djplong

Thanks, Steve. "Cautiously optimistic" are the words I've been using lately. I can't deny that I'm scared of what COULD happen. After all, last time, it wasn't anything specific that I did. I didn't land wrong on a rock or fall off a curb or anything like that. Just an incredible amount of pain after the last session I did (W8D1) and I was rather euphoric over having completed it and being SO close to finishing the program! I've been concentrating like a mad scientist on the suggestions I got from my physical therapist and the sports medicine specialist - head up, shoulders back, feet pointed slightly outwards (to keep the knee pain away) and trying to keep a posture as though someone had tied a string to my navel and was pulling me along (a suggestion from the doctor that he got from the book "Chi Running"). All of it seems to be working and I just want to keep this going. In about 65 days, my wife and I are heading to Florida and are entered in a pair of races. An injury now would almost guarantee that I couldn't run in them. I've used up all the 'slack time' that I had in mind when I first started this odyssey earlier this year. One other thing - I noticed your tagline quote "...against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit". I have a similar feeling that is best expressed by the cartoonist known as "The Oatmeal". I haven't run marathons like he has but I love the way he puts things: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/running

Congrats! I find myself saying that I'm not fond of running - that it's just a means to an end - but I think I'm just stuck in old feelings I had towards running. Like you, I definitely feel something different at the end of each session.

I checked the weather yesterday and it didn't look good for today (Wednesday) and tomorrow so I bumped my schedule up a day - foregoing the 2 days rest I was planning on. I also decided to skip W4D3 and head on to W5D1. My logic, if you could call it that, was that I was going to do 15 minutes of jogging instead of W4's 16. Nailed it. I *still* had something in the tank at the end and decided to do another lap around Swan Pond (rather picturesque part of the park where I like to run) with put about another half-kilometer in my rear-view mirror. When all was said and done, I'd done just over 5K in 38:36 (including the walking warmup/cooldown) at an average speed of 7:35/km. My running segments seem to be in and sometimes under the 6:00/km pace I'd *like* them to be (which is well below the pace I was doing when I first went through the program before the injury). Last time I made it through W8D1 before I got sidelined and I was doing 4K at an average pace just over 7:00. This is all very encouraging - especially since the early run pain goes away so quickly. It really is turning into more of a mental willpower thing.

Wednesday was W3D2 and I still had too much in the tank and did another 4+ minute jogging segment at the end. I decided that W3 wasn't challenging enough and changed my plans to skip biking to let my legs rest up and skip on to W4D1. That worked better than expected. Last time, in March/April, it took me nearly 2 weeks to conquer W4D1. This time (on Friday), I nailed it first time. I felt like I was actually starting to challenge myself. Sunday was the same thing - a bit of a challenge but still nailed it even though it took a couple of tries last time. Looking at the statistics, I'm still getting faster and going further in the same amount of time. I get the weirdest feeling when I start out on the warmup walks. THAT's when I feel a twinge in my hip or aches in other places. I start feeling pain within a minute when the jogging starts but MOST of it goes away fairly quickly. By then, I'm not feeling ANY of the aches or pains I felt at the beginning - all I'm feeling is what would be the 'normal' fatigue. I think it's a case of mind over matter. Given that it's a challenge now, I'm not going to skip anything. On my schedule, W4D3 will hit Wednesday and then I'll start W5 on Friday. I'm getting more optimistic about my prospects.

Start slow. Don't worry about speed. Talk to people who know about things like posture, gait and nutrition. Get some running shoes. You don't have to spend hundreds of dollars but the difference between my 'regular' leisure shoes and the New Balance shoes I bought was VERY noticeable and has probably already prevented a few injuries. Make a plan and stick to it. Understand that, as you go along, there are going to be some sessions you can't finish. Don't worry about those. Take a day of rest and then try it again. On a few, it took me 4 tries to get past a particular hurdle. I don't know what kind of person you are, but one thing that helped me was getting a fitness tracking app for my phone (I use the MapMyFitness programs - MapMyRun, MapMyWalk, MapMyHike, etc on my iPhone). using them, I was able to see statistical improvements even when I failed to finish a particular session. Maybe I lasted longer, ran further or was a little faster - but having those statistics showing SOME improvement really helped me when I started doubting myself. Most of all - understand that you CAN do this. Keep telling yourself that to reinforce it. Tell friends what you're doing - heck I even post my workouts to Facebook (optional feature of MapMyFitness) so that it's public knowledge and it's one more thing that keeps me going (don't want to seem like a quitter in public).

