Dealing with Injury

A few of my friends have been recently diagnosed with stress fractures.  Although a rather common injury among long distance runners, listening to those dreaded words is the last thing a runner wants to hear.  My friend and Oiselle teammate {Lauretta} is one of my friends who is rehabbing from a fracture, and she asked me if I could write a post on how to get through an injury while still maintaining a fitness level {and sanity}.  

Swimming. In my experience, nothing can compare to running.  But when the doctor puts a runner on hiatus, swimming comes in at a close second.  Over the summer, I was suffering from Achilles tendonitis that sidelined me for a while.  During that time, I spent many hours in the pool, swimming more laps than I ever thought I could.  Jesse was nice enough to meet me with workouts in hand, some distance-oriented and some that incorporated more speed.  I think he personally enjoyed coaching swimming for a change, and he gave me workouts that he could potentially give his injured athletes in the future.  Like I said, nothing can compare to running, but after weeks in the pool, my fitness level pretty much stayed the same and the only thing I lost was my racing/hard workout sharpness, which quickly returned after a few weeks.  Many people like to do pool running, which is excellent as well, but I think old-fashioned swimming was my perfect remedy.  

If you would like to visit some of those swimming posts for workout ideas, you can do so below. 

Run.Swim.Eat.Photo.Groom.Pick 

Swimming Longer and Longer 

A Hot Run, A Swim and a New Camera 

Swimming and Some Coffee 

Yoga and Running; Plus Some Swimming 

Slow Down.  In my opinion, when injuries happen it is the body’s way of telling us to slow down.  Therefore, when I have aches and pains, I am not afraid to reduce my mileage, or take off completely.  It is also equally important to listen to the doctor’s orders.  If they say a stress fracture will take 4 – 6 weeks to heal with no running, listen to them.  Wear the unfashionable boot and suck it up.   

Be patient.  Another friend was on the tail end of her stress fracture recovery and ran a race that she was slated to compete in prior to the injury.  She was feeling better and her foot didn't hurt, so she decided to still run.  That one race landed her two more weeks in the boot she was wearing. 

Relax.  Sometimes life gets a little hectic with trying to balance a job, training, family and household duties.  If you are prescribed a certain period of time off, enjoy it!  Go home after work and enjoy the extra free time you have.  Maybe even have a glass of wine before 8pm!

Rehab. Many injuries come with some sort of physical therapy and/or stretches.  Do them.  Period. 

  

Take it slow on the rebound.  Once granted permission to run, take it easy.  Increase mileage little by little {using pain as your gauge} and try not to overdo it.  A few extra miles aren't worth risking more time off.     

I always believe that running is a journey.  Like life, there are ups and downs, trials and tribulations.  Injuries are inevitable, even with the best shoes, diet, form, etc.  But when they happen, take it in stride.  Do what you can to maintain physical fitness by resting and recovering, and soon enough...you will be back on the roads before you know it.  Again, it's all a part of the running journey…but in the end, your body will thank you for being patient and listening to what it has to tell you.  

What are your tips for dealing with injuries?

The above paragraphs are based on my personal experiences and opinions.  For medical advice, please contact your physician or sports orthopedic doctor.   

Summer Clothes Cleaning

Good morning!  

How are you today?  I'm ok.  This morning I set out to do a 4 mile run, my most since this whole Achilles tendonitis thing started, but I only got in 3.  I am starting to get really bummed because the pain has gotten a little better, but with everything I am doing {stretching, icing, PT}, it should be gone...in my opinion.  I asked John {the PT} today and he said it is just taking longer to heal due to the location of the inflammation.  I have a follow-up doctor's appointment on Monday with the orthopedic surgeon, so I will have a few questions for him when I go there.  

While at PT, they put me in this "sling-like" contraption to really get a thorough stretch.  They can adjust the level of intensity, and once they have it at the desired setting, I sit there for about 5 minutes {it seems like 55!} while my Achilles stretches.  Take a look...

Let me just say...I'm glad when the timer rings! 


As for today's post...I did some clothes cleaning yesterday.  It took me all afternoon to go through my closet, drawers and bins to try on and decide to whether keep, pitch or sell my wardrobe.  Since Christmas, my workouts have really picked up and by doing so, I lost at least a size...maybe two.  So, most of the clothes in my closet are too big.  I know that's not a bad problem to have, but I did have my work cut out for me while going through the process.  

