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July Runfessions

It’s the last Friday of the month (noooooo!  Can’t we have a “July extension?”) so I’m meeting Marcia at her RUNFESSIONAL.  But have I been running enough to collect any runfessions?  Let’s find out…

This week got off to a rocky start, when I ran on Monday AND MY CALF PAIN RETURNED.  I have to runfess that I had a mini- temper tantrum and rage-fired my physical therapist (to be clear… the rage was all in my mind- I did not rage AT the PT!  But I did cancel my future appointments.)  Then I calmed down, re-framed the situation, and tried to be grateful for what I have.

Two days later, I had a PAIN-FREE RUN, and I’ll runfess that it’s much easier to have things go your way, rather than putting forth all the mental energy to “think positive” and “look on the bright side.”  Screw all that!  Just give me a good run and let me get on with my life.

I would also runfess that I did so many things at once that I can’t pinpoint what it was that made my calf feel better.  It could have been the dry needling kicking in after a delay, or it could have been the Bob and Brad video I watched on strain/counter strain technique, or it could be the PNF stretching, or the KT tape, or it could have been this…

I’ll runfess that when I see videos of myself running, I notice all sorts of bad habits.  The Chi Running cues of relaxing my lower legs, shortening my stride, and lifting my heels up behind me really seemed to help my calf.  And as if that’s not enough… I finally got my FloatRun Harness in the mail!

I haven’t had a chance to use it yet, but I’ll try it out on my run tomorrow.  If nothing else, it will keep my arms from flailing all over the place.  I’m excited!

Between the Chi running and my new harness, soon I’ll be looking like an Olympic runner.  OH YEAH… the Olympics start tonight!!!  I runfess that my sleep schedule will suffer greatly for the next two weeks, but it will be worth it.

Have you read Chi Running?  Do you ever analyze your running form?

ARE YOU EXCITED FOR THE OLYMPICS?

 

 

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Weekly Rundown- Everything is Awesome!

I don’t want to say this injury is behind me, because that would be tempting fate a little too much.  But let’s just say “Everything is Awesome” from The Lego Movie has been running through my head, and life seems good!  I’m linking up as always with Kim and Deborah for this Weekly Rundown.  Here’s how it all played out… Sunday I walked one mile and ran 3. Everything felt good! Monday I did lower body strength at home, including single leg exercises and squats.  One of the (few) things I’m proud of from my work this summer is the progress I made in the one leg sit-to-stand.  It’s one of the foundation exercises on Sally McRae’s app and also one of the hip stability exercises from Brad Beer’s book.  You start sitting on a chair or bench, and stand up using one leg, then sit back down, stand up again, etc. only on one leg.  When I first started I could only do five reps on each leg- now I can do 36 reps!!!  At least something has improved. I also did Caroline Girvan’s deadbug workout..  I’m really tired of it by now! Tuesday I walked 3 miles… … and then did a different core workout!  I did Caroline Girvan’s Standing Abs Workout, and I liked it.  At least, I liked doing something different. Wednesday Again, I walked one mile and ran 3.  Still feeling good! Thursday I did my single leg exercises, and another core workout.  This one Engie recommended, MadFit Standing Core Workout..  I liked this one too!  Then I had time for 20 minutes of walking. At night we watched the Dolphins game, which was a complete fiasco.  We lost, and our quarterback got ANOTHER CONCUSSION.  The poor guy will be out for… ever?  The rest of the season?  I feel really bad for him, and now our season is a shambles after only the second game. Friday Gym day!  It was a very squat-focused workout, because I skipped deadlifts.  My low back is nagging at me again, and deadlifts sadly make it worse.  After squats and Bulgarian split squats I did some core (abs and low back machines.) At night I planned to go to our high school football game, but it rained so much that the band couldn’t play (so I didn’t go.)  They did manage to play in the rain and our team won!  This was our homecoming, and last year’s homecoming was completely rained out.  September outdoor events just shouldn’t be a thing in South Florida. Saturday This was a big day- I walked one mile and ran 4!!!  I’m getting there! At night we watched the Baylor game.  FINALLY.  A game where it didn’t rain, no one got injured, and we WON!  At least the football week ended on a high note. Sunday Off!  Sleeping in and waffles will be involved (obviously.) So, it was a good week.  Moving forward, I’m going to cautiously try running every other day.  Running every third day was great to get me back from this injury, but I can’t do that forever! How was your week?  Were there any moments where you sang “Everything is Awesome?” Top photo by Stainless Images on Unsplash

Friday Coffee Date!