Run your schedule at the point in the program where you are. If you're as far ahead of him as it appears you are, run HIS schedule on HIS days and alternate them (Monday you run your routine, Tuesday you run W1D1 with him). Those W1 workouts will seem like child's play and shouldn't do any harm, provided you're not getting any lingering pain. As I've said elsewhere, I restarted the program recently and, even though I was off it for 3 months due to injury, the W1 stuff was VERY easy. Just listen to your body if it turns out that those runs are too much for a 'rest day'. My wife has occasionally joined me on a run and I really like having the company.

Friday I did W2D2 and it didn't feel like enough. It was almost too easy... Yesterday I started W3D1 and THAT wasn't enough. I had too much "in the tank" and the end of the segments to let it go - so I improvised. After a bit of walking, I ran an extra 5+ minutes. No more than that - I didn't want to push things too far - but I got that feeling of stretching my endurance out - that ache that tells you you're building something inside. By this morning, almost all the aches are gone. Today is for getting back on the bike and tomorrow it's W3D2 and maybe more.... I'm hoping that getting back into a regular routine will get me back to losing more weight. I seem to have stalled out around 175 (down from 197 in January).

I have goals in mind and each session is movement towards those goals. Like the OP, I find myself looking forward to the next run and aggravated when I can't (now that I'm back to running after an injury). I *never* would have thought that I would feel like that under ANY circumstances!

Decided to skip on to Week 2 on Monday since W1D1 didn't feel like a challenge and everything felt pretty good afterwards. W2D1 went fine. Felt some pain early on, but not towards the end. Getting back to jogging in the park really helped my state of mind. Today I decided to stay on course with W2D2 and my wife even joined me. There was a point near the end where I felt like I really wanted to break out and run a little faster. I use the series of MapMyFitness+ apps (MapMyRun, MapMyRide, etc). I've noticed that, on the jogging legs, when I get the progress reminders in my ear they're coming in at a pace under 6:00/km whereas they used to come in at or over 7:00/km (when I was doing the program before my injury). 6 minutes is the pace I want to be able to do for a 5K - to finish in a half hour. If these stats are accurate, the coaching I've gotten from my physical therapist (while rehabbing my injury) and riding around town on the new bike seem to have put a little bit of speed in my step! Now the goal would be to hold that pace as the jogging segments get longer.

I just restarted the program after being sidelined for three months with hip flexor tendinitis. The real key for me was seeing a sports medicine specialist. I got a very accurate diagnosis and then it was off to physical therapy a couple of time a week concentrating on fixing problems that I have literally had for 53 years (since birth). My birth defect, though you can't see it now, was actually starting a domino effect that had me jogging in bad form. My hip flexors took the worst of it and, when I built up to 28 straight minutes of jogging, they just couldn't take it anymore. Now I'm armed with better information, advice on correcting my gait and the confidence that I can break through.

I felt the same way. By the time I was into Week 7, I knew that I wasn't going to be doing 5K in 30 minutes. If I was able to keep up my average pace, I calculated I would need 35 minutes to do a 5K. What I've heard in the forums here and everything I've read elsewhere says to worry first about the endurance. Get yourself up to that 30 minute mark. Do NOT worry about speed because, if you do, you run the risk of trying too much too soon and injuries creep in that way. Once you're up to 30 minutes, maybe then you can look at shaving small bits off your time. Before my injury, I was at 7:00/km. A 5K in 30:00 means 6:00/km. I just restarted the program and the jogging segments were coming in at under a 7:00/km pace so I'm feeling good about that - AND I'm feeling like I have to be careful to not try to do too much too soon.

That's the attitude! I was in Week 4, I think, when I had to start repeating some days because I couldn't quite finish some of the segments.

