Easing back into it...

One month ago yesterday I injured my back. Two weeks after that I tried to run again. That run stressed my back again. Today, with just a little trepidation, I went back out. I promised myself I wasn't going to keep going if my back hurt at all. This was a test run and no matter how long or short it was, it was not going to aggravate things.

I started out not knowing if I was going to run two blocks or two miles or two hundred miles. (That might be a bit of exaggeration there at the end.) I ran down School Street with no plan at all. When I got to Hillside, a dog on the loose chose my first direction change for me. He wasn't much of a dog, but I value my ankles so I turned.

I spent the next mile or so trying to decide how my back felt as I warmed up. There was a little stiffness in my joints and a little ache here and there in my muscles, but overall, not bad.

On the advice of my doctor, I ran on the opposite side of the street. I would never do that in a big city. In Pratt, KS, on side streets, it turned out to be quite safe. I think I saw three or four cars out this morning and none of them was approaching me from behind.

I finished up my run right at 6:30, walked around the block to let things cool down, then stepped inside. I'm a little sore, but I think I'll survive. I guess I'm back. (garmin data)