Quad and Knee Running Injury Update and Info

April 6, 2017 by

Hola friends! If you have been following along, you may have noticed a lack of running social media posts. Or maybe you watch my Instagram stories talking about how I have been injured since the runDisney Princess half. I wanted to share an update with you on my progress in case anyone is going through the same or similar thing.

8PFyb5RKUMPf1tr63ON21wVUZeDRuJcTgkkntK8o-1gpX92IB

Honestly, I’m still not 100% sure what happened. I was running really well leading up to Princess, and getting faster over short distances due to Orange Theory Fitness. I had run up to a 10 mile training run, which is not out of the ordinary for me leading up to a half marathon, especially one I am not running all out/am running for fun like Princess.

I haven’t had a running injury in a LONG time, so you can imagine my frustration when leg pain I had at the very end of the half and then the few days after….never fully went away. Let me back up. I noticed the last mile or two of the Princess half that my upper middle portion of my quad was hurting as I lifted that leg to pull it forward for a stride. I chalked it up to a tweak and sore muscles from running 13.1 miles and went on my way. I had a hard time walking that night, but thought after a good night’s sleep I would feel better the next day.

7ZUwUgpDfmlWJRS0TPqETloCBxRsSQ8hAT847D7srogpX92IB

Interestingly enough, the next day my quad pain had subsided by about half, but the pain had shifted down to the inside of my kneecap. So strange I know. I took some Motrin, stretched a bit, and continued on walking around the parks for two days. The pain would get progressively worse during the day, then feel much better (but still there) by morning. I got home on Wednesday, and took two full days off before going back to Orange Theory on Friday. It felt like someone was stabbing me in the inside of my knee, and my quad hurt when I rowed. I was dumb and ran through it. I took the whole weekend off, stretching and foam rolling and tried again Monday. The pain continued, but this time I was (a bit ) smarter about it and did the elliptical instead of the treadmill in class. After that class I was still having issues and knew I needed to make a decision.

Fortunately, OTF allows you to freeze your account for a month for $15 instead of paying the monthly fee and not using it. I started foam rolling and stretching every day, and did zero cardio. After another week of this, I started slowly adding in some strengthing exercises I found online. After 3.5 weeks, I decided to try going for a walk/run with some KT Tape on. while my leg definitely felt better than it had been, I was still having tightness and pain. After talking to a couple of doctor friends, the consensus was as long as it was getting better and not staying at the same pain level, it was probably a tear that needed more time to heal. Apparently 3.5 weeks is not enough. They told me to try walking but STOP if it hurts, and then eventually move to running, but never running through pain. Also to keep stretching etc.

isvhJ4djgRYV8PYuiCRaW_hYIceWD2ZCr-skE4t3P3opX92IB

I followed their advice, and after another week tried walking a mile, then slowly went up to 1.5 miles throwing in a few short runs, and now I am up to 2 miles run walking with no pain. I am also still foam rolling and stretching daily like it’s my job, and wearing KT tape. so my timeline was as follows:

Sunday February  26: Injury occurs.

Monday-Tuesday 27/28: Walking all day at Disney parks

Wednesday/Thursday 1/2: rest completely and stretch/foam roll

Friday 3: OTF…lots of knee pain, some quad pain

Saturday and Sunday 4/5: complete rest, with stretching/rolling

Monday 6: OTF, still pain even on elliptical

Tuesday 7: Freeze OTF account, stretch and roll rest of this week and the next plus a few days.

Thursday 23rd: Tried to go for a run, got frustrated because I still had pain and tightness. Talked to doctor friends.

Friday 24-April 5: Walk while slowly building up to adding in runs, now up to 2 miles run/walking. Still foam rolling and stretching daily. Doing PT exercises 3/4 times a week.

Of course, every injury is different, so if you have the same one as me it may take you more or less time to heal, or you may have done some sort of damage that requires surgery. I think the key for me was that the more I stayed off of it, it slowly got better. If it had stayed at the same pain level for a month, I for sure would have gone to get an MRI. This is the same leg that I have had IT band issues with in the past, so I’m not surprised that it’s giving me fits again. I know if I had incorporated daily stretching and rolling into my routine to begin with, I could have potentially saved myself 6 weeks of frustration.

2017-04-01_15-31-56_845

I know I am not totally out of the woods yet, but I do plan to run/walk the Star Wars half at the end of this month. Fingers crossed I can do it pain free!

