Max Riffner

The Parlor

My weblog work journal.  »Archives  »Links

Beginning to Run Again

I ran this morning for the first time in two years.

I’m a bit sore. My tendonitis did fine, but I’m sore like someone who has never ran feels after their first time. This beginner’s program is great, and something I should have done after injuries when I was running previously. The first 8 days is all walking (Week Zero). I am officially on Week One, where I’ll run for 2 minutes then walk for 4 minutes, and I’ll do that for 5 cycles (for 30 minutes of activity). I’ll run Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday every week, with Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday as rest or cross-training days, and at the end of 10 weeks, I’ll be running for 30 minutes straight.

I will more than likely re-injure myself sometime in the next 10 weeks. This won’t be a bad thing (well, besides the pain). Injuring myself again will help my physical therapist determine what is wrong with me.

My new Brooks Beasts are great. They are lighter than previous models. I’m a severe over-pronator with very flat feet, so the Beast is ideal; many people consider it the best motion control shoe you can buy. I added the Dr. Scholl’s inserts on top of the Brooks inserts that are provided. This seemed to work; my tendon started to get a little tight, but it didn’t start to burn or feel anywhere near as tight as it used to get. According to my physical therapist, this means I’m a good candidate for orthotics.

I walked home a bit wobbly since my knees and hips were a bit unused to pounding the asphalt like that anymore, but the small endorphin rush was worth it. Oh endorphins, you are the best natural high I can get. I took a cold shower after I stretched again, letting the water hit my legs (I’ve tried ice baths before, and while they work, the unbearable cold on my man parts is too much for me). Finally, I popped a couple of Advil on my way out the door for work to settle the eventual inflamation.

Update – 07/05/06: Oh my. My tendon flamed up in the late evening of the 3rd. It was okay all day, but suddenly began to hurt that night. Now, it feels good – I iced it and stretched it before my 22 mile bike ride with the Chief. I need further instructions from the physical therapist.

You can also browse through the Parlor archives.