The Plan

Okay, I don't actually have a plan together yet, but I think I've made some progress.  I went to work out at the Y this morning, which wasn't exactly what I wanted to do after getting only a couple of hours of sleep last night.  As I was warming up, I noticed that my hip felt a little strange - not quite sore, but not quite right.  After stretching, I decided to ignore those feelings and run anyway.  The feeling subsided as the adrenaline increased and I managed 0.8 of a mile.  I feel like the cycling afterwards helps, so I did about 20 minutes before stretching again.  I felt pretty good afterward - the high usually lasts for an hour or so.  It's hard to describe the feeling I get in my hip, it feels like a combination of itching and tingling, but I know it's not a good thing.  I did a little poking around on several websites and came up with a logical answer - it would explain years of odd experiences with my hip.  Snapping hip syndrome - it sounds so benign!  I tried some recommended stretches and found that they hit the spot exactly.  Since my next appointment with my doctor isn't until September, I think I will try the stretches for a while and see if the pain returns.  So from disheartened to hopeful in a matter of hours, I think I can start to put together a short term plan. 

Time to Revise the Plan

My original goal was to be able to run 3 miles by June 1st - it's now June 28 and I'm nowhere near that.  I was well on my way to meeting that goal when my hip began protesting the abuse.  In my usual fashion, I ignored all good sense and kept running until I could barely walk.  I took it easy for a while, did some physio, and really tried to undo the damage I had done.  The pain started to subside and I tried to get out a few times, but I was still in some pain.  I began working very long days and the pain in my hip pretty much disappeared.  After a very frustrating morning, I decided to take out my stress at the Y.  For the first time in a long time, there was no pain during or after.  Unfortunately, my schedule became increasingly busy and my hopes of moving toward my goal became increasingly eroded.
I now have about a week of downtime before my days get busy again. I want to use this time to regroup and make a plan for getting back on track with my running.  I was only able to run 0.75 of a mile today and I was really disappointed in myself.  Then I started to think about how hard I was being on myself.  And finally, I realized that what I needed was a new plan.  Rome wasn't built in a day, and I'm pretty sure that there may have been a little planning involved.  I'm sure by the next post I will have a new direction.

Just Another Friday in Wasaga

Three times out in one week!  Today was a quickie at the Y - I got my 3/4 of a mile of running in and lifted a few hundred pounds.  I had a bit of a break through with my running in that short jaunt.  I have always landed on the ball of my foot when running, and I have been told that heel first is the way most people run.  Today I tried to land more on my heels; it was awkward at first but I found that it wasn't all that bad once I got into a rhythm.  I'll have to see if there is any difference in the pain in  my hip.  There seems to be some dissension about which is the better method, so I will try go with whatever works.  I also managed to get in a bit of a bike this afternoon too.  It was nice to tour around the parks but the wind made it a good workout too.  My new helmet is awesome - I barely noticed I was wearing it.  As much as I am attached to my trusty old bike, I think I'm going to have to start looking for a new one that doesn't tend to veer erratically.  I suppose i should have bought a lottery ticket tonight!

Back on the Treadmill :)

It’s been too long since my last post. I did get out on my good old bike and pulled off 30 kilometers in 75 minutes my first time out. It was amazing. After that, I just got too busy to fit in the gym or biking. It may sound like a cop out, but I’ve been doing a lot of 12 – 16 hour days mixed in with some slightly shorter days. It’s hard to find the time to sneak in a workout. After almost two months, I managed to make it to the Y on Saturday. I wasn’t sure how I would make out with my hip – I vowed to take it easy. Making sure to warm up and stretch, I pulled of a ¾ mile run and followed it up with 20 min of biking. At this point I was thinking that the break hadn’t had much of a negative effect on my progress, but when I hit the weights, I definitely noticed a difference. I don’t really like doing the weights and I only do them because I know that my arms don’t get much of a workout otherwise. The next day I could feel it in my hip a bit, but I was quite happy with the outcome. Monday was true to form, and by noon, I really needed to work out some stress. I repeated my Saturday performance with a little bit more effort this time. I felt pretty good the next day, and my hip was only protesting a little bit (it didn’t help that I wore 3 inch heels on Monday as well). I can still feel my hip today, but it’s barely noticeable. I think I will try to run again tomorrow to see if the pain increases. I have no issues with turning to cycling for a while, I just wish there was a little less wind. My goal of running 3 miles by June first is all but shot now, but once I get a feel for my hip, I will be setting a new date for my 3 mile mark.

