Detour on the Recovery Expressway

[Woodstock Hippy]

For months now I've been in the fast lane of the Recovery Expressway.  I've been rolling and the line graph has been practically a straight line upward.  Now we all know that things can't go like that forever and something had to get in the way.  I think it started with last weeks faster running.  My hip muscles were sore on Friday after Thursday's run, but good sore like I had had a good workout.  Friday I went to the gym and the pool but Saturday morning my hips were still sore.  No problem, I changed the route of Saturday's road bike ride from the mountains to the hills around the reservoir and planned to take it easy.  Ahh, the best laid plans.  After the first half hour, the rain started and then came pouring down.  I spent two and a half hours riding through the heaviest rain of my cycling career.My left side was pretty sore after the ride and very sore yesterday.  I'm back on the anti-infantries, icing and using the heat pad, resting it and just going to the gym and pool until it feels back to 100%.  It can't take that long.

I did get my new carbon fiber wheels today, so I have something to look forward to while I wait.

[einreb]

After the first half hour, the rain started and then came pouring down.  I spent two and a half hours riding through the heaviest rain of my cycling career.

http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/#9

Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.

Fair-weather riding is a luxury reserved for Sunday afternoons and wide boulevards. Those who ride in foul weather – be it cold, wet, or inordinately hot – are members of a special club of riders who, on the morning of a big ride, pull back the curtain to check the weather and, upon seeing rain falling from the skies, allow a wry smile to spread across their face. This is a rider who loves the work.

[Woodstock Hippy]

It's a muscle spasm.  It hit me again today.  Feeling good again, I tried a run around noon.  It was all good until 25:00, when I felt it start.  At 26:00, it got real and I walked it back to the car. I'm doing my ice, heat, stretch routine and I took a muscle relaxer.  It knocked me out for a couple hours.

I'm blaming it on my new running shoes, which I love. Even though they are deeply cushioned, they are a basically a flat shoe and I have been running with raise heal shoes for over 30 years. I just added silicone heal wedges to give me a little lift. I'll rest and stretch and ice and heat tomorrow and see how it goes on Thursday.

[hernanu]

Good luck, Woodstock - you know how it is, ten steps forward, one back.

[David]

Stay away from the minimalist shoes...they caused me grief for weeks until I figured it was them causing my problems.  I've always used lightweight trainer/racers and thought the jump to the minimalist would be no problem...big problem.  Hope you heal quickly, give it the time it needs before you run again.

[stephen1254]

We just purchased Hobie Mirage Drive pedal kayaks last week. Yesterday we did a 3 hour pedal/paddle. When I was done I felt it in both buttocks - it's a different exercise and hits the muscles a little different. It wasn't pain, just a little soreness, but the right side was all along the incision. It reminded me that as far along as we have progressed, full healing takes years.

[Woodstock Hippy]

These shoes, the Hoka Stenson EVO ( http://hokaoneone-na.com/stinsondetail-men.html ), are the opposite of mininalist.  They're the most cushioned shoes I've ever run in.  They say that they have 2.5 times the cushioning of a normal running shoe, but they are almost flat with 1 or 2 mm difference between the sole and heal.  I've added the heal wedges and I'll try them again after this thing is healed.  I'm thinking that this problem is my bodies problem addapting to the new shoes and maybe I'll have to start over building up my running distance in the new shoes.
Hoka gives a 90 day no questions asked trial, so I don't have to rush to figure this out.

[David]

Jim, it's not so much the cushioning, but the lack of heel lift that causes the adaption problems.  Maybe your wedges will help.  Why don't you introduce them gradually 10% weekly.  I checked them out, but seem a bit pricey for an experiment.
Best...

[Woodstock Hippy]

That's a good idea. I'm going to work these new shoes in slowly and let my body adapt to them.  I'm not in any rush, no racing until next year.

I'll move into this slowly, but I'll be running faster!

[Woodstock Hippy]

I'm back. This morning I forgot that I was supposed to meet 2 guys to show them a mountain bike race course that I laid out nearly house.  I went to the gym, ran on the treadmill; 30 minutes easy then did my full weight workout with the leg work a little lighter.  When I got home I remembered that I had to get over to the park.  We ripped it for two hours and I feel great.  Right now I'm icing the hips, cooling off and watching woman's beach volleyball.  Life is good around here!

Tomorrow; easy road bike and swim.  I'll start back with the Hoka shoes Sunday but with maybe a mile in the middle of my run.