Finally tried a run this morning. After 3+ weeks off. I knew it wasnt going to be good because I am still limping sometimes and my achilles still hurts especially in the morning. Ive had a list of orthopaedic doctors on my desk since last week but hadnt call one yet. I ran. 2 miles to the office. Did the first in 8:23. Felt ok but a little winded. Then it started happening again. The achilles started barking. I limped it out for a few more blocks then pulled up at about 1.4.
I have an appointment on Monday morning at Seaview Orthopaedic.
Ive never in my life wanted to be active and couldn't. Most of my adult life I avoided the gym or exercize until I was so out of shape that I had to do something. I joined the Y in Scotch Plains and would work out every year in January and February, fulfilling a New Years resolution to lose weight. i remember going there once (just once) in the summer and thinking how odd it was cause I only ever went in the winter.
But somehow I got motivated 4 years ago and took to this thing. I am fighting aging for sure. Fulfilling a promise to myself. Pushing myself. Imposing discipline on an otherwise carefree life.
And I love it. I love setting a PR, whether its a marathon or a 5k. I love toeing the line with other runners. Pinning my race number on and joining a community. I love the regiment of training. Knowing Mondays are 3 miles, Tuesdays are track work. Wednesdays are 6 miles. I love when I wake up and have 5 different excuses for not running and yet I do it anyway. I love seeing my house from down the road on Wyckoff, knowing I am 2 tenths of a mile away and emptying the tank to get to the Japenese Maple at the front door. I love finding my name on the website of a race, seeing the results in black and white a day after running as if that validates the pain and soreness. I love grabbing a cup of water from the volunteers and thanking them for helping and then they say You look great keep going. I love seeing a car coming at me on the road, me on the shoulder and the driver smoking, tense, tired, miserable, me on the shoulder. I love the expos, the big ones in new York and Chicago and the small ones too, pick up your race number, test your chip, find a place for pasta. I love getting a medal when you cross the finish line. I make them put them on me, dont just hand it to me. I just ran 26 miles, you can drape that over my head. I love eating and not worrying about my weight because Im running 40 miles this week so I can have that extra slice of pizza. I love those days that are so hot people see you running and want to call an ambulance. Come home and an hour later Im still sweating. I love that hill on Cold Indian Springs road with the church at the top. I pray there. Whats the Idina Menzel line, "I dont know if the sky is heaven but I pray anyway." I offer that hill up to anyone who needs it. My nephew James mainly. I love the morning of a marathon when so much depends on whether I can shit or not. If I can just move my bowels I could set a PR. Never in my life does a bran muffin mean so much. I love seeing an 8 in front of a mile split. 7s are even better. I love the track work, early in the morning when the senior citizens are walking around it, using the outside lanes so the runners can use the inside lanes. I love wearing an old race shirt to a marathon and seeing who stops me and says they ran that race too. I love seeing race shirts that I recognize and stopping the person and saying I ran that race too. I love carbs. I love hundred dollar pairs of sneakers that only last 4 months cause I put too many miles on em. I love my Garmin (when it works) and when i am feeling great and just making up a route. I love ripping a new CD and then loading it onto my Ipod. I love running in different cities, Las Vegas, LA, Boston. I love running with friends in the morning, talking about shit we wouldnt talk about over coffee and a danish. I love hearing, If you lose anymore weight . . . I love that my PR is New York. I love that I couldnt beat it in Chicago even though I tried so hard I threw up after. I love that I have a head full of memories of races and runs but I want to make so many more. I want to just run. I dont want to have to have surgery and rehab. I just want to run until I stop loving it. That too much to ask?
No, not too much but just be careful. Your body's telling you something through aches & pains and thought we Walter's "don't go to a doctor until a limb falls off" don't ignore it.
Posted by: Pop | January 07, 2009 at 04:02 PM