Yoga for Runners

My physiotherapist suggested I start crosstraining, specifically with some sort of activity that promotes flexibility. She pretty much said that I need to do this if I want to ever run any races longer than 10K. Certainly I need to maintain my flexibility if I want to avoid injuries over the long-term.

So, today I'm going to try Yoga for Runners. It's offered at a local yoga studio at a really convenient time. I've done bikram yoga before, but I had a lot of difficult with the heat. I often felt sick and faint, often for days after. Hopefully I'll have better results with this new class!

I'll be sure to report back on the class.

Racing like a test subject

I have to admit that I don't feel much like a runner these days.

Last week I had medical appointments every day. I saw the second physiotherapist, who believes that my treatment plan needs to focus more on flexibility issues than on building core strength. He felt that a 10K was a reasonable goal for later in the year.

Part of me agrees with his idea to focus on flexibility, but a big part of me doesn't. I agree with it because I am clearly inflexible. I've never been able to touch my toes. Ever! Most people are amazed by how inflexible I am. But it's never been a problem until now. Which is why I don't necessarily agree. I spent 8 years dancing several times a week. It was a high impact sport that had a similar force exerted on my body as running (if not more). In the last few years, I danced for a minimum of an hour 3x a week, if not more. The worst injury I had was shin splints. I was the same weight I am now, so that's not a factor. I would say I am in the same physical shape now as I was then.

I think ultimately it's something wrong with my back. I saw the doctor on Friday and had x-rays done. I will likely need an MRI. My primary PT believes there's scar tissue in my back from my previous back injuries in 1999 and 2008, and that this scar tissue is putting pressure on my nerves.

I've considered just giving up running altogether. But I love running. I really do. I've invested 2 months of time and money into PT... I'm not ready to give up this fight just yet.

Much better

All the rest, ice, stretching and massage is starting to pay dividends. And my fashion transgressions at the office have been overlooked. My calves feel much better and my left heel and foot are feeling tons better.

I've been stretching my legs 3x a day and before I get out of bed in the morning. I've been wearing a pair of running shoes instead of heels or flats. I've been icing my feet as much as I can. I cut back my mileage intensity, frequency, and distance.

I really hope I caught this early enough that it will continue to improve. I'm dying to break 30:00 in the 5K in a few weeks' time. I've felt good enough to throw in some RPE pick-ups in one run (real perceived effort) and it seems to have made a difference in my run today. My pace was a good 20 seconds faster than my last few runs. I felt so good, both during and after my runs.

It feels good to be back on track.

Ouch!

The pain in my heels is not going away.

I've done lots of reading on the handy interwebs and I think the problem has to do with my calves (no, not cows!). My calves and achilles tendons have always been my weak point—no pun intended—so any strain on them means that other problems will likely follow. Anytime I go for a sports massage, the RMT tells me that I have tight calves. I stretch them as much as I can, but nothing really seems to help to prevent the build-up of tension.

I've scheduled a massage for Monday and reduced my mileage from 19K this week to 11K. I'm stretching my calves and heels at least three times a day, icing it as often as I can and taking anti-inflammatories. I am going to head out shortly to pick up a massage stick to help as well.

Hopefully this one week of setbacks will help to prevent a long-term injury

Heading off injuries at the pass

Playing ultimate on Saturday, a 3K on Sunday and another 3K on Monday was a bad idea. Oh and flip-flops on top of that. Whoops.

I probably would've been okay with one of those runs, but both runs combined with the added stress of flip-flops yesterday put my heels over the edge. My achilles tendons are not happy with me right now. The left one is especially angry.

I'm wearing really awesome running shoes and my flip-flops and flats have been banished to the back of the closet. I've started the gamut of achilles tendon, calf and plantar fasciitis stretches three times a day. And my ice pack is getting a good work out.

Thankfully the pain is not as bad as the first time I had achilles tendonitis back in 2007. My legs were so cramped that I could hardly walk without wincing in pain.

Here's to hoping that it all works and I have speedy recovery.