Training Truths: ZOOMA Week 7 - Maintain Fitness

ZOOMA Cape Cod training week 7 was my last week of summer vacation. My last week of morning runs. My last week running 5 days. My last week of morning #Surf classes at TI Fitness.

But it was also the beginning of maintaining all the fitness I've built up over the past month and a half. The beginning of maintaining the strength I've gained to run hills. The beginning of sustaining the endurance I've earned through all my hard work.

It was also the last week of the month and a perfect time to share some #MarvelousMonday moments:

Marvelous is hitting my all-time highest mileage in one month - 116 miles
Marvelous is passing the 3000 mile mark using my Nike+ running gear

Monday - 5 hilly miles and SurfSet with mrC.

Tuesday - 3.5 miles. Met up with the GHS XC team for a very easy morning run. Wasn't expecting the pace to be so comfortable, but bringing up the rear probably had a lot of benefits when my legs were creeping up on 100 miles for the month!

Wednesday - 4 hilly miles and SurfnTurf with mrC. barre3 anywhere: core, arms + legs 10 minute video workout.

Thursday - Cross train --> done on Monday & Wednesday! barre3 anywhere: total body 10 minute video workout.

Friday - 4 hilly miles on the same route as Wednesday. Part of this run is a gravel road and my calves did not like it one bit. Felt good on the hills though. Travel-Friendly barre3: Total-body endurance 10 minute video workout.

Saturday - 11 miles on the Goffstown Trail with mrC. We started this run in the fog and ended under sunny blue skies. I'm afraid my tight calf has led to some twinges of a shin splint, so I'll be applying treatments for a few days: ice, compression, and active rest.

Sunday - Rest


What part of your fitness are you maintaining? 
Share something MARVELOUS with me!

Training Truths: ZOOMA Week 6 - Testing Limits

How do I test my limits? Run 10 miles solo.

I've been taking advantage of summer break and doing my long runs on Friday mornings so that my weekend time is a little more open. Most of the local group runs are on Saturdays/Sundays and mrC has had more Friday trips lately, so it's just me.

How do I test my limits? Choose a hilly route for my long run.

Last time I ran my long run on a local trail. I was planning to do it again, but it was a little creepy running secluded by myself. Option #2 was to run from home which meant a hilly route with one big hill right in the middle. I went for it since, ZOOMA Cape Cod has hills!

Sunday - 4 mile run just before daylight so I had to dig out the reflective gear.

Monday - 7 mile run in Newport where there are in fact, HILLS! Later we went kayaking in Newport Harbor and it was a killer arm workout.

Tuesday - 4 mile run around the base mostly along a running trail. Then a bike ride along Ocean Drive and Bellevue Ave with gorgeous water views and mansions galore!

Wednesday - Rest day!

Thursday - 4 mile run with mrC. It was cool and cloudy which made this run feel nice and easy.

Friday - Ran my 10 mile long run alone again. Even though I hated the idea of going solo, I did it. I kept my pace comfortable and felt good the whole time. I had to walk part of the killer hill in town, but felt really good overall. Lots of foam rolling, stretching, and compression gear the rest of the day.

Saturday - Cross training at SurfSet!

How do you test your limits?

Training Truths: ZOOMA Week 5 - Speed Sharpening

When I read the description from the coach program on my Nike app for week 5 of my half marathon training, I chuckled. Speed? Me? Right! Then I thought, what the heck? It's worth paying at least a little attention to the suggested workouts.

During my long run at the end of the week, I realized that I am feeling stronger. Although I wouldn't say I'm speedy, I am happy with the way I feel on my the longer runs.

Sunday - 4 mile run along the Burlington waterfront with mrC. First 3 miles at an easy pace and faster last mile - I did mile 4 at 8:55 (yay).

Monday - 7 mile run with MRTT group (of two!). It was supposed to be a 5 mile fartlek run, but I forgot! I did do the last 3 miles faster than the first 4 and that's where the hills were!

Tuesday - Since I messed up the fartlek on Monday, I figured 3 miles at Track Party Tuesday would make up a little of it.  The party turned out to be just me, but I did my "speed work" anyway. 1 mile WU, 4x200s, and 1 mile CD.

