Training Update: Progress! New Milestones and Future Plans

Today I finished my longest training run so far (10 miles) and my first 5-day training week. This ends a particularly productive 3-week period of training, where I was able to execute all my planned workouts. 

The "tread striders" workout I've described before (30 seconds of increased speed with 1:30 jog rest intervals) has been paying off. The first time I did that workout a few months ago I topped out at 7 mph. During my last tread striders workout, I did the last 6 repeats at 9 mph (6:40/mile). My form is holding up. Looking at my data on Garmin Connect, I can see that my stride actually looks much better in terms of left/right balance when I'm running faster (green and yellow points on graph below). I'm still spending much more time on my left (uninjured) leg when I run slowly (red points on the graph).

I'm thinking of running a half-marathon in December. I was going to ditch the tread striders temporarily and try to do some maxVO2 running (with the help of the treadmill incline...I'm not nearly fast enough to get my HR near its max on flat ground). However, I've made such great strides (dad-joke intended) over the past 3 weeks with the tread striders, I feel it would be crazy not to ride the momentum for further gains. Improving my top-end speed will increase the number of workouts I can do at full speed on flat ground.

While I'm on the topic of my tentatively planned half marathon in December...though I'm ditching my plan to do a maxVO2 phase to train for it, I'll still try to tickle higher HRs during some of my workouts to get some improvement in my maxVO2. I'll try to do some tempo work for the last 5 or 6 weeks before the half as well. I know this sounds a bit crazy and over the top for my first race back...but I want to be able to push the pace at least a little bit and not worry that my right knee was going to explode. I know I can finish a half-marathon right now (I was not struggling at all at the end of my 10 miler today), but I want to run a race that I feel prepared for...and see how fast I can go while staying within the capability and tolerance of my repaired knee.

I'm still doing strength training focusing on my right leg...mostly with weights. After both of my BFR cuffs developed slow leaks...I've switched to regular non-BFR weightlifting. It is a little scary working with heavier weights (on leg extensions, for example) using my surgically repaired knee, but I seem to be holding up. I think it is important to keep working on strength in my right quad...it seems to rapidly weaken if I miss strength workouts.

From a physical therapy standpoint, I'm still working on getting up and down stairs in a normal way. I've made progress on going up. I'm into the office for work now 3 days per week, and I usually go up the stairs once or twice during the day. I still take the elevator down. I'm going to start working harder on going down the stairs very soon. I do some step-up and step-down exercises 2 days per week with an 8-inch step as part of my strength training.

To sum up, my right knee still feels far from normal. I've continued to make slow but steady progress. I have no idea how far I'll be able to go or how fast I will get. I'm going to continued this experiment and push forward to find out.