Hey Y'all!

Since it's been a while, I figured I'd post an update to let everyone know I'm still not running. In fact, I'm doing so well at not running that I'm 25 lbs. over what I would consider my race weight.

Yes, seriously.

That 25 lbs. consists entirely of muscle and what is commonly known as "not quite muscle."

In fact, I'm the heaviest I've been, ever.

And, believe it or not, that was intentional. I wanted to see if I could hit that mark (for me, that was 180 lbs.) by my 47th birthday (Feb. 28th). I achieved that a few weeks early. You may laugh (or cringe), but I've always had a hard time putting on weight. At my age, that now appears to no longer be the case.

The combination of very little cardio (I'm walking a few times per week), heavy weight lifting, and heavy eating, plus an apparently slower metabolism than I used to have made the weight gain relatively easy.

As I skeptically train for a potential powerlifting meet sometime in the future (skeptically, because I have a tendency to get injured. Duh.), the added weight has helped me get stronger. However, my midsection has grown to the point of limiting my wardrobe. Sure, sweatpants feel cozy, but having only 3 pairs of jeans you can squeeze into isn't ideal. Although I need to brag about having more of a Kardashian booty now than my formerly scrawny runner's booty.

The upside is that this fair-weather cyclist is close to dusting off the two-wheel steed soon, since spring weather has finally arrived here in Spokane. I don't know if I'll ever be a hardcore cyclist, but I am getting the itch to get back to riding somewhat regularly. That, plus dialing back the appetite just a little should gradually shrink my waist back to an acceptable size.

Do I miss running? Sure, especially when I see other people out for a run. Will I ever be a "runner" again? I honestly don't know. The hamstring that shut me down several months ago still reminds me of its unhappy presence. In fact, I was doing lunges in a recent workout — an exercise I hadn't done in a LONG time — and I could feel a different sensation & tightness in that hamstring than in the other. I'm guessing it's a buildup of scar tissue. Even when I'm sleeping, if I move a certain way a little twinge in the hammy occasionally wakes me up.

So it's really hard to tell if/when I might find my way back into my running kicks. Still, I'm not giving up hope.

One thing is for sure, though...I'll have to drop a few dress sizes, or running just ain't gonna feel that good, healed hamstring or not!

I may still have a pair buried away somewhere...

An Injury With A Heartbeat, Wrapped In Flesh

Yep, that pretty much describes me at this moment.

Aside from this chronic hamstring problem, I've now injured my lower back (pretty seriously) for the third time in as many months. That happened five days ago (alas, while lifting weights...even though it was from a movement that had little to do with my back), and I'm still in serious pain. I took a cringeworthy 3-mile walk this afternoon, thinking it might loosen my back a little. Nope. Perhaps the 14 degree temps had something to do with that, but even after a hot bath, it still hurts.

Oh, and the hamstring hurt during the walk as well.

Yes, I'm a whining mess of a human right now.

My "one mile run per day" experiment lasted 16 days. Not only did my hamstring pain not diminish, it started getting worse.

So, skipping any further whining, I'm shutting things down once again.

I even hinted to my wife today that I may retire from running. She laughed and said, "you'll never retire from running!" She may be right. At the very least, I need to reach 10,000 career miles. I'm still 208 shy of that goal.

I'll get there...

232 Miles

That number is what I need to run to reach 10,000 miles in my running career. I've actually been pretty close to 10k for quite some time. These pesky injuries have made the last 1,000 miles a very long and slow journey. I will reach it, though. It may not be by the end of 2013, as I was hoping, but the milestone will be reached, rest assured.

In the meantime, I'm in "Do What I Can Do" mode. I put in 37.5 miles in two bike rides this week, while the nice weather hangs on. It looks like it'll cool down at least 20°F next week, so I'll either be riding while being bundled up, or I'll dig out my trainer and try to stave off boredom. I'm also trying to get back into the weights more, minus deadlifts, which severely injured my back a few weeks ago. Or, I should say, they pushed my already temperamental back over the edge.

I may opt for some very short runs here and there, just to keep those muscles familiar with running, but if the hamstring objects, I'll stop.

Which leads me to a tangent. Like a good sports geek, I play fantasy football (for fun & bragging rights, not for money). I have two fantasy teams. I was noticing lately just how many of my players are coming down with hamstring injuries, and have been reading the notes about just how long those injuries take to heal. Trust me, I'm no professional athlete, but I can relate. It feels like this injury could take a very long time to heal (it already has), and I'm 15-20 years older than these athletes...who have the very best medical care available.

