Here I am, sitting on the couch watching TV, probably resembling Peggy Bundy with her Bon Bons, but I’m actually an athlete in training. You can tell the difference because if you look really close, you’ll see an ice pack under my leg. I could have said in my pants, and while that was true, this is a PG blog.
So I finally went to see a doctor after four weeks, and the result was the ultimate in boring. Yes, I did give my hamstring a good injury, but there’s nothing else wrong and it’s simply going to take quite a bit of time to get back to where I once was, and probably I won’t be as fast as I once was. Sort of like your mechanic saying your Yugo will be a bit slower.
For various reasons, I’m not going to be doing any formal therapy right now. But recovery from a hamstring injury is actually quite boring. Like, avoid doing things that cause pain and re-injury (duh?). But seriously, it’s a three step process: Get the pain and swelling under control, then work on restoring range of motion, then exercise the muscle to get strength back.
So right now I’m at the stretching stage, and also cheating a little bit by doing some running. Running is a bit of an exaggeration, it’s more like walking with occasional periods of jogging, slowly. But I had been planning for months to enter a 5K a week from now, and if I can crawl it I’ll probably enter it.
Stay tuned, this is going to be an interesting week.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
The Goes my Hamstring
Wow, haven’t blogged in about a month. Tsk tsk. But anyhow, it’s now about a month until my next 5K, and if I can run 10 minute miles, I’ll be ecstatic. That’s because I blew out my hamstring chasing a frisbee last week. At least it was in the process of making a spectacular diving catch.
Technically speaking, the medical term is a "pulled" or "strained" hamstring, but those terms aren't appropriately gruesome enough. We're talking torn muscle fibers, leading to internal bleeding, which then leads to a nice big bruise. And even after everything settles down enough that you're able to walk normally, the damage is still there, just waiting to give you a jab of pain if you do something the muscle doesn't like. Such as trying to tie your shoes in the morning. Can I just wear my bedroom slippers to work?
So I have about 4 weeks to rehab an injury that typically takes 3-6 weeks to recover from. This seems pretty doable, since my 5K pace is very slothlike compared to my sprinting pace. I start with some gentle walks later this week and if that goes well start working some jogging into the walks. This is pretty straightforward.
The other challenge to get done in the next month is to start and finish our income taxes. We always owe on taxes, so there’s no real rush to get it done, other than avoiding jail time for failure to file. But if I let myself fall into old habits, I’ll somehow convince myself that I can’t sit at the computer using TurboTax because my hamstring isn’t up to the task. Or more accurately, how can I focus on taxes when I’m a gimp? If the answer to that question is anything other than “easily”, I won’t have a leg to stand on.
Technically speaking, the medical term is a "pulled" or "strained" hamstring, but those terms aren't appropriately gruesome enough. We're talking torn muscle fibers, leading to internal bleeding, which then leads to a nice big bruise. And even after everything settles down enough that you're able to walk normally, the damage is still there, just waiting to give you a jab of pain if you do something the muscle doesn't like. Such as trying to tie your shoes in the morning. Can I just wear my bedroom slippers to work?
So I have about 4 weeks to rehab an injury that typically takes 3-6 weeks to recover from. This seems pretty doable, since my 5K pace is very slothlike compared to my sprinting pace. I start with some gentle walks later this week and if that goes well start working some jogging into the walks. This is pretty straightforward.
The other challenge to get done in the next month is to start and finish our income taxes. We always owe on taxes, so there’s no real rush to get it done, other than avoiding jail time for failure to file. But if I let myself fall into old habits, I’ll somehow convince myself that I can’t sit at the computer using TurboTax because my hamstring isn’t up to the task. Or more accurately, how can I focus on taxes when I’m a gimp? If the answer to that question is anything other than “easily”, I won’t have a leg to stand on.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Sweetheart 4 mile race report
This was a 4 mile race in Stratford, CT on Valentine’s day. Something fun to do while the wife and I are in town visiting our parents. The plan was to show up to the race early, pick up my number, relax for a bit, have a last minute snack, hit the men’s room, warm up a bit, and start the race. Things don’t always go quite according to plan though.
No problem arriving early and picking up my number, long sleeve white T-shirt, and “goody bag”. The “goodies” consisted solely of a sample Bic razor with a 14-month ago expired coupon included. Not quite a bumper crop of running related samples and offers.
Of course, I forgot to bring something to snack on, and there was no food being offered before the race, only a few jugs of water. But we did get a nice parking spot with a view of the Housatonic river across the park. Very nice way to relax with the wife on Valentine’s day, at least until the dog decided to toss her cookies in the back seat. Okay, relaxation time over.
