Sunday, February 10, 2013

best body bootcamp recap: week 5

this post is hard to write - not because i'm actually struggling to get it out but because i am feeling awful. i think i have a stress fracture in my foot. i've been having some pain along the top of my left foot for about a week and a half now and though it comes and goes in terms of level (never really higher than a 2/3 on a scale of 1-10), it hasn't totally gone. i hesitate to even use the word "pain" because it doesn't hurt per se. it's slightly uncomfortable when i run downhill, but more than that it's just the fact that i even notice the top of my foot when i'm running, which i feel like i shouldn't. i talked with alex about it and she cautioned me immediately that that area is stress fracture central so i should be careful with it and i'm listening to her. i'm calling a doc tomorrow to try to get an appointment some time soon and this week i'm resting.

(SCREW YOU FOOT)

...this week i'm resting. i am having a really hard time with this. i'm frustrated with my body because (though i know i exercise frequently) i don't feel like i overexercise, i don't put tons of miles on my feet and i feel like overall i rest whenever my body feels like it. i'm hoping that it's not that bad and a few days of rest is enough to make it feel better but i'm really nervous that it's something worse and i'm going to have to take a long time off running. i am genuinely devastated by the thought of missing the races i've signed up for, of missing my long runs on the weekend and missing stress relief that working out provides for me.

BUT (not to toot my own horn) i am one smart cookie - i know (in the rational parts of my mind) that if i catch this thing early and nip it in the bud a week or two of rest could be enough to heal it whereas if i keep running and working out on a potential stress fracture i could end up having to take months off in the future. and that is not worth it. so yes, i'm pretty upset. yes, i'm admitting that it stresses me out to think about not working out for a week for a lot more reasons than i even want to get in to. yes, i will probably be baking even more than usual to make myself feel better (as if this were possible?). but i also know that a week or two of rest won't even really interfere with my half marathon plans. if i take two weeks off i still am going to be able to run a half marathon on my birthday. hell, if i take the next 5 weeks off i could probably make my triumphant return to running at the damn half marathon and be just fine. so help me out this week - when i'm needy and frustrated and tweeting out my crazy, send me virtual hugs, alright? i'm going to need them.

(i know there are lots of races in my future)

the biggest frustration for me about this whole thing is that i had SUCH an awesome week working out. i feel like i finally hit my stride figuring out balancing bootcamp with training and excelling at both. here's what my week looked like...
bootcamp_large

 monday - rest
tuesday - workout a / 4.5 mile run
wednesday - 8 x 400 @ 5k pace (i had a GREAT time with this speed workout shockingly)
thursday - 3 mile run / workout b
friday - deep tissue massage / rest
saturday - 9 mile run with jess (felt awesome through the run except for a couple downhills where my foot hurt)
sunday - 4 mile run / workout c (upper body) --> i was going to go to the gym today and do this workout anyway and just ride the bike but i got on the elliptical for about 1 minute before i realized i was there for all the wrong reasons and decided to commence resting today.

it was a great week and i want to have many great weeks in the future. hopefully this week off will ensure that.


as for goals - i took my vitamins every single day. when it comes to snack bars, i accidentally bought some quest bars (damn you samantha!) but i didn't eat them so no pre-packaged snack bars was totally a win this week...well maybe not totally but i need something to cheer me up so dammit i'm calling it a success. though i'm not doing the workouts this coming week i'm still setting some goals. my previous plans for my goals were to do 20 minutes of yoga every morning and core work every day. i think i'm still going to make those my goals (because i will go utterly insane if i do nothing) but i might move it to the evening since i'll have a lot more time than i usually do. i should be able to do those without affecting my foot at all (we'll see how downward dog feels and if it hurts at all i'll scrap this goal) and i think it'll help me deal with being stressed about not doing cardio/lifting.

i'm postponing my participation in bootcamp - i'm going to save the workouts from tina and just start them up again whenever my body is back in action. no plan for next week except now i'll have a lot more free time. ideas on what i should do? take up knitting? get a dog? write a novel? so many options, so little much time...

