NY, NY - Redux 2012

With the miles you've been putting on the bike lately and your proximity to a lake... We going to lose another one to the tri world?

Great pictures. I'd have a lounge chair out there and just chill.

So, how did the AlterG treadmill run go? The tutu is quite a fashion statement, I must say!
I grew up in a little town on Lake Michigan...the shot in your backyard reminds me so much of the views in my hometown.
Sooo beautiful!

Where did you use the AlterG Treadmill and how did it go? Congrats on getting in some runs, I bet it felt good just to be running.

Very beautiful scenery to be looking out to every day.

The chiro where I get ART and Graston here in Cleveland is an elite marathoner (45th at the trials) and he has it for use for us injured athletes in his office. I actually knew his wife when they lived in Atlanta, and I had no idea that they had moved let alone to Cleveland! I just thought that they had dropped off the radar (as folks do when they are young with no kids as our circles are different). Dr. Leo actually won the Atlanta Half marathon in 2010.

The AlterG treadmill was very cool. When you first get in and they zip that little tutu in place, it is a rather weird sensation as the machine calibrates your weight. You feel like you are being lifted up. Then you set the resistance - I ran at 70% of my body weight and begin running. At first you almost feel like you are being lifted and floating a bit, but then you settle in. I actually ran pain free for roughly 3 miles and then started to feel the achilles so I shut it down. He then did the ART and Graston treatment and had me run later in the day. When I ran my second 2 miles, it was 86F, so the achilles loosened up almost immediately which made for a good run. This morning though it was tight when I got up so I went to the gym and worked out. After working out, the achilles loosened up nicely and I was able to run 3 easy miles on the indoor track.

I'll take a picture of the mill the next time and me running on it. For now here is the website, http://www.alterg.com/

Dr. Leo seems to think that I'll get through NY and he doesn't want me to defer especially since I have done a lot of xtraining. Of course this week, I only cycled once for 22 miles and then ran 8 - so it was/is kind of a down week. I leave for Boston in the wee hours of the morning to get my daughter all moved into school. It will be the first time in a long time where I will be travelling without my running shoes. I figure I'll be walking a lot and Dr. Leo and I thought no running was best.

Sounds like a cool experience with the AlterG, I have seen pics before but seeing you in it will be "awesome"!

A stepback of sorts might be a good thing since moving in could be considered cross-training, at least I remember it being tough when I moved in and I was only 18 at the time.

Just living in a bit of a pity party right now. We did have a good weekend in Boston dropping our daughter off at college - so now we are official empty nesters. Good thing that I can spend the day with the dog since she might be the only one who listens to me anyway. On the running front, the achilles is indeed better, but I am suffering right now with some women's issues that makes running very painful - so if it isn't one thing it is another - grrrrrr. I did run 5 miles on the AlterG yesterday and then 2 later in the afternoon. Of course, this morning I couldn't even walk without pain (not achilles) so I am just wallowing in it right now.

Hopefully my daughter is happy, and I so hope she is having fun along with going to class and meeting new people!

My momma still has it rough whenever I'm home for a couple weeks then take off. Don't worry; your daughter misses you, even if she's too busy to realize it right now. Keep up the training.

Oh Michele...I know what you are going through sending your baby off to college.
When I helped Emily move in, it was nearly dark when I left, and a group of other kids sort of surrounded her and hustled her off in the dark for some orientation activities. She looked over her shoulder at me, smiled, and was gone.
It was a long drive back home. And then 4 years later, I saw my son off to basic training. That wasn't any easier.

BUT, I will say that being an empty nester is wonderful! Jack and I are having the time of our lives!

Unfortunately, I'm all by myself since my hubby is in Chicago and I just dropped off the dog so I can go to Chicago tomorrow for the weekend. I'll also be by myself a lot since I don't know too many folks yet in Cleveland (only runners and I'm just starting back) and I work from home. So I'll either be 400 lbs from eating too much ice cream or 100 lbs from not eating enough.

On the running front, I did run 6 miles on the AlterG treadmill today without any discomfort and then 2 outside with the only discomfort being tight calves - not any achilles issues!!! I'm on the way back.............

Wow what an incredible backyard view. Very nice your fitting in there. Glad you got two runs in great job.

Michele "1L" Keane wrote:Unfortunately, I'm all by myself since my hubby is in Chicago and I just dropped off the dog so I can go to Chicago tomorrow for the weekend. I'll also be by myself a lot since I don't know too many folks yet in Cleveland (only runners and I'm just starting back) and I work from home. So I'll either be 400 lbs from eating too much ice cream or 100 lbs from not eating enough.

