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Weekly Rundown- I’M BACK!

Well, it was quite a week!  My ongoing calf issue refused to let go; I basically threw everything but the kitchen sink at it, and apparently something stuck.  Let’s see how it all played out.  But first- thanks as always to Kim and Deborah for hosting the Weekly Rundown!

Monday

Sigh.  This was a rough one.  I walked for a mile and then started running… and after a few minutes my calf pain returned.  I completed 2 miles of running, but it didn’t feel good, which made me depressed for the rest of the day.  Will this EVER go away???

Later in the day I rallied and did the four hip stability exercises from Brad Beer’s book.

Tuesday

I started with a hard leg day, including squats and Bulgarian split squats.  Later in the day I did the Caroline Girvan deadbug workout.  I also noticed that, unlike previous experiences, the calf pain I felt in my run yesterday did not continue into the next day.  I was able to do heel raises, run in place, and also stretch the muscle with no pain. Hmmm… maybe there IS hope, after all???

Wednesday

All right, this is it.  No more messing around!  I taped up my calf and went to the gym for a treadmill run.  I wanted to put a lot of focus on my running form, and also be able to stop and do something different if my calf hurt.

I walked for half a mile, then cautiously, hopefully started to run very slowly, making sure to pick my heels up behind me and keep my lower legs relaxed.  When that didn’t hurt, I gradually increased the speed to a normal running pace, and then ran 3 miles WITHOUT PAIN.  VICTORY!!!

I followed this triumphant run with bench press and some abs.  Later in the day I did my hip stability exercises again.

Thursday

I started the day with an upper body workout at home, focusing on back and biceps.  Later I did one of the hip exercises.  There are four of them- two are boring and tedious, one is challenging but rewarding, and the last one I hate with my entire heart and soul.  This one, of course, is for the piriformis, which is the main thing my PT wanted me to work on.  Of course.

A couple people asked about this exercise, and I’m just going to show the photo from the book, although I’m sure Brad Beer would prefer that you buy it (sorry, Brad!)

It’s hard to tell from the photos, but what you’re doing in this move is externally rotating your hip, which is the action of the piriformis.  It is so, so hard.  You’re supposed to do 100 reps- I get to 30 and want to start crying.  I can get up to 50, with some rest breaks.  Obviously I need this one so I keep doing it- but I dread it every single time.

Friday

Let’s try running again!  This time, I have my RunFloat harness, which finally arrived in the mail.  The idea is to keep your arms moving minimally, and only back and forth.  If your arms are flailing around (like mine) your hips are probably as well, and that slows you down and leads to injuries.

You put your thumbs through the loops…

The jury is still out on the harness, but I did run for 3 miles with no pain.  I don’t want to jinx it, but I think this calf issue is finally, finally behind me.

Saturday

OFF- other than hip stability exercises, including the piriformis torture.

Sunday

On tap- It’s time to take my run harness and taped up calf outside for a run!  I’m excited to get back out there. And then later in the day of course there’s the Olympics!  Swimming!  Gymnastics!  Diving!  So much to be happy about- this week is ending on a high note.

How was your week?  Are you watching the Olympics?

Top photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

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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  

45 Responses

  1. I’m glad to hear that your calf pain is gone–hopefully for good. I get your reluctance to stop running while it calms down. Hopefully for good!

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  2. I’m glad you included a photo of the harness, I was wondering what it was like. I’m so glad you look to be good to get back to proper running. Yes, I am watching the Olympics and enjoying the short window when Australia is on top of the medal leader board.

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    1. Well your women swimmers kicked our team’s ass yesterday! I’m enjoying the Australian-American swimming rivalry.
      I’ll write more about the harness when I’ve had more runs with it.

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  3. Yay! So glad you were able to run! I am sending good vibes for your run today, too. That piriformis exercise sounds hard! I should get that book!

    We have been watching the Olympics. Paul has been really into it which is fun to see! He got to watch the opening ceremonies at his summer program and then he wanted to watch it again with us that evening. I am trying to stay offline so I don’t ruin things for myself but that is easier said than done!

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    1. I know Lisa! I’m trying to do the same, so I can watch everything at night. It’s going to be hard. That’s awesome that Paul is liking it! My sister and I always watched the Olympics with my mom when we were little.

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  5. Yay for pain free running! I’m so happy for you! Oof, that stretch looks so challenging – I can’t imagine doing 100?!? But that point he made on the page about what you’re asking the muscle to do during a run really hit home. We are watching the Olympics! Lil Momma is looking forward to women’s gymnastics tonight and the Mr and I caught women’s canoe slalom yesterday.

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    1. We’re watching the gymnastics right now! Go Simone! Watching the balance beam makes me extremely nervous though.

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  6. It sounds like you have reached a turning point with your calf. I hope today’s run goes well!

    OMG 100 reps of anything would be tedious!

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  7. So glad to hear that you are feeling better and back to running. That harness looks interesting (and annoying??) looking forward to hearing what you think. I am not sure I get the glute exercise but I do know that is an area I need to pay attention to as well. Hope this week is a strong one for you!

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    1. The harness actually is not annoying- if anything I wish it were tighter. I feel like I’m still bringing my left arm across the midline of my body. But, you’re supposed to use it for six weeks. So I’ll do that and then report back!

