In yoga, balance is my biggest problem. Some days are better than others, but usually I have a hard time standing on one foot for too long. This is quite opposite from when I was a kid and the balance beam was my favorite part of gymnastics. So it really isn't surprising that I need more balance in my general life as well as in my yoga practice.
Last night I went running with my friend and her baby. It was snowing and we got a few centimetres of the white, fluffy stuff. We went for about 40 minutes (according to my friend) and it was really good. I've been having some emotional difficulty, but the run really helped with that. I think I just need to keep getting out and getting the old cardiovascular system going.
During the run, I couldn't help but marvel at how easy it was to run like this after being on hiatus for the last few months. Apparently my base is pretty good. It always surprises me when I can do things like that. Good to know.
My right hamstring is a bit sore right now after Monday's intense yoga session, but I have been stretching it and I think it'll work itself out soon enough. I could really feel it last night during the run. I'm going to ice it tonight as well.
Showing posts with label injury. Show all posts
Showing posts with label injury. Show all posts
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Friday, October 12, 2007
At least I can still swim!
I honestly can't believe that it has been 7 weeks since Ironman. The time has flown by! I have spent much time with my family and friends. I've been doing yoga like nobody's business and I've been getting [almost] weekly massages and chiropractor adjustments. Between all of that, my back is feeling almost 100%! My feet, on the other hand, are not.
Yesterday I saw a sport doctor about some pain that I've been having in my left foot. Almost 4 years ago I had a stress fracture in my right foot that put me on the running sidelines for almost 4 months. It was super stressful for me because I had no idea what it was and I kept running on it thinking that I could push through it. However, now that I'm a much more experienced athlete, I know the difference between pain you can push through and pain that you should pay attention to. This is pain that I need to pay attention to. The pain started 3-4 weeks ago at the base of my little toe. Every time I accidentally bump it on something, a shooting pain goes through my toe and foot... like a needle. THIS is BAD pain. As of a couple of days ago, the more familiar feeling of pain at the ball of my foot has begun. I have not run in 5 weeks and I don't plan to run until all of this pain stops. I'm not sure that I completely agree with the doc that it's "just" a stress fracture. The 5th-toe pain seems very bad, but if it doesn't get better in a couple of weeks I'm going to go to try to see a sports doctor that isn't at the MediClinic.
I constantly have feet problems because I have ridiculously flat feet and big bunions (that are apparently hereditary and exacerbated by the fact that I used to figure skate). So I am going to do two things:
1) Talk to my doctor about my calcium levels (I just had a blood test to test my vitamins, minerals, cholesterol, and all that good stuff) and then take those results to my naturopath and see what she thinks;
2) Get a referral to an orthopedic doctor to probably get orthodics for my shoes. Since I have stellar health insurance, pretty much all of it will be covered.
So this morning, in light of my feet problems, I decided to drown my sorrows in a 40-minute yoga session and then a good half-hour in the pool (it's a start, anyway!). It feels good to get back into the pool and be active. Since Luke's schedule has changed, I am going to do the Master's swim club again until December and see where it goes from there. I hope to swim 3 times a week, bike 2 times a week (in addition to biking to work), and do yoga 4 times a week. I'm just absolutely loving the flexibility that yoga gives me and how I feel so grounded and calm afterwards.
In terms of nutrition, I'm [obviously] more conscious of my calcium intake and I'm going to look in my nutrition books about high sources of calcium and absorption inhibitors. For a while after Ironman I tried to eat mostly raw foods, but I kind of gave up. It is REALLY hard to do! Way harder than going vegan. I know that I wouldn't have a problem if I was in a bubble and I never socialized with people and I didn't live with someone else and I never ate with anyone but myself. However, this is not my reality. Also, I live in a climate that is cold for 6 out of 12 months. I do believe that it is probably a healthier choice, but I think I'm going to aim right now to being 25% vegan and eat more salads and experiment with raw food recipes. Until then, I'm going to enjoy pasta with tofu, chickpea curries, quinoa (the super food!), pizza, and all of the cooked foods that I previously took for granted.
