Quick 3 mile run this morning.
Rich - Keeping the bike running isn't hard just time consuming like you said. Plan to do some maintenance this weekend. All of a sudden the pedals don't free spin when I back pedal. I have yet to find a comfortable seat when doing a real long ride.
Art in AZ
Mesa, AZ
6 mile run this morning. Went South along the canal for a different route. Had to stop at each major cross road because of traffic. Even early in the morning. Not running this way again.
Sunday, 5/21... yesterday was a day off, 6 mile run with walk breaks on the railtrail today. With the dry conditions and increased weekend activity, the railtrail was not the place for running today. Every ATV that went by was leaving a cloud of dust in its wake and the lack of wind let it hang in the air for me to try to breathe. I was literally coughing as I ran...lol
Art... too bad about the traffic on your new route, lesson learned, eh? Speaking of comfortable bike seats, have you ever seen the way some riders in the Tour-de-France sit on their seats? It looks like they're sitting on just the very tip of the seat and I don't know HOW they do it for the distances they ride. Must have a callous the size of a baseball mitt... lol
Happy Monday!! Returned from Hikefest last evening. I know this isn't about 'running' but I wanted to share this w/ you. Hope you don't mind. Hikefest 2017.
Friday, met RB in Duluth. We made it to the check in place about 4 pm, Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center, where most of the hikers stayed, in dorms and short walks to dining room. Other adventurous souls stayed in campgrounds w/ facilities, about 8 miles away. Then it was us, the bold and fearless. HA!! After check in, we drove about 15 miles, paved road turned to gravel/dirt road, to campsite parking. We wanted to set up camp before it got dark. It's within the George Crosby Manitou State Park. After our set up, we took RB's jeep to and from campsite to Wolf Ridge, about 15 miles.
We all met for dinner and a presentation about kayaking/canoeing by a Superior Trail Hiking Assc member. We left before it got too dark. Drove back to our camp trailhead, put on our small backpack and headlamps and walked the 1/4 mile to our campsite. It was about 35 degrees and probably was in the mid 20s through the night.
Sat: Up around 5:30 am, it's about 30 degrees, dressed/boiled water for coffee and we left for breakfast at Wolf Ridge. At 9:00 am, the day's hike announcements/directions and groups separated into the different hikes they wanted to take. We decided on the Tettegouche St Park Loop Hike, about 7.5 miles. This would be a great running trail . Lots of muddy areas/water that hid the trail but it was used enough that it wasn't hard to follow. A few decent hills, mostly rooted but some grassy areas too. Overlooks would have been more stunning if it wasn't cloudy/overcast, I'm sure. But they were great views nonetheless. http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/tettegouche/index.html
On one of the areas along one of the lakes, I slipped on a muddy plank!! OMG!! All I could think of was the trail races I registered for while I was falling which happened so quickly but was in slow motion in my head, LOL!! RB was behind me, she was shocked the way my right knee was bent (the injured leg) but left leg was fully extended. I heard no pop or didn't feel a pull. She gave me her hand to lift me up. I stood there and we accessed any potential problems. All seemed good and we continued on our way.
We finished and drove back to Wolf Ridge by 4 pm. Snack potluck in full swing, we brought peanut butter filled pretzels. OMG, everyone else seemed to have brought sweet stuff (pastries, cookies, candy, brownies, etc). Then we listened to another presentation: "Adventure on the Maah Daah Hey Trail in North Dakota and How I Almost Died".........yes, that's the topic!! We were interested in this b/c RB and I will be running a trail race on the Maah Daah Hey in August!! We enjoyed the talk but mostly we were checking out the photos and her route. A silent auction is also on the agenda, and they were awesome items!!
About 5 pm, it started to rain!! Then another presentation: Running the Superior Hiking Trail. We had a couple (friends of ours) who met us for the presentation. They are both runners and were volunteering for the day at the Superior 25K/50K trail races in nearby Lutsen. https://www.superiorspringtrailrace.com/home/ We've all run at least one of the trail races.
It's still raining, not a downpour though, and it's about 38 degrees. We are wondering if it might snow . RB wanted to say that she made/ate s'mores while it was raining!! And so she did, LOL!! I don't care for marshmellows but I kept the unbrella over her head, HAHA!!
