Running: A FEVER

As I celebrate 30 episodes, I'm also celebrating a triumphant return after six weeks of being on the injured reserve list due to my knee injury. But I'm feeling much better now, rarely feeling any pain and even forgetting I even had knee trouble. I think it will be better to exercise, I've had enough rest. But I have learned from my mistake and I'm taking it easy. One run this week. I've lost 21 p...

I went to my primary care physician because my knee had not improved over the weekend, since I felt some sharp pain when starting my run. They took X-rays, and he warned me not to run and to walk at my discretion. Later I was called in for an MRI and went to see an orthopedic specialist. As you can see by this X-ray picture, there is no fracture, which is exceptionally good news! So I'm not to wor...

I go out for a test, fact-finding walk. I can't really know exactly what to do about my injury. I'm not going out today just because I am stubborn. I think it might be better to exercise in moderation than to rest. This is a risk. What if I can't run? How am I going to do a podcast called Running: A Fever if I cannot run? I feel pretty good, but I definitely still have an injury. I get out on the...

I take a day off from exercise. I've solicited advice from a couple of people, and I talk about that advice and how I am weighing it. It was suggested that I do something low-impact like using an elliptical machine. I don't have access to one of those, so I am planning to walk tomorrow.  More...

Tragically, I am distracted today. I have a lot to do in a short span of time. Holiday grocery shopping, painting a room, and finding some furniture to go in it. But I have made physical health and fitness my number one priority. I spend some time talking about all of the things I have to do and the busy-ness of the day. Perhaps this distractedness is a foreshadowing of the inattention to my body...

Continuing on the theme of mental control, I try to invent some way to help myself get through the run. Some strategy of thought and concentration to distract me, to fight off negative thoughts, what I call the Demons of Doubt. I call them demons because they seem to act on their own. I don't have to come up with doubts and negative thoughts. They exist in the absence of positive thoughts. They ar...

I offer my detailed instructions for how to make the breakfast that I enjoyed this morning: Southern Sausage and Eggs 2 tbsp. bacon grease or shortening 2 eggs 2 sausage patties or 4 slices of bacon or 2 slices of bologna or 1 slice of country ham Take your skillet and put it on the stove and start warmin' it up. Reach in your fridge and get your jar or cup or some other container of bacon grease...

How do you handle adversity? Do you have people you talk to? Things that you do? I have attitude problems but I keep on going, trying to maintain. It's in the hard times that we really find out who we are. Sports are a metaphor for life. There is always some difficulty, some challenge to overcome. In a game, it is the opponent. In running there is no opponent except gravity. There is a big mental...

Frustration has to be met with determination. Survival is a win. I reason that the more success one has, the harder it is to get that incremental increase. So while on my first run, I had an infinite percent increase in everything, and subsequent workouts were jumps ahead, now these improvements are harder won. I'm also in the middle of a difficult stretch of days. I now know that these come and g...

We went past twenty episodes without celebrating, so yay! That is a lot of episodes for a podcast and it's a good sign that we have some staying power. I intentionally leave the house later. Since I now have my headlamp, I want to give it a good tryout. It is dark and the visual effects are interesting. It's cold enough to see my breath, but I only see it when it's going in front of the light. Als...

Special Guest: Heather I go to Rush Running, a local running store, and get a gait analysis. First I put on a neutral test shoe, get on a treadmill, and start running for a few seconds. Then Heather shows me the video and what my feet were doing. I am amazed at how well she ties my shoes. Turns out you need a size larger than your normal size for running. We try a few different shoes in the medium...

It's a cool day, and though it is clear and at the peak of temperature for the day, my hands are cold. I try to keep a positive attitude and recognize success in my efforts, but sometimes I don't celebrate wins and tend to just look for the next challenge I must overcome. Perhaps I need to work on that. I look forward to a visit to a running store to finally get equipped to run in the dark. Runnin...

