Plantar Fascia Tear: Week 9

Week-Beginning Thoughts:
I'm so over this being injured thing. This sucks. I hate it. I hate not knowing when I'll get my life back. I hate not being able to plan for next year. I hate constantly having to choose between interrupting my work day to run or staying focused and not running. I hate not being able to plan workouts when I'm on vacation because I have no equipment and can't just go outside and run. I hate not running on Thanksgiving, which has been a tradition every year of my marriage. I hate it. 


Monday:
Planned: PT, 1hr Alter-G
Did: 5mi in 35min @ 75% bodyweight on Alter-G
Felt sick, headache-y and nauseous this morning, had some family car trouble, and some work stress... bailed on PT, but ended up feeling okay enough to go run at lunch. Honestly, though, I didn't want to go run. Running on the Alter-G isn't fun. It's a chore. It's work that I have to do and put in if I want to be stronger on the flip side of this injury, and that is the only reason I'm continuing to do it.



Tuesday
Planned: 1000m swim or 10KTuesday walk
Did: arms/abs Youtube video, Yoga YouTube video, 1.5mi stroller walk
Holiday travel meant I only had from 5-6am to workout. Jerry wanted to do 10KTuesday today, so I stayed home with the sleeping munchkin instead of swimming or doing 10KTuesday as a walk. Not knowing what the week would bring (we're traveling to see family and I won't have access to an Alter-G, pool, bike, or weights), I wanted to at least do SOMETHING. 

Opted for about 45min of YouTube workouts and got just under 10000 steps for the day with a short stroller walk to the neighborhood park at our travel destination.  


Wednesday
Planned: nothing
Did: 4.25mi stroller walk @ 15:11/mi avg
Had an opportunity to get a solo walk in with the munchkin, and did a substantial walk around the in-laws' neighborhood. While I enjoyed being outside, it was pretty hard to see a few other strollers being pushed by running parents and not get jealous... 


Thursday
Planned: 5K walk while Jerry continues our family tradition of Thanksgiving Day races
Did: Turkey Trot 10K in 1:27:53, 1.5mi stroller walk 
The first year we were married, we decided to start a family tradition of doing a race on Thanksgiving Day. Every year since, no matter where we are, we've made it happen (with the small exception of the year I was supposed to run the Thanksgiving Half, but ended up having a baby instead-- and we'll hold that over the kid forever).

There isn't a 5K option where we are this year, so my choices were to make everyone get to the race an hour+ earlier than necessary so that I could walk a 1mi or suck it up and do the 10K. A 10K is a really, really long way to walk... but I wanted to earn my Thanksgiving dinner, so I signed myself up for it, knowing that, once I was signed up, I wouldn't back out.

an attempt at accurate self-seeding--- all the way in the back

I had a tentative goal of 1:40 (around 16min/mi), but was hoping for a 15:00 average pace (1:33), but wasn't going to do anything crazy to get there. I used my arms and strode like a boss off the line, but didn't even bother to turn on my watch or look at my pace at all along the course. 

Walking was hard. It was hard to be different from the rest of my family (Jerry, the potato, and my father-in-law were all at the front of the pack). It was hard to feel like and outsider. It was hard to have SO MUCH TIME to stare at the course marshal volunteers from the time we made eye contact to the time that I passed them. And it was hard to keep going when I could feel blisters starting to form on the soles of my feet. (Knowing full well that it would be really hard not to run even a few steps here and there, I self-sabotaged by wearing normal pants, a hoodie, and Ugg boots.)

When I saw the finish clock from just before the 6mi mark, it read 1:28. I'd started with at least a 2min lag from gun time, which meant I had a shot at not only hitting 1:30, but breaking it. HECK YES. I power-walked that last quarter mile like a champ, and was so proud to have finished not only under 1:30, but in 1:27:48. 

I can't say that I enjoyed doing the race, but I am seriously proud of myself for getting out and getting it done. I spent the rest of the day knowing I'd done a solid bit of exercising, continued our family tradition, and really felt like I'd earned that finisher medal, more than I ever would have if I'd just been able to run it. 

family running!

Also did a post-dinner walk to/from the park with the munchkin.  