Sunday: It rained throughout the night and the next day when we broke camp, packed our vehicles and followed each other to main road.
Then we followed each other on our drive back to Duluth. We parted on our separate drive home. It was a fun adventure. WE hope to do more camping/hiking in the North Shore area before I move back.
Today, injury area (right leg) feels fine however, there is a small area of my left hamstrings that is a bit sore. I'm gonna take it easy this week. DH and I will be leaving for D.C. on Wed.
Monday, 5/22... first up for me this morning was a session with Orthopedic doc to decide on treatment for my sore heel. I had it in my head I'd be going under the knife, so was surprised when he said I'm not a candidate for surgery. He said he'd confer with another doctor to be sure, but feels like what's ailing me can be resolved with anti-inflammatories and ultra sound. He'll call in the morning to verify, but I'm betting that's where I'm headed. First ultra sound apt. has already been set for Tuesday, the 30th, so I'm already on my way...lol Doc also said I don't have to stop what I've been doing, so between rain showers I rode the mtn bike 8 miles on the railtrail later in the day. During yesterday's 6 miler I actually kicked into running mode for a bit, so it's still there, I just need to wake it up a bit... Happy Happy! LOL
Az... I swear you're just a kid at heart...LOL Rain and cold most of the weekend and you and RB still managed to have a great time. Congrats. to you for always having a glass that's half full, loved your report...
Sunday I did a quick 2 mile run in the morning because I had a lot of things to do around the house. Figured it would take me most of the day so passed on the long run. Cleaned out garage and got all the metal leftovers ready to take to the recyclers, put a coating of waterproofing on the garage floor, prepped some areas that needed some paint touch-up, got out the sun shade for the garden, worked on the sprinkler system timer for the summer months, cleaned out shed for said recycler. Just a lot of little jobs that added up. Plenty of exercise getting all that done.
Rest day today as had to take wife to work because her car was in the shop. Dropped off stuff at recycler on way home. Made a whopping $11.13 for what I had. Priced current metal prices for next project I'm thinking of doing.
Rich - Running in all that dust must of been uncomfortable. I get that sometime running when it gets windy. Makes breathing hard at times and your mouth gets dry. Good news on the doctor visit. Did he give an idea of how many treatments it could take? If it's just one I'm sure you will be a little peeved you put up with it for as long as you did.
AZ - Sounds like the weekend was a fun time even with it being cold and rainy. And good news that your fall didn't cause any injury.
hello Monday Rainy, chilly, breezy day here ......weekend suppose to be nicer......but we won't be here to enjoy it. Instead, I think we will be in rainy, chilly, breezy D.C. Still gonna take my running shoes, hope to get in a couple of short runs outside. We will be in National Harbor area so not close to the 'mall' but we will go sightseeing. We've been to D.C. numerous times and it's kinda nice to have this conference in a different area. Rest day yesterday. Will take another day off today. Have dance lessons tonight so that should count for something.
Rich: glad you got some optimistic news for recovery. Hope the treatment speeds up healing for summer runs. Surgery is always an option but like you, it's something that I put on the bottom of the list. Alternative options can work wonders too. It's good that you can continue to cross-train/bike, and even go for short easy runs. Keep us updated. I always loved camping, my dad is the adventurous one and he always had us exploring the outdoors and going on budget cross-country trips. Weather changes adds to the fun and it really doesn't cramp my adventure. I know there's a shower and modern conveniences in due time so I'm (and RB) are pretty low maintenance, LOL!!
Art: A short run as a warm up for the "to do list" is smart time-management. Stuff to do around the house can really be time-consuming and I like to do them all if possible so it's one less thing to interrupt more fun plans!! So what do you take to get that "whopping" change? Yes, I'm relieved that the fall didn't cause further serious injury. I didn't tense up during the fall which probably helped too, just "went with it". Running on dirt trails keeps you in practice for graceful falls, LOL!!
