Returning from Injury

I had pool physical therapy again today--it was my second visit. Why?

Well, I sprained my left foot back in November. Then, I hurt my left knee in January. Oy.

I'm happy to report that I'm on the mend, but still have a long way to go in terms of my physical fitness.  I'd hoped to be able to walk a 5K by November, but I think I might need to stretch that goal into 2018.

Sorta Long Run

This morning I knew I needed to attempt a long run, eventhough I ran a 5K road race yesterday, and my weekly mileage was already kinda high. It's such a pretty morning that I decided that ANYTHING I did outside would be great! Ever see one of those mornings? The temperature was in the 60s, the sky was a clear blue, and it was a bit breezy outside, but not too strong. I decided from the get-go not to worry about time or pace, but just to relax and enjoy being outside.

Though I felt kinda sluggish when I got up this morning, and I puttered around a bit inside, once I got outdoors I felt a lot better. I parked at the gym, and ran from there. I ended up run/walking 6.2 miles in 1:45:00, a 16:56 average pace. I did a lot of slow jogging, and even a fair amount of walking. I just thoroughly enjoyed being outside, catching up on my podcasts and speaking to the other runners and walkers who passed me.

When I got back to the gym, I went inside and rode the recumbent bike for 25 minutes (4.67 miles). I decided to hop on the treadmill and see if I had anything left in me in the running department. I lasted for a whopping 6 minutes (0.44 miles) and decided to hang it up for the day. My left knee's bothering me a little (the one I fell on before I landed on my nose back in March--ouch), and my right foot had bothered me during the long run outdoors. I decided it was time to get home and pull out the ice.

Still, all in all, it was a good workout, and I'm still feeling pretty much on track for my half marathon next month.

Good Treadmill Run

I hit the treadmill for a run this morning, with no plan in mind. I ended up running 3.4 miles in 45 minutes with relatively little pain. I did feel a little pain under my right toes, this time only under my "twin" toes. (That's what my family's always called them. My sister has them as well, but we don't know of anyone else in the family who has had them.) I wonder if the pain has something to do with that, but I have the webbed toes on both feet, but the strange pain under-toe only on my right foot. Hmmm....

Just the Bike

My legs are a bit sore (and I'm a bit tired) from last evening's run at Umstead State Park, so I just did 30 minutes on the recumbant bike this morning.

I'm thinking about doing my long run by myself in the morning. I'm scheduled to do 12 for the half marathon, but have been stuck at 10-ish on my long run Saturdays of late. I'm getting a bit discouraged about talking about my bum feet to the Galloway group; I wonder if they think I'm complaining and not doing anything about it! Truth be known, I have been delaying a bit, since seeing a specialist and getting orthotics, or even getting good running shoes (which I have already)...it all gets expensive, and I'm trying to weigh the foot issues with other things I'm saving for. Orthotics-probably the route I'll go in time, cost $400-500! Yikes! That's on top of decent running shoes, which wear out, and cost in the $100 neighborhood.

In the big scheme of things, this running thing is a hobby of mine, but it's a really important hobby! Would I spend this kind of money on any other hobby? Probably not in one chunk. My feet rarely bother me when I'm going through the day, doing normal things. So, I'll probably start socking money away for orthotics, or wait my healthcare reimbursement account can be flush again. (My current balance is down to a couple of dollars, should've put more in, but didn't anticipate the broken nose plus physical therapy for a groin strain.) That money would be pretax, which is nice, if I can wait a few more months.

That Darn Foot

This morning I had a pretty eventful run, eventhough it was cut short (disappointingly, because my feet were hurting). I ran/walked 10.09 miles in 3 hours, 14 seconds.

While I was running near the back of the pack, I got to talk with JoAnn, one of the group leaders. I hadn't had a chance to talk with her before, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her better. She asked what I do, so we talked about libraries and my job for a bit. She told me about a friend of hers who works at Joyner Library at East Carolina University; she decided she wanted a faculty position within the library, so in past few years, she's completed her bachelors degree as well as a masters degree in English. Now this friend of hers is about to start the library science degree program and NC Central, utilizing the online option, at the age of 51! Pretty inspiring! That was great for me to hear.

JoAnn and I also talked about my running goal of the City of Oaks marathon. She suggested (tactfully and kindly) that I consider running the half marathon instead. She has run several half marathons and loves them! I started thinking about it, and how I've felt pretty spent after 10 miles in the past few weeks. If I concentrate on half marathon training, I could continue to build my mileage base, and return to some fall road races without feeling guilty about missing higher mileage runs on Saturdays. I'm still mulling over all of this, but my gut feels relieved when I think about running a half marathon and more 5k and 10K road races.

During one of our bathroom breaks, which happened to be at Crabtree Valley Mall. We were diverted from the door we usually go in because it was still locked--to keep out the line forming for none other than American Idol tryouts! Who knew?!

After I finished 10 miles and veered off from the group, I got to the parking lot, and had a nice chat with Janet and Jeanette, twins training with the Galloway group, who were parked near my car. They're very nice, so I enjoyed talking with them while standing still. :)

I got in the car and headed for the gym, feeling the need to work out some more. I felt a little frustrated and cheated out of a longer run. I went through the McDonald's drive-through and got a Diet Dr. Pepper to rehydrate, and drove straight to the gym. (Since my apartment complex is right across the street, I was a little tempted, but not much.) I did 45 minutes and 3.33 miles on the elliptical, and enjoyed listening to music on my iPod for most of that workout. I still felt bummed about not going 18 miles as planned today, but I felt better.

Afterward, I dropped into the grocery store in the same strip mall as the gym to get some items. When I was ready to check out, I happened to get in line behind several men with Durham Fire-Rescue shirts on. As they were getting their grocery bags together, the cashier reached for my discount card and asked how I was doing. I usually say, "Fine, how are you?" This time I told her I was okay, that I'd just worked out at the gym and was ready to get home. For some reason, she asked how long I'd been at the gym. I told her 45 minutes, but that I'd run for three hours before that. (Okay, she didn't know I was licking some silly wounds!) Well, the Durham Fire-Rescue guy closest to me heard the exchange and did a double take at me, then turned to his cohorts and said, "Dang, she ran for three hours!"

Okay, so that made me feel a little better! :)

Morning workout

This morning I did 30 minutes on the elliptical machine, than 15:01 minutes on the treadmill for 1.35 miles. My left foot was tender this morning from the plantar fasciitis, probably from the long (for me) run yesterday.

I went to the podiatrist this morning because of a couple of sore places on the bottom of my left foot. Eventhough my diabetes is "in remission," the foot sores have still been a concern to me. I wasn't ready to curb my running much, since it's something I'm having fun with and improving on, but you do what you've got to do. Thank goodness, both sore places were just callusses, which the doctor was able to file down. Already, I can walk more comfortably.

The podiatrist also gave me a recommendation for an over-the-counter orthotic to help with the plantar fasciitis, which is a blessing. (Custom orthotics can cost several hundred dollars!) I can't wait to go shopping for it!