Friday
Planned: who knows
Did: a couple miles of walking along the oceanfront and through neighborhoods
Legs and butt = SO SORE. 

Saturday
Planned: idk
Did: a few push-ups with the munchkin on my back (YEAAAAAAH), 2 sets of core exercises

Sunday
Planned: try to swim once baby boy goes to bed
Did: nada
Got super sick in the morning, felt absolutely dead all day. 


Week-ending Thoughts:
Blergh. 

Also, I don't think I've EVER had this much variety in my training:

Now with more cross-training!

Plantar Fascia Tear: Week 8

Week Beginning Thoughts:
I cannot wait for Thanksgiving. This having to interrupt my work day to get a run in and driving instead of using mass transit thing is completely stressing me out. 

Monday
Planned: 30min run on Alter-G
Did: 4.15mi in 30min @ 70% bodyweight on Alter-G
Too busy to jot any notes down after the run, and I've forgotten how this went... 

Tuesday
Planned: 10KTuesday on Alter-G
Did: 6.23 in 45:00 @ 70% bodyweight on the Alter-G
I remember this one feeling like SUCH a chore. I didn't want to run, but I wanted to have run. I played games with myself the whole time, doing little bursts of speed before the major milestones, trying to get certain times for various distances, and then, finally, realizing I had a shot at hitting a 45:00 10K and gunning the last half mile (we're talking sub-5:30/mi pace)

It felt really good to push that hard. I was exhausted, out of breath, with tired legs, and a HUGE smile on my face. Man, I cannot wait to get back on the track.

Wednesday
Planned: bootcamp
Did: bootcamp
Solid KB workout today. I'm really enjoying these workouts compared to the HIIT/bodyweight ones. I feel really challenged AND I don't have to worry about my foot at all because there's no real intensity... only strength-related struggles. This is a particularly good thing since my foot ached a little bit this morning- probably a result of running a 10K yesterday--- which is a good reminder that, whether I'm cleared to run this month or later, I can't go from zero to what I was doing pre-injury. :P 

18lb deadlift (hams are dead after 10KT) and pullover
12lb push press (sooooo hard)
35lb for most things
53lb for swings (#beast!)

Thursday
Planned: 1000m swim, PT
Did: 1.56 in 10:30 @ 83% bodyweight at PT, PT
Didn't feel like getting up after a late night of work to swim and then go to PT, so I slept in and "just" went to PT. Did a heavier weight than ever before on the AlterG, and it almost feels like I'm running un-assisted... which means it's going to be a real shocker whenever I'm back on the roads and having to support my entire bodyweight. :P 

Ran faster than ever before, though, and had no pain or aching during any activity. Hoping this means I'll still have some speed whenever I can get back.


Friday
Planned: bootcamp, 30min AlterG
Did: bootcamp, stretch
Our instructor sent this workout out the night before as a teaser, and I could not wait to do it! Bootcamp was a great start to another hectic day at the office, and I bailed on my AlterG run both due to work and the fact that I wanted to give my foot a bit of a break after putting it through 10mi on back-to-back M/T runs (not my brightest idea--- I'll probably only be doing 2-3 days a week for awhile). 





Saturday
Planned: cheer on Running Mama/10KTuesday friend in her first marathon
Did: 10000+ steps doing just that
This was amazing. There's really not much more to say that than. Being there for someone's first marathon is just a great experience, and our whole girls team there together was just the best.

#10KTuesday #team #marathonmama

Sunday
Planned: 1000m swim
Did: 1000m swim and a 10mi bike with trailer @ ~11mph
Had to sit through a gym membership spiel in order to activate my 14 day pass to a local gym. Man, I'm so glad I'm confident in myself and my fitness these days. I don't feel like I have to defend why I don't want to join right now, or why I won't use all the classes. I realized today that I know what's best for me and my body, and that the gym membership salespeople really don't have any interest in getting people fit; they just know the buzzwords they're supposed to say. lol.

I felt really comfortable in the pool, though I'm still not putting my face in the water to breathe. I know that, if I want to do that, I need to do a LOT more breathing drills before trying to add strokes to it, and I just don't want to invest the time right now. That said, I feel really good about my backstroke, and am definitely able to get all the workout I need/want from that right now. 

