Running in the snow

It snowed last night and accumulation was about 3". The roads were plowed but still had that packed snow coating therefore it was a perfect time to try my new Due North running aids. These are studs that slip on over running shoes and provide traction on ice and snow. Pic below:

With a sore leg and studs on I headed out. They really work well. I tried sliding to test them and couldn't. They gripped perfectly. Without my tunes it was a nice quiet run although my studs produced a "click" with each stride. A few people were out shoveling at 5am and watched as I clicked by....probably thinking I was a nut for running after a snowstorm. Because of my continued rehabilitation of my achilles I only did 3 miles at an easy pace. First time in weeks I did two days in a row. Yesterday was 6+ miles. All good. In the next few weeks I will slowly increase mileage until the marathon. I will do long runs up to a week before and will not do much of a taper. Snowstorm tomorrow so Saturday may be a day off from running. Now I have to shovel the driveway.

Baby Steps

The achilles problem is getting better. So much better that I decided to give the leg a little workout and/or test. Yesterday the pain was gone in the morning and felt like it was never there so a little run was just too tempting. I went out and started to walk with small "jogs" in between. Cover two miles although I hobbled like a really old man.  Not bad. Came home and cautiously waited for pain that never materialized. The whole day was good. Today, on a business trip, I was tempted again. This time I would venture out a bit farther but kept telling myself "not too much". I began with slow and soft stretches of my achilles. No trauma or sudden movement but gentle wall push ups. I was near Laguardia Airport and started a very slow run. The pace was @11:30/mi. Just right and I felt good but was careful about some patches of ice I was feeling. Finished one then two miles. My inner thoughts were to stop at two because that is what I did the day before. No pain yet just a little "tight". Of course stupidity and male stubbornness took over and I said what the heck....keep going! Realizing that going past two miles was a dangerous move I slowed my pace back down and focused on not stressing my right achilles. Finally turned back and ended with 3.2 miles. Walked a bit with little pain but nothing like I had. Once back at the hotel I quickly grabbed some ice and wrapped the ankle. Sitting at my hotel desk wondering if it was OK or did I do some damage. As I write this its been an hour since the end of the run and just a little soreness. Maybe its OK but the true test will be at the end of the day.

Waiting for some healing to take place

What a pain! I don't mean literally but having to halt my daily runs while my achilles heals is boring, irritating, concerning, etc. It's getting better and today the soreness is virtually gone. Best its been in 2 weeks. The auto updates and feeds from runners on Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc wears on me and makes me want to hit the streets. But I know I must wait. So I have been correcting my inner thoughts to focus on how I will come back after I'm 100% healed. Better to wait now and have a healthy spring/summer of running than to cause repeat injury.

I received some pictures from the Joe Vialonis 2012 run on New Years Day. It was one of the winter series by  Hartford Track Club. Good run in a nice setting but that was with my injury and prolonged my recovery.

Joe Vailonis 2012 Run-New Years Day

Small group but still a good day. The weather was fantastic with temps around 40f and sunny. The road was a bit muddy. Running through farmers fields along the Connecticut River provided great scenery in a peaceful setting.

This was the last real run because of my injury and if I had skipped it I probably would be back to training today. Lesson learned that when the body says "I hurt" one should instantly stop. A few more days and I may try a little tester run but I will definitely do it with caution. Now....back to sitting around!

And they say I'm nuts......

This article popped up today about a man who ran 113 marathons in one year. If you do the math its about 1 every three days. What is even more amazing is he is 67 years old and still working. Read the article at this link.

I run a lot. People think I'm nuts but I enjoy it. Until this achilles injury I ran daily usually around 5 miles with occasional long runs on weekends. My leg is sore and I'm taking it easy right now. Do I miss it? Yes....Do I still intend to run the Hyannis Marathon in February? Yes.

Since the leg has not improved in a week I am evaluating each morning and skipping runs if necessary. I need to be whole again and able to run as I wish. The injury has caused me to run slower and more cautiously which is basically a waste of time. I need to be back to 100%. So...I'll give it as much rest as possible.