Looking for a Silver Lining

I'm trying, guys. This week challenged me more than I've been challenged in some time. Problems at work, the ongoing saga with my parents, wedding planning,...you name it...I felt like I couldn't get my head above water. Sometimes life is like this, and we all need to have a way to deal with it. Mine is running. And right now, I can't run because I'm injured. 

There may have been some tears shed this week--not because I'm hurt, but because I can't run it out. I have a lot of backup tools that I can lean on for cross-training, but when I'm stressed, there's only one thing that works. Running is the one thing that lets me push myself as hard as I can, pound it out on the pavement, and just let it all go. It's been a long time since I've felt so stressed as in the recent weeks--even my Oura ring is concerned--and I haven't had to rely on running as much as in the past. 

So what's an injured runner to do when she can't run? I'm leaning into nature and my trails, which helps a lot. I'm going to do my best to try to maintain fitness, like I did when I broke my leg and my foot. The PT at the gym taped my knee for tendonitis, but she suggested that I might have a meniscus tear. I hope not. I see my rheumatologist for my semi-annual appointment on Monday, so I'll see what she says. I'm also going to schedule with a knee ortho, who I already know is going to recommend PT. I'm a good patient, and I'll do what I need to get back to running. 

In the meantime, I'm looking for that silver lining.

Weekly Rundown:

Sunday: trail run 4.6 miles

Monday: Auxiliary Strength

Tuesday: Fluid running

Wednesday: trail walk 8.1 miles

Thursday: Auxiliary Strength

Friday: walk 3 miles

Saturday: Parfrey's Glen hike 2 miles, waterskiing

Sunday was a beautiful morning for a trail run, and I was on the trail early to beat the heat. Sadly, my left knee, which has bothered me on and off since I fell on it a few years ago, acted up shortly into the run. I ran on it for a few miles until it became too painful. Then I walked. I grumbled to myself as I walked. Interestingly, it was when I was walking that I saw 4 deer along the trail. One of them scurried across the trail ahead of me, but the other three hung back until they decided to cross the trail. It was so cute! 

I also saw a mama raccoon helping her babies across a log spanning the creek, a snapping turtle laying her eggs in the path, and the owl flying overhead. That as well as the birds singing, providing a soundtrack for the morning. Even though I couldn't run, I can't help but feel grateful about everything I experienced because I slowed down!

Monday's auxiliary strength class had 4 different movements to do in 3 sets in 40 seconds or less:

Set 1: pick a weight in which we'd hit failure in 8-12 reps 

Set 2: drop the weight and complete 8-12 reps to failure 

Set 3: drop the weight and complete 8-12 reps to failure. 

I didn't do the backward lunges. My knee would not let me. ouch.

 

Movement 1: Dumbbell deadlifts 60#->65# x 6, 55#->60#, x8 50#->55# x8

Movement 2: Barbell backward lunges  55#, 50#, 45#-> my knee was having none of this, so SJ suggested I do hip bridges, and I did 70#, 65#, 60#

Movement 3: Dumbbell strict press: 30#-->25#, 25#->20#, 20#->15# my left arm wouldn't let me do 30#

Movement 4: Bent over barbell rows: 75#, 70#, 65#

After the strength work, we did rower sprints, an E3MOM of :20 rowing. I didn't keep track of my time, but I will tell you these were all under 2:00 pace and got faster with each one.

On Tuesday, I took my Fluid Running workout to the outdoor pool! Yes, the air was chilly--57F, but the pool water was 80F. It was a little cool to start, but I acclimated quickly. Being outside under a beautiful blue sky was the best part of my day!

By Wednesday, my knee felt better, but I was still not able to run without pain. And you know I tried. So instead, I chugged around the preserve, moving pretty fast. I may have gotten ahead of myself when I tried hopping over a fallen tree. That sent me into a world of hurt. I felt something 'pop' under my kneecap, and I hobbled the 2 miles back to my car, fighting tears of frustration. 

On the bright side, on my hike, I got to see a few deer, including a buck sporting new fuzzy antlers! Still no babies, tho. I also saw some new-to-me mushrooms.  When I got home, I had a pity party, taped my knee, and applied my sam 2.0 device, hoping for some pain relief before heading into work.

I attempted auxiliary strength on Thursday, making necessary substitutions for movements that aggravated my knee. The rep scheme for this class was the same as Monday, E2MOM x 6:00,  8-12 reps to failure, dropping the weight each set, and no longer than :40 per set. In my case, the goal was finding the heavy weight that makes me 'fail'. 

Set 1: Bulgarian Split Squats subbed in Goblet Squats 40# x8

Set 2: dumbbell bench press: failed at 30# x8, 25# x10, 20# x10

Set 3: Hip thrusts: 125-->135# , 115->125#, 95->115# 

Set 4: Pull-ups: 3 assisted->5 red/blue band, 3 red band assisted-->5 green band, 5 green band-->8 green/red band

We followed this with sprint work: an E2MOM x 12 minutes:

:10 hard assault bike

5 A-jump squats

8 Abmat situps

Goal was to finish each set under :40. Mine were :38 each time! 

On Friday, after a good night's sleep, my knee felt ready for a walk. Of course, I wore my Brooks Hyperion Max 2 and listened to my running playlist. Dress for the job you want, right? For the most part, I felt pretty good, but my knee was sketchy. The shoes did push me a little bit, and my knee let me know when it didn't like that. Still, it was a decently paced 3 mile walk, which helped me feel better, at least mentally. 

We drove up to the lake on Friday night so we could get a head start on a planned hike to Parfrey's Glen and then go strawberry picking. We wanted to get out before it got too peopley. Lucky us--it was overcast and cool in the morning, so we had Parfrey's Glen to ourselves! Parfrey's Glen is a gorge adjacent to Devil's Lake State Park. It's a mile from the trailhead to the waterfall at the end, but it is a challenging hike. We took it slow to keep my knee's anguish to a minimum. 

The trail starts out paved, then gravel, then dirt strewn with tree roots. Then it becomes rocky, eventually with large boulders that you have to hike over before you come to the waterfall. A stream flows through the gorge, and part of the hike is navigating the rocks to walk through the water. The waterfall is a little underwhelming--it always amazes me that something so small carved the gorge! Anyhoo, I'll share photos and let them speak to the beauty that we experienced. 

Off the road...

After we finished our hike, we drove to the strawberry farm where we picked 15# of fresh strawberries. I ate quite a few, too! 

After dinner on Saturday, the hubs took me waterskiing. The conditions were perfect. I figured that if it bothered my knee, I would stop. It didn't, so I kept going. After the week I had, I needed this. My heart was happy. 

How was your week? Do you go berry picking? How do you stay active when you're injured?

I'm linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Rundown.