Thursday, March 29, 2007

On the road again


Man, I love that song. Anyway, I'm up and running. Monday was my debut, and Wednesday saw round two. So far so good--or rather, so far so OK. For awhile, I have to stick to a run/walk/run/walk regimen: This week it's 1/2-mile increments run at 10:00 pace every other day, then next week I step it up to 3/4 miles, then 1, 2, until about six weeks down the road when I'll graduate to 100% running. Frustrating, how long it'll take.

So beyond the fact that these early runs are so brief as to seem pointless (not, of course, the case), it's just plain hard to comply w/ the program. Because lemme tell ya, by the time Garmy Jr. has registered one half mile and I have to slow to a walk, I'm lucky to have completed a single thought. No time at all.

Still, it feels good to be back out there, even if Monday's reentry didn't kick off w/ a dramatic parting of the clouds, a chorus of trumpeting swans, or throngs of adoring fans lining Sixth Avenue. I felt that familiar runner's pride emerge, and although I was aware of a sensation in the top of my right hammy that I'm sure is residual of the injury, it wasn't what I'd call pain--even 'discomfort' is too strong a word for it. I'm gonna go ahead and assume it's not a dealbreaker, but a hurdle that I'll clear in time. (Thankfully, per the doc, I don't have to quit unless it's bona fide pain I'm faced w/.) The only thing I am a smidge concerned about is that I may have been compensating a wee bit, leaning ever so slightly to the left. Obviously this can't continue.

Another challenge has been adjusting my stride to account for the slowed pace. When I first set out on Monday, I found I didn't quite know what to do w/ the ol' gams--they kept wanting to stride long, but in an effort to hold them back, I wound up in this awkward slow-mo situation that took some time to climb out of. I had to have looked ri dic u lous before I finally figured it out.

I never thought I'd say this, but bring on the tempos! Intervals, please? Can't wait.

Tentatively on the horizon: 13.1 July or August, 26.2 by year's end.

Full-speed, er, half-speed, ahead!

Posted by princess kanomanom @ 11:19 AM