The Trouble With Enthusiasm

After nearly two weeks my knee is practically back to normal. Just twinges here and there as I walk or lift my leg a certain way.

What's odd is, my knee was really bothering me after walking last Wednesday and bothering me some on Friday too.

Saturday any major aches and pain was gone 

So, I will start back this week. Not running but walking. There are a few things I want to get done before I go all out again.

1) A trip to the chiropractor. My back is all sorts of out-of-whack not to mention hips etc. after having my third child. If all that is out then I'm not running as I should which can put undue stress on different joints. Only problem is there's still some of that hormone in my body to keep joints loose during pregnancy so I may have to make multiple trips.

2) I want to get my running gait analyzed. Not that I'll run out and drop a ton on another pair of shoes right away but perhaps some inserts where needed.

3) Continue leg stretching and strengthening exercises.

I am very eager to get back to running but it's my enthusiasm that got me into trouble in the first place. I have to force myself to take it slow. I'm even considering waiting one more week but I doubt that will happen. We'll see how things go on Tuesday. I'll let my body decide.

MCL maybe?

Over the last week, my knee was feeling better. On Sunday, I managed not to tweak it at all. As a side note, this makes me think whatever is going on has to do with tendons.

In any case, I only took Ibuprofen once yesterday and felt like I could get back out to at least walking today. Then I tweaked it last night and felt almost as bad as I did that first evening. So back to being vigilant and babying my knee. I have to make sure my enthusiasm doesn't get the best of me.

Well, That Was Silly of Me

I am very proud of my ability to run as much as I did on Tuesday but I overdid it. Working out is a mental game and sometimes we ignore the twinges that tell us we should take it easy. Instead, we push ourselves beyond our limits. Great achievements come from doing so. But more often there are countless epic failures before the success.

I've experienced similar knee pain in the past. Usually due to overuse. But, man, the knee just aches. Admittedly, this is a bit more serious than a day of too much walking. I can tell it's nothing too serious but it will take some time to heal.

So what to do during this minor setback that a majority of runners experience?

I'm going to work on strengthening my quad. After all, one does not get to be as overweight as I am and have muscles that couldn't use some help. I plan on doing the exercises my husband was given to strengthen his quad. I'll continue to take ibuprofen and will ice the area and rest it as much as life will allow.

And even though I know I can do more when I get back on the track, I'll take it easy. I can't afford to acquire a more serious injury.

I Did It!

This week promised to be so busy that I switched my training to a Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday schedule. My hip had been slightly sore so the resulting extra day gave me a chance to recover.

I had no real desire to run. I was in a foul mood. Hormones and 3 young and whiny kids just exacerbated the foul mood. But I knew I had to keep going. Besides I figured I could use a break and outlet. The weather wasn't as warm and humid so I felt hopeful.

 My initial plan was to alternate my running reps between 60 seconds and 30 seconds. I thought that would give me more opportunity to run a full minute. After hearing my friend Dave declare he had completed the full workout and me being in a foul mood - I decided to do the same. Probably not my wisest move looking back but at the time I was pretty determined.

 The running reps became more difficult as time went on and I could feel soreness starting to creep in. I found that at about the 40 second mark I'd hit what felt like a wall so I'd focus on the scenery, focus on my stride, anything but negative thoughts.

And it worked. I completed the full work out. Increased my run time by 2 1/2 minutes to complete 8 minutes of running. I was thrilled! Still am actually.

 Now for the negative. My knee hurts but ibuprofen seems to help tremendously. It's my inner left knee closer to my other leg. Before taking ibuprofen this morning bending the knee to lift hurt. Also my left hip but that has felt better since laying on it - go figure. I think the knee soreness came about due to two reasons: one - overdoing it and two - overcompensating for my hip and not having a steady gait while running. Something to focus on during my next training session. I may place an extra day or so between now and when I run next. Jeff Galloway suggests 2-3 days so we'll see. In any case, I'm very proud and looking forward to doing it again.

Week 1 Day 3: Defeat vs. Determination

I want this blog to be perfectly honest. After all, how are we to know the good without the bad? Day 3 had more downs than ups. I don't know if it was the heat and humidity that did it. It was 93 degrees outside but due to the humidity it felt like 99 degrees.

