Well, this was a fun week! I ran a race! Then I spent the rest of the week recovering. Because I wasn’t running, and it was just my daughter and me (the guys were out of town) I had extra time to relax. Thanks as always to Kim and Deborah for hosting the weekly rundown… let’s get into the details.
Sunday
Sweat Swat ‘n Swear 50K! It was an awesome adventure, and the race recap is here.
Monday
Well, I had to go to work (ugh) but since there was no school, I was able to sleep in a little. Once I hobbled out of bed, I had two issues- my right calf (the one that hurt during the race) was still very sore, and I had a HIDEOUS rash (?) on my legs. I posted this photo in one of my race recaps:
Wendy and SHU both immediately identified it as “purpura.” Wendy went on to say that in this case, the purpura was caused by “exercise-induced vasculitis.” Here’s the definition:
“Exercise-induced vasculitis is a small-vessel vasculitis affecting the lower legs that occurs after strenuous sports activity such as running or hiking, particularly during hot weather.”
Yep! Sounds about right. It didn’t hurt, or itch- it just looked HIDEOUS. But I was glad to know what it was!
Tuesday
My calf was still sore (just to clarify- the soreness had nothing to do with the purpura- two different issues entirely) but I figured “motion is lotion” so I took myself out for a 30 minute walk. It felt good!
Wednesday
Early morning 45 minute walk. The sun was just rising as I started.
This was my day off from work, and I GOT A MASSAGE. Sadly, I didn’t want anyone to work on my legs- the purpura was starting to fade to a lovely maroon color, but it still looked awful. I just had a back, neck and arm massage, and it felt amazing.
Thursday
Big day- THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL. The last day of getting up at 5:30 until August. Woohoo! 40 minute walk.
Friday
Well, this felt nice! I slept in until 6:30 and then got out for a 45 minute walk. My calf is completely better, but now my right hip is sore and achy. What the…? I thought walking was good for you! Whatever happened to “motion is lotion????” Hurumph.
Saturday
Instead of my morning constitutional, I did some PT-type exercises for my hip- glute bridges, clamshells, side planks, air squats… everything felt good, although I forgot how hard side planks are!
Look how much better my legs are… phew.
Sunday
On tap for today…. a visit to the gym? A walk? A short RUN? Sleeping in and waffles? All or none of these? Well, probably not “all.” I’d like to start running again- I’m starting to miss it. I just want to make sure my cranky right hip calms down. I think a little more stretching and mobility work are in my future this week.
How was your week? Did you celebrate Memorial Day?
If you have kids- are you done with school?
39 Responses
Sigh motion is lotion until it isn’t. No worries, everything will settle down and you’ll be back to running very soon.
Yes school is DONE DONE DONE DONE DONE. Now we get through Boy Scout Camp season.
Yep, turns out motion is NOT lotion for that hip. After two days of no walking it feels normal again. Whatever…
Yay for the end of school and dropping that really early morning wake up on Wednesday! That is a great change!
School is not over. We have 2 more weeks of school. Next year our school year will shorten my 4 days I think because they are adding something like 10 minutes to each day. Every other school seems to get out this past week or this week so we will be more aligned with other schools. Going until 6/14 is fine for a kinder but I can see him liking it less as he gets older!
Memorial Day was kind of a bust for us. It rained all day and we even had some hail. I would have preferred to be at work honestly…. But I know these long weekends will get easier when we don’t have a toddler!
Ha, yes, it will get much easier! You guys are on the “late” school schedule, but I assume you don’t start till after Labor Day. We start mid-August (ugh) so there’s definitely a tradeoff!
Oh, I’m glad that’s what that “rash” was – and glad you had a good week of recovery.
I also have a right hip that has a tendency to be cranky. How’s your piriformis? I find if I use a ball (tennis or lacrosse will do) and sort of massage it against the wall, that can really help with the release. Good luck with it!
Thank you Nicole! I do have a lacrosse ball and I got it out for that very purpose. Last night I massaged it and than stretched, and it seems to be better today.
Oh wow I have never seen such a thing as that rash you had! glad it seems to be almost better. I am all for massage and rest and walking post race. Hope all the niggles go away this week. Super smart to take all the rest that you need!
i know, I posted those pics so in case anyone else gets something like that, they’ll know what it is. I initially thought it was something like poison ivy, but it didn’t itch so that didn’t make sense. Anyway… it’s gone now.
I actually booked a massage (Valentine’s Day gift that I’ve been holding onto for the perfect opportunity)…for Monday, after work! Thankfully, everything feels pretty “normal” following yesterday’s 13.1, but I’m looking forward to some extra TLC on the muscles. Glad to hear (and see) the rash is almost but a memory 😉
Ooh, enjoy your massage! I already feel like I need another one : )
Our university finished classes a few weeks ago, but now we’re already starting summer sessions and first year orientation and I am running around like a maniac during the week. Oh, well! Job security, I guess.
Yeah… I guess university schedules are a little different! I hope things calm down for you soon (at least, at work.)
So glad you had a nice week of recovery (well, with a couple of bumps) and time with your daughter. I’d never heard of purpura but glad it didn’t hurt and recovered on its own!
I’m in the Southern Hemisphere so no summer school breakups for me until December, but I know that nice feeling of more relaxed mornings/different routines ahead. Hooray! Looking forward to hearing your summer plans.
