Take care of yourself

That was mine, until last autumn's pinched nerve. That issue is finally gone (pain radiating down the arm, etc.), but there is always some neck twinge out of nowhere bothering me from time to time.

I'm 57, so you still have a few good years left.

Is there no danger in this? I know stairs are great exercise, but stairs + running + many people bunched together would seem to equal a pileup waiting to happen, unless I'm picturing it incorrectly.

 

They stagger the starts all day long. It's not like a marathon or 5K where 1,000 people all take off running together. Outside of maybe a couple of the guys who finish on the podium, no one is doing much running anyway.

That said, I'm going to have to get an early start time next year, like I said, with the other fast people. I spend the whole time trying to get around people, and it's both a little dangerous, annoying, and slows me down to a frustrating extent. There was some wide load this year that I said "excuse me" to three times before she finally got shitty and answered, "I did." I practically needed to oil my body head to toe to squeeze in the space she supposedly left me. Me sharing the stairwell with her and others of her ilk isn't good for anybody, really.

 

Day 60.

Pushups went 25-24-11.
Squats went 35-25.
Situps went 20-20-20.

I could do all the squats in one set, but, you know, screw that. I can do 35 situps, but I had a make-up day yesterday and did all the ones for days 58 and 59, 117 in all. I wish I could do the pushups in just two sets, but that ship seems to have sailed.

Still, I'm getting stronger and look better in my clothes, so there's that.

 

Push-up heavy workout is the only exercise I've gotten for about 5 days. Just feeling blah fighting a cold.

Just to get some exercise in while I had 20 minutes or so yesterday, I did 2 sets of 30, 2 sets of 25, 2 sets of 20 2 sets of 15, 2 sets of 10. Then 200 crunches (sets of 25).

 

Whitman Jr. broke 8 minutes in the mile today. Proud papa.

 

I was doing some speedwork this morning, my typical 2x4 miles at a 6:50 pace, when my hamstring tightened up and then, when I tried to push the speed a little bit, twinged on me. I ended up gutting out eight more miles at an 8-8:30 pace, but it's still sore and something to keep an eye on this week. It still feels sore. I can deal with sore, as opposed to injured.

 

Be careful here. A sore hamstring often leads to an injured hamstring. Footy players get shut down immediately, because an injured hamstring takes forever to heal. I did the same thing with my groin a couple of years ago. Felt a little funny for a week or two but kept playing. Then it snapped like a piano wire in the middle of a game. I was walking like I'd pooped myself for eight months. Not fun.

 

One thing I may do is take it inside the next couple days, at the very least. I doubt this continued cold weather is particularly helpful, especially when you are trying to go fast without working up to it.

 

That's fine, but if you feel a sore spot, like a little knot or an ache that can be localized somewhat, you should shut it down. If your hamstring goes, you are fucked. My groin injury is probably the worst injury I've had in terms of its effects on my life. It sucked really hard.

 

Probably should refrain from humblebrags about your health for a while, too. #jinx

 

In fairness, I frequently mention that I'm very lucky to have not run into any injuries, and then I knock on wood.

 

Right. I'm going to wake up tomorrow and basically see how I feel. I've had little aches and pains before. Last fall, I had an annoying pain behind my knee for a while. Generally, they've gone away from just being smart and not pushing things too hard. Either slowing down the pace, cutting the miles for a few days, or taking a day off.

Trying to be good at sports can suck, as compared to something like art or writing or astronomy or gardening, because no matter how motivated you are and how hard you want to work at it, your body's ability to withstand training volume is always a factor.