Well, things were a bit different this week. I voluntarily took several steps back to try and heal up that sore hamstring, which meant lots of days in the gym (and lots of boring photos- sorry.) But it’s all good! Thanks as always to Kim and Deborah for hosting the Weekly Rundown. Let’s just see how this gym-tastic week played out.
Sunday
Leg day! Deadlifts, leg curl, leg extension, glute push machine (I love that one) and piriformis exercises.
Monday
Spoiler alert- this was my only outdoor run this week. 4 miles, and my hamstring was achy. I realized why I look so pained in these photos- I start these runs in the dark, so I don’t think to bring my sunglasses. Then by the end I’m squinting into the sun.
Tuesday
Back to the gym for leg day #2! This time it was squats, Bulgarian split squats, leg curls (for that achy hamstring) and piriformis exercises. In the morning I also did my hip stability exercises.
Wednesday
First things first- I did a Caroline Girvan abs workout, and then instead of running, I decided to give my hamstring one more day of rest. I went to the gym for 45 minutes on the Stairmaster.
Thursday
In the morning I did Caroline Girvan’s deadbug workout. After work I headed to the gym- let’s try this running thing! I ran 4 miles on the treadmill. I wasn’t limping or anything, but my hamstring was aching and I was happy when it was time to stop.
At this point I had to take a good, hard look at the situation. I’m running a 50 mile race at the end of the month. I asked myself what it would be like to run 50 miles with an aching hamstring, and the answer was: not fun. I decided it would be worth it to pull back on the training- better to show up to the race slightly undertrained with all my muscles intact.
Friday
This was a day off, except for hip stability exercises. Oh, and guess what- I had been noticing the area on both sides of my sacrum felt weirdly tender, almost like they were bruised- and I think it’s from all the piriformis exercises I’ve been doing. These were recommended by a PT I saw last summer, but apparently they’re not working well for me. I’m stopping them!
After work I went to the chiropractor where he worked on my hamstring, hip flexors, and adjusted my low back. I’m going at least once a week from now on.
Saturday
Sigh. Instead of my usual Saturday run, I went to the gym and did an hour on the Stairmaster.
Something weird must have happened to my brain, because this actually wasn’t that bad! That’s a good thing, because there may be a lot of Stairmaster for me over the next few weeks.
Sunday
Originally this was scheduled as a long run day, but I’ve moved that to Wednesday. Instead I’ll be going to the gym for a leg workout.
So… it’s fine. Everything’s fine! Right now I’m 100% planning to be at that race. Hopefully with two happy and healthy legs- I’m doing everything I can to make it happen.
How was your week? Was it smooth sailing or did you have to alter your course?
Top photo by Rupert Britton on Unsplash
43 Responses
Jenny, I’m really sorry about your hamstring — that kind of nagging ache is the worst, especially when you’re trying to keep your eyes on a big goal like the 50-miler. But prioritizing healing over mileage is so smart. It takes guts to pull back when the calendar says “go,” but you’re clearly doing all the right things to show up strong (and in one piece).
Those Stairmaster sessions will serve you well in the race – your glutes and quads will be STRONG!
Thank you Catrina! That’s what I’m hoping at least. : )
So much gym time. So many leg days.
Hope your hamstring will be fine quickly s you can be back on the running trails.
I’ve been sick all week so I didn’t do a single workout. Sigh.
Thank you Tobia! And sorry to hear you’ve been sick. I miss you- I’m hopping over to your blog today to see what’s up.
really hope the extra rest heals whatever it’s going on and ready for the race! I’m rooting for you.
Thank you Coco! I appreciate it.
C’mon hamstring, get with it!
I’m not qualified in these things but if you are (1) doing a full hour on the stairmaster and (2) saying it’s not that bad, I’m pretty sure that is a great sign for your 50 mile readiness.
We had a ton of rain this week and it was just chilly enough that I’ve been on the treadmill most days. But now that it’s the weekend I’m back outside and hiking; I can’t get enough of it.
Yes, hamstring- get with the program. Everyone else is on board!
Ah, I remember those first warm days of spring and how exhilarating it is to be outside. Soak it up while you can!
I can’t imagine spending all that time on the stair master and it not feeling like time stood still! You are mentally tough!!
Our week has been meh. The markets are nutty so it makes my job so much harder. Will’s surgery went well but it’s definitely a hard recovery. He’s enjoyed all the ice cream and bomb pops. We have to wake him during the night to give him pain meds so I feel a bit like a zombie. He handles me giving meds way way way better than Phil so I have been doing most of it. I’m ready for uninterrupted sleep for all of us!! I did go for a run/walk combo yesterday which felt good. But omg it was so cool. There was a strong wind coming off the lake and I was just pissed that it’s April and it still feels like winter. But it will hit the 60s this week and I cant wait for that! I’m just soooo over winter!!
Oof. Yes, that sounds challenging with Will. And also with your work- yes, things have gone berserk. Which is no surprise.
April is hard! I remember it snowing on Easter, many times. Hang in there- spring will come! Sounds like you’ll have some lovely days this week.
I completely agree that is more optimal to show up undertrained (which I don’t think you are) than injured or over trained. I’m hoping that with some more rest your hamstring will heal. A friend of mine played tennis on a sore hamstring and ended up tearing it and having surgery-you do not want that surgery! Take care of yourself!
