Running Commentary

Having a gimpy hinge, as I currently do, makes a person place the feet carefully while walking. (Helps prevent stumbling.) In my case this diligence has resulted in looking at the ground a lot more than usual. Periodically in this blog I have published some ground shots (sky shots too, but that’s a different subject). So here are two more. I've been passing this one daily for a while. It makes me smile. This one does too; it's one in a series of chalk drawings that mirror the fauna along the sidewalk on Acton Street.

Every day I my hip feels a bit better (about time, too, says the grouch within). Here's a poster that stared me in the face Saturday when I ventured out on my bike to the local Trader Joe's , a round-trip journey of about six miles. I related to the poster's sentiment. Friday was my first bike ride--a very tentative double circuit around the block. The actual riding is a piece o' cake--I've been logging bike miles at the gym for a week or two with only mild pain. Getting on and off my trusty bike (on left) has been a whole 'nuther story. My habit has always been to mount by standing on my left leg and swinging my right leg back and up, over the saddle and into the pedal clip in one rather elegant and swashbuckling motion. Problem is, the left leg bone is connected to the left hip bone, the one that is bruised and cranky. This means my new way to get on is to concentrate on centering my body weight over my left foot and then sneak my right foot up that left leg ...

I rejoined the gym a couple of weeks ago (“rejoined” means I last belonged about four years ago—maybe longer) and am doing my best to go regularly so I don’t feel as if I’ve wasted my money. Now that for the time being I’m not spending time running early in the morning (insert frowny face here), it is easier than it was before to carve out some gym time in my schedule. This morning I went there loaded for bear and probably overdid it a bit. I started off walking up the stairs to the aerobic machines. Stairs seem to be the last frontier with this injury—raising my left leg and then loading it with my body weight is a real challenge. I give my performance this morning a B-minus. Once I ascended, I walked 10 minutes on the treadmill to warm up, traveling an impressive 0.3 mile. I even supported most of my weight on my arms and took a small jog, just to try and remember what it feels like to run. I probably jogged 30 paces, twice, before realizing it wasn’t that great an idea. Then I went ...

Lap swim begins at 6 a.m. Re: My injured hip. I’ve gone from philosophical and accepting to (almost) screamingly impatient. Can’t say what brought on the attitude change—could have to do with how smug I’ve been about having already worked through my denial and anger. They are both back with a vengeance. I suspect it’s because now, four weeks and a day after my crash-and-burn that sent me to the ER, I am very close to fully ambulatory. I’ve rejoined the gym and have been riding the stationary bike. My new hero, Jamie the physical therapist, has prescribed some exercises that make me feel studly. She is enthusiastic and kind and encourages me in my healing. Flip-flops and a crumpled towel. Hmm. Someone's been swimming — and she left her cane behind! This morning I’m pretty sure I overdid it. To start, I went swimming (left my cane hanging in the locker room). I managed to stay with it for a lucky 13 minutes. Could have gone longer but I wanted to maintain my self-image as a prudent ...