Netty1202, you're not alone. I think I said this somewhere else but.. If you would have asked anyone who knew me about the chances of me becoming a jogger, they would have told you that my kids would have a better shot at going swimming in an open-air pool on the MOON before I'd take up jogging. I still don't consider myself a runner but I find myself wanting to get out there to keep the statistics going up (as recorded on apps on my phone) and my weight going down (22 pounds lost since this started). I still haven't hit any of my 'goals' (an injury derailed my schedule - so I bought a bike and started riding that to try and keep some cardio going) but that may come as soon as January.

I second what KellyAnn says - listen to your body. I tried to push through an injury and it knocked me out of my shoes for 3 months waiting for the muscle to heal. I'm only now restarting the program and I'll definitely be more careful when pain starts to lurk. The hard part is telling the difference between "ordinary" pain and "injury" pain.

EXCELLENT! Every time I read one of these stories, I remember the way I felt at that time - like flashing back on a high

It's not petty. It's something you were looking forward to. If it'll make you feel any better, one of the primary reasons I'm running is for the medals. I'm not looking to be competitive - I just want something to hang on my wall. I wish I had a picture of my mother and I in the doctor's office back in 1968 when she was told (after my surgery) that I'd never walk again. If I could, I'd take that picture and hang any participation medals I could ever get on that picture. If all goes well, I'll get my first ones in early January (had to restart the program due to a muscle injury that was directly related to the birth defect that had me getting that surgery when I was 6). We each have our own personal reasons for doing this. Those reasons aren't silly or petty - they're the motivation that's getting us to a better life and lifestyle.

I was in the exact same spot a few months ago. Couldn't imagine jogging 5 minutes and then I was doing 28! "Slow and steady" is definitely the right way to go.

Ok.. The training classes I had for two weeks at work are over. The business trip to Hawaii (with some vacation days tacked on to the end) is over. It's time to get back on the horse. It's taken three months - but I'm back to where I was... ...in March. Ok, that was too much drama, and not entirely accurate. In reality, the news is good. Yesterday I went out and jogged for the first time since I was taken off jogging three months ago. I took the therapist's advice and went back to the beginning - W1D1. I aced it. My wife even went out with me and kept up. (She's also signed up for the races in January in Florida but hasn't been training) Felt *slight* pain during the jogging segments, nothing during the walking segments and this morning I feel *fine*. All during the jogging segments, I kept thinking about (and trying to apply) everything my therapist told me. Push off my ankles, keep the torso straighter, roll through each pace, etc... Given that I now have just under three months to train for the WDW 5K & 10K races on consecutive days in early January, I have to see if I can accelerate the 5K part of the program to get to the 10K part. Looking at the entire schedule, it's 14 weeks and I know I'm going to hit roadblocks in the 10K part. I may only do one or two of a given week's iterations (if all 3 are the same) but I'll really have to be paying attention to what my body tells me. I can't risk another injury because I simply won't have time to heal. On top of that, in my best Ed Stark voice, "Winter is coming". At least I'll have access to an indoor gym at work complete with a track. All I can say is thank god I bought the bicycle and that the injury didn't affect my bike riding. At least with that, I was still able to get some exercise while "on the shelf". In the three weeks of having my life interrupted (training classes and business trip/vacation) I put on a couple of pounds but, weighing myself after the run yesterday, I'm back to 175 so that's 22 pounds gone since I started this odyssey. 25 more and I figure I'll be at a much more ideal weight.

Had the final (for now) PT session last week and it was the typical good news / bad news scenario. We talked about me getting back to jogging and, when it happens, where in the program to restart. The good news is that she (the therapist) thought it would be OK to restart when I get back from a business trip to Hawaii (a few days from now). The bad news was that she recommended I start from the very beginning. This doesn't bode well for me trying to stretch out to 10K by early January. But, I'm going to do what I can as soon as I get back next week. Hopefully I can alternate between jogging and biking to get my endurance up quicker and my weight loss accelerated a little bit. The best news is the lack of pain when I walk. I'm traipsing all over Oahu now and there been almost no pain - even when I had to do a quick full-blown sprint to get away from a wave that had overrun the jette on which I was standing (The wave won, I lost, my shoes and socks were soaked!)

