Attempting 2 miles and wisdom teeth surgery!

Last week I completed my SECOND week of running! One day on, two days of rest, repeat! During the off days I took multiple cycle and bodypump (barbell) classes at 24 Hour Fitness, which kept me very active for one to two hours each day. Saturday was a very welcomed recovery day!

This week I'll be running on Monday and Thursday (hopefully 2 miles each time) and then getting all four wisdom teeth pulled on Friday morning! Yikes! Let's just say that if all goes well thru next Wednesday, things should be pretty smooth sailing for the rest of my return to running! I consider 2 miles enough time on my femur and ankle to be a fair test of the healing process.

Sunday, April 28th
60' bodypump class at 12:30, 60' cycle class at 1:30
*It's crazy because I sweat SO much during these classes and I'm definitely exhausted later in the day, but it feels like an entirely different fatigue than what I used to feel from running workouts. I am just hoping that getting SOME fitness back will help make the return a little easier. I have a hard time running slow, but at the same time don't want to force or rush things!

Monday, April 29th
60' bodypump class before work
2M run during lunch
*My femur started aching about 1/2 way through the second mile, but, again, I'm trying to give it a chance and see if this is all just mental. Much faster run though, probably because it was with Jake and not solo. ;) No drills or planks today as my stomach was really hurting during and after the run since I didn't eat enough for breakfast!

Tuesday, April 30th
60' cycle class before work
*Very much feeling some ache in my femur. The warmth from my laptop on my thighs and crossing my legs is causing discomfort again. :( Maybe this is from getting "out of the saddle" so much in these cycle classes? I'm going to stop standing to full weight and stay in the seat for a few weeks and see if that helps.

Wednesday, May 1st
60' barbell class after work
*I LOVE going to this class! A full hour of strength work, switching from one muscle group to the next, doing fast, slow, half, and full reps, and seriously shaking with each track! I really hope this does help me get stronger! My femur does still ache a bit though, so I'll have to really think about whether or not I want to run tomorrow.

Thursday, May 2nd
Off
*Femur pain is very apparent right now.. Hard to mistake for anything else. It is very cold here though, so that could have an impact on things. I will have a good solid 4+ days of complete rest now since my surgery is tomorrow, so hopefully that's enough time to get back under control.

Friday, May 3rd
Off
*Wisdom teeth removed

Saturday, May 4th
Off
*Surgery recovery

I've got a plan! Finally!

 















Sunday, April 21st
20' prehab exercises, 30' strength circuit at noon
*Prehab (I know this is not actually a word, but it's the easiest way for me to describe doing rehab exercises in order to prevent repeat injuries) consisted of my balance exercises, a variety of leg lifts, Jay Johnson's Myrtl routine, and some dynamic stretches. I followed that up with 3 sets of 10 exercises performed for 60" each; including leg press, hamstring curls, leg extension, lat pull-down, shoulder press, seated rows, chest press, tricep push-downs, bicep curls, calf raises.

Monday, April 22nd
45' spin class, 5' abs in the morning
*This was my first spin class at 24 Hour Fitness. It was definitely a good workout, but not sure if it's what I need yet. About 50% of the class was spent "out of the saddle" which means I had full weight on legs as I biked. If I don't have pain later today or tomorrow then I may start using these on my x-train days to get in structured workouts. It's better for me than going to a gym to "bike". I followed up the class with 10x30" abs/back, but will probably try to do more later today.   

Tuesday, April 23rd
1M walk, 1.5M run, .5M walk in the morning
3x30" plank routine, short drills session at night
*Yucky weather this morning but I was still MORE than thankful to get out on my feet! :) I think my run was around 12:35 (I don't know exactly where 1.5M is, but I was within 10-15 meters). I haven't had pain in the middle of my femur yet, which is where it used to be, but I do have some tenderness and soreness in the lower, inside-ish part of my thigh. It's almost where the tear drop muscle is, so I don't think it is bone. I'm going to keep monitoring it, but I plan to continue with the pre-set workouts. 

Wednesday, April 24th
50' cycle class, 20' prehab before work
60' bodypump class after work
*I'm really interested in trying out as many of the 24 hour fitness classes as I can until I get back in a normal running routine. The classes are good for me because: 1) It's really my only human interaction outside of Jake! 2) It ensures I get in constant work for a set time period. and 3) I'm self-conscious so if I know people see me working out, I put more effort into it. So far nothing has been life changing, but the cycle class is better than me hopping on a bike and watching the news, and the barbell class was a nice way to mix things up. Nothing terrible in my femur today, just still the funny tender spots down closer to my knee.

