The Big Digital Prepares for a Comeback

So, I think I've mentioned recently that I was experiencing some issues with my left knee, that brought an end to my goal to run a complete 5K last year. Back in October I went to see a Sports Medicine doctor and he took an ultrasound and found evidence of some scar tissue in my patellar tendon.  I've been going to physical therapy for a while and doing some exercises with the the hope of breaking up that scar tissue and replacing it with healthy tissue, but after a couple months of that and not seeing any real improvement in my pain, the doctor recommended that we take more drastic action.

The more drastic action he recommended was something called Platelet-Rich Plasma therapy (PRP).  Its a technique that I've heard the last few years in reference to NBA players, so I at least had heard of it.  Basically what it consists of is taking some of the patient's blood, centrifuging it to increase the percentage of platelets and then injecting that platelet-rich plasma into the patient's damaged tissue.  The expected benefits of the injections are two-fold. First, the hope is that the injections will break up the scar tissue, and secondly the platelets in the plasma are expected to aid in the growth of new healthy cells.

In addition to extolling the benefits, my doctor also made it clear that it's not exactly a mild treatment.  He told me the pain can be pretty intense.  Having had it done twice himself, I appreciated his first-hand testimony.  After some discussion, I decided to take his advice and see if this new-fangled treatment could help me get back to running and jumping like I used to (not that I was ever an olympic athlete by any stretch of the imagination).

My sweet mother was kind enough to come and get me and take me up to Bountiful where I was having the procedure done.  The first step was drawing the blood, thankfully something that I've never had much problems with. The gal drawing my blood asked how my veins are and I told her that I've never had any problems getting blood drawn, so if she had any problems it must be her fault, no pressure. ;)  For some reason she felt compelled to show me the larger than normal tube she needed to fill up, maybe six or eight inches long and the diameter of a quarter.  So definitely more than I usually get drawn for my semi-annual lab tests.  Regardless, there wasn't really any problem getting my blood and then I went back out to the waiting room to hang out with my mom while they got it processed and ready to put back in me.

About 20 minutes later, they called me back in.  They had me lay down on the table, and the doctor gave me a small injection to numb the skin over my tendon where they'd be injecting the PRP.  A few seconds later he inserted the needle and asked if I felt anything. I didn't and said as much, wondering if the pain he'd talked about was  just bluster.  He said, oh, well I'm just into the skin, now I'm going to inject the blood into your tendon.  And then he did. And wow, it was definitely an intense sensation. I don't think that tendons are generally made to have things injected into them.  So much pressure. I asked him if my leg was going to explode.  He chuckled and said no, but that that was a typical description of the feeling.

After just a few minutes his work was done. He slapped a band-aid over the injection site and told me I could take as long as I wanted to lay on the table until I felt like getting up and going. While the pain didn't get any worse, it didn't really improve for quite a while.  I hobbled around the office to ask a couple questions from the staff and then headed out to the lobby, so my mom could drive me home.

I had originally planned on meeting some friends for dinner later that night, but at that point I was wondering if I'd be able to leave the house at all.  The pain was pretty constant, in a way that made it hard to concentrate on anything for more than a few minutes at a time.  I quickly discovered that there were better and worse ways to go up and down the stairs. :)  I gathered up some reading materials and set up a home base in our living room so I wouldn't have to keep wandering around to get things.  The doctor had stressed that I shouldn't just sit still all night and that I should make sure to move around a bit every ten minutes, despite the pain, as it would be helpful to keep it moving.  So I forced myself to get up every ten minutes or so and at least walk around the room and flex my leg back and forth a little.

Unfortunately, it also became apparent that somewhere in the house there was a smoke detector with a dead battery.  I had to wander around the house for a while before finally locating the one that needed a replacement. Thankfully it was one I could reach just with a chair and wouldn't need a ladder to replace.  I was a little nervous about climbing up on a chair, but it turned out to not be as big of a deal as I feared.

After a few hours of taking it easy (but remembering to move around a bit) I actually decided that I could probably handle driving myself to dinner, and I did. Wasn't 100% comfortable, but I was glad I was able to go.

My biggest fear was about the night, both that I'd have a hard time getting comfortable to sleep, and that after a night of not moving that I'd be pretty sore in the morning. Thankfully neither of those were really a problem. I found a couple different positions that were comfortable for sleeping, and this morning I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was at least no sorer than the night before. Been taking it easy today for the most part, once again setting up my home base in the living room, complete with my old school monster of a laptop, on which I'm cranking out this blog while watching the 49ers-Saints playoff game.

In the end, or at least at whatever point I'm currently at, it wasn't a horrible procedure to have done. I'm hopeful that it will make a real difference in my knee and that I won't have to have it done again any time soon. :)

Y5K #22

• Monday: Is it a coincidence that all of this knee stuff is happening right around my birthday? Probably, but its definitely a reminder that I'm not as young as I used to be.  Anyway, knee still bugging me today, but I still was able to go out and run 3 sets of 10 minutes each, having been inspired by Saturday's longish run.  During my running time, I did about 2.8 miles in 32 minutes.  Altogether with warm-up and cool down, I did 3.4 miles in 41.5 minutes.

And then I decided to shut things down for a while. I don't know if I pushed myself too hard the last couple weeks or if its more of a cumulative thing from all summer. Not sure.  The knee stuff was starting to concern me, and the whole joint was feeling pretty stiff and the muscles around it were sore and tight. It reminded me of a bout of bursitis I had a few years back and I dug out the handout the doctor gave me when that happened, and I've tried to do some of the stretches recommended in there and ice my knee every day and take a lot of ibuprofen.  Anyway, its starting to get back to feeling ok, though its still sore today. My dad suggested I try out the stationary bike here at the exercise room at work, so I brought my gym bag today and maybe I'll give that a shot tonight.

