Back in the saddle, part II

Inevitably I find myself making comparisons to the last time I was coming back from meniscus surgery. I started off on about the same program - running every other day, with a small increment in distance each time. The orthopedist who performed the recent surgery is a little more conservative than the one who did the first, recommending a 6 week hiatus from surgery to first run rather than the 3 week interval that was suggested (and proved to be too brief) the first time around. So far, this seems to have been a good choice. At this point, slightly more than three months post surgery, I'm operating at about level that it took me six months to reach last time around. I suspect a number of factors are at play here, not least of which is the fact that I was not completely reduced to a hobbling wreck before I saw the surgeon this time.

This week finds me debating whether I'm ready to return to racing. I suspect it's a little premature; I've only been on the track twice, and this week's track workout demonstrated that (a) I'm quite far behind my "normal" level of fitness, and (b) the knee is not truly 100%. I guess I will make a spur of the moment decision on Saturday.

One of the exciting things about getting back into training properly was digging out my racing shoes. Last time those shoes got put to any use was back in April, as illustrated in the video at the top of this post. The close observer will notice that I gave my shoes a little bit of a rest in the closing stages of the marathon. If I do race this weekend, it will be something a lot shorter, like a nice little 3K. Unfortunately, that also involves running faster. There are no easy races.