Slow progress, but progress nonetheless

Last week at PT: The therapist had me run on the regular treadmill (rather than the anti-gravity treadmill). It reinforced how much I hate running on treadmills. :) However, it went fine, so he said I could run 20-25 minutes on a flat trail on Sunday. If that went well and did not cause any problems, I could do it again Monday or Tuesday (but not both days).

Sunday: I drove to the trail and started my run. At 15 minutes, I glanced at my watch and said, "Oh HELL no, I'm not stopping in 5 minutes!" My original plan was to run for 30 minutes: long enough to be worth it, but not too much longer than prescribed. I felt so good that I decided to do the same 4.5 mile course I'd done two weeks before (illegally). The first time I did it, it took me 46+ minutes. This time, it took me 42!

Tuesday: Mother Nature did not cooperate. Not only did I not feel well, but there were also tornado warnings until 7 p.m., so I did not run. :(

Wednesday: I taught my outdoor boot camp class as a sub (I was a sub for my own class... that makes sense only in Theia World!). Since I hadn't run since Sunday, I wasn't worried about overdoing it. I mean, I was allowed to run one more time anyway, right? What I forgot to factor in was the surface... My glute was tender all day, even though we did the short route (3.25 miles) at a fairly easy pace and stopped for 2 minute drills four times. At PT last night, I admitted what I'd done and how I felt as a result.

The new presciption:
- 30 minutes of trail running every other day.
- No PT for two weeks. I'm on my own to see how I do!
- After the first week, I can add a tiny bit of road running in the middle of a trail run (so run on the trail, go onto the road a little bit, then go back to the trail to finish up).
- My PT appointment in two weeks will likely be my last one, unless I need to go in for some help.

So close to the end now..... So close! Basically, the only thing I'm not cleared for is road running. Well, and running more than 30 minutes at a time!

Progress!!!! I'll take it!