Update on my leg/knee

I am slacking again! I am picking back up though as things have been going crazy.  I am preparing for a trip to Hawaii next week and all the logistics going into that are making me a crazy lady!  Anyway, I just realized I never did an update as to what was going on with my knee!

Last I posted, I saw the Sports Med doctor and he told me it was IT band but it, in itself, was not tight.  It would get tight in situations where my weak hips would tire, shift, and cause it to tighten due to lengthening.  He set me up to meet with a physical therapist and have a couple sessions for at home instruction and a biomedical assessment to check it was the only issue.  I found out a LOT during that biomedical assessment.

I went in and he twisted me in all sorts of directions, had me walk up and down a hall regularly, toes out, toes in, windmill and drop back step type exercises, etc.  A whole gamut of strange things and he told me a lot about why my leg is hurting.

I had a suspicion that it was NOT my IT band because the spot it was hurting was about 2 inches below my knee and not on the side of or above my knee.  It was hurting in a spot that your IT band doesn't even touch.

 

 

 

(Source)

I was hurting more in the area of where the 8 is on that diagram.  Since it has been awhile, I will post the things I can remember him telling me are affecting my running.

1) My peroneus muscle along the outside of my left leg is incredibly tight.  To the point that it will randomly ache and feels ropey when it was manipulated.  Problem is, this is not really a muscle that can be stretched.

2) I tend to walk toed out a bit and am slightly bowlegged.  This causes me to land strange and alignment to be off when I am running.

3) My hips are indeed weak

4) my left hamstring and calf muscle are tighter than he would like them to be

5) I do not use my big toe like I should.  I tend to land on the ball of my foot up and hold my toes up like I have a hammer toe though I do not.  This causes my outside toes to go numb as well as  messing with the all important alignment while running.

6) My femur and tibia-fibular head do not rotate the way that they should.  The t-F head is where my pain was coming from.

I ended up going to PT twice a week for 4 weeks to deal with these issues.  He gave me shoe inserts to work on supporting my low arches as well as helping me to use my toes more efficiently.  I have not had the courage to run in these yet... I wear them during the day but the fact that my arch is not used to being held up yet causes some discomfort there sometimes.

I have a HUGE (or what seems huge) list of exercises that I am to do daily until I hit 10ish miles again and then I can split the list and do them 2-3 days a week after to keep things going.

He did a lot of massage and manipulation on that peroneus muscle to attempt to loosen it.  He told me that is likely going to be an issue for me forever and suggested a percussion massager to use after runs.

I am supposed to direct ice my T-F head after each and every run to the point of numbness to fight swelling and irritation in that area.

I do have to say that I am doing these exercises (not every day- BAD, Cassie) and I am now running pain free again! Last time I ran I went for 6 miles and had some pain, 7 miles and was almost unable to finish, and 8 miles that turned into 3 when I could NOT push through the pain.  I am back up to 5 miles pain free and though I am nervous it will come back this weekend, I have a 6 miler scheduled.  Hoping all goes well!

So, there it is! My stupid leg hates my running but it has to get with the program =)

Happy Running!

Weekly Workout Roundup

This week wasn't as great as last week.  It wasn't that great at all actually.  I did have some really good runs, though, so that counts right??

Week	Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
10	Stretch & strengthen Zumba and HIIT	5 m run 55:20	3 m run or cross Nothing	5 m run + strength 53:05	Rest	60 min cross Nothing	11 m run 2:02:48

Monday- I went to Zumba and HIIT Fit again.  Zumba last for an hour and this time around they really worked my arms.  I borrowed a pair of the weights and I was definitely feeling it by the end. 

In HIIT we did a deck of cards workout.  I don't know if you watch Biggest Loser or not but Bob did this with his contestants this season when they had to spend all day sitting in the room of sweets and video games.  Each suite had an exercise and you did however many the number of the card was of that exercise.  Here's what the workouts were:

Face Cards: 10 reps of any ab move
Clubs: Pushups
Diamonds: Sit and Stands
Spades: Tricep Dips
Hearts: Prone Jacks
Ace: 10 burpess.

Let me tell you those darn burpess saved themselves.. I think 3 of them were in the last 15 or so cards. That totals 54 reps of each suite and then the 40 burpees and 12 sets of 10 of each of the ab moves chosen.  It was a good workout.

Tuesday: I had a decent run but it was VERY hot and muggy.  I felt like I could barely catch my breath most of the time which was not pleasant at all- but I survived.

Wednesday: It rained all day.  I had every intention of doing Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred but ended up not doing it.

Thursday: Another 5 mile run with the husband.  The wind and heat stunk but I ran the entire way even though it was at a snail's pace.  But progress is progress!

Friday: Scheduled Rest day and Saturday: Accidental rest day.

