Training Truths: What the #TFL?

Another week has gone by and I'm still dealing with my hip mess. At the start of last week I thought I was making progress, but another painful two mile run told me it was time to see the professional.

Monday - I did my Tabata ab workouts and felt ok.

Tuesday - I went for a 2 mile run with the high school run club. It was bad. It was worse after. I actually went from the run to another massage appointment. She really worked on my legs, hips, and glutes, but my hip still hurt. A lot.

Wednesday - I woke up knowing that there was no way I could run with my Manchester City Marathon Relay Team on Sunday. Even if I were to try the shortest leg (instead of my 9 miler) it was going to be bad. So I made the call for a replacement. I wore my compression shorts under my work clothes. The snug fit helped ease the pain.

Friday - I was able to see Dr. Bri. He said the problem was my TFL.

What the TFL?

TFL stands for Tensor Fascia Latae.

Mine is not happy.

Turns out my (notorious) sartorius is not so scandalous after all. Dr. Bri was able to determine this because my pain is located on the side of my hip bone and not the front. (um ok, yea, whatever…how do we fix it???)

Although the TFL doesn't have a primary function, it does assist with hip flexion, abduction, and stabilization. When running it is active during the pick-up of the foot as well as the strike of the foot.

Dr. Bri suspects I'm suffering from the perfect storm of under active glutes, a weak left quad (thanks torn meniscus), and some over-pronating that is causing a strain on the right TFL at the insertion point on my hip bone. He performed some Graston (it was too painful to do Active Release) and then applied an electric cortisone patch.

The cortisone patch uses iontophoresis to deliver the medicine through the skin directly to the target area. Dr. Bri put the patch on my hip and then charged the little battery on top of it. This was a little uncomfortable because it felt like pins and needles, but it only lasted for a few minutes. I wore the patch for a couple hours and my hip felt better than it had in days.

So even though it feels like my injuries are taking me on an anatomy class journey, I am determined to overcome yet another injury and get strong again.

Since I didn't run this weekend, tell me what you did!

Dirty Little Secrets + {WIN Detergent Giveaway}

Disclosure: I received product from WIN Detergent to review through my relationship as a Sweat Pink Ambassador. All opinions are my own.

We all know that workout clothing is an investment. I have always taken special care of my gear because I want it to last as long as possible. For example, I do not put workout gear made with moisture-wicking fabrics in the dryer. I let them hang dry right along side my work wear.

Dirty little secret #1: I don't let mrC touch my laundry…not even to fold it.

Fitness wear that is made with moisture-wicking fabrics is meant to keep us dry during a sweaty workout. Popular fabrics like nylon, lycra, and polyester do well to keep the sweat away from our bodies, but the synthetic material can foster bacteria growth which increases the stink factor. PEW!

Dirty little secret #2: I sweat. A LOT. (see below)

I have been using a popular brand of detergent (an impulse buy at the grocery) that uses a fabric freshener and although it works, the scent can be a little overpowering and much the same as the back of my car after spraying away the dog smell. Needless to say, once I had a basket full of dirty workout clothes, I couldn't wait to try out the WIN detergent.

Dirty little secret #3: Sometimes my sweaty clothes sit for nearly a week before I get to the laundry.

I like that the bottle comes with a cap that doubles as the measuring cup and it only took two capfuls to do a full load of laundry.  However, the cap can't be used to close the bottle after the first use and must be rinsed. Not a big deal, but an added step that takes time.

My clothes came out smelling fresh without an overwhelming fragrance like the popular brand and no hint of a pesky left-over sweaty odor. My workout gear smelled good and clean. I like that. And, I like the original formula over the WIN GREEN fragrance free formula.

Most of us like to feel like we are getting as much bang for our buck as possible. The price $10.95 for a 32 oz bottle of WIN detergent from Amazon versus $5.99 for 40 oz of the popular brand at my local grocery is tough to ignore. However, WIN is made in the USA and has created a coupon for $1 off your order using code WINGIVE1. Also, if you have Amazon Prime, 2 day shipping is free.

Dirty little secret #4: I'm a frugal shopper, but I will spend a little more on products if I feel like they are worth it.

Ever tried WIN detergent? You can enter the giveaway for a chance to add some to your laundry shelf. Enter using the Rafflecopter below.

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What's your dirty little fitness secret?

Training Truths: Packages of Happiness

I wanted so badly for the 13 days I took off from running to fix my hip/sartorius muscle problem. I had a sports massage, active release therapy, and a chiropractic adjustment. I tried to not think about the message waiting for me on my running watch.

As I waited for the non-running days to pass, I focused on what I could do: basic sit-ups/crunches. Nothing fancy or intense. After the first 7 days, I finally felt safe to take a walk.

Then the rain descend upon New Hampshire and didn't let up for days. As much as I dislike rainy weather, it made it easier to resist pushing my body too soon. Instead of lacing up my running shoes with the Run Club, I enjoyed littleCs damp soccer game and an indoor strength workout.

The frustration of not running was mitigated slightly during the week when I received little packages of happiness:

First, ZOOMA notified me that I had been chosen to be a 2015 Cape Cod Ambassador again!

Then, Mizuno satisfied my running shoe obsession by sending me another new pair of shoes!