I explain the absence of trail audio from yesterday, it was an audio problem. This time of year, trying to get out and exercise is a race against the sun because the days are so short. Today it is darker and colder, and there are not many people on the trail. Today is also one of those difficult days. The cold makes it harder to breathe once I start my run. I've been asked how cold it will have to...

Title: Why Do You Run? The excitement is still fresh in my mind about the half mile I ran yesterday. Although I have walked off and on even in recent years, I have not run in a long time, so it is great to be able to do that. Maybe it doesn't seem like much to an experienced runner, but to me it's a real accomplishment. I am also excited to be associated with Tom Rohr who started the Padua Podcast...

It's early morning and a very cold 35 degrees. And it's a little different seeing that low temperature when I'm going to be spending 40-50 minutes outside. Chafing may be an issue for people who are overweight, like I am, or for anyone depending on how one's body is built. It's important to have either running tights or underwear that covers those areas so you don't have skin-on-skin friction. I'm...

After passing my test I am able to devote more time to things I love like podcasting. A thought came to me during my morning meditation: Do you love your life enough to make it last as long as possible? I think I do. I look forward to many days and the things I can do with them. So it feels good to be working out every day because I feel like I am prolonging the life I love. I have more energy tod...

Running has become like one of those things I really enjoy but never do. I put it in that class even though I have only missed 3 days since I started almost three weeks ago. It's in that class of things. But just because I may be in a rut, doesn't mean I have to stay there. This show is all about change, a journey. A journey is by its nature full of change: a change of scenery, a change of perspec...

I quote my friend quoting a mystic who said one can hear the voice of God by sitting under a cedar tree while the sun rises. This is a busy day on the trail with lots of noise including loud exhaust systems, children playing, dogs, bikes, and more. And it is hard work for me as I realize that in this journey as in any other serious venture, some days are much harder than others. A retraction about...

No ill effects from yesterday's twinge. I always keep in mind the potential of injury and try to avoid it. I try to drill that into my mind and keep focused on it. Muscle weighs more than fat, so there could be an initial weight gain or slow weight loss, but the shape of my body will change, so I should feel differently. There are physical realities of how much one can do as one gets older. I'm no...

My first morning run! Time management forces me to be flexible with my workout schedule. I have some concerns about early morning running, such as cold muscles, darkness, and whether I will get to work on time. As a precaution I decide to make this an all-walk, no-run workout. I am doing dynamic stretching, but have no clear direction on how to do it. I like the progress I am seeing in the lengthe...

It's great to be past that statistically significant seventh episode, by which most podcasts end. But that's only a statistic. Time is a factor. How would I get my runs in if my schedule was less flexible or more hectic? What about my goal? We have setbacks, and it's important not to look at a setback as a failure. It can be too easy to pronounce the project failed and just quit. When I got back f...

"It's beautiful … this stretch." I finally take a new route starting at the marina that turns out to be much more picturesque and interesting. There are woods, a dam, a bridge, and a waterfall-like spillway. Here are some pictures. More advice about warmups: stretch after the workout to avoid soreness by releasing the lactic acid that builds up in the muscles. New in this episode: CAR TIPS: Let yo...

I discuss my weight and how that affects what I can do at this point in my journey. Losing weight is a conundrum. I need to have enough nutrition to do the exercise I need to do, but eating lighter will help me lose weight faster, which would make working out easier. So far I haven't found a new part of the course. Pain is part of this process, but sometimes running helps me feel better. I get int...

Back from Thanksgiving after three days off, I get right back in to the swing of things. What happened? It was the taking of Dad's advice combined with the usual holiday temptations. Christmas? Who knows? But I'm not giving up and waiting for a new year's resolution. Great weather today. I was planning to find a place to park so I could start at a different part of the course. Though I was unsucce...

Over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend I went out walking one day with my Father, who offered some advice on moderation in exercise. In accord with Southern tradition, my family calls me by my middle name Brent, because my father and I have the same first and last names. It may be enough to work out several times a week to give my body time to recover and rebuild before the next workout. But develo...