I wish there was a way to instantly fix it, but that day hasn't yet come 8-)

Reboot

Well, I tried.

I had a couple weeks of decent mileage. Felt some minor pains, but not quite enough to convince me to pull back.

Until now.

Or, Monday, to be precise. Having run a couple of six milers and a seven miler in the last two weeks, I decided that—come hell or high water—I was running 8 miles on Monday. And so I did.

I felt clunky. I never got into that comfortable groove. In hindsight, I think the tightness in my hamstring was causing me to alter my stride slightly. At around mile 5, both my right hamstring and my right knee started aching. Oh, and my right big toe, too. I ran the 8 miles at a faster pace than I should have (although not terribly fast).

I iced the knee and hamstring, then applied heat to the hamstring.

I had an easy 4-miler (with the dog) planned for Tuesday, so off I went, curious about how my body would react. I made it through the run, but later that day, I knew I was done for a while.

This has been a tough year for this old (feeling) body. I'm also nursing some other non running-related injuries, so my body is currently a mess.

Aside from a short & slow pre-donut run I promised my youngest daughter this coming Saturday, I'm taking a few days off from all exercise. Then, I'm going to basically start over. Everything will be short, light and easy for a while. I'm going to vary my workouts quite a bit. I may do a short run one day, bodyweight exercises another, ride my Schwinn Airdyne on another, lift light weights on another, skip rope, ride the bike trainer, etc. Basically, it'll be a general fitness program until I can get past these aggravating injuries.

Oh, I'm not done as a runner. My body just wasn't ready for what I was asking quite yet.

Until it is, I'll see if I can slowly get this body back to where it should be...i.e. not hurting!

Vitamin I

I'm not a big fan of downing ibuprofen on a regular basis (least of all before a run...which I avoid), but the end of this week provided enough pain for me to resort to a few rounds of vitamin I.

Here were this week's totals:

M - 7.0 mile run
T - 4.0 mile run
W - off
T - 6.0 mile run
F - 4.0 mile run + weights (ouch)
S - off (ouch)
S - 17:00 spin on the Airdyne

Miles Run: 21.0

The positive news of the week was starting off with a 7-mile run, which is my longest run since early March.

On the flip side, Friday wasn't a fun day for me. My hamstring had been feeling more or less okay during the week. Friday's run was no different. After the run, however, it was bothering me quite a bit. After that run, since I had been neglecting it, I decided to do a short workout with the weights. I did some pullups, bench presses, then moved on to the deadlift. I haven't been deadlifting a lot of weight for a while due to a cranky lower back, so I figured I could handle this with no problems. Oh, how wrong I was. During the third rep, I felt and heard an audible pop in my lower back. I immediately dropped the weight. I did finish my workout (dumb), and my lower back proceeded to hurt and lock up quite a bit.

Upon waking up the last two mornings, I can barely bend. Putting on my socks is agonizing (and nearly impossible.) Thankfully, my back gradually loosens up a bit as the day wears on, but it's going to take a week or two to mend.

As for the hamstring, I'm not sure what to do. I rode my neglected Schwinn Airdyne today, since I'm able to sit upright on it (as opposed to my racing bike, which would kill my back), so I at least got in a short cardio workout. I'll play it by ear as to whether or not I'll run soon. In the meantime, I'm doing the usual: ice, heat, stretching, for both my back and hamstring.

Getting old is getting old.

Bumpy!

My Stick arrived two days ago, and I've been putting it to the test on my right hamstring.

First of all, it's quite an upper body workout! To hit the hamstring effectively (when it's not tense), I lay on my back and bend my right knee straight up (foot on the floor). Then I roll up and down on the hamstring. The Stick is meant to really dig in, so that's what I do.

I can tell you with confidence that my right hamstring is a complete mess! When I roll over it, it feels like a bumpy road, especially compared to my left hamstring. My guess is that I've got a lot of scar tissue built up, which may be why it's taking so long to heal, and why it often feels tight & like it's pulling during some runs.

I've decided to stop stretching it for the time being (which usually felt uncomfortable, anyway). I'm also going to hold off on the ice and heat. I really want to see if I can break things up in there first, so I'll have a good idea whether or not the Stick is making a difference.

So, after a couple of days of really working it over, it's pretty sore. I'm going to run on it in a couple of hours. I'm sure it's too soon to feel a significant difference, but over the long term, I'm optimistic that I can undo most, if not all, of the damage.

Fingers crossed...

