Track Practice with Little Ones

This post is slightly delayed, but last Wednesday the family and I went to the track. I wanted to see how well I could run..and how well the little ones could run.  I started by going to Charm City Run and having Meghan fit me for some new shoes.  They are pretty!

I started off very tentatively.  Ella and Grace took off in a dead sprint. 

 

It took half a lap for them to stop, lean over and start panting.  Ten seconds later, they were off again in a sprint.  I tried to explain the idea of sustaining the same pace for the duration of the run...but they didn't listen.  They just wanted to sprint...then stop...then sprint.  Grace did 1 lap and Ella did 2 laps...just like they need to do for the triathlon!

 

After they were finished running, they started playing.  In actuality, the playing was sort of running.  They went to the bleachers and chased each other up and down the steps.  I just kept running.

I was able to run for 3 laps without walking. I walked 100 meters to start the 4th lap, then ran the remainder of the lap.  I finished a mile!  I can't remember the last time that I was that excited about running a mile. 

The next day I was very sore.  My foot had swollen up a little bit more and I was limping again.  It wasn't until Sunday that I really recovered.  I think it was good to test it, but I realized that I probably pushed it a little bit too much.  I need to be patient with this recovery.

Progress Measured in Shoes

I have measured my recovery from foot surgery in terms of shoes.  The first shoes I could fit into were my running shoes.  They are New Balance and made wider than other brands.  I have a wide toe box even before surgery, which New Balance tends to be able to comfortably accommodate.  But after surgery, it was even more important to have that wide width shoe.  My New Balance shoes were the only thing that I could wear for weeks.

The next step was actually fitting into a pair of my work shoes.  They are not attractive shoes.  They are a closed toe clog-type shoe with a heel.  I wore them an entire day and felt like I had conquered the world.  The next day my foot swelled up again...note to self:  heels are probably a bad idea even if I can fit my swollen foot into the shoe!

I have tried on my cycling shoes several times.  The first time I couldn't get my foot into the shoe.  Two weeks later I could get my foot in the shoe, but couldn't even get close to securing the straps.  Today...foot in shoe with straps secured!  Granted, they are barely closed, but they are closed enough that I am confident that I can ride in them.

The first thing I did was post on Facebook...yes, I'm a Facebook junkie.  The second thing I did was text Daryl and tell him of my success.  I invited myself along to ride with the group that he rides with on Wednesday nights.  I have very little expectation for my ability to keep up.  Daryl is currently crushing every ride that he does.  Luckily, they ride a route that is very familiar to me so I can drop off or turn around at any point.

I am so excited to get back on the bike!

I RAN!!!

A week ago my doctor cleared me for running.  It was the same day that he had cleared me to get out of the boot.  It was a big day. I was really happy about being out of the boot.  I didn't even think about the running at the time.

It took me about a day to feel comfortable in a shoe.  My foot felt very vulnerable in a shoe.  So just wearing a sneaker was a major accomplishment.  I couldn't think about running...I was just happy to be walking.

It was another day before I could walk without a limp.  I had a slight limp, but was walking pretty well.  Over the weekend I tried on all my shoes.  I could only get into one pair.  It was a tight fit, but I could squeeze my foot into the shoe. 

Today I wore my shoes...not my sneakers...my work shoes.  I felt great!  I had to walk slowly so as not to limp too badly but I wore regular shoes all day long.

Tonight was the end of season celebration for the Charm City Run group.  I was planning to attend the celebration.  Because of how good I felt today, I decided to go to the track and test out the foot.  I dressed in running gear for the first time in MONTHS.

I stepped on the track.  There were members of the running group already there.  They were about half a lap around the track already.  It didn't matter...I wouldn't have kept up with them anyway.  I took the first few tentative steps.  I was running!  It was slow and I was very careful when stepping with my bad foot...but I was running!

I ran half a lap, then walked half a lap.  I ran another 3/4 lap and walked the final 1/4.  It felt great.  At the end it felt bad.  But now, with a bag of ice on my foot, I am happy because I ran.