After it was all said and done, I am giving away three full garbage bags to the thrift shop and I have all of this to sell at our yard sale in a few weeks...

  
My husband thinks it looks like a store!

I have to admit, I am not a neat knick.  Nor do I need things to be in perfect order.  But when I do get to go through my things, it feels so gosh darn good to toss things out and put things back in their places.  This is something I do every summer with not only my clothes, but the girls' clothes as well.  As a matter of fact, in the summer, I am pretty much a tornado that spins through the house.  


Among my clothes and accessories, I found these...

...my old college uniforms.  You see, school always ended at the beginning of May, but we didn't have the NCAA meet until the end of the month so school was closed by the time we were finished with our season.  Hence...the collection of singlets that I still have and cherish.  


Last night, Payton and I had a girls' night.  Fred went to the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs game to see Philadelphia Phillies' Chase Utley rehabbing in the minor league.  We decided to do our favorite...Panera Bread and a Red Box movie.  I got my usual...Chicken Tortilla soup and a piece of bread, while Payton got her fav...Broccoli Cheddar soup.   

And for dessert...Low fat Peanut Butter Pie yogurt with graham crackers and peanut butter cups on a cone {obviously}!

  
On the agenda for today: baking a few treats for our cabin retreat this weekend and a committee meeting for the LVHN Marathon for Via, plus Laurel's yoga class in the evening.  I hope you have a great day!

Enjoy!

Tracy 







    

Holy Hot Wednesday!

This was the view on my dashboard earlier today...a smokin' 102 degrees!!  Although that is a tad on the extreme side because my car was sitting in a sunny parking lot, today's temperature is supposed to reach the mid 90's with high humidity.  Swimming pool...here I come!   

Aside from the heat, it's been a busy morning full of some running, PT and a hair appointment.  I was able to run two whole miles!  Yep, that's right...I doubled my distance.  At last week's PT appointment, John gave me permission to start running again slowly so this past Friday I ran one mile and it felt decent.  Per John's advice, I waited a day and tried again on Sunday.  Not good.  I ran around the block and came home.  After all of this therapy, time off, stretching and icing, I didn't want to push it and be back to square one. 

As for this morning I wanted to try again, so I did something a little different.  Since tendonitis hurts more when the tendon is cold {such as first thing in the morning}, I decided to step on our vintage Stairmaster for approximately 8 - 10 minutes to warm-up the Achilles prior to my run and this definitely helped.  I made two miles comfortably with little pain.  The feeling I had is kind of hard to explain...it still feels like something is there, but it doesn't really hurt.  Does that make sense?  

After my run, I went to see John at PT.  I started my session with a 10 minute session on the elliptical machine followed by a few minutes on the treadmill where he watched my gate.  From what he saw, he said that I land on the middle of my foot, rather than on the back and that could be the cause of this injury.  Personally, I think I run differently on the treadmill than I do outside.  

After that, I did my routine stretches myself and with John's assistant {Danielle} and then they applied the anti-inflammatory medicine via the electrified patch on my heel.  On the flip side, I did get the green light to slightly increase my mileage!  Woohoo!  

On a side note, I have a blister on my heel that has evolved from icing TOO much.  Hey...I want to get back on the roads again...is that a sin??  Danielle told me not to ice quite as much to avoid future injuries. 

Lunchtime came upon me and I decided to have some leftovers from last evening...a half of a grilled chicken breast for protein, red quinoa with sauteed veggies, feta, almonds, cranberries and fresh thyme, and some berries.  

For tomorrow, I hope to run 2 -3 miles before hitting the pool for another exhausting workout.  

Question of the day: If you have had Achilles issues {tendonitis, etc.}, how long did it take to heal?  

Have a great day and stay cool!  


Tracy

I Was Lapped!

Hello!

I hope you are all recovering from a nice weekend!  We were very busy, and just about every minute was spent together as a family.  

Yesterday, I hit the pool for another workout and this time, Jesse had me swim longer intervals.  Starting with 300's {i.e. 12 lengths}, my arms sure were tired after those were over!  

