Still healing...

Today's doctor visit was very positive. In 4 days (Friday) the external fixator will be removed from my wrist. Hallelujah! I will need to wear a Velcro brace for couple weeks as reinforcement but the bone itself appears to have healed sufficiently. The foot is not completely set so the airboot will stay on couple more weeks as well. The process has turned a corner at last. Only 6 weeks have passed since my injury but it seems much longer. I realize now just how active a person I was becoming - not being able to walk, run, ride or even workout really affected my 'psyche".

I have been very lax on my diet --pretty much junking out and bummed, the pity party is over. Very soon I will be able to start back on the bike and low-impact stuff -- i may have lost the summer season but that's ok - cuz Fall/Winter is the best time in Florida.

Everything changes...

Saturday morning was to be my first trail run -- however I have been totally sidelined. I currently have a "jones" fracture in my left foot and a split in the radius of my right wrist. The previous Saturday as I was untying canoe from our vehicle, I managed to slip and break my foot and my wrist. I had never broken a bone before, this was a new level of pain for me. Thus, my vacation ended with a thud. I have had my first ambulance ride now. The foot fracture will heal with the use of an "airboot", a bracing boot with inflatable sections to provide stable and support for the foot. The expected healing time is 4-6 weeks. The wrist required surgery as the break of the radius bone was causing the bone to pull away from the wrist. The orthopedic surgeon attached an 'external fixator' to the wrist. This device is intended to draw the bones together. The expected timeline is also 4-6 weeks for the wrist. Being down this long means my fitness training will have to start all over. If all goes well with the healing of my bones I can start fitness training again beginning in August. Running will be out of the question for a good while. Pounding of the pavement could easily lead to a re-injury. I am thinking cycling and swimming combined with resistance training will the best for getting me into shape again. The hardest part of healing so far has been psychological. I find myself teetering on depression... this could be the pain talking or not - either way I have got to find a way to keep it together.

Paws in the Park --- Revisited

The first race with my dog partner was the Paws in the Park 5k in Port St Joe in August 2011. This was a tough event for us, the temperature and humidity was brutal! I am all for supporting Gulf County Humane society but... why is the race in August? There is a Bow Wow Bash in October that sounds like fun -- the race should be in October too ... I bet the event gets more participants. I cannot remember our race time but I do remember I walked a LOT! The heat was too much for me and I was really worried about Cherokee. We usually run much earlier in the day and I wasn't sure how he would handle running so much later. Overall, I think he did well -- the next race we did was the St Patrick's day Run with the Dogs in Destin, FL,  what a difference here... the Destin race was huge with bunches of dogs! March is much better than August in Florida for running anyway :-)  The sheer number of dogs was almost overwhelming for Cherokee but he got it together as the race got under way. Our time was pitiful, but that's OK, too. It was a fun day and Cherokee was very happy to play.

Thoughts on training and more

Having decided to participate in a 6k trail run at the end of the month, I realized the need to ramp up the training for me & my dog partner. I am planning to use the Galloway method of run/walk especially since this will be the end of June in Florida (uh, it's HOT! here) I like to run with music but several times now during the actual races I have had 'technical' issues with either earbuds, mp3 player or dead batteries (which really sucks after creating a brand new playlist). I think I run better (perhaps this is a delusion) when listening to music. Eventually, I hope my running technique develops to the point that I could maintain a good steady pace on my own... so where is the rambling leading? I don't know, yet...

Few days ago I saw this picture of the "modern marathoner" -- sure hope this not me. :-)

Last month I bought a belt to hold a couple small water bottles and this works pretty well in helping to stay hydrated while running in the brutal Florida humidity. I also enjoy my Garmin forerunner and mp3 player --- uh oh maybe I am getting too many gadgets...ok I am drawing the line now --- no more gadgets! (except my dog bowl, dog baggies, leash and phone -- all fits in the belt with water bottles)

Next race...?

Trying to decide what will be my next race, only a few dog-friendly races in our area --- I think my next race may have to be solo. Cherokee is a decent running partner, he is patiently waiting for me to get faster. :-)

Looking...looking....
Eureka!

I have found it! Our next race is...
the Anchors Away 6k trail run at Conservation park in Panama City Beach on June 23rd. I called the event organizer and asked if the dog could run with me and they said OK!
So... now we have a goal -- only 3 weeks away. A 6k is 3.728 miles and we average the 3 mile distance pretty consistently (just not quickly yet) -- we will pick it up a little on our morning runs until race day. I know Cherokee will love the trail as the asphalt of the city streets can be hard on his paws. The last race had a couple

segments with some really rough street surfaces, I worried about this and tried to keep him on the grass as much as possible. He 'heels' on the right always so I will run closer to the edge when the asphalt gets 'ugly' if there is not too much debris on the edges of the road. I have discovered the streets can be dangerous places on foot and on the bike. The sheer volume of glass and trash can cause havoc on bike tires, running shoes and pup paws. Amazing what people throw out onto the road... but that's a topic for another day.

Furry Friends 5k

Cherokee and I participated in the Furry Friends 5k April 28th, this was a fundraiser for local humane society.

As a team, we did much better in our time -- 41.10 not bad! Still did not place in our age group, but that's ok too. The reasons we run include health % fitness (for human and dog!) Also, giving Cherokee a job helps him to stay happier. The races are for my competitive spirit. :-) I am not really competing against the other runners...
I just want to improve my 5k time.
I am still waffling on the idea of going after longer distances like 10k, 1/2 marathons, and full marathons.
I believe I can train up to longer races, I just need to find the kick to my butt to DO IT.

Signed up for another 5k with the dog

Run with the dogs 5k in Destin, FL 3/17 (St Patrick's day - must wear green!) I got a kick out of the registration - dog with runner or dog with walker... Dog gets top billing :-)

Any time I have an actual defined goal or destination I seem to do better staying focused on my overall exercise program. This race is close enough to see the end of the tunnel - yet far enough in the distance so I can pick up more weeks of training.

The last race the dog & I ran was in August and that was brutal - hot & humid! I believe in supporting a local humane society but this race is very difficult - maybe if we can stay focused in our training we might do it again... Time will tell. Cherokee in his fur coat found the heat really tough to handle.

*Update clock time was 45:09 for our run (did not place in our age group) - we were slow but the race was huge! Lots of distractions, but Cherokee did great!

2012 a new year and new goals...

This year has begun and my goals are more solid than ever. The first day of 2012 was a run day, the dog & I did our bit and even with the humidity I felt good in 2.5 miles. My goals in 2012 include pushing myself to a solid sustained run through the 5k distance and then increasing the distance to the 10k run. I signed up for 500 miles in 2012 - this averages out to 9.6 miles per week. To reach this goal I need to push harder where 3 miles becomes my average run adding more more miles to the point of 4-5 miles becoming the challenge run on the weekends. I CAN do this. Happy 2012!