Week 14

Well I'm writing this entire blog on Sunday so I don't remember much of anything, though with this injury there isn't a lot to write about anyway.

I'm behind on my promised mileage for the Great American 5000 (19.2 mi total out of ~25ish target). Hip flexor healing is underway with a couple of dry needling sessions and more PT, but it's not better yet. I'd hoped to get 8 miles run yesterday but only got through 6.5 or so, and the hip flexor hurt by mile 2. 

Did yoga, did sculpt, did some walking throughout the week but not as much walking as I would have liked. It just doesn't happen during the work days. 

Sculpt class 

Sunrise on Saturday pre-run

Week 13

Uhhhh it's Friday and I'm just starting this, so there's that. I'm gonna post this pre-weekend since we're going camping (!!) and I'll probably-maybe just lump that all into one post. 

I'm not going to even bother with the daily stuff because I'm not training for anything and it's too much repetitiveness to catch up on. I ran once, walked a lot, and did yoga every day. There we go.

Walking Conference Calls

I started PT on Tuesday for my hip flexor, and she (ECal, friend and physical therapist) says it's either the iliopsoas or an upper quad muscle issue, but either way the fix is the same - retraining some of my running form, strengthening some of the weaker muscles around it, and stimulating the part that's hurting to encourage bloodflow & self-repair (i.e. trigger point massage and/or dry needling). So I'm going back twice next week to check progress and get more suggestions. Whee!

I did one of those time lapse videos for my sculpt class yesterday... I only captured half of it but it's kind of fun! Need to find a better angle though so it doesn't cut off my upper body and head the whole time. 

I got a Strava account. Still don't really know what to do with it, but there it is. 

And lastly, I've signed up for the Great American 5000 - a virtual team relay run across America! I'm part of the Pink Elephants on Parade relay team, organized by running bestie. Follow our Instagram to see our progress! Race starts this weekend.

Week 12

Hip flexor feels pretty good after a weekend of no long runs (😭) so hopefully by 10k Tuesday it'll be good to go. We shall see.

Monday

Did: Power Flow w/ Cesar + 2 mi evening walk

First class streaming from the yoga studio and it was pretty good! I really liked this flow from Cesar, especially him walking us through a new challenging pose - baby grasshopper. I also got a few pics throughout class, just for funsies. 

Child's pose to start... not exactly a quiet practice environment. 

But it's what I have, and I make it work.

Crow pose

bakasana

Baby Grasshopper!!

Namaste with my little yogi buddy.

Went for a walk after dinner. 

Tuesday

Did: 6.34 mi @ 11:21/mi + Power Flow w/ Karina

Dangitttttt the hip flexor started hurting about 2 miles in. I walked the uphills. Then I walked the last mile. UGH. Physical Therapist has been contacted...

Afternoon Power Flow w/ Karina was good. I took it easy on the spider crunches (knee to elbow in plank position) because they always make my hip flexor pop. 😬

Wednesday

Did: 60 min Soul Sculpt w/ Katie + 2.3 mi walk

Whewwww another good sculpt class! I'm starting to really like these. I guess now that I know what to expect it's easier to push through. I might have to get Spotify just so I can hear the playlists, though, because it's challenging to do these classes with zero music. 

Hoping to get out for a walk later... we'll see...

Yep, got out for a couple miles just before dinner. It was warm! I think summer has arrived.

Thursday

Did: 60 min Power Flow w/ Karina + 4.5 mi walk

Early morning yoga on the back porch was nice, same routine as Tuesday's (I cannot do Firefly pose at all). Overall a good challenge though and nice to do outside.

 This is Firefly pose... um, wut?

Went for a mid-morning walk and took a team video call while I was walking. Everyone was all "omg are you running???" Um, no... just walking. 

Friday

Did: 60 min Power Flow w/ Jasmine + 3.4 mi evening walk

It's Monday now and I don't remember anything about this. But I did it.

Saturday

Did: 5.8 mi mostly run @ 11:14/mi avg + 60 min Power Flow w/ Marsha

I felt so hopeful on this one - my hip flexor hadn't hurt all week during my walks, so I tried out a run. Felt great for the first ~2 miles then nope. Ended up walking the last bit. It's not so much that I can't run through the pain, but it's enough that I know I shouldn't. We'll see what PT says next week (I have an appointment Tuesday afternoon). 

