BIA

It appears I'm reactived to a normal running schedule this month. For the first time in 4 years I've logged more than 4 total miles in one week. That certainly doesn't sound great compared to my peak weekly half marathon training weeks of 15-30 miles, but I'm excited that my DVTs and blood flow has healed up enough to where I can actually run pain and "lock-up" free. It's amazing that this is my first month running pain free since my first knee surgery in 2015. I am cautiously optimistic but I think everyone knows when their body is saying "let me back in the ring, now". The reality is that the wussy in me says that a 230 lb aging clydesdale runner really shouldn't be stressing and pushing the boundaries of the arthritis that has settled in the knees an back; but that person in me that never wants to give up on anything, just keeps tearing away. I still think I will limit my weekly miles, and keep my races to a 5 kilometer maximum and run them in cooler weather so I'm not tempted to push my lockup limits. For now I'm going to enjoy it. Today is a great day and one I've been waiting for, for a very long time. 

Running Away

"Do you remember what it was like when we were young?" People ask. Innocently enough I guess I do. But I don't like to answer that. All the memories come and go like the mess they were. Some blocked forever, I hope. You see, I remember my parents being consumed by the falsehoods of the prosperity ministry and the insanity that brought. I remember being the oldest of five running the streets and turning wrenches just trying to get through life with a basic footprint of a broken plan in progress. I remember having to pull all I had left from the pieces that the drugs and anxiety took away, as I built something better. I remember the struggling, the people I helped, the people I did not, and the situations I left behind for good. I pulled myself together even if it was one ugly mess without much left. That's what survival is. Keeping your basic needs in line and within reach. You can not allow yourself to get off track and want too much. You have to finish what you started in your head. You have to better yourself at any and all cost. At the end of the day it's you and God that you have to answer to. If you make the wrong decisions in the worst places you could easily go to prison for a long time and your survival narrative quickly changed, or your life ended short. Pull through, try to stay on track and finish what good you started. Realize mistakes are part of the process. Try to be productive to society if your not forced to be a burden to others. Yeah, I remember. Too much sometimes, too much. The moral of the story is, don't let yourself down, and use those dark memories to power your bright future. Learn from your mistakes as much as you can. 

Reflections and beyond by Ranger Ed©

2018 was my last full race running year as if I needed to remind myself of what has come. It started with the Blarney 5k on March 10th and I went on to run the Steamboat 4 miler, the Sgt. Douglas Riney memorial 5k, the Park District's Turkey Trot 4 miler and I had my last race in late November of that year at the Festival of Lights/Folepi 4 miler in East Peoria. I never pegged over an 11:30 per mile pace as injuries set in and I was on steroid shots for my knees and many anti-inflammatories. I never imagined I'd be tapping out again after overcoming a left knee injury with a successful surgery in 2015, but 5 months later in 2019 while launching a comeback to my 9-10 minute pace, I fried the rest of my medial meniscus on my right knee as I was doing speed work on the Alta leg of the Rock Island Trail. The reality is arthritis is setting in on my lower back and knees that have been plagued with injuries over the years and some days it's nearly impossible to even get to work in the morning without my fingers crossed that my meds kick in on time. I try to conceal it all and I consume a high dose of supplements and medications to plow through it. I still manage to bike and run over 30 miles every week on average but I have not raced since 2018. 2020 ended those chances as I worked through another knee surgery and then blood clot complications and a bout of diverticulitis. I have learned to expect aging and my career to add on to the injury challenges that I face. Then the pandemic came. The dreaded election year pandemic that shut almost everything down overnight. Ugh. That pretty much shut down all racing options and I used it as a time to continue to train hard and recover. Can you really even say your racing when you don't come close to your race goals? I think the whole idea is to trick the mind into believing that race day is the one. When I was running half marathons I certainly didn't have a choice on that mindset! It had to be in place or else. For now I'm trying to limit any 2021 races to 4 miles and my training involves much more biking to save the stress on my knees and back. I'm really looking forward to getting back to a full running and hiking schedule this year, but either way I'll keep loading up the miles and traveling down the road to nowhere. I think it's human nature to carry on no matter what. Who doesn't put the negative things in life to the side to try and get caught up or reach that one last silent goal or two? Next week as per January fashion I have a "hell week" scheduled for over 50 miles along with strength training as usual. Like any addiction, exercising can become a series of high and low rewards and consequences that one just has to wade through. My addictive personality just doesn't allow me to stop. I'm hardwired to self destruct as it seems. So if your feeling that way, just know you are certainly not alone and just keep pushing on. Keep up the good fight and realize the few bad battles you lost cannot compete with the good ones that will win the war. 