QOTD: Have you had a running injury before? What did you do?

Filed Under: Disney, fitness, health, injury, runDisney, running Tagged: , , , , , ,

April 2017 Goals

March 30, 2017 by

Happy Spring! Can you believe it? I’m actually EARLY with my goals post this month! I hope the weather is warming up wherever you are. I know that spring makes people want to clean and organize, so this is the perfect time to get serious about those goals you set in January (or to create some new ones). Before we get into my goals for April, let’s take a look back at my not so stellar March goals:

1.) Track my food 1-2 days a week on My Fitness Pal: F This was not my best month. As you may know, I injured myself running the Princess half so March was just kind of wonky on the health and fitness front. I was angry and frustrated with my injury for a couple of weeks, so I wasn’t super focused on my eating. I will say the second half of the month I did much better and ate by feeling of fullness rather than snacking just to have something to do while I worked etc.

53XInclOl-wVhwcpZCBuQRGZZdHqh_56BrenssfpUIQpX92IB

2.) Orange Theory twice a week: F After the Princess half, I went twice in 3 days before realizing I needed to freeze my membership for a month in order to heal my leg. So, obviously I didn’t go twice a week after that/the entire month of March, so this one doesn’t really apply and I don’t consider it a true failure because I have been stretching and foam rolling and doing PT exercises.

3.) Put Together my Bar Stools: A+ YES! Finally an A+! I put one together by myself, then helped Bobby with the other two. I am sitting on one as I type, too. It’s nice to have another seating option other than our dining room table, especially for quick meals or just to chat with someone while they are in the kitchen.

oiVHwQ087MqN6GG_LuCt4llV1976UOJoYLGiHL29yJYpX92IB

Now for my April goals:

1.) Be able to run the Star Wars Half pain free: I started walking some, and also continue to stretch and foam roll in hopes I can run walk the Star Wars half pain free at the end of April. Fingers crossed!

photo (28)

2.) Organize extra room: We have an extra room in our house the we currently use for storage. Since I never go in there, I just shut the door and pretend it doesn’t exist. I know I need to get it organized though, so I am going to work on that this month.

3.) Walk 4x’s a week: My plan is to walk 2-3 miles four times a week, with a few short (like 1/10 of a mile) runs thrown in until I feel like I can run for longer without hurting.

4.) Stretch and foam roll every day: Honestly I should have been doing this all along, but when things don’t hurt, it’s the first thing I let slide. I have been doing pretty good about this, but I fear once I am well I will forget about it again and I don’t want to do that!

2011-05-06082120

Want an easy way to track your goals and fitness habits? Check out my free set of printables to help you take action steps!

QOTD: What is a goal you have for this month? How do you handle a workout injury?

Filed Under: blogging, fitness, injury Tagged: , , ,

Falling Off the Training Wagon

August 20, 2015 by

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind. Between spending five days in Oklahoma, and then coming home and taking over the local Orange Leaf, it has left little time for running. I am really frustrated by this, because when I chose my fall half marathon training plan, I was DETERMIND to stick with it. You see, I am not so great at following through with training plans and typically end up doing my own thing at some point along the way.

So you can imagine my frustration when I went to finally get in a good run yesterday, and I could only manage two miles because I pulled my back. Then, this morning I woke up sick with a cold. Seriously? I don’t think I have been sick since before I was pregnant! Bobby thinks I pushed too hard running around trying to work at the shop and then do my other two jobs at home + caring for the baby and the house, but eh, I’m not sure. Could just be coincidence. Either way, I’m sick. As in I want to rip my nose off my face because I can’t breathe, and I have chills and that all over icky feeling…so who knows when I will get back to running.

DSC_0690

It’s really tempting to just throw my hands up and say “forget about it, I’ve already blown this training cycle”, but I have big goals for myself, and I know that isn’t the proper attitude to have. So, this is what I plan to do to get back on the training wagon:

1.) Get well: I know I am no use to anyone while I am sick and/or injured, so I need to get better before I jump into my runs again and potentially prolong this cold. I know I need rest rest rest (I actually napped TWICE yesterday during Emma Kate’s naps), and even though it makes me feel unproductive and sluggish, I know it’s best for me right now.

2.) Rework my training schedule: Now that I have missed several runs, there is no way I can hold the paces I am supposed to run for long runs over the next couple of weeks with the speed level I am at right now. I may take a bit longer to reach my goals now, but that doesn’t mean I have to forget about them completely.

