I RAN!

I'm pretty excited about this. Its been 2 months today, almost 9 weeks since the accident, and I promised myself a couple of weeks ago I would attempt to do some running at the 2 month mark. Once I knew the bones were healed and most of my discomfort was under control, I figured I might as well start.

Last week I was pretty ambitious to start doing something besides walking and ended the week feeling miserable. But this week, after now going back to regular chiropractic appointments, and actually being seen a few extra times, some of the muscle tightness I had been experiencing is easing, making it a better week. Basically, I have done something every day this week, walking Monday and Tuesday, ellipitical and swimming Wednesday, spin bike and swimming Thursday, and today I started my Chi Running beginner running again.

Let me say I am not going full out running. The program I found and am incorporating with beginner Chi Running is: walk 5 min. and then alternate 1.5 minutes running/walking up to 30 min. and then cool down walking--a whole 12 minutes of running! And this right now is only on a treadmill. I need to see how I feel and what I can do before I hit the outside, and that will only be if it isn't icy. I really don't want to have a fall!

I went for 30 min. and covered a little over 2 miles (I don't remember the exact distance but need to start keeping track!). My pace was easy: 10:54 running, 17 min. walking. It was almost easier running than walking after I hit the halfway point--its like I really wanted to keep running but made myself ease up. And I realize this by no means qualifies me as really running yet--I am just looking at all of this as rehab.

Also, yesterday was my last physical therapy appointment. I received a plan from the therapist for continued rehab on my own, and also discussed my hip soreness and what expectation I can have for getting that recovered as well. A surprising element to this whole recovery process was that once the ribs, shoulder bones, etc. were healed, I was faced with a new dilemma--soft tissue damage--something I didn't realize. As I mentioned before, 3 months recovery on that is to be expected, and fortunately since no major joints were affected, anything over 3 months should be investigated again. Its like dealing with a new injury all over again.

The hip and calf soreness is deep tissue bruising, not muscular, so its just a matter of time before that works itself out. What it feels like, if you can imagine, is to think about your worst stiffness after a race or hard workout and how it feels to sit and then get up and move around. That's pretty much the best way to describe it. It certainly makes me feel old trying to get up and do something quick!

So my new plan for building up on my running is to build on the 30 min. and also to build on the 1.5 min. increments of running but keep the 1.5 min. of alternate walking, and continue with my ChiRunning exercises (hip looseners, ankle looseners, back stretches). I can tell you that if not for ChiRunning, I doubt I would be able to get too far even with rehab running, after many past experiences of starting over after an injury. As I pointed out before, proper ChiRunning uses proper form, not just your muscles, for running, lessening the impact on joints and muscles. I can honestly say that after my workout today, I do not have any muscle soreness or sore feet (like in the past) or knees or anything. I just have that feeling of having had a good workout.

As for starting over--again--I am the master at that in practically every aspect of my life, so hopefully this will be easy to do. Progress is what I want to see, but you have to start somewhere.