A Good Week

I just finished a good week of endurance training, at least given where I'm at with my current level of fitness. I rode my bike three times (the first two were an hour each on the trainer), including a 30.4 mile ride on Friday at a decent pace (17.6 mph), for me, anyway.

I also ran twice, 3 miles each, both at about an 8:54 pace. These were my first runs in 7 weeks. As expected, my left knee is still giving me pain, but it's not as bad as when I was forced to quit back in January. I'm considering buying a knee sleeve to add a little support. I'm holding out hope of running a trail 10k with my daughter on April 19th, even though I know it won't be fast. I'll be paying close attention to the knee between now and then, with the knowledge that I may have to shut down the running again if this knee gives me too much trouble.

But it was nice to actually run again! And things are starting to feel good on the bike finally, too.

And I lost two pounds this week!

Maybe this old guy can get fit again after all!

Very Interesting...

Normally, I wouldn't refer to a slow, 2-mile run as "interesting." However, this one was.

I had a strong urge this morning to take the dog for a short, easy run around a local park. I was planning on just a mile, but I felt good and continued.

Nearly a week ago, I did an even shorter run with my youngest daughter and had a lot of soreness on the tendon behind my right knee for several days after the run. And that run was my first in over a month (back in early August, when I pulled a calf muscle running with my OTHER daughter. Hmm...I need to stop running with my kids.)

My lower back has been in pretty serious pain for over a week, too, so I wasn't sure what to expect from today's run. But everything felt good. I did notice my right hamstring—injured early this year—but it didn't hurt, probably since I was running slowly.

Now, if I can sneak in a few of these per week, maybe I can restart (resurrect) my running yet again. If so, it'll be a long, slow process, which will still include cycling and strength training. And beer.

Although, come to think of it, I haven't had one of those in a few weeks. I need to resurrect that, too...

Still No Riding...But A Little Running

I mentioned a couple of posts ago that I was going to dust off my trusty two-wheeler and start pedaling to get my cardio fix.

Well, the best laid plans...

A surge of work came in nearly two weeks ago that has allowed little free time. Cycling takes more planning than most other forms of exercise, and to get a decent workout, I feel like I need to ride for at least an hour. So I haven't gone for a ride yet since we moved here over a month ago.

However, I've made time to lift weights three days per week. Last week, I had an overwhelming urge to do a short "cooldown" run after each workout. So, last Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I ran two loops around my neighborhood each time for a total of 6.3 miles for the week. There was a time not long ago that I would average that per day, but I'm happy to have "jogged" (that's what it felt like) even that paltry mileage. I did feel some aches and pains, but nothing too extreme.

I'll probably continue with this program for a bit just to see how my body will respond. I still have plans to get out and ride, too.

Even though I intentionally bulked up when I switched to weight lifting back in March, I do need to drop a few of those pounds. The extra 17 lbs. are definitely noticeable during these runs.

So, although it's not much to report, it IS running, even if just a little.