Tuesday, 5/23... not a lot of spare time today, but got in 5 miles riding the trike on the railtrail this morning. It rained the last day or so, but the footing's still soft in a lot of places, so ended up a decent workout. Ortho Doc called and told me the name for what's ailing my heel is called 'Haglund's Deformity'. Said there's a surgical procedure to fix it, but recovery is slow, so figured the better option for me since I try to stay active is anti-inflammatories and Ultra Sound. I like it...lol
Art... busy day Sunday, eh? You got a lot done!! Not a lot of money in scrapping iron lately, but at least you put a few bucks in your pocket. Wouldn't be an easy way to make a living, would it? lol I asked the Ortho Doc today how many Ultra Sound treatments he thought it'd take for me to be cured and he said that'd be up to me. Also said yesterday that my phone would be busy as new appt.'s had to be made, so this might take a while. First session should tell me a lot, depending on the results.
az... yeah, I'm happy getting the green light to keep training through treatment for this heel. My fitness level is a joke, so it'll be interesting to see how fast I can come back. It's early, but I'm thinking half marathon this Fall if I can get ready. I ride the bike and tryke, but nothing takes the place of running, you have to run to be able to run...lol You have the right attitude for these adventures you go on, it's all about having fun and you definitely do that! lol
NH Runner Did you google that diagnosis? Seems kinda funny for a runner who wears low drop shoes, eh? Maybe get a second opinion, unless you think that your shoes are tight.? I am sorry to hear that you keep going on and on without any help or answers. Shows people that the mind is mightier than the body....
az2mntrail You seem to be coming along well. I have never been north of Duluth. We used to stay in Superior some years or else stayed in Grand Rapids. Sounds like quite the hike you had. Hope you have a good time in DC, but I didn't really like it much. I hope to see you in NM sometime, but I really don't want to get on a plane again and would rather drive somewhere.
Art in AZ You are keeping it real in the warm weather. Have you decided on any fall races? Did you get any bagels lately?
justrundan Congratulations on your race and to your wife upon retirement. Hope you both continue to do fun things together.
rmcj001 Hope you and your wife have recovered nicely from your double challenge!
I have been walking and working and doing lots of yard work, but not much running...just a couple miles here and there.
6 miles on the track this morning plus 20 minutes of walking and then 2 hours of yard work.
I am staying in physical fitness, just not "running" fitness.
Still going to the race in June...can always walk for a long time....
need my MT again, but money is short.
"dancing on the path and singing, now you got away,
you can reach the goals you set from now on, every day"
Sonata Arctica
Chantilly... you may recall I had this weird condition where my right hamstring was so tight it was pulling on my hip and knee at first, then eventually started pulling on my Achilles. I remember last fall asking experienced runners if they'd ever had a muscle that wouldn't relax and kept getting 'no' for an answer. I found stretches that alleviated the problem enough to stop my hip and knee from hurting, but it was always just temporary relief.
At some point, I realized the Fascia in my hamstring was what was causing the problem, the muscles were so knotted they couldn't relax. That's when I went for a couple of deep tissue massages that finally got my hamstring to let down, but the damage to my heel was already done.
Inflammation had set in and over time, calcium started to form (I guess that's the right word) in my heel and Achilles that only made the inflammation and swelling worse if I tried to run, etc.
So, to answer your question, I haven't Googled that diagnosis. To sum up what's going on right now, my ankle x-ray shows a small bone spur at the Achilles and Plantar insertion areas and 2 'calcifications' in an area off to the right and above of the Achilles insertion area. Those calcifications are where it hurts when I press down and I'm assuming are what's causing the chronic inflammation. Other than that, my ankle x-ray looks fine. I'll Google the diagnosis, but would like to hear what you're thinking after reading this post.
I do have an answer though, right? I'm headed for an Ultra Sound in a week, which is supposed to break up calcium deposits if I've got it right. That's really what I'm interested in, get rid of the calcium deposits and the inflammation with the help of anti-inflammatories should clear up as well...
And ain't it the truth about running fitness, it's a whole different animal than overall fitness...
Wednesday, 5/24... 6 mile railtrail run today with walk breaks. I'm taking fewer breaks but still a ways from running nonstop.
