A Broken Toe Is Not Good For Running

A couple things to remember here.

I broke a phalange in my right foot.  OK, it's my pinkie toe.  It hurt a lot the first day, but hasn't been too bad since.  The swelling comes and goes depending on how much walking I do on it.  That's one thing to note.

The other thing is that I read a quiz in an email about your quality of life.  Topics were smoking, eating, relationships, blood pressure, exercise and a few more.  I scored in the middle.  That's not how I roll, so I went to the gym the same evening.  When I get there, I ask the guy behind the counter if he can look up the last time I had been there.  June 2nd he tells me.  That's 5 months.  I pay $25 per month in membership fees.  That's not bad at all, but if you go once every 5 months, that's a lot per workout.  I just had a $125 workout... plus tax.

At the gym, I wanted to test out my broken toe.  I hadn't tried running on it yet.  This may be a premature, because it hurts even when I walk on it too much.  This is why I wanted to use the treadmill instead of pounding the pavement, because if it hurts, I can stop at any time.

I start walking very slowly at .5 mph.  I can't feel a thing and either can my lungs.   Let's kick it up a notch I say in my head.  I bring it up to 3 mph.  Still doesn't hurt.  I keep increasing the belt speed to 5, then 6, and finally 7.5 mph.  Still no pain in my toe.  This is awesome!  I end up keeping that pace for 2 miles (8 minute mile).  No PRs forthcoming, but it felt great just to do that.  After the treadmill, I get some lat pulldowns, bench presses, arm curls, and stomach crunches into the workout.  I finished off with 7.5 minutes on the stationary bike for a cool down.

The next morning, my toe was swollen and purple again.  Oh yeah, it hurt a little, too.  Maybe running wasn't such a good idea... at least just yet.

Couch Potato... Not

So this day pretty much started by watching pregame on ESPN at 11am until 1pm.  Watched the Cowboys beat the Bucs and then continued to be a couch potato until 7pm by watching the Giants clean up a Redskin mess.

I stored up some energy with a cheeseburger and some pizza through the day, but I still didn't have a whole lot of energy.  I had to get up and do something, though.  I was inside all day.  I missed the sun completely.

I had to run.  4 miles.  I was probably going about 10 minute pace, but didn't stop so that was good.

Long Run in the AM

I went out this morning with a goal of running at least 40 minutes. Distance and pace meant nothing. I didn't care how far I traveled nor how fast. I didn't have a watch to time myself, but I kept having trouble getting past 2.5-3 miles for distance and 30 minutes for time.

I ran almost an hour covering 5.15 miles. I don't even want to calculate my average pace, because I started jogging at a speed that some people could walk. I didn't care about how far I was going when I started, but I did measure it after I got home.

My next run is scheduled for Thursday evening. Fleet Feet Sports and Harmoni Market is having a fun run. I have to find out the route. It is supposed to be 4 miles starting and ending at Harmoni Market and as sponsors, they are offering a complimentary glass of wine or beer and also a goodie bag to all participants. I did I mention that there is no cost. Oh yeah, I'm in. Run 4 miles and there is a reward at the end. We'll call this the Pavlovian Run.

This is reminiscent of our 7 Eleven runs back in high school cross country. Coach would have us run a few miles for Slurpies and run back to the school. That would break up the monotony of speedwork and long runs and everyone enjoyed it. Now as an adult, the beer sounds much, much better than a Slurpy.

Getting in a Groove - Celebration 5k

I capped off the week with a 5k run on Saturday morning. How could I say no to a race less than a mile from my home? Maybe because I wasn't really ready to run a race of any distance. Nah. I had to.

I did a 1 mile warmup followed by a little stretching and next thing you know, the horn sounds. Off I go. I kept a nice easy pace, walked and drank at the 1 mile and 2 mile water stops. I never saw the 1 mile marker, but hit the 2 mile mark at 18:30. I stopped to walk at about 2.5 miles. Man, was I unprepared. I crossed the line at 28:04.

I love how the kid in front of me has an expression of boredom
on his face while everyone else including myself is in agony.

I wanted to keep up the same routine this week, but I have plans early Monday morning. I went out this afternoon and logged in a run of 2.7 miles in 30 minutes. Lots of work to do, but I feel like I'm back in a groove again.

Pre-Dawn Run

It's been a couple of weeks since I've run and it's been even longer since I've done a morning run. Waking up before the sun and heading out the door has a primal feel to it like a mountain lion out for a morning rabbit. A mile or so in, I find myself with plenty of company on the streets and sidewalks of College Park as daylight peaks its head over the horizon and I am back to being Doug running the streets of Orlando.

I only did 2.5 miles, but it feels good knowing I got a couple miles logged already for the day. I started around 11-12 minute pace, worked my way to 9 minute pace around the half mile mark and kept that through the remaining 2 miles.

Finished off with a cold shower. Feels great. Time for some coffee.

Running in Florida in the Summer

Three and half weeks since my last run and consequent post. I did a couple laps around Lake Eola around 5pm today. No pain... except in my lungs. It is really too hot to run in Florida during the summer. It doesn't seem to stop the YMCA runners from their Monday runs. I see them go by my apartment. I figure if they are stupid enough to tough it out, then I can, too.

I knew it was hot and humid, but I didn't really notice it until I stopped running. When we run (excluding the treadmill), we create our own wind. It's nice. When the sweat rolls down your forehead to your eyebrow and then down the side of your cheeks, you feel its natural cooling effects. As soon as you stop running, your self created wind is gone. On a day like today, there wasn't a breeze. The wall of air just hit me.

What the heck was I doing? It's a good thing my office is located across the street from Lake Eola. I made a dart for the door and the air conditioning. I hate running early in the morning, but I know why people do it.

Running after the Rain

We had a wicked storm roll through this afternoon. I was with friends at Flagler Beach today. For dog owners out there, this is the closest beach to Orlando that you can take your dog. That's how I found it. Dogs are allowed in Flagler County and that is the first exit on 95 once you pass the county line.

So as we are finishing up ice cream cones, a tornado warning comes over the radio waves. We look inland and North and the sky is twisting around and turning black. We head to 95 and just get out of there. We cruise pretty fast southbound to I-4 to outrace the storm and get back home to Orlando. Once home, I had time to stop by 7 Eleven to drop off a redbox rental and go to Publix for some dinner supplies.

We get home and the storm hits. I waited till after dinner and for the rain to stop to get out on my run. I haven't run in a week... maybe more.

Either way, my legs were fresh. A little burnt, but fresh.

I didn't waste too much time to open up my stride, but I felt like I wasn't getting good turnover. My knee lift on the front end was weak and my kick was too low.

I had to get in motion. I started pushing off and really trying to feel my buttocks with each stride. I started moving forward a little better. I didn't change my turnover rate, just my form. After about 30 seconds of that, I added some knee lift to the front of my strides and just a little kick and I started moving faster... probably in the 7 to 8 minute range without a whole lot of effort.

Proper form does so much.

I couldn't help myself from quickening my turnover. Ruins me every time. After I got about a mile into my 2.5 mile run, I was going all out. It felt great, though, because the rain had just stopped and it was cool. About 78 degrees. That's cool for Orlando right now. We've been up in the mid 90's lately.

So yeah, I only got a quarter mile covered going all out. It felt like the speed that I used to run the mile in high school which is good, except it was only a quarter mile. I walked a little due to the cramping in my back. I've got to figure that spot out. Why do I keep cramping in my mid back on the sides?

Anyway. I went back and forth between all out running and walking until I got home and finished my 2.5 miles.

I am going to feel this tomorrow morning... along with some sunburn. Ouch!