16 posts tagged “injuries”

A curb and I had a falling out the other day.  Apparently it was lovin' my runners and didn't want them to leave it so soon...which (as you can imagine) did not end up with me departing said curb gracefully.  So now my ITB is rebelling.  fan-FREAKING-tastic.  Juuuust last week I was dreaming about getting through training for my next marathon sans injuries.  I haven't touched my little ITB stability band for a few months and was thinking we had resolved our issues and perhaps it needed to retire with it's friends the crutches and ankle brace.  HA!  Of course not!   It also just so happens that when I logged in the first post I see is about Tisha's runner's knee.  Karma is such a pain in the *knee* sometimes.  I know.  I'm hilarious.  At least it does help.  :P

I also dread that being around little children that sneeze and cough on you all day as well as have questionable hand washing habits has finally gotten to me.  I've been pretty congested lately, my throat is sore, and I'm low energy.  I'm still trying to ward off a full blown attack though with exercise, sleep, and nutritious foods.

P.S.  I have purchased le stick.  It was a toss up since I'm pretty sure foam rollers accomplish the same thing.  Oh yes, this was a definite call for a pro/con list.  Though cheaper is always a plus, the smaller size of the stick won out.  Just wait until I have room for gym crap.  Oh it'll be glorious!

So I've been mainly keeping up with maintenance runs which are all pretty much the same, BOR-ING.  I'm starting to train for a 10k beginning this week.  I don't have an actual 10k I just feel that I need more structure.  I'm also looking at perhaps a half marathon in April.

When my next paycheque comes in I'm going to invest it in a spinning class.  I think incorporating some cross training will be a good thing and I'm curious to try spinning.  I'm still doing my at home strengthening sessions which are helping but I'm going to ramp up the ab workout to diver style soon (read: painfilled.)  I have not been doing yoga as much as I want to but overall everything seems to be starting to sort itself out.

As far as the "funk" goes, I analyzed my nutrition log for the previous month and think I found the main problem: iron.  I was getting WAY below what I should be and now seem to be feeling a bit better since I'm paying more attention to that.

Bizarrely (is that even a legit word?!), I keep getting this "twinge" in my foot when running (and sometimes while just walking.)  It's in the arch but near the side.  I can't figure out what the deal is.  It doesn't get more painful once it appears and is just kind of an annoyance.  I'm thinking I might try some sole inserts?  No idea, haha.

I don't like recovery time.  I want to run!!!!  My legs hurt a bit after the track workout earlier in the week so I haven't done any running since. I'm kind of worried about that because yesterday the group was supposed to run 24k and even though I'm doing bike and elliptical training instead of runs I'm worried I've lost some of my running stamina.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see about that.

I fit in another bike and elliptical training session on Friday and also walked a whole lot, threw in some core work as well.  Tomorrow I plan to do another bike and elliptical session and then see about perhaps hitting the lounge on Wednesday. It would be GREAT if my shins could handle it, n'est pas?

 Other than that I have no news to report but you can donate to LLS if your pockets are getting a bit heavy ;)

Well today I planned on hitting the elliptical trainer and bike again but I realized too late that I left the gym pass at home.  Whoops (stupid me!) So I headed out to the track...still unsure of my shins and hoping I'd be able to do a little work.  I ran for fifteen minutes and then did another five of running crossovers.  I could feel a bit in one spot but my calves didn't seem to tense up as they have in the past; so that was good.  I walked and stretched a bit after that and then did some core work on the grass next to the track.  Then I ran a little bit more (maybe another ten minutes) and stretched again before calling it a day.  The track was definitely easier to run on with not as much impact.  I suppose I'll have to wait until tomorrow to see if my shins hurt at all...but let's hope for the best, eh?

Donate to the Leukemia & Lymphoma

I think my brain went on holidays today! So I wasn't feeling any pain in my shins while walking and when putting pressure on them they still didn't hurt.  So I thought I would try out an easy run being that it was an incredibly beautiful day.  So I went to the Nike Runner's Lounge (to which I will now abbreviate as the NRL) and headed off.

