Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Update

Greetings fellow readers! All 2 of you 😉

Here we are again, with an update reminiscent of Groundhog Day (the movie, not the actual day). If anyone needs a poster child for running injuries, I'm available, though not terribly photogenic.

If Brett Favre can retire multiple times, so can I. Right around mid-February of this year my left hip insisted that I immediately stop all running. My hip had been bothering me for a few months before that, to be honest. It became increasingly more painful, and felt a lot like the torn labrum that led me to have surgery on my right hip a couple of years ago. However, instead of backing down on the mileage, I DOUBLED down, recording three 30+ mile weeks in a row from the middle to the end of January. Before you judge and reprimand me, keep in mind that I'm very new to running, having only 35 years of running experience under my belt. Ahem.

The pain wasn't (isn't) only in the groin area (where the tear would be), but radiates all around the hip area. It aches even after longish walks. Given that my finances are a bit tight currently, I won't be able to get a scan, nor surgery (if needed) anytime soon. And even if I got it repaired, I don't know that a return to running would be a good thing. After a laundry list of injuries trying to send me messages over the years, maybe it's time to move on to other fitness endeavors, rather than continuing to pound my body into oblivion. I don't want to go into my golden years with the inability to walk without pain.

So, that brings me to the idea of striving for general health and fitness. As competitive as I am (was), this idea has always been hard for me to implement. But I know in my gut that it's time. The extremes (for me) ALWAYS get me injured. And the older I get, the more this is the case.

I've had a tendency to swing the pendulum hard the other way when I can't run. I've hit the weights hard-core and added up to 40lbs. of bodyweight in relatively short periods of time (no, I've never used any anabolics).

Hello low back! Are you ready for this?
A wee bit heavier than my "race weight"
I realized many years ago that I'll never be brutally strong. Powerlifting isn't for me. I've attempted to get quite strong several times and have ended up injuring myself in the process (multiple back injuries, separated shoulder, torn biceps tendon, etc). So doing high load, low rep exercises is not beneficial to me, at this point.

Less muscle mass than the above photo, but achieved by lifting safer, lighter weights.


My goal, moving forward, is to see if I can, finally, find that happy medium. Building muscle and strength in a SAFE manner, and getting enough cardio exercise to promote good health and fitness, along with the satisfaction of enjoying the outdoors while getting my heart pumping.

My wife and I will soon be shopping for kayaks. We decided last year that this will be one of the activities we'll do together, for both exercise and a way to get spend some quality time together. We've tried cycling together before, but it's not enjoyable for her. She insists I'm too fast, even when I'm trying to ride slow. That said, I intend to do a decent amount of cycling this year, but with lower intensity and distances. I want it to be enjoyable and not feel like I'm killing myself to prepare for a race.

I know better than to say "never" when it comes to any fitness activity I've been interested in, but given that my body is clearly telling me to back off, and my desire to be competitive is waning (probably as a result of compounding injuries), it's probably time for a change of scenery, or at least a modification of my approach to exercise. Staying healthy for long haul is becoming more of a focus than personal performance in a local race, or how much weight I can lift.

And finding that balance can still be fun, challenging and interesting. My mission is to make sure it is.

In future blog posts, I'll go into my training program and diet in a little more detail.

Now, if you'll excuse me, this grandpa has a crossword puzzle to solve...

Thursday, January 4, 2018

2017 Review

Wow, that was a fast year! It seems like it just started a couple of months ago. I wish time would slow down. Guess it's a good reason to make the most of the time we do have.

Rambling aside, here were my workout-related numbers from 2017.

RUNNING
Runs: 154
Miles: 838
Hours: 118.7
Miles/Run: 5.44
Avg. Pace/Mi: 8:30
Long Run: 14 mi.
Highest Mileage Month: 105.8 (Sept)
Highest Mileage Week: 31.4
Races: 5 (four 10k, one Half Marathon)
Tot. Elev. Gain: 24,155'
Elev. Gain/Mi: 28.8'

CYCLING
(outdoor)
Rides: 29
Miles: 783
Hours: 49.0
Miles/Ride: 27.0
Avg MPH: 16.0
Long Ride: 57 mi.
Highest Mileage Month: 196 (Jul)
Highest Mileage Week: 73.8
Tot. Elev. Gain: 18,365'
Elev. Gain/Mi: 23.5'
Most Elev. Gain/1 Ride: 1672' (57 mi)
(indoor)
Rides: 30
Miles: 400
Hours: 25.6
Miles/Ride: 13.3
Avg. MPH: 15.6

SWIMMING
Swims: 15
Yards: 26,000
Min/100yd: 2.25
Long Swim: 2750 yds

So many numbers. That even makes MY eyes glaze over. The best part of 2017's training is the fact that I wasn't sidelined for more than a couple of days at a time. I had a few aggravating niggles, but never a major injury. My left knee continues to taunt me, but I've been able to train through it. I've also had some hip soreness, but nothing major.

2017 was a rebuilding year for me. I'm hoping 2018 will be the beginning of a testing year. That said, it will be done with caution and preservation in mind. My goal is to continue cross-training (whether or not that translates to a triathlon), along with consistent strength training (which I slacked off on toward the end of 2017).

My main "A" race this year will be the Windermere Half Marathon, on May 20th, with my "almost A" race being the Spokane Half Marathon, in October. I'll run several other races throughout the year, including a return to Bloomsday, on May 6th (22 years after I ran it for the first time).

Onward!