Yesterday I saw a sport doctor about some pain that I've been having in my left foot. Almost 4 years ago I had a stress fracture in my right foot that put me on the running sidelines for almost 4 months. It was super stressful for me because I had no idea what it was and I kept running on it thinking that I could push through it. However, now that I'm a much more experienced athlete, I know the difference between pain you can push through and pain that you should pay attention to. This is pain that I need to pay attention to. The pain started 3-4 weeks ago at the base of my little toe. Every time I accidentally bump it on something, a shooting pain goes through my toe and foot... like a needle. THIS is BAD pain. As of a couple of days ago, the more familiar feeling of pain at the ball of my foot has begun. I have not run in 5 weeks and I don't plan to run until all of this pain stops. I'm not sure that I completely agree with the doc that it's "just" a stress fracture. The 5th-toe pain seems very bad, but if it doesn't get better in a couple of weeks I'm going to go to try to see a sports doctor that isn't at the MediClinic.
I constantly have feet problems because I have ridiculously flat feet and big bunions (that are apparently hereditary and exacerbated by the fact that I used to figure skate). So I am going to do two things:
1) Talk to my doctor about my calcium levels (I just had a blood test to test my vitamins, minerals, cholesterol, and all that good stuff) and then take those results to my naturopath and see what she thinks;
2) Get a referral to an orthopedic doctor to probably get orthodics for my shoes. Since I have stellar health insurance, pretty much all of it will be covered.
So this morning, in light of my feet problems, I decided to drown my sorrows in a 40-minute yoga session and then a good half-hour in the pool (it's a start, anyway!). It feels good to get back into the pool and be active. Since Luke's schedule has changed, I am going to do the Master's swim club again until December and see where it goes from there. I hope to swim 3 times a week, bike 2 times a week (in addition to biking to work), and do yoga 4 times a week. I'm just absolutely loving the flexibility that yoga gives me and how I feel so grounded and calm afterwards.
In terms of nutrition, I'm [obviously] more conscious of my calcium intake and I'm going to look in my nutrition books about high sources of calcium and absorption inhibitors. For a while after Ironman I tried to eat mostly raw foods, but I kind of gave up. It is REALLY hard to do! Way harder than going vegan. I know that I wouldn't have a problem if I was in a bubble and I never socialized with people and I didn't live with someone else and I never ate with anyone but myself. However, this is not my reality. Also, I live in a climate that is cold for 6 out of 12 months. I do believe that it is probably a healthier choice, but I think I'm going to aim right now to being 25% vegan and eat more salads and experiment with raw food recipes. Until then, I'm going to enjoy pasta with tofu, chickpea curries, quinoa (the super food!), pizza, and all of the cooked foods that I previously took for granted.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Life after Ironman
The day after Ironman was intense. I awoke at 9:30am to pain. Every molecule of my body screamed in pain, even my hair. I whispered to Luke to wake up and he asked me how I felt and I winced a smile. I hurt. A lot. Even more than I thought I would. I slowly got up and shuffled my way around the room. By the time I got dressed, Luke had already made oatmeal. It was demoralizing how slow I moved... we named it the "Ironman shuffle." The family that we stayed with made us a wonderful vegan lunch and I ate it gratefully. However, I spent most of the day in bed. Eventually we made our way into town, sat on the beach for a while reading, and then went to the awards banquet. We found the Saskatoon people and all of them were moving much easier than I was. In fact, there weren't many others at the supper who were doing the Ironman shuffle, but maybe it's because those people stayed at home in bed!
My feet and back hurt the worst. On both feet, the toe next to the big toe was sore and the nail was black (and still is). My back felt tight and inflexible. The areas where I chaffed didn't feel great either, but they paled in comparison to my feet. I had a sharp pain under my ankle bone that hurt a lot for a few days, which was my biggest concern because it felt like a bad pain that reminded me of my stress fracture a few years ago.
