Another busy week, starting with a business trip and ending with an Orlando City soccer game.
The trip to New York was productive for work, and I was able to get in a run on a beautiful Tuesday morning. I woke up a bit later than expected since I didn't get to sleep until midnight, but the timing was perfect for some great scenery.
My hotel was in the Financial District, not far from Battery Park which is where I started my run heading east to the East River. The walk turned north along the FDR toward the Brooklyn Bridge. My thoughts when in New York were less flashbacks of my experiences while I lived and worked there after college, and more an effort. I guess that means a lot has happened since I was putting in 100 hour weeks and reading about what I did the next day in the Wall Street Journal. Let me be clear. The articles didn't mention me at all since I was a mere legal assistant at one of New York's large corporate law firms. Those articles were coverage of whatever deal I was working, and validation that what I was doing was important. To someone. It was important to me too, but not so much for the sake of the deal as what that role would be as a foundation for all else that was ahead.
After approaching the Brooklyn Bridge I turned east. Because I got a late jump, I was concerned with the time left to get ready for our meeting. I crossed north of Chinatown then headed south. The run itself was good with the exception of the nagging, slight tightness in my right Achilles left over from the 5K I ran a few days earlier. It loosened up after about a mile, which it usually does when it's tight and a bit sore. The air was crisp and cool, the blue sky accented by an occasional puff of clouds colored by the sunrise to give it character.
The trip to New York was productive for work, and I was able to get in a run on a beautiful Tuesday morning. I woke up a bit later than expected since I didn't get to sleep until midnight, but the timing was perfect for some great scenery.
My hotel was in the Financial District, not far from Battery Park which is where I started my run heading east to the East River. The walk turned north along the FDR toward the Brooklyn Bridge. My thoughts when in New York were less flashbacks of my experiences while I lived and worked there after college, and more an effort. I guess that means a lot has happened since I was putting in 100 hour weeks and reading about what I did the next day in the Wall Street Journal. Let me be clear. The articles didn't mention me at all since I was a mere legal assistant at one of New York's large corporate law firms. Those articles were coverage of whatever deal I was working, and validation that what I was doing was important. To someone. It was important to me too, but not so much for the sake of the deal as what that role would be as a foundation for all else that was ahead.
After approaching the Brooklyn Bridge I turned east. Because I got a late jump, I was concerned with the time left to get ready for our meeting. I crossed north of Chinatown then headed south. The run itself was good with the exception of the nagging, slight tightness in my right Achilles left over from the 5K I ran a few days earlier. It loosened up after about a mile, which it usually does when it's tight and a bit sore. The air was crisp and cool, the blue sky accented by an occasional puff of clouds colored by the sunrise to give it character.
At some point I turned south and remembered the last time I was in the City. We celebrated my mother-in-law's 70th birthday that weekend in Brooklyn. Being a weekend trip with family in Brooklyn, we didn't have a lot of time to go explore Manhattan. My son and I had a flight leaving out of Hartford late Sunday afternoon, so we decided to take a whirlwind tour of New York City. We valeted the rental car on the far southern part of Manhattan, walked to Battery Park to see the Statue of Liberty from afar, took the subway to Grand Central Station, walked to see where I used to work across the street from Grand Central and the Chrysler Building, took a cab back to the Financial District to see the Freedom Tower, walked on Wall Street to see Federal Hall and the New York Stock Exchange, then scurried back to the car in time to make the drive all the way back to Hartford in time for our flight with 15 minutes to spare.
As I turned onto Wall Street darkened by the shade thrown by tall buildings, I remembered a picture of Jacob standing in front of the statue of George Washington at Federal Hall with a hand on each hip and his chest puffed out, Washington looking over him from behind. I turned south in front of the New York Stock Exchange, barricaded to traffic. There weren't many people walking, but there were some and they all walked with a sense of purpose. I ran by them all, and made it to the hotel in time to get ready for my own meeting.
As I turned onto Wall Street darkened by the shade thrown by tall buildings, I remembered a picture of Jacob standing in front of the statue of George Washington at Federal Hall with a hand on each hip and his chest puffed out, Washington looking over him from behind. I turned south in front of the New York Stock Exchange, barricaded to traffic. There weren't many people walking, but there were some and they all walked with a sense of purpose. I ran by them all, and made it to the hotel in time to get ready for my own meeting.
The rest of the week was marked by lack of sleep, and my Achilles taking a long while to warm up in the morning. I went to the gym for a light workout on Wednesday, took Thursday off and ran Friday and yesterday. Yesterday's run was a crisp, clear day in Florida where I ran five 4:00 sessions at 5K pace with 2:00 walk / run breaks in between on the West Orange Trail from Winter Garden. As with earlier in the week, it took the right leg a while to warm up, but it did. For the first time in a long time, I felt strong and loose. The run went well, and I learned I have more in the tank. I also learned I still haven't figured out this whole "pacing" thing. Once again, I went out a bit too hard for the pace I'm trying to keep.
That brings us to right now, and the new / old problem. After the run I started having a tough time. The Achilles started tightening up. Last night I went to an Orlando City Soccer Club game with my daughter and her friend, and I wore compression socks and a Tiger Balm patch. I went to bed, and woke up having to do the Old Man Shuffle. Usually I only have to do that for a few minutes, but today it's not getting loose. So . . . we're back to having a problem with the Achilles. I'll figure out what to do with it, but I need to get this fixed. Looking back, I'm thinking I took the eye off the ball for too long on the strength side. I haven't focused on calves in a few weeks with all the craziness at work. I'm wondering who to ask. I don't want to go see a doc. And my chiro will likely throw Graston on it. Maybe I'll go see my PT guy again. Back in December, I promised to show him my new Jeep after I picked it up, and I'm finally due to pick it up next week. Maybe that's a sign. There's a reason my Jeep rebuild project is three months late.
That brings us to right now, and the new / old problem. After the run I started having a tough time. The Achilles started tightening up. Last night I went to an Orlando City Soccer Club game with my daughter and her friend, and I wore compression socks and a Tiger Balm patch. I went to bed, and woke up having to do the Old Man Shuffle. Usually I only have to do that for a few minutes, but today it's not getting loose. So . . . we're back to having a problem with the Achilles. I'll figure out what to do with it, but I need to get this fixed. Looking back, I'm thinking I took the eye off the ball for too long on the strength side. I haven't focused on calves in a few weeks with all the craziness at work. I'm wondering who to ask. I don't want to go see a doc. And my chiro will likely throw Graston on it. Maybe I'll go see my PT guy again. Back in December, I promised to show him my new Jeep after I picked it up, and I'm finally due to pick it up next week. Maybe that's a sign. There's a reason my Jeep rebuild project is three months late.
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