765 to the dive, still alive!

I didn't make my running and biking goal of 1000 miles for 2019, but as the title states, I came close! I hit a road block. At 41 years old and on September 25th, 2019 I was headed in for a right knee meniscus repair after having one done in June of 2016 on my left knee. As a machinist and mechanic I have always had to rely on my knees to push through the days. That and being an avid runner and cyclist is why I was having another surgery done. I had an issue with superficial clots in the past in my right leg from ankle injuries and was concerned a little about getting them again. I had the surgery to repair my right medial meniscus and all went great. I wore the stockings, kept my feet elevated, used my cryocuff, ice and did my physical therapy exercises. I was hoping that like my left knee surgery that this right meniscus repair would go as well as the last one. I had only been off work for 3 weeks in the previous surgery and was back to running and biking within 6 weeks. After two weeks of having surgery this time I started to have serum drainage from the wound site, knee swelling and a lot of pain in my calf. I pushed through and my body seemed to adapt well enough to return to work after three weeks. I made it three days at work before I scheduled an emergency visit with my Dr about potential blood clots. He didn’t seem to think that was it and put me on Prednisone and Diclofenac to reduce the swelling and pain. I was also put off work for an additional three weeks. The swelling moved from my knee back to my calf and ankle by week five and I was wearing compression stockings all hours of the day. I tried everything. Things got better and I returned to work after a total of almost 7 weeks off. The pain let up, but the swelling, discoloration, and circulation issues remained. In December I noticed many enlarged veins and many smaller ones breaking out around my ankle along with major swelling, so I had my primary Dr schedule an ultrasound and refused to take another round of Prednisone. My body was telling me that I needed at least the "all clear". That decision probably saved my life. Two days before Christmas on December 23rd I had my ultrasound and was immediately told to go to the ER. Many large DVT clots were found from my thigh to my ankle in my right leg. I was put on a high dosage of Xarelto for 7 days and then on a regular dose thereafter. I’m much more aware that I can still bleed easily and still risk having reoccurring clots and I will be on Xarelto for at least a year along with having periodic imaging done. I now pay a lot more attention to the changes happening in my leg when it comes to swelling, pain and discoloration. If you think you may have a DVT clot you need to keep pushing your medical providers to investigate it. If you have a surgery done you need to realize that clotting is a big risk factor afterwards and the signs and symptoms should not be put off. I hope that people can learn from my experience.

     

 

    

7.40

I logged 477 miles from January to May of this year to end at 740 completed miles in September before I decided to have surgery on my right knee September 25th for a right knee medial meniscus tear and osteoarthritis clean up/buffering. That's 263 miles that I logged for the summer while injuried and since my last blog post! Yay. My PX-90 New Balance cross trainers with lynco 405 orthopedic inserts have been my go to treads set-up for the year. They have been a great option for helping on knee loads. They have great cushioning and arch stability for the value. I had my left knee meniscus done for a similar tear in 2016 and used a very similar 993 shoe back then for post op rehab. Back then the healing phase went really well and I'm hoping the same holds true now. I also remember returning to work early, going off restrictions and then being forced out of my day job as a CNC manufacturing specialist due to FMLA mishaps on my companies part. While I miss the technical roles of that job, the long days on my feet really did a number on my joints and I now work as a fleet mechanic where I'm much more able to monitor and work with these occupationial related injuries much easier. At least that's the school of thought. My blood pressure continues to deliver right hooks running at crisis levels at rest sometimes now and I've had to go on new medication stacks to reduce organ/vien damage since my most recent surgery. I also have launched a study plan to see how my pro hormone therapy plays a role, if any, in my blood pressure woes. That will kick off when I'm back to the trails in mid October. I plan to continue biking 35 miles a week and kick up running training on soft terrain @ 5-10 miles a week along with my physical therapy and strength training. My goal is to run a competitive 4 mile race at the end of November. No future races are predicted to go over 4 miles and I will only do them 4-5 times a year max now. Another half marathon attempt is always eating away at me in the back of my mind and I even fundraised and prepare for one as early as this last April, but to no avail as injuries once again sidelined me. Biking will now permanently take precedence over running from this year on out. Indoor cycling has become something that I've really enjoyed as I also hope to add in a periodical cardio kickboxing class into my future exercise plans. Happy exercising and remember quitters are haters. :) 

