Archive for the 'Running' Category

Injury impact

Published
by
Phil
on /2007/December/22/
in Running
. 0 Comments

It’s interesting to note what a difference that the hip flexor injury has made to my burgeoning pursuit of running. Back in August when I finally decided to get fit, I started going to the gym in addition to running and dieting. I have always tried to nuture left-brain as well as right-brain activity, so I noticed the gym (YMCA) had an online facility to track my progress, called FitLinxx. When I use certain strength machines at the Y, it automatically logs my workouts, but you can add cardio sessions separately online, which I have been doing. Their website has a home page where you can compare your current monthly numbers to your previous month. As you can see in the screenshot I took from the site and pasted below, my December cardio is way, way off from last month at this same time, down from almost 16 hours of running last month by this date (the 22nd) to 5.5 hours of running this month. And calories burned is down 16,607 to 6,791.

The good news though is I am still losing weight, just a lot slower. And I still feel a whole lot better than I did in terms of energy capacity. But daggone, getting old has its drawbacks. :)

Stats comparison Nov 22 to Dec 22, 2007

8 mile training run

Published
by
Phil
on /2007/December/22/
in Running
. 0 Comments

Today I decided to run over at Seneca and Cherokee Parks. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the worst, I would say the hip flexor pain is somewhere around 6.5. It definitely hurt more sitting in the car driving back after the run, but once I move around it gets better. Oh well, just gotta continue treating it. At least I am running. It felt great to be out doing it. Even though the weather was quite warm for this time of year, I probably should have worn some thin gloves. My hands kind of felt like icicles, but they warmed up quickly once I got back to the car.

Total Time (h:m:s) 1:24:00 10:19 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s) 1:24:01 10:19 pace
Distance (mi) 8.14  
Moving Speed (mph) 5.8 avg. 8.7 max.
Elevation Gain (ft) +599/-599  
Temperature (F) 48.2F avg. 48.2F high
Wind Speed (mph) SE 6.9 avg. SE 8.1 max.

Nine Days?

Published
by
Phil
on /2007/December/19/
in Running
. 0 Comments

At long last, I went for a morning run. It has been nine long days since I ran outside. Apart from the treadmill work four days ago, it’s the first real cardio exercise I have had since then. It was a warmish December morning and it was great to be back on the road–despite the ding-dang hip flexor pain! As of this writing, it doesn’t appear to be any worse, but with a lot of other things going on in my life the past week or so, I have not been energetically doing my physical therapy the way I should. I am hereby making a renewed commitment to that. I love running way too much to not make the effort. Even if my running is slow, just getting out there is a blast. It must be the endorphins, huh?

Total Time (h:m:s) 0:29:52 9:41 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s) 0:29:50 9:40 pace
Distance (mi) 3.08  
Moving Speed (mph) 6.2 avg. 8.6 max.
Elevation Gain (ft) +237 / -227  
Temperature (F) 44.6F avg. 44.6F high
Wind Speed (mph) WSW 10.4 avg. WSW 10.4 max.

Ill-advised run?

Published
by
Phil
on /2007/December/10/
in Running
. 1 Comment

For the first time since I began running in earnest this year, I felt as if running this morning, while I am still dealing with my hip injury, may have not been wise. From the very beginning of the run, the pain was quite prevalent. But my compulsion to at least “stay in touch” with running led me out the door. The run was almost painfully slow, but despite the hip soreness and pain, and despite the light, misty rain that stuck to my glasses making it almost impossible to see, I gotta take it for what it was, and at least I was mobile, and out there. On with the show, my PT is tonight.
Numbers:

Total Time (h:m:s) 0:32:53 10:41 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s) 0:32:53 10:41 pace
Distance (mi) 3.08  
Moving Speed (mph) 5.6 avg. 7.2 max.
Elevation Gain (ft) +237 / -227  
Temperature (F) 44.6F avg. 44.6F high
Wind Speed (mph) NE 3.5 avg. NE 3.5 max.

A couple more miles

Published
by
Phil
on /2007/December/8/
in Running
. 0 Comments

It’s great to be running. This being the day I would normally try to put in a long run, I decided to go a little bit extra. So I did slightly over five. The hip pain is still there, doggone it, but I have to feed the addiction. My next physical therapy appointment is Monday, so hopefully it will help me make some progress.

There are no such things as trash miles for me. It’s all good. One of the perks about running on a non-work day is I get to start out a little later, when there is light, and I wear my iPod. When I run on a work day, it’s really early and usually totally dark, so I don’t have my iPod with me–all my senses are needed to detect oncoming vehicles in the dark, etc. But today I had no such worry, and I let the tunes rip. Motivatin’.

Another nice thing about these quick runs in the hood is just being able to go out my front door and take off. For some reason, the same old scenery has not bored me. Two loops around the subdivision, including all the cul-de-sacs, gets me a little over five miles, with minor, gentle elevation changes, like so:

Elevation chart for 5-mile run

So, it was good just to get out, run a little, break a sweat, breathe fast, get my heart rate up, think about my life, not think at all, smile at a neighbor walking her dog, appreciate the cool weather, huff and puff, admire the overcast sky, splash through rain puddles, notice the various and sundry Christmas decorations in the yards (including all the deflated blow-up kinds that look rather sad, pitiful and forlorn, which I have a special, weird appreciation for), and overall, feel good to be alive.

