Sunday, October 19, 2008

Return to Normalcy


The sub-par, post Great War president Warren G. Harding used this catch phrase to get himself elected president in 1921. In summary he wanted to return to isolationism and attend to affairs back on "our" side of the globe. Jim Hage will probably fact check this for me.
When I wake up tomorrow morning I will return to my usual routine. I shall return to normalcy (zing!). I will SLOWLY build the mileage back to a comfortable level (70 mpw) and refrain from any workouts or strenuous runs until my hip feels 100%.Or better yet, 105%. I'll try to have "fun". Darkness comes early now so getting to "fun" places after work will be tough going. I am not a night run type of guy, especially when I can't see what's in front of me. Soon (heck, maybe this week) I will start running in the mornings (sigh). I love and hate running in the morning. Two years ago, I used to meet "Double C" (Christiam Camacho) every morning at 6:20am. I would exit my apartment building and would be so furious that I often thought of punching him. I am sure he had similar feelings. We wouldn't talk for a few miles because we were so tired and so angry for being up. Nowadays I can sneak out of bed and run about an hour later that I used to be able to. That already makes the morning run a better proposition. I run the same 3-4 running routes in the winter. It's incredibly boring which is why running on the weekends for me is so ideal.
My next race (if i decide to run it) will be Veteran's Day 10k. Again, this is a big IF. I will play it all by ear. Instead of going out balls to the wall (15:45 5k split at Army...or 10k PR pace), which hasn't helped me much in the past two races, I will likely opt for a more conservative pace. Last year the Vet's Day 10k broke me. It took 2 days for me to recover. I didn't go out suicidal but I was in a race with someone else for the entire 10 kilometers (ie - was never alone and was always fighting). That's one of the reasons I like this race - always great competition.
Off to the airport...

5 comments:

Kent Werner said...

hey man. What's with your hip? Mine's killing me too-in the groin, abs, and butt-any bright ideas on fixing this?

KLIM said...

Kent - not sure what's wrong. I have yet to seek/receive "professional" advice. I thought that by taking it easy the injury would just subside. It seems to be working...I think. I haven't tested it in force though.

The pain started when I ran on a hurt achilles/IT in mid-August. I likely favored part of my leg over another while training through the pain/injured IT. The current pain is that protruding bone and the muscle below the bone on my left hip. I have no pains in any of the other areas you listed. I know that lots of hills and speed work seems to enflame the area. After each of my races since the issue, I've limped away. The next day I seem to be fine and during the race it has never been an issue (fortunately).

What is your NEXT race? Vets?

Kent Werner said...

Glad to hear you're recovering. My problem started kind of like yours, and I have been ignoring it for over a year until the butt and groin kicked in. Finally I saw a couple physical therapists until one figured out what the problem was (so we think): my hip bone wasn't rotating - rather it somehow was stuck and it caused me to use my hip/upper thigh muscles incorrectly. As I picked up on the training-the injuries accumulated.

I just ran Baltimore Marathon and I just kept things very conservative to see if the hip would make it. Turned out I really had to hit the breaks towards the last third of the race. So now I am taking it seriously and resting at least a month w/ just short jogs every other day or so and cross training.

So to answer your question - no races until December or January.

I have hopes for Boston and I will try to cautiously increase my training - aiming for mid 2:30's. We'll see, my man. You've been doing great, though and I look forward to seeing you out there again.

KLIM said...

You have plenty of time to get in shape for Boston. The ground work has been done. Once you are injury free, you'll be able to slowly (and comfortably) build back up.

Can you water run? I swear by it. You'll maintain all the cardio you need by water running. I think it is actually better than running! Though it's boring. However, don't do it if it inflames your hip. Finding an (indoor) pool is tough as well.

Kent Werner said...

Yeah, you're right. Water running is great. I don't know where to find a pool close by. I go to lifetime, but it's too shallow to run w/ the belt. I will just keep up w/ the PT and conservative running till I am better. Good luck w/ the training.