And I Ran, I Ran So Far Away

Anyone recognize who sang that song and what year?

I went to the sports doctor yesterday and got the medical clearance to start some LIGHT running.  I was kind of surprised because I didn't think my shin felt any different than last week.  The other day, I was meeting a client downtown so I took the subway.  He told me what stop to get off but for whatever reason I took the wrong subway line and got off the wrong station but right street.  I started walking looking for the address when I realized I was one kilometer away but it was such a nice day and the sights were ummm "interesting" (I don't go downtown much) so I decided to walk the distance, in my suit and dress shoes.  That wasn't such a great idea because I was hot and my shin was a little sore afterwards.  But the doctor said I could start running.

The plan is to run for 30 minutes but break the run into blocks of five minutes.  I would run for three and walk for two minutes.  That sounds exactly like my Ironman pace for next year.  So after dinner, I went for my first run in about two months and it felt weird.  My leg felt stiff and running in my new shoes, felt well, different.  I think part of the problem that contributed to my stress fracture was that my running gait had changed and my shoes were no longer appropriate.  The new shoes were totally different and it felt like I was scuffling my right foot on every step.  In terms of timing and pacing, the run was horrible as at one point, I was running at 8 minutes per KILOMETER.  At that pace, I don't think I can call it running, more like shuffling.

Calgary 70.3 is seeming like a distance pipe dream.  If my shin holds up, I think I need to do this "shuffling" three times a week and my long runs on an elliptical trainer otherwise on July 31st I'll be in Calgary but not at the race.