In any case, I'm kind of bummed to get so close to my goal and have to take some time off, but hopefully it's not a long-term setback. I can still run when it's cold outside, right? I see people doing it at least.

Y5K #21

I'm sorry I haven't finished blogging about my Week-o-Vacationing, but life just gets busy sometimes, you know? In any case, here's a post on my exercise from last week: 

• Tuesday: Started out tonight by miscalculating my 5 minute warmup and doing 6 minutes instead. Not a big deal, but probably contributed to my longer than normal run. I decided to go for 4 sets of 8.5 minutes of jogging after a couple weeks of doing 8s. Chose a different route that unfortunately included a busy intersection that I mistime the light at both times I had to cross it, so I did a little jog down the sidewalk and back and then jogged in place for a bit which I hate doing.  At the end of everything my right foot was starting to feel a little crampy. Hopefully that's not a problem that comes back again. Seems like I've had something similar pop up at least once this summer without becoming a serious problem.  Total for today: 4.2 miles plus a little jogging in place in 51 minutes.

• Thursday: Foot problem went away for the most part. Maybe a twinge or two after Tuesday.  Thursday night I played volleyball again, but my knee was starting to hurt before the end of the night. So that was a little discouraging.

• Saturday: Woke up feeling a little crappy. Knee still a little sore.  But wanted to run anyway. So I told myself I'd do something shorter, like 3 sets of 8.5s or something. Right as I got to the end of my first 8.5 set, another jogger was coming the other way, so I told myself I'd at least keep jogging until we had passed each other (sometimes pride can be a motivational tool). And then I decided, hey, if I'm already going a shorter distance, I might as well see how far I can go without stopping to rest.  And then I made it the whole way around the loop that I had planned on jogging. Without any walking!  The whole loop was 2.6 miles and I did it in 28.5 minutes, counting the first 5 minutes that I walked to warm up. So I probably jogged about 2.2 miles in 23.5 minutes. Could I have gone another 0.9 miles (at that rate it would probably take me another 10 minutes running)? That's an excellent question. If I meant that I had reached my goal and that I didn't have to run any more if I didn't want to? Yeah, probably. :)  Anyway, we'll see how my knees and feet hold up after today's run, and maybe try to do some more no-walking runs like this one mixed in with longer ones.  And yeah, I probably need to find another 5K to sign myself up for. There's a 5K on the morning of the U's homecoming game, but I just realized that that is also the Saturday of general conference, so I kind of think that might not be the best day to do it. Maybe the week after...

 So, I have to say it was a pretty good week, even with just 2 runs and some lingering knee pain. Hoping to get in at least 2 runs this week, maybe 3.  And it was way encouraging to do so well on Saturday. Didn't even really have too much in the way of negative consequences that day or the day after.  Hoping that my knee situation doesn't get any worse, and hopefully gets better. It hasn't seemed to bother me while I'm running much, but it did start to bother me a bit at volleyball, and obviously the fact that it's persisted for a day or two after running isn't encouraging.

Y5K #20

Back from vacation means back to jogging:

• Tuesday: Well one thing is for certain: The first run after some time off usually goes pretty well.  After not running for about 10 days, I went out and picked up where I left off, doing 4 jogging sets of 8 minutes each with a minute of walking between each one.  And I went 4.1 miles in 47 minutes total, counting warm-up and cool-down walking. Excluding the warm-up and cool-down, I did around 3.25 miles in 35 minutes. I'd been a little nervous about my knees (and I guess I continue to be) because even while I was on vacation I was still having some knee pain. Some of it I guess could have been due to driving a car to California and back. I don't know. In any case, my knees didn't bother me while I ran tonight. My feet are a little sore, but more in a "maybe I'm going to have a blister or two" kind of way, than in a "I wonder if I have a stress fracture" kind of way, so I guess that's good.

• Thursday: I played volleyball for about 3 hours and really enjoyed myself.  And wasn't quite as sore as the last time I did that, so that was nice.

• Saturday: Did another run of 4 sets of 8 minutes this morning. Actually got out to run early enough that it wasn't even 11 by the time I got done.  Picked a new route based on the fact that I'm going a lot further now than in the past. Mostly downhill on the way out so some good uphill burn on the way back in. And I felt like I kind of took it easy on the way out as well, partly thinking I should pace myself if I had to come uphill on the way back, and partly just getting warm. And my legs felt good pretty much the whole way. Anyway, only did 3.6 miles in 44 minutes.   About 3/4 of the way in I chose to run a yellow light rather than sit and jog at the corner for a whole light cycle and actually had a little left in the tank to get most of the way through the intersection before it turned red. Thankfully the car I was in front of at the time chose not to run me down for my foolishness. :)  Anyway, again my feet are a little sore in that could be a blister some day kind of way, which I can live with for now. Hopefully they'll toughen up a bit if I keep these distances up.  Starting to feel like I could probably manage to run for 27 minutes straight for a 5K if I had to. Maybe I should start looking for something to run in late September/early October.