Wednesday - Rest - AlterG Demo (review coming soon!)

Thursday - 4 miles from home. I did the first three miles at a comfortable pace and the last one fastest.

Friday - I was nervous about doing my long run alone and on a trail, but this run turned out much better than I thought it would. I kept my pace mostly in the 930-945 range, and saved my speediest mile for last at 920!

Saturday - Rest - Did a little cross training at SurfSet with mrC. Because of busy schedules and being out of town, I hadn't been to class in over a week, and it felt really hard! I still love the total body workout though.

I'm feeling good about starting week 6, especially since I'll be doing it in Newport!

What are you training for? How is it going? 

Training Truths: ZOOMA Week 4 - Building Endurance

It's hard to start a training week on sore legs, but that's what I had to do for week 4 of my ZOOMA half marathon training. Luckily, I can find some extra motivation on the ZOOMA Cape Cod Training Page to help me push past the hard parts.

Despite my sore legs, this week of building endurance was a success. In fact, I felt really good after my long run and went on a nice bike ride the next day.

Sunday - 4 mile hilly loop with mrC on legs that were still very sore from barre classes (421 calories)

Monday - I felt terrible about my 6 mile morning run until I saw my negative splits! Love when that happens! Went urban surfing with the girls. It was littleCs first time to SurfSet and she liked it! (611 + 341 calories)

Tuesday - Went to my first Track Party Tuesday with Manchester MRTT Group at a local high school. After a one mile warmup, I ran two 400s which were tough even with a 400 break between, so I switched to 200s and ran 4 with 200 jog in between (283 calories)

Wednesday - REST

Thursday - This 3 miler after a professional development day at school was less than stellar. It was warm and my calf was tight, but it was a run (310 calories)

Friday - Ran my long run in Vermont with mrC by my side for most of it. My goal was to stay near a 10 minute pace to keep it "comfortable" and I'm surprised I did after 3 hours in the car and an 11AM start (875 calories)

Saturday - Enjoyed a leisurely, sight-seeing 10 mile bike ride on the Island Line Bike Trail in Burlington.

How do you deal with sore muscles?

Training Truths: ZOOMA Week 3 - Building Strength

ZOOMA week 3 was about building strength with more miles, increasing the distance on my long run, and adding more running days to the schedule. In addition to what was on my training plan, I also added a couple more cross-training workouts.

I felt really good on all of my runs, but by Friday my legs were toast from barre classes. I met the planned mileage for the week and the goal for the Summer Run Challenge that I've been doing, but from now on, I will limit cross-training workouts to non-running days or after shorter runs.

Sunday - Zip lining in West Virginia which gave my arms and core a really good workout (recap here).

Monday - 3.75 mile treadmill run after arriving home from WV on a rainy evening (370 calories)

Tuesday - 3 mile run at the beach with mrC and Stand Up Paddleboardng - recap coming soon! (320 calories)

Wednesday - 3 mile run with mrC and SurfnTurf (307 calories + 374 calories)

Thursday - 3 mile run and back to another Booty Barre class using my Groupon deal (317 calories + 398 calories)

Friday - Checked out a new local barre studio and class called Barre Burn (aka glutes on fire) with oldestC and then ran 8 miles downtown after (321 calories + 865 calories)

Saturday - SurfSet with mrC. I woke up with very sore legs so this class was a challenge for me (374 calories)

A friend commented to me on how lucky I am to have all this time to run and go to fitness classes, and I couldn't agree more. I have been trying to take full advantage of my summer vacation and cross all the goals off my summer-to-do list (read post here). During the school year my focus turns to running because it's challenging to squeeze in exercise around teacher duties, sporting events, and family time.


Does your fitness focus change throughout the year?

Training Truths: ZOOMA Cape Cod Week 2 + #KeepItTight

My goal for week two of my ZOOMA Cape Cod half marathon training was to get in my mileage before heading to West Virginia on Friday for a weekend visit with one of my best gal pals. It wasn't easy to squeeze everything I wanted to do in around the other things I had to do, but I did it. Looking at the vision board I made as part of the 30 Day Fitness Challenge (details here) gave me inspiration.