It’s becoming a common theme that there aren’t enough rest rooms available at a race to serve all the runners that want to go in the 30 minutes before the start. In this case, that meant you got to try and use the urinal while men waiting impatiently in line stared at you. No pressure here. Just Brad Pitt’s voice in my head. If you’ve ever seen “Fight Club”, he had a line in the men’s room along the lines of “don’t watch me, I can’t go when I’m being looked at”. Same deal here.
Okay, warm up went as planned. Mom was able to make it in time for the start, so I’ve got my own little cheering section. Everybody starts gathering at the starting line, and some woman is calling out instructions in a not loud enough megaphone. And we’re off, slowly. Very slowly. Is this the run or the fitness walk? Oh wait, we’re just walking to the actual starting line, and here I was thinking I was passing half the crowd. Now we really are off.
The course starts off slightly downhill, then goes steeply downhill for a very short bit before turning onto Whippoorwill lane, which twists, turns, and goes up and down along a golf course. At the end of that road is the one mile mark. “Hi Tek” racing advertised times at each mile. While true, I’m not sure a guy standing on the corner reading a stop watch aloud counts as high tech. At mile marker 2 there was another guy with a stopwatch and the additional duty of handing out water.
Anyhow, mile two is generally uphill, and mile 3 is generally down hill. The course appears to have been chosen to maximum the number of hilly sections of road that could be used. And mile four included Chapel Hill Road. This is a seriously steep section of road. I looked up the topographical information online (see picture), and if I’m reading it correctly, you go up 80 feet in a little over 500 feet of road at the steepest point. In total, you climb about 130 feet in about a half mile.
My old junior high school is at the top of the hill. It's that club shaped building on the map. Yes, it has a very wacky floor plan, with pie-shaped rooms and curved corridors. Many of the worst days of my life were spent there. Prior to the race I imagined I’d have all sorts of bad memories as I ran by, and realize how much better my life is today. In reality, all that was going through my head as I went by was a massive craving for chocolate and oxygen. Really wish I had remembered an energy snack before the race.
And from there it was all downhill to the finish line. My time was 41:10, which was on the fast end of the 40-45 minute range I had predicted. Of course, I was hoping to beat my public prediction, but it wasn’t meant to be that day.
At the end of the race, there was food to be had, including some minestrone soup. Yum! So in the end it was a small, fun race. Not a high water mark of technology and logistical planning, but nothing to really complain about either.
Of the 247 people who finished, I was number 205. Gotta work on my speed!
No problem arriving early and picking up my number, long sleeve white T-shirt, and “goody bag”. The “goodies” consisted solely of a sample Bic razor with a 14-month ago expired coupon included. Not quite a bumper crop of running related samples and offers.
Of course, I forgot to bring something to snack on, and there was no food being offered before the race, only a few jugs of water. But we did get a nice parking spot with a view of the Housatonic river across the park. Very nice way to relax with the wife on Valentine’s day, at least until the dog decided to toss her cookies in the back seat. Okay, relaxation time over.
It’s becoming a common theme that there aren’t enough rest rooms available at a race to serve all the runners that want to go in the 30 minutes before the start. In this case, that meant you got to try and use the urinal while men waiting impatiently in line stared at you. No pressure here. Just Brad Pitt’s voice in my head. If you’ve ever seen “Fight Club”, he had a line in the men’s room along the lines of “don’t watch me, I can’t go when I’m being looked at”. Same deal here.
Okay, warm up went as planned. Mom was able to make it in time for the start, so I’ve got my own little cheering section. Everybody starts gathering at the starting line, and some woman is calling out instructions in a not loud enough megaphone. And we’re off, slowly. Very slowly. Is this the run or the fitness walk? Oh wait, we’re just walking to the actual starting line, and here I was thinking I was passing half the crowd. Now we really are off.
The course starts off slightly downhill, then goes steeply downhill for a very short bit before turning onto Whippoorwill lane, which twists, turns, and goes up and down along a golf course. At the end of that road is the one mile mark. “Hi Tek” racing advertised times at each mile. While true, I’m not sure a guy standing on the corner reading a stop watch aloud counts as high tech. At mile marker 2 there was another guy with a stopwatch and the additional duty of handing out water.
Anyhow, mile two is generally uphill, and mile 3 is generally down hill. The course appears to have been chosen to maximum the number of hilly sections of road that could be used. And mile four included Chapel Hill Road. This is a seriously steep section of road. I looked up the topographical information online (see picture), and if I’m reading it correctly, you go up 80 feet in a little over 500 feet of road at the steepest point. In total, you climb about 130 feet in about a half mile.