500yd backstroke with fins in 19:47
150yd easy kicks to take a breather
350yd backstroke without fins in 11:53

Hadn't planned on anything else, but ended up doing a 10mi bike ride with the family in the afternoon. Took it easy and did an ONB 10mi around 11mph.

Week-ending Thoughts:
Having felt some dull aches in my right heel this week, I'm no longer confident that I'll be released to run at my month-end appointment. I'm no longer confident I'll be running at all in December. This seems to be one of those injuries that you're supposed to let heal and then, once you don't feel any pain or aches, leave it be for another month... and then start back really slowly. Blergh. 

Plantar Fascia Tear: Week 7

Beginning of the Week Thoughts:
I hate being sick. Ain't nobody got time for this.

Monday
Planned: bootcamp
Did: ~1mi lunch walk
Sick. Slept in. Felt like such a bum when a friend asked what I was doing for cross-training that I made myself get out at lunch and walk, because any little thing I can do this next month+ will help me be stronger when I come back. Plus, it's 73 degrees in November. 


Tuesday
Planned: 1500m swim
Did: bootcamp
I had the munchkin from 6:30-9:30am for a variety of appointments, which meant no swimming (pool opens at 7am). I really did NOT want to go to bootcamp today. My throat was still a little scratchy. My bed was warm. It was a "long" (15min. lol) drive over there. All sorts of things were telling me to stay in bed and skip the workout.

...but I knew that I'd feel better going about the rest of the day, whatever it brought, if I had the knowledge I'd already worked out. So, I went.

I got to see the 10KTuesday crew start and finish, because I drove right by them. Even not being able to talk (since I lose my voice when I'm sick), it was still beautiful to reunite with them for a few minutes.

Bootcamp was also amazing, and I was glad to be there as soon as I arrived, as usual. 

3x45s/15s:
KB deadlift to high pull (35lb)
half get-ups with KB (12lb)
toe taps (didn't jump with these, only touches with at least one foot on the ground at all times)
reverse lunges with KB (35lb)
two-hand OH press with KB (35lb)
varying bodyweight exercise

and then 2x through:
20 rotational planks
25 elbow-to-knee sit-ups
fence walk

wee, bootcamp!

Also, by the time 11am rolled around I was INCREDIBLY stressed and really glad to have already worked out.




Wednesday
Planned: PT, 30min Alter G run
Did: 1.38mi in 10min @ 75% bodyweight at PT, PT, 3.5mi @ 7:24/mi @ 70% bodyweight on ATC Alter-G
I'm feeling more like myself these days, both in terms of not being sick (still can't sing much, but have a voice and feel OK) and getting active. My legs are sore. I'm hungry again. I'm proud of myself. :)

Still, it's so hard to claw my way back to a fit life. The first few weeks of an injury are hard because you're unable to do what you're used to doing. After that you're used to doing nothing, so changing your routine BACK to being active is tough.

I'm not just fighting inactivity, I'm also having to really modify my schedule and find time to workout. 

ATC's Alter-G 
It's great, but their hours suck for my schedule. 
1) they don't open until 8am, which means I can't start work at the office any earlier than 9am, and, if I want to get there at 8am, I'm fighting traffic
2) anywhere I go after ATC, I need to shower... and they don't have shower facilities available (fortunately, my office gym DOES)
3) I can't run at ATC after work, because their last appt is 4pm

So I can either shift my work hours or try to run during lunch and still fit in a shower. Running during lunch has been impossible due to a variety of company training sessions and other meetings. 

Swimming
The pool I joined also doesn't open until 7am, which means I can only use it on my WFH days, and timing is still tight. Joining one that has 5am openings would have cost too much.

Cycling 
Can only happen at lunch on WFH days OR on the weekends because I won't ride on the roads or while it's dark outside.

Bootcamp
This works in my schedule, well enough. It doesn't start until 5:30, though, and requires 30min of driving RT, which means I'm not home in time to help get the kiddo ready for the day, and have to rush a little myself to get to work on time. It's just not ideal to do 5 days a week, plus I only max for a max of 3. 



