Been a while since I subjected my blog followers to an injury/recovery update, so if you’re remotely interested, feel free to keep reading.
Week starting 2/18/19
Running – 27 miles
Walking – 7 miles
I closed out February with a semi-decent week – a couple of easy walks, several short runs, a slower-than-I-would-have-hoped-for 5 mile MAF test, and an hour of ups and downs at the Jordan Bridge. For some reason my right foot was a bit sore doing bridge work in the Ultrafly 2, but switching to the Fli-Lyte 2 halfway through the run seemed to sort things out. All in all an okay week, with signs of improvement and a little bit of hope for a solid March.
Week starting 2/25/19
Running – 40 miles
The first week of March went rather well too. Naturally I was a bit disappointed to defer my One City Marathon entry to 2020, but looking long term (for a change), it was definitely the right thing to do. I was able to run every day without issue (even gave up the recovery walks) and it felt good to get back to some tire dragging, MAF running and an even a short, midweek progressive run that almost felt like the good old days.
Somewhat surprisingly, Saturday’s 5 mile MAF test was over a minute per mile faster than the previous week, and with a fun morning spectating/pacing at the One City Marathon on Sunday, things definitely seemed to be on the up.
Week starting 3/4/19
Running – 37 miles
Biking – 31 miles
Walking – 1 mile
This week things started to get interesting. I decided to supplement my running with some indoor cycling workouts on Ally’s Peloton. The first 30 minute ride was a bit humbling, but as the week went on I started to really enjoy the workouts and even did Matt Wilper’s FTP Test to give me a baseline for future rides. What a tough 20 minutes that was!
On the running front, fitness seemed to be coming back too – another decent MAF test, several short runs and a confidence-boosting 5 miler averaging 6:30/mile. The 5 miler felt so good I even decided to sign up for the Shamrock 8K which was taking place the following weekend. Of course I wasn’t expecting to break any records, but it would be nice to get back to the races.
Saturday’s chilly run at the Jordan Bridge also went well (3 repeats at 7:36/mile), but probably a tad aggressive as I was forced to pull up lame with a sore calf the next day where I’d hoped to log my first 10 miler of 2019. I walked home, jumped on the bike for 30 minutes and spent the rest of Sunday icing the calf and trying to roll out the tightness.
Week starting 3/11/19
Running – 4.7 miles
Biking – 67 miles
Walking – 2 miles
The week started badly with a failed 5 mile MAF test – 3 miles in and I couldn’t run another step. The knee was fine, but the calf felt like it was going to explode. Thankfully I had a couple of appointments scheduled with Jarrett Chiropractic where some Graston and cold laser therapy seemed to work wonders.
With the Shamrock 8K less than a week away, I chose to rest a couple more days before testing things out on an easy Thursday run. Less than half a mile into the run and this time the Achilles was screaming. Ah well, no Shamrock 8K for me this year.
The rest of the week I just rode the Peloton – kind of my current happy place right now with no knee, calf or Achilles issues whatsoever. I did attempt another short run on Sunday, but with way too much calf pain I decided to cut my losses and rest up for a complete week.
Week starting 3/18/19
Running – 5 miles
Biking – 118 miles
Walking – 2 miles
With no running scheduled, my only options were a couple of short walks and daily workouts on the Peloton, with the power zone rides with Matt Wilpers being my favorite. It’s great to see your effort level decrease at the same output, and I’m excited to take my next FTP (Functional Threshold Power) test in a few weeks to see how far I’ve progressed.
Meanwhile, plenty of running rest and a few more cold laser therapy sessions with Jarrett seemed to help the calf recovery, so on Sunday I attempted a heart rate based run and am happy to report zero pain over a 5 mile loop.
Week starting 3/25/19
Running – 20 miles
Biking – 109 miles
Walking – 4 miles
I guess I should be happy with 4 days of running and 100+ miles of cycling for the week? Not sure I’ve turned the corner just yet, but I do feel like I’m finally moving in the right direction. I managed to run 10 miles on the track on Saturday (admittedly with some calf soreness afterwards), but that’s the longest run since mid-December. The pace wasn’t too shabby either. I think going forward the key will be to schedule enough recovery time after “long” runs and keep supplementing the running with regular workouts on the Peloton.
The meniscus tear for the most part seems to be under control right now. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to run Ultra distance stuff again, but if I can get the calf and Achilles pain sorted, I think I can start logging some consistently decent runs. Time will tell, but as we roll into April I’m still not ready to hang up the running shoes any time soon.
PS – if you’re thinking of purchasing a Peloton bike any time soon, feel free to reach out for a code that’s worth $100* towards Peloton Bike or Tread accessories.
* Full terms can be found https://support.onepeloton.com/hc/en-us/articles/204445185-Refer-a-friend
Hey Steve, not stalking but I saw a while back you were a Tailwind fan (me too!) and I started to follow you on Strava. I am glad to hear the meniscus is getting better. I think I am dealing with the same thing. Didn’t do anything specific, but felt it about 10 weeks ago and knew something wasn’t right. Went to the doc and he also said I have some arthritis in that knee, but we didn’t do a MRI to really confirm the meniscus tear. During this time I have never had my knee lock or swell and have been do many of the exercises you posted on a previous blog post. I am back to doing some run/walks and things seem to be feeling better. I was going to be running the Eastern Divide 50K in June, but decided to defer to 2020 so that I can get healthy and start training for Chicago Marathon in October. So, I hope you continue to get better and can get back to running. thanks for letting me take up some of your blog! BJ – Greensboro, NC
Thanks for the comment. Look after that knee, and if you do get any locking or catching, please be careful. Good luck with your training and I hope all goes well in the Chicago build-up!