We've been trying to stick with the training regimen as proscribed, but sometimes life gets in the way and we end up making up for lost time, and that might be a problem. Wifey was off Monday and ended up grouting the pantry floor. This made her knees hurt like hell so it was understandable she wanted to recoup before running 3 miles on them. I wasn't going to complain since I was still feeling the 4-miler from last Saturday. One more day of rest could only be a good thing, right?
So we switched days and ran on Tuesday instead. Back to the old treadmill for 3 miles but this time new pains emerged. Knees and back, which have never given me any trouble in my entire life, began to throb and moan silently, but I toughed it out and got the 3 miles in thankfully. Staci was still at her pace and finished a few minutes after me. Even she was complaining of knee and back aches which I told her was from her pantry project. We decided we'd do our cross training on Wednesday and then our 4 mile run on Thursday, thus being caught up and primed for our Saturday group run.
Well, Wednesday came and went and it was I that was in no mood to go cross train since my knees and back were still acting up. Even the Xtend was not helping much. This was getting ridiculous. Our age was not going to allow us to train properly because our bodies were in a constant state of repair? Ok, no worries, we'll get a day of rest before going for it on Thursday for a complete 4 mile run. Now it said it was to be an easy four miles. Don't know who thought running four miles is supposed to be EASY! Both of us were resigned to the fact that we'd attempt this without reservation and get back on track.
No one needs to tell anybody that after a long hard day at work, relaxing is the first thing to come to mind when one gets home. It was a rainy Thursday evening, too damp and dark to try and run outside, which was the original plan. So we donned our workout attire in true gym-rat fashion and headed to the gym to hit the track since the treadmill and I are not on speaking terms. Our route takes us upstairs in this monstrosity of a gym to a bank of innumerable day lockers spread out throughout the place. We placed our jackets and the like in a couple, locked them up with the handy-dandy code lock system that reminds me of being in Vegas with the room safes, and headed over to the indoor track to stretch. After ensuring my calves were still in no pain, I lurched myself into the middle lane to get the 35 or so laps over with as fast as possible. Wifey started at a walk to limber up but I thought I'd try to will the stiffness out of my hips and back by jogging at an easy pace.
I must say our training has gotten our stamina up; I wasn't even breathing hard until the fourth lap. I didn't even start sweating until the eighth. And then it happened....again! I was rounding the turn going outside of a slower runner then heading down the back-stretch when that all too familiar 'boing' feeling struck my left calf again in the exact same place that I thought I'd healed just a few weeks before. I wasn't going fast or anything, just at the same comfortable pace I've been doing for weeks now. Immediately I pulled up and rubbed the spot hard in hopes it was just a cramp. No such luck. I tried to work it out by running a few more feet; it only tightened up more. Wifey came up behind me and I told her my grim news. Same spot, same pain. I told her to keep going while I tried to walk through it in hopes of getting back to a jog. But with each step I took, the muscle just tightened up more and more, to the point that I was limping more pronounced with each step. ARGH!!!!!
Well, that was that. I gimped off the track in disgust and headed to a bike machine to see if that would work since I was sweating freely now and I wanted to at least make this gym trip worthwhile and try and burn a few more gut calories. I did a 30 minute, 7.5 mile stint on a stationary bike while Staci followed me over to a treadmill soon after to finish her run since the track was killing her knees. At least she got her miles in. I, on the other hand, was not so fortunate. The bike kept my sweat going but my breathing wasn't labored in the least and I felt cheated that I hadn't worked out as I thought this trip was going to produce. All my thoughts soon turned to what I needed to do to repair this pain--rest, ice, compression and elevation. Back to the couch I go, ice bag on my calf raised above the heart, wifey serving me turkey burrito while my mood sunk.
Long and the short of it looks like I'll be missing the run tomorrow morning and perhaps Monday as well. I HAVE to get this thing healed. My worst fear is to have this happen in the middle of the 10K and have to limp for miles to the finish, or even worse, quit. If that happens, I'm doomed! If I can't even run, what's left to try and get rid of this gut? Diets bore me after awhile. Yoga/Pilates are too feminine. Sports are what I've done and enjoyed so I guess that leaves only swimming. With my luck I'll break a heal doing a flip-turn or a wrist touching the wall! I'm running out of options here people. Suggestions, ANY suggestion is welcome at this point.
Man I need a drink!
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