Time of Day: 5:45 AM

Weather: Climate-controlled on the treadmill

Duration: 46 minutes 10 seconds (estimate)

Distance: 5 miles

Average Pace: 9:14/mile (estimate)

Notes: Same story as before!  My knee hurt after 1/2 a mile and then faded after a few minutes.  I had no pain after that point and let myself do 5 miles.  I can’t wait until running stops being scary.

I also walked a 1/4 mile before I ran and decided to walk 3/4 afterwards, so I got 6 miles done on the treadmill.  I brought my swimsuit, but I decided not to pool run.  Although my knee doesn’t hurt when I pool run, it still creates some inflammation from the bending.  My knee didn’t hurt when I got off the treadmill, but I thought it would be best to stretch and grab my ice pack from the car instead of giving it more stress. 

Besides, 5 miles is just fine when I’m not training for anything.  So glad I’m back to decent running.  I can’t wait to go outside, but I’m still scared.  Houston went from chilly to hot and humid yesterday, so I guess we don’t get Spring anyway.

We also had a breakthrough at my ART appointment and I left with my knee feeling improved.

I had some leeks to use up (still do), so I looked up a recipe in How to Cook Everything.  I decided to use Pasta with Leeks and Parsley and throw in a few extras, like ground turkey that I needed to use up and a few mushrooms.

The original recipe is linked above.  I made half of it using olive oil for the vegetables and Smart Balance for the pasta.  I used hot red pepper flakes, a green bell pepper, and added a few mushrooms at the same time I added the pepper.  I added the ground turkey a few minutes after the leeks.

That looks like a huge plate, but it’s actually a small one.  I was out of bowls, obviously.

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Today I did an hour of weights followed by an hour of yoga class.  I think she made the class easier today to accommodate a few people.  I got bored a few times and left before savasana.  I know most people love savasana, but I do not.

I’ve been talking about pool running for (too many) weeks now without explaining exactly what it is and why I’m doing it.  Yes, I’m doing it because I’m injured, but I think I could probably handle the elliptical and other forms of cross-training now that I’ve healed a little.  However, I really don’t have the desire to try.  Why not?  Pool running kicks my butt, probably more than my easy runs. 

Pool running is not a difficult concept.  You just stap on a flotation belt, jump in a pool deep enough so that you don’t touch the bottom, and start pumping your arms and legs in a running motion.  I bought a  flotation belt (not the one pictured, I couldn’t find that one online), but apparently you can pool run with no flotation device at all.  I find that difficult to believe. 

Pete Pfitzinger has a really good article on pool running that includes technique, benefits, and workouts. 

For me, the key to a good pool workout is to make you feel like you’re making the most of your time in the water.  That means a high heartrate and heavy breathing.  I do intervals for this reason, but also to make it less boring.

A typical pool workout for me consists of 10 minutes or so of warming up, then an interval workout, then cooling down as much as I want.  I’ve been cycling through the following 3 workouts:

• 3 minutes hard, 2 minutes easy
• 2 minutes hard, 2 minutes easy, 3 minutes hard, 2 minutes easy, 4 minutes hard, 2 minutes easy
• 1 minute hard, 2 minutes hard, 3 minutes hard, 4 minutes hard, 5 minutes hard, 4 minutes hard, 3 minutes hard, 2 minutes hard, 1 minute hard, with the same amount of recovery

I repeat the intervals until I get to the time I want, then I cooldown.  I also try to keep the pace moderate during the easier intervals to keep my heartrate elevated. 

Here are a few things that surprised me about pool running:

• It makes my calves tight
• It tones my upper body.  Lifting weights just a few hours later is very hard. 
• It’s a good enough workout that I will make it my main form of cross-training once I’m healthy.
• My laps times aren’t much faster during my hard intervals.
• I’m lucky to be short enough for my gym’s pool.

Time of Day: 6:10 AM

Weather: Climate-controlled on the treadmill

Duration: 37 minutes 

Distance: 4 miles

Average Pace: 9:15/mile

Pool Running: 51 minutes

Notes: I went MIA from the computer for a very busy weekend.  I worked, pool ran, and spent lots of time with MSB because his exams are over and he’s on spring break.  We went to a baseball game in perfect weather, saw friends, and ate lots of food that I did not cook.  Good times.

I didn’t run until this morning.  My knee had a bad day on Saturday and worried me, so after working in the morning I went to the pool and did 65 minutes of pool running.  The gym doesn’t open until 8 on weekends and I work at my other location at 9, so I had to go afterwards and it took all my strength.  No swimming that day. 

On Sunday I did 68 minutes of pool running and 5 laps of swimming before working my busiest Sunday ever at the gym.  Swimming has gotten easier!

I had a lot less knee pain on Sunday and decided that today would be an attempt at running.  The same thing happened as last time: I had knee pain in the first mile.  I stopped, stretched, and continued slowly and it faded.  This time it faded even more.  It was wonderfully dull.

And then it killed walking downstairs to the pool.  I took my anti-inflammatory, hopped in, did my 51 minutes, and hopped out.  I keep icepacks in an insulated lunchbox in my car and wear them on the drive home from the gym.

I also had ART today and learned that my legs are different lengths.  He did a hip adjustment, so hopefully that will help the knee pain as well.  So many things wrong with me, but they are getting better.

Time of Day: 6:50 AM

Weather: Climate-controlled on the treadmill

Duration: 36 minutes 52 seconds

Distance: 4 miles

Average Pace: 9:13/mile

Pool Running: 50 minutes

Notes: The title is a bit deceiving: my run was not quick at all, but this post needs to be fast or I won’t make it to work on time.

Yesterday I jumped off the treadmill after just a few minutes.  Today I did too, but then I removed the IT band strap and slowly started again.  My knee pain turned into just an ache and then slowly got better during my run.  It was still there, but below a “4 or 5″ on the pain scale, which is when I’m supposed to stop running.  I guess the IT strap stopped helping once my pain migrated to a new spot. 

It stayed that as long as I concentrated on my form.  I stopped at 4 miles not because it was getting worse, but because I don’t want to do too much. 

Afterwards I jumped in the pool for just 50 minutes.  More real running = less pool running.  Such a nice trade! 

I do not plan on trying to run again tomorrow.  I’m still very scared that running even a little will make my knee worse, so I will monitor closely (probably too closely) until Sunday or Monday and just pool run.