30Nov – 6Dec (Week 6 post-op):
Tuesday, 1Dec15: I had a great run in the rain on the
Monmouth Battlefield State Park trails. I ran the Yellow, Green, White, Red,
and Green trails all end-to-end. I didn’t see anyone else on the trails but I
did see 5 deer. This was my first run without the knee brace and, at 5.6 miles,
it was my longest outing since my operation and everything felt great.
Wednesday, 2Dec15: After yesterday’s test of my knee
without the brace I chose to rest my legs and spend an hour doing yoga. I
followed along with my favorite yoga DVD (Yin Yoga) by Travis Eliot which gets
deep into the connective tissues by holding each stretch 3-7 minutes. This is
part of the Ultimate Yogi series of DVDs. I always feel so good after doing
this workout.
Thursday, 3Dec15: With my body’s great response to
yesterday’s Yin Yoga session I chose to do the same tonight.
Friday, 4Dec15: I had planned to run this afternoon but my
dog Sparta was sick so I stayed in with him and continued to work internally. I
started with the Ultimate Yogi Mountain Pose series followed by some Pranayama
(breathing) techniques and finally 20 minutes of meditation. While I still wish
I had ran I do feel really good.
Saturday, 5Dec15: Sparta
and I ran the Whites Bog inner 4.1 mile loop after work. This was my second run
without the knee brace. Everything felt great, I think the yoga the last couple
days helped. The water in the bog must be getting cold because Sparta only
jumped in twice. .
Sunday, 6Dec15: Keeping with my focus this week on muscular
health, I finished today off with the Ultimate Yogi Mountain Pose series and 36
Sun Salutations. This was a good week and my body truly feels good after all
the yoga.
7-13Dec (Week 7 post-op):
Monday, 7Dec15: Took the day off, no training.
Tuesday, 8Dec15: I ran the 4.1 mile Whites Bog inner loop
with my dog Sparta after dark. After returning home, I added P90X Stretch (1hr)
and AB Ripper X (15min) followed by the Ultimate Yogi Mountain Pose series, Pranayama
breathing and finally some meditation. Tonight was a great night.
Wednesday, 9Dec15: Today I walked 4+ miles after work on
the Lawrenceville dirt track. Then later in the evening I did 36 Sun
Salutations and ended with my Ultimate Yogi Gentle Yoga DVD (1hr).
Thursday, 10Dec15: I was going to run but I was really
tired so I took a nap after work and decided to just workout inside. I worked
up a great sweat with my Tapout-XT Muay Thai DVD and then cooled down with the
Ultimate Yogi Mountain Pose series.
Friday, 11Dec15: Today I just worked on a lot of
stretching, no structured workout. I
finally got to the last of the blue berries I picked this year so I added them
to my peanut butter and onion sandwich for some extra flavor. I used Vermont Peanut
Butter Co. chunky because it's all natural and it's made in Vermont like me so you
know it's good!
Saturday, 12Dec15: This morning I ran with Ted and Diane Hardies on Black Run Preserve trails.
This was my first time there. They have some great trails there consisting of
single and double track as well as dirt roads and they are very well marked. After
Ted and Diane left I ran on the trails and sand fields around the superfund
site just south of Black Run Preserve. The trails were nice but it was the sandy
fields that made me work. It was like running on the soft sand down the shore;
a lot of effort for not much speed. It was a great morning. Then I got a long-needed
massage in the afternoon and finished the day with an hour of Yin yoga just
before bed.
Sunday, 13Dec: Today I hiked the Batona Trail leg 1 (8.1
miles) from Ong’s Hat to Pakim Pond with my kids Asia and Kriss and our dogs
Sparta and Honda. While I have ran this many times it was the first time I had
ever slowed down to hike it. It was a nice change of pace and a great time for
the family to bond. This was Kriss’s first time on the trail and Asia’s third
time on this section. The trail was mostly dry and the unseasonably warm weather
felt great at nearly 70 degrees. I don’t imagine it will be anywhere near that
warm when we hike the next sections.
