Major News!

Major news on the home front. No BP didn't stop the oil spill. No America did not win their soccer match in the World Cup. And no I didn't lower my insurance using Geiko. It's BIGGER. I just ran 20 minutes on the t-mill without pain!!!!!!!! I know, I know it doesn't seem that important in the grand scheme of things but to me it means a lot.

Earlier this week my lovely (and can I say beautiful since I think she is still reading my blog) principal had 3 treadmills delivered to school. A necessity, no. A want for my running team, yes. And regardless if she is reading this, she is wonderful since she actually came through on her promise. When school started she said she would get me a few treadmills to help me evaluate my runner's gait so I could place them in proper shoes and we could use the t-mills on rainy days. True to her word we got the t-mills earlier this week. I was going to wait until Sunday to try my t-mill run but I said "what the hey, I am here and I should see how well they work", so I ran this morning. LOVED IT!


Now I am really starting to get encouraged and looking forward to my next stage in rehab, the long road back to running great. At least I know I can start incorporating more runs in while I am rehabbing to keep me sane.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Oh and if anyone knows of a gym who would like to donate old treadmills or cardio equipment we would love them and they would get a tax write-off. Win win for everyone.

Gym Dislikes!!

Let me start off by saying I hate the gym! I don’t hate working out/lifting weights or the benefits from working out with weights; I hate all the boneheads that make going to the gym a horrible experience. I love gyms like Jordan’s Virtual Fit Club. It is the size of a strip mall liquor store and is packed, PACKED with weights. It is like working out in your own private gym.
Since I have been relegated to rehabbing in the gym, I have noticed even more things I dislike. Jeff Bomberger touched on gym etiquette before, but this goes beyond his.

Dudes the shower wall is not a tissue!
Dudes that walk around naked in the locker room have been discussed, but do they really need to SHAVE naked? Come on man show a little respect!
Speaking of respect, what the hell is up with guys that don’t want to say thank you for holding the door that extra second for someone. I am not gay and hitting on you or I don’t think that you can’t open the door; it is a polite gesture that a civilized society respects. I don’t care how much muscle you have saying thank you doesn’t make you a pussy.
Speaking of guys thinking you are gay and hitting on them, that is NOT the case when I see you struggling with too heavy of a weight and I ask if you need a spot. It’s not that I don’t think you can lift it (you shouldn’t be lifting it if you are struggling so bad with poor form but that is another topic), it is that I don’t want to waste my time later filling out a report as to what I saw when you crushed your skull with a 95 lb. dumbbell.
Now for too heavy of weights; if you are using dumbbells you do not need to slam them on the ground for attention. If you are not strong enough to be able to control the weights back to your legs and stand up or control them enough to get them to the ground gently, you are not as strong as you think and should mix in a few stabilizer exercises once in a while.
Treadmill racer guy, I am rehabbing an injury I am not here to race you. Don’t look over at my t-mill and increase your pace to better mine. I am just here because I have to be and couldn’t care less how fast you think you are with your board shorts and Vans.
Other treadmill/stair master/elliptical dorks don’t jack up your pace or the incline so high that you hold on to the handles for dear life. That totally negates the effects of the workout.
OK- this one happened last week it is not BS. Dude, do not get in the pool/hot tube in your Hanes boxer briefs! Nasty!
Last one because I am busy- girls going to yoga classes that are late and rushing through the gym all stressed out they are late. Yoga is supposed to be relaxing and a de-stressor. You are completely missing the point if you are huffing and puffing at the lady that is slowly checking people into the gym because you will be 2 minutes late to yoga class. RELAX the class isn’t going anywhere.

Ahh. Feels better now I can go the gym and smile at all you boneheads.

Crushing my hopes

So after seeing my regular doctor 2 weeks ago, I finally received my referral request for a cortisone shot- DENIED!!!! Man I hate my insurance. So I stay fit my entire adult life, never ever see the doctor except once a year for an annual check-up, and when I finally need something, "nope, sorry it isn't going to happen". So what the hell am I paying for?

Sorry, had to get that rant out. Anyways, I guess that means more icing, more therapy, more Advil, and keep praying my hip gets better (unless some knows someone who can administer cortisone shots!).

Today, I am going to attempt to walk stairs. There is a flight of 300ish stairs in Stevenson's Ranch that I will walk up and down for 30-40 minutes. I know my quads and calves will get sore (in a good way) I just hope my hip/groin doesn't get hurt in the bad way.


Have a great day!