Broken Record

Well, what can I say? I have almost permanently switched over to biking outdoors and spin classes in place of running due to my right knee meniscus tear. I had to skip the Nashville Rock and Roll Half Marathon in April and today was a sad day as I had to drop out of the Steamboat 4 mile race here in Peoria when the last week of training started. I couldn't get a volunteer time slot that I wanted and was just in to much pain this week to even do it. Anyone who has ever "pushed through" a torn meniscus knows that there is no such thing. At least that's my case with another medial tear on my other leg, partly due to my osteoarthritis that has settled into my knees. I hope to continue to bike many more miles this year and get a game plan set to have surgery to repair the knee. I will continue to do my exercises to strengthen the area and run slow two mile hits here and there. It really is amazing how much slower you become without really even noticing out in the field due to the pain and stiffness. The good news is that it was great seeing everyone's posts and pictures on social media. I do plan to be there next year, as the reality is that I will never give up! Well bone on bone, maybe. I call it a retirement from running, but like anything else in life, we all like to attempt to do what we were once so easily able to do, and perform even better, if possible. Just part of life. I also had a running total of 477 miles running and biking through the month of May! I am very happy with that. I've managed to keep up my cardio with only about three total down weeks for the year. (this week being one of them). I've also found a new shoe that I like for the value. The PX-90 New Balances are comfortable, stable, and are a perfect cross trainer for clydesdale runners in my opinion. I haven't got to really put them to the test but the cushioning and stability is great for a "flashback" shoe. Well I totally meant to sound like a broken record.... Happy Running.

2019 training report

Biking, biking and more biking. That has become my new theme this year as injuries have left my goal for running one last half as just a pipe dream. The four mile steamboat classic is still on deck, and I'm sure I'll be active in 3-6 mile races as of now. Accepting worse race times is almost as hard as not being able to participate, but eventually age, injury and occupation catches up and I'm forced to put more importantance on priorities. So far for the year my mileage has been pretty decent. For March I completed 127 miles biking and running, 105 miles in January, and 55 miles in February for a total of 287 miles. I've also lost 15 lbs since January 1st! I wish I had more running logged in but I can't complain. I started off the year fundraising for my last St. Jude Nashville half marathon and met my goal but injuries have forced me to sideline longer distance running and I'm more focused on biking and supporting other runners that will be running St Jude races. 

Foot-Strong

I'm not one to give up on my projects easily. At any one time I have multiple projects going, some that have laid dormant for years. I prefer it that way I guess. Like some of the rest of my professional and hobbyist goals lagging behind, running has ended up in that boiling pot. Big time! That pot only gets larger as more years tick away on my body. I postpone a lot these days and resort to my favorite hobby: endlessly reading anything! Over the years I've contemplated giving up running in exchange for different forms of cardio workouts such as, more biking and air boxing, but I just can't seem to kick the running habit just yet. I ran my worst times this year and ended this season for good on just that. I ran the 4 mile Peoria Turkey Trot at 53:30 and the FOLEPI 4 miler at 49:50. FOLEPI was a mostly downhill race and was expected to be an easy and out for Wendy and I. She didn't fare well either with similar, but better times then me at both showings. All my plans to get my knee and back injuries back to 100% when it comes to training on foot has not worked out very well. 2019 will bring the same sporadic runs until something gives, one way or another. #Trailing

My race updates are as follows: I finished the four mile Steamboat race in June with my personal worst for a 4 mile race, coming in at 54:01. This was due to a lack of training blamed on a medial right knee meniscus tear. I received a 38:09 at the Fallen Heroes 3 mile race the following month, also ran in Peoria, with the usual "gateway route". My knee issues have all but went away as we have not been running much since Steamboat, and I received aggressive Kenalog shot therapy. This year is panning out to be a record indoor biking year depending on how my "Hell weeks" in November and December turn out as I plan to ramp up indoor biking and running to numbers I've never attempted. I'm sitting at only 200 biking miles for the year and only 44 logged running miles! I don't log hiking miles. Yet! Usually I ramp up pre season training in January, but this year I plan to change it up for earlier hits to get a good "test period" in to see if I can even think of half marathon training for March ish 2019. That is always the unwritten plan each year!, so I want to take a different approach from an injury prevention and cardio demand standpoint. Hopefully on the next post I will update what I'm using for supplementation these days and the hardware I like to use, from biking, running, and gps tracking. On a side note, I finally graduated SIU in may! Happy running. 