2 1/2 months of this would have driven me insane if I hadn't taken up bike-riding. Bought a used bike that I've been riding all over to at least get SOME exercise. I can walk without a limp but the ache is still there. Sitting the wrong way for too long makes the inside of the hip worse. But the good news is that, at the rehab center 2 days ago, I was doing short laps on the grass in back of the building as the therapist analyzed my gait. It hurt a bit - but it was an ache as opposed to the sharp pain a month ago. My therapist was watching me and making suggestions on how to improve my technique - it's something I'll have to concentrate on. I'm still losing weight - though at a slower clip. Some of that is due to other stresses in my life that got turned up to '11' after being pretty much at a '0' for a LONG time. I'm back to being optimistic. Though I admit I was a bit surprised how winded I was with those few short laps (though that came after the stationary bike, the treadmill and other exercises before we went out back). Lots of emphasis on stretching exercises. The GOOD news is that my right side is STILL completely healed - no relapse so my left side SHOULD eventually return to normal.

I feel like a yo-yo. All the good vibes I had went out the window yesterday when the therapist wanted to see how I jogged - to analyze my gait. All it took was one landing on my left leg - the very first step - and the pain was back in force. Walking, biking, exercising - all that I was able to do with, at worst, a bit of an ache making it seem like things were really getting better. I'm beginning to wonder, not only if I'll be able to get back my stride enough to do a 5K and 10K in January, but if this will EVER heal! The therapist is trying to keep my spirits up and is now recommending trading off biking and walking on alternate days.. This is SO frustrating....

What a difference a few days make! After going through a routine at the physical therapist, she decided on a new tactic. Power my way through it. Whole new set of exercises to do every day at home *and* was allowed to walk or bike (no jogging) for 10-15 minutes per day. The next appointment two days later had a slight improvement so she modified my exercise schedule by putting a couple more things on it (side planks, among others). So I started religiously doing the routine and biking the 7km route that mapped around the neighborhood. My next appointment is on Tuesday and I have a LOT of good news to report. The pain is CONSIDERABLY reduced. The exercises are becoming more "doable" and today I did a bike trek across the river and back - about 9 miles altogether. My weight is down to 180 (17 pounds vanished from my frame) and I'm beginning to see the difference (using a different notch on my belt). Looking at the stats on my iPhone, I can really see the difference in what I've been doing. Now I just have to keep going. I may not be able to do the 5K Color Run in Loudon on the 12th but I just learned of a 5K Halloween Costume run in Boston on 10/31. Maybe I can do that one!

I'm sure others will come back with the same message. The goal is to raise your endurance and stamina at first. Worry about speed later. When I got my hip flexor injury, I was averaging about 7:00/km - meaning if I'd been able to finish the last couple of sessions, I would be doing 5K in 35 minutes (having done 4km in 28 minutes before the injury hit). The plan was to just get the 5K and then see if I could shave that 7:00/km to 6:00/km to get to the "5K in a half hour" that the app targets. Then I wanted to start stretching that out to 10K. As long as you're moving forward, you ARE on track.

Last week was a setback. Pain coming back was a very bad sign. The good news is that the right side hip flexor appears to be completely healed. No pain whatsoever. The left side is the troubled part. If I don't take the ibuprofen on schedule, the pain gets bad enough to cause a limp. So, the therapist said no more exercising of any kind (no walks, no jogs, no bike riding) until we get that side quieted down. This is driving me up a wall. I'm wondering where I'm going to be when I can finally start jogging again - how much stamina will I have lost and where in the program will I be? So I did what anyone would do. Saturday I bought a bike. Wasn't expecting to. Just stopped at a bike swap that the big bike store in town was having - and only heard of that because we brought my wife's bike in for service. Bikes have certainly come a long way since I last rode some 30 years ago. But I want something low-impact that I could maybe do on the off days when I get back to jogging.. Next appointment is tomorrow but I don't know where things stand right now.

And the news keeps getting better. After all the stretching and lifting and ultrasound, I asked the therapist what 'sign' I could look for that would say I'm ready to start jogging again. She suggested walking 20 minutes a day and icing the affected area down after that. If I can go 5 days without things getting worse, I can start jogging again. This could be as early as Tuesday which would allow me to get back on the program with more than a week's time before the 5K charity run I want to do on August 14. I'm trying to contain my optimism as this IS predicated on me getting through all the walking first.