Cross training is the name of the game

So, I've been a good little patient.

I've been cooperative and have been heeding the advice from my PT (for the most part :)).

I've been resting.

I've been stretching.

Cross-training.

Icing.

Popping pills (ugh, I try not to do much of that though).

Going in for ultrasound treatments.

And....resting some more.

I haven't gone on a REAL run since Sunday, September 26th.

(Did I mention that "real" run was a PR marathon!? ;) 26.2 in roughly 3 hours and 53 minutes, baby! When I'm feeling down about not being able to run...I just repeat that fact over and over to myself in my head. Makes me remember I'm not really a failure :))

Whoops, I guess I also ran on Saturday, October 2nd, a mere six days after that marathon. I did do a "little" 5k...Run the Woods (an Easter Seals fundraiser)...and did get 2nd in my age group. Meh....

But, I don't really consider running 3.1 miles much of a run to me right now. It's just a tease!!

So, for all intents and purposes...it's been EIGHT FULL WEEKS since I've been on a REAL run. WOW!!!! That is some crazy, crazy, crazy stuff....coming from someone who ran 3 marathons in 12 months.

I have been gaining weight...which is NOT fun...and some days I am in denial about it (until I looked at a picture of myself taken Friday night and realized I really need to get things back in check. Good grief, Rachel.). I need to be better about adjusting my diet due to decreased activity...but I haven't been very good at that.

Sigh.

Spinning classes....namely, 5:15 am "hour of power" spinning classes...have been saving me. I've gone a few times over the past few weeks...and I feel like they give me the cardio/sweat fest I crave. I don't necessarily think they are great on my Achilles, but it's definitely not like running. And I'm "careful" ;).

I went to a Zumba class yesterday...it was a fundraiser for Easter Seals put on by some students at Heartland Community College. It was a lot of fun! Also, though, maybe not the wisest choice healing-wise. That hard floor was a bit rough on joints. It was a 2-hour "event"; I was a bit late and participated for about 1 hour and 45 minutes. I felt really silly...I am SO not coordinated. But, it was fun!

I haven't been swimming in the past 2 weeks. I swam/pool jogged so much over the past 2 months or so that I felt as if I was going to sprout gills ;). I am not really a big fan of swimming. It's SO good for you, though, I should probably get back at it.

I would love to schedule marathon 4...but I can't yet. Darn you, Achilles!

Dude....

My body needs to RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's all for now.

I GOT TO GO ON A RUN!

Ok, in all actuallity....what I did last night can really barely "count" as "a run" ;). But, hey, after 3 weeks (who can believe it?!) of NOT RUNNING...I will take what I can get!

Yesterday I saw my PT, David, over at the SEC. He did some ultrasound therapy on my achilles and inspected things, etc. He decided by the end of the examination that I should try running that evening.

He said it should be on a treadmill, as it had more "give" than the pavement. So, I made mental plans immediately to go to the gym the second I got off of work. He instructed me to do 5 minutes of running at a 5-6 mile-per-hour pace, followed by 2-3 minutes of walking. He told me to repeat this interval so I completed it a total of 3 times.

As soon as I got off of work, I headed over to Four Seasons 2. I hopped on a treadmill and walked 5 minutes to warm up (at a 3 mph pace). I then upped the mph to 6 (so a 10 minute/mile pace. Painfully slow ;) ). Almost immediately I felt some mild-moderate pain in my right Achilles.

Darn it all.

I pushed through it...it truly wasn't severe, just a nagging mild-moderate pain.

5 minutes walking ("warm up")
5 minutes running.
2 minutes walking.
5 minutes running.
2 minutes walking.
5 minutes running.
2 minutes walking.

...for a grand total of 26 minutes. I ended up going for 2.05 miles.

It wasn't pretty.

It wasn't comfortable.

My mind screamed "faster! faster! faster!"

But...

That little taste of my much-loved friend running brought a bit of joy to my day.

(I should add that I got up at 4:30am to go to a 5:15am "hour of power" spinning class at the gym yesterday, too :). So, I did get a "real" workout in on top of the baby-running-adventure :) ).

I popped some ibuprofin to hopefully bring down some swelling last night.

The Achilles is "creaking" again today.

Ugh.

We'll see....

Praying for healing...and doing my best to follow the doctors' and PT's instructions and work hard to work through this.

Oh, Marathon 4...I want to register for you...but I must have patience...