Day 70 & 73 - Physical Adaptation

It has been a very busy weekend, otherwise I would have posted earlier.  The In-Laws were in town for the Labor Day weekend.  This typical means gettin' some projects done.  Oh boy, did we get some projects done.  By Monday afternoon, I was bodily tired and ready to go back to work just so I could take a break.

I ran on Friday and then on Monday.  In between, I took a couple good bike rides (one by myself and one with Hannah).  As of my last post, I was quite concerned about my right knee.  It would be inaccurate to say that I am not concerned about my right knee anymore but things have progressed well.  I'll go into detail below.

Day 70

Distance: 2.5 miles (trotting through the neighborhood).

Weight: didn't check

Results: When I was about 1.5 miles through my run, my right calf was feeling pretty fatigued so I decided to stop and walk for a little bit.  This was a good idea.  I probably walked for all of 0.2 miles but it was just enough of a break that the last mile was much easier.  There was also less right knee soreness, although it was not absent.

What I Learned: First, taking a break in the middle of a run can be a prudent strategy.  Second, my body is slowly adapting to the physical stress of running.  My limiter is my right calf.  As it feels stronger, I will be able to run longer and faster.

Day 73

Distance: 2.57 miles - I picked a fairly random path through my neighborhood, including the valley and ridge trail.  There was a short walking break about 1.65 miles into the run.

Weight: 210.6 lbs (Tuesday on the Pain Center scale)

Results: Faster than my last several runs with less right knee soreness.  Not completely absent but much, much less.  There was also less fatigue of the right calf, especially compared with the two runs previous.

What I Learned: I need to be smart and give my body time to adapt.  It is basic exercise physiology.  Don't forget the basics.  Never forget the basics.

Plan: Keep on the every third day strategy.  Slowly build up to 2.75 miles.  My daughter's school, West Side Christian, will be having a 5k run for reading on 9/20/12.  My plan is to run it, unless something weird comes up.