A pair of runs

I'm allowed to run again now and it's clear that the PRP treatment is doing something. But, it's also clear that I'm far from 100% as well.

My first run was a six miler. I started with one downhill mile, then four mostly flat miles and finally, back uphill in the last mile. I took it really easy in the first mile and felt OK. When I got to the flats, I tried to simply run by feel. I would glance at my Forerunner at times, and my pace was not very consistent. Sometimes, I was moving at 8:30/mile and other times, closer to 9:30. But, since I've been injured, all of my runs have been closer to 11 minutes per mile. I hit the five mile mark in just over 47 minutes and it then took me almost 12 minutes for the last uphill mile. Six miles in 59:06. Excluding one ill-advised 5K not long after I got hurt, that was my fastest run in months. In some ways, that's depressing to think about, but I'm trying to focus on running now rather than the past few months.

I was out of town for the weekend and had a long drive home yesterday. I got home about 5:30 and after driving for almost 8 hours, all I could think about was going for a run. I changed quickly and went out for a four miler. It's very hilly where I live and when I want to run four miles, I go downhill for two miles and then come back uphill the entire way home. I hit the 2 mile mark in just under 18 minutes and it took me just over 20 minutes to get back home. The last time I ran this route, it took me 45 minutes and this time it was just over 38.

So clearly, some things have improved already. But, I'm far from completely recovered. What I've noticed the most so far is that the hamstring muscle is bothering me again and my IT band is tight. So, I've been using my foam roller to work on those two areas.

What I have to see over the next few weeks is whether or not everything seems to loosen up and make my stride more comfortable. It's definitely better than it was and running is more fun now than it's been in a while. But, I've still got some healing and rehab ahead of me.

This week, I can start doing lower body workouts in the gym again. My upper body has been pretty sore for the past couple weeks because I've been doing so many upper body lifting workouts.