Feeling Torn

For the past 2 months or so, I've been running on Saturday mornings with 2 other people from my Karate school. At 7 am we head out for a perfect 4-mile loop, ending up at the coffee shop a block from the school. It's a great way to kick off Saturdays, and good incentive to get some out-of-the-classroom exercise.

The course is perfect, being flat crushed gravel for the first 2 miles, then rolling hills the last 2 miles. You get a nice warm-up while its flat, and just about the time you've caught your second wind you hit the hills.

2 weeks ago we ran the course backwards, hitting the hills first. Not withstanding the fact that I was still recovering from a nasty cold, it was a much tougher run, and all 3 of us needed to catch our breath at the halfway point. For the second half, we pretty much went from fast walking to occasional 50-yard sprints.

I hit one particular sprint pretty hard, and felt some funny muscle thing in my quads, like a group of muscle fiber I don't usually engage that way. Nothing painful, just new muscles being put to use. I was still sore after a week.

Friday while my daughter was sparring I decided to use the time to work on the Summer Goals program, which includes running our form 150 times outside of regular class between now and the end of August. I went through my Bo (staff) form and everything was fine until the last move, which involves a strike while going down on 1 knee.

I made it about 1/3 of the way to the floor when my right thigh lit up like it was on fire. Ouch!
G-Shaft commented from under her sparring helmet, "Knee problems?" I replied that it was my thighs, not my knees. For the remainder of the time, I simply avoided motions that aggravated my thighs.

Since that day, I researched the problem and concluded that I've got a level 1 quadricep strain. Since I have a week full of meetings keeping me away from Karate anyway, I'm resting and stretching, and will pick up a pair of compression wraps. Walking and gentle running don't hurt, I can bend my knees fully, but quad stretches are awfully tight at the moment.

Sudden explosive movement is what caused the problem, and what would aggravate it further; therefore I'll just run (gently) and attend core classes next week. No kickboxing aerobics, no sparring (except as a spectator.)

So to those of you who jog or run and are considering mixing in some sprints, take it easy! I went all-out, and my thighs are paying for that decision.

A Beautiful Thing

Sunday was my school system's Team Tournament, and the last one of the season in this area.
It features tag-team sparring for adults, and team forms for adults and youth.

My daughter and I presented a form together as part of the Family Performance division.
This is an open, non-competitive division for fun--and everyone gets to take home a trophy.
As a family of Scandinavian heritage, we had some fun with the form, calling ourselves Team Uff-Da. That's pronounced "Oof-Dah."

This blog from a local news anchor describes what I witnessed in this division far better than I ever could:

http://www.kare11.com/blog/insley_article.aspx?storyid=651634&catid=286

I am so proud to be a part of an organization that welcomes people of all abilities.

I'm born all over.

Monday I attended a beginner's class to 'wade in the water' a bit. Plenty of slow kick work and fundamentals.

That sucked!

Then I recovered and re-hydrated while watching sparring with a Cheshire Cat smile on my face, basking in the afterglow. It was tag-team drills, and an absolute riot to watch.

Tuesday was the intermediate belt core class.

The first half was open-hand form work, which came back to me quite well. However, while it looked good when I faced the mirror, somehow working form away from the mirror left me feeling unplugged, suddenly unsure of my moves. Strange.

The second half was spent working our Bo (staff) form. I had just begun this form when I was injured, but I still had fundamentals in place for holding the Bo, and remembering what each move was when it was called out by the instructor. By the end of class I could barely hold my Bo, and my shoulders were killing me.

That sucked--HARD!!!

But I got over that too and realized just how much I missed Karate.

How fun it is to push yourself, even with restrictions in place.

How nice my fundamentals still look.

How intensely focused I get while sensing all the feedback my body is giving me.

How priceless it is to come home dead tired and fall asleep with a grin so wide my cheeks hurt.



I.

Am.

Back.

Four weeks to go:Time for some numbers.

I had it in my head that a 6 month rehab program = 26 weeks. From my surgery on January 2nd, this works out to July 2nd.

However...the rehab program is actually 24 weeks, or June 18th!

I'm going with my PT's opinion and my gut at this time (and it's still pretty sizable), that my visit with Dr. K on the 30th will result in my returning to Karate. Updated my countdown to reflect this.

I am exhausted this week. I'm trying to wrap up mixing my band's CD so we can publish it this month (www.oceansmusic.net), and only get time late at night at the rehearsal studio. Combine that with the early morning regimen to prepare for returning to Karate at the end of the month, and I'm burning the candle at both ends!

To fit everything in, I created two alternating day schedules, with a lighter "rest" day on Sunday.

M-W-F: Running and Karate

- Run 20 minutes, increasing to 30 by month end.
- 15 minutes of figure-8 running, starting long and wide, shrinking to sharp turns by month end
- 5 minutes of backwards running uphill, increasing as I'm able
- 15-20 minutes of slow tempo Karate form, stance marches, slow-count kicks, increasing to moderate tempo by month end

T-Th-Sa: Jump, Hop, Strength and Balance

- 5 minutes of jump rope, working up to 10 minutes by month end (great for sparring footwork endurance)
- 20 minutes of hop exercises: box, diagonal, straight line, zig-zag line, working up to one-leg by month end
- Strength exercises working up to 10 lbs. of ankle weight, various squats, hamstring curls, planks, core, pushups and situps
- Closed eye balance and stances with G-Shaft gently pushing or pulling to challenge proprioception

Sunday: Light 20 minute jog with extensive stretching

It's aggressive, but I truly want to stage a decent comeback. So far I've got no unusual pain or aches from all this stuff. I also have it written out so I don't have to think so hard in the morning!

Time to shop for cross-trainers...

Two words: Five weeks?

PT Visit on Friday went very well. At this time I am in the final phase of my program, and my homework for the next five weeks is:

- Increase running to 3-4 days per week, adding more distance by the 4th week
- Jumping rope with a target of 4 days per week, 5-10 minute sessions (good for sparring endurance)
- Continue strengthening exercises 3 times per week with emphasis on the hamstrings
- One leg bridges (Lie on my back, bend knees about 50-60 degrees and lift the hips up with one leg raised)
- Reverse Planks (Like bridges, except propped up on my elbows)
- Box jumps by the 4th week
- Moderate effort karate (lots of deep stance transitions and slow kicks)

My PT is betting that when I see Dr. K at the end of May, he might allow me an early return if I bust my butt a little bit between now and then! My goal is to set up a calendar with daily routines (including a rest day) so I don't have to think too hard at that time of day.

I can get up early in the morning just fine, it's always deciding what to do that breaks my routine!!!

Hitting the ground running!

Today I celebrate day 2 of my return to the PT bandwagon.

It was simple, yet profound; my first early-morning run in perhaps 6 months. Granted, it was walking 4 minutes, run one, for 20 minutes total, but what a gorgeous time of year to do it.

If the weather outside is at least 20 degrees, I'm very comfortable running. I don't own a treadmill, and haven't had a health club membership in over a year. Better than all that, I have a packed-gravel bike path that is flat and straight for miles, located a scant block from my front door.

It's also kept clear of snow throughout the season!

I ventured down this path, in the prescribed walk-4-run-1 fashion, and was just enthralled by the sheer beauty of the sky at 7 am, and the peaceful silence that wrapped itself around me. It's a great time to mentally walk through the form I'm learning, too.

Ahhhhhhh...

This is where I am meant to be.