Tighten The Reigns, Cowboy

Two weeks ago, I ran three times for a total of 9 miles. My bum hamstring made its presence known, but with a little ice and heat...and running on a level surface, it was completely manageable.

So, last week I ran three times for a total of 10 miles, right? Following that old "10 percent rule?"

Er, um, did you catch the Seahawks game yesterday? It was great, huh?

Okay, I got carried away like I have MANY times in the past. I ran 5 times for a total of 19 miles. Not a lot of miles by most standards, but coming back from a long term injury, that was a bit of a jump—especially since it included a hard mile during one run, and a hard half mile during another.

Consequently, my hamstring was barking a little over the weekend. I fed it plenty of ice and heat and it seems to have calmed down a little.

This week will probably fall somewhere between the 3 runs/9 miles from two weeks ago and the 5 runs/19 miles from last week.

Oh, I recently ordered The Stick from Amazon.com a few days ago. It should arrive on Tuesday. I'm hoping this will allow me to massage the tar out of that hammy, since I can't really dig into it with the foam roller.

Right Hamstring, Prepare For Sweet Pain

Have a great week of training, my friends!

So Far, So (Mostly) Good

I ran three days last week and have run both yesterday and today (Monday and Tuesday) and I'm knocking on any wood I can find. The runs have been between 3 and 4 miles, at a slow pace, and on level ground. That's all by design. I still have a very touchy right hamstring and, now, an angry upper left calf. But, during the runs, they both feel pretty good.

So...where to from here? More of the same. Three to four runs per week, gradually increasing the distance, but keeping things slow and easy. And flat.

If I can sneak up on my body and get up to a consistent 12-15 miles per week for a few weeks, I'll re-evaluate and maybe change things up a bit. Any potential changes will revolve around the goal of building a huge base of easy mileage.

But for now, I'm very hesitant to change what seems to be agreeable to my very temperamental body.

Oh, and the weight is slowly starting to come off.

More as things develop...

3 And Out...Again

My daughter Natalie is going into her freshman year of high school. Shortly after we moved into our new home in Spokane Valley, WA, I tracked down the Central Valley HS girls cross-country coach via email and got the scoop on when and where the girls are meeting to train during the summer. Since then, I've been Natalie's chauffeur every weekday morning, as they run at 8:00am sharp. Witnessing these girls already getting serious about the upcoming season got me itching to get back out there myself. I haven't run since March due to a hamstring injury (with the exception of a 1.7 mile fun run at my youngest daughter's elementary school in early June.) So last Thursday, since Natalie had to miss the morning run with the girls, I decided to head out with her and Apollo.

I managed a slow (9:30/mile) three mile slog with Apollo—both of us out of shape—and felt the hamstring just a little. That would have been acceptable, except that the hamstring hurt much worse later in the day. In fact, it felt just like it did when it first sidelined me a few months ago.

*sigh*

I'll have to be content with being a cheerleader for Natalie for the time being.

Relocation. Defintely NOT Vacation

I didn't realize that it's been over a month since I posted here. Moving across the state has been a major event, and MUCH more work than I even anticipated. After being in our previous house for 16 years, we (okay, mostly I) managed to accumulate WAY too much junk. Not quite to the level of Hoarders, but even after three big trips to the dump, we had far too many possessions to transport across the state.

If I ever get this bad, shoot me quickly.

But we made it.

And I'm sitting here in my new office in our new house...in complete and utter disarray. It'll take us a few weeks (months? never?) to get fully unpacked and settled in.

But we're enjoying our new location. Summer here in Spokane is definitely summer by the classic definition, as opposed to Western Washington, where it can be hit-and-miss. We'll also have a distinct winter here, complete with plenty of snow and below-freezing temperatures.

So what is my training status amidst all the chaos? Well, it's on life support. I set up my workout area in the garage last week (we have a 3-car garage now, so there's a nice space for all my gear) and have done a couple of weight workouts. My oldest daughter Natalie, who will be going into high school, has started running with the Central Valley HS girls' cross-country team. They're meeting 5 mornings per week. She's about to get into the shape of her life, whether she's ready for it or not!

Seeing the approaching XC season has me itching to run again, despite my 15 lb. weight gain (mostly muscle...I'm pretty sure, anyway.) I've enjoyed running with Natalie in the past and I'd like to again, but the reality is that my days of being faster than her are probably coming to a close, unless I can resume training the way I'm accustomed to (and how I'd like to), including speed work.