Semi-Annual Health Update

Before I get around to telling you all about my most recent vacations, I need to give an update on my health and well-being.  As long-time readers may know, I go to the doctor twice a year for follow-up on my Type II diabetes.  I get my blood drawn a couple days beforehand and through the miracle of modern technology I usually see my lab results before my doctor ever does.  And like last September, my scores were up (up being the opposite direction of where I want them to go) over my scores in March.  Cholesterol up a bit, HbA1c up a considerable amount (6.1 after a couples years of sub-6.0, still well below where I need to be worried, though).  Oh, and my weight is up a bit, too. So that's fun. :)  Mostly I blame it on not having cared much about my diet this summer.  I do check my weight regularly and have known for a while that it's been higher than it used to be. Just been hard with all the traveling and playing to get into a consistent pattern of eating healthy in a while.

In any case, I'm always nervous going into my appointments when I know that I've regressed since the last one. But, all my nervousness was for naught. My doctor was still very positive. Noted my higher scores and said they were still pretty good, nothing to worry about. No new meds or anything.  Still said I'm "the easiest diabetic patient he has".  Oh, and my blood pressure is still really good (116/70), so I've got that going for me. :)

Anyway, happy that I haven't vacationed my way into too much trouble, and glad to have a little kick in the butt to get back to watching what I eat more carefully.

Y5K #19

Normally I post these on Monday morning, but as I'll be out of town for a few days, I'm posting it early on Saturday.  2 weeks in a row with 3 runs pleases me. Nice to be seeing some progress. Here's the details:

• Monday: Did my first 7.5/1 split and I have to say that 7.5 minutes is a long time to be running and I'm starting to go far enough that I might have to start planning some new routes.  Today I ran out of sidewalk and had to finish my outbound leg on the shoulder of the Van Winkle Expressway. Granted it was a pretty roomy shoulder in all but one tiny section, but I'd still rather not end up there again.  In any case, I felt pretty good throughout most of my run, especially considering that I went downhill first and had to come back uphill. All in all, I went 3.8 miles in just over 45 minutes. My feet are feeling a little sore, but it more of a soreness that I would expect than any weird foot pain. Just feel like I ran a few miles, which I did.

• Wednesday: Did another 7.5/1 split and went back to my old standard, the uphill front half/downhill 2nd half spot. It's exciting to be going further than I've gone in the past. But I guess in part that was because the beginning training schedule I was using pretty much always had me going about the same amount of time, just the split of jogging and walking changed over time. I keep wondering if I should cut back to just 3 legs and keep focusing on a distance of around 5k if that's my ultimate goal... Don't know.  In any case, I went 3.7 miles in 42 minutes.  If I just look at the non-warm-up/cool-down portion then I did 3.1 miles in 33 minutes. So that's basically a 5k with just 3 minutes of walking, with half of it being uphill. Sometimes it seems doable that I could actually run a full 3.1 miles without stopping. I mean does a minute of walking really rest me THAT much? Actually it kind of does.  Ah, patience...

• Saturday: Thought about running Friday night, but was feeling kind of worn out, so I decided to wait til Saturday morning.  And Saturday morning I was kind of lazy, so it ended up being about 10:15 before I finally got out for my run.  So not quite as cool as it might have been if I'd gone at 9 or something.  Nevertheless, I decided I push for 4 sets of 8 minutes jogging with 1 minute rests in between. And it went much, much better than I could have ever hoped.  I took a route that had me alternating between uphills and downhills in a neighborhood not far from my house, and I was surprised at how well I did. I never really felt like I was going to die (is it sad that that's my measure for a "really great" run? That I didn't feel like I was going to die?).  Having just mapped my expedition, I can happily say that I just finished my first 4 mile trip (4.02 miles in 45:45).  Looking at the portion that I ran, I probably jogged about 3.6 miles in 35 minutes.

Y5K #18

Finally, a week with 3 days of running again. I'm continuing to raise the bar every 3rd run, albeit ever so slightly.

• Monday: Sitting here sweating up a storm after another 6.5/1 day.  Definitely have more energy when I take 4 days off instead of running a 3rd time in a week. :)  Definitely my furthest run yet: Just a smidge short of 3.5 miles in 38.5 minutes.  Run 7 minutes on my last leg mostly because I didn't want to check my watch until I made it to a place I had in mind.  Good run today. I'll take it.

• Wednesday: Due to some extenuating circumstances, I was a little pressed for time this evening, so I decided to do a 7/1 split, but only do 3 legs instead of 4.  So I figured I could push a little harder than I usually do, along with running a loop that ended mostly uphill.  I got back to the start of my loop with a minute left on my 3rd set, so I just went a little further and then walked back when my running was done.  Ended up doing 3 miles in just under 31 minutes.  Hopefully I can get back to doing 4 sets next time, but I'm glad I at least got a run in today.

• Friday: So, last night (Thursday), I went and played volleyball for 3+ hours and I loved every minute of it, but this morning I was definitely feeling my age. Back, ankles, legs, and especially knees were stiff and sore. Guess I need to start icing after volleyball, too.  In any case, after work today I was not in the best mood for a run.  Considered getting up early tomorrow morning before I head off for fun times, but in the end, I just said "let's do it, and hopefully the consequences aren't too bad".  So I did a 7/1 split again today, a full 4 legs, and although they were a little slow (just over 3.5 miles in just under 41 minutes), I got 'er done, and that's what I feel best about.  Now I just hope I can still walk tomorrow. :) Now for some quality time with some frozen peas... 

Thankfully, my knees were doing alright Saturday morning, which was good because I did a fair amount of walking in the morning at Lagoon.  Feeling pretty good today with 2 days off, and looking forward to getting 3 more runs in this week.

Y5K #17

The running continues...

