Skip to main content

On Being Cleared to Run Again and Overcommitting as a Result

After over two months of physical therapy (with the very friendly members of NovaCare!) I was finally cleared to run last week by my physical therapist. Not that I wasn't running leading up to that (as my race reviews will attest) but the therapist was only begrudgingly giving me clearance to run (mainly because they knew I would probably do it anyway) whereas now I've been given the all clear. Am I an ideal patient? No. But did I follow all of my prescribed exercises and whatnot? Yes.

This morning I ran a solid three miles without any pain which was really exciting, though I have now been incorporating about ten minutes of pre-run warm-ups and fifteen minutes of post-run stretches to every run. It adds a lot more time to my running (oh, for the days when I could just go out and foolishly run with no pre- or post-race stretching) but it's worth it to prevent more IT band issues.

So, to celebrate my newly cleared status (and to make up for the past month when I haven't run a single race) I'm running three 5Ks this weekend: the 5k Run Against Traffic, the Firefly Run and the Hyundai Hope on Wheels 5K. Obviously I'd like to get up to longer distances again (and will be working towards that over the next few months in preparation for the Men's Health Urbanathlon) but for now a handful of 5Ks should satisfy the running monster within me. Even if I can't run as fast or as hard as I'd like to.

I also signed up for my first triathlon: the North Shore Triathlon (next weekend). So far I have managed to avoid all biking and swimming, and the closest I've come to even considering a triathlon was when I spectated the Chicago Triathlon last year). Luckily, this triathlon is a sprint (400 meter swim, 20K bike ride and 5K running) so I think I'll be okay (at least on the running and biking). This kind of cross-training should be good for the Urbanathlon as well (my upper body could definitely use some training).

So here's where I encountered my first hurdle towards the triathlon: I don't own a bike. This is where a very generous human being named Fuzzy stepped in to save the day. Not only was he willing to let me borrow a bike for the next two weeks to train with and then ride in the tri, he also gave me all kinds of bike and tri tips (I'm an absolute novice at this). He's been tackling triathlons for a while now (this weekend he's taking on Ironman Wisconsin) so his input was extremely welcomed!

My first bike ride was only a few miles (home from Fuzzy's house yesterday afternoon) but I'm ready to start getting some biking in before race day hits. Whatever happens, I'm just excited to be running (and I guess now swimming and biking) again!

Comments

  1. Telling a running well you can run but.. is like telling a smoker than can still have a few puffs.

    My initial clearance to run by my doc was - what are you looking for me to say? I said as brave as I could.. I want you to be honest, I want to run, but I don't want to hurt myself more, so I'll follow your orders.

    The warm up and cool down stretching is a bit more annoying clearing time for it. I used to be able to get back late, shower, and be out for work in 10 minutes... no longer.

    Good luck with the three 5ks and biking!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Glad you got clearance by your PT and that you are back in the swing of things! I hate "Injury Jail"!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Daily Guide to Chicago Comedy Shows in April 2018

April 1: Character Assassination presents The Roast of Disney Princesses at Laugh Factory The latest entry in the Character Assassination roast show series pits a collection of Disney princesses -played by Chicago comics - against each other. Starring Allison Dunne, Alex Kumin, Sarah Shockey, Gena Gephart, Audrey Jonas, Eunji Kim, Samantha Berkman, Stephanie Weber and Mandee McKelvey. April 2: Comedy Overload Open Mic at Gallery Cabaret A weekly open mic open to all forms of comedy that takes place at a sweet venue in Bucktown. April 3: Shake 'Em Up Comedy Showcase at Shakers on Clark   This free two-hour comedy showcase is hosted by Darrick J and Nate Galloway. Comics get between four and 10 minutes each and the hosts let comedians know a bit needs work by hitting a bell and "shaking 'em up." April 4: Comedians You Should Know at Timothy O'Toole's Really you should be catching this weekly showcase at Timothy O'Toole's e

Life of Pi: The Pi Day Pi K Returns to Fleet Feet Stores Across Chicago

I have run a grand total of ONE time since crossing the finish line of the Chicago Marathon in October of last year. I know, I know, I'm disgusted with me too. So when I got Fleet Feet's notice about the Pi Day "Pi K" Fun Run this coming Monday evening (3.14 - PI DAY, get it?) it seemed like a pretty solid way to get back out on the running trail without getting myself up super early or registering for a timed race where I would embarrass myself. Also, my wife and I ran this race back in 2014 and had a great time. Plus, after an article I wrote for the Tribune about xkcd creator and all-around baller Randall Munroe speaking in Chicago at an Illinois Science Council (ISC) event , I know a little more about the organization behind the Pi Day Pi K and their mission. Quick excerpt from the Trib article: Founded in 2006 by nonscientist Monica Metzler (who also serves as executive director), the ISC was created to help engage adults in science and technology

Chicagoland's First Annual February Fool's Goal Half Marathon/Debacle

A few weeks ago I was looking through the race listings for the month of February and noticed that there are three different races this coming Sunday. All in different cities. As I was trying to decide which one to run I realized that they're all taking place at different times... and then I started thinking... Why not just run all three? I talked to my running homey Antonio and after some discussion about logistics, we realized that based on the timing and location of the races, this would be an insane dash from Chicago to Highland Park to Hoffman Estates to Channahon and back to Chicago, with just enough time to park, get our bibs, run the races and (after carefully stretching, of course) head off to the next one. That's also when we noticed that by a pretty sweet coincidence, the three races just happen to add up to a half marathon.  So, obviously we decided that it had to be done. We registered for all three and created a new race: Chicagoland's First A