As the weeks start to pass and mileage continues to increase, I'll be making recovery part of my daily routine. One easy way to do that is wearing the compression sleeves I received from Pro Compression to try out as part of a Sweat Pink Ambassador campaign.

Day 7 Challenge: Make a Vision Board

Sunday:
3 mile run after church and grocery shopping. It was humid, my legs felt heavy, and my sports bra felt too tight! Not a great start to week 2 training. Day 7 fitness challenge (323 calories)

Monday:
5 mile run and I was out the door before 6:20 AM…the earliest I've ever gotten out the door on my own. Worth it. Much better run than Sunday. Day 8 fitness challenge followed by a little recovery in my compression sleeves (check them out here) (538 calories)

Ready for my next workout!

Afternoon SurfSet class with oldestC…it was a #sweatfest! But awesome, of course! I'm pretty sure that I recruited another urban surfer (421 calories)

Tuesday: 
Officially my rest day for the week, but I did Day 9 fitness challenge, and walked on the treadmill for 3 miles while using my treadmill desk to do some homework at the same time! (191 calories)

Wednesday:
5K run to the beach and back as part of my training and a virtual 5K a friend was hosting as part of a fundraiser. Humidity was higher plus the hills on the route had me worried, but then I ended up with negative splits! Day 10 fitness challenge (338 calories)

SurfnTurf class. I'm beginning to like this class more and more. The half surf, half bootcamp style is a fun way to mix up my cross training (414 calories)

Thursday:
A night of storms that ended with the power going out at 330 AM did not alleviate the humidity for my 6 AM out-and-back run. At least not as much as I thought it would. It was a struggle all the way back to the driveway, but nothing a little recovery on the couch with a good book couldn't take care of. Day 11 fitness challenge (680 calories)

No more sore muscles!

Total calories burned this week: 2905 

What I like about Pro Compression:

• Made in the USA!
• Calf sleeves support important muscles but I can also wear my favorite flip flops :)
• The material is thinner and offers moisture control
• They make calf sleeves and socks
• SOCK OF THE MONTH offered at a discount
• True Graduated Compression technology (graduated compression decreases from the bottom to top, with a pressure profile that must be 100% at the ankle (b), 70% at the calf (c) and 40% at the thigh (g). This helps promote blood flow from the lower extremities back to the heart)

If you're looking for no hassle compression sleeves or have been wanting to try them, use code PINK to get 40% off your entire purchase at Pro Compression.


Use my ZOOMA Discount Code for 10% off registration:
CCAMB2

Training Truths: ZOOMA Cape Cod Training Kick-Off

A few weeks later than I probably should have,  I officially started training for the ZOOMA half marathon in September. I'm using my Nike running app Coach option for my training plan. Since I haven't been racking up the miles lately I chose the beginner plan. Week 1 was manageable and I used the 13 miles as my Summer Run Challenge goal.

Monday
5 mile run in very soupy conditions. This run was tough and it felt pretty awful the whole time, but then the numbers weren't that bad. (559 calories)

A sweaty mid-morning session of SurfSet. Ladders on the floor are a red-flag for intense exercises ahead. (446 calories)

Tuesday
Good thing I did my cross-training on Monday, because I followed that with an afternoon trip to the doctor where I received another cortisone shot for the torn meniscus and it came with two days rest.  I walked 30 minutes on the treadmill and did the 30-day challenge daily exercises.

