Oh no, I broke my toe!

Oh hell no, I broke my toe?  I can hear Sally now, "You should have turned on the light before you went stumbling around in the dark!"  Darn...hate it when she's right.

Baby toe, right foot.  And if you're keeping track, this is the third time I've broken bones in my right foot:  Broken Bones #1, Broken Bones #2.  This time though it really, really sucks!

I know what you're thinking...he did something stupid while running.  This time it was not a running injury, even though the result is the same:  No running until healed.  10 - 14 days according to webmd.com.  No, this happened while I was walking through the living room in the dark Monday morning.  The irony?  I was going to turn on the lamp beside the sofa when I slammed my right foot into the the wooden base of the ottoman. 

Ouch!  Or rather, @$%#$%@!  I new immediately it was broken.  And what that meant to my running.  

Taped up, foot up, iced on and off to keep the swelling down. No running.  I know the drill!  

Until next time...

ThatRunninGuy

Walking along the Humber River

Stopping to smell the roses...in this case to take a few pictures...is one of the benefits of walking along the trails that run along this part of the Humber River near home.  While spring is not normally my favorite season (I'm a Summer guy), it's refreshing to see the world come alive again after this long and hard winter.  I shot these pictures recently on a recent walk.

A couple of weeks ago this was frozen and covered in snow.  A couple of weeks from now this stream running down into the Humber River will be totally green.

The Humber River is running very high this year.  This is not surprising given the amount of snow cover in Toronto and in the head water area north of Toronto.

The geese are back!  Basking on a spit of rocky ground in the centre of the Humber River as the sun breaks the crest of the valley.

Until next time...
ThatRunninGuy

You have to walk before you can run again

Sally allowed me to go walking
with her last Saturday

About 10 minutes into my walk with Sally and Tia last Saturday I uttered, "Oh, oh".

With the best intentions on an absolutely fabulous Saturday afternoon, I decided to accompany Sally on an 'Easy Walk'.  Two miles out and back to the shops on Bloor Street West.  She in her walking garb, me without my walking cast on my right foot.

I like walking along with her on her walks.  Over the past year she has become quite the accomplished walker.  Head-to-toe in her Running Room gear she is super prepared. And loves recording and tracking her progress with her Map My Walk Smartphone App activated.

I on the other hand was much more casual.  Jeans, T Shirt, light jacket, bare feet and...Sandals!  The sandals were a well worn in pair of very comfortable Naot's but never the less, I was way too casual for what turned out to be a 2.5 mile walk.  At 10 minutes into the walk after my 'Oh, oh' I asked Sally to slow down!  She smiled mischeveously and noted, "That's a role reversal".  But slow down she did.  I know how to run...this walking was going to take some practice.

We made it through the first mile with me grimacing as my foot muscles strained for the first time walking without the support of the walking cast.  No pain from the mended bones;  that was good.  At that point, Sally deposited Tia and I on a street-side bench to 'rest for a bit' while she went shopping.  I didn't resist or complain.  Tia and I sat basking in the sun.

The mile and a half back home went much better but once home I was bushed!  The sunshine and fresh air was great but I needed to put my feet up once we got back home.  Even though I slowed her down, Sally was pleased with her walking progress this early in the season.  Next Saturday...assuming she allows me to tag along...I'll lace up my running shoes.

Until next time...
ThatRunninGuy

Scatterbrained Running

Some mornings I'm not sure how I make it through my run.

It's dark outsode.  Pre-dawn with only the occasional passing bus to brighten up my route through Central Etobicoke.  I put on my 'dark' running gear, walk down the 4 flights of stairs into the cool morning air.  I do love fall!

After a minute or so of brisk walking...my version of warming up...I break into a slow jog.  That lasts for a few minutes until my brain and legs begin to talk to each other:  "Crap...he really is serious about running again this morning".

Most days I get to the sweet spot quickly:  legs turning over rapidly (160 times a minute is the goal), breathing deep and regular, mind blank.  But some days no matter how hard I try, not so much.  On those days I go scatterbrained:

• Why did that raccoon cross the road?  Dam...that's a big raccoon!!  Hope he's more scared of me than I am of him.
• Will I be  delayed on the TTC this morning?
• My son is getting married!!  Yikes...when did he grow up?
• Gotta loose some weight...carrying this extra Muffin Top around sucks.  Running with it sucks even more.
• I should walk for a few minutes.  Nope, keep running!
• I've been running for 30 years...why doesn't it get any easier.
• Will my client make my candidate an offer today?  Will my candidate accept it?
• "Stop thinking about work!"
• Why are my lungs screaming for air?
• Oh, oh...here comes that hill again.  Why did I pick this route?

On those mornings running isn't fun...thankfully though it's over relatively quickly.  What keeps me running is knowing that tomorrow is another day...

Until next time...

ThatRunninGuy

Walk Sally, Walk!

She was an active skiier and tennis player.  In an earlier life she enjoyed sailboating.  Over the past few years however she has become less active.  Then this summer, the 'Eureka' moment:  she took up walking!

Like all such decisions this happened after a major life changing experience:  she contracted pneumonia!  This nasty bout kept her bedridden for nearly 3 weeks on heavy anti-biotics and a liquid diet.  It wasn't much fun.  But like Rip Van Winkle, when she 'awoke', she was hungry for something new.

And a walker was born...

Yes, Sally has taken up walking.  As you know we live beside the Humber River in Central Etobicoke and have miles of paved walking trails just steps from our house.  When the non paved trails deeper into the woods are included, the choices of cycling, running and of course walking are virtually endless.  Most of the trail is tree covered and the noise of the city...well, there is no city noise to be heard.  It's like being deep in the forest.

And like any newbie, all she talks about now is walking:  blow-by-blow of each walk, the benefits of polypropylene and of course shoes.  Her first few walks were in a pair of fashion shoes...not good...led to early case of shin splints.  Her second pair were an old pair of running shoes.  She didn't like how clunky and 'wedgie' those were.

We went shopping!

After trying on a number of shoes, she settled on a pair of walking shoes from Columbia.  'Heaven'.  They have a lot of support with a very natural feel.  Not too much rise so they mimic a very natural and comfortable walking stride.  Sally loves them.  Of course once bitten, she is now eager to try out other pairs.  I see a new favourite store in her future:  Running Room!  For her birthday recently she asked for and got a Gift Certificate for Running Room and it's burning a hole in her purse.

Sally was determined to keep it simple and non-competitive.  Then she found the Map My Walk App for her Galaxy 3 Smartphone!  Now when she hears the voice, 'Signal lost' she walks faster to pick up the GPS signal again.

I join Sally and Tia most weekends now to 'go for a walk'.  The most recent milestone was a 7.5 K last weekend on a particularly hot and sunny Sunday morning.  Thankfully the trees overhead provided nice shade for most of the walk.  It actually began as a 2.5 mile walk but the challenge of the longer distance got the better of us and we ended up doing 7.5 K.  Sally was in some pain the next day...thank you Voltarin (this stuff really works).

She will never transition to running...one crazy in the family is enough...but she loves walking every day.  Now if only we can figure out where to hang our respective workout clothes...

Until next time...
ThatRunninGuy (with ThatWalkinGirl)