So happy to report that my back is almost back to 100%! I was seriously freaking out when i last posted.
So now I’m finally planning my comeback.
Clearly Duncan is thrilled about my comeback
I’m looking forward to joining my hiking group tonight and returning to the yoga mat tomorrow morning. I’ll modify as needed for my back if I feel the need.
And I’ve resumed what I was just getting underway with at physical therapy for my toe 2 weeks ago when the back went out. Yesterday I did 3 sets of toe raises and took a brisk walk. I’ll incorporate some jumps soon. Just want to make sure my back is truly 100 percent first. The next couple of weeks will be all about stress and rest which is what my toe needs to continue repairing in its final phases of healing. I found this great post on the site irunfar.com about recovering from soft tissue injury that explains everything so clearly.
My plan is to actually start running a little in another week or 2. I’m going to follow the rule of 2 starting with a 10 minute easy run and adding 2 minutes to each subsequent run so long as I have no pain. (I’ll be taking at least one rest day in between runs to monitor the situation).
Over the next 3 monnths I’ve got three 5Ks that I’d like to run (slow and steady!) if possible. I have to say that I am being cautiously optimistic but even just the idea that I’ll be running again this year makes me so happy.
Since Mr. SOTSS has already signed up for the Trenton Half at the end of October I’m hoping I can run the 5K. (Here’s my recap from 2016, 2014 and 2013.)
And finally the Big Chill 5K in December (you can read a little about last year’s race here. If all goes well I’ll think about increasing mileage next year.
Something about yoga and paying attention to song lyrics. I guess this is my new thing. Yesterday it was a Coldplay song….the lyrics that shouted at me were “Nobody Said it Was Easy”.
Speaking of yoga, I saw this gorgeous rainbow after a class earlier in the week
It felt like some sort of validation or affirmation for me. Like I was being told it’s ok to struggle…nobody said it was easy….then I thought about all the things that “it” represents for me:
Work
Physical Healing
Emotional Healing
Life
I struggle daily to feel whole without running. I constantly want to put a disclaimer to every day that states “well today was hard because I can’t run”. When actually I should just accept today was hard because it was hard.
I’m working hard at building my freelance business. I’ve recently been certified as a New York City M/WBE (Minority/women owned business) and attended a networking/procurement event this past Wednesday in the city where I had the opportunity to talk to 70 NYC agencies who could potentially contract me to do work for them.
First let me say that it felt lovely to be reunited with my favorite commuting option….the Staten Island Ferry.
This required me to dig deep to give my “elevator pitch” to these agencies. I came home drained and while I wanted to feel optimistic about the potential opportunities, I felt overwhelmed from it all.
I felt so official with my badge
Got some swag for attending which was nice. I have already used the ear buds.
I totally managed to recharge over the weekend though and that’s left me ready to tackle today.
Friday I drove out to visit a friend who I haven’t seen in a while. Her daughter is almost 6 and as adorable as ever. She heard me talking about my worry about finances and hoping I can get my business to make more money by finding some additional clients and gave me $5,000 in Post-It note currency…We played with Legos and even baked a cake in her LaLa Loopsy oven (like the Easy Bake oven).
Apron fashion and micro fashion 🙂
Let’s just say the cake wasn’t such a success but we laughed and enjoyed the silliness of half uncooked-stuck to the pan cake crumbles sprinkled on top of some very weird tasting “frosting”. Sometimes it’s about the process and not the end result right? 🙂 More »
I can’t remember the last time I posted twice in one day but after I shared this morning’s post about my toe setback and yoga and mental health progress I realized that it was 4 years ago today that I shared my very first post here on Sweat Out the Small Stuff so it’s my 4 year blogaversary!
Also, Facebook’s “On this day” feature let me know that a friend shared this article about returning to running after soft tissue injury that was shared with me via Facebook on this day back in 2014 when I had my ankle injury. Basically it says start with a 10 minute run. Then if all feels good add 2 minutes to the next run and so on and so forth. But if there is pain, reduce by 2 minutes. So even though I started out running about 12 minutes my first run back, I increased mileage (and overall time) much quicker.
