Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Another Milestone
Hit another milestone last night - 5 miles in 49min on the treadmill in the gym. In addition to completing five miles, it is also the second time that I ran on two consequitive days. Watching the timer, I was able to control my speed, slowing down and speeding up at different points.
My maximum heart rate was 163. I'd like to move that up to 170 or 175 if possible.
I began running at roughly 9:40pm and completed it by 10:30pm, making it the latest run i have ever done.
I felt like hell when it was over and ended up taking the bus two blocks up to 7th Ave. Today my knees were feeling the pain until mid-afternoon.
My maximum heart rate was 163. I'd like to move that up to 170 or 175 if possible.
I began running at roughly 9:40pm and completed it by 10:30pm, making it the latest run i have ever done.
I felt like hell when it was over and ended up taking the bus two blocks up to 7th Ave. Today my knees were feeling the pain until mid-afternoon.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Much to report
Today I ran in Prospect Park for the first time. I completed one loop, plus about 2 blocks each way to/from the 3rd Street entrance, in exactly 40 minutes. I was expecting the route to take much longer (1 hour) but was very happy with the time.
I found that once I got into a rhythm, it was not all that hard. Two people have told me that if I were to run for ten minutes and then walk for one minute, I could sustain much greater distances. I was very tempted to try that technique today but resisted, just to see if I could even complete a single lap.
In addition to the most recent accomplishment, I also managed to squeeze in two other milestones before the end of the year:
- On Saturday, December 29, while on vacation in Tampa, FL, I ran outside for the first time with Brad, Helene, Rex and Helen's son, Cole. We did a 4 mile route around the Saddlebrook Resort, where we were all staying. We kept at a pretty steady 10 min mile and the others were impressed with my performance. It was encouraging to see that a treadmill can provide an adequate training tool.
- On Sunday, December 30, Brad and I went out again for another run doing the same route but cutting it a bit short. For the firt time in my life, I ran two days, outside, back to back.
More and more, I am encouraged by my potential. I am setting a series of small goals and, each time, managing to achieve them. This has been my pattern with physical fitness and has proven to be a very important psychological support.
That said, the past month has been a very dificult physical challenge. However, despite eating like a pig throughout the month and almost never going to the gym, I did not gain any weight. This was encouraging because I could almost feel my body gaining weight.
On December 14, I went to a dermatologist to have a boil on my thigh looked at. The boil had grown substantially over the previous 4-5 days and was now a large, red mark on the rear of my left thigh. The redness extended my just above the rear of my knee to just below my buttocks.
Taking one look at the thing, the doctor directed me to an emergency room to be put on IV antibiotics and have the boil surgically drained. You can only imagine my horror at hearing these words. In addition to having a party to go to on Saturday evening, Elaine had her company holiday party that night.
In the end, Elaine went to the party and returned home around 11:00pm. I prepared things and walked over to the emergency room at Methodist. Arricing their at midnight, I was examined and proceeded to sit their until dawn when I was finally seen by a resident who did not have very encouraging words. One mention of my previous history with infection and she was quite certain that I would be admitted.
Which I was, despite my objections.
Thirty six hours later, I was released from the hospital on a bitterly cold Monday morning. My left leg was havily bandaged but the pain had subsided. Armed with oral antibiotics, I returned home and prepared for an unplanned recovery from a very minor event.
This setback was not what I needed at the close of the year. However, I gave me the opportunity to see Dr. Saleh and Dr. Gatton once again.
My reunion with Dr. Gatton was very emotional, with me, once again, laying on a guerney in the Methodist Hospital ER and her standing over me with a mildly concerned look on her face. I had asked for her earlier in the morning and she had not arrived yet. When she ultimately came in, one of the nurses told her that "a patient had been asking for her." With a strange look in her eye she asked, "Kleinberg?" and was told I was laying in a bed nearby.
Later on Saturday, Dr. Matatov, Dr. Saleh's partner, came to visit me in the hospital and took a look at the wound. He was very encouraging and really tried to downplay the whole episode. He described it as a two on a scale of one to ten and said, "everybody get them."
