SRD #1 (scheduled rest day)

So today was a 12-hour work shift and I don't run on these days. (They are 14.5 hour days once you factor in the time I spend in the car and on the bus.)

It's a good thing. I woke up today really sore. Not hip sore. More like "I feel like I ran a half marathon yesterday." My ankles, calves, thighs, butt, and groin all ache. So two days of running (2.35 and 3 miles) in a row did this.

Can you say, WAKE UP CALL?

Yes, I'm in shape as far as PT goes. But I'm not in running shape.

All the more reason to go run some more as soon as I can. Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha!!!!

Running day #2

So today, I decided to venture outside. I went to the Sawmill Branch Canal Trail (for those of you not in the local area, it's a paved path that runs over 6 miles behind the YMCA in Summerville. Totally flat and smooth, perfect for what I need.) I was out there at 7 AM to try to knock out 3 miles. The result?

I had no pain whatsoever. YIPPEE!

It took me about 1/2 a mile to find a rhythm. The first few minutes felt clumsy, awkward, and just plain weird. I didn't know what to do with my hands, my legs didn't seem even. But then it "clicked". Maybe there really is something to the "muscle memory" concept. I felt like I had never stopped running. How GLORIOUS.

Then the heat and humidity hit me. The last time I ran outside, it was a cool & comfortable December day. Today it was already 90 degrees at 7 AM, or something like that. My lungs felt like I was trying to breathe underwater, the humidity was so bad. Blech, I am not acclimated at all. I am going to need to work on the weather piece of this.

Part of me wanted to turn around at the mile 1 mark. I was telling myself, "It's okay to turn around. I just had surgery and I'm just getting back into this. It isn't bad if I call it at 2 miles." But then, the good little angel on my shoulder spoke up (thank goodness) to tell me, "You idiot. You've been wanting to run since December 29th and you're finally here. And you're going to let a little heat stop you so soon? Don't be a quitter, you wimp." I love that good little angel. So I kept right on trucking.

3 miles in 39:24. That averages out to a 13:08 pace. I probably shouldn't bother looking at paces because I think they'll just depress me. All that matters is I'm out there. I love it. I passed a couple of people on the trail (it was really busy this morning) and that felt lovely. Most people passed me, of course, and it didn't bother me. I was just so happy to be out there.

I got back from my run and made myself a strawberry banana smoothie, and it hit me. I feel like a runner again.

I'm a runner again, baby!

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. And he is my orthopedic surgeon. I say this because:


1. He cleared me to run again (finally) - after 7 months of no running, and 5 months since surgery.
2. I went running immediately after my appointment, ran 2.35 miles in 30 minutes on the treadmill, and did   not feel the slightest twinge of anything painful, sore, uncomfortable, awkward, or anything negative whatsoever. (Okay, I had a side cramp... but that actually made me laugh.)



I went to my appointment in my favorite tech shirt, favorite running shorts, the whole works. I wore my awesome new (free) shoes - the Saucony Kinvara 3s I won thanks to great Facebook friends. Once he gave me the go-ahead, I went straight to the YMCA that we re-joined earlier this summer and ran on the treadmill. Doc says he wants me sticking to safe running (aka - running tracks, treadmills, no downtown Charleston sidewalks). He also said to start off slow, and to not start by doing 5-mile runs or anything.

The beautiful thing is, I stopped at 30 minutes because I wanted to make sure nothing would get sore overnight. I want to run again in the morning. (THIS IS SO COOL TO BE ABLE TO SAY!) I did not stop because I was hurting. It felt GLORIOUS. Seriously. At about 2 minutes into the run, my eyes actually filled with tears. I know it won't always be where the angels are singing hallelujah in my ears, but darn, I'll enjoy it like this while I can. That was the most amazing and emotional run in a really long time. Probably since the NYC HM.

So yep, I'm going to get up early and do a morning run. Woo hoo!

Best part of all... my 2012 running log finally does not show as zero miles for the year. Now it's at 2.35. Yeah baby, yeah! Savannah here we come!

Still status quo.

Nothing much to report, but just in the mood to make sure my journal gets a little love. :)

BUT... My pain has been the best EVER. Work has not been bugging me much at all. I am just a little tired by the end of my 3rd shift in a row but the pain is nearly nonexistent. WOO HOO!!! This is the most lovely thing to report.

I have also had to "run" a few times to catch the bus after work, or chase my 5-year-old at the beach when she gets too far away. Nothing for real but hey, little bits are still fun.

