The Odometer

New Year's Day.  Time to set goals, make resolutions, whatever you want to call it.  These days I try and live in the moment as much as possible, with humility and gratitude.  That doesn't mean I am without ambition; it just means I don't wanna miss what's happening NOW.

There are a lot of things I want to do as a runner and an athlete, but my physical fitness is in a precarious state.  The muscle imbalances I had BEFORE my accident have been exacerbated, so my lower back keeps going into spasm.  What that means for me is at least a week of compromised training every time it happens. I have a stretching and mobility routine I use whenever it happens, but it still means time off from my "real" training.  As I write this I am at the tail end of a week and a half of rehab from my last back problem.  I'm still not able to run, and it's making me crazy.

So what am I gonna do about it?  Well, a couple things.  This week I have an appointment with a physical therapist; she's going to tell me if I'm healthy enough to ease back into running.  If not, she's gonna help me plan what I have to do to get healthy enough.  I'm cautiously optimistic.

The other thing I've done is set a goal.  Saturday, May 11 is a few days before my 54th birthday; my goal is to once again run the entire 11 miles of Leif Erickson Road.  I'm gonna take off from the Thurman trailhead at around 2:00 PM; you're welcome to join me if you want.  It's not a race, just a friendly little run.

Forward Again

I haven't posted anything in exactly two months.  Summer is over, and this is shaping up to be a nasty autumn weather-wise.  I haven't gone on my weekend big workout/moving meditation for three weeks due to a busy stretch at TKD.  Frankly, I have been a little discouraged lately.  My injured foot has been causing me a fair amount of pain; by the end of a work day it feels as if it is on fire.  I began to wonder if I was ever gonna hit bottom.  Well, it looks like I have.  Only two choices now: straight up or sideways.

The last two months haven't been a total waste.  I grudgingly embraced bicycling, and it turned out to be somewhat rewarding.  I rode the entire length of the Banks-Vernonia Trail, a beautiful reclaimed railroad track a half-hour west of my house.  Nice series of trips.  I still lost August, but got some good miles in September and early October before the weather went away.

There have been a couple major developments in my journey.  The big one is I have been moving toward a plant-based diet.  As of today I have all but given up cow milk, red meat, and poultry (I'm still eating fish and eggs, and cheese is gonna be a little tougher to give up).  I haven't lost any weight, but my energy level has improved, and I'm sleeping much more soundly.  A number of factors have influenced me to move away from animal-based foods, including my health, the environment, and ethical treatment of animals.  I don't begrudge other people their food choices or judge them; this is a personal and complicated decision I have made.  I never want to be like one of those self-righteous pain-in-the-ass PETA types, either.  If you invite me to dinner I'm eating what you're serving, with gratitude.  

The other development is I may have finally gotten the footwear situation straightened out.  I talked to the great people at Portland Running Company; they put me in some neutral support Brooks trail shoes.  They are super comfortable, and the little bit of slow jogging I have done has gone very well.  Last week I ran about 3/4 mile on Wednesday and the Misery Mile on Thursday with no ill effects.  That's the plan: to VERY gently ease back into a high frequency, low mileage running regimen.

I also found some viable footwear for TKD: ZEMgear Playa minimalist shoes.  They are basically neoprene socks with thin plastic soles.  The soles provide almost no traction or friction, so I can pivot on my feet to demonstrate various techniques.  Most importantly they don't kill my feet like the Mooto martial arts shoes I was wearing did.  I'veen wearing my ZEMgear shoes for three days now, and the pain in my injured foot is reduced by more than half!  What a relief, and what a signal to move forward.

This is Thanksgiving week.  I am thankful to see a light at the end of the tunnel.  I'm looking forward to getting back to regular running in my beloved Forest Park.  I'm thinking about next year, and a couple of particularly nasty mud runs that have been calling my name.

Patience, grasshopper

Perhaps the hardest part of recovering from an injury is GETTING ENOUGH REST, especially when you know that you could probably white-knuckle your way through your workouts.  I know I could probably gut it out through some shorter runs, but I know I'd pay for it later.  I'm paying for my overzealous approach already.

The tendinitis in my foot usually is quiet in the morning, then flares up as the day wears on.  By the time I get off work at 8:30 PM the pain is significant.  This is nothing new, but the level of pain has increased.  For me this reinforces my belief that I need to not stress my injured foot any more than absolutely necessary.  Unfortunately I am on my feet for much of the day, so rest is difficult at best.  I mean, I can't just not walk.

I have been able to modify my exercise regimen.  I did go for a long bicycle ride on Saturday.  It's not my favorite form of exercise; I mostly feel it in my quads, and so far I just don't get the same endorphin rush as from running.  The upside is that I'm still outdoors enjoying what's left of the summer, and bicycling doesn't stress my foot at all.  As far as strength training goes, the ADAPT workouts are easy to modify around my issues.  No problem as long as I am able to use some restraint and good judgment.  Riiiight.

I keep thinking about Bruce Lee and his recovery from a devastating injury.  Lee was a dynamic and restless man who would often interrupt his own writing with impromptu workouts such as three-finger push-ups or grueling runs through the hills near his Los Angeles home.  A weight training accident (as the result of not warming up properly) left him with a severe back injury; he was in traction for six months.  Such a layoff must have been unthinkable for a physical fellow like Lee.  While his body healed he kept his mind busy studying philosophy, anatomy/physiology, nutrition, and kinesiology.  As he planned his physical comeback he refined Jeet Kune Do, his personal martial art practice and philosophy.  When the time came he trained his previously strong body to the almost superhuman condition that leaped off the movie screen in films such as Enter The Dragon.  He should not have been able to practice martial arts at all, much less with the cat-like grace and power captured on film.

The lesson here is a reminder to (a) be patient and (b) believe in myself.  This is a journey, not a destination; I'm never gonna be done keeping myself focused and motivated.  I must stay diligent and not allow the setbacks to derail my momentum.  I might be moving slow, but I am moving forward.