Wednesday
I bumped up my runs because we had to head out of town for a funeral on Thursday. Instead of resting another day, I did my 3 miles. It was pouring rain and a day early following my cortisone shot, so I stayed inside on the treadmill. I warmed up with 2 rounds of the day 3 exercises and was excited to see how many fat calories I burned with that quick little workout. (33 + 268 = 301 calories)

Thursday
5 mile training run before 630 AM! It was a comfortably cool run and I focused on taking it slow and easy to try to get in the habit of LSD (long slow distance) runs. (523 calories)

Finally made it back to Booty Barre. I wish I could take this class more often because I think it would be really good for my hips. (394 calories)

Friday
Rest day

Saturday
A fun morning workout at SurfSet with mrC! Back home I caught up on the daily exercises for the 30 day challenge - but did not wear my HRM this time. (444 calories)

Total calories burned this week: 2223


My ZOOMA Cape Cod half marathon training kick-off week was a success. Week 2 starts today and I am really hoping to stay on track with my mileage.

Use my ZOOMA Discount Code for 10% off registration:
CCAMB2

Training Truths: Vacation Benefits for an Injured Runner

Before going on vacation at the beginning of the month, my torn meniscus was feeling yucky again, so I booked a doctor's appointment for today to see what my best options are at this point.

Being in steamy hot Texas and busy with family and friends in Ohio forced me to take more rest days than I probably would have, but it did a world of good. My normal reaction to an extended amount of non-running is PANIC! I hate missing workouts, even when I'm hurting. Anyway, while my knee is being a little cranky, I have been able to workout. My Summer Run Challenge goal was 6 miles, and I ran 7 miles!

Tuesday: 2 mile run in Cincinnati. After my last run left my knee feeling painful and swollen, it was a relief to go pain-free on this little run. (236 calories)

Friday: 5 mile group run. It was my first time meeting up with some ladies from Greater Manchester MRTT. We met at Brown-Mitchell Park in Manchester and then ran up and down, up and down, up and down…hills. The miles and the hills flew by thanks to the conversation and the weather was perfect. (610 calories)

Saturday: I was so happy to be back at SurfSet and Ashley led us through a super fast paced workout. The only part of the workout that bothered my knee a little was the mountain climbers.  (446 calories)

Total calories burned during workouts this week: 1292




How do you react to unexpected rest days?

Training Truths: Multi-city Workouts

Before leaving for a multi-stop 9 day trip last Wednesday, I tried to get in as many workouts as I could. My knee wasn't too happy about that and I left NH without doing my last run. Our first stop in steamy Texas for middleCs BMT graduation was way too hot to run, not that my knee was ready anyway. After a couple of rest days and swimming, I went for a short run during our visit in Ohio.

Monday - 5 mile run with mrC to kickoff the Summer Run Challenge and then SurfSet class. (548 + 355 = 903 calories burned)

Tuesday - SurfnTurf at 6 AM!!! (because I had to watch the US World Cup game at 4 and the other class is at 430) and 2 mile run downtown. Two workouts before 7:30 AM!! (369 + 232 = 601)

Tuesday - After a week of no running, I enjoyed a cool, but humid, 2 mile run at my mom's favorite park. She walked the dog while we ran. I'm happy to say that my knee did ok during and after this run. (236 calories burned)

Hopefully the extra rest days are just what my knee needed and I can get back to training for ZOOMA Cape Cod in September.

Training Truths: Burning Calories

One thing I love about being a teacher is the flexibility I get during summer vacation. During the school year, my workouts are after school and I skip fitness classes during the week because my evenings are booked with family time and sporting events.

My stepdaughter has been home from college for over a month now and doing a 6 week summer fitness challenge. When she got her first check-in measurement results back, I was inspired to start whittling away some of the comfy pounds I put on this spring.

Last week I jumped into my new summer workout plan and I put my fitness gadgets to work tracking my calories burned. I strapped on my Polar FT40 heart rate monitor and got busy. Even though I take a lot of photos of my watches, I've never really thought about the data beyond that one workout.