When I saw Dr. Saleh on Monday, he was a bit annoyed that I had not called him earlier. Apparently he could have called one of his friends in surgery and had me seen much quicker in the ER. He gave me his personal cell phone and encouraged me to call If I ever needed anything at the hospital again. When I saw him for a follow-up on Wednesday evening, we talked a lot about running the marathon and he was very, very confident that I could do it if I would just train regularly. If I can complete two laps around the park 70 minutes (or less) by April, he will put me on an aggressive training program which will enable me to complete the process.
The idea of running a marathon remains very clear in my mind, despite the fact that I have never, ever, done anything physically competitive as an adult.
I still believe this can be done.
I found that once I got into a rhythm, it was not all that hard. Two people have told me that if I were to run for ten minutes and then walk for one minute, I could sustain much greater distances. I was very tempted to try that technique today but resisted, just to see if I could even complete a single lap.
In addition to the most recent accomplishment, I also managed to squeeze in two other milestones before the end of the year:
- On Saturday, December 29, while on vacation in Tampa, FL, I ran outside for the first time with Brad, Helene, Rex and Helen's son, Cole. We did a 4 mile route around the Saddlebrook Resort, where we were all staying. We kept at a pretty steady 10 min mile and the others were impressed with my performance. It was encouraging to see that a treadmill can provide an adequate training tool.
- On Sunday, December 30, Brad and I went out again for another run doing the same route but cutting it a bit short. For the firt time in my life, I ran two days, outside, back to back.
More and more, I am encouraged by my potential. I am setting a series of small goals and, each time, managing to achieve them. This has been my pattern with physical fitness and has proven to be a very important psychological support.
That said, the past month has been a very dificult physical challenge. However, despite eating like a pig throughout the month and almost never going to the gym, I did not gain any weight. This was encouraging because I could almost feel my body gaining weight.
On December 14, I went to a dermatologist to have a boil on my thigh looked at. The boil had grown substantially over the previous 4-5 days and was now a large, red mark on the rear of my left thigh. The redness extended my just above the rear of my knee to just below my buttocks.
Taking one look at the thing, the doctor directed me to an emergency room to be put on IV antibiotics and have the boil surgically drained. You can only imagine my horror at hearing these words. In addition to having a party to go to on Saturday evening, Elaine had her company holiday party that night.
In the end, Elaine went to the party and returned home around 11:00pm. I prepared things and walked over to the emergency room at Methodist. Arricing their at midnight, I was examined and proceeded to sit their until dawn when I was finally seen by a resident who did not have very encouraging words. One mention of my previous history with infection and she was quite certain that I would be admitted.
Which I was, despite my objections.
Thirty six hours later, I was released from the hospital on a bitterly cold Monday morning. My left leg was havily bandaged but the pain had subsided. Armed with oral antibiotics, I returned home and prepared for an unplanned recovery from a very minor event.
This setback was not what I needed at the close of the year. However, I gave me the opportunity to see Dr. Saleh and Dr. Gatton once again.
My reunion with Dr. Gatton was very emotional, with me, once again, laying on a guerney in the Methodist Hospital ER and her standing over me with a mildly concerned look on her face. I had asked for her earlier in the morning and she had not arrived yet. When she ultimately came in, one of the nurses told her that "a patient had been asking for her." With a strange look in her eye she asked, "Kleinberg?" and was told I was laying in a bed nearby.
Later on Saturday, Dr. Matatov, Dr. Saleh's partner, came to visit me in the hospital and took a look at the wound. He was very encouraging and really tried to downplay the whole episode. He described it as a two on a scale of one to ten and said, "everybody get them."
When I saw Dr. Saleh on Monday, he was a bit annoyed that I had not called him earlier. Apparently he could have called one of his friends in surgery and had me seen much quicker in the ER. He gave me his personal cell phone and encouraged me to call If I ever needed anything at the hospital again. When I saw him for a follow-up on Wednesday evening, we talked a lot about running the marathon and he was very, very confident that I could do it if I would just train regularly. If I can complete two laps around the park 70 minutes (or less) by April, he will put me on an aggressive training program which will enable me to complete the process.
The idea of running a marathon remains very clear in my mind, despite the fact that I have never, ever, done anything physically competitive as an adult.
I still believe this can be done.
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