1mi this morning!

[cjsmith]

Yes, faithful readers, that's right: I ran a WHOLE MILE. I can tell you are cheering and throwing your hats into the air. Never before has a stunning human accomplishment moved so many.

OK, I'll be serious. My impressions:
- @#$! it is HOT OUT
- These insoles fit muuuuuuch better after I cut them down to size with a razor blade
- Much MUCH less pain in the feet this time
- I am in terrible shape

Speaking of fitness, did I say terrible? I meant abysmal. Awful. Despair-inducing, almost. But I've been in reasonable shape before, and there's no big reason my body can't do it again. What's left to me is the amount of work needed to dig that healthy state back out from under my recent inactivity.

I was talking to a coworker the other day about my need to get back into shape. He said I looked like I wasn't too out of shape. (Confusing calorie math with fitness, maybe?) I told him that if he asked my heart and lungs, and the big muscles of my legs and back, they'd tell a different story. :)

Comments

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

Well, take it slow -- the worst thing when you're getting back into a running program is to push yourself too hard out of an excess of endorphins and break something critical (in my case, knees.) But it's amazing how a little steady progress every week adds up.

I used to do up to 15 miles, but I can't make it past 5 these days before my back starts spasming. But then running isn't a big part of my fitness plan anymore.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

in my case, knees

Ouch. Y'know, I'd like to have a word with the designer of knees!

I used to do up to 15 miles

I'm impressed. I've never run more than 7 or so (Bay to Breakers '03). Then again, I'm a short chick with bad knees and four nerve tumors in my feet. :-)

But then running isn't a big part of my fitness plan anymore.

It was your back, then, that changed that?

Running's still a big part of my fitness plan. It's the only exercise I've found that I halfway enjoy, so I'm trying to stick to it despite the weird foot troubles.

If I could work up to it, I'd like to run a half-marathon some day, and from there, see if I could ever do a marathon; but right now, running two miles is a huge goal!

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

I wasn't "injured out" of running, I just shifted over to a gym-based weight program for most of my fitness. The reason why I can't run long distances anymore is the "use it or lose it" problem -- your joints and tendon structures accommodate to long runs, and if you stop doing them they lose that ability. I'm sure I could regain that if I tried. If you're careful to minimize joint wear-and-tear there's no reason not to run long (though perhaps increasingly slowly!) into your 60s.

Which is funny. I remember seeing my doctor when I was 30 or so complaining of knee pain from running, and he advised me to stop, because I was getting a little too old (!). Instead I iced them carefully after every run for a few years (it was very helpful that you could wear one of those ice pack/bandanges under pants), and eventually all the problems disappeared and I didn't even have to ice unless I felt some twinges. So much for most doctors.

Ugh on the nerve tumors. :-) I hope you get your groove back....

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I wasn't "injured out" of running, I just shifted over to a gym-based weight program for most of my fitness.

Ah, got it. I used to do weights, and I may again some time in the future. Sadly, for now I seem to require something I can do with no more prep than walking out the front door. Once I got out of the habit of driving all the way to the gym for a workout, I never got back into it. Fitness for the lazy! :-(

So much for most doctors.

Go you! I'm glad icing helped you, and I'm glad you didn't just take the doctor's word as gospel.

I hope you get your groove back....

Thanks! If I don't, I can have the nerves killed, but I'm hoping I can avoid that.

[katestine.livejournal.com]

Wait... running + icing over time led to no need for ice? *puzzled, but hopeful look*

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

That's right. You can have knee (or other joint) pain for a wide variety of reasons which are often hard to determine; in my case it appears my knees had simply not kept up with the longer distances I started running, since it takes tendons and supporting structures quite awhile to strenghten compared to muscles. This can be a big problem for weightlifters also -- they reach a point where their muscle strength has overrun their joint's capacity and they get injured unless they back off and give the joints time to catch up. So _for me_ icing after every run for a few years relieved the inflammation temporarily, and the knee eventually got strong enough not to need it for my typical every-other-day 10k. I still iced it (or them) if I felt beginning twinges or had run an unusually long distance, and didn't have any further problems.

Now for joint trouble that's degenerative (say, osteoarthritis), things will get steadily worse no matter what you do. If structures that the body can't heal have been damaged (say, the meniscus), stronger measures are necessary, up to giving up that particular exercise. The trick is knowing which is which, and even specialists can't always tell you.