Friday, March 26, 2010

Making the Big Turn

This has been a good week I think in terms of my injury healing but not only from a physical standpoint but also from a mental one as well. Monday I rode and had a nice hike that evening that strained my leg a little bit. Tuesday I took off because of my trip to Denver and the weather. Wednesday, my leg felt great with a little bit of walking. But yesterday...

Yesterday which was Thursday, my leg felt great. The night before I was able to do a one legged squat with each leg without any pain. Mentally yesterday I just had a stronger sense of well being and even a greater sense of optimism that I will be back to running and training very soon.

Since there was still too much snow and mud left over from Tuesday's storm I didn't even think about riding yesterday so that left me with only the walking option. I ran. Not far or not too fast but but mixed it in with the walk yesterday and it felt great! It was so nice to be able to run just a little bit again and be pain free. I didn't go too far and I stopped before I started to feel any strain in my left leg but wow. It sure did leave me feeling optimistic about the future.

This was not a fast run at all and I really took it easy. I am not sure if I will try to run some more today. I think I will dial it back in and just walk and ride. I have my appointment this afternoon with the sports massage therapist and I am hoping that maybe she will have the same conclusions that I have about this injury, both the cause and an optimistic prognosis.

Sunday's incline club run is up to Barr Camp and back. My coach told me that if I can make it to BC and back down (hiking) without any issue that I would be ready to run again. That is my goal for the weekend. It would be great to be running again next week. So nice.

One thing about the past 12 days and being injured is that I am reminded to just freaking be careful, be smart, and don't take any unnecessary risks that could cause me to get hurt or injured. A line from my favorite running book by Hal Higdon, Run Fast, quotes Dr. Kenneth Sparks. That line has been going through my head 100 times a day these past couple of weeks... "As you age, you need to train smarter and be more in tune with your body. Every time you go out to run, it could be your last workout, because of an injury."

That "last workout" line provides much food for thought and I have to say that I am FAR from ready for my last training run and the way things have gone this week, I believe that I am a ways from that point. Thankfully.

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