Week Recap (03/02/08 - 03/08/08) - 12 Miles

Making a return to running after a long break is always exciting news. I didn't run much of course but it's definitely good to be able to put in some mileage. My runs were pain free but I plan on taking my time to build up again and continue physical therapy for another couple of weeks. What was most encouraging was how good I felt on my runs. Unlike other times I took a month long break, I'm not feeling out of shape. I feel that I managed to maintain some fitness by cross training and I'll just need some time for my legs get used to the pounding again.

Alameda - Notre Dame Ave - 4 Miles

I headed out from home around 2PM in beautiful, sunny, 60+ degree weather, nice enough to be out shirtless. I don't really need any more motivation to run these days but with weather like this I was even more excited. I took the usual route up Ralston and went north on Alameda. The climb up Alameda was a bit of a challenge and I took my time going up but after that I was moving along at a good pace. Averaged right around 7:00 pace, feeling pretty good the whole time.

4 Miles + 20 min on elliptical

I left work early today as I had a 4PM appointment for physical therapy. I spent about an hour there as usual and got out for a run in Foster City. I forgot to bring my running shorts and had to run in the basketball shorts I wear while in the gym. I wasn't running very fast for the most part so I pretty much looked like the average jogger. Eventually it will all turn around, though. I was planning to put in 3 miles but underestimated the loop I ran and ended up going a bit longer. I went up in the gym afterwards and hopped on the elliptical for about 20 minutes, then spent some more time stretching and working the core.

2 Miles

I didn't get to Club O until almost 9PM and had to rush things a bit. I went out for a 2 mile loop in Foster City, my first outdoors run in over a month. It seemed weird to be going out for only a couple of miles but it was good to be out there. I was feeling good, no pain on my foot and only some minor soreness in the Achilles. I was planning to add on some cross training afterwards but since I didn't have much time I opted to do some stretching and lifting instead.

Elliptical + 1 mile run

I went in for physical therapy at 5:30 PM, and got on the elliptical after about an hour. I stayed on for just over 40 minutes and switched to a treadmill for a little over a mile. I was thinking of running a couple of miles but my Achilles felt a bit sore and I figured I'd rather play it safe. I don't think it's anything to worry about, though, I have been doing a lot of strengthening exercises for the foot and ankle area so some soreness is not very surprising.

Spin bike + 1 mile of running!

In the exciting news of the day was my return to running after an almost month long hiatus. I was thinking of waiting until tomorrow to start running again but I've been feeling good for some time so I figured there wasn't really any reason to wait another day. I didn't have time to do much today as I stayed at work late again and didn't get to Club O until after 9. I hopped on the spin bike for 20-25 minutes, stretched briefly and jumped on the treadmill. Of course I would hardly call a mile on the treadmill, at just under 8:00 pace, a run but it's a good start after a long break. I pretty much just wanted to see how my foot will feel and was glad that I didn't feel any pain. I'm planning on taking things slowly so I'll probably stick to a couple miles a day for this week and play it by ear from then on. I was planning to do some more cross training after running but I only had 10 minutes or so before Club O closed so I just headed back home. I spent some time at home stretching, doing some strengthening stuff and working the core while watching some champions league football (aka soccer).

Physical therapy, aquajogging, swimming

I had a physical therapy appointment at 5:30 and spent about 45 minutes there, first with the trainers and then doing some strengthening exercises. I went down to the pool afterwards for some aquajogging. The pool went from 4 feet deep to 5 1/2 so it was deep enough for me to float for about half its length. Not perfect but slightly better than Club O. It also helped to have a floatation belt which reduced the impact at the shallower end. I switched to swimming after a while and spent a total of about an hour in the pool. I probably aquajogged for 40-45 minutes and swam for 15-20.

5-6 mile walk

The weather was even nicer today, sunny as usual and in the high 60s, and I thought I'd do a bit of walking like yesterday and go to Club O for some biking or swimming. First I walked by a bike store close to my place to have a look at a few bikes and even took one for a short test ride. I never rode a road bike before and was amazed at how smooth it felt. The test ride made me want to get a bike soon but I'm still not sure if I want to spend $700 to get one. After leaving the bike store I took a long route to Club O. It ended up being a bit longer than I thought and I didn't have much time since I was planning to go to the city for dinner later so I eventually I didn't stop by Club O and just headed back home.

6 mile walk + spin bike

After being sidelined for over 3 weeks it's needless to say that I've missed running. Today, with weather in the mid 60s and sunny, I felt the need to be out there more than ever. I was originally planning to go to Club O for cross training and I figured I might as well walk over instead of driving, which would be about a 3 mile walk round trip. I don't normally enjoy walking but today I really wanted to be outside and decided to extend my walk to Foster City. I ended up back at Club O after about an hour and got on the spin bike for about 20-25 minutes. I was going to jump in the pool afterwards but all lanes were taken and I just spent some time stretching before heading back home.