Thursday, April 25th
10x60" H-Core Routine, 60' cycle class after work   
 *It is 8:30 at night and my arms, quads, hamstrings, glutes, and abs are ALL sore! And I'm just all around tired! :) I feel like I need to go eat a cow right now to get my energy back! Haha! I love it though and wouldn't want to feel any other way! I've missed this more than you could ever know! And to top it all off, tomorrow is my running day and we have PERFECT weather forecasted!! :)

Friday, April 26th
1M walk before work
4x30" plank routine, 1.5M run, drills, .5M walk after work
*Today's run, though it felt much worse, was about 30 seconds faster than Tuesday's. I am definitely tired from the rest of the work this week. Six weeks of gradually progressing all these workouts could definitely have a profound affect on my body!

Saturday, April 27th
rest day 
*Terrible allergies and an achy femur made this a perfect rest day! 

Give a little, take a little - 10 weeks out

After 10 weeks off, I tried a 5 minute jog with Jake. Needless to say, after that test and lots of walking during the day Saturday and Sunday, my femur was ready to be put in cast. Kidding, slightly. :) In all honesty, though, it does hurt quite a bit now and I do not feel like it is wise to be doing any walking, hard biking, etc for a little while longer.

Sunday, April 14th
Rest
*Spent the morning walking around the course for Jake's 10 mile race... Lots of time on my leg = an achy femur. Constant throb in femur all afternoon.

Monday, April 15th
45' strength circuit
*Found this circuit online. I completed 5 sets without any rest: 60" x chest press, lat pull down, shoulder press, step-ups, seated row, squats, donkey kicks, bike-2'. I checked my heart rate each time I got on the bike and it was generally between 155 and 161 so I think it was a pretty good session. Femur is definitely still sore and weak; throbbing throughout the day.

Tuesday, April 16th 
30' injury prevention exercises in the morning
70' bike at noon
*I have never pedaled as hard as I did for the last 10 minutes of this bike! I was going to go for 60 minutes, then didn't want to end at an "odd" mileage so I decided to bike to 15 miles. But, of course, then I didn't want to end at an "odd" time, so I decided to get to 16 miles at 70 minutes. Talk about a workout!! Thankfully I rode very, very casually for the first 60 minutes. :) 

Wednesday, April 17th
20' incline walk on treadmill, 40' core and upper body weights in the morning
1M run in 8:25, 1M walk during lunch
*Jake convinced me to finish out a full mile and I actually didn't have thigh pain during it! We'll see how I feel tomorrow, but if all goes well, maybe I'll try again on Saturday! :) For weights this morning I decided to get heavier as I went so I did a 20, 10, 8, 6, 3 rep ladder and increased the weight with each one!

Thursday, April 18th
70' bike at noon

Friday, April 19th
8' abs, 27' strength circuit
*I went through the same strength circuit from Monday, but only did three sets this time due to time constraints. I get in really late from class on Thursday nights, so I needed some extra sleep. :)

Saturday, April 20th
1M walk, 1M run, 1M walk at noon
*I went to the track for this one to get some extra motivation, hah. I ended up coming through the miles in 13:38, 7:56, 13:26 and didn't have much pain. The walking is uncomfortable on my hip flexors but probably just because I'm not used to using them so much. My femur was a little sore, but it was the same before I started so I'm not concerned. This is going to be a long process getting back in shape, but it definitely excites me!   
 

9 weeks - I'm making progress!!!

I ran for the first time last week! It wasn't much, but I DID run! :) I still want to be cautious because there's definitely soreness in the femur at various times, but I do feel confident that a comeback is not too far away! I'm planning to continue with the walking every 48 hours this week, hopefully 30' each time and maybe throwing in a few more 100m of running while I'm at it! :)

Sunday, April 7th
20' body weight strength

Monday, April 8th
5' balance work, 30' lap swim in the morning
1.5M walk at night

Tuesday, April 9th
50' core and weights, 1M walk in the morning
1M walk in the evening
*upset stomach

Wednesday, April 10th
30' interval bike at night
*upset stomach most of the day, pain in femur again

Thursday, April 11th
60' core and body weight in the morning (limited to hotel mat and dumbbells)
*pain in femur

Friday, April 12th
Nothing - In the country, no time, floor space, or equipment

Saturday, April 13th
5' jog with Jake, 10' walk, 25' interval bike in the morning
15' walk, 15' strength in the afternoon
*Leg felt fine during the run/walks, only aches off and on when sitting. Definitely out of shape!