On the running front, I did run 6 miles on the AlterG treadmill today without any discomfort and then 2 outside with the only discomfort being tight calves - not any achilles issues!!! I'm on the way back.............

Have you tried wearing the compression CEP socks to help the achillies. I wear these socks and they have really helped me in the legs and races.

I ordered some, but I have not tried them as of yet.

Have you ever had this long of an injury before?

JohnP wrote:Have you ever had this long of an injury before?

Once when I sprained my ankle back in 2002.

So I managed to run 18 miles last week and I did walk 5 over the weekend along the lakefront in Chicago with my hubby (not including the miles up and down Michigan Ave shopping). I am definitely getting there with the runs on the AlterG treadmill and the roads. It has been a crazy couple of weeks since I've been back in Cleveland and the drive to the AlterG site is 45 min each way which ties up some time (but it is worth it). This week I plan on 4 today, 6 tomorrow, bike or swim on Wed, then 6 on Thurs and hopefully 6 on Sunday. NY will simply be a nice training run on the way to Tucson, and I may or may not actually drop out on 1st Ave (not check a bag) and run to the hotel for a solid 20 miler rather than a full 26.2. We will see as time goes on how the achilles keeps healing.

As I mentioned to Mike this change to an "empty nest" is quite different for me, and I'm trying to find ways to do things, etc. It doesn't help in this new/old city that the only people that I really know were through running (or parents of Shannon's old friends from 5th grade whom I don't really know any more) since I cannot really run. The 6 that I hope to do on Sunday is on the flatter trails with this group, so we will see how that goes. I did join an exercise group here at my complex on M and W mornings at 8:30 am and it was pretty fun this morning. I also realize that I am not in bad shape compared to most of the world, but my expectations are indeed very different.

My daughter seems to be liking school pretty much. She attended a free concert (Andy Grammar, Gavin DeGraw and Train) on Sunday at the Hatch Shell on the Esplanade on Saturday afternoon. I remember attending such when I was in school in Boston as well. I do miss such days. I hope she has fun and studies as well. She was smart yesterday and had brunch with my Mom, so she did her Grandma thing without me even prompting her to do so. I was proud of her for that as my Mom constantly competes with my inlaws for her attention (they live 1.2 miles from her dorm, and my Mom lives 13 miles),so the unprompted visit was pretty grown up.

Well off now for my "run".

*Hug*

First, I agree with the people in your group - you don't look anything near your age. I can say this because you're my running Mom and not my real Mom.

Second, sounds like you raised your daughter well. Healthy social outings and hanging out with Grandma... can't ask for more than that.

Third, yes, you're right; we'll get through this change in one piece.

I didn't realize that your hubby is in Chicago...I thought that your days of having a long distance marriage ended when you moved. Well, rats. So much for newlywed fun now that you're an empty nester. I'll add an extra hug to the one Mike just gave you.

The good news is that you are certainly on the road to recovery! Soon you'll feel back to normal and can leave all of the nasty achilles business behind you.

Kathy - he isn't in Chicago permanently, he was just there for work, so I went for the weekend for our anniversary. He does technically live in Cleveland with me, but in the next month, I think he will be here a total of 6 days. So, I'm pretty much on my own.

Thanks to both you and Mike for the "hugs" as I need them.

On the running front, so far I've run 13 miles this week with 3 more this afternoon and hopefully a 10 and 6 over the weekend.

Wishing you the best on your running. With all the free time you'll have this month, it must be driving you crazy that you can't spend more time running.

T Miller wrote:Wishing you the best on your running. With all the free time you'll have this month, it must be driving you crazy that you can't spend more time running.

Don't rub it in Tim

Ah the Esplanade. Been out there a few times when I was younger and lived closer to Boston. Good times.

So I have run 16 miles so far this week, and I know that I am running at least 6 more slowly on Sunday? The achilles/heel is feeling good - I notice it in the first few steps, but after that nothing and then I just have to ice after the run. Am I crazy to think I can run 8 tomorrow???? Such a dilemma.

Smartly, I only ran 4 this morning and walked 2 with my hubby and the dog. 6 tomorrow.

Ack! How could I have missed two pages of your blog, Michele?

Sorry about the achilles problems - have you ever heard of eccentric heel drops? They're torture, but they might help.

You have a beautiful view. Here's hoping your hubby gets to spend more time there soon. You're doing the empty nester to the nth degree.