Returning from Injury

I had pool physical therapy again today--it was my second visit. Why?

Well, I sprained my left foot back in November. Then, I hurt my left knee in January. Oy.

I'm happy to report that I'm on the mend, but still have a long way to go in terms of my physical fitness.  I'd hoped to be able to walk a 5K by November, but I think I might need to stretch that goal into 2018.

More Crosstraining

I'm still taking a break from running as the plantar fasciitis in my left foot heals. Meanwhile, I've been to the gym two days in a row now to crosstrain on the gym equipment, and it's been a surprisingly refreshing break from running. I think part of it is that I've been able to concentrate a little more on grad school, now that I've let go of my running training plan for a bit.

In some ways, I feel like I've traded in my identity as a runner for a new identity as a part-time grad student. I'm definitely enjoying grad school, though it's a lot of work and has wiped out much of my free time. I'm not ready to totally ditch running, but it could be that I need to adjust my goals for the next few years and concentrate on different ones. For instance, in my quest to run more half marathons, I have missed running the 5K races that I ran when I first started running again. One of the bright sides of training for shorter distances is that I'd run less chance of having the recurring pain in my right toes at distances of 3-4 miles (due to extra long metatarsals, not interested in bone-shortening surgery, thank you very much).

So, we'll see! Meanwhile, I'm back on the elliptical and the stationary bike, plus some weight lifting and other things. Maybe I'll plug into a fitness class or two for the social thing that I'm missing with the running group.

Tuesday at the Gym

1) Rode 7.2 miles (40 min) on the recumbent bike
2) Walked 0.6 mile (10:15 min) on the treadmill
3) Ran 2.16 miles (26:05 min) on the treadmill

I'm still feeling a little shy about adding up the miles again, not wanting to get reinjured, eventhough my runs lately have been feeling really good! At the end of my workouts lately, when I HAVE to get ready for work, I've been wanting to spend more time running.

A Half Marathon on the Bike

Well, I decided to hold back on running either the half marathon or the 5K this morning. I knew I'd probably try to go faster than I should on the 5K race, and running the half marathon distance was out of the question.

So, I headed to the gym and hopped on the recumbent bike first. Several miles into the ride, I wondered if I could go 13.1 miles on the recumbent bike. I decided to give it a try and see how I felt. I ended up overshooting the half marathon distance to hit a multiple of 5s in the exercise minutes category. (It adds up to extra points earnings with SparkPeople and the Presidents Challenge to do multiple of 5s in exercise minutes. An odd little motivator, but there it is!)

1) Rode 13.35 miles (1 hr, 5min) on the recumbent bike
2) Walked 0.90 mile (15 min) on the treadmill
3) Ran 0.16 mile (2:07 min) on the treadmill--this I shouldn't have tried, especially last, after 90 minutes of working out already. I'm not quite ready for running action yet, so I'm relieved I didn't go to Raleigh for the races today. I'm getting closer, but not quite there yet.

Wednesday Morning Workout

1) Walked 3.57 miles (1:05:00) on the treadmill
2) Ran 0.15 miles (2 min) on the treadmill

The running just didn't work. The right hip (flexor?) still hurts. Bummer! *sigh*

Tried a Little Running

This morning I did 35 minutes (2.79 miles) on the elliptical, them tried a couple minutes of running on the treadmill for .16 miles. My strain is a little sore now from the running. Maybe shouldn't have done that! So now I know my body's not ready for running again yet. *sigh*

More Elliptical

I was back on the elliptical machine this morning, doing 3.53 miles in 45 minutes. I'm still a little sore from yesterday's visit to the sports medicine clinic--lots of stretching to pinpoint my injury. That'll get better, I know.

I have noticed that my stress level is up since I haven't been able to run my usual mileage. Grrrr.

Doctors' Visits

This morning I had my second doctor's visit in two days. Yesterday was a general follow-up with my primary care physician re: my diabetes. Today I met with the orthopaedist at the sports medicine clinic about my self-diagnosed groin pull. I mentioned the groin pull to my doctor yesterday, but today's session was most helpful on that concern. I was evaluated ahead of time by a couple of people-intern types, I think, and then the doctor came in. Both times I got stretched and pulled, and it was decided I have a groin strain. It was nice to know I was in the right ballpark. The doctor also concluded that my quads and hamstrings are tight, and that if I don't get more flexible, I'll be back with more injuries. She prescribed four physical therapy sessions (my first is next week), and I'll return to see the doctor in six weeks.

I'm definitely looking forward to the physical therapy sessions, a brilliant idea. I just looked up stretching online, and found this good, but kinda funny website. It wasn't meant to be funny, but the stretches are demonstrated by stick figures. Primitive, but you get the point! Check it out here. The stretch to the left, from this website, is called Bum Stretch # 2.

Still Sore

I did 55 minutes on the elliptical this morning (for 4.39 miles), then tried the treadmill for 5 minutes (.45 miles). The groin pull is better, but still sore. I go to the sports medicine clinic this morning, so I'll report later.

Gave it a Try

I started with 40 minutes on the elliptical machine this morning, and my leg was generally feeling better, so I decided to try running on the treadmill for a bit. I was wondering if I might be able to go slowly in Saturday's race. I ran for 2:30 minutes and logged a slower .2 of a mile. Bad news, my groin muscle hurts a little more now. *sigh* I've made an appointment with a sports medicine doctor, but he can't see me until next week. :-(

Back on the Elliptical

I just couldn't do it this morning...my right leg hurt too much when I tried to run the treadmill. I even started by "warming up" on the elliptical machine for 30 minutes, before trying the treadmill. I think I'm going to have to spend more time of the elliptical for a few days and see how it goes. I called my doctor's office yesterday afternoon, and can't get in until Feb. 25 (she's out of town). *sigh*

Elliptical again

This morning I did 45 minutes on the elliptical and passed on the treadmill. I've been sore in my left foot in the ankle, heel, and in the back of the arch. After some research, it looks like I have tendonitis and plantar fasciitis. (Actually, one of the doctors at the Rice Diet suggested the tendonitis a few weeks ago when I had the ankle pain only.) I'm taking Tylenol/Advil and trying to do an ice pack at night, but it felt especially sore yesterday, so I decided to pass on the treadmill today. Eventhough it was still sore this morning, I pushed for 45 minutes, and now my ankle and heel are feeling better than yesterday. There's something to be said for rest and crosstraining. :)

I did miss running this morning, though, and am looking forward to hooking up with a running group at Umstead Park on Saturday. It'll be my first foray into running groups, and of course I'm a little worried about keeping up. The 6 AM meeting time is good for me, though, even if it's a bit of a drive to Umstead from where I live now. (After next weekend we'll be much closer! Yay!)