Showing posts with label strength training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label strength training. Show all posts

Friday, October 22, 2021

I'm Going on an Adventure!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

Greetings from Jackson Hole, Wyoming! My sister and I have dashed off on another sister adventure. As you may be aware, this is a tradition we started 9 years ago in lieu of a big celebration for a milestone birthday. We've been on all kinds of fun adventures since then. Last year, we were unable to travel due to the pandemic and even more so, my sister's diagnosis with breast cancer. She's doing great now. I'm so happy to resume our fun tradition. 

I prepared this post before I left and will link up as usual. It may take me a few days to get caught up with everyone's comments and posts. I know you understand!

At the crossing of 4 trails in Devil's Lake State Park
Which way to go?

Sunday, October 17, 2021

RA Checks In

Throughout my recovery from my ankle and foot fractures, I secretly marveled and was grateful that RA remained quiet. My recovery has been steady and I've been able to increase my activities accordingly. However, this week, RA reminded me that it's always around. I've been having a flare and while it hasn't sidelined me, I have felt pretty achy and my joints are swollen. I'm not sure what triggered the symptoms--the change in the weather? Or maybe my 3 1/2 hour hike on Sunday had something to do with it. As always, I am grateful for what I CAN do, even when I don't feel like it. 

As we RA warriors like to say, motion is lotion. I do actually feel better once I get moving. Let's hope this flare just fades away. 

Friday's walk/run

Sunday, October 10, 2021

Can I Start Running Again?

That was the question on my mind this week. It's been over 3 months since my injury and I've been feeling pretty good as I continue to increase my activity towards my usual level. The only thing that I'm not doing is running. Do I dare start easing back into running again?

I know there are readers who are shaking their heads, maybe even shouting NO! at the screen. Hear me out. I used the word ease when I talk about running again and that is exactly what I intend to do. No way am I planning on jeopardizing the healing process nor am I looking at developing a compensatory injury from overdoing it. Remember, my ortho didn't tell me I couldn't run when I last saw him but he did caution me that too much activity can delay healing. For the past month, I've put running on the back burner again. I'm feeling good. So I figured, why not try?


Saturday, October 2, 2021

I'm Walking, Yes Indeed

"I'm walkin', yes indeed,
and I'm talkin', 'bout you and me,
I'm hopin', that you'll come back to me...yeah..."
~Fats Domino

Another month without running, but September saw continued steady improvement on the healing and more crosstraining. I did have 66 miles of walking--not bad, all things considered. This month, I am participating in the Ice Age Trail Mammoth Challenge, which requires 41 miles, all on the IAT. As I mentioned in my Coffee Talk post, the biggest challenge for me will be finding time to get up to Wisconsin and on those trails! I'm happy to have this on the calendar since I won't see my ortho until the end of the month. Hopefully, then I will be cleared to run. 

Saturday, September 25, 2021

Adjusting My Expectations

As promised, I nixed the running and cut back on my walking miles this week. Work continues to be busy and I am spending the entire day on my feet, seeing patients. I won't lie, in spite of wearing supportive shoes--Danskos and Alegria--my foot throbs at the end of the day. My ankle is mostly quiet, but at night, I have to position my leg just so, otherwise, it hurts. 

Sigh. When people ask me about it and I express my frustration at the slow healing, the response I usually get is: "What did you expect?"

At 3 months post-injury, I fully expected to be back running again. I'm not running and it will be a little longer before I can. I'm adjusting my expectations, continuing my alternative workouts to maintain fitness and build back my strength. I've pulled out the new running shoes that I was saving for my return to running and wearing them on my walks.

Running, I'm so ready for you.

Sunday, September 19, 2021

You Can't Hurry Healing

I need to run, run, to ease my mind. I need to find, find, some speed of some kind...
Oh, you can't hurry healing, you just have to wait...
Oh, healing don't come easy, it's a game of sit and wait...
You can't hurry healing, you just have to wait,
You gotta trust, give it time,
No matter how long it takes...  
~Adapted from You Can't Hurry Love. Apologies to The Supremes and Phil Collins and the songwriters

I saw the orthopedic surgeon this week. It's been 10 weeks since my injuries and while he's pleased with how I'm feeling, the x-rays didn't show much progress with my healing. Remember, the x-rays always lag behind what is happening in real time. I also had to remind myself that healing isn't linear. I'm not worried that my fractures aren't healing, but still, it wasn't the news I was hoping for. 