Rounded out the morning with a good power flow on the back porch w/ Marsha. 

Sunday

Did: 3.4 mi bike ride w/ D + Soul Sculpt w/ Katie

Took a short ride with D on the Swamp Rabbit trail (couldn't convince him to go more than 3 miles) then did Sculpt at noon. Really starting to like these and, surprise surprise, I'm getting better at lunges! I always thought I just "couldn't" do them because of knee issues related to running, but I think I'm just weak. :P 

(Not even going to say it) - Week 11

I've decided there's Something Wrong with my hip flexor. It's been a few weeks and still isn't better... although these nagging chronic things usually seem to rear their heads for about a month and then just gradually disappear. I'm going to pay attention to it this week - do some intentional modifications, icing, gentle stretching - and if it's not better by next weekend's long run, I'm seeking some professional help (and I'm writing it down here for accountability). I feel I know all of the symptoms of whatever is "wrong" and they're very likely all interconnected somehow... I'm just not sure what to try to fix first. Weak glutes? Tight hamstrings? Permanently-separated abdominal muscles? Doing too much yoga? Scoliosis? Running on roads (i.e. a slightly off-camber surface) too much?  .... the list goes on.

Monday
Did: 5.27 mi @ 11:25/mi run/walk
Did a solo run/walk in the neighborhood just to get out and do something. I'm bummed that it's a holiday and I can't even go out and do a nice long run. It was nice to get out though, and I did my best to run the flats/downhills and walk the uphills to minimize impact on the hip flexor. It actually felt less sore than it has all weekend while I was running on the flats. I think that's justification to keep moving and not go to total rest. Just have to coddle it for a bit.

Tuesday

Did: 6.23 mi @ 8:28/mi avg + Power Flow w/ Karina

Headed to the swamp rabbit trail to try out a flat run and see how my hip flexor did. I got a little excited about running on flat and went WAY too fast for the first couple of miles...

Kept accelerating over the first 2 miles... realized my errors and slowed down for the rest.

So of course, the hip flexor was talking to me the rest of the run. It never hurts so much that I feel like I have to stop running, but it's the "Yep, this is going to bother me later." thoughts that are present. I iced it once I got home before jumping into power flow yoga. I've had to be careful with planks and ab work so as to not further stress the flexor (like in Low Boat pose). What I'm realizing is if I really focus on USING my ABS (like you're supposed to) then it actually helps alleviate the strain on the hip flexors. (duh). Good indicator of whether I'm doing those poses correctly, I guess!

Wednesday

Did: Power Flow w/ Karina

Early morning class due to ALLTHEMEETINGS today, and I found myself amused towards the end of class at the plan/vision (early morning yoga before the house wakes up and a busy day begins) vs. reality (start super tired, rush to get set up because child woke up early and wanted to eat, then he comes downstairs as I'm finishing so he's walking around the mat and lets the cats up stairs so they're sniffing my face while I'm trying to do final savasana). Just another day in #quarantinemomlife

Hoping to get outside for a walk a little bit if the rain will hold off?? Not sure if that's going to happen...

And nope.

Thursday

Did: 3.06 mi run/walk + Power Flow w/ Marsha

I don't remember this (writing on Monday) but apparently I did a 3 mile run/walk through the neighborhood. I think it was raining a little bit. Then yoga later in the morning.

Friday

Did: Soul Sculpt w/ Katie

Great class, felt good to get the heart pumping. I think Katie is the instructor from the one in-person sculpt class I did... she seemed familiar anyway. Great workout!

Saturday

Did: Flow & Deep Stretch w/ Jasmine + 4.7 mi walk

Woke up and really wanted to do a long run, but my hip flexor felt so tight and a bit sore that I knew I needed to not run. UGH. Did yoga, but it didn't help my attitude so I went out for a long walk in the neighborhood before lunch. 

Sunday

Did: 2.7 mi walk + Power Flow w/ Karina

Afternoon walk in the neighborhood again followed by late afternoon yoga. Hip flexor felt good while walking and didn't bother me at all today, so I'll hope for a pain-free 10k this coming week.