Running without harm

 

Today's run (treadmill): 32 minutes

After yesterday's string of bad news and disappointments, I decided to take matters into my own hands and try a run. It had been 23 days since I last ran and I felt that I'd abstained long enough. The pain I experienced in the days since my last run have greatly lessened and I was confident that I could now manage an easy treadmill workout.

Primum non nocere, Latin for "First do no harm" is part of the Hippocratic oath. It's now my personal mandate when it comes to running. With that in mind, I set the treadmill 1 MPH slower than my usual pace. Running felt tolerable, but the soreness was there. My barometer was focused on the level of pain as I went through the run. If the pain increased, I would slow down (or shut down) depending on severity.

I ended up dropping my speed by another .2 MPH. It was a small difference, but just enough for me to feel protected. The pain (really an ache) was still there. As time went on, the soreness diminished. I wondered if that was due to the warm up of my injured muscles. My heart rate stayed at around 83% of max, exactly where I wanted it to be for this workout.

I ended up running for about 32 minutes and didn't even bother to look at the mileage. I was just happy to be running. I finished up feeling good about my conditioning, but my concern shifted to post-run pain. Although I did feel a little sore, it was no worse than what I've been experiencing after my elliptical sessions.

It's been snowing all day, but it hasn't accumulated at all. I'll try another run tomorrow. If conditions are good, I may just take it outside.