Let’s run some Ks.

I’ve been nervous prior to runs and races before:

• My first 10-mile training run
• My first half marathon
• My first 20-mile training run
• My first full marathon

Yesterday, however, was the most apprehensive I’ve been before a run in a long long time.

And it was just a 10K recovery run.

On June 1st I injured myself while running the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon. I ran through a cramp and blister, and believe I pulled my hamstring. The pain was basically focused around the back of knee.

For the last three weeks I’ve begrudgingly refrained from any running. I tested the leg each week just to see how things felt, but it still didn’t feel quite healed.

This past Thursday I again checked the status of my recuperation. I walked on the treadmill for 50 minutes… no pain. So, I did 10 minutes of some very slow running (fingers crossed the whole time).

I was “aware” of the back of my knee, but still… no pain.

Time for the road test.

In or out of shape?

During my forced hiatus, I’ve wondered how much conditioning I’ve lost. I scoured the web looking for articles on the topic and there were plenty (a lots of cat videos too… damn those kitties can be crazy).

Depending on who you believe, a three week layoff (also known as “detraining”) can mean a minimal loss of conditioning up to almost 50% of you aerobic conditioning.

That’s a big difference of opinion.

Of course none of it would matter if my leg was still hurting.

I was rather fidgety on my drive to Griffith Park, playing out every possible scenario in my head. Is it too late to become a cyborg?

Anyway, I decided to go for 10K- the same distance as the Peachtree Road Race, which I’ll be running on July 4th in Atlanta.

And I also went out a bit later in the morning to try and acclimate to the hotter conditions I’ll be facing in Georgia (not to mention humidity).

I parked my car, tied my shoes, set my GPS and hit play on my music mix (the same one I ran with in San Diego).

And I was off.

First step on the road back.

One mile in and I had both good and bad news… The good news: my leg didn’t hurt. The bad news: I was breathing harder than I expected.

With each passing mile I was happy to report that my leg seemed to be doing well. My lungs… not as much.

Three weeks ago I ran 26.2 miles. Yesterday I was huffing during only 6.2 miles.

Clearly, I’ve lost some conditioning, but the leg seems to be healed or at least very close to being healed (knock on wood).

So, I’m going to score that as a win.

In the weeks to come I’ll be working to get back any lost conditioning, while at the same time keeping an eye on my leg. I’m committed to extra stretching and massaging (got an Addaday roller for my hamstring) to make sure this injury doesn’t rear its ugly head again.

So, it’s back to the gym on Monday (got some weights to throw around) and looking forward to visiting the family in Atlanta for the 4th of July.

And of course, prepping for the Peachtree Road Race (much more on that the week of the race).

Have a great rest of the weekend and be sure to cheer on the USA in their World Cup match today. USA! USA!

Run on!