Thursday
Planned: bootcamp, 1000m swim
Did: bootcamp
Another morning where I had to talk myself into getting out of bed and going to bootcamp. I don't know why it's so hard for me to get up and go. I think the biggest challenge is still just getting up and having to drive somewhere. Second to that are: 1) bootcamp's timing means I'm not around to help with the kid, and 2) I don't have the same social pull with bootcamp as I do with my running group. 

Ultimately, I got up and got it done. I'm making "acquaintances" with more people at bootcamp, and I swear our instructor's friendliness and encouragement could not be better. And, just like always, I was glad to have done it.

Scrapped the swim because I haven't seen my kid in far too long, and wanted to have at least a few minutes at breakfast with him. Still got showered and out of the house before the pool would have even OPENED. Good choice. 



Friday
Planned: PT, 30min Alter G run
Did: 1.37mi @ 7:30/mi at 78% bodyweight, PT, 3.37mi @ 7:20/mi at 70% bodyweight on Alter-G
This was a rough day life-wise, and yet another day that showed me that when people say "I don't have time to work out", there might be a little truth to it. I had a 6am PT appointment, where I ran at 78% bodyweight (wooo, no pain or problems), and then had my butt kicked by around real workout. PT started off as pretty basic stuff six weeks ago, but, man, I really need to start counting this as a workout for the day. I'm sweating through my exercises and actually getting a bit of cardio in beyond the treadmill portion.

Some of the things I'm doing:

1. Calf stretches on an inclined board
2. 10min Alter-G run
3. Balancing on my "bad" foot on a trampoline while throwing balls at another (vertical) trampoline
4. BAPS board- stand on bad foot on an elliptical board with a small off-center hemisphere on the bottom, shift weight to get the perimeter of the board on the ground
5. Rocker board- slow touches back and forth
6. Eccentric calf raises
7. Steamboats
8. Various agility ladder exercises (where I'm told I definitely have a dance background because my arms don't move... lol) 
9. Lateral jumps between cones
10. Toe touches and shuffles on a step box
11. Plyo jumps on this guy:
12. Scar tissue massage
13. Ice

I had another day at work where I really wanted to skip the "second part" of my PT- a 30min run on the Alter-G, which was later in the day. I felt like I didn't have time for it, but I chose to go anyway, telling myself that it would only take an hour, and it would give me a much-needed break and mental reset before going back to the office. 

It did. I was able to think through a lot of my subsequent tasks while running, planning out a "mode of attack" for the afternoon. That said, I had a hard time focusing on the run, and really enjoying it. I hit a bit of a wall around the 3mi mark where I was done running and ready to get back to work. Running on a treadmill is like that- there's nothing to hold your interest, and, without the necessity of needing to run back to where you started, there's nothing to keep you from stopping when the first thought of "ehhhh, I'm done with this" strikes. 

Glad I went over and did it, though. This is the first week since September where I've logged double digit miles for the week. 

Saturday
Planned: ~20mi bike
Did: nada- family day
After not seeing much of my family for the past ~3 weeks due to work, I opted to scrap the morning bike ride and enjoy some snuggles with my baby and breakfast with all of us. 


Sunday
Planned: 2-3mi walk
Did: 500m (yd? idk) swim in ~20-25min 
It was cold and I wasn't meeting anyone, so the walk didn't happen this morning. I decided to make up for it by getting a short swim in this afternoon. I got a 14 day guest pass to the gym (with a pool!) a couple miles from my house, and its hours are actually conducive to my schedule (5am openings, Sunday hours too). 

I'd planned on trying for my normal ~1000m (or yards--- I know there IS a difference, but, honestly, I have no idea how to tell what each pool is measured in beyond that they're usually 25 or 50 units-of-some-variety long), but, when I was in the locker room, I realized I'd left my fins at home... Oops. 

They didn't have kickboards or anything at this gym, so I was totally on my own for my swim. I'm proud to say that I did the whole thing more-or-less without stopping (I'm backstroking and incapable of flip-turns, so I kind of HAD to stop at the walls to turn around). I had a few times where I got a little anxious because water got in my face, but I reminded myself that I know HOW to do this, and I just needed to focus up. 

I still have no idea how long it actually took me, or how many laps I actually did. I find it impossible to count while I'm swimming. By the time I get down to the other side (which takes me about a minute), I've forgotten which number I'm on. lol. 