However, my mind was great! I felt free and easy and happy. I was on cloud 9! I still feel like I'm on cloud 9 when I get home and read a book and hang out with my friends. My time being so limited has really made me appreciate the relative slowness of my life right now. Since Ironman, I've done a lot of yoga and sleeping. A lot of sleeping. I bike to work and my back usually hurts by the time I finish the 6.5 km ride. My chiropractor and massage therapist are both helping me out with that. Sleeping is the best right now and with the changing weather, it definitely fits well with my environment.
Today I went for my first run since Ironman. It was a crisp, bright morning and I thought a quick half-hour run would be nice. So off I went on my regular route with my layers of technical shirts, my long pants, and my shoes. I was 6 blocks from home when my aforementioned pain came back in my foot and I was forced to stop running. In fact, I limped the rest of the way home. I'm not sure if I should pursue this injury or just wait a few more weeks before I run again. I'll probably wait another 2 weeks before I run again and just bike and swim (if I feel like it) and see how it feels after that. It kind of sucks because I absolutely love running the fall... the crisp, clear air, the red cheeks when I get home, and just being outside to watch the leaves change colour and fall to the ground are so great. However, maybe I'll just go for walks! I can do that now!
Needless to say, I'm enjoying every moment. I spent the last year stressing out about August 26th, but there was part of me that knew that August 27th and everyday after that would be awesome... and it is!
My feet and back hurt the worst. On both feet, the toe next to the big toe was sore and the nail was black (and still is). My back felt tight and inflexible. The areas where I chaffed didn't feel great either, but they paled in comparison to my feet. I had a sharp pain under my ankle bone that hurt a lot for a few days, which was my biggest concern because it felt like a bad pain that reminded me of my stress fracture a few years ago.
However, my mind was great! I felt free and easy and happy. I was on cloud 9! I still feel like I'm on cloud 9 when I get home and read a book and hang out with my friends. My time being so limited has really made me appreciate the relative slowness of my life right now. Since Ironman, I've done a lot of yoga and sleeping. A lot of sleeping. I bike to work and my back usually hurts by the time I finish the 6.5 km ride. My chiropractor and massage therapist are both helping me out with that. Sleeping is the best right now and with the changing weather, it definitely fits well with my environment.
Today I went for my first run since Ironman. It was a crisp, bright morning and I thought a quick half-hour run would be nice. So off I went on my regular route with my layers of technical shirts, my long pants, and my shoes. I was 6 blocks from home when my aforementioned pain came back in my foot and I was forced to stop running. In fact, I limped the rest of the way home. I'm not sure if I should pursue this injury or just wait a few more weeks before I run again. I'll probably wait another 2 weeks before I run again and just bike and swim (if I feel like it) and see how it feels after that. It kind of sucks because I absolutely love running the fall... the crisp, clear air, the red cheeks when I get home, and just being outside to watch the leaves change colour and fall to the ground are so great. However, maybe I'll just go for walks! I can do that now!
Needless to say, I'm enjoying every moment. I spent the last year stressing out about August 26th, but there was part of me that knew that August 27th and everyday after that would be awesome... and it is!
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Going Long
I can't believe it has been so long since I updated. Sometimes blogging just slips my mind.
Easter weekend was basically a write-off. Between family, moving, and relaxing, training was minimal. I did do a lot of lifting and reaching - I'm sure that can be counted as weight training. I did go on some long walks with my partner and my family's dog, but it was really cold that weekend and it was Easter. A good time for some time off.
The week after Easter was crazy. I did do some biking on my trainer, but I have been having some back and neck issues. Last Thursday I tried to run on the treadmill, but I had a shooting pain down my right hamstring. I have since learned that it was probably my piriformis muscle pinching my sciatic nerve. Whatever it was, it made me literally stop running on the treadmill, go to the chiro, make an appointment with my massage therapist, and now it is gone with a little bit of muscle soreness in my lower back and butt area from the massage yesterday. So now I'm stretching my butt and my lower back a lot. I must have had a minor issue because I went for a short, slowish run this morning and I felt pretty good, except for the tenderness of my butt.
