Hello! Welcome to another Weekly Rundown, hosted as always by Kim and Deborah. The big excitement of the week was seeing the podiatrist- I wrote all about it in this post. As you will soon see, the doctor said I can keep running- moderately- while he’s treating my foot. Victory! Here’s how the week played out.
Monday
I did a 45 minute “Beyond the Pose” yoga flow class on the Peloton app with Denis Morton (if you’re new to these weekly rundowns, it will quickly become apparent that I have one very, very favorite Peloton yoga teacher.) The class description said we would learn more about the concepts, philosophies and other practices of yoga- but I find Denis to be pretty philosophical normally, so this class wasn’t much different than his usual.
Tuesday
I did a 30 minute power yoga class with Denis in the morning, and then WENT TO THE PODIATRIST. Highlights from that appointment include a diagnosis of plantar fasciitis AND insertional peroneal tendinitis- so THAT’S what the other pain in my foot is- a treatment plan for both with shockwave therapy (he did the first treatment at this appointment) and the eventual plan to get custom made orthotics for my “difficult foot”. He said it was fine to continue running during treatments- keeping runs in the 3-5 mile range.
In the afternoon, I went for a three mile run! Normally I’m a morning runner, but I just had that itch to get out this afternoon. It helps that our weather has cooled down the tiniest bit- it was 81 degrees when I went out at 5:00 pm, and that’s about ten degrees cooler than it was at that time a week ago.
Wednesday
Did a 45 minute “Slow flow” yoga class. I’ve discovered that the power classes are the hardest, with slow flow coming in a close second. You would think “slow” means easy, but actually holding the poses longer can be challenging.
Thursday
And speaking of challenging… holy crap. I did the hardest power yoga class yet. It was a 45 minute class, and you start off innocently sitting in an easy crossed legged position, stretching each individual finger. Well… I know Denis pretty well now, and when a class starts out that easy and gentle- look out. Before I knew it, we were doing a sequence alternating between Warrior 3 and pistol squats, GAAAAH! The third time through the sequence you actually go from Warrior 3, straight to a pistol squat (drawing your raised rear leg in front of you without touching the floor) then from the pistol squat, all the way down to the mat for a one-legged bridge, then straight back up into a pistol squat, back to Warrior 3. Having trouble following that? Go ahead… check out the class!
In the afternoon I did a three mile run. Again- an unusual afternoon run. Like I said, I’m usually a morning runner but I enjoyed these afternoon runs! In this post I talked about how I worked on my cadence for this run, using the Metrotimer app.
Friday
I was a little sore today, and I suspect it had something to do with pistol squats. I did a 45 minute slow flow class, and it turned out to be a hard one. Or maybe it just felt hard because my legs were sore. Each time through the flow, Denis held a different pose for a minute. First time was high lunge, second time Warrior 2, etc. A minute doesn’t sound long, but it felt long. Good class!
Saturday
I knew that I wanted to run on Sunday, but also wanted to squeeze in a short run today. I walked for one mile and then ran for one mile. For the first mile of walking, I felt like a dog who’s straining against a leash. When my watch beeped one mile, it’s like someone unsnapped the leash and I bounded forward joyfully. Walking really fast is hard! Running is easier (and more fun.)
After work I did a 30 minute yoga flow, focusing on twists. All my yoga classes are on the Peloton app with Denis Morton, and I love the variety.
Sunday
At my doctor’s recommendation, I limited this run to five miles, but I did a fast one mile walk first, for six miles total. I miss doing a longer Sunday run, but I’m thrilled that I get to run at all, while getting this foot issue treated.
Overall I felt so optimistic all week. I’ve been dealing with my foot pain for so long, I felt like I would have it forever. I know it will take some time, but I finally feel like it’s going to be healed, and am hoping that getting orthotics will finally put an end to the cycle of injuries I’ve been in. I’m envisioning a future full of running adventures!
How was your week? Are you enjoying fall weather? – Still warm here… hoping for a true cooldown soon!
34 Responses
Oh my…it’s been awhile since I’ve done a “real” focused yoga workout, but those 1-minute holds feel like 10! And pistol squats! Holy ouch! But, now I’m intrigued to try them with the flow you described 🙂 I love a good challenge LOL
This will be a challenge! Denis gives you the option of using yoga blocks for support, which I totally needed in order to not collapse in a heap on the floor.
How lovely to see you back at it more fully! And we used to do slow yoga with my old teacher sometimes and it was sooooo hard.
Thanks Liz! Yes, “slow” sounds easy but it’s really not.