Gaaaahhhh! No, I don’t want that. I always say tennis is harder on your body than running though- all that starting and stopping really wears on your hamstrings. But you’ve just given me more motivation to take it easy for a while.
Here’s hoping cutting back on your running will give your hamstring what it needs to stop bothering you. You’re becoming the queen of the StairMaster. Do you every get on a stationary bike when you can’t run?
Debbie, I hate the stationary bike so, so much! I only do it if I really can’t do anything else. Like last year when I sprained my ankle, all I could do was the bike for a couple week. Shudder.
Good idea to cut back now to hopefully be ready for race day.
When I was rehabbing my hamstring my PT suggested doing run/walk intervals to keep the overall load down, so maybe consider that when you start running again — especially if you still feel nagging.
I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you!
Coco, that makes a lot of sense because I will obviously be doing run/walk intervals in a 50 mile race anyway. Thanks for the support!
I think you’re right to pull back on the training a little and give that hammie some rest. I hope you can get some good sleep as well, and have lots of nourishing yummies to keep your body fueled for repair! Good luck Jenny!
Thank you Nicole! I’m really trying to prioritize sleep. And you’re right- lots of nourishing food is important too.
Wow, an hour on the Stairmaster! As much as I love stair-training, an hour is a LONG time…especially since you’re on a machine and not an actual staircase. I’m glad it went well (or at least wasn’t too bad, LOL). I hope all goes well well in these final weeks. I agree it’s better to go in under-trained than even more injured.
I listened to a podcast for the first 30 minutes and music for the second 30- it definitely helped!
I’m hoping the shift to more gym time and less running will help you show up to the 50 miler pain-free! You’re pretty close to taper time anyway so better to err on the side of more rest than risking injury.
Our weather basically went back to winter this last week — the highs were only in the low 60s for a few days and that feels way too cold for April! But we’ll be getting into the 90s and maybe even 100s this week so I guess it’s summer now!
I would love 60s- but on the other hand I would NOT love 100s. So I guess I should be glad we’re in the 80s for now.
I’m planning one more attempt at a long run before the race- we’ll see how that pans out this week! I figure it still gives me plenty of time to taper and recover.
I had to alter my course, as you know, but not because of injury. Fortunately, I made it all work. I sure hope your hamstring calms down. You are smart to pull back–at this point in the game, you’ve done the work. You should be fine by race day!
THank you Wendy!!! I’ll try to bottle your confidence here.
I am so impressed with your reasoning and plan to help protect the hamstring.
I am getting so excited for your race!!!!
Thank you Elisabeth! And, I’m getting excited too.
I think you’re making an excellent decision about pulling back a little. I know that it will be hard to keep yourself out of the game for a few weeks but it’s going to be for the best. Lots of hugs to you.
Thank you Jenn! I appreciate it : )
Hopefully your break will get you all set for that race coming up! I think it’s a good choice. Are you listening to music/books on the Stairmaster or watching TV? That’s a long time! What a great exercise for your legs.
Yes, music and podcasts. This time I did 30 minutes of a podcast and then 30 minutes of music. It REALLY helps.
They say it’s better to be undertrained than overtrained.
I feel the same. No pain but just missed too many runs.
Hope the hamstring feels better after a little rest.
Thanks Darlene. And, I always hear that it’s better to be undertrained than over, so I’m going with it! We’ll see how it works out.
Hope regular chiro visits and a little rest are just what the doctor ordered 🙂
I hope rest and chiro work wonders — can’t wait to hear about the race.
ha! my comment got eaten I THOUGHT, so I wrote a new one, and now you get all this nonsense.
Ha ha, I’ve done that. I don’t know why sometimes comments “disappear” only to reappear after you’ve written another one.
Yes, sometimes we need to cut back on things and also it’s good to evaluate whether something serves us or not. Fascinating how a session on the stairmaster would be “not so bad”, haha! Good mental endurance training for sure!
I hope some taking it easy will do the trick for your hamstring, along with the chiropractor treatments. Being intact for the race is the important thing!
Yes, if I’m injured then I definitely won’t finish the race! At least this way I have a chance.
Jenny! What did I miss?! I did not catch the sore hamstring on your previous posts… I hope I didn’t miss one.
I’m in awe of how you know when to hold back and make the best decisions for yourself and your body though.
Sending healing wishes.
Also, I don’t think your gym photos are boring at all–they always look very energetic and candid.
Eek – bad timing for a hamstring to act up. I think it makes sense to switch things up. Good luck in the race! Your gym is so colorful. The bright weights are different from our gym’s all black weights.
I will admit to sheer exhaustion at the end of the week last week. I think it had to do with a super busy week at work and where I am in my menstrual cycle, but whatever it was I ended up doing some chill yoga practices instead of the strength training I was supposed to do. Oh, well. Something is better than nothing and I was worried I would end up with injuries if I tried to make myself do something when I was exhausted. Hopefully I’m back on track this week and you will be, too!
A good plan, I’d say. You will get round whatever happens. An hour on the Stairmaster, though! Well, my Achilles won’t let me do that. But I am joined up to the gym now and have been twice so soon I’ll have more pics of me surrounded by equipment!
I am glad you listened to your body (or ham string) and took a step back from training… you don’t really want to jeopardize your race.
I also had to take a step back last week because I caught whatever my coughing coworker had. I hate that people come into the office sick… tell me again how RTO (return to office) is better than having the option to WFH when you’re sick and spreading germs? UGH.