Hey, it’s Friday!  Pour yourself a beverage in your favorite fall mug (wait- you do have one, right?) and join me. Let’s talk about the weekend!  Tonight is another high school football game, and I will be there.  The last two weeks have been away games, so I’ve missed going.  But you know what that means- it’s time for Homecoming!  My daughter decided to go to the dance with a group of friends, and we started thinking about what she would wear.  But let’s back up for a moment… The high school concert band uniform is tuxes for the boys and long black dresses for girls.  When my daughter was a freshman last year, she said she would prefer to wear a tux. Now, I wasn’t entirely opposed to this, but I just preferred that she wear a dress… like all the other girls?  I told her that whatever she decided to do was fine, but there’s a reason boys usually wear suits and girls usually wear dresses.  Girls are more curvy, so dresses flatter them more.  My daughter is very curvy, and I thought a tux would just make her look kind of big all over. She decided to wear the dress, and I thought she looked lovely!  Then I was telling my friend about how well I handled that situation, and she thought I was VERY WRONG.  Why, she asked, did it matter how she looked?  Why did I make that the most important thing? Er- good question.  When it was time for New Year’s, my daughter wanted to wear a suit to the party.  I agreed immediately, and she actually looked kind of cute (not that it mattered!) Later I asked how she liked wearing the suit, and she said “I loved it.  I felt really confident.”  Okay then. Back to Homecoming!  My daughter said she wanted to wear a suit, and we got to work on her outfit (I was tasked with finding her some new pants, which was surprisingly hard.) Then yesterday she went to the mall to help her friend find a dress, and came home with… a dress, which she is now wearing to Homecoming. You guys, I can’t keep up!  Girls are so hard!!!  Boys are so. much. easier. Anyway, while my daughter is at the dance on Saturday night, my husband and I will be watching the Baylor game!  I have a fun fall-themed dinner planned, with some new things to sample from Trader Joe’s. One last thing- I’ve submitted my request for postponement of jury duty.  Weirdly, the request had to be submitted in writing, and by that I mean I had to write a letter and mail it through the U.S. postal service.  When was the last time you did that? I was so confused.  I couldn’t even really remember how to do it.  When I printed out my letter, my husband looked at it and said “You didn’t leave room for your signature.”  Oh yeah- I totally forgot.  Then I had to find an envelope and a stamp, and take it to the mailbox… I mean, don’t we have more modern methods of communication nowadays?  Anyway, I hope it gets there, and I hope I get my postponement (actually, I’m hoping they forget all about me, but if worst comes to worst I’ll take a postponement.) That’s it for this week! When was the last time you mailed a letter?  I don’t mean a greeting card or postcard, but like an official letter?   Do you think I was wrong to encourage my daughter to wear a dress?  How much does appearance matter? What are your plans for the weekend? Top photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Reading and Eating

I finished Winter of the World, which will from now on be referred to simply as WOW.  It was so, so good, and I’m getting ready to start the third book in the trilogy!  It starts in 1961, where the second book left off. But let’s go back to last week- I had my trip to the used bookstore.  It was everything I hoped it would be (look away, Engie!  I’ve discovered that Engie does NOT like used bookstores!) As I hoped, I did leave with a stack of books. Some classic murder mysteries- I can never resist- and more Ken Follett.  I have no plans to read The Pillars of the Earth anytime soon, but I know I’ll read it eventually, and I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to get a used copy in good condition. Eating!  Once again, I did not do any meal prep on Sunday so we’re limping through the week.  The good news is, I think I’m training my husband and daughter to expect less and less in the dinner department.  I mean- we do eat.  It’s just not fancy. Sunday morning I made gluten-free pumpkin pancakes from Running on Real Food.  First, let’s look at a picture from the website: And here’s, ahem, mine. All that garnish aside, mine look really weird.  But they did taste good!  Chickpea flour is my new favorite flour.  By the way, if you’re making pumpkin baked good this fall, don’t forget the formula to make them really flavorful- double the amount of pumpkin spice, and add a pinch of cloves.  And whatever you do, do NOT forget the salt! What are you reading now? Top photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Getting Back on Track