Goggles, Swimcap, and Earplugs
I actually have swim "gear" now

Week-ending Thoughts

It is REALLY hard to fit in working out if I can't do it before 6am. I'm really hoping to get cleared at my November 30 appointment.... 

Plantar Fascia Tear: Week 6

Week-beginning Thoughts
(well, written on Wednesday)
It's been a helluva week. I can't do swimming or biking in the morning because my pool doesn't open until 7am, it's dark until 7am, and I don't feel safe biking on roads solo. I haven't been able to do bootcamp or alter-G running because of work + sickness. It's been a struggle to remind myself that I'm not training for anything right now, and giving my body all the sleep it can get is the best thing I can do when stress levels are high.


Monday
Planned: bootcamp
Did: nothing

Tuesday
Planned: PT or yoga
Did: nothing

Wednesday
Planned: swim or bootcamp
Did: nothing

Thursday
Planned: PT or yoga
Did: nothing

Friday
Planned: bootcamp
Did: 1000m swim in 25:47, 1.4mi on Alter G at PT in 10:00 @ 70% bodyweight, PT
I was able to swim at 5am today thanks to a trial pass from a nearby gym. While I loved being able to get a workout in before dawn, the location isn't really convenient for me... especially not for the cost (~$300 for two months, which is absurd considering the municipal rec center is less than $300 for an ENTIRE YEAR). Oh well. It was worth a shot.

I did a 1000m mix of kickboard kicking with fins, backstroke with fins, and backstroke sans fins. I still hate putting my head in the water because of a bad swimmer's ear infection as a kid (I get almost hysterical when there's water in my ears after I'm out of the pool). I found myself more anxious today about the swim than I have been before, and it definitely showed in my form, breathing, and general enjoyment of the swim.  

rocking my triathlon shirt, because I feel like I'm training for one again

Went right from the swim to PT, my first session in almost two weeks thanks to work madness. I had a good session, and ran with 70% of my bodyweight on the Alter G. PT thinks I'll be able to be cleared by the doc at my appointment at the literal end of the month.


Saturday
Planned: swim or 10mi bike
Did: 4.0mi @ 7:30/mi on Alter G at 70-50% bodyweight, 7.02mi on bike with trailer @ ~12mph
I had a chance to go use the Alter G this morning, so I swapped out a trip to the pool in favor of "running". I'd planned on/wanted to do an hour, but realized about 2mi in that that was probably stupid, considering I haven't run for more than 10min at a time in over a month. I started off at 70% bodyweight, which is what my PT recommended, but felt a small ache starting in my right heel (the broken one) after about a mile. The nice thing about the Alter G is that I didn't have to stop; I could just lighten the load. 

Not Running Sucks

I switched to 50% bodyweight and had no problems for the remainder of the run. While that in itself was encouraging, the fact that I felt the least bit of "still broken-ness" in my injured foot has me pretty down in the dumps. Seriously, foot, what have you been doing the past six weeks? HEAL, ALREADY, HEEL. HEAL. 

To combat my frustration, I spent about 30min doing some bootcamp-style strength work: squats, sit-ups, push-ups, tricep dips, planks, and hamstring work. And then, when I got home, I decided to go out and ride my bike. Since Jerry wanted to do a short run sans stroller, I had to take the munchkin... in my convertible... with a bike and a bike trailer... and still being able to fit in the front seat and drive safely.

Alright, BRING IT ON. 

I'M. GOING. TO. MAKE. THIS. WORK.
(PS: thank you, bungee cords)

My second time biking with the trailer was much more enjoyable than the first. First, I had all the necessary supplies (trailer, adapter, bike rack, women's bike adapter, small over-the-shoulder bag for essentials, books and snacks for kiddo) and, most importantly, a working knowledge of how to use all of these things. 

We did a little under 6mi to a coffee shop, treated ourselves to a snack, and then finished up with another ~mile to get back to the car. While I still think cycling (esp with a kid) is FAR more effort than it's worth, my options for being out, about, and active with my little one are incredibly limited these days, and I'm grateful for the option of cycling with a trailer.

café con este niño <3

Sunday
Planned: 2-3mi walk
Did: ~2mi walk with stroller @ ~20min/mi
It wasn't the normal Running Mamas Sunday Runday, but it was nice to get out and about with friends. Too bad we didn't get a pic of all of us with our strollers.