Monday - 4 mile run. I was supposed to go to SurfSet, but class was cancelled because the AC was broken. (417 calories burned)

Tuesday -  Morning stretching and leg work. Went to Yoga (wildcard) class, but the instructor was stuck in traffic so instead we did a Strength class. (185 calories burned)

Wednesday - Started the day with a humid 4 mile run. It wasn't good. Loved my lunchtime Surf-n-Turf workout at TI Fitness. (853 calories burned)

Thursday - I took my morning workout to Strength In Balance NH for a Booty Barre class. There are three main parts to Booty Barre: killer arms, brutal legs, and lethal abs. It sounds deadly, but it's an awesome workout! The battery in my Polar died about 10 minutes into class, so I will have to wait until next time to see how many calories I burn doing this full body workout. (351 based on my last class)

Friday - 6 mile long run with mrC to start the day. (654 calories burned)

Saturday - 50 minute SurfSet class. There were a couple of new people in the class, so I think the instructor went a little easy on us. It was ok with me because my legs were tired from the week (357 calories burned - 28% fat!)

Sunday - Spent a rest day hanging out at the beach and taking a few walks.

My total calories burned for last week: 2817

I can't wait to see how I do this week! (although vacation will get in the way a little)

Do you track your calories burned during your workouts?

Training Truths: It's Summer!

Wow! Did you feel that heat arrive? This week started with an abrupt reminder that summer is officially descending upon us. I don't mind getting sweaty, in fact I kind of like it, but running in the high temperatures has always been a challenge for me.

This year, I'm trying to not get hung up on the slower paces as my body adjusts to the warmer weather. So, as I continued to run outside during this last week of school, I tried to embrace the activity and not worry about the data!

Monday - 30 minute walk at lunch, side lunge jumps, two Tabata ab workouts (see here & here).

Tuesday - A seriously steamy run after school with a co-worker and hanging knee-ups.

Wednesday - Busy, busy day! Morning planks then work, dinner, and graduation.

Thursday - MrC was home from three weeks of ground school, so I took the day off from running.

Friday - Driveway workouts after my last day of school: step-up knee-ups, lunge jumps, and abs.

Saturday - 4 mile run downtown on the Manchester Trail before SurfSet. I learned my lesson the last time I almost melted running after class. The weather was also on my side this time with a sunny but cooler than usual morning. It was a beautiful start to summer! Can we have more days like this?

Sunday - a little yoga and a World Cup Workout. I really didn't need this to keep my heart rate up; what an exciting USAvPOR game!

Planks - 1 minute everyday!!

How did you ring in the official start to summer?

Training Truths: Driveway Workouts

A lot of people I know go to the gym to workout. Maybe it's because I spend all my time cooped up in a classroom all day, but I love to do my workouts outside. The neighbors probably think I'm wackado for jumping around in the driveway, so sometimes I recruit family members to join me.

Even though I don't let the seasons deter me from doing outdoor workouts, I do get outside more frequently now that it's warmer. This week only the rain kept me inside.

Monday -  30 minute walk, side lunge jumps and ab ninja workout

Tuesday - 3 mile run (fueled with Vega Sport SFE) with negative splits (9:15, 8:58, 8:56), side lunge jumps, and side plank lifts.

Wednesday - The rain chased me inside today - 30 minute walk, side lunge jumps, side plank lifts, jump rope(less) side to sides and ab ninja workout.

Thursday - 5K run (in my new Wave Paradox!!) and glider oblique pikes (ugh!). Fueled my run again with Vega Sport SFE and was even speedier than Tuesday (9:08, 8:58, 8:34)!

Friday - much needed rest day with a little vino!

Saturday - Ran two awesome 5Ks: one on the way to the Kickoff to Summer 5K where I met up with littleC. Both 5Ks were speedier than I expected (#1 8:50, 8:39, 8:15 and #2 8:56, 9:47, 8:38), so I'm beginning to think the Vega Sport SFE is working even more than I originally thought. After the race, lateral slide burpees in the driveway.

Sunday - Side lunge jumps, in & out squats, yoga stretching

Everyday - #PlankStreak - 1 minute every day!


Where is your favorite place to workout?

Training Truths: 4 Ways to Stay Motivated

Last week mrC left for ground school and will be gone for three weeks. One of the hardest parts about having him gone is facing run days and still getting myself out the door...alone.

