2 months, (almost) 200 miles

I realize that it has been quite a while since I posted, but today I have completed a 2 month run streak that began on August 1. For the past 61 days now, I have run at least 1 mile every single day. As I am training for a half marathon in a couple of weeks, and a marathon in February, I do not run the same distance every day. Instead of taking a rest day, on my "off" days I just jog a light mile. My longest run so far has been 11 miles - until tomorrow, when hopefully I'll do 12. All in all, I am just under 200 miles for the 2 months, and should hit that mark tomorrow.

Complicating this whole run streak has been my back. Having never really had back problems at all until this year, I'm learning that being 40 actually feels like 40 sometimes. After seeking treatment from the chiropractor and having no luck, I did talk to my orthopaedic doctor and he was able to locate the source of my pain - the S.I. joint. Look it up. I can't say I know much about it, but it is a part of the pelvis/hip area. Anyway, he prescribed some meds and physical therapy, and I had my first PT on Wednesday. As the physical therapist was taking me through some initial tests, he said, "you're probably going to hurt worse after this." Unfortunately, he was not kidding. I haven't hurt this bad the entire time. This truly is the first time in 61 days that I have wondered about being able to keep up the run streak. I do believe that what the PT is doing will work and help, but getting to where it is pain free again will not be easy. Yet, today I still got out there and ran. Not far - only 2 miles - but still, I ran.

I've learned a lot of things about myself in these 61 days. Running is becoming almost as normal to me as taking a shower - which also happens to be something that I do every day. Seriously, a couple of times in this streak I have not done it in the morning, and my day just feels strange until I get my run in. I feel that even more than before, it helps me clear my thoughts and level me out. I've also noticed that while my back does hurt, amazingly enough, I've really not had any other pains elsewhere. When I would run only 3-4 times a week, it always seemed like something would hurt - my foot, my shin, my shoulder, etc. But so far through running every day, it's almost like I'm oiling the joints each day and it truly is becoming easier.

Tip for beginning runners: Do not just jump into a run streak, no matter how enthusiastic you may be. Take some time, and build up a bit of a base. I know that when I first started running I WAYYYYY over did it, and I ended up with 2 stress fractures. Build up your base first - go slow and not real far. Add little by little to you mileage, but make sure you do not go hard 2-3 days in a row. If you go hard one day, take it easy and maybe run/walk if you need to the next day.

Tip #2 for beginning runners: Inevitably, some idiot will let their dog out without a fence or a leash. You will get chased at some point. Fortunately, when this happened to me a couple of weeks ago, I was reminded of something from when I worked for Carolina Power and Light many years ago: if a dog is coming at you, bend down to the ground and act like you are picking up a rock and throw it at the dog. Almost universally, a dog will turn away when they see you do that, which will buy you a little more time to actually look for something to throw. They may still bark and they may charge again, but almost always this will keep them off of you. Proof? I've had to use it twice in the past 2 weeks - once with one dog, the second with 2 dogs. If you're lucky, you'll actually find a rock to toss in their direction (don't hit the dog - he's just being a dog and really does not mean you harm).