That’s great that you not only have an explanation but also a treatment plan — plus you’re back to running! Nice to see you excited, Jenny. 🙂
I would certainly be sore after pistol squats (alone).
Thanks Judy! I should have mentioned that I took the option of using yoga blocks to assist me- no way could a do the whole sequence otherwise. Even with the blocks it was a killer.
I am happy to read that you are feeling so much better about your treatment and running. I am glad you are back running. Some of those yoga classes are so hard. Good for you for taking them on
Thanks Deborah! Somehow I’ve gotten addicted to Denis’s classes, and I seek out the hard ones several times a week because I’m not doing any other strength training right now.
Hooray for getting some answers and treatment. Being able to run while you heal is icing on the cake! Yikes that yoga sounds so hard!
Yes, the best thing ever is having the doctor tell you it’s okay to run!!!
Oh, what did you think of the shockwave therapy? It’s intense right? (If its the same thing I had on my Achilles, like a sharp repetitive hammer?) Glad you are able to run through it a little bit! Even 3-5 mile runs make a huge difference in my mental state.
I basically don’t care how much the treatment hurts, if it’s going to fix the problem! But yes… it is intense. I agree- there’s s huge difference between just running a little and not running at all- I’ll take a three mile run any day.
So happy to see you in running!
I know that pain feeling…will it ever end???
I remember being injured and my Chiro said it wouldn’t hurt to run. I almost kissed her.
Ha, that’s funny because I wanted to hug my doctor when he said I could run!
I’m so happy you are making progress on the foot issue. I’m sure it was a relief just to hear a diagnosis of some sort, and then to hear the Dr say you could run! I’ve never had shockwave therapy. Does it hurt? I bought a TENS unit thinking that would help my hamstring issues earlier this year but I never really ended up using it. I was surprised how strong the shock could be just from a little 9 volt battery!!
Oh yes, it hurts! But it’s worth it (assuming that it actually does what he says it’s going to do.)
Glad you feel better and that the doctor said you can run.
Your are right: Walking really fast is hard (in my opinion it’s boring too)! Running is easier (and more fun)!
Keep on running and enjoy fall weather.
Thank you! But we don’t have fall weather yet, sigh! It’s 88 degrees today!
I’m so glad the podiatrist has you feeling optimistic. LOL on the DM yoga classes. That warrior 3-to-pistol move sounds like a great skill for running with all that single leg strength and balance. I’m pretty sure I’d fall over!!
Coco, I totally would have fallen if I didn’t have the yoga block to assist me. Actually I might have fallen once or twice anyway! I’m going to try that workout again this week.
Thank God for experts like podiatrists, huh?! I absolutely love your optimism and energy in this post and after my nail drama – it really resonates with me. Sometimes your mind and body can get so worn down by a problem that is so unclear – but as soon as the problem is better understood it’s easy to see a way out. I’m so excited that you finally seem to have some answers and also that you got some good runs in this week!
Yes, funny that we both had a podiatrist come to the rescue! I don’t know why I waited so long- I mean it is a foot issue!
Yay for answers, a treatment plan, and best of all that you can continue to run! Great work with all of the yoga – that one Power Yoga class sounds super challenging!
At some point I’m going to put together a post of the most challenging yoga classes- so far that one tops the list!
Pistol squats! those are hardcore.
I’m glad you are feeling better, and making some kind of progress. It’s got to be so frustrating, but it sounds like there is some light at the end of the tunnel.
Yes, there’s light!!! And I totally should have mentioned that I used a yoga block to assist me with those pistol squats- no way could I have done it otherwise. Even with the block it was hard though!
I’m glad to hear you’re finally getting some answers and treatment. It can be so frustrating to be set back by repetitive injuries.
Pistol squats are so hard! They are definitely NOT my favorite.
I really do not miss the 80s weather we had in Florida. Here the highs are in the 70s in the middle of the day but as soon as the sun goes down it jumps back to the 60s or lower. It’s my ideal weather 🙂
Well, we’re still in the upper 80s here, so 70s with 60s at night sounds like heaven! We’re hoping for a cool down soon!
This is great news! So glad that you finally have some answers and have a treatment plan. I know this had been a very frustrating process for you 🙁
Thanks Kim! Yes, it’s been frustrating, but I’m feeling pretty good now!
Glad to see you’re having some pain free runs! I’m also excited to do more running. It will be a while before I can do pistol squats, tho!
I’m still working on the pistol squats! But the running is feeling good.
If custom orthotics are inevitable, I recommend getting them sooner than later. They were the only thing that put an end to my PF and I tried it all!
Yes, I’m not sure why my doctor wants to wait? I’m going to ask him about that next week!