic punches. I tapped the bag and tried to look like I knew what I was doing, while I secretly tried to recover from the warm up.

Next up, we donned our gloves and began punching combinations. The leader would call out numbers, and we would have to punch the bag according to the combination. Now, if you know me, you know that I am horribly uncoordinated (which is probably one reason I took up running, although even that is sometimes a challenge to my coordination). So I was at times spending more time trying to figure out how to progress from one punch to the next rather than actually punching the bag, while I secretly tried to recover from the warm up.

I was actually starting to do OK, but then, the leader came over and encouraged me to move around the bag. I was thinking, "Buddy, you don't understand." But I did as he requested (relatively speaking), while I secretly tried to recover from the warm up.

Quite some time later, the punching part ended, and it was time for a "cool down." The cool down consisted of running in place, mountain climbers, push-ups, jumping jacks, and several other exercises, including one that I came to dislike perhaps even more than the others. We were asked to do a few push-ups, then, rest in a straight line on our elbows, then go back to a push-up, then back to our elbows, and so on. My wife, (who clearly knows more about exercise than I do) told me that these were called "planks." Whatever they're called, they are ridiculously (and very surprisingly) tough. I tried to hang in through these and many other ab-killing exercises, but I was not doing a great job at this point, while I secretly tried to recover from the warm up.

I should mention at this point, to add to the pain and humiliation, the entire class was conducted in front of huge, wall-length mirrors, so I could actually watch myself the entire time to see how ridiculous I looked, while I secretly tried to recover from the warm up.

At the end of the workout, the leader came over and asked me how it went. All I could muster was the word, "Tough." I smiled politely and somehow explained that I needed some air, and I then went outside to sit for a few minutes to get some fresh air, while I secretly tried to recover from the warm up.

After several minutes outside (once the feeling that I needed to barf had sufficiently subsided), I went in to return my wraps and to listen to a short spiel about why I should join the gym. [I was there on a guest pass--a great idea (so I thought) that I got last week after a doctor told me not to run for two weeks]. I listened as the guy explained to me that as a marathon runner, this sort of thing would be great for me. I quietly chided myself for ever mentioning that was a runner, while I secretly tried to recover from the warm up.

I'm so ready to run again.

Running Alternatives

Yesterday, I biked for my second time since I was told to lay off the running for a couple of weeks. It wasn't bad, but it's just not the same. I think that in the future, I could bike as a means of cross-training, but I don't really ever foresee myself as a serious biker. The speed and distance covered when biking are two aspects I enjoy, but for me, there's something meaningful about pushing myself without the use of any other device. It's a very raw "man vs. himself" struggle that I have come to appreciate a great deal.

Both mornings, I rode about 6 miles, just in the vicinity of my neighborhood. Honestly, I feel a little lost because I am not familiar with any of the conventions associated with riding a bike whatsoever. I think that bikers are even more strict than runners are as far as propriety, and I know nothing. Fortunately, it was early enough in the morning that I wasn't around enough bikers to make them mad (although I probably did annoy one lone runner Monday morning.)

Despite the fact that I have not really found biking to be especially compelling, I did go in to Lee's Monday afternoon, just to price a couple of entry-level bikes. Stuart showed me a hybrid for $800 and a road bike for $1300, both Trek. He also (at my request) gave me the rundown on necessary ancillary equipment, and I started realizing that merely entering the sport would probably run me close to $2000. All of a sudden, $120 for a pair of running shoes seemed extremely reasonable. While my preference is always to support local shops, if I do eventually decide to buy a bike, it will most definitely be second-hand. No way I can afford that much for an entry-level bike, even if it is from a reputable local shop.

Tonight, I will be going to a cardio-boxing class with a buddy of mine. I am a little worried, because I know it's going to be a tough workout, but it's another way for me to stay active during this running downtime.

I plan to get out and run a level course (probably through the neighborhoods around my house) this coming Monday, just to see how the old abductor is feeling. If it's still painful, I will head back to the doctor for my scheduled follow-up. My hope is that things will go well, as we have an 18-miler coming up the Saturday after next, and I really don't want to miss that.

Sitting on the Sidelines

Well, I'm a week and a half away from my follow-up doctor's appointment. I am already gaining a little weight, and I'm feeling antsy. I dug my wife's bike out of the shed yesterday (actually, a men's mountain bike), and I will reassemble it and hopefully start riding it this weekend. And this coming Wednesday, I plan to attend a cardio technical boxing class with a buddy of mine--supposed to be quite a workout. I really am trying to do my best to stay active during this 2 1/2 week hiatus. I would love to sneak out tomorrow morning for the group's first run down at the River Walk, but my doctor-ordered stretches are making it clear to me that my abductor is still not completely healed up, and I really don't want to make it worse.

Prognosis

After one X-ray and a good amount of firm prodding around on my leg and groin (which was a tad uncomfortable for a number of reasons), the doctor determined that the problem was with an abductor muscle. He said that it should not cause too much of a setback, so for now, all plans are still on for the three marathons. A "trainer" provided me with several pages, what look like color sheets, of very athletic looking illustrated people performing a series of stretches. I was instructed to do these stretches 2-3 times a day--and not just during my recovery time! This regimen is to be continued indefinitely in order to maintain flexibility, which, the PT explained was especially important "as you get up in age." (Um, I'm 38. Hardly think I'm getting up in age. Maybe I'm just fooling myself? Either way, something tells me I could kick his butt in a marathon.)

So for now, I'm looking for someone's "second best bike" so that I have something to help me keep momentum while I'm not running for the next two weeks.

It stinks, but it definitely could have been worse.


PS- "second-best bike" is a nod to Shakespeare's will, in which he leaves to his wife his "second-best bed." Literary history lesson for the day. Who knows, maybe it will win you some money on Jeopardy.

Time to Visit the Doctor

After having run a total of 2 miles since last Monday, I decided that I had rested long enough, and I headed out for an unprecedented Sunday morning run. My plan was to run 8 miles in the morning and 8 miles in the evening to make up for the 16-mile run I missed with the Runner's World group Saturday morning.

I was able to complete the morning 8-miler with trouble, but by the time I was finished, my left side groin muscle felt like someone had shot a hole in it. I limped to my car, and continued with a slight limp through part of the morning. After taking an afternoon break, it started feeling better, but it was still very present. Apparently, I wasn't quite ready for 8 miles after I did whatever it was I did last Monday. Obviously, I skipped the evening run.

So this morning, I set up an appointment at the Eastern Oklahoma Orthopedic Center. I'm sure it's nothing major, but I'm also sure I will be instructed not to run for a while. While this stinks, I just want to find out for how long and what I can do in the meantime, and then to get back on track for this winter's marathons.

Not the "Training" I Want to Do

I took this morning off because of what feels like a slightly strained groin muscle. My mileage will be down significantly this week, but I keep telling myself that by taking a little time off, I am actually still training, as "injury" maintenance (if you can call this an injury) is a part of the regimen. Hopefully, things will be back to normal for this Saturday's 16-mile run out to Sand Springs and back with the Runner's World group.