Running at 55

About a month ago I headed out for a rare December run in the Minnesota outdoors.  We were in the 20 degree range, the sun was out, and there was no wind, so I decided to give it a shot.  Our winters are so brutal, and the treadmill is so boring, that when one gets a chance to get outdoors, one takes it.

I had gone perhaps 600 yards when my right calf started barking.  At my age, something is always barking, so I told myself I'd run through it as my body warmed up.

100 more yards and the barking was constant.  50 yards later, the bark turned into a scream.

I pulled up with a significant limp.  I limped my way home; angry at myself for not listening and ending up on the disabled list.

Since that time, it's been a lot of stretching, elliptical, and bike work.  I tried running a couple of times but always ended up pulling up as the twinge in my calf returned.  

Finally, today, I was able to complete a two-mile run.  My cardio was really solid, but I definitely wasn't in "running shape."  That's something I can build to - the goal now is to do so while remaining healthy.  

There's a lot of things that suck about being in your mid-fifties.  Staying healthy is probably at the top of that list.