Here are the obligatory numbers:

Total Time (h:m:s) 0:48:07 9:29 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s) 0:47:56 9:27 pace
Distance (mi) 5.07  
Moving Speed (mph) 6.3 avg. 8.3 max.
Elevation Gain (ft) +237 / -227  
Temperature (F) 41 F avg. 41 F high
Wind Speed (mph) NE 5.8 avg. NE 5.8 max.

Meditative and moving

Published
by
Phil
on /2007/December/6/
in Running
. 0 Comments

This morning I ran again. It was chilly. Motionbased’s weather numbers put it at 24.8 degrees, but my temperature reading was around 21. Either way, it’s chilly but I can’t really call this cold. I remember my brother telling me about his first winter in Edmonton, Canada. He said he left his apartment one morning and he heard a cracking sound near his face. It turned out to be water on his beard left over from his shower, freezing instantly. So, this is not anywhere close to being cold.

I have come so far in running this year, in a short time. I started out at the end of the summer, huffing and puffing, chugging along, taking frequent and long walk breaks, thinking that my knees were just going to break they hurt so bad. I slowly progressed as I lost weight and improved my cardio output. Finally I felt free. I could really do it! I could run! I felt as if I could just run forever and ever. Visions of all kinds of running scenarios flashed in my head. It was going to take me places I have been wanting to go for awhile. I began to feel good about myself again.

All the while, I knew that running and injury go hand-in-hand. Still, it’s a bit depressing going from around 22 miles a week down to nine. But hey, you know what? Nine miles sounds a whole lot better than no miles to me right now.

Total Time (h:m:s) 0:32:45 10:30 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s) 0:32:46 10:30 pace
Distance (mi ) 3.12  
Moving Speed (mph) 5.7 avg. 7.8 max.
Elevation Gain (ft) +237 / -227  
Temperature (F) 24.8F avg. 24.8F high
Wind Speed (mph) E 4.6 avg. E 4.6 max.

Morning Celebration Run

Published
by
Phil
on /2007/December/4/
in Running
. 1 Comment

Today I celebrated my arrival on the planet 52 years ago by running once more. I had not run in three days. It was a pleasant enough run, given that my hip flexor is still bothering me. I kept it gentle, and I am continuing my exercises and physical therapy. I doubt if I will be able to do the Hangover Classic on Jan. 1 (10 miles), but I sure would like to get better and heal up fast. If getting to where I can run long distances again means that I have to wait to run those distances, though, so be it.

Here are my morning numbers:

Total Time (h:m:s) 0:30:11 10:09 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s) 0:30:11 10:09 pace
Distance (mi ) 2.97  
Moving Speed (mph) 5.9 avg. 7.8 max.
Elevation Gain (ft) +237 / -227  
Temperature (F) 28.4 F avg. 28.4 F high
Wind Speed (mph) WSW 5.8 avg. WSW 5.8 max.

Once more into the breech

Published
by
Phil
on /2007/December/1/
in Running
. 0 Comments

Today I ran for the first time since Tuesday (five days ago). I saw a Physical Therapist yesterday who examined me, analyzed my running and put me on a stretching program (link to PDF of his recommended stretches here). He also had me do a little bit of Pilates, which I had never done before. While I was doing the Pilates stuff, it didn’t feel like it was working me that much. I am used to breaking a sweat at the Y, and also when I run. I figure if you don’t at least break a sweat, it isn’t worth it. Well, this morning I could definitely feel it. So maybe there is something to it.

Anyway, normally I would do 10 miles on my “long run” day, but he said for me to just do a little, and while I still have pain, it’s tolerable at the moment. While on the run, I could feel some discomfort, but I was not concentrating on it. In fact, I felt elated just to be running again. I grabbed the iPod before I went out the door and put it on shuffle. The song of the run, as hokey as it may sound, was “Dancin’ On The Ceiling.” The sun was out, and I was running again! Oh yeah, baby. For historical and selfish reasons I want to keep track of what I do as I try to heal, so here are my numbers for today:

Total Time (h:m:s) 0:29:55 10:00 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s) 0:29:56 10:00 pace
Distance (mi ) 2.99  
Moving Speed (mph) 6.0 avg. 7.7 max.
Elevation Gain (ft) +237 / -227  
Temperature (F) 32 deg. F avg. 32 deg. F high
Wind Speed (mph) E 5.8 avg. E 5.8 max.

Race results – Turkey Day 2007

Published
by
Phil
on /2007/November/22/
in Running
. 0 Comments

Despite some hip pain, I think I did pretty well. I hope I feel the same way in a couple of days.

Race Results Turkey Day 2007

Hip – Thigh Injury

Published
by
Phil
on /2007/November/20/
in Running
. 0 Comments

I have decided to take both today and tomorrow off from running. This pains me in spirit, but I need to address the physical pain in order to get back to the activity level I am currently pursuing. I feel a significant pain in my right outer hip and thigh area. From what I understand after reading about it so far, it’s an overuse injury of the hip flexor variety. I suspect that on the right side, my tensor fasciae latae muscle and possibly the iliotibial band near the hip have become inflamed. It could also be bursitis at the hip. I will need to address this with ice packs and anti-inflammatories, as well as stretching. Stretching is the area I need to focus on most, I think. I have so not paid the attention to that. I have a race on Thursday I am signed up for, and I intend to run it. (I will be doing some serious but gentle stretching before and after.) But I may scale back and not run on Friday or Saturday after the race.