Well, prudence compelled me to make another trip to the chiropractor. Since I could not shake the stiffness and pain in my left leg, I wanted to get his take on my situation. Attempting to train with what he called a tissue injury turned out not to be a good thing. Sore muscles can be worked but sore tissue needs rest. So I am spending the next several days on the sidelines.
In the meantime my dogs, Brody and Jake, will miss going for a walk.
Following the advice given by my chiropractor, I am resorting to walking workouts. That being said, I am still hurting from whatever it is that is I did to my body. Stiff hamstrings and sore knees impact my ability to have a pleasant stroll let alone walk with the goal of running a 5k.
After a couple extra rest days, I carefully set out on walk number 1. It seemed reasonable to shoot for 4 laps, walking at a casual pace. Casual, there is something odd about the word being used in the same sentence as an all-weather track. As I traversed the rubberized surface, a voice in my head repeatedly whispered, “Hey this is a track dummy, pick up the pace!”
Even though my legs were tight and stiff the entire time, I managed to cover the distance in 20.5 minutes. The next morning my legs were not telling me I made a huge mistake so I tried walk number 2 the next day. Because the stiffness in my legs hadn’t abated, I limited myself again to 4 laps. My competitive nature coaxed me to walk a little faster for the first 3 laps before slowing down on lap 4. My time was a little better, finishing in 19.5 minutes.
I will be stretching over the next 2 days to see if I can make the stiffness in my legs go away, otherwise it’s back to the chiropractor. Hopefully, this tired old boat of a body can be restored.
I pressed too hard week 1 of my couch to 5k experience. So much so that week 2 was a total washout (zilch). A week and a half after later and I can barely walk.
I truly thought I messed up my back as I felt pain below my knees and tightness in my hamstrings. The tightness and soreness came and went as I moved around but never went away.
My chiropractor would be able to tell me what was going on, so I paid him a visit. I went in expecting him to discourage me from running because of my medical history.
“I’m confused,” I said. “My back never felt better.”
“It’s not your back,” he answered. “If you ran cross country, your cardio and respiratory systems are likely in better shape than your muscles and tendons. Remember you’re not 20 years old anymore. Since they’re lagging behind, they’re complaining LOUDLY.”
We chatted more as he checked the alignment of my back and released various pressure points around my knees, back and hips.
“Why are you doing the couch to 5k anyway?”
Here it comes, I thought. Sorry Hasty this one’s on you.
“My pastor asked me to run a 5k with him this fall. But it’s only a fun run.”
“You should have plenty of time to get ready then. He’s my advice: focus strictly on walking. Walk 2 miles around the track. Work your pace up to 15 minutes per mile. When you can walk 2 miles in 30 minutes you’ll be ready to try running. Your muscles and joints should be caught up by then.”
“Thanks, doc!” I said, hearing the best news I could have imagined given my condition.
So walking it is!
(Baby steps)
Scraps 