IMG_5768 (2)

3.) Run!: Once I have done #1 and #2, I plan to jump back into running, knowing that I am going to have to up my game a bit and run a few extra miles and push a little bit harder. I think a couple weeks of missing some runs is ok, but if I fall off the wagon for this long again during this training cycle, it would be hard to recover. So, even on days I really don’t think I have time, I have GOT to make time and just get it done.

That is my plan of attack, and hopefully it works well for me. Now, where are my tissues and chicken noodle soup?

QOTD: What do you do when you miss several runs during training?

Filed Under: blogging, fitness, running, tips Tagged: , , , ,

Jeff Galloway Tips: Why We Get Injured

March 28, 2015 by

Here are some more great tips from Jeff Galloway about injury. I find these so interesting since I struggle with injury a lot. Hopefully they will help you to run injury free!

Why do we get injured?

1.  Be aware of irritation of weak links.

The Key Weak Links are body parts where my runners tend to experience injuries are these: Knees – Feet -Calf – Achilles -Hip – Glute/piriformis/sciaticia

But the body parts that YOU need to be aware of are the sites where you are injured or suffer more aches and pains.

So if you’re sensitive to the first indication of irritation in these areas and take immediate action it’s possible to avoid injury.

2.  Stress buildup due to the way we train.

  • Training schedule is too intense-not enough rest between stress.
  • Adverse Training Components-speed is too fast or has too much, too soon.
  • Running form-too long a stride, forward lean, bouncing too high off the ground.

So staying focused on the way one runs and following these guidelines, can often allow runners to maintain a manageable increase without injury

2012-02-25 06.38.47

__________________________________________________

Top 5 ways to avoid stress buildup-and avoid injuries

1.  Take walk breaks more frequently, and run shorter run segments

2.  Form: shorter stride, feet low to the ground

3.  Slower long runs, with more walk breaks

4.  Avoid Stretching

5.  Be careful when running speed sessions

 

 

Register now for the Jeff Galloway 13.1 with no risk!  The 2nd annual half marathon on Dec. 13, 2015 is currently $95. You can sign up with no risk! Take advantage of this low price, and if you can’t make it, you can roll into the virtual option with no extra charge!

Register today at

Jeff Galloway 13.1!

Disclosure: As a Jeff Galloway blogger I am provided with tips to share with my readers.

Filed Under: blogging, fitness, injury, running, tips Tagged: , , ,

My (Temporary) Break Up With Running

July 23, 2014 by

Well guys, this is a post I have been meaning to write for awhile, but didn’t because 1.) I didn’t want to come to grips with the fact that it was indeed happening, and 2.) I wasn’t ready to deal with the feelings that came along with the realization, and somehow not saying it out loud (or on the blog) made it feel like maybe it wasn’t real.

Bottom line: I was not meant to be a pregnant runner for this pregnancy. Oh, how I tried. I forced myself to do it, and did so semi successfully until about 20 weeks. After that, I could no longer deny the pain, and slowly dropped down to once or twice a week of run walks, determined to not give it up all together. Then it got to where the pain kept me up at night so I switched to walking, but I would still “try” to run once a week, all with the same results. Yes I tried stretching, yes I tried yoga, yes I tried a support belt that did absolutely nothing to help me. Most people call it round ligament pain, I call it the evil constant pains that took away my outlet, my therapy, my way of staying in shape and staying sane.

1535503_559150137495786_210444141_n

I ran Dopey and Tink pain free (and also didn’t know I was pregnant!)

So this is what happened. As I was training for the Crescent City Classic 10k, I realized that during and after some runs I was struggling with pain on both sides, low in my pelvis. I figured it was just a temporary growing thing that would go away in a week or two. I kept with it, but had to take Tylenol to complete the 10k. I made it through the race, but paid dearly for it later. I couldn’t even get out of a chair on my own because my pelvis hurt so badly. Sneezing, walking, bending, etc. was all excruciating for about 2-3 days. Again, I thought it was just because it was the most mileage I had run since the Glass Slipper Challenge, but the pain continued on my next run even after taking several days off.

ccc30

After the Crescent City Classic, my last race I would run during Pregnancy at 16/17 weeks.

