Powerlifting!

Well, hello there! The very sparse posts are due to the fact that the "Resurrected Runner" is not currently running. At all.

Why not?

Well, two reasons. First, I still have lingering injuries that seem like they'll never go away (primarily my right hamstring), and second, I'm training myself and my daughter to compete in a (some?) powerlifting meet(s).

I am, however, walking quite a bit. I have a goal to...much like the annoying song...walk 500 miles this year. As of the end of June, I'm at 280 miles, so I'm ahead of pace. The walks aren't casual strolls, so I'm still getting some cardio and fat-burning benefits.

As for the lifting, I'm documenting my daughters and my current training cycle on our youtube page: father/daughter powerlifting journey.

Check it out if you're interested. As mentioned in previous posts, my daughter shows some promise. I'm keeping the weights she's lifting well below her maximum ability right now, just to focus on form and to, hopefully, avoid injuries.

Which, surprisingly, I've managed to do so far in my training. Avoid injuries, that is. My often temperamental lower back is even holding up, so I must be doing something right!

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...