Bret

AM - 3.5 miles easy - test run to see if the left hip is ok.  Seemed a little twingy - but ok.  Anyway  - good enough.   

PM - so the little niggle in the left hip was noticeable even after yesterday's easy 3 miles - as a result I thought it would perhaps help to run on the grass today for a softer impact.  Ran barefoot around the inside of the track at PH middle school.  I think the barefoot approach was a good move - as I had only a little twinge in first few hundred yards.  Hoping this provides a good solution for a little while.  It was a slow but enjoyable run.  

PM - roughly 7 miles based on time - on the grass behind my new house and along the 18th fairway of golf course through the woods in back of my house and then around the neighborhood. Not moved in yet - but was up there after work to meet a contractor and so I decided to do a run.  Easy going - guarding against aggravation of the left hip. Decent run. 

AM - 3.5 miles very easy this morning from my hotel.  

PM - 7 miles easy.  Had a really nice run this evening exploring the area around my new home in Milton.  Country roads here don't have much in the way of consistent sidewalks or shoulders - so there was a fair amount of running on the grass on the roadside - but found a couple of parts of the route I took had little to no traffic at all - and so had an easier running experience on those less travelled roads.  Really picturesque rolling hills - on a couple of roads that looked like they may have had a gravel roadbed (definitely unpaved) - and nearly covered over with dirt/mud over the years.  Street sign called one of them, the "Milton Trail," and had a horse under the wording on the sign.   Ran past multiple horse farms and encountered several mountain bikers. On the main roads I had two groups of roadbike cyclists go past - completely blocking traffic - without a care.   So, lots of people out in the evening engaged in various outdoor activities etc.   Felt really pleased with what I expect will be one of my regular new running routes.

PM - roughly 7 miles on a hilly route with a steep longish climb near the end.  

AM - realized I left my running shoes at the house last night, but had my Vibrams with me at the hotel, so my plan was to run easy for about 30 mins in them mostly on the grass where possible.  But it was dark and the grass was wet and uneven - so I ended up just running on the sidewalks and roads - very light effort - and because it was so easy I stretched it out a little more than I had originally planned. Nice morning run. 

Not particularly tired or sore - but just thought I should keep my mileage modest this first week.  No run today. 

AM - 8 miles easy this morning at home. Awoke early without my alarm - got my run in just before sunrise.  

Mother's day - so no running.  I think that's a thing.

AM and PM - approximately 10 miles of running.  Went out early before my flight to ATL and was very tight in the left hip flexor.  Really think this is getting worse rather than better.  Went out again in ATL after work for about 6.5 miles - which surprisingly was not as bad regarding the hip flexor issue as it was in the morning.  Did a good amount of stretching before and then after including the foam roller.  Took a couple of Aleeve as well.

AM - about 4 miles easy this morning.  Stretched the hip flexors out well before heading out, and it was not too bad.  Much better than yesterday morning's run.  

AM - 8 miles this morning in ATL.  The good news is that I can see steady improvement on my aerobic fitness rebuild coming off the marathon with the HR training I started about 2 weeks ago - but the less than good news, is that there still a fair bit of pain/discomfort on the left hip flexor.  When I have had this injury in the past - if it is a pretty good strain or tear, generally the only way it really heals, is to take several weeks off.  Here, I seem to not have a really bad strain, but just enough to keep me concerned.  So, I will just keep running. It will either get worse - forcing me to stop running for a while, OR it will get better with the easier efforts (let's hope) OR it will remain about the same, and be a general nuisance.  Interestingly, as I keep my efforts to a lower HR (just below 70% HRR) it keeps me from being too "aggressive" particularly on longer uphill sections and thus the injury is perhaps not exacerbated as much as it might be if it wasn't for the HR training keeping me in check.  Disappointed that I did not get a second run in yesterday, but had too much going on to fit it in.

PM - 4 miles easy after work. 

AM - 7 miles on a mostly uphill (it seemed) rolling route in a light mist/rain.

PM - tried a little tempo run.  Did not go all that well. 

AM - 10 miles / easy 

PM - did the equivalent of 7.5 miles on the elliptical at the gym.  The left hip flexor issue was becoming too frustrating to run - and when I tried cycling a couple weeks ago - it was just as aggravating to the issue as running.  I think the elliptical may be a solution.  No pain whilst I was using it.  Wore a HRM to make sure I was getting the right cardio effort.  Other than really not liking the machine - I am hoping this works for a while as I allow the injury a break to heal. 

Brought everything with me but shorts to workout on a business trip to Minneapolis.  Discovery of the inadvertantly missing shorts was not until I got up in the morning to head to the fitness center in the hotel.  

PM - 40 mins on the elliptical and 20 mins on the stairmaster - wearing the HRM - giving the rough equivalent of that effort for miles in running.  ( I don't much like the stairmaster either Rob)

PM - 6 elliptical equivalent miles today at lunchtime.  Had less time in my schedule today for a workout.  This cross training is really not aggravating the injury at all.  In fact, I have really no discomfort at all right now.  Gonna give it another 10 days or so, and gradually reintroduce running as tolerated.   Also doing a good number of leg strengthening exercises.

AM - 4 miles of walking this morning in Gainesville today.  In town for Freshmen Preview for Delaney who starts at UF in June.  The hotel had one elliptical which was occupied - so I decided to go out for a walk.  Tried to walk vigorously, which then seemed to aggravate my hip flexor, so I backed off and kept it to a normal walking effort.  Felt a little achy there all day.  

AM - same as yesterday. Walked about 3 miles. 

AM - so I decided to do a test run today.  Coverded about 2 miles and really only a very vague trace of discomfort in the left hip.  In fact really did not feel anything unless I tried bounding or stretching out my stride a little.  Couple hours after the run - I could tell that I had tested the hip - so I think maybe a little more time off may allow a complete healing.  

AM - 8 elliptical - equivalent miles at the gym before heading up to ATL.  

AM - 8 elliptical miles at the gym in ATL.

AM - I think I had a pretty encouraging effort this morning.  I started out with about 35 mins on the elliptical - and then moved to a run on the indoor track in the gym next to my hotel. No pain or discomfort of concern and actually felt reasonably smooth and solid.  Will await possible achiness or stiffness later in the morning or afternoon as a true indicator.  

So - 4 hours later, and no soreness or discomfort whatsoever.  Very encouraging.

Also - meant to give a reading recommendation  "The Boys in the Boat"  which is about the 1936 US Men's Olympic 8 man crew team.  Great story - and good lessons for what it means to be a part of a team.   

AM - I ran today.  It wasn't very far and wasn't very fast - but it wasn't on any type of cross training equipment.  No pain or discomfort in the hip flexor.  Happy to be outside.  

AM - 3 easy miles this morning.  My legs felt tired yesterday - even though it was a short run - I had not done any running of that length in over 10 days - so while mentally and cardiovascularly it was short - my legs told me to reset expectations - so I decreased the volume a bit today.  Felt a little like I was running on eggshells - trying not to break any.  No pain or discomfort - but bilateral soreness and being careful not to push my luck.  

AM - 4 miles this morning - closer to my normal training pace - tolerated it well enough except when I tried a few striders - which produced some discomfort in the left hip flexor.  Stretched and foam rollered the legs well after.