Chantilly.... I Googled Haglund's Deformity and it might be what's going on with my heel, but looking at the x-rays, I didn't see the enlarged heel bone it describes. I was running a lot of miles on pavement, something that'll cause it, but really feel like the inflammation in my heel was initially caused by a tight hamstring and the domino effect it had on the rest of my leg. I've got an appt. with my primary care in July, I'll ask if she can pull up my x-rays for a second look to see if there's something I missed. I should also mention the doctor never pointed out a heel deformity to me during my visit and only mentioned Haglund's Deformity after conferring with another Doctor, so there may be something in the x-ray the first Doctor missed, but the second picked up on.
I'll know a lot more after my first Ultra Sound, if it looks like it'll get rid of the calcium that's aggravating my heel, I don't care what they call it as long as it's gone...lol
3 mile run Tuesday morning.
8.4 mile canal run today. It was windy at times but had a slight cooling feel to it because it was early morning.
AZ - Have fun in DC. Hope you can get a couple of runs in. DC is nice to visit for the history but after a couple of trips it lost it's appeal to me.
Rich - Well hopefully the first treatment will give you some relief and the doctor can gauge how many more you might need.
Chantilly - Haven't decided on any races yet. I still have a few bagels left so no bagel run soon. I still have the bagel recipe I want to try but with the warmer weather I am just not interested in starting the oven. Hmm... I wonder if I could bake them in the grill. I'll have to look into that. Might be a possibility. Amazing how much yard work we have sometimes. isn't it?
NH Runner I can see that a tight hamstring could cause problems "down the line." I hope you can get some effective treatment. Googling that diagnosis seemed to blame it on tight shoes, which I had not thought would be your problem.
Art in Az You don't seem to eat bagels as fast as my son....LOL...I get all my breads at a discount store. Just throw them all in the freezer and they keep their freshness. Will you be trying for a different state this year?
My 6 hardy roses took quite the hit over the mild winter. Now I am battling the rabbits (who ate my pansies the day after planting, but I came back with planting Alyssiums around them) and squirrel. Spices like peppermint, cayenne pepper, garlic, black pepper sprinkled over flower beds. ((Frank's Hot sauce (for the cotoneaster webworms)) The neighbours' hedges are almost decimated.. not mine! Hot sauce and hand picking doing the job!
Saw 2 bumble bees out and about.
I planted Lupines and tuberous dahlias this year. Hope they do well.
Rode for 30 minutes on my bicycle. Nice to feel the wind in my hair...easy rider.
Thursday, 5/25... rain's in the forecast for today, tonight and tomorrow, so I wanted to get something in for a workout before it arrived. Almost made it too, but the rain caught up with me almost as soon as I started down the railtrail on the mtn bike. 5 miles in the rain was enough, but glad to get it in.
Art... first Ultra Sound can't get here quick enough, but the holiday weekend will make the wait a 'little' easier. ANY progress after the first treatment will be cause for celebration...lol A couple of nice runs for you the last two days...
Chantilly...the worst varmint in my garden is chipmunks, they just love sunflower and corn seeds. Just about the time either plant breaks through the soil, a chipmunk's there to dig 'em up for the seed...lol I've taken to growing sunflowers indoors and given up on corn, at least for now. We'll see how the sunflowers do when I plant 'em outside after they've grown a bit. My flowering crab tree is in full bloom right now and the bees are working it like crazy, nice to see. The bike's a nice alternative when running muscles need a break, eh?
5 miles around the neighborhood this morning. One of the grade schools must of had some type of graduation ceremony because the parking lot and the street was packed with cars. Windy out and will be for a few days according to the weatherperson as a low pressure system dips down for a couple of days before the next high pressure system comes in. No rain forecasted.
Chantilly - I usually have bagels a couple times a week as part of breakfast when I go somewhere early in the morning. But I will need to go soon as I have one left. We're still discussing trips. Santa Fe is one of them but now the others want to fly and not drive. They are complaining about the 8 hour trip driving. They don't seem to understand the concept of stopping and taking breaks when driving. Part of the problem is we need 2 cars for all of us. The only critter I cuss is the cats around here that use the garden as a potty. I now have open spots covered with chicken wire and that has helped. Riding the bike is always a good alternative.
Rich - Caught in the rain again. As small as the chipmunks can be I'm not sure what you could use to protect the garden some. Starting things indoor might be a good idea.