Wow, It's been two weeks.....

Hoka One One Rincon

Wow, It's been two weeks since the last post. All 6 of my readers must be thinking I'd disappeared.

The reason for my prolonged absence has been that, for the most part, it's been two weeks of kind of simply going through the motions. 41 miles last week and 41 miles this week is only moderately acceptable. Of course it's WAAAAY better than 20-30 miles like in January, February, and March. SO, I'll take it.

My knee has, as well, been uneventful. Sore often and with that funny feeling sometimes like the knee is unattached at the bottom (which is a VERY weird sensation). Nonetheless, not debilitating and not massive amounts of pain. Okay for now.

Found a nice knee strap on Amazon. It's the Hueglo. They come in a two pack and actually are 1) massively cheap, and 2) work better than any other full or half brace I've tried and WAAAAY better than RockTape. Plan on testing it with a step up in the running this coming week. Here's the link if you need lower knee support:   https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RHZMVKJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1.  Two for $11.98 can't be beat.

Also rocking a new pair of Hoka One One Rincons. Finding me knee liking my old Hoka Cliftons more than my Nikes lately, I decided to give these new Rincons a try and so far..... real good. I'm liking the cushioning, especially in the forefoot, and once I stopped tying them quite so tight on my left foot, they are fantastic. PLUS!!!!! They were a Father's Day gift from my wonderful sons, Matt and Ryan.

Have been pretty steady on the Plant Based diet. The occasional cheese enters a meal every so often and maybe an egg or two drop in once a week. If the truth be told, I actually had Ginger Soy Salmon last week as a treat and it was delicious. On the whole, however, PlantPower rules.

Totally an epic failure in the weight, core, stretch category though. Yikes, it can't be that difficult to walk down to the basement every other day, can it? Well, we'll work on that.

However..... ROCKING the meditation practice. 61 days in a row and really liking it. Headspace app and Andy Puddicombe are fabulous. I'm really enjoying working my way through mindfulness and focus things that I have always been fairly good at naturally, but the techniques have been great at creating a discipline to the way I handle thoughts and emotions.

All in all, feeling great in the pandemic and shooting for being in the best shape possible come December and the knee replacement.

Stay safe and run on!

Day 42: Miles, Milestones and Adjustments

It was a fine week in the mileage world. 52 for the week, crossing 700 for the year, and blazing by 115,000 on the lifetime count.

While none of these miles and milestones actually get me too excited, I'm more optimistic that I have had an extremely mediocre dietary week and still lost a pound. That, more than anything else has me ready to make some adjustments in the week to come.

First, I haven't been to the gym in 5 weeks. You COULD blame that on the Coronavirus except for one minor detail: the gym is in the basement. So, since I have a difficult time going down those stairs, I have devised a new program to make it a more one stop sort of thing. Every other day, we'll, lift, do core, and stretch, all in one sitting, so to speak. Sure, that will work.

And then this is the week to pull back in the diet reins and get a little purer with what I eat. Who knows, maybe even the juicing week....... or at least five days. We'll see.

As far as mileage goes it's slow and my knee is sore. Having said that, I just don't care too much and head out there with that expectation. Good days become twice as good then as they're a surprise. As far as the replacement of said knee, it's looking like December will be the right time from several standpoints: mostly work and fitness.

Passing 115,000 miles, while nice, was just okay. 120,000 will be cooler, but the upcoming biggie will be 124,274.2, which will be 200,000 kilometers. I don't imagine being around running long enough for 150,000, but who knows, right?

So we stay the course. How about you?

Run on!

Day 29: Re-Calibrating

Not really much to report on Transformation Road. Optimism rules.

I call it transformation, what it really seems to be is more of a re-calibration. It's not that I am desiring to be someone new. This has always been me on the inside. I'm mostly attempting to regain the physical part of who I used to be. Hopefully that makes sense.

Anyway, five straight weeks of 40 miles or more, an addictive meditation habit, a plant based dietary focus, and more pounds left by the wayside (or maybe the weigh-side) has me optimistic for the upcoming summer. I went sub 220 yesterday (219.2) and I was pretty happy about it. So that's 21 pounds OFF! Crazily, but awesomely: 50 to go.

While the weight loss isn't necessarily the primary focus, it is the manifestation of the healthier way I am choosing to be in the world. I'm fortunate to have good genes and have exploited them for years. No, not alcohol or drugs, just the other things almost as bad: Big Macs, six packs of Pepsi, Five Guys, and the like. The 3 P's made the world go round: Pepsi, Pizza, Pasta. Now it's salad, plant based soups, vegan enchiladas and the like. Frankly, I'm not sure why I waited so long. It has not been a difficult move in any way. I guess that's why it's working.

Running still sucks as this knee just has too many miles on it. The replacement will probably be happening in December now, given that's the best time for me to take 4-6 weeks off for the toughest part of the recovery. We'll see how it goes, but it sure can't be any worse. I am optimistic.

Actually, I AM optimistic and for whatever reason, certainly not my upbringing, I always have been. AND, I'm psyched. Things are on schedule.

Everything will be all right. And, as Patel, the manager in the Marigold Hotel movie said, “Everything will be all right in the end. If it’s not all right, it is not yet the end."