Workout of the day:


10 minute warm-up
4 x 300 {1:30 rest}
2 minutes rest
4 x 75 - last length FAST! {1:00 rest}
2 minutes rest
4 x 25 FAST!
Cool down

The craziest part about the whole workout was that I was consistently being lapped by another female swimmer!  Now, I have never said I was a swimmer and I freely admit that I'm not very fast..BUT, this chick was flying!!  She showed up with her swim cap, Speedo suit, goggles and pool shoes and she looked very official.  I felt like I was standing still when she passed me in the water.  She even knew how to do flip turns!  For a brief second, the competitive beast came out of me and I tried to keep pace for a lap, but that only lasted a few strokes and she was gone.  Oh well...I tried and the whole time I kept telling myself..."I am doing this for running...I am doing this for running."  The whole experience was interesting to say the least!    

After the workout, I was starved.  I made myself a delicious turkey and cheese sandwich on Wegman's Marathon bread.  This bread is filled with whole grains, flax seed, cranberries, carrots, bananas, and pumpkin seeds.  On the side, I had pickles and grapes.

 
Last night, our friends {Jolene and Sib} came over for an impromptu cookout and I will post more on the menu for that dinner tomorrow.  

This morning, I met Lauretta for a yoga session at The Yoga Loft of Bethlehem.

  
Yoga really makes my Achilles feel good.  Heck...it makes the whole body feel good!  

I even took my new water bottle that was given to me by one of my students.   

Laurel, the instructor, is a runner and she incorporates stretches into her routines that are good for sore running muscles.  I learned today that Triangle pose is particularly good for the IT band.  As Lauretta and I were walking out, we were discussing how good yoga makes us feel, especially the final relaxation portion of the session.    


We then hit Lauretta's favorite coffee spot {The Wise Bean} for a quick cup before I had to head home to meet my daughter.  

This afternoon, I went to my second physical therapy visit for the Achilles tendonitis that I have been suffering with for over a month now.  Since my visit last Thursday, I have been religiously doing the stretches and icing that John {my PT} prescribed.  I have to say, the stretches kind of aggravate the tendonitis.  I told this to John and he wants me to still continue to ice and stretch and we will reevaluate my potential running start date when I see him again on Thursday.  It's all very frustrating.  

So for now, I am still busting through with the swimming.  Thursday is looking like another yoga day as well.   


Ok, I'm off to make dinner.  I hope you are enjoying your Monday!


Tracy




 

I Got Beat Up at PT.

Good morning and Happy Valentine's Day!

A few weeks ago I posted about my hip issues and yes, they are still around.  Recently I was diagnosed with Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS)…just like I thought it was initially, and for this, I go to a physical therapist once or twice a week to get “beat up.”  Last night I had my weekly date with the therapists (either Ian or Danielle) and let me tell you...PT is hard work!  Phew!

What is ITBS?

ITBS is a common injury to the thigh, generally associated with activities such as running and cycling.  It is often called “runner’s knee” and it is one of the leading causes of knee or hip pain in runners.

The IT band runs from the outside of the pelvis, over the hip and knee, and inserts just below the knee.  It plays a critical part in stabilizing the knee during running.  The continual rubbing of the band over the lateral femoral epicondyle, combined with the repeated flexion and extension of the knee during running may cause the area to become inflamed. 

ITBS symptoms range from a stinging sensation just above the knee joint  (on the outside of the knee or along the entire length of the IT band) to swelling or thickening of the tissue at the point where the band moves over the femur. The pain may not occur immediately during activity, but may intensify over time, especially as the foot strikes the floor.

What do I do at these sessions?  First, I get stretched out like a pretzel for the first half hour.  In addition, they will have me lay on my side and will literally take a wooden baseball bat and roll it up and down the side of my leg right over the IT band while applying pressure.  OMG…I see stars.   This is so painful!  It’s my least favorite part of the whole session, but I know it will help in the long run.

While they say that rest and stretching are the best remedies for ITBS, I may not exactly be listening to the doctor's orders.  I continue to do my stretches, post-run icing, and PT, but I can’t stop myself from running.  I know…shame, shame. 

Anyway, since ITBS is a very common running injury, I thought I would share my experiences.  I know this wasn't the most exciting post, but I hope it was informative.   

I found this sign and I thought I would include it...it's exactly where I like to be! 

 

Have you ever had IT band issues, whether it be on the outside of the knee or up in the hip area?   

 

Have a great Tuesday!

Tracy