TEXAS Paul - Out to Pasture - Healing

I usually don't run on Sunday unless there is a race, so I think I will try to use the Sunday blog to note other aspects of my fitness program.

1.  Resting heart rate in the mornings this past week have risen since I got the sore throat and congestion.  Resting HR is typically between 47 to 48, but this past week it has risen into the 50's and this morning it was 57.  This a sure sign that the body is in stress, so recovery is most important over the next couple of days.  Right now I'm impressed that we had such a great speed interval workout yesterday.  

2.  Polymyalgia Rheumatica muscle disorder status.  It has now officially been 2 years since I started seeing muscle aching symptoms.  The doctor said this disease normally goes away within 2 years, so I am very hopeful I can soon begin reducing my medication. 
Two weeks ago I reduced my Prednisone medication down to 7 mg a day (4 mg in the morning and 3 mg at night).  Starting tomorrow I'm reducing it down to 6 mg a day, 3 mg in the morning and 3 mg in the evening.  

3.  Core strength training.  Boy am I missing on this one.  Nothing to report. 
No situps, no crunches, no push-ups, nada. 

Sore right foot.  Yesterday I had a visit at the podiatrist where he treated my right foot for 2 plantar warts.  They do not have to cut them out any more because they have a new medicine made from bees that they can put in the plantar wart for treatment.  The treatment makes them very sore and will cause them to blister. 

The doctor said I should take a couple of days off from running, but if the pain is not too bad on Saturday that I can do my long 26 mile run.  We'll see.  Today/tonight the foot is very sore and I limp like a guy who certainly won't be running before Saturday.

At least I know that my delay is temporary and not like Benn or Kory who have been set back with the Achilles tendon issues.

Later,

Paul

A cold start about 31 degrees at 6:00 AM at Austin HS tennis courts parking lot under Mopac.  Met Karen F, Karen H, Steve, and Jason.  We headed up on the Mt. Bonnell 10 mile loop and at 35th Street, Steve and Jason turned right and returned back to the start.  Karen, Karen and I went on up to Mt. Bonnell and then back to the start, 10 miles. 

Then we started the Twnlake 10 mile loop and Karen F took the Congress Avenue loop to get back to leave for New Orleans at 10:00.  Karen H and I continued on the 10 mile Townlake loop.  When we got around the Longhorn dam and started back up the other side, as we went past the power plant and past the neighborhoods along the cinder block wall by the power plant, we got attacked by a dog that came at us from a side street.  The dog attacked just behind my feet and hit Karen's feet and she screamed.  I turned back to see what had attacked us and the dog was spinning its legs in the gravel of the trail as it turned toward us. 
 
My anger switch flipped and I made the immediate decision that I was going to grab the dog by the throat and slam it against the block wall and kill it.  As I turned toward the dog and started yelling at the top of my voice the dog became a coward and headed back up the street where it had come from.  I chased it yelling at the top of my lungs and brought neighbors out of their houses.  The dog turned into its home as the owner came out and called it into the house.  I yelled at the owner and used a few expletives telling him he better restrain his stupid dog.  By now the entire neighborhood had to be alerted about the stupid dog. 

Karen and I contunued our run and finished the 10 mile loop and then ran the Congress Avenue 5 mile loop to give us 25 miles today.  Boston is 6 weeks away.  My right foot was real sore where the podiatrist treated my two plantar warts on Tuesday.  It feels like a knot at the base of my 4th toe and it was numbed by the 25 miles of running.  Hopefully it will be okay to be back on my running program next week.  Taking a week off this week made it hard to run the 25 miles today.

Anyway, it sure felt good to get back out and running.  A beautiful day with blue skies in Texas and temps in the 50's by the time we got done.