Yesterday’s muscle-loosening, knot-untying session facilitated today’s run I’m sure. I advanced to the next stage: walk 3, run 2 six times, and the last one was run 3. My throat was burning till I tried breathing thru my nose. As for legs, hips & feet, it was a relatively pain-free run until the last 30 seconds or so.

Times:

At 26:16 I finished 3K. Garmin showed 3.5K at 30 minutes, and my total time was 5.22K in 45:42 min. Get this, my 5K time was 42:56. A couple of years ago I was working towards a sub-30 5K. That was before my skeletal structure, discs, muscles and nerves rebelled. So I only have 13 minutes to shave to accomplish that goal. Yay!!! Part of me is finding this laughable, but part of me remembers how I ran one lap — one lap!! — on the gym track before gasping for breath and having to stop. Only to keep coming back and doing it again and again and again till I ran an entire half marathon! That’s over 13 miles!! In just under 2 1/2 hours.

I was reading robsrunning’s Born to Run 50K recap, and how he trains with the So Cal Coyotes. I enjoyed it so much, I was releasing endorphins just from reading. You could tell he was still on a runner’s high as he recounted the details. It reminded me of why we, why I do this. Thanks again Tumblrs for all your inspiration!! And Melanie, I love your “tri” posts. You’ll glide into that wetsuit yet, in five seconds or less. ;-)

I ran for 32 minutes non-stop today, and only covered 400 meters. That is, I went to the pool and did some deep-water running. My version of doing laps for the time being. The pool = 25m, and it took two minutes to go from one end to the other, thus 8 minutes to complete 100m.

Then I went for some dry needling this afternoon. Electrical stimulation of knotted muscles — feels good! I’m thinking about going out for a bit of a run, I feel so good. Didn’t ask the practitioner if I should be less or more active.

After all the running I’ve done, hundreds of miles over five years, it finally happened last Saturday.
What’s this? Some yappy little sumbitch dog BIT ME!! YES!! First time!

I love dogs, especially Jacks, Springers, Golden Retrievers, and all the Labs. I guess it’s their size, but I find the toys are the most aggressive, and it was a snarky little Bichon shih-tsu type that got me. I was walking happily (read: VERY NON-threatening) when I met a young girl, maybe 12, strolling with her dog on a leash. In retrospect, I noticed the dog moving from her left side to her right side, but since it had never happened before, what ensued was totally completely unexpected. He got too close, and growled a sneaky quiet growl in conjunction with the snap. I exclaimed “Oh!!” quickly followed by a very annoyed even angry “Ouch!!” but yonder kid just kept on walking.

The skin isn’t broken but there’s a bruise now. I informed the campground manager, just in case that dog has a record of previous bad choices. I’m all right, just really pissed off that ten lbs of hair and attitude caught me with my guard down.

I ate the whole damn thing. For dessert. Just now.

davidsgoals:

In two years (next week), I’ve run 1759 miles, lost 37 lbs, I’m 52 years old, and have gotten to know many of you. I’ve met really cool people and I’ve met Tridad. I’ve run in many different states, multiple countries, in the sun, the snow and the rain.

Here I am in Singapore.

Two years ago, I…

On Friday I mostly walked, Saturday I took a chance on a bit of running, Sunday I had the old familiar back/leg pain so I thot I’d take a day off, Monday (yesterday) I was travelling and by the time I got home it was easy to make excuses for not getting out and doing something. But today I did this:

4.22K in 40:00
I did 3K in 28:28, and Garmin said 3.21K at the 30 min mark.

I started with walk 4/run 1 x 6, then did some spurts for the last few minutes.

I used to feel a tingly, pins & needles numbness in my right shin, but the past couple of days there have been brief spurts of pain, so I guess things are happening that shoudn’t be, and I’ll probably be told to slow down. God bless the people who think they are offering me comfort; they talk like it’s a no-brainer. “Your back is sore? Pinched nerve? Well, I guess you’ll just have to give up running then. Walking is good exercise!” Well duh. If it would be that effin simple. Yeah, how about YOU give up something that you really like, that you feel passionate about, like it’s something meaningless and useless. But anyway … I vowed to keep this positive.

On the bright side, I have a massage this afternoon, and my running coach/RMT will offer encouragement and poke some stiffness outa that damn piriformis. Also, I am working on getting into a pain management clinic that has a two-year waiting list. Maybe something can happen that will allow me to run again without destroying, oh I dunno, cartilege or tissue or muscles or bones or whatever else, and I know I spelled cartilidge wrong but hey, that’s just me being a rebel. :(

May Long. Traditionally that’s when Canadians head out to country campgrounds for the first time after a long cold winter. We’re doing it this year! Moved the fifth wheel to a nice rustic spot in central Alberta where you can walk/run on trails instead of pavement or concrete. Lots of nice little hills too! My glutes & quads were feeling it yesterday! Down side: shoes get really dusty, even my toes get muddy. Also, someone was kind enough to tell me that cougars have been spotted along one of the trails (not IN the campground, thankfully!)

Wed. May 15 - just went walking, 2.5 km in 28:28. Last fall I see I did 3 mi. in 34 min, and on another day I ran 4 mi. in 46:33. So I have a ways to go. Today I spoke to someone from a place called Sante SurgiCentre who encouraged me to get my info together so they can look at healing options, pain management, potential for full recovery, like that.

No running or walking yesterday, just stretching my legs now and then on the long ride back home. But I went out today, 3K in 30:34, then I ran a bit. Spurt running I call it. 4K in 38:50.

I did not enjoy the running. I felt sloppy, uncoordinated, with laboured breathing…. Like, I was missing THIS?? But I know it’ll get better!

Mothers Day self care

Yesterday I went walking with two small kids, and with numerous interruptions we managed to cover 1 km in over 16 minutes! Today I took a quick little walk on my own, with an additional 200 m to be added on because I had to wait for the satellites to be located. Both walks were good. Some pain, but we’re not thinking about that now.