I haven't run since about 1995 or 96 after I hurt my back in "the" car wreck. I have tried once on a treadmill for about 10 minutes. It was probably in 1996, but I can't be sure of the date. I was told after the wreck by my orthopedic doctor at The Texas Back Institute to 1. No working out for 2 years, 2. No running ever and 3. No situps ever. He then explained why the three restrictions and after the pain I had in my back, I was pretty ok with what he told me. My body would regret it and I would as well, but what did he know. He only ever wanted to do surgeries and I was not quite a candidate yet, but if I didn't workout much from now on, my inevitable pathway would lead right to his OR table. Maybe he really does things that way maybe not. Either way my end result without working out much and never working on my core would eventually land me in his pudgy hands again. When I did run that one time on the treadmill, I regretted it immensely because the pain I had put me down for about 2 days in severe pain. Today, I have not had any flare ups so far. Crossing fingers!
Like I said, I haven't ran in a long, long time. As the race time approached, I got a little anxious as to how I was going to do. Not running for so long, I wasn't sure how to do it. I know how to run, but I have not made my body really move that way, at least not on purpose for so long. I was always the guy that said, "I don't run. If a bear is chasing me, he is getting a good meal." I was pretty adamant about not running. I had watched countless friends either people I had daily contact with or on FB talk about their 5K, 10K, half and full marathons. Jogging on the bike path for the last 7 years in Rhode Island. I did bike, but no running. People ride their bikes, jog, walk, roller blade and whatever else on that bike path. It's a lovely time and usually a good workout if you put some miles in. The time building up the race gave me a slight amount of anxiety and not knowing anyone or almost anyone there in a town I basically grew up in is also a bit disturbing. It's tough to come back to a place you once lived but really know nothing about or the people in it. I KNEW them at one time, but I haven't known them for some time. Even being friends with them on FB doesn't mean I know them. I am acquainted with them, but you miss a lot if you base your complete knowledge base on anyone solely on FB.
As the time approached we all lined up and of course the younger kids all anxious to get out in the lead jumped up front. It was kind of fun to watch their excitement. We never really had things like this when I was growing up, although it was a long time ago and my memory isn't what it used to be. The guy called the start and I started walking for a few steps and then decided to go ahead and test the waters with running or rather jogging. Funny to think that I was jogging, but for most of them in the front they were jogging at what would most likely be my top end run/sprint speed. One woman, whom I never caught up to was power walking and no matter that I would walk then jog then repeat, I never caught up to her. Needless to say I got to the back of the pack pretty fast and while I wasn't the real tail end of the group. I was pretty far back after the first half mile.
I decided to create little areas in the path as I was going through it to jog and then walk. I tried to continue this process all the way through the race. It worked for the most part, but one thing I know that is very different from what I have been doing and what I did today is that the lower impact I have been staying with on my usual workouts feels different on my ankles and feet than putting feet to pavement. I was able to keep my pace pretty good. I did alternate the walk/jog routine quite a bit, but I felt I was doing well. I had an imagined time of around 30 to 35 minutes to get it done, but that was not to be. My time was 47:32 or right around there and after seeing some of the better runners times, I didn't feel that bad about my time. One thing I did like is that I was lapped by a few people, but most that did, did so near the end of the 2nd lap. I was a mile and a half in before anyone lapped me. My legs were tired and slightly jello like afterwards.
When I got home I hit the hot tub and then rested for a couple of hours. Around 1 pm I did my Eccentric Lower workout. I felt really good when I did that workout as well. I ended up breaking a good sweat, more so than I did with the run. I am glad I didn't eat of the donuts, but if I had, I would have easily burned them off today between both workouts. That workout signaled the final "hard" workout of the program. I have Dynamix tomorrow then start Victory Week on Monday. Isometrix is the first workout and while it is hard for me, it is not a resistance workout and is really only hard for me due to my poor balance. I am going to add 3 extra days of cardio next week. I want to get as much of a burn in this last week as I can. I have already talked about backing into the finish line vs. sprinting. I didn't have to do any burpees today, but I still needed to do pushups. I did 25 before leaving for the race, 25 after getting back, 25 before my workout and then 25 after the workout. The last 50 seemed harder, but that last 25 seemed the hardest. I didn't use my upper body at all today, but pushups use legs and core for stabilization and I think I was just fatigued from the 2 workouts today. I got them all done and hope I am not too sore tomorrow because I have 50 burpees tomorrow.
I think, for my last day of heavy work with this program, I feel like I did great today and am not unhappy at all with how my run or workout went. I am excited to see that I can add something so easy as running into my training routine (not that running is easy) and get some different results and increase my fitness. If my back holds out, I might be working up to that half marathon territory. First though, I will need to get through tomorrow without any back pain then start to incorporate running into my program. Baby steps as it were. All I can do is keep putting one foot in front of the other and often and as fast as I can and repeat.
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