Unfortunately, about an hour after I got home, I started feeling really bad, and have spent the rest of the day in bed, sleeping, watching Netflix, and trying to get a little work done. Oh well. 





Week-ending Thoughts
I'm having a pretty hard time with this injury. I'd hoped to have a solid close to this year with some fast races, and that's just not going to happen. I've got other things on the calendar that might prevent me from training the way I want to next year, and my job is taking a giant swing towards "busybusybusy" again, which doesn't help. It's getting hard to focus on the fact that I will have a comeback when it seems like there are so many things between now and the time where life will allow me to do it. 

I miss running. I miss my friends. I miss getting up early, having a social hour, and then going into work feeling like I've already accomplished something for the day. I miss training and working hard for something I have yet to accomplish. I miss feeling fit. I miss feeling like myself.

I know that this, too, shall pass, and it'll be just a blip in my memory (just like my 2yr battle with ankle sprain complications, the broken foot that had me in a wheelchair at my wedding reception, the year of runner's knee trouble, the calf strain that had me booted for even longer than this, and whatever other things I'm totally forgetting about now because they don't matter). Right now, though, it sucks. 

Plantar Fascia Tear: Week 5

Beginning of Week Thoughts:
Wow. I can't believe this makes five weeks since I've been running. The last time I had to take this long of a "break" was in December 2013, when I strained my calf just before beginning my first marathon training. The good thing is that it doesn't seem like that long. I'm honestly amazed by this. 


Monday
Did: 10min on alter-g @ PT, PT
Up to 55% bodyweight on the anti-gravity treadmill. Did more plio jumps (laying down on machine), up to 5/6 on calf raises, finding it easier to do the BAPS and rocker boards. Also started doing something similar to "skaters" (horizontal "jumps"). It's not a true jump, more like a giant horizontal step, but I did have some airtime. This is the first time I've done anything like this at PT, so I'm calling it a win. 

Ice, Ice, Baby

Tuesday
Planned: swim for 10 minutes, core workout, yoga
Did: ~45min swimming, ~1000m? 
One of my running mama friends, S, is a lifelong swimmer (swam in college, made Olympic Trials, etc.). She's been offering to swim with me for awhile now, and I finally decided to take her up on it this week.... and spent most of last night and this morning super nervous about it. I don't know what I was really nervous about, other than putting myself in a new situation, but S made me feel right as ease as soon as I met her in the parking lot. 

The last time I swam was in 2014 for my first (and only) triathlon, Lake Lanier. I had about four or five years of swim lessons as a kid and can get myself from point A to point B, but I hate putting my face (or even my head) in the water, which makes me an incredibly inefficient swimmer. For Lanier, I'd gotten myself to the point where I could uncomfortably swim the requisite 400m (or yards, I don't remember), putting my face in the water for about half of it. 

Fortunately, I still had all my swim "gear" from that adventure, so, unlike biking last weekend, I didn't need to buy anything new for this; all I had to do was dig out my one-piece suit, goggles, and get myself to the Y on time. 

S was a phenomenal coach. She made sure we had fins and kickboards to help me focus more on form and less on staying afloat, explained and demoed things really well, and was a wonderfully encouraging and supportive person for me in the pool. I learned a few good drills to help me practice some of my "freestyle" skills (i.e. breathing, which is SO hard for me), and got some great times on hand positions and kick types. 

More than that, though, I had fun. I had fun doing cardio with a friend, which is something I really haven't had in a month. I had fun pushing myself to do something challenging, which is also something I haven't had in a month. This morning filled so many of the voids I've had since this injury happened, and I'm so glad I pushed myself out of my comfort zone to go. 

Wednesday
Planned: bootcamp
Did: yoga
I'd wanted to go to bootcamp this morning, but had a late night at work and opted to get at least five hours of sleep instead. :P Sat at my desk for about 10 hours, and then joined my sis for the last free yoga class for the year. It was pretty chilly for outdoor yoga (49, plus wind!), but a nice way to stretch and relax.

