Hope To Run Again Before End Of The Year

Stomach virus is gone !  It passed through very quickly.  Appetite was back to normal.  Maybe a little weakness, but not too much.

Today it was very windy and rainy.  Ran 4 miles at a good pace.  I am tired of complaining about my "slow" pace lately.  The fact is with limited running due to my hurt leg, this is really about all I can do.  But I WILL get better.  I will still mention how my leg feels just as way to keep a record of it.  Hopefully it will not be too long before I never mention it again.

4 miles - 31:15 - 8:17, 7:52, 7:57, 7:09 - 7:48 avg.

I absolutely did not intend on picking it up on the last mile.  I was thinking about an upcoming race.  I plan on just using it as a training run.  But I was wondering what I would do, or be able to do, if I was near a group of people on the last mile.  Would I be able to stay with them?  Pass them ? Let them go ?  Then the run was over and I was suprised to see a 7:09 on the last mile.  This was done without any extra effort.

It probably sounds silly to the runners in more competitive areas, but the last 5K run around here was won with a 21 something.  This race is a first time run.  If only locals show up it will probably be the same results.  It is hard to tell how many, if any, others come from other places.  I guess I will just see how things go and hope my leg lets me run well.

I had told myself to stop making this Scott's Complaining Blog and had high hopes of good workouts today.  My leg was hurting while walking all day.  So I already knew I may I have to skip my run.  But I was happy to go to the pool since I had not been in several days.  Swimming felt fine until a little after the midway point of the workout.  I got a cramp in the arch of my right foot.  It lasted less than a minute and I was able to resume.  Then on the last 25 yards I got a bad toe cramp in my right foot.  I tried to massage it away while in the pool.   But I could see where my toes had spread out similiar to the Vulcan hand signal for "Live Long and Prosper."  Then when I hopped onto the side of the pool my left calf cramped up.  It only lasted about 30 seconds or so, but it really hurt.  Now it is still a little tender to the touch. 

So instead of running I walked on the treadmill for about 10 minutes then went home.  I am guessing the cramps are from some dehydration ffrom the stomach virus.  I spent almost all day in court and did not intake any fluids.  And my urine is still dark.

Anyway, it still felt good to swim again, and I should be able to run tomorrow.  Alternating days has been working well for my leg.  So I am really not complaining, just telling it like it is.

1000 yards - 18:19:02

300 - 5:27:00 - 100fr, 100br, 100fr

4x100 I.M. - 60 sec. rest in between - 1:39:83, 1:39:62, 1:37:94, 1:33:79 - about 2 min. rest on last one because of cramp.

300 - 6:20:84 - 100fr, 100br, 100fr - last 25 was floating on back massaging foot cramp.

Swam 1000 yards - 19:35 - easy - mix of breast and free - continuous

Low energy today and leg had a little more pain than I expected after a day off from running.  But even when not feeling very energetic I still had times I was happy with.  I had a strong deisre to take a nap after my run, but unfornately I could not.  Had to help out with the normal duties around the house.  Watch American Idol and Deadliest Catch.  Post to the blog.  And now finally, I will get some sleep.

6.2 - 48:48 - 7:52 avg.

7:56, 8:02, 8:01, 7:45, 7:55, 7:37, 1:32(.2)

Almost time to leave work and go home.  I was just looking around on YouTube and saw a great clip of Billy Mills 10,000 gold medal race from the 1964 Olympics.  What a phenomenal kick he had at the end of that race.  Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhTtVlgTa_g

There were a lot of clips of record performances in track and field.  They were fun to look at.

 Swim - 1000 yards - 18:43

5x200 - free, breast, free, breast, free - continuous

Swimming felt good today.

This is my last run before my race on Saturday.  Then I will take off about 7 - 10 days before thinking about running again.  Not sure if the leg will heal in that amount of time or not.  But I would think I could start with some 2 or 3 mile easy runs by then.  We will see.

Today's run felt good.  The leg pain was not as bad as I expected since this was the second day  in a row of running.  Maybe I am just used to it hurting.  I picked it up some on the last mile.  Partly to see if I could, and also knew this would be it for awhile.

4 miles - 7:51, 7:29, 7:25, 6:51 - 29:26 - 7:24 avg.

Leg hurt while walking.  Had a noticeable limp.  Hurt getting in and out of the car over and over again.

Swim - 1600 yards- 29:31:68

400 - 200fr/200br

4x100 - I.M.

200 - 100fr/100br

2 x 25 - of each stroke

400 - 200fr/200br

Swim - 1000 yards - 19:05 - mix of free and breast

Treaded water for 5 minutes at the end of the swim.  I used a running motion for my legs.  It is hard for me to stay afloat when treading like this.  But I my legs felt like they were getting a workout.  I might try this some more next week for a longer period of time.  But I would do better if I had a snorkle to keep me from holding my head up.

Going to the doctor for me leg in just a few minutes.  I have no idea what to expect from him.

I knew things would be interesting when a guy in blue jeans led the first 250 yards or so.  You gotta love races in small rural towns.

This was the first time this race was held and about 30 people showed up.  Only 10 or 12 were runners.  I planned on taking it easy because of my leg, but after the first half mile the pain went away.  I was unfamiliar with the course and as there were no mile markers, I did not have a good feel of my pace.  The guy in front of me was out of sight.  He won with an 18:43.  And there was no one behind me for as far as I could see.  This course was more hilly than what I was used to.  But I was pleased with my effort.  The course measured a little long at 3.22 miles.  I finished with a 22:23 - 6:57 avg.

And something else you do not usually see at races, no one used a stopwatch to time the event.  When I checked the list of final times here is what mine showed 8:22:23.  When I asked about it, the race director said he started the race at exactly 8am on his watch and just wrote down what the actual time was when people finished.  But I did thank him for putting on the event and told him I hoped for more local races.

Now for the bad news.  I went to an orthopedic doctor on Friday.  He believes I might have a stress fracture in my femur.  A x-ray did not show anything, but he wants to do a bone scan to be sure.  When I got home I Googled this and found some forums where people had the same thing.  Their descriptions of the pain were almost exactly like mine.  I had never considered this type of injury.  I was thinking it was muscular.  I mean how can a bone as big and strong as the femur have a stress fracture?  Recovery seems to be at least 6 weeks of no running.  Of course until I get the bone scan I cannot say for sure if that is what it is.  I really hope not.

If anyone has any experience with a stress fracture of the femur I would love to hear about it.