Spring:2018

Wendy and I ran the Blarney 5k back on March 10th. I did it in 35:54 and she did it in 36:xx. Our times have dropped these last 3 years, and are remaining fairly slow. For this year we are hoping to finish the races we have committed to and then I can hopefully have another knee surgery and crank out a half next year. I almost have to rule it out at this point, as I've been hiking, biking and running only to have the pain and swelling on most days. I received a cortisone shot right after that Blarney 5k race, but it seems to be wearing off. There is arthritis in both of my knees now along with an untreated meniscus tear in my right one.

We also have been running on Wednesdays with the IVS running group and are looking to add in a Sunday longer run ahead of the Steamboat 4 miler. These routes are in downtown Peoria and extend to Komatsu, Glenn Oak, and Springdale. Training seems to be going well overall. We are looking forward to getting the non stationary bicycles out soon and hitting some more local trails to add to the fun! Thank God we finally have great weather!

Still Kicking

Wendy and I are signed up for the Blarney 5k for our first run of 2018. We have no active injuries to report and our training is going well. Wendy is logging quite a few miles on the treadmill every week and I am on a cardio restriction until February 1st to help with healing and strength training in my legs. We look forward to developing a plan for 2018, but nothing else is on the radar as of yet. I logged 170 miles last year, which isn't to bad given the circumstances and hopefully we get get something rolling this year! Happy trails.

2017 Running Recap

This year we ran the Steamboat Classic 4 miler, the Fallen Heros 5k, the Sgt. Douglas Riney Memorial 5k, and the IVS half relay 6.5 miler. Steamboat was our first race back since the Bridge to Bridge in September of 2016 and I had splits of: 10:39, 22:33, 36:55, and 47:16. Wendy finished with a cool 45:41. For the Fallen Heroes run I got a 35:48 time and Wendy came in at 34:32. For the Sgt. Douglas Riney Memorial Run I got around 37.xx and Wendy came in at 34:10. For the IVS half relay I had to drop out at the 1.5 mile marker due to a meniscus injury and Wendy finished at 1.21:54.

At this point in the year I have suspended running until I can address my knee issues further but on the radar is Folepi and a treatment plan leading into 2018 that may allow for more mileage. My goal is to complete a half marathon again soon, but it remains dependent upon my ability to remain injury free long enough to get through a three month training plan. Wendy has been doing well and remains injury free. While we both look to indoor biking and running for the winter plans she has also been adding much more walking to her training plan that also includes resistance training that we both do. I don't really have any surefire plans as usual since I have had one knee surgically repaired only to have my other one blow out as soon as I mounted a comeback. As usual, my fingers are crossed!!!

Triglyceride-A-Thon

Most of my adult life I've dealt with high fasting blood sugar (pre diabetic range), high blood pressure, and high amounts of triglycerides in my blood. Other inherited things like sweating a lot and rosacea are also noticed if you hang around me enough! Most of these functions are controlled and regulated through DNA at the sympathetic nervous system level. By far the most dangerous and hardest on cardiac output and health is the triglycerides being elevated to almost​ 3 times the accepted level. This is called, in medical terms, hyperlipidemia class 4 and the risk for having a heart attack or stroke is more then four times the normal risk. So as I come into this year of training the first thing is lowering triglycerides through the intake of more fish oil, more niacin and a one meal (1-2 snacks) a day program. It's very effective if used in combination​ with a lot of water. Many of us walk around with hereditary issues such as non alcoholic fatty liver, diabetes and elevated triglycerides and/or cholesterol and don't even think about it, and we all fall prey to aging and environmental​ factors that can affect us all in many different ways. We often don't even think to limit alcohol, toxin and food intake or to change our diets to limit caloric intake. However as a 230 lb runner, I always have to be aware and in control of things that can be somewhat controlled through diet and exercise. So one thing to think about as we train and we start to have issues that we can't seem to overcome as easy as others, or when we were younger, is to start planning to combat those issues head on, especially during peak training periods. If a person doesn't know some of their numbers beyond just a heart rate and blood pressure reading along without concentrating on genetic predispositions it can limit the ability to perform almost all together if left unchecked and unmonitored under a variety of conditions, testosterone and estrogen included! Happy running...

2.0-17

2017 training has officially started in our household. Our last race was the 2016 Bridge to Bridge run in Peoria. It was 4 miles and Wendy finished with a 41 minute time and I had it hashed out in 47. It was my first post knee surgery run and I require my pace to get much better in the coming months. We scrapped our 2016 race plan after that one and called it a season.