Day off

I wanted to leave early today, since I've worked more than enough this week, but a few things came up and I ended up staying until 6:30. I was planning to go to a Bay area alumni mixer at 6:30 and since I was already late I opted out of cross training and just headed to Palo Alto.

Elliptical

I got caught up at work again and didn't leave until 9PM. Club O closes at 10 so I was only able to stay on the elliptical for 35 minutes. I kept it pretty fast, though, so I got a decent workout. I went home right away and spent some time stretching and doing some strengthening exercises while watching Lost.

Elliptical at PJCC

I went back for another physical therapy session at 5:30 this afternoon. The plan is to have these sessions 3 times a week for 4 weeks so it will be a regular thing for a while. Today I got a deep tissue massage on my foot and did some strengthening stuff for about an hour before getting on the elliptical. The physical therapy clinic is in the Peninsula Jewish Community Center, which has a nice gym I can use. It's good that I have access to it and didn't have to drive back to Club O. I had a good session on the elliptical, managing to stay on for 65-70 minutes. I was moving along well and was happy with both the duration and the intensity. I was at PJCC for about 2.5 hours, not a bad day overall.

Spin Bike + Pool run

I've been a bit busy at work lately and not leaving the office until late. I can usually get a lot more work done after 6PM when there's nobody around and since I'm not spending an hour and a half running afterwards I don't mind going over to Club O a bit late. I started a little before 8 today and hopped on a spin bike first for 25-30 minutes. The spin bike is pretty much like a road bike with a base, no electronics, timers or anything and with just a knob to set the resistance. It felt a lot smoother than the other stationary bikes but maybe to some extend it's because I'm getting more accustomed to biking. I stretched for a while afterwards then got in the pool and did some running. for about 25 minutes. I could have stayed longer but I was starving and they were also about to close the pool.

Quick session on the elliptical

I had my first physical therapy appointment at 3PM and had to leave work early. I spent a couple of hours there, first getting an evaluation and then doing some strengthening exercises. I went back home afterwards and sat down to get some work done. I had a conference call at 10PM and ended up working until 9 to wrap up a couple of things. I took a break and went by Club O for a quick session on the elliptical. I was only able to put in 30 minutes but I kept the intensity high the whole time. I was pretty much hammering for the last half and felt like I got a good workout, even though it wasn't very long.

An hour on the elliptical

I woke up somewhat early today and spent a few hours watching the presidential elections in Cyprus. I wasn't excited about cross training and wasted some more time afterwards before convincing myself to head out to Club O. I went on the elliptical and managed to keep myself on it for about an hour. I caved in and used my ipod to get my mind to make cross training more tolerable. Not my proudest moment but what can I say, desperate times need desperate measures.

Week Recap (02/17/08 - 02/23/08) - 0 Miles

Another 0 mile week, which unfortunately won't be the last one. I have been out for about 2.5 weeks now and after the MRI Dr Oloff suggested I take about a month off. I certainly wasn't happy to hear that as I was hoping to get back to running soon. My foot actually feels a lot better and I can barely notice any pain. If I hadn't paid the doctor a visit I would have probably tried to run already. I'll hold off for another couple of weeks, though, to play it safe. I haven't been very consistent with cross training and had a hard time staying motivated. Ironically my motivation levels are inversely proportional to the time I have to spent cross training. I definitely need to put in more effort now in order to maintain some fitness. Hopefully things will go better next week.

Bike Shopping

I drove out to the city this morning and spent the day going to bike shops with Rachel. I can't stand cross training so I'm thinking of switching to biking for a while. I'm completely clueless when it comes to bikes, since the only ones I ever owned were of the cheapest kind you could possibly get and only served the purpose of getting me around. I wasn't looking to get a bike today but picked up some good information. I want to get a somewhat nicer bike but I don't know how much I'll be using it when I start running again so maybe my best bet is to look for a used one out of craigslist.

Lazy again

I was too lazy again to do anything and went straight home after work.

MRI Results

I went back to Dr Oloff today to follow up after my MRI. The MRI showed inflammation of the peroneal longus and peroneal brevis tendons, which was probably the primary cause of the pain. There's also a stress reaction on my cuboid bone and a lot of fluid accumulated near my ankle. Even though I can barely feel any pain by now the doctor suggested I take another couple of weeks off to make sure that the stress reaction doesn't turn into a stress fracture. I will also replace Ibuprofen with prescription anti-inflammatories and start physical therapy. I stayed at work late again this evening, leaving the office around 8PM, and almost headed straight home. I convinced myself eventually to go for some cross training and tried out the stationary bike. I had a hard time finding the motivation, though, and was frustrated knowing that I'll have to take another two weeks of this. I got fed up after only 15 minutes but at least I spent some more time stretching and working the core.

Nothing

I stayed at work until 9PM today and wasn't in the mood for cross training afterwards.