Thursday
Planned: PT, 1/2hr run on AlterG at ATC
Did: 1.3mi @ 7:30/mi on AlterG at PT
Had a good run and workout at PT this morning, but ATC was randomly closed without notice when I showed up for my halfhour timeslot on their AlterG at lunch. Grrr. 


Friday
Planned: bootcamp, 1/2hr run on AlterG
Did: bootcamp (ATC was closed today too, so no AlterG run)
Despite having done some things this week, today felt like the first time I really worked out all week. It was nice to have the camaraderie of our bootcamp class again, since that group environment is what I'm finding myself missing most about being injured. 

Replaced #4 with speed squats/plank with hip slaps and #5 with a variety of things (wipers, knee push-ups, various squats, leg raise with hip lift, etc)

Was supposed to have an hour on the AlterG today, but, again, the office was closed. At least I knew about it before I went over there today.


Saturday
Planned: swim
Did: 30 laps (~1500m?) in about an hour
So, this swimming thing is happening. I found an municipal aquatic center that offers super affordable drop-in and long-term rates near me. The only downside is that they're closed Sundays and don't open until 7am on weekdays, which means morning workouts can't really happen. Still, it's better than paying a $100 "initiation fee" for a gym plus whatever absurd monthly rate they want to charge me, and then dealing with the cancellation mess (which has happened to me EVERY SINGLE TIME I've ever joined a gym). 

I'd been planning this outing since my Tuesday swim with S, but, still, without fail, got up this morning with tons of negative self-talk in my head. 

What if I get there and the lanes are all full of super fast swimmers? 

What if they don't have kickboards? 

What if I look like a complete fool doing my awkward "drills" that aren't really swimming strokes and the lifeguard thinks I'm drowning? 

Y'know, the normal. :P

But, I'd told S I was going to swim this morning, AND I'd made a special trip to buy fins yesterday. I just needed to get myself there. 

Everything turned out great. There were only five people there when I arrived, two of whom were staff. I had a lane all to myself (and it was only 4'-6" deep, perfect for 5'-3 1/8" tall me). There were kickboards galore (though they were a different style than I was used to). 

I wanted to do at least 1000m, and ended up doing even more! (all with fins UNO)

• 3 laps of "warming up" with kickboard
• 7 laps of backstroke
• 3 more laps of kicking
• 2 laps of attempted freestyle with breathing practice (kind of gliding on my side to catch breath between face-in-water attempts)
• 2 laps of miscellaneous frog style/breaststroke hybrid
• 2 laps of head-out-of-water freestyle 
• 1 lap freestyle breathing practice with hands on kickboard-- realized my biggest struggle is getting the air OUT of my lungs under water so all I have to do with my mouth out of the water is INhale (problem not solved, but identified, sooooo progress?)
• 2 laps backstroke
• 3 laps backstroke no fins

Successes:

• confident in my backstroke and really enjoyed it-- so much that I added extra laps at the end! I almost didn't want to get out of the pool, but could feel fatigue taking its toll on my form (I kept hitting lane lines)
• definitely got a cardio workout!
• with no external prodding, I went swimming, put my face in the water, and had fun
• felt comfortable enough to swim without fins

Struggles:

• counting laps- OMG, this is seriously the hardest thing about swimming! 
• there were no flags at the end of the pool, so I jammed my fingers twice and hit my head once :/ 
• breathing OUT under water
• thrashing wildly and getting water down my ear canal every time I tried to freestyle
• fatiguing at the end and getting water in my nose, which I could tell shook my confidence and made the last few laps tough... until I calmed down and relaxed again

I bought a month pass to the center, and plan on trying to go a few times this week.

I have this sinking feeling in my stomach that I'm going to want to do another triathlon next fall... 

Sunday
Planned: 2-3mi walk
Did: ~4mi on bike @ ~6mph
Met up with my "team"'s lone marathoner (for this season) to accompany her on her last ~4mi of her 22 miler. Definitely NOT a workout at all, but SO nice to spend some time ""on the run" together. 

End of Week Thoughts:
Things I never thought I'd hear myself say: I'm doing OK without running. I don't like it, and I can't wait to be back, but I'm doing OK. 

Plantar Fascia Tear: Week 4

Monday
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.