I've been having shoe envy, but then today #Mizuno sent me these!! Thanks @mizunorunning, you're awesome! #WaveRider18 #IfEverybodyRan

A photo posted by AmyC (@runningescapades) on Oct 10, 2014 at 2:17pm PDT

Thursday's strength workout with Run Club left me feeling stronger. Strong enough to approach the weekend like I used to.

Friday - another strength workout, but at home. I did a couple of rounds of my favorite Tabata workouts in the basement.

Saturday - After a month away from SurfSet, mrC and I struggled through the morning session. There were brief moments when I felt a little tug in my hip, but really I just felt the loss of every single one of the 520 calories I burned during class. Afterward I happily pushed "OK" on my watch and then we took our new Mizunos on a 2 mile trail run. During the run, my hip felt a little tight, but better than I expected. 

That's right, mrC is now wearing Wave Rider 18s too!

Sunday - I woke up and immediately felt the workouts from Saturday. My calves, quads, and abs were sore from SurfSet, but my hip was sore from the run. I spent the day in compression pants, icing off and on.

The week ahead will be day-to-day with hopes that my second sports massage on Tuesday will be another package of happiness for my hip!

What was your last package of happiness?

My Notorious Sartorius

After a painful finish of the Newport half marathon, I had a sports massage and learned that the tenderness in my hip was actually caused by an issue with the longest muscle in my body.

Ironically, one week ago I had never heard of the sartorius muscle (apologies to my high school A&P teacher).

My problems no doubt started in August when I had a knot in my calf…right around the insertion area of the tibia. Running on it probably put a strain on the entire muscle resulting in my hip pain.

At the recommendation of my therapist, I took the week off. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be because until getting some active release therapy on Thursday, even walking was painful. 

So I spent much of the week icing, rolling, and taking it easy. Finally yesterday it felt like I could go for a low-impact walk without worrying that I was hampering the healing process.

me and my buddy

After breakfast, mrC and I took the dog for a walk on the local trail. Despite the sun there was a chill in the air, but my Athleta be free tights kept my legs comfortably warm. I'm eager to wear these on a run.

The walk also gave me another chance to lace up the GOrun 3s sent to me by Skechers. There is still time for you to pick out your own breast cancer awareness gear from the Skechers Performance Division (here) and support the American Cancer Society.

This week I will be taking more time off to let my muscles heal and hopefully be able to run the CHaD Hero 5K with my Team Nuun teammates on Sunday.

What is YOUR "notorious sartorius"?

How To Test A Runner:

Host a half marathon (my favorite distance) in Newport (my favorite place) over Columbus Day weekend (my anniversary), add a running spouse (mrC) and and injury.

That's me, and this was my test.

mrC picks one half marathon to do with me each year and for 2014 it was the Newport Half Marathon. After hitting my highest monthly mileage in August, I have been dealing with one small injury after another. Just days before this race, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to finish 13.1 miles with him.

After taking an easy week of training, we eased down to Newport on Friday night. Saturday the weather was yucky, so we drove the course. We don't do this often, but since we run the Newport 10 Miler in the spring, we wanted to compare the courses.

On race morning, getting to the starting line required using a shuttle bus from an off-site parking lot and a lot of patience. 5000 runners plus spectators trying to make their way to the starting line at the same time in Newport means one thing: traffic. But is also means spectacular sunrise views.

The shuttles were quick transporting us the mile or so to the start. At the venue, we found dozens of port-a-potties, locker rentals,  gear check and Oiselle Flockmates! Even though it was a cold morning, we had plenty of time to stretch and eat the bananas we brought along. My last half marathon was a fueling failure, so in addition to having a PB and jelly rice cake, I've been forcing down bananas.

me and Rachel

Let the test begin: The biggest hill of the race is in the first half mile (the best place for it if you ask me). mrC and I ran up this hill in February when we ran the Newport Night Run 5K. At the top of the hill, the course flattened out for the next three miles as we made our way to Fort Adams where we began following the 10 Miler course. It was around this time that I knew my hip was going to be questionable.

Around mile 6 we turned onto Ocean Ave and started taking in the amazing views. The first aid station with energy gels had run out and I started stressing that my fuel plan to take gels every chance was about to fall apart.

Miles 7-10 are a series of rolling hills leading to the turn onto Bellevue Avenue where the course opens up to the mansions. Other than my achey hip, I was feeling good. The aid stations after mile 6.5 had energy gels, so my fueling plan was back on track. The temperature had warmed up enough for me to pull my arm warmers down and I was glad that I hadn't over-dressed.

This race is one of the few with a downhill finish and starting at about mile 11, I was focused on getting there. My hip was getting more painful with every step and I thought the downhill would bring me some relief. However, when we turned onto America's Cup Boulevard and started the decline, my hip started to feel worse.

Somehow, I made it across the finish line. After accepting my medal, I entered the medical tent to grab an ice pack for my hip and then went to the food tent to see what goodies they had for us.

We spent a little time on the beach, soaking up the October sun before walking over to the shuttles for a ride back to the parking area. Pain aside, I loved this race. Newport always delivers a great race-cation and I would definitely go back with mrC to do this one again.

Once we were back home in NH, I hung up my Newport Half Marathon medal and thought to myself, I passed the test.

It's almost a week later, and I'm still dealing with pain in my hip, which is actually my sartorius muscle. I won't be running again until I can do it pain-free.