Yes, you are definitely on a differnet schedule! Hard to wrap my head around the fact that you’re heading into… winter??? I’m so confused!
I don’t have kids but the district I work for had the same last day of school as your daughter. I still have to work all summer but this last week was pretty chill with not much work to do. Which is a good and bad thing, as it makes the days go by slower!
I hope your hip is starting to feel more normal now, and hopefully you can test it out with some shorter runs this week! My ankles were really sore after a 10 mile long run/hike yesterday with almost 4,000 feet of elevation gain and TONS of rocks, but after a short walk today they’re feeling better…but my quads and calves are super tight now. It’s always something!
Yes, it’s always something! My ankles are hurting just hearing about your run/hike… ouch.
Oh wow, what a crazy rash situation! It did disappear pretty quick thought, so that’s great. Kudos for you going to work the day after that race. I always take the day off work! Side planks are something that really aggravate my muscle strain. There’s only a couple of exercises that make it hurt and that’s one of them! Hopefully you’ll be feeling 100% in just a few days (which is really a fast recovery!). All of your race prep is paying off.
Hooray for sleeping in!
Yes, note to self- in the future, take the day off work after a race!!! My hip is still achy, but side planks do not hurt it, and I’ve decided to do them on a regular basis- it can only help! (although- not for you. Stay away from them if they hurt!)
Fully agree to walk after the race. it feels good physically and mentally right? Glad your rash went away, it did feel scary. good to have medical blogger friends 🙂
I’m not training for a race yet, I do have a half marathon in October, just getting back to normal running routine and build the base. Now that air pollution is getting worse as we enter dry season, I will have to do more TM, which is not fun but I kind of have t remind me how lucky I am to be able to still run.
what’s next for you?
Oh, I was wondering what you had coming up! I’m just working on a post- it’s a little rambling right now- about what’s coming next. Hard to decide!
I’m so glad the purpura is fading! I think it was wise not to have anyone massage your legs–I wouldn’t want to anger anything! Sounds like overall you are recovering nicely! Time with your daughter has to be great too!
Thanks Wendy, and thanks for the expert medical advice : )
Oh, your poor legs! I’m so glad it didn’t hurt, but that rash was pretty ugly!
Congratulations on your race! You did amazing and I am so proud of you!
We finished school a week before you, and not a second too soon. Now we want for report cards (which take half the summer to come in for some reason).
We don’t do much on Memorial Day – we ran a race and then chilled out at home. It was just a hot day and no one wanted to do much of anything.
Jenn, I know- one of the reasons I really didn’t mind working on Memorial Day was, what else am I going to do? Certainly not go to a barbecue in this heat! At least work is air conditioned.
So glad your purpura is clearing up and the calf injury is easing! You want a race to stick with you, but not like THAT! And hooray for school being over! The school routine is so wearying.
Yes- “wearying” is a great word to describe it. It’s a relief to have a break.
Oh, your leg looks so much better… thank goodness Wendy and SHU could immediately ease your worry. It’s good that you took it easy today with lots of walking.
Memorial Day was our anniversary, so yes, we celebrated… for other reasons 😉
Ha, well Happy Anniversary!
I’m behind on reading and commenting, but I have caught up and loved reading about your race! I was thinking about you and I’m so glad that it went well. The leg was scary looking, but I’m so glad it turned out to be nothing scary. WHEW! When I had Mulder, and I had Fridays off, I used to like to drop my daughter off at work on Friday mornings, then go for a walk in our downtown area before the stores opened. It was something different from our regular walk around our neighborhood, but not too far, just a change in scenery. Since he died, I have lost that verve. I’m not sure why. I still have Fridays off, maybe I should try. Sigh.
I remember your “Fridays with Mulder.” Yes, I think you should make Fridays special again- maybe in a different way though?
We don’t have Memorial Day in Canada – but the week before is a holiday for us (Victoria Day).
I’m so glad your leg is healing and that it wasn’t uncomfortable!
Thanks Elisabeth! Now my lower legs are completely fine and I’ve moved on to the next problem, which is a cranky hip. Can everything ever just feel good at the same time???
Oh my goodness, I have never heard of this pupura! Yikes!! Glad it wasn’t anything too serious though, but it looks rough!
Congrats on the 50k, I’ll head over to read the recap!
Thank you Jessie! That purpura was really weird, but luckily it’s gone now.
after a 50k, I’m surprised that more things don’t ache.
Glad your leg LOOKS better.
Everything feels great and then I get food poisoning… always something!!
Oh yes- remember when I got food poisoning before I was supposed to the do Ft Lauderdale half? The same year you broke your foot? That was special.
Glad to hear that the purpura is almost gone. I’d never heard of it before your incident. I hope your hip pain doesn’t amount to anything and feels normal the next time you walk.
Yay for summer break! Enjoy your later morning sleep-ins.
Thanks Debbie! So far I’m enjoying the relaxed mornings!
We had a bank holiday on Monday last week; I had to work but just did a half day. Glad your recovery week went well apart from the hip. I’m quite stiff at the moment but I had to reschedule my physio maintenance appointment that was supposed to be on this Monday as my husband had to go to the US at short notice and he’d ordered collection of his waste electricals bin from his big sort-out and I had to wait in for that. Roll on next Monday when I do have the appointment!