A Pattern, A Groove...but Not A Rut (I hope)

I survived a three-run week last week. First time since May. I just finished my first run of this week today, which included 3 quick interval segments. The heel held up okay. Got ice on it right now.

All of these runs have been with my oldest daughter (going into 7th grade). While I miss the 45 mile weeks and my own speed & tempo sessions, being able to run with my daughter (so far), at her pace, has been really enjoyable for me. While I'm determined to NOT make her my "project," it's fun to see her develop as a runner.

So, for the time being, this will be my pattern. I'll lift weights 3x per week and run 3x per week. Hoping to fit in some cycling (did a family ride over the weekend in which I broke one of my cycling shoes) and, perhaps, some swimming once again, as I quit doing that for the summer when the the pool changed their lap schedules.

It would be nice if I'm able to slowly build up some mileage and speed using this approach. I may never be a 40+ mile/week runner again without having surgery, but I'm going to see what I can do on limited mileage and frequency. Something tells me I'll get the urge to run more/farther/faster before long and choose to go under the knife. Who knows. But for now, I'll stick to this little groove I'm currently in & enjoy running some miles with my daughter.

Oh, full disclosure — I quit seeing my sports doc for the time being. The last several visits went something like this:

Doc: "Let's look at the heel. Looks good. How does it feel?"
Me: "Oh, not too bad. A little discomfort from time to time."
Doc: "Well, keep doing what you're doing. 3 runs per week. Short & slow. And do your heel raises."
Me: "Okay"
Doc: "I'll see you again next month."

There were many consecutive visits identical to that. I figured that, unless things change, why make a co-pay every month for the same thing?