Well, it has been QUITE A WEEK. My daughter started school and it was my son’s last week at home. And of course there were workouts! Thanks as always to Kim and Deborah for hosting this weekly rundown. Let’s get right into it!
Sunday
Wow. Last Sunday feels like a million years ago. I set off hopefully for a run, and found that I could walk briskly, run in place, do butt-kick drills, but when I actually moved forward at any normal pace, it hurt. (Hamstring injuries are so weird.) So, that’s what I did- I alternated between fast walking, running in place, and running very slowly while kicking my heels up to my butt. I covered 3.5 miles like this and felt oddly optimistic at the end.
Monday
Week #2 of “Fix This Hamstring Now” had a slight variation and was called “Fix This MotherF*ing Hamstring Now OR ELSE.”
I started with a 10 minute core and 10 minute barre class (both on Peloton.) Then I did the “runner’s touch” exercise which is very, very hamstring-focused- and it’s hard! I followed that with weighted squats and deadlifts.
I also took advantage of this all week at work:
Tuesday
Another 3 mile walk/run, similar to Sunday, preceded by a 10 minute Peloton barre class- I like to use those barre classes as a warmup.
Wednesday
I did Marcia’s Cardio Barre Workout. You guys, this is a great workout and a nice alternative to Peloton. The moves are bigger and really do get your heart rate up. It’s a 23 minute workout, which at first made me hesitate because I usually just do a 10 minute barre class. But the last ten minutes is core, so I didn’t have to do a separate core class. Oh, and in the middle of the reverse lunge segment, I suddenly realized that I hadn’t even thought about my hamstring once- a huge improvement from the week before, where I would have been scared to even attempt lunges. That made me feel good!
I followed this workout with runner’s touch, and then weighted split squats, and my legs were toast.
This was also my daughter’s first day of eighth grade- AND my son and I went to vote. It was his first time voting!!! He missed being able to vote in 2020 by one month (much to his chagrin.) We had to do early voting before he leaves for school, and he’ll vote by absentee ballot while he’s in Texas from now on.
Thursday
Another 10 minute Peloton barre workout, and 3 mile walk/run. I could tell that I’m able to to lengthen my stride a bit more and run longer before I start to feel that tug on my hamstring. It’s definitely progress, and I’ll take it- I’m outside moving forward and I’m thrilled. Followed this run with a quick core class.
Friday
I did another Peloton 10 minute barre class, but afterwards wished I had done Marcia’s class again. In the future I’ll do the quick Peloton classes on days that I run, and Marcia’s class on the other days. Followed this with runner’s touch, squats, deadlifts, and a 5 minute core class.
Saturday
Yet another 3 mile walk/run, with even more running this time.
Sunday
On tap for today- lots and lots of sitting. My son and I are driving his car to Baylor! We’ll leave at 7 am and drive to Jackson, Mississippi, which is a little over halfway. We’ll drive the rest of the way on Monday, and then I’ll have two days in Waco before flying back home. I’m excited to do some hiking and exploring- and running, of course. I feel pretty confident now that I’ll be able to run while I’m there… phew.
Do you like car trips? – I’m looking forward to this one! We have all our food packed for the day and plan to make great time.
Do you have a hypervolt/theragun type of device? – Up until now I wasn’t convinced that they did anything- but now I want one.
40 Responses
Nice to read that your hamstring is improving. That one took a good 4-5 weeks to fully heal for me. The theragun is a great tool and does help. I also wore a compression sleeve for a few weeks while running to keep it warm. Good luck with the car drive! This is the first time in 7 years that I am not doing a college drop off or move in. sniff.
Deborah, that must feel strange! I think it’ll take a little while to get used to this new situation- it’s always hard when the kids make a transition like that (hard for us, I mean!)
Safe travels, mama! I don’t mind car trips, but it depends where I’m driving. Driving through Illinois is torture–7 hours of cornfields once you get south of Chicago. Flying is such a hassle these days that I may have to resort to driving places, lol.
I’m glad your hammie is settling down. I sure hope that you are injury free for a while! I’ve never used one of those massage guns, but hey, if it helps, you should get one!