• Monday: Busted out another 6/1 split tonight. Ended up running after dinner rather than before, which wasn't my favorite, but it was cooler out than when I usually end up running so that was nice. Not quite as sweaty as I sit down to map out my run. Did 3.24 miles in 37 minutes.  Didn't hate life too much when I was done. I'll call it a win. :)

• Wednesday: Was not feeling it today - a little sleepy, had some weird foot pain during the day (I think due to walking around barefoot on the hard ground at Raging Waters last night). Anyway, I eventually made it out the door and gave a 6.5/1 split a shot. And I survived! When I first started jogging, after my warm-up, I felt like I was running like an old man, but eventually I felt like I was back to my normal trot, at least for most of the jog. The foot pain only popped up once or twice on my run which was nice. Hopefully it's a one day kind of thing.  Running a little bit more, I went a tiny bit further, but in about the same amount of time. 3.35 miles in 38 minutes.  Doing a rough estimate of the non-warm-up/cool-down portion, looks like 2.8 miles in 29 minutes (26 minutes jogging and 3 minutes of walking breaks in between).

 And that was it for running this week. I played volleyball and swam on Thursday night for Brandon's birthday, and then Friday I went up to Bear Lake for camping and boating and sitting in the sun.  Got home in the early evening Saturday but could barely keep my eyes open. Hoping for at least 2 days of running this week. Maybe 3 if I don't get too busy on the weekend...

Y5K #16

Now that my crazy July is over, I was finally able to get out and run 3 whole times this past week:

• Monday: Decided it was now or never for pushing forward, and I took a tiny step up to running for 5.5 minutes each leg with the same 1 minute walking rest in between.  Went just over 3.1 miles in 35 minutes. Had some weird tingling in my left elbow at the end. So that was new. :)  Also, discovered that 5 kilometers = 3.107 miles. Here I was thinking it was 3.2 miles. As if that makes a huge difference. Don't know how I got the wrong number in my head.

• Wednesday: Did another 5.5/1 split and went just shy of 3.2 miles in 37 minutes. Which means I went faster on the way out than I did Monday, but a couple minutes slower coming back. Probably due to the fact that I went slightly downhill on the way out, plus down a short steeper section that I had to come back up on the way home. 5.5 minutes of jogging is feeling doable though. Does that mean I need to go to 6 next time? I don't know. And I don't know if I'll find time to jog on Friday or Saturday. Guess we'll see.  Oh, and the numbness in my arm didn't make a reappearance so that was nice.

• Saturday: What's that? Can it be? 3 runs in the SAME week? Crazy, I know. I don't know if I managed that once in the entire month of July.  Anyway, it felt good to be back out there today, and to have a Saturday with a little bit of flexibility in it after a few weekends of traveling.  And as if that wasn't enough, I even stepped up to 4 sets of 6 minutes jogging with a 1 minute rest in between.  AND I was feeling okay enough at the end of the last set of jogging that I decided to go an extra minute. That's right, I did 25 total minutes of running today, and only 10 total minutes of walking (counting warm-up and cool-down even).  Anyway, partly I attribute it to the fact that I took the same route as Monday's run where I go almost entirely uphill on the way out from my house and then coming back it's almost all downhill.  Daft Punk's live album ("Alive") kept me company, and there were even a few points where I was able to not think about the fact that I was running at all, and just let my body take care of it while I was thinking about other stuff. So that was nice, too.  Guess we'll see what my body has to say tomorrow about my pushing things this week. For now, I'm very pleased with my progress. Oh, and total distance was about the same as Monday, 3.25 miles, but in only 35 minutes.

On the whole, my best week of running yet. My knees have been a little more sore when I run, which is just to say sore at all, because they really haven't been much of a problem so far. I'm trying to make sure to ice them after I run, so hopefully that doesn't turn into a big problem.  Looking ahead at this week, I'm optimistic about my chances of getting 3 good runs again. Been toying with the idea of taking one run a week and just seeing how far I can run without stopping to walk, so that I can maybe get an idea of how close I am to being able to run a full 5K.

Y5K #15

Have I really been at this for 15 weeks? That's a lot of weeks.

• Tuesday: Despite my sinuses bugging me pretty bad the last hour or so of work, I came home, took a double power nap (40 minutes), and got dressed and went out. Even though it was a little rainy. And a lot thundery.  I only got rained for about 2 minutes, but the thought of getting struck by lightning did cross my mind more than once.  In any case, my sinuses didn't bother me and felt a bit better after the run.  I tried a variation on last week's new route that saved me from jogging in place at traffic lights, but had me going up a pretty decent incline most of the first half. Ended up doing just short of 2.9 miles in 31.5 minutes. Oh, and I did (yet) another 5/1 jog/walk split. Someday I'll move up to something more. I mean today I did 5.5 minutes on my last set, but that still doesn't feel like much of a change.  In any case, glad I made it out to run, and I'm always surprised at how going for a jog on days when I don't feel like it always leaves me feeling much better afterward. Like it never makes me feel worse afterward. Never.

• Thursday: Today my body turned to me and said "Really?! Running twice in the same week? Do we DO that?"  And yes, we did.  And it wasn't exactly awesome, but it's done.  Stuck to 5/1 split again and did 3.1 miles in about 35 minutes. So yeah, a little slower than Tuesday, but I guess that's to be expected since this was the first time I've ran twice in the same week in about a month. We'll take it.

I went up to Lava Hot Springs Friday night and camped and then floated the River of Death Saturday  morning, so that was it for my running for last week. But 2 days is better than 1, right? Looking at this week it seems like there's a good chance I'll be able to get 3 days of running in, so I hope my body is ready for that. :) Maybe I'll even think about running for longer than 5 minutes at a time. If I'm ever going to run an entire 5K (that's like 30 minutes of non-stop running), I guess I better keep pushing on.