I really didn’t understand why this was happening, I was in amazing shape (for Dopey!) when I got pregnant, and even ran Dopey and Tinkerbell before realizing I was pregnant. When I ran The Glass Slipper Challenge at 9 weeks pregnant at the end of February, sure I was sick and nauseated, but I didn’t have any pain. It never crossed my mind that I could potentially be one of “those people” who struggled with running during pregnancy and had to stop. I tried not to think about it, like maybe it wasn’t really happening, but in the past couple of weeks it has become impossible for me to run without severe pain, so I stopped and started only power walking.

princess half 9

Glass Slipper Challenge at 9 weeks. Nauseated and exhausted, but no pain!

I knew things were getting bad when I power walked 2 miles the other day, and that same pain started creeping in, WALKING. I know I am 30 weeks now and shouldn’t expect to be totally pain free, (which I don’t) but it is really frustrating to have these limitations when people much further along than me are running and working out like normal. I KNOW it’s wrong to compare, and I am happy for my friends still able to push hard and run, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little jealous. I guess it’s the same way I feel when I have an injury. You so badly want to be out there, especially when you see everyone’s awesome instagram photos, new race medals, and shiny new PR’s, and you are stuck on the couch unable to participate. I am trying to be open and honest about my feelings here, because I am sure there are other mamas-to-be out there struggling with the same battle.  Before I start getting hate mail about how I should just be happy to be pregnant, please hear me: Yes, I know I am super blessed and am thankful to be pregnant, but still longing to participate in my favorite hobby, which is a very valid feeling. Accepting my limitations has been mentally difficult for me, and this is my space to share and be real and honest.

19 weeks

Frustrated after a 20(ish) week run/walk gone bad.

I have ten weeks to go, so I will keep reminding myself that in the end it will be worth it because I WILL get back to running, and I will have a new baby girl to share my passion with once she is here. I will look back on these few short months where I couldn’t run as a blip on the radar, and it will be totally worth it.

30weeks preggo

30 weeks pregnant, after a sadly painful one mile walk

So running, I am sorry we have to have a temporary break up, but my body is being used for something else more important right now. However, I promise you, I WILL be back!

QOTD: Mamas, did you run during pregnancy or have any pain issues?

Is this how everyone feels during an injury? Frustrated?

Filed Under: fitness, injury, pregnancy, running Tagged: , , ,

Weekly Workout Recap: January Week 5 2014

February 2, 2014 by

Oh boy what a week. I didn’t do so great with my workouts, because I re-injured my back. I tried my first run after Tink last Saturday, and Sunday morning I was hurting again. It slowly got better, then Thursday I did some circuit training at the house and Friday it hurt as badly as the day I originally injured it (I woke up in the middle of the night in tears it was hurting so badly). So, no running for me this week, and probably for several more days as I continue to ice and take it easy!

IMG_0121

Oh how I wish I felt this good again!

We also had a random ice/sleet storm come though Tuesday and Wednesday, so schools, gym, pretty much everything was closed all week and we were cooped up inside (hence the circuit training in my living room on Thursday). Here is what I DID do last week:

Sunday: rest

Monday: 45 minutes stationary bike

Tuesday: rest

Wednesday: rest

Thursday: 30 minutes circuit training (think squats, lunges, jumping jacks, etc.)

Friday: rest (not move from the couch with an ice pack on me)

Saturday: Long easy walk by myself

QOTD: Have you ever pulled your back? How did you do it? How long were you out of commission?

Filed Under: fitness, injury, running Tagged: , ,

Weekly Workout Recap: August Week 2 2013

August 18, 2013 by

Oh what an interesting week. Last Saturday, you may remember we ran 13.1 miles. In an effort to pretend I was fine and in hopes it would go away, I didn’t mention the terrible ball of foot pain I had during and after the run. Does anyone remember this from last summer?

photo (5)

it was literally almost a year to the exact date that it started hurting again, after a full year of no pain. Ug! I have been walking around my house all week in running shoes. Barefoot on my wood floors kkkiiilllssss. I have been taking Ibuprofen, and taking it easy on the running (I only ran twice this week) in hopes it would be fine. No such luck, but with pain meds it’s manageable to run n at this point. I really don’t want another cortisone shot right now.

So, with that said, I decided to take it SUPER easy this week, I even took TWO rest days in a row, which I never do.

Sunday: rest

Monday: 20 minutes stationary bike

Tuesday: rest

Wednesday: rest

Thursday: 3 mile run, weights

Friday: 30 minutes stationary bike, weights

Saturday: 7 mile run

runningskirts

My 7 miles were decent, but my foot feels the same. I just need to get through Disneyland half/Dumbo then I can decide what to do next.