Tuesday - Beyond the fact that mrC wasn't around, there were lots of reasons I was tempted to put off this run: questionable weather, busy day at work, hunger...but I changed into running clothes and that helped get me out the door. Even though my legs felt heavy, I'm happy with my run and excited that my fast last mile streak continued one more run! (9:24, 9:09, 9:15, 8:55)

Thursday - Considered putting this run off until Friday until I saw the weather forecast. Running on a gorgeous day is far better than in a downpour, even if I was tired. While my legs were not happy with the hills, my final speedy mile streak continued! (9:18, 9:02, 9:27, 9:00). I felt so good after that I even did some planks (it's been awhile).

Saturday - After a fitful night's sleep, I woke up feeling sluggish. Worried I would be struggling at SurfSet, I drank some VEGA Sport Sugar-Free Energizer to help boost my energy for a better performance. It was just what I needed for an awesome workout.

Saturday - I cannot resist a run on the beautifully paved Manchester Trail, so even though I was running low on energy after SurfSet, I knew that the scenery of the trail would perk me up. Despite a major blunder when I paused my watch at a light and forgot to restart it, I was happy with my pace - even if my last mile wasn't super speedy this time (9:23, 9:23, 9:25, 9:11, 10:49, 9:37).

What quirky tricks do you use to keep yourself motivated?

Training Truths: Back On My Feet

By now, you have probably heard about Mizuno's new campaign to get people running and support the Back On My Feet program at the same time. If not, here are the basics: Download the Mizuno Baton App and use it on your runs. For every mile that you run during a one week window, Mizuno will donate $1 to Back On Your Feet.

Now every run means even more.

Tuesday - Beautiful 4 mile trail run after school. Managed my pace better and finished with a 8:56 final mile.

Thursday - With questionable weather looming, I opted to do my 4 mile run from home instead of school. It turned out that I beat the rain and finished with another awesome final mile at 8:41! Then I hung out with the boys.

Saturday - My first workout of the day was SurfSet where we really worked our upper body. Now I'll know what's in store when the instructor says to grab two sets of weights.

(note: I am whimpy, so my weights are very light!)

The weather on Saturday was again questionable, so instead of running downtown after SurfSet, I came home. Hoping for better weather on Sunday for a long run, I chose to do a virtual 5K and used a tempo mix from RockMyRun. It wasn't a good tempo run, but I had another awesome last mile (9:22, 9:44, 8:47).

Sunday - No surprise that I woke up a little stiff from Saturday's SurfSet, but to loosen up I did a 10 minute ab workout (from Comcast on-demand, who knew?) and then loved on my foam roller. After selecting the Run Chat Fan Mix by RockMyRun as my pace music, I set out for a six miler that turned out way better than I expected. I'm happy with my overall pace, but even happier with my splits because for once I'm not all over the place. Mile 4 was a continuous climb that started with a steep 150' gain over about 350 yards. And of course I love that my last mile was once again my fastest.

Do you dedicate your runs?

Training Truths: Running with a Hottie

Last week I was completely spoiled by the fact that I got to do all of my runs and a race with mrC. People often tell me that they wish their husband/wife would run with them and how lucky I am. It is definitely fun to run with mrC and I'm grateful he is a runner.

Tuesday - We hit the trail by my school for a quick 3 mile run before littleC's tennis match. The day before was really warm, so it was nice to have mild temps for this one. We weren't ready for warm runs yet.

Thursday - We tried to escape the heat on this 4 mile trail run, but instead it was a sweatfest. We did ok for the first two miles, but after the turnaround, we both struggled. Big difference from Tuesday's run!

Saturday - Disco Fever 10K with mrC. The morning started off rainy, but by the race start the clouds were moving out and making room for plenty of sunshine. I walked with mrC when he needed to until the last mile, when I just wanted to finish. Our pace was pretty good, slowing when we reached the steep hill at the turn around, but I feel really good about my final mile! 9:19, 9:36, 9:44, 10:21, 9:52, 849.

Do you run with a hottie or wish you did?

Weekend Workouts

First let me say that I have been faithfully completing a daily yoga for runners routine along with the FitFluential Namaste in May #FFYoga challenge. My goal is to limber up these tight muscles that I think are the root of my aches and pains.

