I’ll backtrack to a couple of weekends ago when Mr. SOTSS and I took a trip to Road Runner Sports so he could buy a new pair of running sneakers. I have been so curious about Altra Running brand sneakers with both their foot shaped toe box and zero drop. With my toe injury I’ve found that the more space my toes have the better it feels. I normally go for sneaker brands that run wider (Asics are my favorite) and sometimes buy a wide width because of my wide forefoot but these are created to be not just wider but also more closely aligned with how the foot is shaped. And with my string of injuries over the years I also was intrigued by the zero drop theory of a softer stride. So I bought a pair (I bought the Altra Escalante) and have been wearing them for walking only the last 2 weeks.
Altra Running Escalante sneakers and a cute dog to enhance the photo 🙂
I LOVE THEM! I felt a little calf soreness the first day or two as my body adjusted but boy oh boy I love them so. I wear them almost daily now and can’t wait to try running in them. The only thing I hate is the laces. They just can’t stay tied….even double knots fall out! Geez. But hey, small price to pay and easily fixable.
Yoga classes 4 and 5:
I went to my 4th yoga class on Saturday and was so proud to hold a crow pose for a few seconds at least.
Asked Duncan if he wanted to take a quick selfie before I headed out to yoga and this was the outcome. He doesn’t always follow direction.
And then last night I went again. With each class I’m feeling more and more comfortable with the poses. I still struggle with squaring my hips and aligning my knees, flexing my feet and so many of the things that you just don’t automatically remember but it’s been a real eye hip opener for sure! And my tight hips are loving the attention. On the way home from yoga I had the bright idea to try running again. I felt nice and warmed up and it was a gorgeous evening weather-wise.
Pure happiness and optimisim after this mile and a half
I went 1 1/2 miles and even a little bit faster than my last attempt last week. But the biggest improvement was how I felt afterward. I didn’t feel the need to limp at all. Slow and steady….unfortunately the Brooklyn Half this Saturday is looking more and more confirmed to be a DNS. But my silver lining? I signed up for the Spring Lake 5 miler the weekend after and that actually seems like it will be doable!!!! Hoping I can salvage at least one of my 4 spring races.
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?
This past Monday I went to a yoga class taught by a former colleague. It was a 60 minute power flow class based on the Baptiste Power Vinyasa style of yoga. After a warm up of stretches there are a series of pose sequences that get more challenging as the class goes on. We do a lot of core work toward the end of class before a nice cool down and savasana (basically laying like a “corpse” and removing all tension from your body for a few solid minutes….I almost fell asleep)
My colorful trio: water bottle, towel and mat.
The room was warmed to around 80 degrees. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed it. I was really surprised by a lot.
photo: strenthwithinyoga.com
I knew more poses than I thought (warrior, tree, child’s, downward dog)
I always thought I wouldn’t be able to “sit still” for yoga but this class was perfect for me as we moved fairly quickly through sequences of poses.
It was challenging! I loved hearing the instructor call out ways to get more out of the pose. Pull the belly in or squeeze the knees together, etc etc. I broke a sweat and felt my core working hard.
I immediately found myself thinking of goals. I want to master crow pose. I want to be able to hop to the front of the mat from downward dog. I want to be able to move through the poses continuous without having to rearrange myself on the mat. (You’d be surprised how many times I found myself hanging off the front or side of my mat.)
I was soaked when class was over—partly from the hot room—partly from working so hard.
Sweat Out the Small Stuff: Vinyasa Style!
I went again last night for my second class to see if I would still feel as positive about the class and I did! I’m excited to continue this practice and hope to be able to attend 2 classes a week. There’s something so wonderful about discovering new ways of moving my body and staying fit.
I started hiking every Wednesday with a local hiking group every Wednesday night and immediately became addicted. I hated missing out on the hikes for the 6 weeks my toe was injured. I’m hoping yoga will be a similar addition and help me focus on stretch and strength combined with the mental aspect it brings as well.
Just doing some glute work at home with an audience
So my toe was feeling so good I actually forgot I had ever injured it until yesterday when I guess I started out a little too briskly on my brisk walk, combined with the damp weather i found it achy and sore. But after yoga it felt better and today it seems back to “normal”. I’m assuming this will happen a lot over the next month or so as I completely heal. My other foot, however, is feeling a bit sore and achy from spending so many weeks compensating so I’ve been icing it.
My goal is to try and run just a short distance next week and work my way up to 3 miles by next weekend. I’ll have to see what my body wants but I’m optimistic.
In other news Duncan has been displeased about the rainy weather we’ve hadAnd after 2 years Mr. SOTSS finally finished renovating his bathroom so for his birthday I framed some photos that i’ve taken over the years all based around a water theme to decorate.
The large photo is from our trip to Lake Louise in Banff, Canada. The small ones are from a sailing trip to Port Jefferson Long Island, Cape May, New Jersey and Lake George in New York
And yesterday my beautiful niece turned 17 and passed her road test!
I miss this….She used to want to hold my hand all the time.
And now she’s all grown up.