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  8. That hip movement (pictured from the book) looks a lot like a move my PT had me doing last year. She had me doing the top leg, though, to work the hip a little differently. It was nearly impossible to find a place in my house suitable for the necessary “drop” (to be lower than where the bottom leg would be positioned). I do have a set of three ottomans that are firm enough to hold me (my bed was too soft and I kept rolling off the edge, LOL), so I’m gonna try to make this work. Thanks for sharing!!! I’m glad you’re starting to feel some relief 😉

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    1. Yes, I do it on the side of my bed which fortunately is pretty firm. I’m going to try it at the gym on a firmer surface though to see if it makes a difference.

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  10. Hooray for getting in some pain free running- hopefully it stays that way. That hip exercise looks like something I need to try but i may need a video to explain what to do- not quite sure from the photo!

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    1. I’ll try to explain it better, and maybe do it at the gym and take a video of myself. That reminds me, I still have to do it tonight- ugh.

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  11. Yay for pain free run! something you are doing is right for sure, keep it up and hopefully it fixes the issue so you can return to running for good.
    i am intrigued about the harness…. is it supposed to help to minimize upper body movement?

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    1. Yes, minimize upper body movement, and the idea is that your lower body will mirror what the upper is doing. It sounds good- we’ll see how it works.

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  12. That’s great that you are finally able to run without pain! What a relief.

    So far I’m binging on equestrian sports for the Olympics. Other than that, we’ve watched the opening ceremony and some men’s gymnastics. I’m looking forward to watching women’s gymnastics once the whole family is watching.

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    1. We’re watching women’s gymnastics right now! I wish they would show more athletes in addition to just the Americans. But I’m enjoying it.

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  13. Yay for some pain free runs! Hopefully that continues for you!

    I feel so behind on the Olympics because my race was yesterday so I missed the opening ceremony on Friday to go to bed early and haven’t been able to watch any of the events on my trip but I get back tomorrow so hopefully I can catch up. But I’m so glad I was able to race because it was up in the air for a couple of weeks due to a wildfire and the course had to change about a week and a half out from the race so I wasn’t sure what to expect but it went well and was a very tough but fun day!

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    1. Hooray! Congratulations- I want more details! About the Olympics- all you’ve really missed is some swimming and some gymnastics- there’s still plenty of that left. And track and field hasn’t started yet. You haven’t really missed anything.

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  14. I had no idea that a harness existed.

    I am so happy that the calf pain is gone… fingers crossed.

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    1. I think this harness is pretty new. At least I had never heard of it until I read about it on Hungry Runner Girl’s blog a couple months ago.

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  15. I sure do hope that your calf pain is behind you!

    We didn’t plan very well and are missing most of the Olympics due to our road trip.

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    1. Yes, I’m actually mad because my son and I will be driving all day this coming Saturday and Sunday- I’m going to try to get us started early enough in the morning to get to our hotel in time to watch some Olympics at night!

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  16. I am sorry you’re still dealing with calf pain but I am glad that the taping seems to help. I am also super-intrigued by the Float Harness. I had not heard of it. I am curious if you feel that it works/improves your form over time.

    I had a pretty good week. I also had a long run (9+ miles, the longest in a while) and I participated in PeloFondo this weekend. So much fun.

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    1. Ooh, that does sound like quite a weekend! And- I’ll definitely be giving updates on the harness. They say you should use it for 6 weeks to change your form.

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  17. Oh yay that you’ve been able to run and found something that works! I’ve heard of arm movements making a difference for your form, but I had never heard about the float harness- very interesting. Your piriformis exercise looks like what my trainer told me to do, but mine is standing up. But 100 reps?! That’s a lot!!
    I need to get my **** together about watching the Olympics. I love watching the gymnastics! But here we just got something that looks like summer weather of sorts, so I want to take advantage on that instead of watching TV.

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    1. I guess the logic is, you can’t put a harness on our legs, but you can on your arms, and if you control your arm movements it will change everything else as well.
      I always watch waaay too much TV during the two weeks of the Olympics.

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  19. That harness looks fascinating. I love how committed you are to tweaking your running form.

    Yay for no calf pain. What a hassle that has been for you. Argh.

    The Olympics!!! I am obsessed. Currently watching it while I type this comment actually (beach volleyball).

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  20. HOORAY for no calf pain! When I read Monday’s entry, I wanted to reassure you so badly that it would go away just to be reassuring… I’m so glad it actually did.

    Thanks for the photo with the harness on–it seems like such a simple hack and so stabilizing.

    Have been away over the weekend, so have not checked in on the Olympics like at all… but we’ll probably fix that today.

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    1. i feel like I’ve been watching SO much of the Olympics- but there’s still a ton of stuff I’m missing. Still lots of excitement coming up, like gymnastics and track and field!!!

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  21. JENNY!!! I did nothing but watch the Olympics all weekend. We watched gymnastics, a bit of diving, and the women’s street skateboarding finals. I am ALL IN. The opening ceremonies were weird, but then I got all choked up when they were lighting the cauldron (the old dude in the wheelchair – someone get him an UMBRELLA) and Celine Dion was strangely moving and woot woot! I will not be working out or reading for the next two weeks, obviously.

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    1. Hooray!!! Yes, it really is so much fun. And I’ve still been working out and reading a little, but sleeping less. Which is probably not good, oh well.

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  22. YES YES YES! I am so happy for you! You have done everything, and i am so glad something worked!
    Here’s to many more apin gree runs!

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  23. Your perseverance and patience! Wow – so glad the calf pain is finally gone! I absolutely love the Olympics so I’ve been glued to the TV in the evenings – I’ve also folded more laundry as a result!

    Reply

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