Below: my doc is the little guy in the middle
This will be the first ninja post in many moons. Sorry for the long break but hey – I’ve been busy.

I’m officially back from injury now running on an abbreviated schedule. I have run three miles three times in the past week and have felt good before, during and after each run. I spoke with my doctor on Tuesday and he mapped out the following plan for me between now and my next appointment in 3 weeks.

1. All runs should be 3 to 4 miles – no more
2. Never run back-to-back days
3. Lifting – including weight-bearing stuff – is okay in moderation
4. Add in a speed day (sprints) or two on a soft surface like grass
5. Take back-to-back spinning classes on the weekend to increase my cardio before the marathon. 2 hours of spinning is nearly equivalent to a half marathon

Also, the doc wants me to run one 6 miler before my next appointment. Assuming all goes well there I’ll do a 9 mile run the week before the marathon.

Now that the gory details are out of the way let me say that running again is awesome. It is one of those things you don’t realize how much you will miss it until you can’t do it for a while. The feeling of your feet under you moving in an automatic rhythm as you feel speed for the first time in a long time is the best. While I’ve probably been running too fast considering the injury the feeling after the run is almost better than during because I know that I could have turned that 3 mile run into a 6 or 7 mile run if I wanted to do so.

To make a long story short – I’m hooked. I’m a runner. The races and the training and the health benefits are all gravy but running itself and the sense of well being after are worth the price of admission. I just need to better understand my body and avoid injury the best I can so I don’t have to take another extended break from running.
That is it for this post. Keep running and talk to y’all soon.