I know I haven’t posted in three days but sometimes there’s just not enough difference between days to post for a single day. That’s one reason why I’m moving toward posting once a week. The other is that I don’t want to clog your feeds with my daily posts. I think you get the idea by now that I’m walking a 5K per day. You should join in. Remember that you can start at any time; it doesn’t have to be January 1.
The past three days of 5Ks have all looked pretty much the same. The only minor exception would be the 24th. Yow, it was windy and cold. I debated going to the gym vs. walking the neighborhood but I chose the neighborhood.
Melissa, wisely, has chosen to stick to the mall with few exceptions. No cars to dodge, no dogs to be afraid of, no broken beer and whiskey bottles to wade through on the sidewalks, and no weirdos to avoid.
The 24th was so windy and so cold that my face was numb by the time I got home. I was also out of breath. There was one windy stretch when I walked to the West that almost stopped me in my tracks. I was thankful for that one to end. I guess I’m thankful when they all end. I guess 3.1 miles isn’t enough to induce those euphoric endorphins because I’m always glad to have it over with.
So, from February 26th onward, I’ll be posting once a week. Keep stretching and let us know how you’re doing.
Ken’s Twitter and Instagram: @kenhess
Melissa’s Instagram: redhatrunner
On a positive note for all this news-related negativity is that there’s a big Powerball payoff that might be shared by two people. One of them, unfortunately, is not me. My 5K was a good one. The weather was pleasant and I walked my 3.1 miles without issue. No dog bites. No dog chases and thank goodness for that because I don’t think that I could catch them with my wounded calf. No car dodging. No issues at all. I listened to Pandora radio on my way around the neighborhood.
Why is this night different from all other nights? OK, so this isn’t a Seder question, but a question of amounts. Specifically, I’m writing about the amounts of hops that these little craft breweries mindlessly dump into their beers. It’s downright criminal and potentially not all that good for you.
You see, the problem with putting so many hops into a beer is that this hop madness makes them all taste the same because these neophyte “brewmasters” haven’t a clue as to how to throttle the amounts of hops, when to add them, or how not to add them to create a crisp, balanced beer.
Our 5K today was less brisk than yesterday’s but still a decent pace for the recovery that I need. It’s a perfect 63 degrees with an average amount of humidity and a slight wind, which makes for a very pleasant walk. The walk went well and we saw a beautiful, multi-colored sunset as a bonus.
Hell hath no fury like that of a woman scorned or so wrote William Congreve*. I do have to agree. Today was proof. I noticed that Melissa started our walk out at a very quick pace. I found it hard to keep up at first and I felt my legs starting to tense up in preparation for an impending bout with my familiar nemesis: shin splints. I wondered but I remained silent.
Melissa and I waited until late afternoon to walk our 5K today. There was a bit of debate and confusion, on my part, as to when we might depart on our 3.1-mile excursion. I wasn’t clear on when it might happen. It doesn’t really matter when we do it, as long we do it but for some reason, I need to know so that I can better plan my day around it. There was much cooking, cleaning, straightening, washing, and a bit of shopping that had to happen first.
Due to circumstances beyond our control, Melissa and I had to walk separately today. She went to the mall and I hit the neighborhood after dark and in the cold sprinkles of rain. There was a rainbow in the sky but no rain until I started my walk. It sprinkled but from where I haven’t a clue. There were no clouds above us but yet it rained, though only a light sprinkle that lasted for 15 to 20 minutes.
Some say that you should use RICE (rest, ice, compression, and elevation) but others, who agree with me, think that you should use some rest, heat, compression, light stretching, light range of motion exercises, and slight elevation. I don’t necessarily believe all the rhetoric pushed by sports physicians or paraprofessionals of that ilk. I also don’t believe that injuries should be prolonged into weeks or months. My reasoning comes from the fact that the day after a person has open heart surgery, they’re required to get up and walk around.
Against Melissa’s wishes, I walked my 5K today–with her at my side. She insisted on walking with me to “monitor my leg health.” Seriously, I have the text she sent me with those exact words in it. She did, in fact, monitor my leg health throughout our walk, which was a brisk 20 minutes per mile.
Sorry folks, I didn’t do my 5K today because of yesterday’s injury. Melissa walked her 5K at the mall, but I was ordered to RICE my calf. Rest, ice, compression, and elevation are RICE. Actually, I disobeyed slightly. I used rest, heat, compression, and elevation. I guess this proves that no matter what, that you have to protect yourself and your health first. I limped around all day long with my stiff, sore calf and was exhausted from it by the time I came home.
Today’s advice is to realize when an injury benches you, you need to be benched. Don’t fight it. Don’t be angry. And don’t be disappointed in yourself. Injuries happen. Look at the number of athletes who have surgery scars. Take care of yourself. Stretch, take the time to warm up, and take the time to cool down. Admittedly, I must have rushed my stretching last night or I must have run too soon. Looking back, I think I knew at the time that I hadn’t prepared myself adequately and I’m paying for it now.
More rain today sent me back to the gym for my 5K. My Withings watch doesn’t work so well inside the gym, so I can’t rely on it for measuring my distance. I also can’t keep track of my laps around the gym because I run, jog, and walk, so I lose track (no pun intended) of my place. I have to rely on steps. I know that approximately 2,000 steps are equal to one mile. Actually, for me, it’s just over 1,800 steps, but I err on the long side to be sure.
5K a Day 2017 