Hip, hip hooray

I ran for the first time today in four months.

Four long months.

And I feel remarkably good.

After weeks of physio and massage therapy, I finally worked up the courage to run. Look, I'll admit, I've been a little gun-shy about doing so.

Four months ago, I came home from a race with a pain in my hip. 'Give it a week,' I figured. 'I'll be fine in no time.'

But weeks passed with me limping to and fro and living in pain. Just when I thought things were getting better, the pain would come back with a vengeance.

I started to wonder if I'd ever walk properly again, let alone run. My inactivity led to some weight gain and feelings of overall grossness. So when I headed out today, I tried to keep my mind from drifting to thoughts of 'Oh no, what was that twinge?' when I ran.

Or worse yet, the realization that I wasn't ready. But I was. I took it slow, walking for five minutes and running for one. In the end, I only ran five minutes, total, but I came home feeling reinvigorated and inspired. And most importantly, pain free.

I plan to try the same routine on Tuesday and Thursday and build up my time moving at a good clip while trimming down the time spent doing a slow stroll.

My next running clinic starts in three weeks. My goal for the humane society is back within reach. And I plan to sprint across the finish line.

All in good time, of course.

Help the LCHS get $100,000

The Lincoln County Humane Society is barking up a potential money tree. It's in the running for a $100,000-grant in the Pepsi Refresh project.

Be sure to vote often.

I drove by the shelter last week and it's amazing the progress that's being made on the new spay/neuter clinic. From the outside, it looks like it's pretty much done. Not sure of the status of the inside but fingers crossed the good work will soon begin.

Hip, hip ... boo

I feel like a bit of a fraud.

Got a t-shirt in the mail today, one emblazoned with 'I'm training for the Buffalo Marathon.' It was one of the perks of registering back in January for what was to be an epic race for me. My first half-marathon.

But that was back in January, back when I wasn't a gimp. When my hip wasn't causing me pain and I wasn't limping.

And so, today's t-shirt arrival was a reminder of how my plans have been derailed — for the time being, at least — and how much longer the pain I felt after my Run for the Cats in February has lingered than I anticipated.

No, I'm no longer training for the Buffalo half-marathon. I'm not even training for any run right now, starting instead a regimen of physio and massage therapy — I feel old — to get my hip up to snuff once  more and get me running again. My goodness, have I missed it. The stationary bike at the gym that I've been relying on to keep me in shape somewhat hasn't really cut it. The endorphin rush isn't the same. Neither is the satisfaction.

The sports injury specialist I saw last week said I should be back to my old self, after nearly eight weeks of my B-Boy walk, in two to three weeks. Fingers crossed. I still have $300 to raise and four races to run to meet my commitment to the Lincoln  County Humane Society.

Still, my plans for my first half-marathon in May have been thwarted. But I'm hopeful I'll be in a race by the end of the month and running my 21.5 kilometres by summer. Fingers crossed.

Now, to find a dark corner in the back of my closet for that t-shirt...

Standing on the sidelines, bum hip to keep me company

I have to admit, it was tough to stand on the sidelines Saturday and watch Steve take off down Louisiana Avenue in Buffalo with about 4,000 people in the Shamrock Run while I stayed put. And it wasn't just because of the wind gusts nearly causing lift-off as I struggled to hang on to the mammoth golf umbrella Steve provided me to stay dry.

I was so looking forward to this event, to running in a race with that many people. Wow! Though the Old First Ward Shamrock Run wasn't in the nicest part of town, there was such a good a vibe to event. But instead, I had to join the few brave spectators standing in the rain and gale force winds and wait for Steve to cross the finish line without me. It was agony, weather aside.

I so wanted to run. Never is the urge to run as great as when I'm injured. And I am still injured. I can feel that I'm on the mend but it will be a few weeks yet before I start pounding the pavement again.

To make up for missing this run, I will run two races in April. In the meantime, I'm renewing the gym membership and starting swimming and cycling to keep up (or build up) my endurance in a low-impact way.

I tried jogging on the spot today, feeling a bit cocky now that the limp is subsiding, but my leg nearly gave out. So I still need a time out.

But please, keep the donations coming. It's a sure way to keep my spirits and motivation elevated.

Blown away in Buffalo

Steve getting ready at the start line.

