Thursday, March 29, 2007

injury report

For the past week, I've been totally focused on dealing with my injury. The marathon dream has been put aside for the time being. I am continuing my non-running fitness routine, although with less urgency now that I've accepted my situation. My primary objective right now is to get past the injury, which seems now to be more serious than I originally thought, and re-build the strength in my right calf.

I am continuing with twice weekly physio treatments and weekly massage therapy sessions. I'm also doing exercises myself to help this process. My exercise regimen is still pretty consistent, as my wife Cheryl has picked the spinning "bug". We are taking part in 45-minute sessions at the gym three or four times a week. This is a heavy duty workout. I'm also doing about an hour on the eliptical machine a couple of times a week and a weight sesion once a week. All in all, I'm keeping in top condition and my weight is staying stable even without the running program.

My physio specialist and I have agreed that I will resume running early next week on a very limited basis. She has done a good job at reminding me to start slowly and increase in minimum increments so as not to cause the injury to recur by doing too much too fast. Hopefully my next entry will have me back on the road, taking advantage of this beautiful Spring weather.

until next week,

Michael

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Facing reality

I was hoping to have positive news to share with you about my progress towards completing my
marathon adventure in Ottawa on May 27th. With only 10 weeks of training left, I have been increasing my cardio and leg strength through non-running exercises as I emphasize physio and massage for my injured calf. On Monday I went out for a low-level walk/run and completed 55 minutes. I was ecstatic about my progress and looked forward to increasing my pace this morning but at the 30-minute mark, I felt the calf muscle pull and limped home, dejected and discouraged.

I met with coach this morning and we have agreed on three things:
1. I will not run until April 1st. This is a neccessary step to allow my injury to heal. I will continue my non-running exercise regimen during this time to allow me to ease back into a running program once my injury heals completely.
2. With only about 7 weeks to train after I start running again, it's unrealistic for me to anticipate I will be able to run a marathon in late May. There just isn't enough time to build stamina and endurance to the level required to complete the 26-mile distance.
3. I can probably run the Ottawa half-marathon as part of re-building my fitness level as I search for another marathon in mid or late Summer. So the dream is not dead, just deferred for a while. Such is the reality of life.

All things being equal, it's pretty tough for me to stay down for very long. I'm in the best shape I've been in ten years, my weight and my body fat percentage continue to drop, I have more energy than ever and I like the way I look. Besides, with all the cross-training I'm doing, maybe I'll look at completing a trialthlon instead of just a marathon.

until next week,

Michael

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

A wake up call

After crafting last week's positive-feeling update, I sent off a quick message to my coach to inform him of my renewed enthusiasm. He sent me a short reply that included the simple fact that I only have about 11 weeks of training left before the Marathon. Boy, talk about a wake up call!! And here I've been sitting back, resting on my laurels. As I write this note I'm accutely aware that I'm now at the ten-week mark.

The good news is that in realizing this fact, I have implemeted a plan to get to, and stay in, peak physical condition as my injury heals. Last week I started a non-running program that includes two hours per day of training. I've discovered a whole new world in eliptical training, spinning classes and swimming laps at the local pool. And I've realized I don't mind these alternate fitness options that I never would have explored had it not been for my current situation.

And I think I've finally found a resource to resolve my injury issue. This morning I visited a massage therapist who did a great job not only on addressing my injury point, but as an avid runner was able to suggest a short term program to get back on the street, so to speak.

until next week.

Michael

Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Back in the saddle.

I am finally out of the doldrums. Even though I'm still feeling the effects of my calf injury, I seem to have a new perspective. I have re-started my exercise program with spinning classes the last two evenings. What a workout!! One positive by-product is that my wife came with me on Monday. She enjoyed the session and wants to go back.

I continue to use physio on my calf and have not run in the last four weeks. So I know I'm already starting to lose to momentum in my fitness level. My goal for this week is to string together a number of consecutive exercise days to get myself back into the groove. I find it truly amazing that, in the blink of eye it seems, I've lost almost a month of training.

So mentally I'm back into PMO (positive mental attitude). The challenge will now be to resist the tempation to get back into my running program until my injury is fully healed. To this end, I intend to stay focused on non-running activities until at least the end of this week. I have a number of options and intend to keep re-building my strength and stamina.

until next week,

Michael

Thursday, March 1, 2007

discouraged but still determined

Not much to report this week, other than I've managed to re-injure the same calf. I thought I had things well under control at the end of last week, so I did about 30 minutes on the treadmill before feeling a slight discomfort on my right calf.

Wanting to test my status, I made the decision to run outdoors on Sunday. Turns out this was a big mistake and within twenty minutes of heading out, my right calf was again sore and I limped back home, in worse condition than before. Needless to say I was devastated and discouraged, but I've come to terms with this issue.

The good news is that my coach still advises I'm ahead of the game in my marathon training and can afford to coast for a while more. He has made me feel ok about this challenge. The hardest part is disciplining myself to keep a daily exercise regimen while injured.

I have committed myself to keeping my conditioning and cardio levels high with non-running activities like the riding the exercise bike, weights and swimming for the next week. I've immersed myself in physio treatments and want to make sure I ease my way back into running.

until next week,

Michael