Did: PT session with 1.35mi on anti-g treadmill at 45% bodyweight
I wore my "Not Running Sucks" shirt to PT today and have my therapist a laugh. Today's session was a bit more strength heavy than past weeks. My PT told me he could see I was feeling strong today. I explained that sitting in a van for 200mi, watching your teammates run the race you were supposed to be doing, kind of leaves you rarin' to go. We did some heavier weights on various machines, more balance exercises with additional external forces, and, my fave, 10min on the alter-g.
Tuesday
Did: nothing
I meant to do something, anything, today... but it didn't happen.
Wednesday
Did: PT session with 1.35mi on anti-g treadmill at 50% bodyweight
Today was a very good day. I did a bunch of balance-y exercises, some weights, some anti-g running, and even some controlled "jumping" (horizontal slider board of sorts).
Also talked to my PT about the path forward. His unofficial estimate would be about a month and a half until I'm "back". We also went through my doctor's notes, which were finally published, and they cleared up a lot of the confusion I had before BC. As expected, the doctor had a bit of a misunderstanding regarding where I was in recovery. And, as a surprise, he'd actually written that I no longer needed to be in the boot... If he communicated that to me, it wasn't done nearly explicitly enough. This means that I could have been boot-free for Bourbon Chase and might even have been able to walk a leg. Oh well. Extra time off my foot = faster recovery.
The best news is that, because I no longer need to wear the boot, I can walk the 5K I have planned for Saturday with my munchkin in the stroller. I've never been so happy to be able to WALK a 5K before. <3
Thursday
Did: bootcamp
For as much as I claim I miss working out and want to be "part of it all" again, I sure had a hard time going to bootcamp this morning. My mind was filled with bogus thoughts. Thoughts like:
"I'm really tired. It would be nice to get an extra hour of sleep."
"It's uncomfortable to go someplace when you haven't been in awhile. What if I'm not welcome?"
"I don't have to wear my boot anymore, but maybe I should? Just to look 'injured' since I'm asking for a modified workout?"
"What if people look at me weird because I'm not doing the same workout they are?"
"I didn't get to see the potato because I worked late last night. Maybe I should skip bootcamp so I can have a morning with him."
All of it = BS. This is exactly the sort of stuff that creeps into everyone's head when they decide to start working out for the first time. Here's the thing: no one is watching you or judging you during a workout. And, if they are, who cares? You're there for you, and you alone.
That said, I still would have bailed if I hadn't told our instructor that I'd be there and didn't know he was expecting me. :P
As soon as I pulled up, I felt better. The gym is familiar. The smell, even, is comforting. I felt welcomed, even though M (instructor) wasn't out and about yet, but, rather, back in his office. When I walked over to greet him, all of my "oh, I haven't been here in awhile, it's gonna be weird" worries melted away. See, M as a cross between my friend JC and Matthew McConaughey's character from Sweet Home Alabama-- just the sort of guy who can get along with anyone, and brighten their day. He's got the perfect personality for a fitness instructor, and was just the sort of welcoming person I needed to remind me of why I was there.
Today's workout board looked deceptively easy:
5 rounds of:
12 pull-ups (your choice of variation)
I started each round with jump pull-ups, doing as many as I could, before switching to the modified ones. I made it through 6 the first round, and then 3-4 on the remaining.
12 KB dead lifts, each leg
Wasn't sure about my right foot, so I did 26lb on that one and 35lb on the other.
12 KB push presses from floor
26lb felt too easy on round 1, so I used 35lb for the rest
24 kimura sit-ups
enjoyed these :)
1 fence run or 2 min jump rope
I skipped this in favor of a minute plank
I left feeling endorphin-ful and happy. :) Very glad I went.
Finished the day off with 2x PT exercises, and a lot of stretching. I can already tell I'm going to be sore tomorrow.
Friday
Did: bootcamp
I realized this morning, when I couldn't so much as roll over in bed without feeling the DOMS that I did 60 pull-ups yesterday. Yes, they were modified, but I did 60 of them. So proud. :D
I went to bootcamp again today (and had friends literally cheering for me when I pulled into the parking lot, which was awesome). It was a back-to-back day, so I already planned on taking it super easy. This return to a regular workout schedule is just that: a return to it. I wanted nothing more from this morning other than for my body to get used to getting up early and being active again.