Running for the Cats — and Dogs — took a detour this weekend after Tiffany enlisted me, her loyal husband, to run for her in the five-mile (eight-kilometre) Shamrook Run in Buffalo because she is still recovering from an injury. The run supports a community centre in the Queen City's Old First Ward ... so not only were we helping the felines, but we were also aiding a much-needed centre in a city that Tiffany and I both love. The run was typical Buffalo — windy, rainy (thankfully no snow) and a tonne of community spirit. Decked out in a Buffalo Bills touque, I managed to complete the run — thanks to the tailwinds and in spite of the headwinds — in just over 45 minutes. Not bad for a guy who hasn't run much in the past four months. And the best part (aside for helping to raise money for Tiffany's effort) was the giant corned beef sandwich I ate afterward at the community centre. Even my wife, the vegetarian, could appreciated that it was a good-looking sandwich.

Hip to be square

So my last race has left me in quite the state.

I'm nursing a groin pull and hip bursitis. I've been limping for two weeks, feeling like a 34 year old trapped in 100-year-old's body.

Fun times.

In all seriousness, this has thrown off my half-marathon training and my clinic through the Running Room may have to be deferred. I'm still going to try the Buffalo half in May but my bigger concern is my run next weekend. I signed up for the eight-kilometre Shamrock Run in Buffalo and I'm not yet 100 per cent.

I had a dream last night that I was able to run it and I'm trying to focus on doing just that. But that may not happen. Since I can find no other races greater than five kilometres (and that is a distance I can actually run) happening this month, I may end up running two races in April to make up for it.

Keep your fingers crossed that next Saturday I'll be running like the wind, or at least a nice gentle breeze.

Four more races and nearly 50 kilometres to go

Ready to go at the St. Catharines Roadrunners Valentine's Day 5km Run

I sometimes worry I sound defeatist on this blog. Or, at the very least, hapless when it comes to running or staying injury free.

So today was my last five-kilometre race in my Running for the Cats (and dogs) series. I feel unfazed by that distance. I should. I'm training for a half-marathon for goodness' sake. I ran today's race, head first into a wind that felt like a wall and made me feel like Bob Seger (Still running against the wind — c'mon sing it with me — or like a rock at times, too). My time was 31:28 and I came in 56th out of 78 runners. Not stellar by far. But there's not much I can do about that now.

Speaking of now, my biggest gripe at this moment is the pain in my hip. I don't know what I did but it hurts. I've been hopping, hobbling, limping and, at times, crawling around since crossing the finish line. Am I getting old? Am I not meant to run? What the heck did I do? Why don't the running gods smile upon me?

I felt a twinge a few weeks ago when going for a jog in my neighbourhood. I covered 6.5 kilometres and felt great, save for the slight tension in my right hip. I chalked it up to having run without my grippers on my shoes, leaving me to tense up when running along unshovelled stretches of sidewalk.

Though there were patches where those grippers would have come in handy today, I didn't feel tense at all. I had good footing throughout and pounded that pavement through Port Dalhousie as though it was a summer's day.

But alas, here I am, coated in Voltaren, hopped up on advil and still in pain.

I felt like I was going to hurl, to be honest. I tried sprinting into the wind
in the final stretch. 

On that note, I did collect another $15 at the race thanks to my friend Wayne taking on the role of head fundraiser today. I think I need to hire him and Mollie on full time.

Meanwhile, I'm resting up my achey joint and looking forward to heading out Tuesday with my running clinic.

Next up, the Shamrock Run in Buffalo on March 5. Wish me and my old joints luck.

Two young philanthropists

Sarah and Mollie raising money for the Lincoln County Humane Society.

I could use a lesson or two in marketing.

Put me on a reporting job, and I'm not shy at all. Put me on the job of trying to sell something I'm involved with and I tend to be a bit shy. I'm not a limelight seeker. I'm quite comfortable skulking below the radar, frankly.

But if I ever decide to learn a few tricks about promoting something, I'm not going to bother with any marketing courses or reading the latest how-to guide. Nope. I'm taking my cues from Mollie Crago-Ruffett and her friend Sarah (whose last name I don't know). These 10-year-old gals have no problem getting the word out about something AND getting people to respond positively.

Case in point: today at Niagara Seedy Saturday, these two set out a mason jar adorned with cutouts of cats, dogs and bunnies, a hand-printed sign that read "Donations for the Humane Society," packaged what appeared to be at least 100 tiny bags of seeds and then managed to ask every person that cast a gaze their way if they wanted to donate and get some seeds in return.

