Friday, October 25, 2013

Everyday?

Really good progress on the running front.  I worked too darn much in Ohio so I didn't get to run for almost a week.  But I continued my rehab exercises and stretches.  I ran my 4 mile route yesterday again with no pain.  I went a weeee bit too fast and ran it in 26:12.  Certainly too fast.  I'll discipline myself to get back onto the Hadd plan and running at 128-132 HR.

The good news is that today I passed all my flexibility and strength tests to begin running everyday.  I'll run 2 days on and 1 day off for now.  Then hopefully in 2 weeks I can be running 6 days a week.  Still keeping my runs to 30 minutes.  Then once I can handle running everyday I can slowly build up my miles.

Tom had told me once long ago that once I found the right stretch or just the right exercise my problem would go away pretty quickly.  What the doctor explained to me is that my tendon had been so injured that it was near tearing.  So in defense it torqued down my quad and hip flexors.  So no stretching would help release it until my tendon healed.  The Platelet Replacement Therapy and Prolotherapy did that.  So now it's on to fixing the problem that created my imbalance in the first place.

The doctor thinks that 6 years of riding 350+ mile weeks on the bike, plus sitting at work, gave me a pretty clear case of "Anterior Pelvic Tilt"  He said usually people get it from sitting too much.  But mine was worse because I actually used those muscles in their shortened state while cycling. So it made them short and very, very strong.  So it was going to take some serious work to strengthen my glutes/upper hamstrings and release those hip flexors. 

Well....I've been doing the serious work.  Tom was right.  Once I healed the tendons I was able to find that exact stretch that does it for me.  In 2 weeks after doing that every 2 hours for 12 minutes (that's a TON of stretching).  I'm seeing great improvement.

Here's my miracle stretch.  Before I stretching a little different way and it was hurting another tendon.  Once I inserted this one into my routine instead everything improved dramatically.




A song for you all.

27 Main progress

The last 2 weeks have been good to me.  I wasn't able to run last week because I was too busy.  I went home for the weekend and got a lot done on my building.  I installed a new toilet in Shirley's apartment.  Installed a new vanity, sink, and medicine cabinet in Fermin's.  I climbed on the fire escape and cleaned all the gutters.  Then I did a lot of cleaning of the 3rd floor.  Here's some pictures .....





Still a lot of cleaning to go.  Everything is a trip down 2 flights of stairs, then dumping it in my truck, then driving 1/2 way around the block to dump in my dumpster, or put in my basement. 

This week I made a deal with Carlos.  He was $517 behind on his rent, water, etc.  So I gave him work to do on our building.  What he "earns", instead of paying him, we'll remove from what he owes.  So far he as cleaned the stairs, painted the stairway and hallway walls and ceilings, painted the walls in the 3rd floor (the pictures are from before he painted).  Next he'll finish cleaning all the beds, couches, microwaves, tv, etc from the 3rd floor.  I wanted to build the laundry room in the basement, but I wasn't prepared for that. I still have some planning to do

I did some research on putting in solar hot water heat.  I did all the measuring and got quotes.  $35k to have it done. I think I can build it myself for around $12k.  Now to research what plumbing inspections are required and what the codes are for my town. I also met with some folks to look into future investments in our town.  Everything we looked at just didn't make mathematical sense to me.  Better to invest in solar. 

Also while I was home I cleaned and organized my aunts garage.  That gave us room to begin shuffling.  I need to clear out her attics to pull up a few boards and blow in insulation.  Once the garage space cleared up I was able to remove some things from my mom's apartment and put them into the garage.  Then I sanded all the drywall....ooof...that job sucks.  After I got everything done and the mess all cleaned up I grouted the tiles we had installed in the kitchen while mom and aunt painted the walls.  Everything is mostly done there now.  So now I'll have to arrange some friends to carry in her stove, refrigerator, microwave, etc. and hook them all up for her.

Good progress all around.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

So far so good

Running every other day now without pain.  Makes me just about as happy as this guy.

Friday, October 11, 2013

Wonderfully sore

My knee seems to have turned the corner (fingers crossed).  I haven't had pain for 2 weeks and I run 4 miles 3x last week without pain.  I was a little too aggressive with my stretching and injured something behind my knee.  The doctor showed me how to massage it and said keep on going.  That it would heal itself. 

So far so good.  I happily have been venturing out into the rain and running my 4 miles in the trails.  Doing all my stretching and my strengthening religiously, etc.  but wow!!! 12 miles a week has me pretty sore.  won't be able to move up anytime soon. Hope my body adapts.

Everything with Inna is progressing along.  I bought tickets to go there December 24th returning on January 5th.  I'll spend a week in Kherson getting to know Vitali and then we'll all go together for a few days to Yalta on the Black Sea.  There we'll do some fun excursions and go to a formal dinner party for New Years. 

We had a bit of a fight recently.  It was mostly fear.  I worry that if Vitali doesn't want to move to the US, or if her ex-husband won't let him, or if he doesn't like me.....What will that mean for our relationship.  Of course.....she can't really honestly answer any of those things until they play out.  So I basically was asking for reassurance.  I didn't express my fear very well and it was taken the wrong way.  She's a little used to attacks from ex-husband so she went a little too quickly into defensive mode.  We pouted for an evening, communicated, and now are moving along.  Legitimate fear not erased, but agreements made to handle it as it comes and be flexible and communicative. 

Some funny things about language.  When I type Vitali....my phone changes it to Vital I.   When she sends me a note that I don't understand and I pop it into my translator it translates Vitali as Acne.  I don't think I'll tell the teenage boy that my computer calls him acne.  Another funny thing that it does (luckily I know the word and don't need translation) is that when she says "I miss you"...it translates as "I'm bored of you"   I could see how if I didn't know the language this relationship would be quite difficult.

ok...another treehugger type video.



Tuesday, October 1, 2013

This is water

I've done a good bit of writing here about happiness and how society has come to equate that with material wealth.  I've also done some posts about societies need for constant stimulation.  Here's an interesting video that deals with this nicely.




Just spent a wonderful week in Odessa with Inna.  For those that didn't get my email, but want to see...my photos are posted here.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/98622421@N06/


I'm off to replace the clutch cable on my motorcycle.