<3
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11 comments:

  1. I'm SO PROUD OF YOU AND SENDING YOU A HUGE HUGE HUGE VIRTUAL HUG, MOLLY! You're being smart and taking care of yourself, and that's all you can do <3

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  2. BIG HUG! I know exactly how you feel, it's SO HARD to give up the workouts sometimes, and it's frustrating because you aren't over exercising. One thing, however, that I learned last year when I kept getting injured and seeing other bloggers doing WAY more than I was doing was that many of them had been exercising like that for years! I only just started getting into running and weights when I moved to Chicago, and it takes years to really build up that ability to workout week after week with no injury. I remember emailing Hungry Runner Girl (Janae) saying WHY can't I run that much without injury?!? And she reminded me she'd been a distance runner since she was about 16! Haha you and I just jumped it and went for that marathon! Aaaanyway, feel free to text/tweet this week if you need a reminder that there is so much more to life than workouts!

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  3. I am so unbelievably proud of this decision. I know it's tough. I had the same exact problem last summer and I ended up taking a full month off. I actually started walking after a couple weeks without exercise and ended up enjoying it more than running, so there is hope for you! Make this the recovery that most elite athletes take every year for a couple weeks.
    It's definitely frustrating but I always found with swimming that the less I swam, the faster I swam. So maybe that will be true for you and the half!! I'll be thinking of you and I hope you're able to heal really fast so we can go for a run together soon!

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  4. so funny story... I used to think it was 'nip it in the butt' until someone made me realize (through the process of embarrassing me) that I was oh so wrong. that's all I have because what you need right now is a good laugh

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  5. REST! I have been dealing with a back injury for almost three months now! Initially I felt the same as you...but I kept working out. After I came to terms with the fact I was just going to have to rest I felt way better. I haven't gained any weight so......after a month realizing I wasn't gaining weight I was fine. Now I am finally getting better!

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  6. Oh no! I hope you feel better soon. You're so smart to rest now though- I caught a stress fracture in my heel early and only had to take three weeks off and I was allowed to elliptical and bike so it wasn't awful. Had I waited, it would have been like 6 weeks off-- awful! Hang in there and take it easy, keep us posted on what your doctor says!

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  7. Out of sheer curiosity .. how tightly do you tie your shoes? In the summer, I was wearing a pair of bad shoes that caused me patellar fasciitis and peroneal tendonitis. Changed shoes, and that went away, but the top of my right foot hurt a tonne. Turns out that I was tying my shoes too tightly. I do think it's best that you're taking this week and talking to your doctor, but it's something to consider as well.
    And dammit, girl, you'd better call it a freaking success or I'm going to run down there and roundhouse your booty STAT. You were a ROCKSTAR this week!! Every single day, for oh so many different reasons. Taking a few days off doesn't change that in the least. It only means that you'll shine more brightly once you are back. <3

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  8. Sorry about your foot, but at least you have SUPER cute shoes! ;)

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  9. Oh no I'm sorry to hear about your foot girl. I know this sounds dumb, but have you ever thought that maybe your tying your shoelaces too tight? Keep resting though girl; eat yummy food, sleep in, and watch funny movies!

    Sending you lots and lots of prayers across the ocean <3 <3

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  10. Ahh girl, I'm so sorry to hear about your foot! :( That's no fun at all. I'm think it's really great that you're taking time off right now, though, instead of waiting for things to get worse. That tends to be my (stupid) approach to injuries, so I'm impressed that you're listening to your body and not pushing yourself too far. Good luck with your rest week! I know it can be really, really tough, but you're doing what's best for you and that's what matters the most.

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  11. I'm so sorry you're having trouble with your foot :( You're doing the right thing getting it checked out early! I completely understand being worried it could be worse...I think I have a bone spur in my Achilles heal, and the idea that it could prevent me from running, well, it's just not an option. Sending tons of positive thoughts you're way!

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