Yes, Illinois is definitely not scenic! Florida isn’t too bad, and then driving across I-10 is… weird. You go over all these bridges and causeways, and getting off the Interstate is a little scary because you’re suddenly in the deep south. It’s an adventure!
I don’t foam roll or have any other devices but I do own a massage gun. Love it!
Glad to hear your Jamie is healing and you are running.
Good luck to your kids. And their mommy as they start a new year.
Thanks Darlene! That’s another vote for the theragun- I definitely want one!
Hope back to school goes well for all. Nice job this week and hooray for voting!
Thanks Melissa- yours must be starting back soon too. Good luck with it!
Glad to hear the ham is improving!
Thank you Liz!
Hooray for your hamstring being on the mend! Enjoy your trip! Unless it’s more than a day’s drive I’d always rather drive than fly.
Well, this is two days. I would say that’s my limit for an enjoyable trip.
LOL on your new rehab plan (OR ELSE!) and glad it seems to be working. We have a Theragun but I don’t use it as much as I should.
Enjoy the drive with your son! I hope you have good weather and light traffic.
Today was GREAT- because it was Sunday. Undoubtably we’ll hit some traffic tomorrow- fingers crossed for good weather.
Ugh, car trips. I don’t mind the travel aspect (especially if I’m NOT the driver, LOL), but my body does not appreciate all that time sitting idle. Aren’t those barre classes nice! They feel more like a good warm-up than an actual class to me, and that’s all good! I love my Theragun (I have the “mini” model)…it really works the knots out and minimized any achy-ness.
No, my body does not like sitting. Luckily my bladder requires a stop every 2-3 hours so I get out and walk around then. Other than that, I do like to see the scenery as we drive.
Glad to hear the hammy was better as the week went on!
No, I do NOT like car trips. Not at all. Neither me nor my husband like to drive. But if you want to get somewhere . . . enjoy!
A week without pool running has got to be a good week. 🙂
Ha ha… yes, a week without pool running was lovely.
That’s a problem if neither one of you likes to drive! I don’t mind it, and this time my son is dong some driving too so I can relax more.
I have a Theragun. I used it a lot for my glute and hamstring issues. Haven’t used it in awhile now (sorry, not sorry!!!). I do like road trips. They can be a great time – I hope yours is! My daughter will be taking her car to college too. We are in the market for one for my son now! (no Mustang driving for me, haha!)
It’s good to hear you are making progress. I have a tight muscle in my leg now. Hopefully it’s a short term issue.
Use your theragun on it!!!!!
My husband LOVES road trips. It really depends for me on where, when, and with whom. For the most, part, though, I enjoy driving. Especially if the kids are happy!
I can’t imagine driving my kids to college – that feels so far off but then, of course, it isn’t. Just this week I was reminiscing with family that I was only 6 years older than my daughter when I started university. Yikes and wow!
Hope the hamstring continues to heal quickly!
Thank you Elisabeth! Yes, the time goes fast. Luckily this is his second year so I’m more used to it- last year at this time I was a wreck. I’m definitely enjoying these road trips with him though!
Oooh, what is runner’s touch? Maybe I’ll look it up.
We do have a Theragun! I use it on my hips and glutes every once and a while, and I swear it works!
I don’t mind road trips; we just drove 8 hours on our last one. I don’t much care for road trips in which the driving lasts for days though. My husband wants to get a camper in his retirement and maybe that would make long road trips better for me. We’ll see!
Safe travels!
Funny you should say that- this is a two day drive and the second one is always WAY harder. A camper would be pretty fun!
Theraguns and Hypervolts are so helpful! I hope the hamstring continues to feel better!
Good luck on the drive! What a nice experience to vote with your son 🙂
Thanks Jessie! Yes, it was a really nice experience. I could tell it was meaningful to him because I noticed that he saved his sample ballot (where we had marked our choices ahead of time so as not to be confused) and “I Voted” sticker- I saw them in his closet when I was putting clothes away.