Bring on the Sun

It's March break and I'm working more now than when school is in! I keep using this work thing as an excuse not to go to the gym... In some ways that has been a good thing. Over the last couple of weeks, I have been very careful not to aggravate my hip any more than necessary. The result is that I can walk without favouring it and the pain is barely noticeable. That being said, I want to take some time this weekend to get out my trusty bike (20 yrs old!). I hope all it needs is a little TLC. I am planning on laying off the running for another few weeks so that I don't go right back to where I started with the pain. I suppose I will have to get into the pool again too – thinking of the smell of the chlorine evokes a visceral antagonism that is not easily suppressed (used up all of my big words for the day ;). My partner in crime has been pretty busy as well, so the both of us need to get our derrieres in gear and get back on schedule. I think I might just pop in on the way home tonight…

Beyond My Limits

After my last post, I went to the Y and ran a mile.  Then I did it again the next day.  I haven't been able to run since.  I did exactly what I told myself I wouldn't do - push beyond my limits.  Over the last couple of weeks, I have been cycling and swimming to keep active.  I love cycling, and I find it pretty easy; however, using a stationary takes the joy right out of it.  I can't wait until I can get outside again.  I took on quite a few more hours in my business, so it has been hard to work in physiotherapy and the time at the Y.  My hip seems to get better every day, but I jar it quite often which seems to set me back.  I came down with a cold this morning, so I think I'm going to take a few days to recover from that and maybe give my hip a rest too.  I plan to stick with the biking and the swimming until I can run outside comfortably.  As much as it sounds like I haven't had a great few weeks, I have made some progress.  I've noticed an increase in muscle tone and definition.  I've dropped five pounds (for a total of 60) and it has become really noticeable in my face and other normally boney areas.  In the coming month, I want to work on getting my eating under control.  I eat too few fruits and veggies and too much junk food.  It's not so much about losing weight as it is promoting a healthy body so that I can achieve my goals.  I will take this sunny streak as a premonition of the month to come and look forward to moving onward.

Back At It Again

I was starting to worry that I was never going to get back to the running.  With the physio, my hip has gotten better, but there is still a lot of pain.  I decided yesterday that I was going to run anyway - I have just missed it so much that I didn't care if it made the pain worse.  I did my stretching before going to the Y and my hip was feeling not too bad.  I tried a new plan of attack - minimize the amount of impact by skipping the walking as much as possible.  I did a four minute warm up while catching up with my partner in crime.  I started running and my hip protested a bit at first.  The pain subsided, I got into a groove, and it was feeling great to run.  After a couple of minutes, I realized that the running wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.  After a few more minutes I thought maybe I can get a half a mile in.  Still feeling strong, I thought I might just be able to make it to a mile.  As I approached the mile mark, I was starting to tire and feel a little out of breath.  I pushed through to the end and was really proud of myself for hanging in there.  I probably could have gone farther, but I knew I was already pushing my hip too far.  I went through my physio regime while I waited for my partner to finish her 5k.  We then went on to do a 12 mile cycle together, which was a little more difficult after the run.  I felt really good afterwards, and my hip really didn't seem to hurt any more than before I went.  I think using the heel lift and changing my stride a bit made a big difference.  I plan to go in again this afternoon, but I have no idea if I'm going to run again or not.  My hip is pretty tender in the morning usually, but right now it's not that bad so a run may be in order.  Hopefully I'm back on track and I'll make my June 1st goal :)