I wrote in Sunday’s post that I’ve been feeling like my life is just a little off track.  Then I looked around my house and realized one of the reasons is that I’ve been half-assing my beloved Pumpkin Palooza.  I had some, but not all, of my fall decorations out, and then a summer-y wreath was lying on the table.  Furthermore, I hadn’t had one special meal or snack to celebrate the start of football season. This was all wrong!  I needed to rectify the situation right away.  I lit a fall candle… …and got out all the rest of my fall decorations while watching the first half of the Dolphins game.  At halftime I put together a little charcuterie board… …and then we watched the Dolphins come from behind to win the game.  Fall is back on track! Let’s move on to running.  SIGH.  So far, my calf seems to be better, but my race plans are in tatters.  Back in May, I signed up for a race on November 9th.  It’s a trail race, and you run as far as you can in a certain amount of time.  I chose the 12 hour option. Hahahahaha.  Even if everything goes perfectly from now on, I’ll have no business running a 12 hour race in two months.  I guess the good news is, it’s a 4.5 mile loop that you run over and over again.  I can go and just run a couple loops.  That would be kind of sad- but maybe less sad than not going at all?  I’ve already paid for the race so if I can run at all, I’ll probably go. Now let’s deal with this jury summons.  I know it’s our civic duty, but I think it’s unfair that it creates more of a financial hardship for some people than others.  Additionally, some people never get called for jury duty, and some people get called all the time!  Luckily I’ve come up with a great solution. My plan is, all registered voters would be required to submit a form every five years, indicating the time they would like to do their jury duty.  That way, people would be able to pick a time that works best with their work schedule, and have time in advance to arrange for childcare, etc. Of course, if everyone chose July of 2027 it would be a fiasco.  But I have solutions for that too!  People who are retired, independently wealthy, or who have a very flexible work schedule could volunteer to be “swing jurors,” willing to be called at any time.  There could be incentives for people who serve in months like December (which I’m guessing would be the least popular)- like if you sit on a jury in December, you’re exempt for the rest of your life. I’ll be submitting my request for a postponement- do you think I should include my detailed plan for an overhaul of the entire system?  Haha, that might get me excused permanently (“Don’t let this woman near the courthouse- she’s obviously a troublemaker!”) Anyway, I’m starting to feel a little better.  As long as I can continue to run and nothing else goes wrong, I think I’m back on track. How do you like my plan?  Would you volunteer to be a “swing juror?” Top photo by Redd F on Unsplash  

34 Responses

  1. I’m glad something seems to be working for your calf and hope it keeps improving!

    Wait, what does that harness do? With the name I thought it was something for pool running.

    Reply

    1. Nope, the harness is for land running! I’ll write more about it on Sunday- it’s supposed to keep your arms in the proper position.

      Reply

  2. I read Chi Running years ago and came across the book recently while decluttering. Sounds like “all the things” or who knows which of the things worked for you. Yay! I am SO excited for the Olympics and really bummed I have to work tonight so I’ll miss the opening ceremonies on the Seine. Boo!

    Reply

    1. Yes, I would be bummed to miss the opening ceremonies, BUT I’m sure you could watch a replay (I’m not watching it live either.) There are other things I would be more bummed to miss, like gymnastics and track and field. I think it’s going to be hard to watch everything with the time difference.

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  3. I’m glad you were able to run. You know you have to keep doing all the things now because you don’t know which one(s) made the difference. What does the nearness do?

    I’m so excited for the Olympics but I just checked the schedule and the Opening Ceremony is at 3:30am our time so I will be catching the replay of that. There is a girl from our running group doing the 1500m in the paralympics which is pretty exciting. I love the swimming and running.

    Reply

    1. I’m watching a replay of the opening ceremony right now. I don’t think I’ll catch many live events this time!
      And, yes- I’m afraid to stop doing ANY of the things I did. Like I don’t think the KT tape really does anything but I’m afraid to stop using it now, ha ha.

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  4. Oh gosh, this injury sounds like it has been super frustrating. I am so hopeful that everything you’ve been throwing at it sticks! And Jenny, as a non runner, I find ALL of your solutions so fascinating! I don’t think I ever realized there is a “proper form” for running?!?! When you described the Chi Running cues, I was like, HOW DOES A PERSON DO THOSE THINGS?! Isn’t running just like walking, like, you do it the way you do it? (APPARENTLY NOT!)

