The return to running

Yeah, ok so it was just three 30 seconds intervals and it might have been a 13 min/mile pace... but I officially RAN!

The last time I ran was February 9th.  6 months ago.

It felt really, really good.  My hip was smooth, not clunky or achy like it was towards the beginning of February.  My operated hip actually felt better than my other hip, even.  (which sort of is making me think another surgery for that hip might be in my future, but let's not think about that right now)

My surgeon's return to running program is fairly conservative.   I probably won't officially start the back-to-run program until later in the fall.  Firstly - I am still dealing with the hip flexor stuff and I don't need to tempt fate there.  Secondly - who wants to start running in AUGUST?  Talk about torture and sweat.  And lastly - I have a trip to Italy in September and I don't want to mess anything up and end up having to bail on that.  So patience for now.

Here's the plan my surgeon recommends:

So basically, the first few times out, I run a lap on the track.  That's it.   Then a lap and a half.  Then I get to graduate to TWO laps on the track.  And so on and so on.

In other news, I've started wearing a Body Media monitor.  It's like the FitBit or Nike Fuel Band but actually has skin sensors to monitor temperature and sweat so it's a little more accurate. I've found that because I am restricted in my activity, I've been having a hard time adjusting how much I eat.  (read: I'm stuffing my face when I really shouldn't be.)

Here's my last week's worth of data averaged:

You can expand each of the categories and see the breakdown daily - when you are more likely to be sedentary, when you are active, days you were particularly active, etc.   If you are a data junkie, you'll love it!