I did runfess to him that I've been trying out some short bursts of running. While he didn't tell me I couldn't do that, he did tell me that too much activity can slow down the healing process. 

So no, I'm not cleared to return to running but I can continue to keep active with restraint. Patience is not one of my strengths. Between the overwhelming stress I'm feeling from work and my expanding waistline, I need to break a sweat. I'll go back in 6 weeks for repeat x-rays. In the meantime, I have plenty to do to keep myself active. 

Sunday, September 5, 2021

A Little Bump on the Road to Recovery

I've been doing so well on the road to recovery that I was surprised to hit a little bump this week. On Saturday I woke up in a world of hurt with a full-blown RA flare. Actually, I had trouble sleeping because I could not get comfortable. I thought about getting up for some ibuprofen but it seemed like too much work at 2 am. 

The last time this happened was 2 weeks after my second dose of the COVID vaccine. Two weeks ago, I received my 3rd dose of the COVID vaccine. Coincidence? I'm sure not. I'm just hoping that this flare will be short-lived. And that it doesn't interfere with my recovery.

Timing is everything and with the not-so-great weather this weekend, we stayed home from the lake. That gave me time for guilt-free rest on the couch, watching the Wisconsin Badgers play football, catching up on blogs, and reading.

Cheesing

Saturday, August 7, 2021

Adventures in Injuryland

Disclaimer: This post contains an affiliate link.

Time flies when you're having fun, right? I must be having fun because I'm almost five weeks into my injury. It's hard to believe. I am in a better frame of mind now. I've been able to settle into a new workout routine and have found some activities that help me break a sweat, burn some calories, and make my heart pound. I also went back to work this week after 3 weeks off. 

As much as I like my job, I'm not so sure it qualifies as fun. It is never dull and more often than not, very entertaining. The kids were all fascinated with my boot.

I won't deny that I miss running. One of my fellow Deer Grove trail runners posted on FB in our group that he thought her heard the deer whispering: "where is Wendy?" Which made me laugh out loud! I really miss those trails. Speaking of trails, I contacted both RDs from my two fall trail half marathons to ask for deferrals and was granted a deferral to one and a guaranteed entry to the other. I am grateful for this. Plus it gives me something to look forward to in 2022!

Friday's Assault Bike Ride

Sunday, July 11, 2021

I'm Broken

The week started off really well with a long run on a beautiful day in the forest preserve. I was eagerly anticipating my upcoming Saturday trail race in Devil's Lake State Park. It's a race I've wanted to run for several years. In this strange year that is 2021, registration just opened up about a month ago. I decided on the 10k distance as a way to check out the race and the trails, which are notoriously hilly. If it went well, I planned on doing the half marathon next year. Heck, I even had a blank recap post waiting in my draft folder. 

You know what they say about making plans, right? 

Once again, all my plans are on hold. Is the universe sending me a message? Or does someone have a Wendy voodoo doll? If so, please remove all the pins because...

Sunday, July 4, 2021

Getting Wet

Maybe it was the strawberry moon--did you see it?--but things kind of flip-flopped this week. We got a ton of rain--the drought is over! Everything is green again, but yep, the mosquitoes and biting flies have come to life in the woods. My insect repellent doesn't seem to be holding up to the challenge.

On the plus side, my wrist responded well to the steroid injection that I received last week. I am so grateful for that! While I know that my wrist isn't healed, it's been interesting to see what I can do without pain. I wear the brace most of the time for comfort but have stopped wearing it when I run and work out. Oh...and I tested it out behind the boat this weekend!

Monday's rainy run

Sunday, June 27, 2021

Shake it Off

If only I could do a better job of shaking things off! 

I've always been a ruminator and I have trouble letting go of my worries. If you read my runfessions from Friday, you know that I received a yellow light from my ortho: proceed with caution because you might feel pain but it's ok and it will probably fix your problem... and yeah, if you find that confusing, so do I!

Even with this unusual advice to get out and test the limits of the tendon, I didn't immediately get behind the boat nor did I run to the gym and do cleans and jerks. The steroid injection itself caused me some pain. Dare I say that my wrist is feeling better since the injection? I haven't tested it out yet. We'll see how the upcoming week goes.

