Running Again

Thursday, July 24, 2014:

The adductor injury was a week ago.  I took it pretty easy on that muscle, with one nice bike ride and no running in the six days following the injury, then running about three miles yesterday without pain.  Today I ran a solid four miles on the hilly grass trails in the park, again without pain.  It's getting better, but experience tells me that it couldn't be completely healed yet - a pulled muscle or tendon just doesn't heal in a week for a 73-year-old man.  I'll keep ramping up the distance, five miles tomorrow, but I'll be prepared to drop to a walk immediately if I feel pain.

Adductor muscles are intended to help with sideways motion - they pull the legs sideways, inward, toward each other.  In the past, I've injured an adductor by running on indoor tracks, which can have many, many turns, all in the same direction.   I've been thinking about how an adductor muscle can be stressed in straight-ahead

With kids in the house, kitty takes to
the stairs to avoid being underfoot.

running, because this injury happened on the Gateway Trail, which is on an abandoned railway - quite straight and reasonably flat too.

I suspect that I may have stressed the adductor while mowing the lawn the day before the injury.  One part of our lawn is steeply banked, and I do mow it from side to side, walking one foot up and the other down, because that is safer than mowing up and down the hill.  Maybe I pulled that adductor muscle a little bit and didn't notice it then.  Anyway it's getting better, and I'll be more aware of the issue next time I mow.

Today's run was 4.03 miles in 48:48, for a pace of 12:07.  I definitely could have gone faster, but held it back out of respect for the adductor.  Same tomorrow, only farther.  I hope it doesn't rain tonight - I do like the grass (and dirt) trails, but when they are muddy I choose the paved trails.

Wednesday, July 23:

First run since injury.   I'll start short and increase the running distance gradually, a mile or two every day, while recovering from the adductor injury.  From past experience, the trick is to stop running immediately if any pain shows up.  Today I did about a four to five run/walk most of the time, and no pain appeared.  Longer run tomorrow.

Tuesday, July 22:

My 55th high-school reunion was yesterday and today (yes, on a Monday and a Tuesday - after retirement all the days are the same, so we choose weekdays to get venues that are in demand on weekends).  I couldn't make it Monday, because of a Mayo Clinic appointment, but Tuesday was fine.  We three all went, and had a nice time, including a 3.4-mile hike, a long boat ride, and an outdoor picnic, all with my high school classmates.