Cross Training Has Made Me....

My right knee meniscus tear with subsequent surgery has sidelined my running endeavors for the past couple of months. And, in order to stay fit and prepare myself for future running, I've been focusing on cross training at the gym. The stationary bike has been my best friend since the middle of December and although I've read that the elliptical is excellent for cross-training, I just can't seem to get the hang of it. Frankly, it just feels unnatural to me. So, I've been sticking to bicycling and I've picked up weight training again - something that I ignored for a long time.

Injuries can be devastating for runners. They eat away at your core - making you feel inadequate and unfulfilled. And the mind games can drive you CRAZY. Yes, you begin to think that you'll never be able to run again - ever. And consequently, your muscles will atrophy and you'll put on weight, begin to feel like a slug and then WHAM - the downward spiral will suck you in and you'll never be able to return to a fit lifestyle. Your life will be over.

OK - perhaps a bit melodramatic. But, believe me, the recovery process is frustrating and painful. However, being an eternal optimist, I always try to find the silver lining when I am faced with a challenge. With this particular injury, I decided to find an alternate exercise vehicle and this is where Cross Training comes into play. I found that bicycling actually made my knee feel better. Yes, trust me. Even when I could not walk without a limp, I was able to knock off 18 miles on the stationary bike and feel great after the workout! What a confidence booster.

Adding strength training to my program also helped me feel better and gain confidence. I tried to stick to alternating days of upper and lower body strength training after my bicycle workouts. And, although I neglected core training for so long, I even added crunches and working with the stability ball to work my core. The difference in how much better I feel is amazing.

In a nutshell, when I think about what I've learned over the past couple of months, I can emphatically say that

Cross Training Has Made Me:

Stronger - Physically and mentally
More Confident - I know I will recover completely and return to running short, mid and long distances
Motivated - I want to continue to improve and reach a level of fitness that surpasses where I was before

For those of you out there who may be faced with similar circumstances of misfortunes with running injuries, I strongly encourage you to stay positive and focus on things that you can do rather than obsessing over the things that you cannot do!

Run Strong and Safe!
John

Starting to Get Motivated Again!

During the past couple of weeks, I have slowly felt the eager anticipation of getting motivated to resume my running again. Since mid-December, I have focused my efforts on recovery and cross-training - primarily spending time on the stationary bike at the gym and adding the weight training circuit to my schedule. I am feeling stronger and my confidence is returning, now that my knee surgery (repair of a torn meniscus) is 7 weeks behind me. Just in the past week, I have been able to return to treadmill running. Or, I should say, a combination of walking and running. But, I have progressed to a 45 minute duration on the treadmill and that is a good sign. Enough of a sign to make me feel much more confident that I will be able to begin training for the Chicago Marathon. Race date is October 13, 2013 so my first of sixteen weeks of training will be on June 24!

In the meantime, I am planning to continue spending 6 days of the week at the gym with 1 rest day (Sunday) per week. I will do strength every day, alternating between lower and upper body, and mix up treadmill running with the stationary bike so I can gradually increase the time and distance that I am able to spend on the treadmill.

My first target is to be able to run the 10-Mile Broad Street Run in Philadelphia in May. My major objective will be to have fun so I will be running rather than racing the 10 miles!

Happy Running!
John

Transitions

I’ve been very negligent with my posts these past 2 months. After finishing the Marine Corps Marathon in October, 2012, it seems like I disappeared into the background. Well, I did intentionally pull back on my running as I felt I was getting burned out and was looking to add more cross-training to my fitness and exercise regimen. So, I’ve been logging miles on the stationary bike at the gym; and, I’ve been resistance training with weights at least 5 days per week for the past 2 months. Interestingly, I have dropped about 4 pounds since I cut back on running and added bicycling and weight training.

I did register for the 2012-2013 Winter Series sponsored by the Bucks County Road Runners that kicked off in December. However, after running 2 of the races, I developed a lot of discomfort and pain in my right knee. The 5.3 Mile Jingle Bell Run on December 16 did a real number of my knee and I was recently diagnosed with a medial meniscus tear in my right knee. So, I have not been able to run at all for the past 6-8 weeks. I did attempt a 2.5 mile treadmill run in January and although I felt pretty good during the run, I could barely walk the following 2 days – not a good thing! So, it’s been cross-training, cross-training and more cross-training for me. I am scheduled to have my meniscus repaired on January 28. Hopefully, I’ll be able to lace up the running shoes about 4 weeks post surgery. In the meantime, all of my efforts will be focused on recovery.

In addition to my running transitions, I am also managing through another transition – after 21 years with my employer, I am now a ‘free agent’ and am experiencing the excitement and anxiety that goes along with trying to figure out what I want to do during this next phase of my life. My first order of business has been to setup an LLC for any consulting work that I may pursue. That process is still in the works and I hope to have more information from the State of Pennsylvania within the next 2 weeks.

So, I certainly am not a stranger to change management and I am very confident that I will: (1) have a full recovery from my meniscus tear; (2) return to running and will run at least a handful of half-marathons in 2013; (3) attempt to run at least 1 full marathon in 2013; (4) land on my feet with my life/career balance planning moving forward.

Cheers to All!
John