Friday's rainy run

Sunday, June 13, 2021

Sort of Sidelined

A few months ago, I developed pain and swelling at the base of my right thumb and wrist. I mentioned it to my rheumatologist, who performed an ultrasound and didn't find anything amiss. She referred me to a hand specialist, 'the guy' that she would go to. At the time, the pain wasn't terrible and it wasn't preventing me from doing anything except handstands, so I dragged my feet on scheduling an appointment. 

Out of the blue this week on Monday, I felt a sharp pain in my wrist. It felt like a rubber band snapped inside. I don't remember doing anything out of the ordinary, but maybe that Kettlebell Circus WOD on Monday morning pushed the already angry tendon over the edge? After a restless night, I woke up on Tuesday in a lot of pain. I slathered my wrist in my CBD salve, wrapped it up tightly, took some ibuprofen, and went to work. Later that morning, still feeling pain, I finally broke down and scheduled with the specialist. After an x-ray and an exam, he told me that he was putting me in a splint and that he wanted me to see 'the guy', an imaging specialist who would perform a musculoskeletal ultrasound on my wrist. He said I could still work out but nothing involving the wrist. And that includes waterskiing.

Welp. I didn't cry, but I sure wasn't happy. While I don't have a firm diagnosis, he thinks it's the flexor carpi radialis tendon--tendinopathy or a partial rupture. I'll know more after my ultrasound next week. Hoping for the best case scenario.

Go big or go home, I say. Although, I won't lie...I'm pretty bummed out about this injury. You don't realize how much you use your hand until you can't. I'm glad I can still run though. Can I just say how weird it is to be a runner with an upper body injury? 

Sunday, June 6, 2021

Are You Ready for Summer? and I Tried it! Odlo Summer Running Gear

Disclaimer: I received gear from Odlo in exchange for my unbiased review. This post also contains an affiliate link.

After an underwhelming Memorial Day weekend--cool and breezy--as the week went on, Mother Nature turned up the thermostat! The heat is on--is it ever! and it looks like it's here to stay.  Time to adapt and adjust the training plan, I guess!

Sunday's trail run was steamy!

Sunday, May 30, 2021

A Lot to Unpack!

Life got busy and I missed last week's rundown. Again. But it was worth it. For the first time in almost 2 years, I took a trip to the south to visit my friend and former Weekly Wrap cohost, Holly. In spite of a few glitches in my travels (I'll share that on Friday's Coffee Talk), once I got there, we picked up right where we left off. It was a fun trip and as always, too short! I'm still riding high and grateful to Holly and her husband for their hospitality. 

Meanwhile, life goes on as usual. There was running and strength training; this week, after several years  of working towards it, I finally attained my goal of a strict pull-up! Weather-wise, we went from summer to winter and back to summer again. 

I have a lot to unpack here; I'm going to try to hit the highlights of my past 2 weeks and keep you from glazing over. If you want to see more details, check out my Instagram!

Giant pinecones in Alabama!

Sunday, May 16, 2021

Smarter, Not Harder

I don't know if it's the cooler weather or allergies or what it is, but on Thursday this week, I was commenting to Sammy Jo about how long it has taken me to recover from that race I ran a few weeks ago. I'm definitely not bouncing back as quickly from a hard effort like I used to, that is for sure. Even though this week I felt really good on Wednesday's trail run, when I got home from work in the evening, I had dinner and I was asleep by 9 pm. 

I guess it's like the old cliché, I have to train SMARTER, not harder. I know that I've still got some speed and strength in me, but I can't waste energy doing activities that don't have any value. For now, I don't have anything planned, running-wise, until the fall. I'm looking forward to continuing to explore more segments of the Ice Age Trail and running my local trails as well. 

Changing my mindset and not pushing myself so hard--this may be my biggest challenge yet!

Saturday, May 8, 2021

Recovery Week plus I Read it! Racing the Clock

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. I received a PRC of Racing the Clock from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This week was all about recovery. Boy, did I need it after my race last Saturday. While I could not be happier with the outcome of the race, pushing myself that hard really took a toll on me. When we runners say we 'left it all on the road'--that is what I did at my race. It's such a satisfying feeling, but as you would expect, I paid for my effort! I experienced DOMS at the beginning of the week, with lingering fatigue into the end of the week.