QOTD: Do you ever take more than one rest day in a row?

Filed Under: injury, running, Running Skirts Tagged: , , , ,

July Goals 2013

July 9, 2013 by

Yes, yes I know I know. Nine days in and just now posting my goals. I apologize! But, I’m here now so here we go! Let’s review my June goals:

1044808_472061706204630_1998276762_n

1.) Heal my IT band:(C)  Eh. yes and no. It still bothers me but I can run on it. It aches after and sometimes my hip aches when I run longer than 4 miles, but I am managing.

2.) Get on track with Dumbo challenge training. (C-) Getting there. I have upped my mileage to 7, but I need to start skipping and run 9 next time, then 11 and 13 to get ready for dumbo. it’s so close!

photo

3.) Get back to my happy weight. (B-) Yes and no. I did lose a couple pounds but I still have a couple more to go.

4.) Stop Worrying. (A-)  Happy to report that that this one has gotten much much better! Not perfect, but I am coming to grips with it.

Not my best month goal wise, but they can’t all be great right? I try to find a balance between hard to reach and not out of reach, but sometimes I fall short and that’s ok. This is why some months you will see me repeat some of the same goals again. I will do the same this month.

loveyourself

July goals:

1.) Heal my IT band: ‘nuff said

2.) Get back to my happy weight: again…

3.) Go back to body pump: I was enjoying this class until I hurt my IT band and I stopped going. I need to go back!

4.) Continue with my leg strengthening exercises: I have been told to do some certain exercises to help with strength and I want to keep it up to fast track my healing.

QOTD: What do you do when you don’t obtain a goal?

Filed Under: fitness, injury, running Tagged: , , , ,

Weekly Workout Recap: June Week 2

June 16, 2013 by

Morning lovelies! This week I slowly started to get back to running. My knee still gets sore after, but it isn’t really bothering me when I run.

photo (7)

Love my new hearts! Get 15% your runningskirts.com order with code “SKIRTSASS”

I am going to continue to stretch and strengthen plus foam roll and hope it all works itself out. Even though I did slowly start running again this week. I made sure to take more rest days so I didn’t overdo it on my body. I wasn’t feeling good this week so I let myself sleep 9 hours at night and took a nap on Saturday after my run. It was glorious. Here is what the week looked like:

Sunday: rest

Monday: 1 hour elliptical, weights

Tuesday: 2 miles outside, weights

Wednesday: rest

Thursday: weights, 30 minutes stationary bike

Friday: rest

Saturday: 4 miles outside with Bobby

I am hoping to go back to body pump this week and just take it easy with the lunges/squats and any twisting around. Also Hopefully I will run a five miler on Saturday as my long run, as well as two shorter runs in the week. Fingers crossed I keep healing up and getting stronger!

Also, HAPPY FATHER’S DAY to all the dads (and fur dads) out there! I am so thankful for my dad and everything he has done for me and my family over the years!

princesswithdad

QOTD: Would you rather sleep for 3 hours a night on a comfy bed or as long as you want on a cold hard floor?

Filed Under: fitness, injury, running, Running Skirts Tagged: , , ,

Weekly Workout Recap: June Week 1

June 9, 2013 by

wwr

Another week has come and gone. How is it the second week of June? How is it the sixth month of 2013? Yeesh. Quick recap of a less than stellar and very frustrating workout week. My IT band is still not doing so great. I went to the chiropractor and that helped (active release) but it’s still tight but not as painful. I ran 3 times this week (well, run/walked) 1 mile, 2 miles, and 3 miles. I am going to wait until Tuesday to try again, and hit the treadmill instead od the hills around my neighborhood and see if that helps.

photo (6)

Enter code “SKIRTSASS” at runningskirts.com for 15% off your order!

Here is a summary of my week:

Sunday: rest

Monday: 30 minutes elliptical, weights

Tuesday: rest

Wednesday: 1 mile run, weights

Thursday: 45 minutes stationary bike, weights

Friday: 2 mile run

Saturday: 3 mile run

I was doing SO WELL the past couple weeks with my two a days and my hard workouts, so it’s a little frustrating to have a lot of the high intensity come to a screeching halt, but I know I have to rest to heal. I am keeping KT Tape on 24/7 to aid in recovery and healing as well. That’s all I have to report for the day. back to stretching and foam rolling!

QOTD: How do you mental handle a sports injury?

Filed Under: fitness, injury, running Tagged: , , , , ,