I always like it how when I dilate my arteries and pump a few extra litres of air through the lungs for the first time in three months how I quickly learn what the terms "vertigo" and "out of breath" mean. This last week has been a little tough trying to come up with a 2017 plan and getting the execution portion of it at least started. This year I will hit 3000 miles running and biking since I started back up in 2009 and I'm coming off that horrible 2016 season that included the knee surgery and some usual back issues.

I started this season off like most by seeing how different supplements and drugs are doing. Naproxen is now my 110% go to antiinflammatory for work and play, and a fish oil/niacin combo are my triglycerides controller. I've also been keeping dhea and arginine in the daily mix. Those will tick up more soon as I start lifting more in the gym. My goal is not to lose weight but to increase cardio output in shorter distances, even if we decide to finally run a half marathon again.

I ran an inderal test this week and it is clear that my target heart rate does go from 150 to 135. That is unacceptable and I will need to plan around that. The New Balance M980 will be my shoe of choice again. Wendy has been doing good with off season training and maintaining her 10 minute mile pace. A true warrior as usual..... Well it's time to go get fat! Happy trails.

EJ

Wishful Running....

I saw my times getting worse over the last couple of years and with having my share of knee and back flares I decided after the 2016 Steamboat race to have a knee meniscus repair surgery done (I had been putting it off for over a year). It was a tear on the outside medial meniscus of my left knee which made surgery and downtime alot better (I doubt my boss can agree with that!). If it had been on the inner meniscus it would have been a much longer recovery then the three weeks I'm in now. I was having really hard times training and at work from being in extreme pain that I just couldn't overcome, and when I tried the knee swelling would shut me down for over a week at a time. This not only put a severe dent in training but also caused me to miss work at times.

Sometimes it's hard to pin down how an injury really affects performance overall, but it's safe to say it played a part. I thought at first my times were getting worse due to medication/supplements/lifestyle. It may had been more due to my state of injury then I had previously thought and only time will tell.

This year so far we have raced the Blarney St. Patrick's 5k, the Cinco de Milo 5k (I dropped out due to injury), and the Steamboat 4 miler (not a pretty finish!). I look forward to recovering from this repair by mid August and will attempt to relay a half marathon in Springdale during September. Since my last post I ramped up my plan to finish my last SIU senior year classes so that I may complete my degree in applied engineering sometime in this lifetime! That will conclude in the spring of 2017 and free up time to hopefully land me into another half marathon next year, pending my final (ICC) class financial aid schedule/needs. I no longer am eligible for reimbursement at work so to keep financial aid rolling I have to cram classes together and at least attend six hours a semester.

At this point in time it's just to hard to tell, but I really look forward to getting back into better cardio shape and trying to reach some of my more complex fitness goals. For now it's all just wishful thinking and one day at a time. Wendy has been doing really well with run times as consistent as could be. I'm extremely proud of her as anyone and she is a major inspiration in my life. It's great to have her around always and during this rehab period also. I think it's guaranteed that if I hit a good patch I will load up as many races as possible to make up for lost time!

This year's plan is the IVS half in September, the Folepi 4 miler during Thanksgiving, and the Jingle Bell 5k in December.

15:16 half minded

Wendy and I ran the East Peoria FOLEPI four miler last month for our season ender. I went out with a 44 minute time and she got a cool 37 minutes. Exercise tolerance on my part has gotten to its worst levels I can recall most likely due to my medications. If giving up was an option I'd sign up! However we are looking forward to 2016 with a half marathon already on the radar and training slated to start in February. Wendy continues to train indoors on the treadmill as I have shifted my focus to spin and rpm classes along with weight training. I'm scheduled for another semester at Southern Illinois University, am more actively then ever pursuing a career change, and will also expect my guitar playing and gun range time to increase putting yet more stress on my exercise schedule but my goals are not going to drop. I'm currently injury free and will just be hoping for a breakout year as I usually do, packed full of planned changes. I plan to go with new inserts and a more expensive USA made shoe collection for the year along with the usual round of supplement cycles and taping/banding to increase exercise tolerance and reduce physical injuries/flares. I received a hydrocortisone shot yesterday for inflammation not related to my usual back and knee injuries but should help. I don't plan to have them regularly. I did receive over 25 Sarapin shots in my lower back, had over 10 physical therapy sessions and started inversion treatments to keep my back online. Fingers crossed. I also hope to get my daughter into the kids series running circuit again and maintain my biking mileage. Happy trails!

