It's funny how when things seem so dark that a turnaround comes out of the blue. This week has been the incredible week that I needed in a lot of ways. It's been such a struggle here lately and it was finally nice to let some sunshine in.
It appears that going back to work has done my back injury a bit of good. The three to four miles that I routinely walk during a shift have provided healing by bringing additional blood flow to my herniated discs. Still leaning a little. But definitely not as bad two weeks ago. Feel like I'm getting better everyday!
I managed to actually run a whole mile! Funny when you consider that six miles was once my easy standard daily distance that I ran every day. But I'm not complaining. Even during that short distance I found myself slipping back into the old familiar routine. I felt old systems coming back online and for a brief time, it felt AMAZING! It felt really good to be back and feel like a runner again!
After the momentous mile run I started thinking about what to do next. I've learned a lot through this experience and not surprisingly, I've got much more to discover. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? This event has challenged many of the things that I've come to rely on as standard techniques, exercises and methods for training and running. I've always been a self taught distance runner. But maybe it was time to reach out and discover what else was out there. I contacted my friend Judy Mick to bounce some ideas off her. Judy's an amazing runner, author, coach and streaker. She's what I consider to be at the pinnacle of our sport. We met through FB when I started my running streak. She makes my 609 days of non-stop running look like a walk in the park. She's been doing it non-stop for many years. She gave me some good advice and out of nowhere, offered to coach me. To say that I was surprised is an understatement. For someone to offer their time and experience to make someone else better (that they've never met in person) is such a gift. To do it just because we're friends is even more amazing. I'm more than grateful.
I ran another non-stop mile today and met with a new chiropractor. I felt better today than I have in a very long time. Even managed a 5 MPH pace for a brief time. The new doc did something that three I've already talked with didn't, he explained everything that was going on with me. Made some minor adjustments and we made a new attack plan for my recovery. After my appointment I felt even better mentally and physically.
Comebacks don't always happen in fancy gyms, with state of the art equipment or during sensational big name races. Sometimes they happen in dark basements, on a sweaty treadmill to the sound of laundry washing while a lone lab sheep dog mix stares at some crazy guy raising his fist in victory to the Running Gods after running just a single, plain and slow mile.
Don't give up. Maybe the comeback you're looking for is right around the corner...
It appears that going back to work has done my back injury a bit of good. The three to four miles that I routinely walk during a shift have provided healing by bringing additional blood flow to my herniated discs. Still leaning a little. But definitely not as bad two weeks ago. Feel like I'm getting better everyday!
I managed to actually run a whole mile! Funny when you consider that six miles was once my easy standard daily distance that I ran every day. But I'm not complaining. Even during that short distance I found myself slipping back into the old familiar routine. I felt old systems coming back online and for a brief time, it felt AMAZING! It felt really good to be back and feel like a runner again!
After the momentous mile run I started thinking about what to do next. I've learned a lot through this experience and not surprisingly, I've got much more to discover. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? This event has challenged many of the things that I've come to rely on as standard techniques, exercises and methods for training and running. I've always been a self taught distance runner. But maybe it was time to reach out and discover what else was out there. I contacted my friend Judy Mick to bounce some ideas off her. Judy's an amazing runner, author, coach and streaker. She's what I consider to be at the pinnacle of our sport. We met through FB when I started my running streak. She makes my 609 days of non-stop running look like a walk in the park. She's been doing it non-stop for many years. She gave me some good advice and out of nowhere, offered to coach me. To say that I was surprised is an understatement. For someone to offer their time and experience to make someone else better (that they've never met in person) is such a gift. To do it just because we're friends is even more amazing. I'm more than grateful.
I ran another non-stop mile today and met with a new chiropractor. I felt better today than I have in a very long time. Even managed a 5 MPH pace for a brief time. The new doc did something that three I've already talked with didn't, he explained everything that was going on with me. Made some minor adjustments and we made a new attack plan for my recovery. After my appointment I felt even better mentally and physically.
Comebacks don't always happen in fancy gyms, with state of the art equipment or during sensational big name races. Sometimes they happen in dark basements, on a sweaty treadmill to the sound of laundry washing while a lone lab sheep dog mix stares at some crazy guy raising his fist in victory to the Running Gods after running just a single, plain and slow mile.
Don't give up. Maybe the comeback you're looking for is right around the corner...
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