Y5K #14

Another atypical week, which seems to be the new typical this month.  I went out to Grantsville both Monday and Wednesday after work to play with the kids before they headed back to Hawaii yesterday.  Might have gone a whole week without running, but found time on Thursday after work. Then Friday I headed down to St. George for the holiday weekend. Here's my one daily summary for the week:

• Thursday: "Party Jog Anthem: Running through these roads like Drano..." Finally got back out on the streets tonight. Took a new route, so that made it fun, and with some new tunes to keep me company (listened to LMFAO's Party Rock Anthem during 3 of my 4 jogging legs) I felt like it went pretty well. Of course when you're only running once a week, it's not too hard to have energy, I guess. Did a 5/1 jog/walk split (again). Just hoping to maintain in the midst of all that's been going on these days.  Did 2.9 miles in about 34 minutes.

Developed a bit of a sinus situation while I was down in St. George, wondering if it's going to cause problem for me jogging, or if jogging will help clear it up... who knows? Hopefully I can get at least two days in this week. It's already Tuesday and I may be leaving town again this Friday night.

Y5K #14

Well, another week has gone by without any non-Y5K posts, but hopefully that won't be the case this coming week. Just got back from a great trip to Moab and have some photos to share at some point...Anyway, on with the jogging:

• Monday: Taking a week off definitely improved my pace today. :)  I dug down deep and picked up at the same level I left off, almost 2 weeks ago, when I did my last "for real" training run, 4 sets of 5 minutes jogging/1 minute walking.  And I ended up going 3.1 miles in 36 minutes, pretty good, considering that I walked for 16 of those minutes.  Anyway, I feel good about how it went, tiredness setting in about half way through set 3, but surviving pretty well to the bitter end without getting too delirious. :)

• Wednesday: Did another 5/1 split today.  Took a route that was mainly uphill on the way out and downhill coming back. Did 2.9 miles in 33.5 minutes. So still 20 minutes of jogging, but only 13.5 minutes of walking. Must have cut into my cool down time by finishing closer to home than usual. Also got a haircut right before and didn't consider that doing so would eliminate my most effective protection against sweat getting in my eyes. Doh! :) Oh, and then I went and played sand volleyball for a couple hours right after. Which was fantastic for my knees. :) In fact, I didn't have time to ice my knees and feet after either of my runs this week. Thankfully I don't seem to have any lasting knee pain.

• Friday/Saturday: I drove down to Moab Thursday evening after work, and got back late Saturday evening, so I didn't really find time to do any running, but I did manage to hike 4+ miles on Friday and 3+ on Saturday. So I definitely got my cardio in for the weekend. :) Unfortunately, my right foot seems to be a little worse off for the wear, and both of my feet are still a little tired and sore.  

I'm going out to Grantsville tonight after work for some more quality time with the grandkids, so I may or may not find time to run today. And looking ahead at the week, I'm feeling like I might be hard pressed to get much running in at all. Ah, life.  Guess we'll see what I can figure out. Maybe I'll have to take my running shoes with me down to St. George this weekend.

Y5K #13

Remember when I was planning on running a 5K sometime this year? Yeah... I kind of do, too. Just not so much this past week. :)  I mean, granted, the Ray Barrus 5K was on Monday, so that counts, just not for this blog post.  But that was all the running I did last week.  Wednesday night I went for a nice long walk, and I kind of planned on jogging on Thursday, but I decided to play volleyball instead (for 2.5 hours!), which left me with some tired knees and other various soreness, but doesn't really count as running.  Friday I went out to Grantsville right after work and Saturday I got back around 2 and just didn't find the motivation to go. 

Anyway, as of today I'll be back to work and hopefully not taking too much of a step back for having taken a week off from jogging.  Now I just need to find me my next race. Maybe something in late August....

Y5K #12

This was another exciting week of running (has it really been 12 weeks since I started tracking all of this?), featuring my 2nd 5K of the year, this time running with family in Grantsville on the 4th of July.

• Monday: Had originally planned to run right after work, but when my car's thermometer said "95" on the drive home, I decided to put my run off until it was a little cooler out. Ended up going around 9, and while it was cooler, it was also pretty dark for most of my run.  And the road wasn't super well-lit. Hmm...  Anyway, I did my first 5/1 jog/walk split, and, because the training plan only says to do 4 sets, I actually ran less than when I was doing 5 sets of the 1/4.5 walk/jog splits.  So I ended up doing about 2.75 miles (forgot to note exactly where I turned around) in about 34 minutes.  Had some of my typical lower back pains, but nothing too terrible.

• Went to Cherry Hill on Wednesday and Raging Waters Seven Peaks Salt Lake on Thursday, and I felt okay about resting a bit the week before the upcoming 5K.

• Saturday: Decided I ought to do...something to stay ready for my race on Monday, so I decided to just do a shorter loop around the neighborhood and still do 5 minute sets of jogging and see where that got me. I ended up doing 3 5-minute sets with a minute of jogging in between and then walked the rest of the way home. Ended up doing just about 2.5 miles in 29 minutes (which includes the 5 minutes of warm-up walking and about 7 minutes of cool-down walking.