I warmed up really well by walking for ten minutes and then once I got to Lost Lagoon I started to run (figured it would be best to avoid pavement right now.)  I was going at a pretty decent pace; kicked it up because my Dr. said the faster you go the better it is on the shins.  Then around ten minutes after running I could feel a dull ache in my left shin, right where the worst one was.  So I walked and then stopped at a bench to stretch my calves and shins.  Then I walked some more. 

At this point I was on a trail in Stanley Park that not many tourists venture into. It was very quiet and thanks to all that rain last week the smell of the leaves and soil were more apparent than usual.  I love how the massive trees create a canopy overhead and the sunlight trickles through in spots.  My leg was feeling better and I thought maybe the walking and stretching had helped.  So I went full speed but only for about two minutes because the dull ache returned.  It is not bad and normally something I would have run through; I just wanted to stop at any sign of discomfort because I believe that means it isn't fully healed yet and I'd rather not risk further complications.

So instead of turning around I walked a bit farther into the forest and laid down on one of the massive tree stumps.  It was very meditative and relaxing to let my thoughts go and just be.  I usually get into that state while running and was happy that despite the run wasn't as much of one as I hoped that I could still release my stressful thoughts.

Then on the way back I sprinted once I was at the seawall through the throngs of tourists back to the NRL.

These are the reasons I was scatterbrained today:
- It was 27C out, even with the shade I should have still brought some water or Gatorade with me. IDIOT. Don't do that again!
- I've been stressed the past couple of days. My caloric intake for the day has been a meager 617 calories (including a post run gatorade) It seems that I have turned into one of those people who don't eat when stressed (I used to be opposite.) This is NO good. Both are bad habits and I need to pay attention more to this.  Passing out = not good.
- I brought my camera with me to the NRL so that I'd be able to take some pictures along the trails.  I forgot to use it.

Random:
- The Propel water grape flavour reminds me of the grape medicine you used to get as a kid. Gross. It was free though so I drank it haha.

Running for cancer research

I am most definitely a Type-A personality. So today, seeing that it's finally back to amazing summer weather with the sun beaming, a slight breeze, and 25 degrees it took a lot of restraining myself to not head off to the Nike Runner's Lounge for today's GTS.  I also was unable to go to the pool before it closed due to doing some work.  So I'm a bit (ok, more like very) disappointed I wasn't able to get in a 1/2 hr. cardio workout.  I did do a core workout - more intense than normal so maybe I'll get abs of steel as my constellation prize, haha. It's still hard to not go for a run around here...but I know that my shins aren't fully healed and it would ultimately be a bad decision.

Here's a running site I enjoy for some good articles!

I finally made it to the Sunday GTS!!! Yay!  This morning we ran a lot...more than I ever have before and my legs don't want to move now!  Though I'm not feeling tired; so I guess it's a trade-off :)  Let's see, we went all over Granville Island, English Bay, Stanley Park, the seawall, etc.  Weather-wise it was good: overcast and not hot like it's been the past week so that was a welcomed change.

My calves kept seizing up  (so I guess it wasn't all in my head on the speed workout) it took me forever to complete (at least it seemed that way.)  Sidenote: if anyone wants to give me a free massage you might be able to convince me to oblige, haha. 

I tried another sports gel today, the Power Bar brand, strawberry-banana flavour.  It didn't give me any issues either

but the banana taste wasn't to my liking so I may try it in another flavour.  I'm a bit wary about the caffeine in it though...not sure what I think of that yet.  I want to start comparing sports drinks in a little while, any recommendations?

Overall, the run went well.  I didn't get super frustrated and all negative with the calves this run and tried to focus on the fact that if my legs were capable of moving faster that I would've been fine because my endurance has definitely increased. Thankfully, another woman from the group ran along with me so it was nice to not be running alone!  I just enjoyed going along the ocean and looking at the mountains while running at the slower pace today.  Sometimes I take for granted what Vancouver has to offer...it's always so breathtaking and yet there are times when I forget how wonderful this city is.  When I got home I noticed I had sand all over me, haha.  That kind of surprised me because the ocean was very calm today...it was windy so that's probably the culprit.