To aid in my recovery, I dialed back the output on my activities this week. I slept a lot. I ate foods that would help with inflammation and recovery. I used my Chil Wellness CBD products, to calm my aching joints and muscles. As the week went on, I started to feel better. Proper recovery is so important! 

I don't have any other races on the calendar until September. I'm looking forward to 'just' running for a couple of months. Obviously, if something interesting opens up, I wouldn't rule it out! But for now, I'm taking it easy.

Sunday, May 2, 2021

Blown Away

Literally and figuratively, this week I was blown away.

Spring weather in the Midwest is always a wild ride. We often joke that if you don't like the weather, wait a minute and it will change. Sometimes it feels like you have all 4 seasons in one day--a few years ago at the CARA Lakefront 10 miler, we started out with sun and 70 degrees, only to finish in the wind with temperatures dropping to the 40s.

Oh, that wind! Even though the Windy City got its nickname from its windbag politicians, Chicago is known for its fierce winds that blow off Lake Michigan. We've had our share of wind this spring and this week was no different. Apparently, any large body of water will do as I battled winds at my race around Lake Monona on Saturday in Madison, Wisconsin. 

But the wind wasn't the only thing the blew me away this week--there were some good runs, including another live race and a hike to one of my favorite spots.

Sunday, April 11, 2021

Whew!

It's been an overwhelming couple of weeks for me! Between Cocoa's surgery, working on the lake house, my continuing education conference, and some other family issues, something had to give--and that was blogging last week. With falling readership, I have been considering shutting down the blog, but I really do enjoy our little runblog community here. In a year of virtual races and isolation, the interaction with other bloggers and readers has really been a lifeline at times. 

So here I am, sharing a brief update of running and training from the past 2 weeks. I'll also share a Cocoa update at the end of the post. Long story short, she's doing great! So am I. 

Sunday, March 28, 2021

Twisted Logic

 "Sunlight, opened up my eyes, to see for the first time, it opened them up.... 
...Don't fight for the wrong side, say what you feel like, say how you feel...
You'll go backwards, but then
You'll go forwards again,
You'll go backwards, but then
You'll go.." ~from Twisted Logic, Coldplay

Listening to music while running Friday morning, this song came on and it's stuck in my head. Good thing I like Coldplay! It pretty much summed up how it's been going lately. One step forward, two steps backward. 

RA continues to flare and after last Sunday, when I developed so much pain, I started a course of steroids. Thankfully, the low dose I'm taking dialed down the pain to a dull roar, but hasn't shut it down completely. Unhappy about the flare but grateful I can run without fatigue, I was also fortunate to have planned a few days off work for some continuing education. It was all virtual and a great way to learn, and the time away from the office did me some good.

Speaking of going backward, we found out this week that my sister has COVID. Yep. After a year of social distancing and masking, after completing chemo and surgery, she was carelessly exposed and now she's sick. It just makes me so mad! Soapbox alert: Your actions have consequences for others. We're getting so close to the finish line. We can't let down our guard now. Wear your mask! 

Moving forward, we went up to the lake this weekend to spring clean and put things back in place now that most of the repair work is done. The new carpet and bathroom flooring are in! It looks so fresh and I am even more excited for summer to come. We're doing a few other little things to spruce up the place. We're not doing a lot of redecorating since the eventual plan is to tear it down and build a house for retirement. For now, it's great to have our little getaway!

Flying on Friday

Sunday, March 21, 2021

Motion is Lotion

This week, RA didn't play nice at all. I don't know if it was the cold, blustery weather we had early in the week or a post-vaccine immune response, but I was achy AF. It doesn't really make sense to blame it on the COVID vaccines, because I got the second dose over 2 months ago. But something triggered my immune system. I'm writing this on Saturday and my hands are still swollen, inflamed, and achy. Joint pain woke me up in the middle of the night a couple times this week and I had to take ibuprofen, something I try not to do very often. I have avoided steroids so far, but I am considering taking a short course, just to shut this thing down. Thankfully, I'm not experiencing much fatigue as I have during other flares, so in spite of the pain, I've able to run and work out. 

Running and working out during a flare might not make sense to some people, but as we RA warriors like to say, 'motion is lotion'. I know that I'll feel better once I get those joints moving. That was the case all week. I did have to modify my workouts a little bit, though, to accommodate for the pain.