Since coming back to the gym in January, I have faithfully stuck to the elliptical machines. I had wanted to start running in January, but my surgeon told me to continue working on strengthening my left quadricep muscle before I even thought about running. In the back of my mind I knew I wasn't ready, but I did know that I had to get serious about conditioning myself.
Lunchtime yoga on Wednesdays has been a regular part of my post-surgical routine since November. Nathan, my yoga instructor, has told me recently that he has noticed much improvement in my poses, which made me very happy. The women of my family are plagued by tight hips; so, obviously, this plays into our knee and feet problems.
Back to the what I was getting around to say ... I have worked up to a consistent 30 minute cardio cycle on the elliptical machine (2 miles) during the past month. Each day I'm at the gym, I watch in envy as the runners do their thing on the treadmills. I would tell myself that I'd give it a try next week.
This past weekend was the Shamrock Shuffle 8K race -- a race that I have run in for the past 6 years, but I could not run. I wanted to, but could not train. I was not ready physically. My quad was not ready. My knee was not ready. My mind was not ready. My heart was not ready ... or was it?
Since Nathan spent last week hiking throughout Arizona, yesterday's class was spent practicing Warrior II and desert poses. It was a tough class and I woke up this morning feeling the effects of it. I fought with myself to even go to the gym at lunchtime today, but I did go. I decided that this would be the day. I would put aside my fear and just try to run on a treadmill.
I did a 16 minute warm-up on an elliptical machine and then self-assuredly walked over to an open treadmill. It was a newer, gadget-filled treadmill. I put my feet on the tracks to the side and hit "quick start" and off we went. For the first three minutes, I felt awful. I mean, I felt sick because I wasn't sure what to expect ... was my left knee going to explode? Once I got past the five minute mark, I got my breathing into a decent rhythm and calmed myself down. My iPod was cranking "I Will Follow" and everything was coming back to me. I remembered what it felt like and this felt good.
I ran for 14 minutes between 4.5 and 5.0 mph and cooled down for another three minutes. I ran my first mile today in 12:20. I am ready.
1 comment:
Very inspirational....it warms my heart to know that you have reached this point.....
In ways I may be able to sympathize. I had neck surgery Jan 07, but before my injury & surgery I was an avid rock climber. To this day I am still not the same physically, my muscle tightness and pain are a constant. The Acupuncture helps take the edge off for me though.
Sometimes my heart aches when I start to think about rock climbing, and until I found photography, I had a huge hole in my heart. People who are not passionate about a sport don't really understand how big a part of your life it truly is.
yada yada.....I'm sorry....your story really hit home....I wish you the best of luck in your road to recovery :o)
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