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    1. I know, you would think running would just be intuitive. And it is, FOR KIDS. Adults pick up all sorts of bad habits, apparently. When I look at videos of myself running I can see all these weird things I’m doing. Having said that- I don’t think most people should worry too much about their running form. Just going out and running works just fine, and I wouldn’t be messing with mine if I weren’t having issues.

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  5. It can be so frustrating when you throw “everything but the kitchen sink” at a problem and then it magically resolves. WHAT WAS IT SO I KNOW FOR NEXT TIME??!!

    But, I’m thrilled it’s feeling better so keep up the good work. I know how much it means to you to be able to just go for a run without overthinking it or worrying about a body part hurting so this is great. You’ve slogged through a long stretch with this calf issue.

    I’m not as excited as I usually am about the Olympics and that frustrates me in a weird way. Usually I am just over the moon, but I’m feeling a little “meh” this time. But I suspect once they get started I’ll get lured in! I do think that Americans are wayyyy more on top of their athletes than Canadians are, so you have more investment since you “know” your athletes better? Also, Canada doesn’t exactly dominate at the summer Olympics and lets be honest – it’s always more fun to watch when you think your country is going to win! I love diving, track and field, swimming, and gymnastics, so I’ll watch as much of those as I’m able to.

    Reply

    1. That is true- Americans get very into their athletes, and we tend to do really well in the summer Olympics. But, Paris! I’m watching the opening ceremonies right now on the Seine, how cool is that.
      Yes, now I have to do about five different things before I run, including taping up my leg and doing Chi running drills. Hopefully as this calms down I’ll be able to start eliminating things, and eventually, like all injuries, I’ll have forgotten all about this one.

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  6. I am very excited to watch the Olympics! Like Elisabeth, my favorites are diving, track and field, swimming, and gymnastics. I am hoping that the US coverage is a little broader than it has been–I do want to see how the Americans do, but a little more coverage of other athletes, and a little less “she grew up in a small town with a dream” wouldn’t be amiss, I think.

    Reply

    1. Yes, I seem to remember watching the Olympics as a kid and there was much more emphasis on all the athletes, not just the Americans. I don’t know if there’s much of a chance for broader coverage this time- we’ll see!

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  7. It is so frustrating to not know what is helping vs what is hurting your calf. Fingers crossed you continue to feel improvement. I can’t stand to watch videos of myself running! Lol

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    1. Yes, it’s amazing that what you’re doing and what you THINK you’re doing are so, so different. Since I don’t know what’s helping I’ll just continue to do everything, ha.

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  8. Yay for things going right for a change! The big life lesson that I’ve had from the past few years is that a positive attitude can only go so far.

    I’ll be interested to learn more deets on the running harness.

    Also yay for the upcoming short nights c/o the Olympics. I know you’re working on sleep, but that’s for when you don’t have Olympics to watch.

    Reply

    1. I’ve actually been sleeping more the last couple weeks, not exactly in preparation for this (just by chance.). So, a few late nights won’t hurt me!

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  9. I saw a pelvic floor PT after I had Taco and she assessed my stride towards the end of my series of appointments. In my old shoes, I would get holes in the inner part of the shoe which clearly means I was touching my shoes together during my stride (it’s hard to explain what I was doing). So I knew I needed to work on my stride. But now that issue has resolved itself since changing to Hokas! I have super high arches and am a supernator so my stride can kind of collapse in to some extent and I have to focus on keeping my legs in their own lanes, if that makes sense at all? But I haven’t had any issues with pain since returning to running after having Taco – but I am not running high mileage anymore.

    I am excited for the Olympics but I am so disciplined about my sleep schedule and reading before bed so I will miss a lot of the action which is ok. Paul’s care program is having an opening ceremonies watch party and I sent him there with red shorts and a blue shirt (although more of a dusty blue but I figured it was close enough) because they encouraged kids to wear red, white and blue! Families are technically invited but I have such a full day that I don’t envision myself going over there for it. 🙁

    Reply

    1. Lisa, I can actually envision your running stride- I also have super high arches and supinate. I probably should have had pelvic floor PT after Angie was born- but instead I worked on the issue on my own. Sometimes I wonder if some of my issues still stem from my pelvic floor.
      I’m watching the opening ceremonies right now- The Seine! How cool.