No tricks, No treats 2015

I've managed to hit 140 miles running and 430 biking so far in 2015. I'm pretty happy with those numbers given my state of periodic injury. I started lumbar shots with Sarapin a couple weeks ago, some chiropractic and physical therapy also was started. I will be going on a maintenance plan in two weeks and keeping up on my knee also. I still have some unreasonable days, but the light is coming. Wendy and I ran the Das Bier 5k last month and received decent times. I came in around 32 minutes and she clocked a 29 minute finish and won third place for her division. I also ran the Morton pumpkin festival 10k the day before in about an hour and four minutes. That was a fun race and my first time doing it. For a longer course I really enjoyed the scenery and breakfast afterwards. Now we are training for a 5k fun run put on by the Peoria brewery company at the end of this month and we both hope to pull off the magic number 29. We shall see. After that we will be eying our annual Jingle Bell 5k, and possibly a Folepi hit. We still have decided not to commit to another half marathon, but I would be lying if I said I didn't think about the St. Jude Nashville one every other day! The idea of overcoming my personal battles and getting a personal best at that race is a pretty strong one. Never say never. Happy running!

Short and Unsweetened----2015's 1000 mile journey.

I'm way off my favorite parts of my annual cardio goals in running and cycling with 273 miles biking (260 in may!) and 98 miles running (45 in may). I don't track resistance, circuit or cardio classes other then RMP, so it is not a complete snapshot. At the end of 2014 I reached 500 combined miles and need a 1000 combined miles by the end of this year. I'm not ruling out making goal this year as I plan to ramp up production to 46 (20r/26b) miles a week starting this week. I'm coming off a great 18 mile week in which 13 where biking and 5 were running. While not great numbers by any means, I have no sign of my knee injury and I have started my focus on breathing exercises and supplementation to increase endurance. Feels good to be at 90% again and holding!

Half there, Half training

I'm doing much better then my last post! My knee injury is 80% healed, I have no more blood clots, and my back is holding up but I have struggled with resting high blood pressure most likely due to my training plunge and bad habits!. Its always something. I landed my pw's for the 4 mile steamboat and the firecracker 5000. Those times were at 45 and 34 minutes. That was expected on my part given blood pressure numbers at 170/110 and my training has been modified. Wendy however did really well banking a 39 minute time at steamboat and a 29 minute one at the firecracker 5000.

Today we will start the IVS half marathon training and focus on high mileage. My focus has gone away from times and shifted to just being able to run without missing to much work! That has been quite a challenge since I got slammed with plantar fasciitis and blood clots back in November and my outlook on running and exercise demands have forcefully been changed as I struggle to just keep up. Its a mild speed bump and I look forward to attempting another half and/or a relay, especially after having real threats that put pressure on me to stop running this year!

Garage days-- re visited

The Nashville Country Music Half Marathon is tomorrow and Wendy and I won't be running it this year as was planned. We hit a very rough patch in mid March and decided to cancel it and focus on the Steamboat Classic 2015 4 mile race along with rejoining team steam and the IVS half marathon groups for the year. Wendy continues to train at a great pace and is already at 38 minutes on the 4 mile test runs and with my track testing last week, I am around 42 minutes.

Yesterday I was forced into a prompt care to have my knee pain examined. I have dislocated my left knee multiple times over my active years and it was getting hard to walk at work and also hard to run after medication and while wearing a support band. I was told what I have heard since I herniated my lower back discs at work 10 years ago... "You need to stop running". Every time I hear that a piece of me dies, and no its not the fat part! My response was as usual and I explained that I am not ready to quit yet, but that I did start indoor RPM biking classes last winter. That is my backup cardio for running as I age and take on more injuries, which I have become prone to. 2014 was full of them. Compartment syndrome in my shin (almost dropping me out of our half marathon), herniated disk flares (not uncommon), blood clots, plantar faccitis and a knee dislocation. 2015 has finally started with me being temporarily finished. Since that word is not in my vocabulary, I will continue to run on "good" days as I gear up for my umpteenth MRI and prepare for the upcoming Steamboat Classic. My diet has went south a little bit. My coping mechanism has long been known to be booze. Those weekly unit numbers are up and I started using electronic cigarettes again during this stressful period. Also since I now live by myself most of the week I eat more processed foods and do not follow a healthy eating pattern. I have to re adjust all these new/old trends as I gear up for more RPM classes and low mileage weeks running.

I'm in the garage for repairs physically and emotionally, but that is life at times. Sometimes we don't even make it out. Its important to count my blessings and get this year in high gear. If this was a blog about my family life including my 10 year old (going on 20) daughter and I, it would be much longer!

Happy running!

E.J.