I began physical therapy (PT) today. It’s a significant milestone in my recovery from a herniated disc and back surgery. It means I can do more than just walk, targeting the core muscles that will be necessary to regain full function of my left leg and foot.

It was the first time I had seen my physical therapist (PT) since July. We stopped the therapy once the decision had been made to have surgery. I was eager to hear her assessment of my condition, especially since she hadn’t seen me since I could barely move. While I feel I have made some significant improvements in the past two weeks, my recollection of my situation – or anything, for that matter – before then is all rather hazy (something I attribute to the combination of Vicodin and pain – and yes, unfortunatley, those two are not mutually exclusive when it comes to nerve injuries).

The first thing my physical therapist said when she saw me walk in this morning was, “Wow, you’ve come a long way!” That was music to my ears (and back). After catching her up on my surgery and recovery activities to date – mainly walking – she said she wants to start me off slowly. Specifically, I am to do just three stretches each day. Any more than that and she fears my nerve will react and we’ll end up taking steps backwards. She does expect, though, that we’ll be able to increase movement and exercises soon enough as the nerve continues to heal.

She explained that a nerve that has been severely damaged take time to heal, usually 3 – 6 months. I was relieved to hear her say that constricted will often take 3 – 6. Not  because I am fond of extreme conditions, but rather, because I was beginning to wonder if I was not going to have a full recovery (the mind plays out worst-case-scenarios with any bit of negative data it can get a hold of). The specific timeframe also helps me remember to be patient as the road to recovery is a long one.

After she showed me the exercises and stretches I am to do, I mustered up the energy to ask a question I thought I didn’t want to hear the answer to. I hesitantly mentioned that I had my eye on a 10k trail race in December. I cringed, waiting for her to tell me there was no way in hell she was going to let me run any time this year.

However, much to my surprise, my physical therapist said running the race wasn’t out of the question! That’s fantastic news. There isn’t another 5k or 10k trail run nearby until February, and I’ve found that having a race to set my sights on helps me plan and continue to train.

I am excited to be to put a plan together for a real race. It will be a rather unique plan, though, as it will have to include several weeks of walking and other exercising before I can even get to ground zero. But a plan that starts with walking yet leads to running is a whole lot better than no plan at all. Plus, it will help me feel like a real runner again. For the first time in 5 months I will be able to say I’m training for a race – the unofficial requisite conversation starter to prove you are a real runner and not just a want-to-be, I’ve discovered.

The race I will start training for tomorrow is put on by the Pacific Coast Trail Runs organization and will occur within Huddart State Park in beautiful Woodside, CA, on December 5, 2009. It’s called the Woodside Trail Run, and in addition to the 10k, offers the distances of 17k, 35k, or 50k . It’s a beautiful time of the year in Northern California and should be a blast. It would be great to see you out there!

So, I need to pull a 10-week training program together in the next couple of days to prepare myself to successfully run 10 kilometers the first week in December. I used the training program on Runner’s World’s website to create a customized plan in the Spring when I was training for the SF Half. But I’ve lost faith in Runner’s World of late so find myself back to square one. The Jeff Galloway walk/run program makes a lot of sense, but I don’t know.

What do you think?

• Do you have a favorite training program?
• Can you give me any advice to help me prepare for a 10k trail run over just 10 weeks?