Getting Back In The Groove...

Well, I seem to be back into the running groove. Now I just need to get back into the blogging groove...

I've been getting in my four or five runs every week. Things are still feeling good. Starting to build slowly.

Last weekend it was almost 90 degrees on Saturday (in Boston!). I took the day off. Then on Sunday it dropped to the mid 60's. Nice. Went for an easy 6 mile run with a couple friends. Took it easy, but did just fine. Weekend (long-ish) runs now have a minimum distance of 6 miles. My midweek runs will be transitioning from 3 mile runs to 4 mile runs over the next few weeks. Building that aerobic base. Races will come next Spring.

I may not be blogging too much again yet, but I am keep track of quite a few of you other runners out there. You're all doing just great! I'm looking forward to seeing some marathon results in the next few weeks... (including a significant PR and a BQ!)

C-Ya

I Am Back...

Finally!

I waited until I was sure the old injuries weren't going to flare up again. But I think I can safely say now that I am back! Back on the roads. Back on the trails.

Running again!!!

I've been running 3 to 5 times a week for two months now. I'm just starting to get back some aerobic capacity. My pace is improving. I'm dropping a few pounds. I feel great.

I want to give myself plenty of time to rebuild (and I need to drop a few more pounds that I gained over the last three years while I was injured). So I'll add mileage very slowly through the Fall, then add some extra cross training/core strengthening over the Winter. In the Spring then I hope to focus on some speed, run some shorter races. Then if all goes well, go for marathon number six in the Fall of 2011.

To recap the past three and a half years (three injuries and one divorce later) ...

After marathon number 5 (Hyannis), as I was recovering and then rebuilding, I tore the meniscus in my left knee (injury number one). Confirmed by MRI, but the orthopaedic surgeon did not want to do the surgery. He wanted to give it a little more time. A few months later it was feeling much better -- it healed on its own after about a year.

Then as I started running again, I tore the meniscus in my right knee (injury number two). [They were likely both injured by my previous training, but the left one went first.] The right knee took over two years to heal. It was never quite as bad as the left one, but it lasted longer. Perhaps I wasn't as religious about the physical therapy and strengthening with the right knee.

Over the last six months or so there were a number of starts and stops. Also I had issues with plantar fasciitis in both feet (injury number three).

But time heals. And the divorce, as painful as it was, is now fading into the past. And I've been running regularly now for almost two months. Today's run around Fresh Pond was at a decent pace (decent for me anyway). Tomorrow will be a 5 mile run.

Not back to fast yet. And not back to far yet. But things are definitely looking up all around.

C-Ya