Weekend Update

True to my word and against better judgement, I decide to run 10 whole minutes on the treadmill on Sunday. I set the pace for a 10 min a mile so I would run an entire mile. Three shitty things: 1. 10 min/mile felt like a decent pace (fuck I can maintain sub 6's for 10Ks man how I have fallen. 2. 6 minutes in my hip hurt. 3. I got bored (not surprising but if I have to rehab for a few weeks on a t-mill I will hate it! After my "run" if you can call it that, I did my rehab exercises and stretched for 15 extra minutes. I then went home and iced a few times and did my rehab exercises again. I was really distraught throughout the day because of the discomfort.

Now the good. I swam 2500 meters on Saturday faster then I have ever swam in the past. Then I did a sick-ass chest/back/ab circuit on Sunday which killed me. And now for the best news (fingers crossed), my hip and legs feel great today! Maybe all the icing and extra stretching helped loosen things up? Who know but I feel good and will try and run on the t-mill again this Sunday.

Congrats to everyone who raced this weekend. You inspire me to race more often (when I get better) and make me jealous that you are out there racing while I watch TV on the couch.

Enjoy your Monday everyone.

Injuries Suck

I haven't run on land in 45 days due to tendonitis. I know the exact days because the first day of my injury was the first day of the BP oil disaster. Everything I read about tendonitis says that it should take 4-6 weeks to heal. I am no mathematician but 6 weeks x 7 days a week is 42 days. I should be feeling great. And I was feeling like I was getting better so I started aqua jogging. I did ten minutes one day. Then skipped 2 days and did 25 minutes. Then skipped 3 days and did 40 minutes. Never once did I feel any pain or discomfort while running or the next days that followed. I thought I would be on the treadmill by Sunday. Then yesterday happened. I was in so much pain, it was like the first day of my injury. WTF???!!!!!??!?!?!?! I am so upset and distraught I can't even begin to explain. I am almost at wits end and at that point in an athlete's 9I use that term lightly when talking about myself) life where I feel that if I am going to be in pain without running, I might as well run and then be hurt.

Oh well, hopefully someone, somewhere will come through for me and find someone who can administer a cortisone shot (or 2 or 3 like I really need) since my insurance company thinks everything is fine with me (they suck ass just like injuries)

Despite all of this, I WILL have a great weekend and I hope you all do too.

I am back

When I first started a blog, I wanted it to be about my training for upcoming races, my coaching experiences, and maybe be a little motivational with how hard I push myself. Then I got injured and felt blogging about rehab and not training would be boring. A friend told me that talking about what I am going through could be as motivational, if not more, for people who are dealing with injuries as well. So I guess I will start blogging again sooner than I had planned.

So where do I start? Mondays, which were usually 5 milers, are now 1-1/12 hours at therapy doing all kinds of stretches and leg exercises. They are getting easier and I am getting stronger so I guess it is helping. Tuesdays, which were usually 6-7 miles of hill repeats, are now swimming days. I try to get in 1500-2500 meters. Wednesday, which was usually a 6 miler, is a day on the bike. I try to do 1 hour on the trainer or 20 miles. Thursday and Friday are off days since I work two jobs and don't have time to get in any cardio. Saturdays, which were usually 6-10 miles, are swim days (same as Wednesday distances). And Sundays, usually 10-15 milers, is now another swim or bike day. Major differences.

On all these days I do my therapy twice a day and go to the gym for a 2-body part circuit. So I have been very active and have been watching what I have been eating to keep the weight off. So far it has worked.

Over the past 43 days without running (imagine not running for that long of time-SUCKS!!!!!!), I have learned a few things:

First-If I put in the effort I could actually be a decent swimmer
Two- I fucking HATE riding a bike!
Three- I should have listened to my therapist sooner.
Four- I really LOVE running and miss it so bad
Five- I will never take running for granted and think "Man I don't want to run my miles today"
Six- Most doctors are ignorant about running injuries and couldn't careless if you actually are diagnosed correctly.
Seven- As much as i should be more supportive, I hate going to races if I can not run them.
Eight- Seven leads to this one- I appreciate spectators and volunteers even more at races since I hate to be there and not run.
Nine- My wife is wonderful for helping deal through all this crap (actually- I didn't just learn this one but it made my beliefs even stronger)

So that's my life as of now. However, I did try and aqua jog this past weekend and felt great. I am going to try 40 minutes of it today and see how it goes. If I feel good I will try the dreaded treadmill this weekend.