The new regime

 I'm not liking my new regime of cross training.  This slow steady-state cardio really sucks.  But, if I'm going to start the training season healthy, I have to take at least 4 week off from running.  I thought I'd be back sooner but the development of this lower ab strain called athletic pubalgia, is going to take time to fix.  I had it 10 yrs ago much worse.  The problem with this injury is that it's not bad enough to keep me from sprinting if I really want to do it, but it will just get progressively worse as it did in 2011 to the point where it hurt to get out of bed or sit up.  If it gets bad, it can be a chronic issue like plantar fasciitis, and I don't want that.  Fortunately, this is not nearly that bad.  

Looking back at my blog, I first started noticing lower ab pain in early June.  Didn't think much of it.  So, it got progressively worse over the next 2 months.  Still, it didn't hinder my performance significantly through my last meet.  It's the type of injury that doesn't feel too bad once you're warmed up.  It's basically a tendinosis that involves the attachments of the lower abs and my left adductor to the pelvis.  The only thing that really irritates it is the violent movement of sprinting where the torque on these muscular attachments is at the max.   

At the gym tonight, I can do quite a bit of training, but nothing like sprinting.  Stairmaster and rowing are going to be my mainstays indoors... which is going to get old real soon.  Biking outdoors.  

Glute machine seems ok.  I found the 65lb dumbells I use with this machine and will try them tomorrow night.  Abductor machine, prone and side planks are also good.  I noticed the adductor machine hurts in certain ranges, so I'll need to avoid that for a while.   

Also, doing a plant based diet for a while.  Really digging these dishes with veggies and konjac noodles.  What would I do without garlic and olive oil?   I don't know.  My weight is ok ... holding around 143 -144.  

I was hoping that I could carry my hard earned fitness into regular track training this early fall, but it looks as if I may not be running for at least another 2-4 weeks, and when I return, start with stairs and hills.  

There is plenty of time if I start running again by late Sept... should be race ready by Jan.  So, in the mean time, this will be my world... actually fortunate to have these facilities available every day:

Stairmaster hill program  -  25 min

Concept 2 rower - 2000m - 9:30 min

weights