For reference, here’s last week’s data. Curious what this post is about? Click here to find out.

Summary

I did OK with my plan for the week, but I had a big decision to make. And I’ve made it. Read on for more (and do click the links… they’re fun J ).

Subjective Data

I did some (not much) weight lifting, tried some spinning, and went to see a physical therapist. Why? Because the pain from my run last Saturday did not subside as quickly as I would have liked. I also went back to my ortho-specialist to see what he thought and had an MRI. The result: nothing is broken, but I have a bad sprain and lots of bruising in my right foot.

My eating wasn’t great later in the week, and my numbers show it.

Objective Data

Click here for a PDF version of my dashboard.

Assessment

I had dinner on Thursday with my friends Jim and Sudipta (who by the way has a great new kids book on sale now… The Mine-O-Saur. Check it out). And during the conversation I asked them for their advice on whether to run or not. I thought Jim’s response is a good candidate for quote of the month:

You’re not Kenyan – the marathon is not a life defining event for you. If you injure yourself permanently during the run, it will become a life-defining event. Don’t make this a life defining event!

Well, facts are facts. I had a stress fracture, but now I have nerve pinching, swelling and bruising in my right foot. I get sharp piercing pain any time I stand up after sitting for 45 minutes or more. I could try to run the marathon on Sunday of next week, but odds are that (a) the pain would become unbearable late in the race and (b) I’ll permanently injure myself by re-breaking the stress-fracture or doing something else stupid as my body compensates over 26 miles to avoid the pain.

So, this morning I notified Team Continuum that I would not run, and have been guaranteed a spot in next year’s marathon. I’m going to take at least 6-8 weeks off running, and then work with a physical-therapist to slowly ramp up again. I’d like to target doing a marathon in the April or May timeframe of next year (and then maybe I do NY next year, maybe not…) – let me know if you have suggestions for one to do.

Also, thanks to everyone for their suggestions (public and private) on what to do. I really appreciate the feedback and support. In case folks are wondering on the breakdown of “live to fight another day” vs. “go for it!” the breakdown was:

Telling, no?

Plan

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed – I am. But when God gives you lemons, you find a new God. Whoops, I mean, you regroup and start again. So, the plan for this week is continue my new weight lifting routine, do some spinning, continue physical therapy, and then… get ready for Mexico. J and I are off to Mexico for 5 days next week (so, no updates next week). When I return, there will be a new format for tracking the metrics on my winter goals, which to remind you are:

1. Be able to swim 1km without stopping by 3/1/08. This is really about form and balance for me.
2. Gain 5-10 pounds from my 11/5/07 weight while keeping a 32 inch max waist by 3/1/08 (I’m expecting my 11/5 weight to be around 153-158).
3. For weight lifting, increase my 1RM by 5% on average across the board by 3/1/08 from my 10/30 1RMs (1RM = 1-Rep-Maximum).

Presentation Notes

No changes to data presentation this week. As with last week, data is presented in SOAP Note format.

– Art

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