My old junior high school is at the top of the hill. It's that club shaped building on the map. Yes, it has a very wacky floor plan, with pie-shaped rooms and curved corridors. Many of the worst days of my life were spent there. Prior to the race I imagined I’d have all sorts of bad memories as I ran by, and realize how much better my life is today. In reality, all that was going through my head as I went by was a massive craving for chocolate and oxygen. Really wish I had remembered an energy snack before the race.
And from there it was all downhill to the finish line. My time was 41:10, which was on the fast end of the 40-45 minute range I had predicted. Of course, I was hoping to beat my public prediction, but it wasn’t meant to be that day.
At the end of the race, there was food to be had, including some minestrone soup. Yum! So in the end it was a small, fun race. Not a high water mark of technology and logistical planning, but nothing to really complain about either.
Of the 247 people who finished, I was number 205. Gotta work on my speed!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Preparing for the race
In 36 hours I'll be starting the longest race of my life so far. 4 miles. Not that far actually, especially since I regularly run 5 or 6 miles as a normal training run. I'm also not terribly concerned about my time either. I'll finish in about 40 minutes I figure, give or take depending on how I feel that day.
The challenges of this race will be logistical. It's the first race I've run away from home, so I have to do more planning ahead. In addition to making sure I pack my sneakers, I also have to give some thought to how to get a good night's sleep and have a proper breakfast in my father in laws house. Did I also mention this will be our dog's first night away from home with us? I probably won't sleep well if she's jumping on the bed all night. So we pack the crate for her to sleep in, which means we're driving the pickup truck, which means I was under it yesterday morning giving it an oil change. So Pennzoil is part of my pre-race preparations.
Now about breakfast, and in particular the coffee portion of it. I like my coffee in the morning. I feel slow without it, and that's not a good thing on a race day. However, unlike a training run, where I can use the bathroom and then head right out the door for a run, a race in February is probably going to involve lots of standing around outside in the cold waiting for the start. At the last race I ran they had one outhouse for 400 runners + friends and family. This leads to some very interesting pre-race strategy, so that you can start the race, um, without an overfull tank.
And now it is time to go to bed, so I can be up early, pack and travel. Wish me luck!
The challenges of this race will be logistical. It's the first race I've run away from home, so I have to do more planning ahead. In addition to making sure I pack my sneakers, I also have to give some thought to how to get a good night's sleep and have a proper breakfast in my father in laws house. Did I also mention this will be our dog's first night away from home with us? I probably won't sleep well if she's jumping on the bed all night. So we pack the crate for her to sleep in, which means we're driving the pickup truck, which means I was under it yesterday morning giving it an oil change. So Pennzoil is part of my pre-race preparations.
Now about breakfast, and in particular the coffee portion of it. I like my coffee in the morning. I feel slow without it, and that's not a good thing on a race day. However, unlike a training run, where I can use the bathroom and then head right out the door for a run, a race in February is probably going to involve lots of standing around outside in the cold waiting for the start. At the last race I ran they had one outhouse for 400 runners + friends and family. This leads to some very interesting pre-race strategy, so that you can start the race, um, without an overfull tank.
And now it is time to go to bed, so I can be up early, pack and travel. Wish me luck!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Let's Go Shopping!
So last night I finally forced myself, kicking and screaming and cussing, to go and use the treadmill in the other building where I work. As a bonus, I don't think I did anything dysfunctional in front of the company president who was using the elliptical on the other side of the room. Strange how every time I force myself out of my cubicle lately he's always there, whether it's the cafeteria or exercise room. You'd think the position of president would have a job description other than "stalk Tom", but hey maybe it's just coincidence. Of course, coincidence isn't nearly as entertaining as stalking, but that's not what this post is really about.
My running career is currently being limited by my inability to go shopping. It works like this: To meet my goals I need to be able to run long distances in most any weather. But, I don't have the equipment and apparel needed to do this. And finally, I'm having trouble acquiring such things because I'm bad at shopping, even by guy standards. Let me put it this way, it was only about a year ago that I rediscovered these things called ATM machines that can give you cash when you need it. I've also heard a rumour that a credit card can be used at places other than gas stations and auto parts stores.
So it is that I've started to go shopping for the first time in my married life, and sometimes I don't even drag the wife along. While I have managed to buy two pairs of running shoes (look for that story in a future blog entry), it's still a bit awkward. I'm not quite sure what I need or even what's available. So I browse the stores looking at what's for sale, trying to convince myself that people aren't staring at me. Of course, with the economy being the way it is, the people who work in these stores don't have much else to do but stare. Or worse, try and help you. I can just picture the conversation:
clerk: "May I help you?"
