foam rolling like a champ

19. March 2015 · 4 comments · Categories: injury, running, Uncategorized · Tags: , , , ,

Hi there.

Hope your week has been moving along ok. I’ll catch you up on what I’ve been up to since running the NYC half last Sunday.

This past Tuesday, St. Patty’s Day, I went to Dr. Williams for my 5th ART session but first I had to acknowledge the holiday with all.things.green.

I posted this to Instagram. I just found all the green on my phone's camera roll.

I posted this to Instagram. I just found all the green on my phone’s camera roll.

I was so excited to share the news with him about how much stronger my knee was and that I ran 12 of the 13 miles at the NYC Half.

He smiled and said “why didn’t you run it all?” And then he began to work his torture magic on my scar tissue. We’re almost done breaking up the scar tissue on the lower quads just above the knee and tomorrow we’re going to move to the upper part of the leg and groin area which means the end is near! Then we’re going to move on to my shoulder =)

I asked how to prevent this from happening again and he replied without hesitation “STRENGTH training!!!”. I have been saying I need to do this for years but just can’t ever stay motivated with a strength routine. But something about the way this man said it to me. I really think it finally hit home. I’m going to try and collect as much info as I can about what the critical strength moves for runners to prevent injury are. I’m hoping to get a post up in the next week sharing that info.

Yesterday I ran a few errands on my lunch break and took a stroll through Union Square.

Union Square Green Market

Union Square Green Market

Then I made a pitstop to Jackrabbit Sports. I treated myself to a new foam roller. I got the Grid 2.0.

The Grid 2.0 for the win!

The Grid 2.0 for the win!

I LOVE IT! I already can feel the difference from the plain foam roller I had before.

And I also got this deep tissue massage ball called the Orb.

The Orb

The Orb

It’s amazing! I can’t believe how much it hurts so good when I get it under my tight hammy. I just couldn’t get aggressive enough with the foam roller to deeply massage the hammy so this will fit the bill.

Ouch....ahhhh!!!!!

Ouch….ahhhh!!!!!

It worked great for the top of my calf too.

IMG_4084Since I had a gift card I used up the balance on some fuel and some new socks.

Feetures socks

Feetures socks

Today I went for my first run since the half on Sunday. It went ok. I see the trend of the knee getting better. My legs felt a bit sluggish but that’s to be expected.

4 miles

4 miles

And even though Spring officially arrives tomorrow it’s really cold here today and we’re actually getting snow tomorrow.

needed my winter hat today and my favorite vest

needed my winter hat today and my favorite vest

Do you foam roll? What spots do you focus on?
For me it is my left hamstring and outside of my left calf along with my right quad.
Are you excited for Spring to arrive?

Related posts:

  1. good news + bad news = just news
  2. Long run progress buried underneath a lot of Jeep pictures
  3. Meh

Giving up is not an option

13. March 2015 · 1 comment · Categories: injury, running, Uncategorized · Tags: , , , , , ,

Hi there. It’s Friday the 13th. Are you superstitious? I’m not. And frankly yesterday everything was weird and messy so I’m hoping to be in the clear today.

I’m headed to Dr. Williams in a few minutes for my 4th ART and Graston. I’m excited to tell him I made it to 4 miles yesterday.

4 mile run

4 miles

The only issue happened about 1/4 mile before I stopped running my knee gave out and I felt the limp come on but within a minute it worked itself out and I was ok so I ran the rest of the way. Bottom line is that the knee is improving but I still have more work to be done before I am “healed”. At least I didn’t feel so sluggish and sore like I did on Wednesday’s run. I actually felt sick all day Wednesday and came home and got under the covers so I’m wondering if I might have just been fighting something.

fighting something

fighting something

And before I got under the covers I checked my mailbox and low and behold I got 2 running catalogs….SHOCKER! =)

Running catalogs

Running catalogs

Thank god I feel better now. My 4 miles was still slow but I didn’t feel slow. Funny how the same pace can feel so hard one day and so easy the next.

Oh and I’m headed to the NYC Half Marathon Expo this afternoon after my Chiropractor appointment. I’m going to tell Dr. Williams my plan although now I think I’ve adjusted it again. I’m going to walk 9 miles and run the last 4.

So that brings me to my post title. I was listinening to my music yesterday while running and this one lyric stuck in my head:

Giving up is not an option.