• Monday: Got up bright and early (6:45) to head over to the Ray Barrus Memorial 5K, Grantsville's pre-parade race.  They drove us up to the starting line in a couple school buses. The first mile and a half was all downhill and then pretty flat up until all but the last quarter mile or so.  I ran all of the first mile, then took a 1-minute walk break while I drank a small cup of water from a water station.  Then I jogged the rest of the way down to main street and walked another minute there. Told myself I'd jog another 5 minute set before I walked again. Did that, and then told myself I could go a little further, so I did. (That seems to be my best strategy for lengthening my running sets: tell myself I'll run to a certain time or spot, and then once I get there, come up with something else to try for).  Walked one more minute and then jogged the rest of the way to the finish line.  So in total, I walked 3 minutes. My final time was something around 28:40.  They had a clock at the end, but they'd moved it from where I expected it to be and I didn't see at the end. Some guy was calling out times, but I still had my headphones on.  I figured they'd have the times all written down or something, but they didn't.  I DO know that I finished 148th overall. :)  They gave out awards by age category, and there were also categories for "larger" runners (Mens = "Clydesdales", over 200 pounds, Womens = "Athena", over 150).  My mom took 3rd in her age category. George took 3rd in the Clydesdales, and Natalie took 1st place in the Athena category, despite having had a heavy wooden table dropped on her toe last week, and not having had much time to train what with moving to El Paso and all. 

All in all, definitely a good week of running, even with skipping one run in the middle of the week. I was just happy to improve on my time from the last race and to feel like I'm getting closer to being able to run a full 3.2 miles without walking.  Guess I'm going to have to keep working at this running thing for a little while longer. Still feeling a little sore today from yesterday's race. Guess we'll see how I'm feeling Wednesday. Might be worth taking a day or two of just walking to recover a bit.

Y5K #11

I always hope that I'll manage to get up at least one non-Y5K post in between my Monday updates, but this week I've failed to do that. Oh, well.... Anyway, on with the jogging:

• Monday: I was pretty tired after work today and considered taking a nap first before going on my run. Finally just changed my clothes and made myself go. Did my second 1/4 walk/jog split. 3.02 miles in 36 minutes. For some reason it was a lot rougher than my 1/4 split on Saturday. Maybe because I was tried? I don't know. Lots of sweating. As usual.  But I did it. :) Oh, and I had to put my hand on the hood of a car that was considering running me over. So that was interesting. Someone waiting to turn right, but only looking left for an opening in traffic, found their opening right as I was running across the crosswalk (with the light). I could tell they weren't looking so I was aware that it might happen, but not sure what I would have done if they'd really gunned it. Glad it's a short story. Maybe I should have just waited on the curb? I don't know.

• Wednesday: Stepped up (again!) to 1/4.5.  Did 3.3 miles in 39.5 minutes. Sweat like a mule. Ran the last 4.5 minutes just on pure rhythm. Was worried I'd wander into traffic during my cool-down. Thankfully I didn't. But I felt pleased with my accomplishment. :)

• Saturday morning: Went with pretty much the same route as last Saturday, but this time with the 1/4.5 split (last weekend it was just 1/4), and a result I was able to go a little further, which I always enjoy because I get to explore more (one of my favorite things about going on my runs is getting to know the surrounding neighborhoods better).  I was even in such good spirits by the end that I told myself I could probably run for 5 minutes on my last leg. (granted it was mostly all downhill, but still). So I just didn't look at my watch and told myself I'd just run til I got to a landmark and see where I was. And I ran for just over 5 minutes that leg. So I felt good about that.  All in all, I did 3.47 (almost 3 and a half!) miles in just under 40 minutes (A total of 23 minutes jogging and 17 minutes walking -- don't forget in addition to the 1 minute rests between jogs I walk for 5 minutes of warm-up, and then however long it takes me to get home when I finish the last leg of jogging).

So there you have it.  Running the Ray Barrus 5K in Grantsville a week from today.  Not sure how best to prepare for a race week, but I plan on running today after work and stepping up to the last level on my training schedule -- a 5/1 jogging/walking split.  I'm not sure what I'll do after that, as I assume I'm probably not going to successfully run the entire 3.2 miles at the 4th. Maybe I'll just keep stepping up in 30 second increments until I can do it? I don't know. Definitely not a professional at this point.  I can say that I've been very pleased with the training schedule I've used and that I've so far managed to avoid any serious injuries and have been able to stick to the schedule, which has kept me from getting discouraged.  Anyway, guess I'll let you know how things go with the race whenever I get around to posting after the holiday weekend.

Y5K #10

Another week of running come and gone and for the most part it went really well:

• Monday was definitely a "score one for mental toughness" day.  I was really tempted to just take another day off for "recovery" from Saturday's 5K, but somehow I talked myself into going, because I knew that whatever day was the first day would probably be just as tough.  Anyway, for variety I picked a new route, or at least not one I've done since I started training.  Unfortunately this new route goes west from my house which means it starts out downhill and finishes with the uphill portion.  I decided it was okay if I at least didn't take another step up on the training schedule and just stuck with the 1.5/3.5 split that nearly killed me last time. :)  And despite the last two jogging legs really being rough, I managed to gut it out.  Wondering how I'm ever going to do a 1/4 split. Guess we'll deal with that when we get there. Oh, and I went 3.08 miles in right around 35 minutes.

• Wednesday, my feet were kind of bugging me, but I sucked it up and headed out for another 1.5/3.5 split and I just ran straight down 13th until it was time to turn around.  A little bit boring maybe, but I wasn't feeling too creative.  Did have to jog in place a few times while I waited for lights to change. That's part of why my usual routes are my usual routes, no waiting for lights.  But I'm starting to go far enough that it's trickier to avoid any traffic lights.  In any case, the run wasn't fantastic, and I felt tired earlier than usual, but interestingly enough the last leg wasn't as bad as it was on Monday. So I guess I might still be making some progress.  The real question is: Can I step up to running for 4 minutes straight with just 1 minute of rest in between? Oh, and I did 3.04 miles in 38.5 minutes.