When did you start reading my blog? Have you been around a short while? Since the beginning or did you just discover it today?
First mile in 7 weeks and 3rd yoga class: I’m all about numbers today with my blog post title. Funny how I spelled out first but put 3rd and not third. I’m so inconsistent.
Anyhoo,
I went to yoga Monday night for my 3rd time and I’m really liking it and learning a lot, even new hip opening poses which my hips are in need for.
I learned the frog pose which apparently Duncan has mastered
My balance leaves a lot to be desired, my flexibility leaves a lot to be desired, but, my optimism about the potential improvement and positive impact this will have on my running is keeping me engaged!! And I’m really excited about all the core work that gets accomplished throughout class.
With all transparency I’ve had a few “class setting” demons re-appear. The room has mirrors which means at times I’m forced to look at myself and I don’t necessarily like what I see. And sometimes the anxiety of feeling silly because I’m not sure I’m doing the pose right or I can’t actually get my feet to sit flat on the mat etc kicks in. But I’m working on that. 🙂 I’ll work on that just as much as I’ll work on loosening up my hips and hammies! #ProgressNOTPerfection
I woke up yesterday morning and my foot felt fantastic! I literally darted down 3 flights of stairs when taking the dog out in the morning. (3 level townhouses are basically Stairmasters with carpet) The universe was telling me I should try a run. So I decided to just go for a mile.
First mile in 7 weeks
Woah. I literally felt lightheaded when I stopped. I had aches and pains popping up left and right as the body started moving. 7 weeks of not running or doing anything that was high-impact left me at square 1. But the toe felt ok for that mile. I did however feel some tingling and when I stopped to walk back home I felt very apprehensive about pushing off that toe. So the good news is no pain. The bad news is my entire body is really starting over. A few hours later the toe ached a bit and this morning still feels a bit sore. Oh, and the rest of my body feels like I just ran a marathon! I can’t remember the last time my quads burned so much. Crazy! One simple 13 minute mile. Square 1 for sure. But I’m not limping so I know that’s a good sign.
I’m really glad that I sort of benchmarked where I’m at. This is all really scary for me. I wish I knew if I was doing this right. I’m reminded of the day last week I tried walking a little bit more briskly than I had been walking and the toe started to hurt and set me back a few days. But then I rebounded so hopefully this will be the trend until the setbacks are gone and I only bound forward.
Tonight I’m going to join my hiking group for a few miles and I’ll probably hit yoga on Saturday. In between I’ll keep doing those easy 3 mile walks and when I’m darting down the stairs again I’ll try for a 2 mile run! Slow progress is still progress. This is now my new chant.
In other news I got a desk for my living room! I love that can stand at it or sit. I’ve spent way too long freelancing from my sofa and I’m fairly certain that’s the main reason my hamstrings got ruined.
Coffee in hand and ready to be productive
So hopefully this new way of working will help me. I kinda sorta want to pat myself on the back for all that I’m doing to help myself heal here. #patselfonback
My weekend was spent enjoying the some outdoors with my guys…
Morning “business” means coffee consumption for me and, well, Duncan’s doing his “business” too 🙂
Just a selfie for selfie’s sake
exercising our dogs…
I also made us pancakes and thought it was interesting that I saw a horse in my pancake considering the Kentucky Derby was happening. Do you see the horse head? Profile view.
We also saw Mr. SOTSS’s oldest daughter sing with her choir group for their final performance and his younger daughter compete in her states gymnastics meet. Last year they were on the same day and we couldn’t be in 2 places at once so this year we were happy to get to attend both.
And Duncan discovered the back window of Mr. SOTSS’ truck
What kudos do you want to give to yourself?
How do you know if you’re returning to running correctly after recovering from an injury?
Since Mr. SOTSS has already signed up for the Trenton Half at the end of October I’m hoping I can run the 5K. (Here’s my recap from 2016, 2014 and 2013.)
And finally the Big Chill 5K in December (you can read a little about last year’s race here. If all goes well I’ll think about increasing mileage next year.
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