Run for your life!

I think I started running when I was 10 years old, nicely serving my competitive spirit. I did 5Ks, 10Ks, a few sprint triathlons.

In 2008, I was ready for the big dog--an Olympic triathlon in Philadelphia (0.93 mile swim; 24.8 mile bike, and 6.2 mile run). While cycling one beautiful afternoon in May, I was hit and run over by a Land Rover--more than 4,000 pounds of steel and rubber. Miraculously, nothing was broken, however my legs were crushed and my knee twisted.

After my legs healed, I tried running but every time I experienced severe pain in my left knee. I'd take a break for a year, try again, give up, repeat. Each year, issues arose in my patella tendon, IT band, gastrocnemius, and/or soleus. I worked with multiple physical therapists and fitness trainers to come up with the magical sequence that would allow each muscle and tendon to release then regain strength in the right sequence so I could run again.

I am very excited to report that--with my trainer at Aurora--we appear to have found the magic combination. I have now run for 25 minutes four times, increasing my speed each time. I'm still not at my target speed, but man, I'll take it. I'm so excited. My workout is now about 70 minutes long in order to do those 25 minutes. Not working at an office job has afforded me the luxury of focusing on this routine every other day (while swimming on the off days).

The goal now is to get off the treadmill and run outside. Crawfordsburn Glen has a 3-mile running trail. It has a lot of steep hills, so it's a daunting challenge. I'll let you know how it works out in another month or so. Each side of the glen has a Z trails. Not sure if you can see it in this picture:

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