We live in a quiet neighborhood, so there are lots of good areas to run. Lots of hills, too. I'm thinking that I'll be going out for some short, slow jogs sooner than later.

Speaking of which, how are the long-term injuries? My hamstring still speaks up every once in a while if I do something that stresses it. My more recent injury — a muscle (or tendon) pull on the top of my right foot — is more troublesome. I pulled that while falling out of my office chair a few weeks ago (don't ask) and I've felt it ever since.

So I'm still the same old injury prone 40-something guy I've long been. I've just relocated my old, aching body 312 miles further east now, that's all.

Never. Moving. Again.

Moving

I'm unfortunately not talking about the kind of moving done while running. Haven't done any of that for about 7 weeks now.

I'm talking about selling our house and moving across the state, from Everett to Spokane, WA. Our house sold three days after being listed. The inspection took place yesterday and, barring anything crazy, the sale will close on May 20th. We'll move by the end of June (the kids get out of school on June 17th.) In the meantime, we'll be making trips to Spokane to hunt for a new house.

Somewhere in the mix, I need to get my behind on the bike. I'm already going to be unprepared for the Seattle to Portland bike ride (July 13th-14th), but if I don't get my body used to time in the saddle, it could be a long 200+ miles. I imagine it will be anyway.

For the most part, my ailing hamstring feels pretty good. One of my daughters hurt herself about a week ago, and I bolted up the stairs, which re-aggravated the hammy, so it seems that it wouldn't take much to set it off again. So, with the need to get on the bike and the impending relocation, it might be a while before I'm running again.

But I'll be back!

Up On Blocks

A bumper sticker I created for myself. Hey, it's true for me!

Well, despite my high hopes, substituting cycling for running didn't quite agree with my hamstring.

Which means I need to let it rest completely. Which also means no 5k race tomorrow and likely no 5 mile race on April 6th.

Aside from wasting money on entry fees, I'm really not too bummed about the situation. I've gone through this many times, so I'm confident that I'll be "resurrected" as a runner once again. The tricky thing about this particular injury is that it's hard to gauge. One day it'll feel fine, the next I'll feel a tweak while merely walking around the house. I'll err on the side of caution (which I didn't do when the injury first appeared) and let it rest for at least another couple of weeks.

What to do in the meantime...assuming I don't get the urge to swim (and if I do, I'll just consider it a beer or ice cream craving...or both)...

How about weight lifting!

NARCISSISM ALERT

I've bounced back and forth between running and lifting weights numerous times, so my body usually gets back into the "iron groove" relatively quickly when I start hitting the weights pretty seriously...which is what I've done this week.

I'll never be mistaken for the Hulk, but for a scrawny runner, I put on a decent amount of muscle:

After this morning's workout. I vil crush yoo!

So please forgive the narcissistic photos, but when I'm a droopy old man, I can look back and laugh, er, be proud of having a couple of muscle fibers to crow about.

I just wish the hamstring muscle fibers would cooperate!

Hamming It Up

Well, it seems that I'm in the throes of a persistent, nagging, semi-debilitating hamstring injury. And I'm pretty sure my overly zealous track workout on February 13th was the genesis of said injury.

It didn't hit me all at once. In fact, it seemed to be more of a hip flexor/groin tweak at first. But gradually, and after a race and a few fast-paced training runs, my right hamstring (every injury I've had over the years seems to be on the right side) has progressively gotten worse.

Which is a shame. No sane runner would ever desire an injury, but what bugs me most about this one is the fact that I'm starting to feel fit and some of my speed is returning. I thought I might be poised to take a shot at my 5k PR in a couple of weeks, but after a 7.5 mile run with a guy in my club yesterday morning, and the necessity of walking backward up a small hill during a family walk yesterday afternoon, I'm not so sure. Even taking three consecutive days off before yesterday's run didn't seem to help much.

My immediate plan—aside from icing, ibuprofen, and self-massage—will be to run at an easy, steady pace on flat courses the next few days. No surges, no hills. If the pain remains the same or gets worse, I may be shutting it down for a while. I still haven't hopped on my bike to see if that aggravates it. If not, that'll be the alternative to running, I suppose. But already being signed up for two races makes me hesitant to nix my training runs.

Which is exactly what I should do if this hamstring isn't improving.

Which is why I thought "Resurrected Runner" was a good title for this blog. Some guys are "babe magnets." I'm obviously an "injury magnet."

Okay, and a "babe magnet." Well, at least to one "babe."*


*who didn't know what she was getting into, obviously.