I guess it's been nearly a month since I last posted. I wish I could say that a lot has happened since then. The running and bike rides have been few and far between. I was getting in about 3 runs per week until a couple of weeks ago. That's when I came down with a minor illness. Then I had a friend from across the country come up for a visit, which put me very behind in my work. So, even though excuses are like...well, you know, everyone has one...the quest for 10,000 lifetime running miles is still hanging there like forbidden fruit. I'm currently 152 miles shy of that mark.
There is another interesting development, though. My youngest daughter, Lindsey, has become very interested in powerlifting. I took her to watch a deadlift meet last January and she said she wants to compete in it next year. So I've taken it upon myself to train her. No, I'm no expert, but I've trained with weights for 20 years, read and researched, and solicited advice from a friend who is a Canadian national record holder in powerlifting. After a few months of training, I've determined that she's A) serious, and B) strong! Because of that commitment, I bought her a nice lifting belt. At 12 years old, she would already set a state record in one of the federations (USAPL) in two of the three lifts, with just her current numbers!
If I have to be honest, that's another reason I may not be quite as gung-ho about the running right now (aside from the ever-present hamstring issue). She would like me to compete in the same meet as her next January. Aside from the fact that I would likely embarrass myself, I'm not sure my body (lower back, in particular) will hold up enough to get up to, or over, a 400 lb. deadlift...which is where I'd want to be (or close to, anyway). But I'm going to give it a shot. Pure strength training and lots of slow cardio work aren't exactly compatible. Not for me, anyway, but I still hope to hit 10k miles by the end of this year. We'll see how this all plays out.
I've been walking quite a bit, though, in an attempt to walk 500 miles this year. I'm close to 190 already. Need to keep the dog's belly (and mine) in check.
Daughter #1, Natalie, sadly missed her entire freshman track season with hip issues. She's currently in physical therapy to strengthen her glutes & hips. There's apparently quite an imbalance in strength among those muscles and she's been compensating, which has led to a LOT of pain and soreness when she tries to run. We're hoping she can get to where she can run again soon.
That's about it from here. Spring has sprung here in the inland Northwest. Summer will be here soon!
Happy running!
