I finished the last of my physical therapy sessions today, and will hit the road tomorrow to once again test their effectiveness. Stretch and strength tests on the tendon in foot that gave me trouble were positive, though not perfect. My left foot, ankle, leg, etc., are all stronger and more stable than my right, but not by so much anymore.
Going to the physical therapist is tedious, but I always have to admit it does a lot of good. The therapist told me I made the right choice to come in with this injury, because if it gets too bad it can be very difficult to correct. You're thinking, what else is she going to say? She wants the business. But I checked it out on various sites on the internet, and they all said the same thing.
Tedium aside, I learned numerous great new strength and stability exercises that are perfect for helping runners avoid various foot injuries. I plan to continue with some of them indefinitely. Of course, I'll continue the entire set of exercises at least through the March 15 marathon.
Speaking of the March marathon - that's
Little Rock - race officials yesterday announced the medal. Little Rock is known for having the largest finisher's medal, but get this: this year it's 7 1/4 inches long and 6 1/4 inches wide and weighs more than a pound.
This weekend I have a 12 mile run, and next week my last 20-miler.
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I'm now tracking hits on this blog, and we have regular visitors. I have to think they want to hear more about the half marathoners and their training, so anyone who has anything, feel free to send it along.
By now the half marathoners are really getting strong and doing more miles than they probably ever imagined they could. It just gets better and better as the weeks roll by and as your body adjusts to the training. Right now you might be thinking: I still could never finish a half marathon. That'll change eventually to "I think I can actually do it" and that's just where you want to be when the big day comes. That little bit of doubt will keep you focused on your training now, and on how you run your race in May.
1 comment:
Hi Rob,
The 'A' half of the half marathoners is alive and kicking! Apologies for the commenting silence. I ran 3 miles last night and, let me tell you, it was not pretty. To start, I apparently haven't mastered the art of Garmin satelitte communication, as my watch didn't connect until I had completed my warm-up and was a quarter-mile down the road. Then, after a mile and a half, I about died. I hit a wall and it wasn't just any old brick wall. This was like a steel skyscraper 89 stories tall, one block wide, with a stone foundation 3 floors deep. There was no getting around nor pushing through it. Once I started walking I looked down at my watch, only to realize that I had been running an 8 minute pace. Holy fast batman! Pacing when running alone is obviously something I need to focus on.
So, the short 40 minutes I was out on the road weren't the greatest. On top of all that, not only was this the first time I had run in 13 days, but besides two evenings last week of Wii Yoga it was my only workout in 13 days, period. I know I KNOW, so terrible, but I have excuses! Tons of them! Things like travel and houseguests, leaky roofs and bouts with the flu, and taxes. OHMYGOD THE TAXES. Regardless, none of those should have been large enough to halt my training. I'm running this thing in May and letting life get in the way is not going to get me any closer to the finish line.
Onward I go.
Love, A
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