It felt good to get back to SurfSet Saturday. After two weeks away, I got my butt kicked and it felt awesome!

Normally we run after class, but mrC got in late from his trip and needed to nap. We stopped at the grocery (because it's on the way home) and after putting everything away, I jumped on the treadmill to test my legs. Even though everything felt ok, I kept it to a short two miles.

I spent some time getting things ready for Ragnar and checking my own packing list more than once! My team is one of the Ragnar teams being sponsored by ShowerPill and Katherine shared that a box of goodies arrived.

Photo from Katherine

How was your weekend? 

Training Truths: It's a Struggle

The struggle with my crunchy knee problems continued last week. It's been a daily roller coaster of not knowing what my knee will feel like when I wake up.

Monday - This is a regular REST day for me, so I did some planks for the FitFluential #FFAprilAbs challenge and that's about it.

Tuesday - As soon as I woke up I knew something was wrong. My knee felt "puffy" and my crunchy was back to being painful with more intense popping. I called the doctor and he scheduled a MRI to get a better look. After school, I took some ibuprofen and iced.

Wednesday - Much improved knee conditions...almost like Tuesday never happened! Just crunchy, but no pain. Planks.

Thursday - My knee was still feeling good, so I went for a run. No problems during the 3.4 miles with mrC or when I played with the dog after.

Friday - Another REST day

Saturday - Planks. SurfSet, and 3 mile run downtown before heading to my MRI. Ironically my knee was SILENT most of the day. It felt weird to write crunchy knee on the in-take form when my knee wasn't being crunchy. More confusion...

Sunday - Headed to the trail for 8 miles with mrC. It was chilly when we left, so I changed into my Athleta capris (you can't tell in the picture, but they are actually BRIGHT coral!). About 1.5 miles in, the sun came out and I quickly regretted my decision. Thank goodness I wore a racerback. Other than that annoyance, it was a quiet and pain free knee day. Still confused...

Yes, I AM wearing pants ;)

This was my last long run for awhile. Although I've been helping mrC train for the Newport 10 Miler, I'm having surgery to remove some skin cancer and won't be able to run per doctor's orders. Ironically, that is how I would normally deal with the stress of having surgery.

How do you deal with struggles/stress when you can't run or exercise?

Training Truths: The Cortisone Fix

Since February I have been trying to figure out what the heck is wrong with my knee! After a knee cap adjustment, the pain went away but it has remained CRUNCHY.

Last week I finally heard the answer...patellofemoral arthritis. I knew this day was coming, after-all I have had two major knee surgeries. I just thought it would come later, much later.

Fortunately, the treatment plan seems to be working and I have been able to run and do almost all of my workouts pain free.

Monday - strength for runners workout

Tuesday - Visited the sports medicine doctor and learned through a series of X-rays that the crunchies in my knee are caused by patellofemoral arthritis. First step in the treatment plan was a ultrasound guided cortisone shot followed by 48 hours of rest.

Wednesday - Joined the FitFluential April plank challenge. Have you heard about the new plank form? According to this post on PopSugar, it seems that planking with your palms up will engage the core better and improve posture.

Thursday - My knee was feeling ok and with the beautiful spring weather tempting me, I laced up for an easy 5K to beach and back. My first post-cortisone run felt good. Still clicking & clacking, but better movement probably because the cortisone attacked the inflammation inside. Post-run planking with my buddy.

Friday - planks

Saturday - Planks before SurfSet class - where we did a ton more on the boards! For the third week in a row we stayed downtown to do our long run. It did not warm up as much as I hoped, but 50 minutes of sweating through urban surfing was an excellent warmup and the sun did eventually come out to warm our legs. Other than some uncomfortable downhills, my knee remained happy through both of these workouts.

Sunday - Planks and then I met up with Katherine for a morning Booty Barre class. It was much more crowded than the last time I was there (January) and in a new (somewhat) smaller space, but it was still a killer workout...seriously, it is really hard! I like this class because it's a good mix of old moves that you recognize and new moves that keep you interested. It's also awesome that there is a class on Sunday mornings!

Did you find any ANSWERS last week?