So, my “training room” experiment failed, for the most part! The running was pretty good and the calf WAS getting much better. Then, I’m not sure what happened, but I took the Christmas weekend off, got back in town on Monday and went to the Greenway for a run. A little stretching, and I was off, for about a quarter of a mile!! My calf, for the lack of a better word, SEIZED up! I walked back to the car and sped home to ice it. After the ice, I noticed a rather large knot while massaging my calf. NOT GOOD! I’ve felt knots before, but this one seemed mean! Mean enough, in fact, to hang around for about 2 weeks! I took the rest of the week off and tried again the following Monday. No luck! Took the rest of that week off and still no luck! Finally, last week I started running with no pain. The first day was 20 minutes. I’ve run at least 30 minutes every other day for 2 weeks straight now!!
OK, I know! The worst words to a runner’s ears “TAKE SOME TIME OFF”! Sometimes though, it’s the only thing that will work! Here’s the trick, “time off” doesn’t mean “do nothing”! I actually tried to focus on some other things during my break from training. For instance, I’ve started a new core strength routine (no not P90 X). That doesn’t sound like a big deal to you over-exercising freaks, but for me, I haven’t worked out in, OH, about 10 years! Needless to say, my core needed some help! I also kept up my icing, strengthening and stretching routine I started when my calf first started hurting. I think both have aided in my return to running pain free, and will hopefully help me continue to train for the Mercedes Half!
Now, since I don’t have a whole lot of training to write about, allow me to GEEK OUT for a bit! I’ve got some new shoes!! I’ve been selling shoes for the better part of 20 years now, and I still love opening a box of brand new shoes, especially when they’re new shoes that no one else has! Karhu’s latest line of shoes are just now coming out, and we got a few pairs to try out! The latest Karhu Fast2 Fulcrum Ride (pictured below) is light, feels great, and, most importantly (sarcasm), looks awesome! Great new features include an improved mesh upper and fit, lighter weight, and an improved Fulcrum system (read about it at www.karhu.com).
Alrighty then, the second of 5 things I really GEEK OUT about is sunglasses, and more specifically, Oakley sunglasses!! I still remember getting my first pair in Panama City! (It’s OK, you can laugh now) The same goes with sunglasses as does with shoes. I LOVE opening a box of new Oakleys! My latest pair, Split Jackets (pictured below)! They are by far the best fitting and best performing glasses I’ve ever owned! The frame is light and doesn’t impede your vision in any direction. They come with an extra set of lenses too, so you can have two different shades for varying light conditions. Why Oakley? They are dedicated to performance and most importantly, pure optics. It doesn’t hurt that they look pretty cool too! Anyway, if you want to learn way more than you need to about sunglasses, just stop by the Homewood store while I’m working and stand in front of the Oakley case for about 2 seconds! I’ll be right out!
