Back pain

Not the kind that can cause a runner to sit side-lined, but more like the pain on the bones when you've done sit-ups on cement or wood floors.

I have been having this pain since last night, and Lord knows, it isn't from sit-ups! Haven't done much of those! I could not figure it out.

Then on this evening's run, I was adjusting my Amphipod and realized what had caused the soreness. My Camelbak! Yesterday was the first time I have worn it since Rocky and the area wear the Camelbak sits is exactly what is sore! Phew... glad it's that and nothing more.

I also started developing a chaffed area on my arms today. Weird. I think my shirts have gotten bigger on me so the extra fabric is rubbing the inside of my arm. Made for an unpleasant feeling about 1/2 way into the run, but nothing too unbearable.

I finally got to run the Nature Preserve Trail tonight. It's the first time since before Ike. I noticed some new pathways have been created. I'd like to spend some time exploring those. Anyone interested? I will not run the trails by myself. It was nice of Mark to ride his bike alongside me tonight. We had not done that in a long while either.

I am somewhat frustrated that it takes me a good 4 miles to feel warmed up and in a groove. To steal Holden's catch phrase..."What's up with that!?" Anyone else have this issue. Good thing I'm not trying to run 5Ks!!

It will be nice to get a bit of rain this week, as long as it doesn't interfere too much with my running!

More Trails

Went out for a planned 2 hour run, slogged through 91 mins and called it a day. I felt fine physically, aside from a funny stomach, but I just felt tired. Rather than push it like I had planned, I listened to my body and finished up 30 mins shy of my goal.

My plan this week isn't really about mileage. It's more about time and consistency. I seem to need to get back into the habit of running and not blowing it off as easily as I have been.

Plan for the week is an hour on Tues, Weds, and Thurs. If I can fit in 30 mins of Friday, great! Saturday I'd like to do the trails again for 90 mins and Sunday I'd like to do 2 hours.

Once the habit is established I'll readjust the plan to specific mileage goals.

99.999999%

Went out for a jaunt in the woods this morning. I wasn't trying to run for pace or distance, just to complete an hour and enjoy the beautiful weather. It seems everyone was feeling the same, as we stopped and took in the moment several times.

We got 5.3 miles in this morning. I felt great! Lungs are back where I want them to be and feel well enough to start pushing myself more. My appetite still isn't that great, so I've dropped another pound. I am sure that as my running increases, my appetite will pick up. Giving the red meat, pork, and sugar up for Lent has not been as difficult as I thought it would be this time. I'd like to go to a raw foods plan, but I have to do these things in baby steps.

Tomorrow I'll go for a true long run with more emphasis on pace, but I am not going to get crazy about it.

Vic has added me to his sidebar, and since I've been a secret follower of his over the last 18 months or so, I am adding him to mine! Thanks for stopping by, Vic!

I registered for Rocky Hill today! God-willing, this will be my second 50 miler!

85/90

Got a nice 6 miler in yesterday in the pouring rain. The rain did not bother me because I was just enjoying my legs moving forward! The lungs felt about 85%. I tackled a few hills on Flintridge, but kept the pace nice and easy so that I could be sure I was feeling well enough to run.

Tonight, Hannah and I headed out for a quick run before dinner. She pooped out rather quickly, so I dropped the poor puppy off at home and did a mile with some fartleks included. The lungs felt even better tonight, about 90% there.

My bout of flu/bronchitis has zapped my appetite. I've lost about 7 pounds which is a nice benefit, but I would rather have lost that weight while running!

My appetite seemed to pick up today probably as a result of my running.

Tonight's Run

Mile 1: 9:56
Mile 2: 10:12
Mile 3: 10:29 Hannah was really dragging
Mile 4: 8:32 3 Fartleks thrown in. Felt great to pick up the pace a bit.

Finished the night up with some core work. Badly needed core work!

75%

Short run tonight during Lem's Volleyball practice. First run in 15 days. These little "breaks" are becoming quite annoying.

I didn't want to push myself too much as my lungs still don't feel right. But the urge to run has returned, so I gave in to it and kept myself to my word on the time. I planned to run 30 mins, but because of a dog attack in my back yard, my run time came up a few minutes short at 23 mins.

If I had to assign a number to the lungs, I'd say that they are at about 70 - 75%.

I will try to monitor this over my slow return to training to be sure it's only getting better.

TIR Weekend

I was supposed to be running with The Battling Bloggers of the Texas Republic, but as fate would have it, I had to make the decision to sit out this time, and in hind site, I suppose it was a good decision, at least for the Team.

I've been down with the flu and bronchitis the last two weeks and just when I thought I might be returning to some semblance of myself, my lungs gave in again to another infection. I was embarrassed to be back in my doctor's office for the third time in less than 10 days. But he assured me that I was sick and I needed to go for another round of medication complete with steroids this time. Thankfully, I am feeling much better after only 24 hours on this course of treatment.

Usually when I am out of the game, I yearn for the opportunity to run. This time, however, I have had no desire to do anything of the sort. Today was the first time I thought that maybe, just maybe, I'd like to run a little. I am taking that as a good sign.

I think the worst part of the last two weeks is that I had to watch the kids fall to the flu as well. This thing was nasty. Very nasty. It lasted a good 7 - 8 days for most of them. Thankfully, they bounce back well.

One funny moment this week was when the doctor was checking Boo and found something blue up his nose. This came as a complete surprise to us! Upon further inspection, we discovered that our sweet youngest son had, at some point unbeknownst to us, placed a piece to a Bionicle up his nose.



After several attempts to remove it, our doctor suggested that we make an appointment with the ENT. Thankfully, we have a long-standing relationship with ours and they were able to see us the next morning. The piece was successfully removed with only minor insult to the ego of a three-year old.



Today, my sister-in-law invited us to go to a nearby arboretum. The fact that I actually wanted to go was another sign to me that I must be getting better. I haven't gone very far and where I have gone, I have done so very reluctantly.



It was a beautiful day. Breezy and warm and full of nice memories with the kids. I couldn't help but think about the TIR teams moving from Gonzales to the San Jacinto. I pray that they have a great time, stay safe, and finish the relay
uninjured.