It always makes me feel like I’m “growing” or “evolving” as a human when I go through something crappy only to discover something wonderful. From discovering running after feeling stuck in my grief over the loss of my husband, to discovering yoga while on running hiatus. There is ALWAYS something to be grateful for and there is ALWAYS something to bring positivity.
**Thank you to those who have commented here and on my Instagram posts as well with such kind words of encouragement and advice over the last 6 weeks as I’ve been working through this toe injury. It means a lot.
Hope you have a great weekend!
Have you ever tried yoga? Do you like it? Favorite pose?
Currently tree pose for me but I can’t wait to master crow.
What a weekend! I’m exhausted….physically and emotionally spent but smiling and optimistic and that’s the moral here.
On Saturday morning I dropped of the doodle and then picked up Mr. SOTSS to drive down to Atlantic City where my friend Barbara was getting married. We had a few hours to clean up and look fancy before the wedding started. After being misdirected to the reception location we arrived at the correct ceremony location a couple of minutes late and there was Barbara with her mom about to walk down the aisle! Luckily there was a secret side door that we were directed to and managed to get situated just before they entered. A lovely (and quick!) ceremony that got right to the point. Remember our loved ones not here,sand unity thingy, do everything with love, rings, i do, kiss done! Love you Barbara! Congratulations to you and Drew.
I had been quite anxious about wearing heels for the wedding because of the toe injury.
The shoes are Naturalizer!
But thankfully I managed to get through the night and only felt pain when I danced more than 2 songs straight….so I took frequent breaks.
The “wolf pack”
It was great to see my “wolf pack” again and enjoy such a lovely evening that kept me from thinking about the NJ Half Marathon the next day that I knew I’d be DNS’ing.
Cake always helps too
Since I wasn’t running I told Mr. SOTSS I’d drive to the start of the race so he could catch a few extra winks of sleep. We got home from the wedding late and probably didn’t fall asleep until midnight and then were on the road at 5:15am the next morning.
We drove about an hour and a half to get to the race. It was 7:09am when we arrived and the race begins at 7:30 so I dropped Mr. SOTSS off at the entrance and then went to park. I met up with him on the Port-a-potty line and when we realized how long it would take him to finally get his turn I took his gear bag and ran it over to the gear trucks to get transported to the finish.
I was crying a lot just being there and knowing I wasn’t running. Then I saw a cute goldendoodle and started loving on him. As I started walking back toward the potties I realized I had misplaced my spectator cheer signage! I started to panic. Luckily I found them on the floor by the gear trucks. Whew!
I used my customized emojis to create the perfect cheer signage!
By the time Mr. SOTSS got out of the bathrooms the first few waves had already began and he was forced to start in the last corral with slower runners and walkers. But he was happy to have an empty bladder. Unfortunately this meant a lot of bobbing and weaving for him which may or may not have been the reason he was about 6 minutes slower than usual overall. (Yes! He is so consistent….this was his 8th half marathon and most of them are about 1:50 finish time….)
After the last runner was off I hopped on a shuttle bus that takes you to the finish area and from there I walked a few blocks to a spot on the course between miles 9 and 10. I had about a half hour alone before meeting up with the rest of Mr. SOTSS’ family. I was there early enough to see the fast runners including the first and second place male winners for the half…
This was the winner. He finished in 1:08!
And the second place winner wore a suit!
At about 8:40am Mr. SOTSS’ mom, stepdad and two daughters arrived with their team spirit and signs in tow and together we all welcomed Mr. SOTSS at his arrival to mile 9 (ish) just 15 minutes later. He was so happy to see us and I had the most beautiful moment snapping photos one by one as he kissed each daughter and then his mom….and then me. Being injured can cause me to be….well…no really polite way of saying this….selfish and cranky. I tend to get absorbed into the whole “woe is me” scenario and forget about all the good things that are going on right in front of my face. One of my favorite sayings says to be grateful when you’re up and graceful when you’re down. So why is it so hard for me to be graceful? #workinprogress. Anyway, there I was just filled with emotion seeing the smiling faces of his mom and daughters. After he passed we made our way toward the finish where I was able to record a little video of Mr. SOTSS running the last 100 feet to the finish. Hearing the girls screaming “go daddy go!” was awesome.
The entire day was awesome….despite my emotional outpour of sadness at first. We all reconnected in the evening for a celebratory dinner also celebrating Mr. SOTSS’ birthday which is coming up this week.
So this morning my feet and legs ache but that’s because of the dancing/walking in heels and then walking so much yesterday along the race course. But I’m really excited because my friend Roseann has convinced me to try a yoga class. She’s been going a while and loves it and I figured this may just be the time for me to try it. I’m a true yoga class virgin. Never been to one.
And my next mini goal is getting back to my Wednesday night hikes this week.
So running and the Brooklyn Half marathon on 5/20 are still question marks for now but I’m definitely seeing the light at the end of the injury tunnel and feeling grateful for the movement I can do now.
How was your weekend? Was it a “What a weekend!” kind of weekend or a lazy quiet one?
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