Yes, I'm still here. A little humbler and a lot smarter. I realized at the end of February I was still not healing... I all but took March off....excluding some easy runs, lifting and core and some swimming....OK, it wasn't off by normal means but if you know me, you know I am not normal! I spent a lot of time training (Army) in the woods so it was a convenient excuse to rest. I have also spent countless hours over the past two months working in my yard. I am going green with my own vegetable garden! I have also helped some folks I work with get into biking and am building future triathletes at work.
I decided to focus not on my own athletic improvement, but on those people I work with. Whether they like it or not they have been getting a lot of my attention. In April it was much of the same but I slacked of big time with lower body weights (by design) barely swam (I'm lazy about swimming b/c I am not good at it) and decided to force (encourage) all the officers in the Battalion to do the Fort Bragg ten Miler June 11th.
How can I do this you ask?...........How can I force people to pay money and sign up.....to be honest I am not forcing anyone......they have a choice....they can do the 10 miler with me at the the 11th with thousands of other folks and enjoy the camaraderie or they can do it with me at physical fitness training the following Tuesday.
I'm am actually not going to force anyone to do it though who isn't ready.... we have been training and I have working with them to at a minimum build up their endurance. I've got a lot of folks really excited for it, some doing b/c everyone else is doing it and some I know won't end up doing it.....it's all OK though...I am just trying to encourage a healthy life style. I think I am having an effect...
Meg and I went up to Raleigh last month to watch two newbies do their first triathlon. I've got a bunch of others interesting in buying bikes and trying their hand at a triathlon. So I am looking for an end of summer triathlon we can all do together...... so that is what I have been up to.......... as far as my health goes.....
I haven't felt this good in over a year. Whatever I am doing is working. Crazy for me but there were weeks in April were I took three days of during a week and did nothing but worked in the yard over the weekend. I have been running at work but not hard...but we have been going long (prep for the 10 miler) which has been taxing my leg. I have been resting whenever possible but something happened this weekend. Not just that Meg was gone to see her new niece in KC so I was a free man.... but I went to bed Wednesday night sore and woke up without any pain on Thursday. Normally as the day goes along I get stiffer and stiffer but there was nothing Thursday at all. I did weights (well rocks and body weight...I will explain that another time) workout on Thursday and decided I was going to try cycling on Friday.
We had Friday off so I went for a little over an hour at an easy pace and it was pain free! I went again today a bit more spirited and had the same results (I"m a little sore now though so I will take it easy tomorrow). So, over the past seven days I have run 3X, swam 2X, biked 2X and did weights and core 3X....almost sounds like a week of training!
I wil not go to the track tomorrow and tear it up, I will not ride intervals on Wednesday... I am doing no speed until there is no pain...except for good pain. I have learned my lesson!
I did the unthinkable this weekend and pulled out of Vineman. I have never taken a knee before, I can take pain......I tore my hamstring last year and still trained, I didn't run for the ten weeks leading up to IM, I did Ironman, it was slow ...but I did it. I don't regret doing it, I wouldn't have it any other way.... Pain is temporary...Pride is forever. I just don't want to go through that again if I can avoid it. I want off of the pain medicine (I am). Such a relief for me mentally to pull out...I can allow myself to heal instead of rushing back into it.
I may scratch the whole year of racing and start fresh next...we will see over the next couple months how it goes. The only thing I am committing to...... is myself.... to get healthy! I think its working...I just can't get ahead of myself! I'm off to go stretch!
1 year ago
2 comments:
Awesome, dude. It sounds like you're having fun at Bragg. I ran the Army 10 Miler every year I was there except for 2003. I was deployed of course, but what a fun race. I think those guys on the fence will be hooked afterwards. I may be going to Afghanistan next year, but if I don't, you should come do the New Orleans Half Ironman with me. We can eat some crawfish, meatpies, and boudan at the finish line. Think about it. I got two weeks left here in Baghdad and then I'm off to Colorado Springs. I'm getting either a Fuji Aloha or a Felt S32 when I get there. I can't wait.
Hope you're recovering well and have found your mojo again.
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