• Saturday was a day that I feel really good about. Why? Because I finally stepped up to 1 minute walking/4 minutes jogging! I've been putting it off for a long time because it just seemed like I was already getting worn out at 1.5/3/5 and just 1 minute of resting time between jogging sets seems so short.  Anyway, I decided I'd give it a shot today and it went well. I'm sure it helps that I picked a route where I'd be mostly going downhill on the 2nd half and I did purposely try to pace myself a little on the jogging and just take it easy. I'm not very good at running at a slow pace so I tend to get worn out from the running if I just run in a way that feels most natural to me.  So, it went pretty well. I ended up doing basically 3.2 miles (3.1971 according to my map) and I forgot to check the time when I finished but it was probably somewhere between 36 and 38 minutes.  Anyway, I'm stoked to have been able to step up to this next increment.  After this my training schedule always has 1 minute walking breaks, just the jogging sets get long (4.5 minutes, 5 minutes, etc).

I really only have another week and a half of training and then a couple rest days before the next 5K. I'm curious if I'll be able to jog the whole thing. I've heard it's pretty much all downhill so that will be a nice help.  Guess we'll see. If not, I may have to find a 5K to run in August or something.

Y5K #9

Well, another week of running has come and gone, and this one, I guess is slightly more significant because at the end of it, I ran an official 5K. Well I didn't RUN the whole 5 kilometers, but I ran a lot of it and... well, I'll just let you read about it.

• Despite some overcast and windy weather, I managed to get out and run Monday after work.  Since I'd taken nearly a week off (ok, 5 days), I chose to just go with another 2 minutes walking/3 minutes jogging split and I managed to crank out 3.1 miles in 37.5 minutes. Just out of curiosity, I just looked at some of my old times/distances and had to chuckle because back in week #4 I did 2.9 miles in 28 minutes, doing 3 minutes of walking for every 2 of jogging. So while I'm glad that I've managed to stick with this running thing so long, I guess I shouldn't get too cocky about the progress I'm making. :)

• Wednesday's run was noteworthy for a few reasons. For starters, I went 3.3 miles in about 40 minutes.  So it was my first time actually crossing the 5K limit.  I was doing a 1.5 minutes walking/3.5 minutes jogging split, and man, the last 2 jogging legs were killer. The last one especially was a mental toughness moment. As I was walking that 1.5 minutes between legs 4 and 5, I was wondering if this would be my first time not sticking to the training schedule. But somehow I managed to put the thought of time out of my mind and just focus on a spot out in the distance and keep my legs moving. Even when it meant running a red light at Vine street when the light was against me and I thought there was no way I'd be able to keep going if I had to jog in place while I waited for the light.  Anyway, hopefully my body can make progress and next time won't be quite so tough.  I guess at this point, next time is probably the 5K I'm doing Saturday morning, so I guess we'll see how that goes. It'll be my first time running a specific distance rather than just a fixed number of minutes. I wonder if that will make it easier or harder. Hmm...

• Saturday was kind of a big day, at least within the scope of these Y5K posts. :)  I drove over to Wheeler Farm (it's about a 3 minute drive. Mostly I drove so I could put stuff in my car, but also in case I was exhausted afterward and was unable to walk home) for the Utah for Congo Women 5K. Julie, who is running the Wasatch Back Ragnar next weekend came with me and kept me company on the run.  Meili was the one who had invited me to the race, and while she was too busy selling raffle tickets to run, her daughter, Syd, wanted to give the big kids race a shot, so she ran with us for almost all of the first loop around the farm.  When she was tired we walked, which was good rest for us as well. I didn't really look at my watch or try to stick to any kind of training pace. Just jogged when I could and when I got tired told myself I could go a bit further. And then usually Julie would suggest we walk about the time I was ready to walk as well.  My final time was surprisingly good (at least surprisingly good to me): 30 minutes and 03 seconds. Of that 30 minutes I would guess that we probably walked about 7. Give or take.  Anyway, I spent most of the rest of the day lounging around and took a little bit of time to put some ice on my knees and ankles, and hopefully I don't end up suffering too much. At the time of this writing (early Saturday evening), I'm feeling pretty good.

That's me. #171. It's Who I Am.

I had my number pinned on the back of my shirt (in the front was going to annoy me), so they didn't get my time. I took them Julie's time card and asked if they could fill one out for me. Her time was 30:02 and she finished a hair ahead of me, so she adjusted it to 30:03.

• Sunday, in the hopes of keeping my muscles loose after Saturday's run, I convinced Julie to join me for a stroll. We went for a walk along the Jordan River Parkway, and may have overdone it just a tad, as we ended walking just about 3.2 miles, if my calculations are correct. 

Overall, a pretty full week of walking and running. The next race on my training radar is the Ray Barrus Memorial 5K that takes place in Grantsville before the 4th of July parade. Natalie and George are planning on running it, and maybe even my mom, so that should be fun. Hopefully if I stick to my training schedule for the next few weeks I can run even more of this one (maybe even the whole thing?). Guess we'll see. Hopefully I can at least get out and run tonight after work so I can keep in the habit even with one race under my belt.

Y5K #8

Slightly shorter post this week, since last week's post came on Tuesday and included Monday.