Tom: "Ehhhhh" (( don't panic Tom )) "I'm getting into running and need some clothes"
clerk: "Is there anything in particular you're looking for?"
Tom: "Well, my thighs chafe something awful from the sweat and the rubbing, do you have any underwear or bike shorts that might prevent that?"
clerk: "We do, and I'd recommend you start by looking in the men's clothing department, and thank you so much for the mental image of your sweaty thighs rubbing together."
My running career is currently being limited by my inability to go shopping. It works like this: To meet my goals I need to be able to run long distances in most any weather. But, I don't have the equipment and apparel needed to do this. And finally, I'm having trouble acquiring such things because I'm bad at shopping, even by guy standards. Let me put it this way, it was only about a year ago that I rediscovered these things called ATM machines that can give you cash when you need it. I've also heard a rumour that a credit card can be used at places other than gas stations and auto parts stores.
So it is that I've started to go shopping for the first time in my married life, and sometimes I don't even drag the wife along. While I have managed to buy two pairs of running shoes (look for that story in a future blog entry), it's still a bit awkward. I'm not quite sure what I need or even what's available. So I browse the stores looking at what's for sale, trying to convince myself that people aren't staring at me. Of course, with the economy being the way it is, the people who work in these stores don't have much else to do but stare. Or worse, try and help you. I can just picture the conversation:
clerk: "May I help you?"
Tom: "Ehhhhh" (( don't panic Tom )) "I'm getting into running and need some clothes"
clerk: "Is there anything in particular you're looking for?"
Tom: "Well, my thighs chafe something awful from the sweat and the rubbing, do you have any underwear or bike shorts that might prevent that?"
clerk: "We do, and I'd recommend you start by looking in the men's clothing department, and thank you so much for the mental image of your sweaty thighs rubbing together."
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Still Dealing With Winter
The engine roars and tires spin, grasping for traction, as the car slides sideway barely under control. The start of a drag race? No, just me trying to get the Mustang up the driveway after taking it to work yesterday. Took 5 attempts and 2 buckets of sand to get up the 100 feet of snow and ice covered, curved, uphill driveway. But at least the car is back in the garage and free of ice now.
Oh yeah, to get the windows clear, I took a hair drier, slammed the door on the cord so it was hanging inside from the top of the window, and let it run for about half an hour. Then I could scrape the windows pretty easily. I’m thinking front wheel drive is the way to go for the next few days.
In other news, the roads are no longer suitable for running. The snow has made them too narrow for people and cars to share. So now I’m getting my exercise doing laps in the snow in the woods behind the house. It’s a bit of a challenge finding the path I made a few years ago, since so many trees have been knocked over in the ice storms this year. And I’ve also had to cut up a number of trees too. But I’m out and getting my pulse rate up, which is the important thing right now.
I also want to get back to exercising at work during the day, at least during the winter months. This is slightly complicated by the fact that they moved the fitness room to a temporary location in the other building. And the locker room and showers are not in the same area. So apparently some of my coworkers are wandering the halls of the building, one dropped towel away from being flashers.
Oh yeah, to get the windows clear, I took a hair drier, slammed the door on the cord so it was hanging inside from the top of the window, and let it run for about half an hour. Then I could scrape the windows pretty easily. I’m thinking front wheel drive is the way to go for the next few days.
In other news, the roads are no longer suitable for running. The snow has made them too narrow for people and cars to share. So now I’m getting my exercise doing laps in the snow in the woods behind the house. It’s a bit of a challenge finding the path I made a few years ago, since so many trees have been knocked over in the ice storms this year. And I’ve also had to cut up a number of trees too. But I’m out and getting my pulse rate up, which is the important thing right now.
I also want to get back to exercising at work during the day, at least during the winter months. This is slightly complicated by the fact that they moved the fitness room to a temporary location in the other building. And the locker room and showers are not in the same area. So apparently some of my coworkers are wandering the halls of the building, one dropped towel away from being flashers.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Car Ice Sculpture
It seemed like a brilliant idea at the time. Put the daily driver in the garage during a snowstorm, and put the sunny day car outside. That way I can just hop in the daily driver and go in the early morning, and sweep the fun car off at my leisure, after all the snow has stopped falling.
But two things spoiled my plan. First, mother nature is a bitch, and decided that snow should be mixed with rain and ice to form a substance that is stronger than the sheet metal and glass it adheres itself to. Second, I live in the woods, and any car left outside longer than a day or two without being moved counts as ideal living quarters for rodents. If the car stays for a week, they start filming reality shows in it.
