Running, Running, Running...

This past week I made a lot of forward progress in my recovery.  I am working with an amazing PT who not only looks at the "pain" and injury but also where and what might be causing the imbalance.  Since I have started correcting some weak areas my feet have improved greatly.  I think it is pretty amazing how the body compensates for other areas and where the actually injury is may not be where the weakness is!  I have learned a lot from this injury and one huge thing I am working on is not "over doing it" with my training.  I also learned the importance of rest and allowing the body to recover.

This past week of workout:

Tuesday: 23 mile hilly bike ride plus some weight lifting with Dawn and Angel.

Wednesday: MY 1st FULL BODY WEIGHT RUN IN 9 weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I did 4.25 miles and took it nice and slow just to see if anything acted up.

Thursday: 13.5 killer miles on the bike and weight lifting ( shoulders, biceps, triceps and abs )

Thursday PT: 3 miles in 21 minutes

Friday: Traveled to the beach and enjoyed my rest day!



Saturday:  5 beautiful miles in 37:00 the ran walked 3.5 back home.



Sunday: Rode 18.2 torturous miles!



Monday: Ran 6 miles but broke it down into 2 mile repeats with 3 minutes walking recovery in between.

This week has been pretty reassuring and I am now starting to get excited to what my running future holds!

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Happy Running!

St. Andrew's Sprint Tri.....

On Sunday one of my running bestie competed in the St. Andrew's Sprint Triathlon!  I have never been to one of these events but a lot of my friends have been telling me for a while that I would love a triathlon.  They were right this was so inspiring to watch and I think I may have to think about this for the future!  Dawn did amazing...She finished in 1:24 and got 1st in her age group!!!



Dawn is my tri idol!  She totally rock this race and finished so strong!  Dawn has come so far over the past few years and has overcome injuries and is killing all the races she does.  She is such a strong swimmer/cyclist/runner and I definitely know she has way more in the tank to give!   One of the million things I love about Dawn is that she is always the voice of reason.  She firmly believes in the importance of recovery, rest and cross training.  And I have to say she is definitely on to something and seeing how much she has accomplished I am following in her footsteps!

When I am not in a training cycle I tend to go a little crazy and just want to over do my workouts.  I am realizing this recovery time is meant for my body to heal and regroup so that I can come back a lot stronger.  It has taken me quite some time and now this past injury to realize this but it has finally click in my brain!   Quick learner I am...NOT!

My favorite part of the tri was watching the cyclist and all the different techniques to their ride.  And there were some cool helmets!!  So I think maybe I will be drinking the kool-aid and adding a tri to my schedule for next year.  We shall see...



Anyone else considering a tri?

Happy Running!

 

Mudrun Jr.

Today I met Angel at the gym to get our sweat on!  We did a killer ride on the bike then lifted some weights ( walking lunges, deadlifts, bicep curls ) and worked on our cores.  My legs definitely felt the lifting today.   As much as I hate not running I am learning to realize the importance of lifting and working all those muscles that help me run.

One thing that I love more than racing myself is watching my kids race/play sports!  Last night was the Delaware Mudrun Jr held at Frightland....I have competed in the adult mudrun the past 2 years and my oldest son competed last year in the Jr one too.  These races are for a great cause and support the Leukemia Research Foundation of Delaware!



My oldest son competed again this year and did GREAT!!  He makes me so proud and is such an amazing kid.  I definitely want to get a team together next year and help them be the top fundraisers for the Leukemia Research Foundation!



Yellow shirt with green duct tape: That's my boy!!  The duct tape was a hit and I ended up using my whole roll on other kids!



LOVE this!!!!!



My Muddy Buddy!  So if anyone wants to have a dirty good time check out the Delaware Mudrun the adult one is on September 23, 2012 and the Jr. will be next June.  So check it out!!!

Happy Running!

Abs and Fast Legs...

I am now running at 90% of my body weight on the Alter-G for 35 mins.  This feels like a huge step in the right direction.  I set my incline between 1% and 2% and my speed is around 7:13 - 7:30 per mile.  I am still being treated with the LCT laser for my Neuroma but it has been doing well with the treatments.  So today I ran 4.80 miles in 35 minutes and loved every single step.

I definitely have noticed my leg speed is getting a lot faster and I have a quicker turnover both with running and cycling.  I did a ride today and beat my previous time by 4 minutes!!  It was a pretty hilly tough ride and I felt strong throughout the whole ride.  I followed that up by a rowing/bench press workout.

Row/Bench WOD:

Row 500 meters then Bench Press 75 lbs. ( or what your max weight for you is ) for 30 reps.

Row 1000 meters then Bench Press 75 lbs. for 20 reps.

Row 2000 meters then Bench Press 75 lbs. for 10 reps.

Wow my arms and chest were talking to me once I finished this!!

I followed up with my core work and I am seeing and feeling the results!



Working on my baby pouch from my boys!

What is your favorite abs workout?

Happy Running!

Progress!

This week has been so crazy!  I have had a lot of PT and I am happy to report I am making progress.  My previous physical therapist moved to another location so I started with Eric.  I was very nervous about the change because I really liked my other guy.   But Eric is awesome and really pushes to make you better!  He killed my plantar and worked out all the kinks.  He also introduce me to my new favorite piece of equipment:



OMG!!  This is amazing.  It is called the Foot Log and if you have plantar fasciitis this is a must have.  It gets right into the arch of the foot and works out all the tightness.  They are about $20 but easy to take with you everywhere!  I am a fan.

I am now running at 80% of my body weight on the Alter-G and everything felt great.  I was able to do 3.5 miles in 26 mins and had no pain.  I have really thought about "sneaking runs" but I have come to realize that by doing so I will not get to where I want to be.  This coming year I have big goals for myself and I am taking this time to get my body into the best shape to get me to my goals.

Running is my FAVORITE thing but just like anything in life too much of it can lead to issues.  I have had to learn this the hard way.  I feel like I have the right people working with me and we all agree on my goals and are working to get there.

I went to my favorite store and chatted with owner for a while about shoes and injuries.  I get so excited to go to Delaware Running Company and feel like a kid in a toy store!!



I tried on about 6 pair of shoes and it was down to 2 pair.  I took both for a jog and decided on Saucony.  I use to run in these shoes last year and really liked them but switched to another brand.   But for now this is what I am sticking with until I am back to my runner self!



What shoes do you run in?

Happy Running!

Week of Cycling...

This week has been tough!  I was making progress with my feet/injuries then had a flare up again so to keep myself from going crazy I have learned to love the bike.  A "tri" friend of mine told me "You can ride yourself to a better run but you cannot run yourself to a better ride".  I really did not understand the meaning of this at first but now I am starting to get it.  So my rides this week were:

Tuesday: 18.2 hilly miles

Wednesday: 11.5 miles with 40% grade incline of hills...Followed up with Tony's WOD 21, 15, 9 sets timed with no rest in between sets.  Front squats with bar, burpees, and kettlebell swings..then a Row Complex 1000 meters:rest 3 min, 750 m:rest 2 min, 500m:rest 1:30, 250 meters= DONE!!!!!!

Thursday: 10 minutes of sprints on the Stairmonster and 13.5 hilly miles

Friday: 11 "gut busting" miles that left me speechless and sweaty..Angel joined me half way through this ride so I did another 4.5 hilly miles.  We also did a circuit of 50:10 x 5 set, 2 exercises x 2..tons of upper body and core.



Saturday: 20 mile ride with lots and lots of hills!  Followed by core work 5 exercises x 2 sets.



All I can say is Please Let Me Run Soon!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Happy Running!