Sunday: Today I did an 11 mile run on a bike path I had never been on.  I was happy with myself because I ran the first 8 miles, took a small walk break, and ran the last 3.  It felt good.  I had a pain in the arch area of my left foot the ENTIRE run, though, as well as my left hamstring feeling tight from the beginning.  My left leg was apparently against me today.

On a side note, I run in some really pretty places.  I can't wait to get my Garmin so that my phone isn't strapped to my arm and I can use it for pictures!

All in all, it wasn't bad but the next week needs to be on.  Only 2 weeks until my first half!

My last long run and some randomness

I have been wanting to kind of recap my last long run for future reference.  It was my very first double digit run ever and that seemed like a huge milestone to me.  Especially since I just started running at the beginning of January (minus a short 3 month stint last year that had me up to 3 miles).  I have to say that I was really proud of myself.  Sure, I wasn't fast.  I ended up settling into an 11 min/mile pace that felt comfortable but once I was there I felt like I could have gone on forever.

The area I ran in was the bike path in one of my favorite towns in this part of the state.  Ohio University is my alma mater and, in my opinion, is a gorgeous campus.  The path goes along the river and there is always something scenic to look at.

You can see the bike path there running along the opposite side of the river. Source

We parked at the football stadium and hit the bike path going east.  I think this weekend when I go back we will head to the west because from where we parked I hit the very end of the bike path before the halfway point of 5 miles.  I had to run a very short way up into the hospital parking lot that is at the end of the path to get the full 5 miles.

I was pretty happy with my performance overall on this run. I ran the first 5 miles (except for a short stop in the bathroom around mile 3.  I drank too much water that morning apparently!), took a short walk at the turn around point, stopped AGAIN in the bathroom at 7 miles and then ran the entire way back.  I would say that I walked less than 1/8th of a mile or so.  Like I said, it was slow going but I ran much of it!  My time was 1:51:05 which was an average of 11:06/mile.

source

Now, some randomness:

1) I am SO elated over the fact that the final Boston bomber has been apprehended.  I was debating on posting this but decided that in order to stand up to the madness in this world we must move on and do what we love.  Run in memory and honor of those in Boston.

2) I am at the point in my life that I only want those who encourage around me.  There is so much drama among some people I know and I just want people surrounding me who uplift me.  That being said, I have made some decisions this week to begin to make the move toward having only positive influences in my life. I have to say that it feels good.

3) I am just 15 days away from my first half marathon and I get goosebumps every time I think about it!

4) It is so strange yet so great to have my husband home after he was gone for 11 months.

5) Finally, there are some great companies out there making shirts and the like to benefit the victims of Boston.  I am still trying to decide on a shirt that I want but I did order a Sweaty Band and I am really excited to get it.  I really hope it fits my strange shaped head =). 

I am going to try to get a list of the shirts I have seen together to add to my next post.  I have seen some great ones but they are on my phone... which is dead.

Happy Running!

Weekly Workout Roundup

Week	Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
9	Stretch & strengthen 1:30  Zumba &  HIIT Fit	4.5 m run 54:13 4.75 miles	3 m run or cross 37:58 7.33m bike ride	4.5 m run + strength 48:31	Rest or easy run	Rest  2:00 Slow walk	10 m run 1:51:05

 ** (a note on this schedule.  It had a 10k built into Sunday but I opted out and settled on a long run for the weekend instead.  That is why there is a rest day scheduled for Saturday also.)

This week has been a great one for my workouts.  Having The Husband home really helps motivate me because he continuously reminds me what I am working toward and where I want to be in the near future.  It really helps.  Now, I have him attempting to motivate me to get my school work done on time!

Monday: I went to Zumba for cross training for the first time in a year.  They now do something called HIIT fit after the hour of Zumba and it lasts a half hour.  So we did Tabata intervals of various things including squats with a kettle bell, leg climbers, pushups, oblique crunches, and lots of other ab work.  I was fairly sore the next day from HIIT Fit.

Tuesday: I was able to get up first thing in the morning to get in my 4.5 mile run! I usually have to run late at night after the kids go to bed but since The Husband is home, I was able to do it before breakfast. I actually ended up doing 4.75 that morning because I got into a zone and forgot when I was supposed to stop.

Wednesday: The Husband and I went on a bike ride.  It was a lot of fun and it had been awhile but I always forget how much of a workout riding a bike can be!

Thursday- The kiddos went to my Grandma's to play and The Husband and I went for a 4.5 mile run through town.  I hadn't run this route in a few weeks and I was happy to get in one of my short runs outside.

Friday: Was rest day =)

Saturday: The kids had soccer games this morning.  My mom and I, along with my Little Girly went to a big outdoor outlet mall right afterwards to get the kids some summer clothes.  It wasn't at the pace I would normally walk for cross training but I was only scheduled for 50 minutes and probably got in over 2 hours.