Still going to PT once a week and they're getting really creative with my exercises. Admittedly I have taken a couple of hiatuses as far as home PT goes (trip to ATL and time around our 5-year-old's birthday party). But other than that I'm on track.

August 1st is my next appointment. I have been watching all of the Savannah Rock N Roll Half Marathon posts on Facebook with glee and excitement. But I need to start running soon so I can start preparing for the race!!!

Yep, it's been a while.

I know I haven't blogged much lately. What with being back at work, and our 4-year-old graduating from preschool (and thereby, home every day), time is precious. And to be honest, I haven't really had much to say.

Work has still been difficult but it's getting better. I'm still pretty sore, usually around the 2nd day. I'm still doing PT but it's losing its luster (aka, I'm getting bored).

So I finally saw my orthopedist again yesterday. He said I'm doing awesome. My range of motion in every which way is exactly the same as my left (healthy) hip. But STILL NO RUNNING. ARGH. He took a while to explain to me that it will likely take a year for me to be back to normal and this was such a rare but serious injury so I need to take it slow, blah blah blah. Maybe next time. And he said he'll probably only clear me to do things like run the straightaways and walk the curves on a high school track.

UGH. This is not going as I want. I want to run. I need to run. And I am NOT patient. The Savannah HM is looking less and less likely.

NEW SHOES!

So I was on the way home from work yesterday (about 7:45 pm) when Charlie calls and says, "So I figured you'd want to know the UPS man just left. I just brought the box inside." And I'm thinking, "Umm, what did I order? I just did an online order for birthday party supplies but I didn't overnight it." And then he says, "I called because it's from Saucony."

I squealed.

These are my new, awesome running shoes I've been drooling over since last fall when I first heard they were updating my favorite running shoe (Saucony Kinvara 2). The Kinvara 3s weren't even released until May 2012. I won one of their weekly contests (thanks to an awesome Facebook family!) and have been waiting anxiously for them to arrive. But they weren't supposed to get here for a couple more weeks.

Anyway, here they are! Now I really, really, REALLY want to go for a run. (PS - I'm changing the laces out on one shoe to the pink ones. I decided to mismatch. I'll post a photo of that another time.)

In other news, I worked 3 shifts in a row again last weekend, and it was ROUGH on my hip. *sigh* I ended up needing pain meds when I got home after the 2nd shift. Not intense, sharp, acute pain like pre-surgery. But very, very tight and sore. I'm really glad the next couple of weeks, I don't do 3 in a row.

Once Charlie is home for the summer starting next week, I look forward to many more days of swimming laps. It's hard to do that when I'm home with Munchkin. But once he's home, I'll definitely be hitting the pool daily. My PT gave me extra ideas to do in the pool, in addition to swimming laps, so I am excited.

Less than 3 weeks til I see my doc. I NEED TO RUN!

Strangers can still hurt my feelings...

I don't know what I'm more upset about today... the rude comment that a random stranger made about me, or the fact that I'm letting it bother me.

So I'm at PT today. The place was full, and I was doing a zig-zag walk across the office with a resistance band around my ankles. There was an older man there doing PT and a woman was with him (wife? sister? I don't know). Anyway, she says to me, "You must be here to lose weight, because you make the exercises look easy." WHAT?? A couple of things here:

1. Could you be any more rude? Okay it's great that you think I make the exercise look easy (it sure isn't, so that's good.) But you think I need to lose weight? This isn't what I want to hear. I've gained almost 15 pounds in the last 5 months (from being immobile, continuing to eat like I was still running, and probably some of that depression-induced overeating too). And I'm not excited about it at all. I had worked so hard and got my body to look exactly how I wanted it, and it all went out the window when I fell. So now random stranger is telling me I need to lose weight. That does wonders for my self-esteem, let me tell ya.
2. Who goes to physical therapy to lose weight anyway? I mean, if I wanted to go anywhere to lose weight, I'd go to a gym and get a trainer. I wouldn't go to physical therapy.

I tried to tell myself that she didn't say what she meant. But it still bugged me. I hate that my weight is a sore point, but it is. And I hate that I let her comment bother me. But it did; it does. And that makes me feel even worse.

Other than that, PT was great. Tried a couple of different exercises. And my PT gave me a couple of other ideas to try in the pool when I go, so that was cool. 

Tomorrow will be a better day, darn it.