Very few people said no. Had it been me left with that task, I'd have waited until someone approached, then very meekly started into this long preamble about the humane society and what it's doing, what I'm doing and finish with an 'Oh and if you'd like to, you can donate and get some seeds.'

Clearly, I'm lost at this marketing and sales stuff and I need to learn to just cut to the chase.

Mollie and Sarah's efforts today brought in $186.65 for the LCHS and the spay/neuter clinic — it was actually really sweet listening to Mollie talk about the clinic and hear her enunciation of the 't' in neuter.

So thank you, you two, for all your efforts and your lesson in marketing 101: kids make great sales folk.

Stepping up

OK, so I did it.

I signed up for a half-marathon clinic at the Running Room, which means starting Jan. 25, I will be training to run 21.5 kilometres.

I waver between feeling pumped and being scared out of my wits. But my fundraising is slowing and I can't help but think my running monthly five click races isn't exactly inspiring donations.

My next race is the St. Catharines Road Runners Valentine's Run in Port Dalhousie. It's a five-kilometre race and will be my last. It will have to be a minimum of eight clicks for me or bust when it comes to future runs. And now, with my half-marathon training, that means that my final race in the Running for the Cats series will be a half-marathon.

A friend at work is working on me to join him for one in May in Buffalo. We'll see. But for now, I have my sights set on the Twenty Valley Wine Country Run half-marathon. More than twenty clicks through some of the most beautiful countryside.

As for my March, April and May runs, they're still undecided. There has been talk of the Lincoln County Humane Society organizing a K-9k in the spring. When and if that happens, I'll definitely be running in it.

In the meantime, wish me luck. I'll need it so I don't lose my nerve. And please, keep donating. That helps keep me going, too.

Head butts from heaven

Lactic acid is evil.

It's like being punished for a good deed — or maybe it's a reminder to stretch after running instead of having tunnel vision for the free food being served up just on the other side of the finish line.

I ran my back-to-back five kilometer races,  one on New Year's Eve and the other New Year's Day. First up was the Resolution Run and though I don't get daunted by five click jaunts, I was just a little bit on Friday.

I had only run twice since my last race. A slip on some ice made training impossible but when the bruises and pain faded, I had something else holding me back. I found out my cat Maya, who had been languishing for a few weeks, had stomach cancer. She died on Dec. 28 and I had little motivation to really do much of anything except spend whatever time I could with her. And she doesn't run, so that meant lounging on a couch with her slumbering nearby.

By the time the Resolution Run had come around, mentally, I felt like I could do it, though I wasn't really feeling up to it. And at about three-klometres when my legs started to feel a little heavier than usual, I just imagined Maya — my Maya Papaya as I called her — giving me little head butts, like she used to do when she wanted loving, nudging me along. Of course, then I felt like bawling, which doesn't exactly make someone run faster.

Me and my speedy friend Wayne, who jogged next to me as I ran the Resolution Run.

I crossed the finish line at about 32 minutes — not the most impressive time but one that provided me with some long-absent motivation. I had New Year's Day and the St. Catharines Rowing Club's Three-Mile Challenge the next day to focus on.

Problem is, there was all this food at the end of the Resolution Run and instead of stretching, I scoped out the scene and then stood around refueling. I had a touch of soreness and stiffness in my legs when I woke up New Year's Day.

Me at Martindale Pond, post New Year's Day race

.

Heavy legs, heavy heart, but again, I just imagined a tiny furry black head gently pushing me along the hilly course through Port Dalhousie, so much so, that I crossed the finish line on New Year's Day in 29:49. It didn't hurt that it was 13 degrees C and more like spring than Jan. 1.

Still, it was such a relief to be done that I jumped into line to fill up on the vegetarian chili that rowing club volunteers cooked up when I should have been more intent to stretch my rusty muscles instead.

It wasn't long before my legs stiffened, before each step became laborious and painful, even as I stood around filling my face at the rowing club. That's how I am today, in pain. Oh and I also have a cold.

But I swear I can still feel Maya Papaya nudging me along...

Next up, the St. Catharines Road Runners 31st annual Valentine's Day Run. This will be my last five click race. It's time to step this up and run farther, faster.