Sometimes it’s easy to want to give up. It seems easier to deal with it if you just give up. Right? Imagine if I gave up on life after my husband died? I would’t have discovered running. I wouldn’t have Duncan. I wouldn’t have had the most amazing life experiences that paralleled my journey through my grief. I wouldn’t have met Mr. SOTSS. The list goes on and on.

So back to running…so many things might get you down…an injury, not attaining a race PR, not seeing progress. But the key is not to give up. Just make accommodations for where you are right now. If you’re injured (like me) be proud of the minor signs of healing like making it 4 miles instead of 3. If you didn’t reach that PR maybe you should choose another race and train to have fun rather than shoot for a time goal. If you’re not seeing progress shift your focus to something else like focusing on your running form or trying out new gear. But don’t ever just say “that’s it I’m done”. And don’t let discouragement knock you down. (Yes, I sort of wrote this for my own ears here!) Accept and accommodate the roadblocks and figure out a way to navigate through in a way that will keep you fulfilled and with a smile on your face. On that note I’m thinking I might have to evaluate my normal fueling needs for a half. I’ll be out on the course for 3 hours which is at least 45 minutes longer than I normally would be so I might need a little more fuel.

Speaking of fuel…Duncan was a little overzealous this morning with his breakfast. Um, that’s the container I store an entire bag of food in…

breakfast of champions

breakfast of champions

He’s really been cute in the mornings lately too.

pillows are the best invention

pillows are the best invention

Ok before I go all doodle picture crazy I better sign off.

 

So what words do you find powerful or inspirational?

Do you ever find yourself wanting to give up on something hard? How do you handle it?

Related posts:

  1. Meh
  2. testing out new shoes and a twisted knee in my sleep
  3. good news + bad news = just news

It was slow, sore and stiff but it was a run

11. March 2015 · 1 comment · Categories: injury, running, Uncategorized · Tags: , , , ,

First, a few half marathon announcements for local folks:

Rock ‘n’ Roll just announced their Brooklyn half marathon! The date is October 10, 2015 and registration opens on Monday, March 16th. It’s the day before the Staten Island half so it looks like I’ll be running back to back half marathons that weekend 🙂 Anyway, if you’re local and want to run it consider yourself in the know.

Also, I’ll be sharing a post with a discount promo code for locals that want to run the Queens 13.1 on March 21st! The race is put on by Lifetime Athletic Events which also runs the NJ Marathon so I’ll be working as part of the NJ Marathon Street Team at the Finish Festival. Come say hi if you decide to run.

I had my 3rd ART and Graston yesterday. And guess what? I didn’t feel like puking this time. It hurt but it was much more tolerable. Dr. Williams said the inflammation went down a bit. Anyway, I mentioned to him about my rotator cuff injury and he immediately took a look and could see I’m on the way to “frozen shoulder” which is not good. I told him I was waiting to wrap up fixing the knee before starting physical therapy on the shoulder mainly for financial reasons (I pay a $60 copay per visit so that’s $120 a week at the moment for my knee. If I added another twice a week doc visit we are talking $240 a week. Sorry. I just can’t afford to sustain that) but he said starting the exercises is important to do sooner rather than later so he showed me a couple of different exercises to do to get me started. Anyway, just another reason to love Dr. Williams.  The exercises are really hard! I can’t believe how limp my arm has become. And it has been hurting a lot more the last few days too. I even got numbness and tingling in my fingers again which I haven’t had in weeks. Phooey! 

Meanwhile I ran another 3 miles this morning and the knee was fine. I was aware of it but it never hurt or slipped or gave way. It is slightly sore now 4 hours later. But during the run, my entire body felt sore and sluggish.

slow, sluggish, stiff, sore, snail's pace....what other S adjective can I add?

slow, sluggish, stiff, sore, snail’s pace….what other S adjective can I add?

I literally was 45 seconds per mile slower than Sunday’s run. My lower back hurt and my other leg felt sore. I guess i’m just thoroughly out of shape at this point! I’m really grateful to at least be able to run without the knee forcing me to stop.

I have been spending extra time with the foam roller as instructed by Dr W. Duncan wanted to show me how flexible he has become. He’s been practicing Doga. He can do downward dog of course and now he has perfected the doodle duck pose.

Doga

Doga

You foam roll....i'll just practice my doodle duck pose

You foam roll….i’ll just practice my doodle duck pose

Well tomorrow I will shoot for 4 miles. Reaching for the stars here.

Do you have a foam roller? Which one? I’m looking to get one that has the little nubs on it. I would love your input.

 

No related posts.