It’s great to hear that your hamstring is starting to feel better! Here’s hoping to continues to improve and is a distant memory soon. I’ve not used a Theragun, but we got our son and d-i-l one for Christmas and they love it.
I hope your son and daughter each have a great school year.
Thank you Debbie! So far so good.
Yes, everyone who has a theragun seems to love it.
Great to hear that your hamstring is improving! Interesting to see all the barre classes – I keep saying that I need to incorporate them into my workouts. Do you think they’ve made a difference?
Good luck with your drive!
For me, barre is a great warmup and way to get the running muscles activated. I’m not sure if it really makes that much of a difference in overall fitness if you’re already doing lower body strength classes.
I do not enjoy car trips, to be perfectly honest. My right hip gets really balky when I sit still for a long time, so I end up stopping every hour and a half and it makes car trips take a long time. That’s fine if you’re not in a hurry, but I’m generally about the destination when I’m in a car trip, so every break just adds to the part I don’t really care for.
We have a foam roller in our house, but that’s about all. I do foam roll most evenings because my back/hip/glute are a problem area, but maybe I should invest in some sort of massager thing. Hm. We’ll see.
Yes, it is hard to sit for too long. For me, it’s always my left hip (and now my left hamstring.) The good thing about that is, I can really move that leg into different positions while I’m driving (which you obviously can’t do on the right side.) And then we stop every three hours or so, and I walk around.
glad to hear that your hamstring is feeling better! I’m dealing with a tight right hamstring right now. It is not reventing me from running (yet) so I’m trying to do everything I can to stretch it out so that it feels better. I used heavier weights for deadlifts on Saturday and I’m convinced that is what tweaked it.
I’ve done a few barre classes and always find them very challenging and I end up using muscles I didn’t know I had, lol.
Yes, using heavier weights for deadlifts will stress your hamstrings. Hopefully just giving it some extra stretching will do the trick.
I do not think I have ever injured my hamstring. It sounds painful and pesky to heal! Most of my issues have had to do with my hips. But I am probably blocking out injuries that happened during my marathon training cycles. I do remember that I hurt something – maybe it was my hamstring – when training for my 2009 marathon. I hurt myself by showing my young nephews that their old aunt could do a cartwheel. Nope. Turns out it’s not a good idea anymore. And I was only 28 back then so even younger than I am now! Well, way younger actually…
I do not enjoy car trips. I feel like time stands still in the car! But most of my car trips are w/ young kids so they can be tortuous since our kids are terrible travelers when they are in rear-facing car seats. I did a road trip with my mom from Charlotte to Minneapolis when I moved back here in 2014 and that was pretty enjoyable, especially since I was so so so so so so so happy to be leaving Charlotte! So road trips can be fun but I don’t really love them! But sometimes they are unavoidable – like when you need to get a car from one place to another, which is why my mom came and did that road trip with me. My car got shipped to Charlotte as part of my relocation package, but I had a less generous package coming back so I opted to drive.
Ha ha… that reminds me of the time my sister decided, as an adult, to do a cartwheel and she says she strained every muscle in her body. No more cartwheels!
I definitely wouldn’t enjoy a car trip with young kids. But with two adults, it’s pretty fun!
Glad the hammy is moving in the right direction and aww thanks for your kind words about my Barre workout! Glad you enjoyed it! Hope the drop off went well. We don’t do many long car trips here. The last one I can remember is when I road tripped South to run RnR St Louis. Wendy is right about IL being ultra boring scenery wise. Thing 1 will head off to school on her own this year. Because she’s staying in the same building but a different unit, she was able to store everything in the apartment building so she’ll roll it all up to the 18th floor penthouse for senior year. Whew! Hope your kiddos have a great school year!
I did your barre workout again this morning in the hotel before getting in the car!
Yeah, this might be my last year taking my son to school- we’ll see. We had to get his car there which is why we drove. Next year he might just fly out. I’ll actually be sad not to go!
Is this why they call it “active recovery”? Because it’s amazing what you keep doing with an injured hamstring… but good for you, and so good to hear it’s improving 🙂
Thank you, San! I think moving it as much as possible really helped.