Friday, August 27, 2021

Recoveryfessions

Disclosure: While I am well aware that Alabama is a high-risk area for travel, let me assure you that I, along with Holly and Teresa, am fully vaccinated. I wore an N95 medical-grade mask on the plane and in the airport, the same masks I wear at work. We did not attend any large group activities. If you'd like to see some of my vacation photos, check out my Instagram!

It might be the last Friday of the month and the Runfessional might be open...but when you're not running, are your 'fessions even runfessions? You know I always have stuff to runfess. This month and last month...not so much. I am on the road to recovery (pun intended) and so instead of runfessions, I have a few recoveryfessions...

Because I've never been very good at sitting still...

Monday, August 16, 2021

Injured and Can't Run? Fluid Running H2Go Product Review

 Disclaimer: Fluid Running H2Go system was kindly gifted to me from the company. All my opinions are my own.

Earlier this summer, I broke my ankle and foot after falling from the climbing rope at CrossFit. After I fell, I initially thought I just rolled my ankle, but the x-rays proved me wrong. I was sentenced to at least 6 weeks in the boot and told that it would probably be 3-6 months before I could run again.

An avid runner, I went through all the emotions. Sad, angry, anxious, fear of gaining weight--you name it, I felt it. After a couple of weeks of a full-blown pity party, I made up my mind to find activities that I could do. The last time I had an injury that kept me from running was over 5 years ago. Back then, I did stationary cycling and pool running, but it was all on my own. With this injury, I discovered that my local park district has pool running classes. I also learned about Fluid Running. 

Sunday, August 15, 2021

Just Keep Swimming

As I continue to heal and feel better, this week I upped my cross-training, adding rowing to my injury recovery regimen. I tried walking again this week, but this time, out of the boot. I couldn't move too fast, though. And I got out on the lake on my SUP, on a perfect summer day. It sure would have been nice for some waterskiing...sniff sniff. While I am so happy that are so many activities I can do, I had the realization that it really is going to be a while before I get back to running. That is a bitter pill to swallow. 

I see the orthopedic surgeon next week and I'll have more of a plan after that. For now, I'm taking Dory's advice from Finding Nemo--Just Keep Swimming.

Monday's Fluid Running session

 

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

Thursday, August 5, 2021

Coffee Talk

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

Let's catch up over coffee! What are you having? I've got some Starbucks Spring Day Blend that was on the clearance at Target last week. If you remember, I had it last spring and loved it! It tastes just as good on a summer day, especially with a scoop of GLG Collagen and a splash of half and half. 

It's been a pretty eventful couple of weeks for me, and if you haven't read any of my other posts, you might want to check them out. 

Yep, I bought this shirt, lol

Monday, August 2, 2021

Mini-Book Reviews: July 2021

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

Starting this month, I'll be sharing my mini-book reviews in their own post! I've been kind of hijacking my coffee talk posts and squeezing in my reviews.. My mantra has always been "so many books, so little time", but laid up for the past month with a broken ankle and foot, I've had time to read a lot of books this month. I have a few new releases and some backlist reads from my Kindle app. It's been a good reading month. I hope you enjoy the new format! As always, you can follow me on Goodreads to see what I'm reading currently.

Sunday, August 1, 2021

My Injury Bingo Card

Coming home after a fun vacation away is tough, wouldn't you agree? I also had this past week off work, but with the broken leg, there wasn't a whole lot that I could do. I did my best to get some activity in almost every day. Mentally, that helped a lot. On Thursday, I saw the orthopedic surgeon for my follow up.

He was fine with everything that I'm doing and agreed with the strategy to let pain be my limiting factor. He was also pleased with my progress and re-xrayed my foot and ankle. There wasn't much change in the images because it is early in the healing process. 

However, the orthopedic surgeon thinks I may need surgery on my foot.

Surgery was not on my injury bingo card this year. Of course, neither was a broken leg. Actually, I don't remember signing up for injury bingo at all. I must have clicked on one of those phishing emails or something...

The fracture in my foot is displaced and he says it's unlikely that it will heal on its own. If I wasn't so active, he said he would allow more time for it to heal before deciding on surgery. He said healing could take up to 6 months and that doesn't come with a guarantee. Even if I have surgery, it will be a minimum of 3 months before I can think about running again. In the meantime, I can continue to do non-weightbearing exercises.

As you can imagine, I was pretty devastated by this news. After seeing the ortho, I needed some time to process this information. I spent much of the day on the couch, foot on a pillow, and Cocoa by my side. As the day went on, I was feeling better and ready to move forward. I do have my moments of melancholy, though. I sure miss running!