On Saturday I went for my first outdoor road ride of the season. Yep, April 14th was the day. It was the hottest day of the year so far and it was GORGEOUS! I didn't got far or long and only got in 30km, but it felt good. We are very busy preparing for our trip to California, so I'm trying my best to balance life and training. All I have to say is that I'm very lucky I have good employers that allow me flexibility.
Monday morning saw me hit the pool for a nice 3000m workout with the Masters' swim club. It felt good. And that brings us to today. This afternoon I'm going to head out for a bike ride (again, the good employer thing). I'm excited to hit the road and trails in Oregon, California, Utah, and wherever else the wind takes us.
The other day a triathlete that I know suggested a book to me that I probably should have bought last year when I signed up to do IMC. Better late than never, right?! I've read Gordon Byrn's stuff on the internet, but hadn't heard of Joel Fried. Apparently, he is also renowned in the world of triathlon. So I ordered Going Long off Amazon and it came today! I am so excited to be able to read it on our trip. I hope that it will inspire and educate me on this journey of training for my first Ironman.
Also, I have made another decision lately. I am going to sign up for IMC 2008. I figure that since I will work so hard to get my base for the first one, it would be great if I could build on that for a second one. So that's the tentative plan. It may sound crazy, but I also figure I should make this decision now rather than later because once I do IMC 2007, I may not want to sign up for IMC 2008!
So that's where I'm at. I'm having lots of fun and can't wait to go on holidays. This blog will likely be dormant until after May 7th.
Things to look at:
This is a good image of the piriformis muscle:
The Stretching Instititute has some good stretches to do.
Easter weekend was basically a write-off. Between family, moving, and relaxing, training was minimal. I did do a lot of lifting and reaching - I'm sure that can be counted as weight training. I did go on some long walks with my partner and my family's dog, but it was really cold that weekend and it was Easter. A good time for some time off.
The week after Easter was crazy. I did do some biking on my trainer, but I have been having some back and neck issues. Last Thursday I tried to run on the treadmill, but I had a shooting pain down my right hamstring. I have since learned that it was probably my piriformis muscle pinching my sciatic nerve. Whatever it was, it made me literally stop running on the treadmill, go to the chiro, make an appointment with my massage therapist, and now it is gone with a little bit of muscle soreness in my lower back and butt area from the massage yesterday. So now I'm stretching my butt and my lower back a lot. I must have had a minor issue because I went for a short, slowish run this morning and I felt pretty good, except for the tenderness of my butt.
On Saturday I went for my first outdoor road ride of the season. Yep, April 14th was the day. It was the hottest day of the year so far and it was GORGEOUS! I didn't got far or long and only got in 30km, but it felt good. We are very busy preparing for our trip to California, so I'm trying my best to balance life and training. All I have to say is that I'm very lucky I have good employers that allow me flexibility.
Monday morning saw me hit the pool for a nice 3000m workout with the Masters' swim club. It felt good. And that brings us to today. This afternoon I'm going to head out for a bike ride (again, the good employer thing). I'm excited to hit the road and trails in Oregon, California, Utah, and wherever else the wind takes us.
The other day a triathlete that I know suggested a book to me that I probably should have bought last year when I signed up to do IMC. Better late than never, right?! I've read Gordon Byrn's stuff on the internet, but hadn't heard of Joel Fried. Apparently, he is also renowned in the world of triathlon. So I ordered Going Long off Amazon and it came today! I am so excited to be able to read it on our trip. I hope that it will inspire and educate me on this journey of training for my first Ironman.
Also, I have made another decision lately. I am going to sign up for IMC 2008. I figure that since I will work so hard to get my base for the first one, it would be great if I could build on that for a second one. So that's the tentative plan. It may sound crazy, but I also figure I should make this decision now rather than later because once I do IMC 2007, I may not want to sign up for IMC 2008!
So that's where I'm at. I'm having lots of fun and can't wait to go on holidays. This blog will likely be dormant until after May 7th.
Things to look at:
This is a good image of the piriformis muscle:
The Stretching Instititute has some good stretches to do.
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