It'll be just like Starting Over

For a change I make no apologies for not updating my blog.

Since my last post, the hip pain that I was experiencing since July went into my lower back and IT band. The period from July to November may not be a long time, but time and the perception of time can be two different things. And when you don't know that you are going to feel better in the 5th month, it is easy to feel despair that possibly your better running days are behind you.

I was lucky to find myself in the right place at the right time. I was in Sarasota, Florida for Thanksgiving, and on the day before Thanksgiving, when most of the country was trying to figure out how to cut out of work early, our friend, Janet, a great fitness instructor at Lifestyles Fitness Health Club, recommended that I see Aaron Mattes. I told her that I was flying out the next day so I would call him on my spring return to Sarasota. She insisted I call him, and sure enough, he insisted he could see me that day, no matter how late, so I started my appointment at 4 p.m. He examined me and basically told me that I was a wreck, but that he could fix me. For two and a half hours he did a series of assisted stretches, utilizing his philosophy that a stretch should not be held for no longer than 2 seconds. You just do them over and over and ease into increasing your range of motion. It's all explained on his web site, which also includes videos and books you can purchase, since you can do most of these stretches yourself with a rope or strap. There is also contact information for the followers of his method around the country. I felt 90% better after my 2 and a half hours. And if I hadn't told Janet about my issues, I might still be suffering.

Unfortunately, I did not immediately get back to running consistently. My mother-in-law suffered a compression fracture in her spine the day after Thanksgiving, was hospitalized, and is currently in a nursing home. While she was in the hospital in Florida, my mother had to be hospitalized in Connecticut for a short time. So it was a crazy stressful time, compounded by the fact that Jane has had to be in Florida for all but less than three weeks since November 1st. You would think practicing Elder Law would prepare me more for this situation, but knowledge doesn't really change the time demands.

Early in January I was feeling just a wee bit sorry for myself, which I hate doing, so on an extremely cold day I drove to Boston and volunteered to be outside for a Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge long run. It was exactly what I needed, doing a tiny little something for someone else as part of a wonderful cause, and being surrounded by some of the finest people I know. To quote from another Beatles song, "I get by with a little help from my friends."

Thus inspired, I have been more consistent in my running. Last week I extended myself to a 5 mile run in about 50 minutes as part of my running club's Slug Runs. The picture at the top is similar to the picture I posted last winter. It is a tradition to take a picture before each Slug Run. Below I am going to inundate you with pictures of this weeks Slug Run, because it was just so special in so many ways. Beyond being a beautiful day, I ended up running on trails with Lee, my friend and fellow Dana-Farber runner. Lee's wife Ruth lost her battle with cancer about a year ago. We talked, stopped for pictures, created trails where there were none, and it was just one of those days that reminded me of why I love running. We were out there for over an hour and forty minutes, quite a leap from running 50 minutes the week before, and while I am bit sore now, I feel optimistic that I am ready to have a great running year.

I am going to write more about time and the perception of time, because I am sort of fascinated by it, but for now let me tell you that I am now age 51 and 3 months. This is significant to me because my father had his heart attack at age 51 and 3 months, and one of the motivating factors for me to start running back in 2001 was so that when I got to this exact age, I would feel I had done everything possible to not suffer the same fate.

I am definitely thinking about signing up for the Chicago Marathon. And I am trying to put a relay team together to run from New Haven to Boston.

So as promised, here are the pictures.