All in all a fabulous day!

P.S. The hand was ok, it's just irritating to run with it all bandaged and above my heart but there was less pain after the run in it than previously, yay!

So today while running I decided that I need to give myself more credit.  I've always been the type to push myself harder and harder and have never taken compliments well.  I've come extremely far in terms of personal growth but it is always still hard for me to take positive comments from others.  It's not that I don't think I deserve them - it's just that I'm always striving for perfection.

As I was running I got into a "my calves are tight..I can't run fast enough and we're supposed to be doing a speed workout" thought cycle.  So I decided I would just go at the fastest pace I could for the day.  Because that's what training is...you'll have some great days, good days and other ones won't be so hot but they all prepare you to run your race well.  So I just started to enjoy the run :)

At my second speed lap a guy walking in the opposite direction exclaimed, "now THAT is commitment, way to go!!!" and gestured to my hand.  I laughed and said thanks as I ran past but then it hit me...I am running injured.  I have my hand all wrapped up in gauze, a splint, tensor, tape, etc. and I've been running with it above my heart (to reduce swelling and jarring) for the past week.  So yes, I may not have had the best run today but I still got out there and did it.  Previously I've dismissed my broken hand because it's not a leg, ankle, knee...you know - a body part that takes the immediate pounding.  Also, I shrugged it off as no big deal because my broken hand compares like nothing to those going through chemo but I am running for them, I'm running for myself, I'm running for the sake of running.  I'm still going and trying my hardest so I think this was why I was able to run my fastest lap for the last one and then back to the runner's lounge at a decent pace...I finally gave myself some credit that I deserved.

Perhaps running is my perfect imperfection.

I love that I am a runner.  I love that I am training for a marathon.  I love that I am helping others while training.  I'm PROUD of myself and how far I've come thus far.

!!!!!!!YAY!!!!!!!!

Running for cancer research

As mentioned in my previous post I broke some bones; some phalanges (fingers) to be exact.  Unfortunately, I have no thrilling tale to tell.  I just somehow managed to smash my finger in a car door when not paying attention.  ::sigh:: I  know that it's pathetic but ohhh well, haha.  

My apologies for being MIA the past little while.  I unexpectedly had to go to Calgary for a week!  Here's a brief synopsis of what happened:

23rd June, Saturday - Rest day.  I also flew to Calgary today.

24th June, Sunday -  GTS for 15k, since I was in Calgary I tried to call their running group...but to no avail.  So instead I headed out with a friend!  Those pesky shin splints were making it super painful again so I ended up not doing much running and a whole lot of walking instead.

25th & 26th of June - I rested.  Didn't want anymore shin/knee problems!

27th June, Wednesday - Car door and I had a fight at around 19:00.  Car won.  Was at ER until 03:30 the next morning (ugh to waiting!)

28th June, Thursday - Went back to urgent care because their x-ray technicians weren't around the previous night/morning.  Doctor told me not to run until next Wednesday and that it'll hurt when I do run "just run as much depending on the pain".  SIDENOTE: Those of you who know me and my high pain tolerance/impatience for getting over broken bones...I told him that was too vague; he told me just to make sure I don't run until I pass out.  Hahaha. =|

1st July, Sunday - Missed another GTS (::sniff sniff::) because I was still in Calgary until later that evening.

2nd July, Monday - Longing for a good run.  Grumpy because I couldn't go.  Annoyed that the pain killers make me loopy.

The COOL THING is though that the nurse who looked at my phalanges in the ER was ALSO a member of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training!!!!  She said she absolutely LOVED it; it was her first marathon, too, and that she ran it about three weeks ago! (I cannot remember what one she ran...oops.) It made me feel a bit better :) Donate, donate, donate!!! (sing to the tune of the cha-cha)