Borla in action at this year's Polar Bear Run

Incredibly, the 67-year old Borla runs this year's 7.6-mile Polar Bear Run at a 6:42 pace.

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Does Weight Lifting Make a Better Athlete?

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See quote from kinesiology professor at UCONN. Interesting.

8 weeks, 1 day post-surgery status

12/31/07: last run; 6.9 miles; 1:01:50; 8:58
01/02/08: surgery
01/17/08: 1st appt.; new cast
02/07/08: 2nd appt.; received removable boot
03/11/08: next appt.; will receive ultrasound of repaired ligament; begin rehab nearly three weeks ahead of schedule?!
04/22/08: last day of rehab
06/08/08: should be in decent shape to run LHRR

Nice day for a long run

Sunny blue sky day made for a nice long run. Mostly pavement except for a few miles so I was able to keep up the pace. I did under 7:30 pace so I think 3:15:00 is the goal for VA Beach.

I used 2 caffeinated GUs and 1 without, taking the caffeine free one in the middle. I picked up the pace after the first one, and I started feeling sluggish and a bit light headed after the 2nd. I felt better as soon as I took the 3rd. I'm not sure if I've just gotten hooked on the caffeine or it really makes that much of a difference. Maybe it's all in my head.

I know Dan's getting lonely on the blog,

so I thought I'd post today...and for another reason. Not that Dan's loneliness alone doesn't deserve a post from a fellow blogger, but today's date actually holds significance, as it's seven weeks to the day from my surgery.

I'm doing very well. Three weeks from yesterday is my next doctor appointment, when I could walk for the first time since walking into the OR on January 2nd. That's something to look forward to. I have a feeling that rehab is going to be slow and painful, but I need to take it one step at a time and before I know it, I'll be running again. Surprisingly, I've been very patient throughout the recovery period. I hope that my patience continues through rehab and after when I start getting back into shape. I'd like to run the road race in Litchfield this June. We'll see.

Dan, you've had a pretty adventurous second marathon training cycle. Lots of snow, ice and mud; cuts, scrapes and bruises. Are you still shooting for a 3:15? That's Boston territory. Good luck.

Jeff, we haven't heard boo from you. How's your first marathon training cycle going? Good luck in VA Beach.

Colchester Half Marathon

www.runstorrs.org/page7.html

Anybody interested in the Colchester half-marathon this Saturday? I'm thinking about doing it and adding an extra 7 at the end. Should be nice and hilly, and it's only 2 bucks.

Sunday Long Run

Long run yesterday was an adventure. Heavy rains flooded parts of the trails at Mansfield Hollow. 2 miles into the run I was standing knee deep in ice cold water and then less than a mile from my house I fell on my face. I was pretty dirty and a bit sore by time I got back, but I had a good time. I think more caffeinated GU is better on the long runs to keep my alert and prevent me from falling.

I'd like to get an accurate distance of the trails around Mansfield Hollow. I have a map that shows some distances but it is not complete so I'm always estimating. I put an extra 10 minutes in just to be make sure I got 20 miles in, but I'd like to know exactly how far I'm running. Anybody know anything about mapping trails? If I carry a GPS unit in my hand can I get the trails onto a map? Anybody have software and a GPS that can do this?

Tough Week

Lots of rain/snow this week made for some wet slippery running. Tuesday I ran in the pouring rain and decided to hit the trails since the snow was nearly gone. I took a hard fall and bruised my thigh and knee pretty good. It was sore the next couple days but I didn't miss any runs.

Today's long run was cold and wet, but pretty awesome. I ran to Mansfield Hollow by road and then realized there was just as much snow on the road as on the trails so I took to the woods. No falls, but after the first hour the sky opened up and it poured on me. By time I got back I was soaked and it was starting to change to snow. I had to keep up the pace to stay warm.

Second post-surgery doctor appointment

I had my second post-surgery doctor appointment this morning. My hard cast was removed, x-rays were taken and my foot was examined. It looks good. I got a removable boot, but still no weight-bearing. My next doctor appointment is on March 11th. By then, Dr. Reach should be able to ultrasound the spring ligament, and if all is well, I can start rehab. Way ahead of schedule.

4 weeks, 2 days post-surgery status

12/31/07: last run; 6.9 miles; 1:01:50; 8:58
01/02/08: surgery
01/17/08: 1st appt.; new cast
02/07/08: next appt.
03/26/08: cast removed
05/07/08: last day of rehab
06/08/08: should be in decent shape to run LHRR