M modified the workout for me, and I ended up with 3x45s/15s of:
1. wall sit with 15lb medicine ball
2. roll-outs
3. single leg squats
4. kettlebell rows (26#)
5. glute bridges
6. high row on suspension system
7. jacknives
8. knee push-ups on burpee bars
9. flat-palm situps
then 2x through:
- 20 deep squats
- 15 leg lift with hip raise
- 20 hand release push-ups (knees)
I also decided to tack on a 30min anti-gravity treadmill run at the track club. This wasn't my brightest idea. I was already super sore from my bootcamp workouts, and ended up cutting the run to only about 15-20min since my hamstrings were pretty sure from the KB deadlifts on Thursday. No sense pushing through something that doesn't need pushing through. See, I'm learning lessons here... ;)
Saturday
Did: walked a 5K with the potato and my running mamas
I had signed up to do a neighbor's charity 5K with the stroller awhile ago, and was grateful that it wasn't "just a race". The event had an amazing fall festival for families that went along with it, which meant there was lots to distract me from my injury. Jerry and I ended up walking the 5K (which was actually a 2.85mi loop) with the munchkin and one of my running mama friends and her baby. I was so grateful for the company! I walked almost double my normal running pace (16:40ish/mi), not pushing at all, just enjoying the 47:51 with my friends and the kiddos.
 |
| OK, why do I look faster in a finish chute picture where I'm WALKING than I ever have in any running finish chute pics? :P |
Sunday
Did: ~11mi cycling with trailer @ ~11mph
Today was a tough one. Jerry and I were both supposed to run the Atlanta 10 Miler today, and both planning on rocking the Cardiac Hill mile challenge. Instead, we skipped the race entirely since neither of us can run. While we had a fun family morning at the zoo, it was still really tough to see so much awesome (like one of my #10KTuesday teammates winning the Cardiac Hill challenge) coming from friends on FB and know that we weren't a part of it this year.
I hoped to combat this feeling by making today a fun, family bike ride on the greenway. The work that was required to make this happen was insane. I'm sure that stroller running with a toddler requires at least half the amount of preparation, but, already being a runner, and wanting to do it on a regular basis with no end in sight makes it a lot easier.
In order to make this family fun afternoon happen, we had to:
- research and buy a used bike trailer
- attempt to fit said bike trailer in a convertible Mustang when purchasing
- realize we were missing a key adapter for said bike trailer and purchase it separately
- take apart a bike (not completely, but enough for this non-hands-on person to get nervous about) to install said adapter
- adjust shoulder straps in trailer and get kid to accept being put in trailer
- learn how to collapse and un-collapse bike trailer
- learn how to attach bike trailer to bike
- buy toddler helmet for kid
- attempt to convince kid that helmet is cool and get it to stay on his head
- research bike racks for car (because we aren't comfortable crossing a main road with the bike trailer to reach the greenway from our house)
- buy bike rack
- figure out how to install bike rack
- realize that bike rack cannot accommodate a women's bike unless you have a special adapter
- end up having to drive TWO cars over to greenway, one with one bike on trunk rack and kid in carseat and the other with women's bike and bike trailer crammed into it
Getting to the point where we had both bikes operational and at the greenway with everyone mounted on/in them correctly, with helmets, was NOT a fun experience. I think I broke down crying twice, and, honestly, if I weren't so stubborn about making this happen, we would have scrapped the whole thing... at several different points in time.
The ride itself felt good... once I got used to towing a trailer. But, within three miles, it was obvious that:
1) I'm out of practice on the bike
2) towing a trailer makes biking harder (no, duh)
3) my hamstrings still have not recovered from Thursday's KB deadlifts
We rode a little under 6 miles out to a brewery that's right off the greenway (well, right off and up a nice little switchback), and I was really glad to have the break (and the beer). It ended up being a great way to spend the afternoon. The return trip was much easier (more downhill), and the munchkin did great in the trailer, reading his books, drinking water (and storing it in the pocket when not in use!), and, *sigh*, taking off his helmet. Packing things back into the cars at the end of the ride was also easier than expected.
I don't think we'll make a regular thing of this once we're both healed, but, until we can run again, it's nice to know we can cross-train as a family.
 |
No comments:
Post a Comment