• Wednesday was a nice night for a jog, overcast but not too cool.  Tried out a new route from my house, that was mostly uphill on the way out and then downhill on the 2nd half.  Felt like I was struggling a bit, but I managed to stick to the 2 minutes walking/3 minutes jogging that I was supposed to do and ended up doing 2.98 (almost 3!) miles in 37 minutes, so I felt pretty good about myself afterward. Next up: a 1.5/3.5 walk/jog split. Man... seems like the key is just to not expect to ever stop running and get into a rhythm. Now if only I could explain that to my feet and legs. :)

• And then...life kind of happened and I didn't get a run in on Friday or Saturday. Between dinner at the Cheesecake Factory & X-Men First Class (it was great by the way) on Friday night, and then the temple, Les Mis, a BBQ, and swimming on Saturday, I really hardly had a moment to spare except around 11:30 on Friday night when I briefly considered going for a run, but then realized I needed to be up at 7 the next morning and it just didn't happen.  So, hopefully with a little more free time today I'll get out and run again tonight after work.

Oh, and the first 5K I signed up for is this Saturday, but I don't really plan on running the whole thing. Hoping to be able to keep it to just another training run with a mix of restful walking thrown in. Guess we'll see if I get swept up in the experience of actually running with other people. Hmm... stayed tuned for next week, I guess.

Y5K #7

• Well... I did bring my running stuff to Disney World. So I guess I AM one of those people now. :) Went for a run Wednesday afternoon in Orlando's 90 degree weather. Did my first 2.5/2.5 walking/jogging split and did 2.9 miles along some paths, boardwalks, and sidewalks leading from our hotel to various Disney parks and shopping districts. Saw "Disney Hollywood Studios", whatever that is, then went back the other way and did a loop around the "Boardwalk" shopping area that's apparently quite near to the entrance of Epcot center, which I didn't actually see.  So 2.9 miles in just over 40 minutes, I think.

• In the midst of a 10 hour (each way) road trip (more to come on that later), I woke up bright and early on Saturday morning in La Grande, OR (in large part due to the sun shining through the window directly into my eyes) and decided it was fate telling me to go for a jog. Fortunately for fate I had thrown my running gear in to my suitcase (an extra pair of shoes really is a commitment when trying to pack lightly). So, yes, I guess I really am committed to this project.  In contrast to Wednesday's sweaty run in 90 degree Orlando, this jog started with my being able to see my breath.  I jogged down a hill, past a drive-in theater and on to a main street for a bit, and then back again. Another 2.5/2.5 even split of walking/jogging (not counting my warm-up/cool-down time) 2.9 miles in 38 minutes.

• After catching up on some sleep Memorial Day morning, I headed out for 3.0 miles in 39 minutes. First 2/3 walking/jogging split.  I'm still doing 5 minutes of warm-up walking at the beginning and 5 minutes of cool-down at the end, so I'm still overall doing more walking than jogging, but the jogging segments are starting to be long enough that I can take my mind off checking my watch for a while which actually helps me not think as much about the jogging. Don't get me wrong, it's still taking some mental fortitude in the last few jogging segments once the cement boots show up to not check the time.  But it's nice to see some progress.  And the 5 minute cool down is really more of a cool-down now than it used to be. Definitely ready for some rest at the end...

Anyway, in summary, I went from Florida to Washington (state) last week and somehow still managed to keep up with my training schedule, so score one for me. :)  My foot pain that I was originally concerned about, continues to be more of a bother than a real problem, and now I have other weird complaints to compete with it. I've been feeling a tingling in one spot in the middle of my other foot, maybe a muscle spasm or something.  And my knees are starting to be a little more prone to soreness in the day following a run.  I remember hearing a guy I knew (member of a bishopric in one of my old wards) who ran those crazy hundred mile races talk once about race training, and saying that training is about a lot more than just cardiovascular fitness, but also that training gives the other parts of your body (joints, tendons, bones, etc) a chance to build up their own fitness, so that you are less likely to hurt yourself.  So hopefully taking these weeks and sticking to my program are helping with that.  This week I'll have to step up again to doing 1.5 minutes of walking for each 3.5 minutes of jogging. Maybe I need to start stretching a bit before I run. :)

Y5K #6

After feeling reasonably well for a few days, I finally packed up my gym bag on Wednesday to get back on the treadmill at work (seeing as how it was a constant downpour for most of the week).  Unfortunately when I got into the locker room to change I discovered I'd forgotten to pack shorts. :(

So Thursday, I packed more carefully and after work I hit the treadmill and decided to go with a 3/1 walk/jog split since that was kind of the last "easy" stage in my training schedule. :) And it went fine. I did 2.5 miles in 35 minutes.

Saturday, it was a joy to be back outside with a nice sunny day to get my training in. I stepped up to the 3/2 walk/jog split and was surprised that it didn't kill me too badly to do it.  I went just over 3 miles in 40 minutes. My feet were a little sore afterward, but it was exciting to be so close to 5 kilometers in my training session. As I start jogging more I guess I'll be going over 5K in a training session. Don't know if I realized that beforehand.  Anyway, with taking a week and a half off and going back a few days in my training I don't expect to be ready to run an entire 5K come June 11th, so I might have to just take that as a training day.  Oh, and also next week I'll be going to Orlando for work and then to eastern Washington for a wedding, so I'm nervous about finding time to jog in the midst of all that. Do I take my running shoes with me to Orlando and find a treadmill in the hotel? Am I really one of those people now? :) Anyway, could be another so-so week...

It's Monday now, and despite a beautiful morning, there is supposed to be more rain on the way, so I packed my gym bag (hopefully completely) and brought it along to work so I can run here at the end of the day. Probably another 3/2 walk/jog split. And I'm considering packing my running stuff to take to Florida. We'll see. Depends on how much space there is in my suitcase.