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  10. I am very interested to see what this float harness does.
    I know I have a noticeable hitch in my gait. It stinks, but I don’t know that I will ever permanently be rid of it. Sigh.
    I’m not super into the Olympics. I just want to watch Simone Biles work her magic.

    Reply

    1. I’ll write more about the float harness soon! And about your gait- if you’re not having any issues, I wouldn’t worry about it. It’s really hard to change your running form, and if you feel good it’s probably not worth it.

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  11. I’ve seen myself on the jumbotron at Drake Stadium (for the numerous half marathons, and also the one time I did the DSM 26.2 and we had a lap around the track near the mid-point). UGH! My form looks so scary it’s comical. The thing is, I feel completely strong, LOL, but I still look like I’m on the last mile of a 100-mile ultra. I feel your pain (pun intended) on the frustration of not knowing exactly what caused your aches and pains.

    Reply

    1. Hahahaha, the last thing I would want is to watch myself on a JUMBOTRON. But- I guess we all look pretty scary at the end of a race.

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  12. YAY for a pain free run! I have read about those harnesses; I can’t wait to see how it works for you.

    We are super excited about the Olympics!! We have Lil Momma’s show this weekend, but plan on catching the opening ceremonies and beginning events in highlight form while we are dashing about.

    Reply

    1. I think it’s going to be tricky, watching the events with the time difference. i’m hoping to see some live coverage this weekend and then I’ll just be watching replays during the week.

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  13. I’m glad you’re starting to see some progress with your calf, and hopefully all the new things you’re trying will help!

    I am SO excited for the Olympics! I won’t get to watch the Opening Ceremonies until Monday probably since my race is tomorrow so I need to go to bed early tonight, but it gives me something else to look forward to.

    Reply

    1. Ashley, GOOD LUCK!!!! Maybe you’re already in bed by now- in that case you might read this when your race is done. I want to hear all about it!

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  14. I asked my husband to get Peacock just so we could watch Olympics coverage. My reading might go down precipitously in the next few weeks, although the NBC coverage tends to be on boring things to watch (like track and swimming, which I know people love to watch, but I think are mostly repetitive and uninteresting to watch – this is a ME problem), so who knows? I just know I can’t wait for gymnastics (especially trampoline!) and synchronized swimming, which are sports that make no sense to watch, but are super fun for me to watch.

    In my stretch class today, the instructor was talking about race walking at the Olympics and it made me think of you trying to get your PR!

    Reply

    1. Engie, I have to laugh a little. You don’t want to watch track or swimming, but you’re excited about trampoline. The good thing about Peacock is, I think you’ll have more choices. If you were just watching the network NBC coverage, you would be stuck with the “boring” things like track. I agree that I’m excited for gymnastics though.

      Reply

  15. I haven’t heard of chi running, please share what you learn from it.
    I had once a running coach see me running and he says I tend to move my legs inward, not necessarily a bad thing because each runner physiology is different so we could have different forms and they are fine.
    hope you get to back running soon with the new gear.

    Reply

    1. Thank you Coco! I’ll definitely share what I learn from Chi running, and also how the harness works out for me. I feel like I’m officially back to running, with two pain-free runs in a row now!

      Reply

  16. I’m SUPER excited for the Olympics! I caught most of the Opening Ceremony last night but we were out at our Mexican place so it was on the TV but no sound on. I recorded it though so I want to watch it again today or at least some of it to hear the music and commentary. My only pet peeve is with the time zone difference! This morning I woke up, checked my phone, opened Facebook, as I do…., and immediately saw on the NBC Olympics FB page “so and so wins silver in diving!” Then I also saw the Prelims swim results (which were on early before I woke up). I guess if I want to watch in Primetime (which during the week, makes more sense…) I’ll have to delete Facebook for a while and be mindful to stay off the internet! It’s not as much fun to watch when you already know the outcome!

    Reply

  17. I went to a Chi running clinic years ago.. I think it was a thing. Haven’t heard about it since.

    Hope things improve. I did wear rock tape on my calf when I strained it… who knows what helps and what doesn’t.

    Reply

  18. I hate calf pain so much! There’s only so much KT tape can do. I work as a carpet cleaner and strained my calf after a half marathon a few months ago. It was agony going to work! I’m glad you found some things that helped, and I really want to look more into the Chi running cues.

    Reply

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