Weekly Rundown- The Race and Beyond
Well, this was a fun week! I ran a race! Then I spent the rest of the week recovering. Because I wasn’t running, and it was just my daughter and me (the guys were out of town) I had extra time to relax. Thanks as always to Kim and Deborah for hosting the weekly rundown… let’s get into the details. Sunday Sweat Swat ‘n Swear 50K! It was an awesome adventure, and the race recap is here. Monday Well, I had to go to work (ugh) but since there was no school, I was able to sleep in a little. Once I hobbled out of bed, I had two issues- my right calf (the one that hurt during the race) was still very sore, and I had a HIDEOUS rash (?) on my legs. I posted this photo in one of my race recaps: Wendy and SHU both immediately identified it as “purpura.” Wendy went on to say that in this case, the purpura was caused by “exercise-induced vasculitis.” Here’s the definition: “Exercise-induced vasculitis is a small-vessel vasculitis affecting the lower legs that occurs after strenuous sports activity such as running or hiking, particularly during hot weather.” Yep! Sounds about right. It didn’t hurt, or itch- it just looked HIDEOUS. But I was glad to know what it was! Tuesday My calf was still sore (just to clarify- the soreness had nothing to do with the purpura- two different issues entirely) but I figured “motion is lotion” so I took myself out for a 30 minute walk. It felt good! Wednesday Early morning 45 minute walk. The sun was just rising as I started. This was my day off from work, and I GOT A MASSAGE. Sadly, I didn’t want anyone to work on my legs- the purpura was starting to fade to a lovely maroon color, but it still looked awful. I just had a back, neck and arm massage, and it felt amazing. Thursday Big day- THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL. The last day of getting up at 5:30 until August. Woohoo! 40 minute walk. Friday Well, this felt nice! I slept in until 6:30 and then got out for a 45 minute walk. My calf is completely better, but now my right hip is sore and achy. What the…? I thought walking was good for you! Whatever happened to “motion is lotion????” Hurumph. Saturday Instead of my morning constitutional, I did some PT-type exercises for my hip- glute bridges, clamshells, side planks, air squats… everything felt good, although I forgot how hard side planks are! Look how much better my legs are… phew. Sunday On tap for today…. a visit to the gym? A walk? A short RUN? Sleeping in and waffles? All or none of these? Well, probably not “all.” I’d like to start running again- I’m starting to miss it. I just want to make sure my cranky right hip calms down. I think a little more stretching and mobility work are in my future this week. How was your week? Did you celebrate Memorial Day? If you have kids- are you done with school?