 The workout started well. I felt like I was covering more distance in the allotted time. Even the first minute run felt good! I remember thinking that if I felt that good that maybe I could do more 60 second runs. The second rep of 60 seconds (approximately 8 minutes into the 30 minute workout) is what kicked down my aspirations. And while my aspirations were down the workout continued to beat them over the head.

 It was a struggle. I felt more out of breath than I had the previous two days. Moving was tough. Sheer determination accompanied by a good soundtrack kept me going. I did, however, turn the 8th rep of jogging into the 60 second run suggested. Let's be honest. The Couch to 5k is meant for people much smaller than me and in overall better physical shape. The method behind it is sound so I just had to take it down a few notches.

 I was right by my van when the workout ended. When I finally stopped moving, all the things I felt the first day seemed to hit my body all at once. I felt a little lightheaded and just worn out. I got into the van and turned on the A/C full blast. By the way, at least getting into the van wasn't as tough as it was the first day. I took a few minutes to cool off before heading home.

 My left hip is sore. I don't know if my struggle led to an imperfect stride and I overdid it. It feels more muscular than joint. Luckily, it doesn't feel serious and the weekend break with ibuprofen and rest should help.

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 As I was walking back to my van, completely spent, out of breath and sweating I was thinking of my 5k in October. How in the world am I going to run even one mile when I can only 5 1/2 minutes out of 30? I hadn't even completed the first week and would have to repeat until I could alternate a minute of running with 90 seconds of walking. The whole thing seemed rather hopeless as I trudged up the hill to the parking lot. But I told myself my inability to run for even a minute at a time wouldn't always be the case. 3 days in and I had already increased my running time. Slowly but surely I would get there.

Week 1 Day 2: Feelin' Good

On Wednesday, I made sure I drank some Gatorade before the run and I stuck to two reps of 60 second runs then went to 30 seconds for the remaining 6. My sore shins felt better as I got going. Sometimes the best thing for minor soreness is to stretch that muscle. The workout wasn't easy but I wasn't right beside my van when the time was up and I could get into my van without my legs feeling like heavy wet noodles. I felt great after this second day!

Embracing a Crazy Idea

Let me be honest, I'm 33 years old and I'm pretty sure the last time I ran for any length of time was during a required P.E. class in college when I was about 21 years old. I cannot remember a time in my life when I've been "little" but there have been times when I had great cardiovascular fitness.

Many things have prompted this decision. My 3 young children are the main reason. I want to set a good example for them early on. My husband is another. He will be undergoing his own transformation this year with weight loss surgery.

A few months ago, I decided I was going to run a 5k. I had heard about the Couch to 5k method and found blogs from people like "The Fat Runner" that gave tips on how to modify the workout and what gear to purchase. My husband purchased a book for me by renown runner Jeff Galloway and included a $50 giftcard to Finish Line.

And to make it more tangible I actually picked a race scheduled in October just after my 34th birthday.

Running shoes and socks were purchased. A date was set and off I went.


The First Run

One of my big excuses not to workout outside was the Texas heat. Anyone can testify of the brutality of summers. Just sitting outside makes you feel like you'll pass out any moment. As fate would have it, the very week I decide to begin is the week Summer finally arrives.

I used the official Couch to 5k app to notify me of when to walk and when to run. As I was doing a brisk 5 minute walk warmup, I was dreading the first run. It was going to take every bit of willpower to actually run. The first week calls for alternating 60 second jogs with 90 seconds of walking.

After two reps of this and already feeling a little lightheaded and my legs screaming for relief, I knew this pace would not work. The whole point of this workout is to alternate whatever you're capable of running with walking. I didn't want to go home or sit down so I slowed it down and only did 20 seconds of running.

By the end of the first workout, my feet felt numb and I could hardly lift my legs into our van for the short drive home. I probably shouldn't have drove home. I felt a little lightheaded and my legs were heavy noodles.



I made it home and drank a ton of Gatorade. Put some Icy Hot on my legs. I walked around with noodle legs and the inability to bend my toes up.

But I was proud and hopeful that I'd be able to walk better the next day. My shins were sore but my muscles were already recovering by the morning.