Winning Back What I Lost

Got out there for a short run/walk. Beautiful sunny afternoon. Warmest it's been, upper 30's, in weeks.

I'm obviously in horrible shape but that's not as important right now as how my back and legs respond to the reintroduction of this running stress. Didn't feel any tightness or pain in the back or legs. Still some numbness in the left leg. I had two series of epidural injections, one for the right side and one for the left side of my lower spine. It really helped on the right leg and has brought moderate relief for the left leg thus far.

All things considered, I'm pretty pleased with how it went. I hope this is the beginning of something but I've been here a couple times since the surgery. God willing, I'll recover well tomorrow and I'll begin the process of winning back what I lost/gave away.

2nd day back. Nothing too ambitious. Wanna make sure all the parts are working properly. All systems operational.

Tonight I thought about how much I missed being a runner. It's really hard to enumerate everything I miss about running but here's a few things that crossed my mind tonight as I try to win back everything running gave me: I miss getting ready to go out that front door; I miss those first few steps that seem effortless; I miss finding the rhythm; I miss the effort; I miss the exhaustion; I miss challenging myself to get beyond it; I miss the solitude- I nearly always run alone; I miss the cool air; I miss discovering new paths; I miss the goal-setting; I miss the pride; I miss the journey much more than the finish; I miss the example it sets for my little ones; I miss their excitement and desire to run with Dad; and I really miss the community and the support.

#16- I miss the strong compulsion, the pseudo-pathological need to get my run in whenever and however I could that day.

Back at it. Spent about a week leading up to Christmas with my son in the hospital recovering from a burst appendix. Thankfully, he's home now and doing just fine. He's a tough little kid. A lot more stoic and tolerant than I'd have been. Hardly a complaint which was part of the problem. We didn't know something was really wrong til after it burst and he winced and complained slightly that his side hurt. No crying, no tears.

9PM: Cold w/ icy roads & sidewalks. I suspect this wil be a theme for the next 8-10 weeks so I won't repeat it. Extended the run another 5-6 mins. Back pretty stiff but no pain. Obviously, had to take very careful steps.

What I miss: The feeling that your lungs and legs could carry you forever and seemingly the only restriction is time.

4PM: Extended the run another 5 mins.

What I miss about running: Having a friend tell me they were 'waaaay out on such and such street doing some errand' and they 'couldn't believe' they saw me running.