So now my beloved Mustang is suffering from Mice ‘n’ Ice, and must be moved back into the garage until the next storm comes by. So, clear the driveway with the snow thrower before it freezes solid. It’s never a good sign when a water fountain comes out of the chute. Now get out the snow broom, and put it aside because that snow is simply too frozen for it.
Nah, we’re gonna need to break up the frozen snow with our bare hands and throw the chunks off. Better find a good pair of gloves for that. Did I mention I lose most of my gloves? But there’s a pair in the pickup truck I can go get. Hey look! The mice chewed the thumb off. No fair, I didn’t leave it outside that long!
Okay, now we can start up the car, and after 15 minutes or so with the defroster on high we can chisel a slit into the ice on the windshield, good enough to go from the side of the garage into the garage itself. Did I mention I custom ordered this car and opted not to get the rear window defroster? Stupid!
So now I have an ice sculpture in my garage that vaguely resembles a car. Still trying to figure out how to melt the rest of the ice off of it, particularly the trunk. Today I tried putting my drop light in the trunk and hoped the heat from the bulb would thaw the ice, sorta like an automotive EZ bake oven. No go. Hmm, maybe a hair drier? I’ll have to try that tomorrow. Gotta do something to get the snow and ice off before the next storm so I can do this all over again.
But two things spoiled my plan. First, mother nature is a bitch, and decided that snow should be mixed with rain and ice to form a substance that is stronger than the sheet metal and glass it adheres itself to. Second, I live in the woods, and any car left outside longer than a day or two without being moved counts as ideal living quarters for rodents. If the car stays for a week, they start filming reality shows in it.
So now my beloved Mustang is suffering from Mice ‘n’ Ice, and must be moved back into the garage until the next storm comes by. So, clear the driveway with the snow thrower before it freezes solid. It’s never a good sign when a water fountain comes out of the chute. Now get out the snow broom, and put it aside because that snow is simply too frozen for it.
Nah, we’re gonna need to break up the frozen snow with our bare hands and throw the chunks off. Better find a good pair of gloves for that. Did I mention I lose most of my gloves? But there’s a pair in the pickup truck I can go get. Hey look! The mice chewed the thumb off. No fair, I didn’t leave it outside that long!
Okay, now we can start up the car, and after 15 minutes or so with the defroster on high we can chisel a slit into the ice on the windshield, good enough to go from the side of the garage into the garage itself. Did I mention I custom ordered this car and opted not to get the rear window defroster? Stupid!
So now I have an ice sculpture in my garage that vaguely resembles a car. Still trying to figure out how to melt the rest of the ice off of it, particularly the trunk. Today I tried putting my drop light in the trunk and hoped the heat from the bulb would thaw the ice, sorta like an automotive EZ bake oven. No go. Hmm, maybe a hair drier? I’ll have to try that tomorrow. Gotta do something to get the snow and ice off before the next storm so I can do this all over again.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
What the heck is this?
Hello and welcome to my latest attempt to start a blog. This is really a test message. Had it been a real post you would be reading amusing and insightful commentary about my life.
I really believe this will be the successful attempt at a blog. For starters, I have a realistic goal that only people who already know me are gonna read this thing. Secondly, I have something to talk about on a regular basis. Specifically my attempts to get in shape, do a lot of jogging, and enter a bunch of races. No, not car races. Just put on your sneakers and run in the streets with hundreds if not thousands or tens of thousands of your fellow nutty-nut-nuts type of races.
Does this mean I want to run the Boston Marathon someday? Officially, not yet. It's just a pipe dream at this point. When I can run a half marathon in two hours, then I'll start thinking seriously about Boston.
And why the name "TomInMotion"? Well, all the good names like "KeepMoving" and "MovingOn" were already taken, so I had to compromise my principles a bit on this.
Well that's all for my very first post. Let's see where this thing goes, shall we?
I really believe this will be the successful attempt at a blog. For starters, I have a realistic goal that only people who already know me are gonna read this thing. Secondly, I have something to talk about on a regular basis. Specifically my attempts to get in shape, do a lot of jogging, and enter a bunch of races. No, not car races. Just put on your sneakers and run in the streets with hundreds if not thousands or tens of thousands of your fellow nutty-nut-nuts type of races.
Does this mean I want to run the Boston Marathon someday? Officially, not yet. It's just a pipe dream at this point. When I can run a half marathon in two hours, then I'll start thinking seriously about Boston.
And why the name "TomInMotion"? Well, all the good names like "KeepMoving" and "MovingOn" were already taken, so I had to compromise my principles a bit on this.
Well that's all for my very first post. Let's see where this thing goes, shall we?
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