Sunday: Again, The Husband and I took off together for a run.  I had 10 miles to do and we finally hit the point that we had to travel about 45 minutes in order to safely run it.  I had a VERY slow pace that I settled into but I really felt like I could go forever at that pace.  I stopped 3 very quick times and 2 of those were because I had to pee! I hydrated a bit too well apparently! I am going to have to watch that because I don't want to be stopping in the middle of my half!

I am very happy with this week and I am really excited for next week.

Happy Running!

Weekly Workout Roundup

This week wasn't as terrible as last week, so that's good.  I keep setting goals not to miss any workouts and life just laughs at me.  I still feel like I got a decent amount of work in but it wasn't what I wanted.  I did try to plank each day on top of what I did manage.  I do have to say that I have about 3-4 weeks until my last semester of grad school and I will be glad to see it be over!  I turned in an 18 page paper last week that has taken up most of my extra time and attention this week.  I have another 5-7 page one due tonight-which I should definitely be doing right now....

Week	Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
8 (4-1 to 4-7)	4.5 m run 5 m run 57:13	8 m run 1:28:37	3 m run or cross	Rest	4.5 m run+ strength	50 min cross 4 mile walk/run with the kids on their bikes	9 m run  Subbing Monday for today JM 30 Day shred 1 hour softball

Monday- I decided that since the previous week was not that great I would go ahead and do 5 miles instead of the 4.5 that was on the schedule.  Luckily The Husband is home now and it will be much easier for me to get my runs in earlier.

Tuesday- I did Sunday's long run after some babysitter snafus.  Completed my 8 miles in 1:28:37.  Not the greatest time but at this point, since I am just starting out, I am happy with the time for now.  Right now I just want to finish my half which is in 4 short weeks (eek!).

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday- I didn't get anything done.  They were spent working on school work and getting the house ready for The Husband's return.  He has been gone for almost a year and we were ready to see him come home for a bit.  Hopefully the next job we will be going along with him! One of these days was a scheduled rest day, however.

Saturday- The Husband and I loaded up the kids and went for a 4 mile walk/run.  The kids rode their bikes and we would walk until they got too far ahead of us and then run to catch up with them.

Sunday- I decided to move my Sunday run to Monday this week so we could take advantage of my sisters being in town and go play softball with them and let the kids fly their kites.  I plan to also do my 30 Day shred video this evening if I ever focus and get this paper done tonight.


Another week and another goal.  Now with the husband home I hope that I can keep from missing any workouts.  I think I may return to Zumba while he is here since I have a months worth of paid classes from a card I won and it hasn't been used.  They are also doing something called HIIT Fit afterward so I think that will be beneficial to my cross training to get out and do it!  It even falls on my scheduled cross training/strength days so I call that a score as well!

Happy Running!

Weekly Workout Roundup

This week has, again, been quite the bummer in workouts.  My schedule for the week was:

Week	Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
7	Stretch & strengthen Did not Complete	4.5 m run Did not Complete	3 m run or cross  Did not Complete	4.5 m run + strength Did not Complete	Rest 4 hours walking the Zoo	50 min cross GDC 5k (29:23) Skating (2 hours)	8 m run  Strength Training

Very little of that was done.

Literally. I spent the week getting the kids caught up on school work and preparing for, what I thought, was my husband coming home for good this weekend.  That turned out to not work out how I planned and my husband came home Thursday night.  His company decided to give him a 3 day weekend if he would agree to stay one more week on the job.

Monday and Tuesday: We did schoolwork and I got some cleaning and organizing done around the house. 

Wednesday: We went to story time and an Easter egg hunt at the library and then a playdate with some other families.

Thursday: Cleaning and school again.  Then I went with my sisters to the Tyler Farr/Josh Thompson/ Rodney Atkins concert.

Friday: I spent 4 hours walking around the zoo with the family for their Eggs, Paws, and Claws Easter event. I think the Kiddos had fun.

Saturday: I ran the Gallipolis Developmental Center's 5K.  I got a time of 29:23 (PR but just barely!) which put me 1st in my age division, 6/43 females and 24/86 overall.  Then that night we went to the skating rink where I spent almost my whole childhood and skated for around 2 hours.  I spent some time carrying my little one around and I can tell you that my legs are SORE today.

Sunday: I am about to do my strength training today.  I wanted to do my long run but the rain is bad and since most of my weekly runs are on the treadmill, I like to get my long runs in outside.  I am going to get outside and run tomorrow and hopefully Thursday and again Sunday this week.

 My goal now is to not miss any workouts left in my training so we shall see how that goes!

Happy Running!