just when you think......

Hello those few people who follow my blog! :)

Well, after the bone scan described in my last post I returned to the doctor. Bone scan showed 'no activity' meaning, the stress fracture had healed. I was told to return to running but to keep the mileage low. My followup would scheduled for July 14 (today).

I returned to running by jogging and walking in various mixtures with nothing longer than a mile. As I started this regiment the pain in my shin continued. The 'knot' remained. I iced twice a day. I've been taking a multivitamin with extra calcium and vitamin D.

Two weeks ago RC (Sam) felt I was ready to try doing a 2 miler so I did. We were on vacation at Ft Walton Beach at the time and let me tell ya...if you want to run in northern Florida in June/July you better do it before the sun comes up. My first run was a 1.5, recovery and 1.5. No issues other than the nagging pain in the shin. Breathing was good. Held a sub 10 min pace which I've really tried to do (more on that later). But my goodness the amount of sweating i did was insane. My socks were soaked to the point that when I completed these short jogs I could actually wring them out!

Last week I decided it was time to try bumping the mileage a tad. We began XC conditioning practice at Central Fellowship Christian Academy (where i am an assistant running coach). The 'cornfield', as we call it, is 1.95 miles around the perimeter. Perfect place to run. Well, for the most part. The folks who farm that field went a little too far into the outer dirt path with the discs and made it quite the challenge to run through. Tue and Thu of last week I did a 2 and 2 workout. The heat at 6:30pm is quite rough so my pacing was hard to keep under the 10 min pace. Sunday I decided to try a 1/3/1. I left the house about 30 minutes before the sun popped up. It felt nice outside. I use the mile over to the empty (but not for long) subdivision as a warmup. Construction has begun out there but I imagine I still have a year or more of running to do out there before traffic/kids/dogs/teradactyls take over. The warmup was rough...i felt like i was running in mud. My legs were heavy...my breathing was uncontrollable. I felt like I did 2 years ago when I began this insane brain damaged lifestyle. I almost quit during the 3 miler but decided to hang tough and get it done. the mile cooldown back to the house wasn't so bad.

During my recovery walks I stretch and let my heart rate drop below 100 bpm. If I went by time or how I felt I would never start back running :). Seriously though, for those of you out there who are starting out or battling the heat, get a HR monitor so you can watch your rate and use it as a guide for when your body is ready to start back jogging/running. Don't go by time/distance or how you feel. The one thing I've learned about my body over the last few months is that my heart rate drops rapidly after a jogging segment. Two years ago that didn't happen. It would take me 15-20 minutes to fully recover from running...now it takes, maybe, 2 minutes. That shows that the ticker health has really improved. I just wish I could say the same for the rest of this 46 yr old body.

Today's followup was basically me paying a $40 copay to have the doc agree I need an MRI. Something I wish I had requested last month when I met with doc to talk about the bone scan results. Live and learn. Well, today I get the MRI scheduled for Tuesday of next week which is ok but a little further out than I expected. Then I learn that my doc can't see me until the 31st. I left in a funk and drove home. As I drove the madder I became. I'm tired of things taking too long to get done. I've contacted another group in Macon who will see me tomorrow, review my xray and hopefully my bone scan (if i can get it sent up there tomorrow) before i see their doc. Then, I will see if they feel I need an MRI. If I do, it is my hope they will get the MRI done promptly and then have me come back in a day or so for the followup. I'm hopeful this will happen. At this point its not about the running anymore...i want to find out what the crap is wrong with my leg!

OK, now for the 10 min pacing 'issue'. I began training for my first marathon exactly two years ago in June of 2007. I managed to experience ITBS and many other fun injuries along the way. I completed my first marathon but was running on a very painful knee. I mean drop you to the ground kinda painful. Last year, I begin training for my 2nd marathon (which was Snickers 2009). I completed it but only after a hamstring lockup issue at mile 17. But I finished. I firmly believe that my training was my downfall. Not because of mileage or lack of distance/speed. It was the mixture of speed/distance. I did too many long slow miles and not enough tempo/interval work. If I can get this darn leg healed I will work on those things. I'm shelving the marathon for now but will return to it when I know I'm ready.

I better close this post because blogger just called and said i'm using too many characters...lol

take care and run smartly

Tommy