Here we are a few days into April, so it’s time to look back on the month of March and check in on 2015 goals!
You can read my other monthly recaps so far here:
-As you may know I have been in physical therapy since early February. I stopped running in early March when I started to feel worse, and ended up taking about 3 weeks off.
-I no longer have a mileage goal for the year. If I was running consistently all year I may have reached that number but at this point I know I won’t be running alot of miles this year, and that’s ok.
-I am still focusing on getting “stronger and healthier” by working on figuring out what was causing pain and tightness and finding ways to address those issues and preventing them from happening again.
-I have kept up with planking- although I still haven’t been good about keeping track of it. Without running, I haven’t been using my training journal at all, so I have just been keeping track of my workouts as I share them on the blog.
-I read 1 book this month! (The Violets Of March) I am already getting started on another for April (Running Strong– recommended by Salt). It’s become a habit to go into bed a little earlier and read for a bit instead of spending that time on the computer.
-I’ve still be keeping up with variety in my workouts in whatever way I can. This month I was really focused on trying to figure out if any types of workouts made my issues worse. Long story short- I don’t really think so. Nothing feels great when my body isn’t working properly, but nothing caused pain either. I found that in general I felt worse when I wasn’t exercising because I was spending more time sitting and not getting my blood flowing at all.
-I added swimming and pool running to my routine this month!
March 2015 Stats and Highlights
Total Miles: 16. That’s what happens when you take off 3 weeks!
Best Run: Getting to run 1 mile outside (even though I felt like I was gonna die). It was wonderful to be outside in the sunshine and of course, to be running!
Favorite non-running activity: I guess I will go with swimming. I certainly don’t love it, but it’s a good workout and I do think I have made some progress with it. Still working on figuring out how to breathe!
Most popular blog posts:
1. What I Ate Monday (It Wasn’t All That Pretty)
3. Trying New Things And The Recipe For Success
4. Things I’ll Miss About Living Here
5. Grown-Up Weekends Aren’t Much Fun
6. I Didn’t Feel Like Myself Last Week
7. This Weekend Was Fueled By Starbucks
9. Thinking About Spring And Other Random Stuff
10. More Snow, Winter Breaks, and Race Decisions
Biggest accomplishment: Finally starting to figure out what was causing my body to fall apart, and getting on track to put myself back together!
Set-backs and struggles: I definitely had a huge set-back in the beginning of the month when I felt like I was getting worse. Even when I stopped running I felt like I was getting worse. It was definitely disheartening as I felt like I was doing everything I should be doing and could not understand why that was happening.
Things I’m Looking Forward To In April: A break from school, and a few days off from work, moving into our new house, my niece being born, and a quick trip to NY for a bridal shower and engagement party! It’s gonna be a busy month!
What was the best part of March for you?
What are you looking forward to in April?
I am looking forward to hopefully warmer weather or at least, no more snow!
Agreed!!
Yay! All good things happening in April!! 🙂 I love when I have a month like that! 🙂
I think you’re doing great with swimming..it’s hard to do an activity that you don’t like, but you’re really making a great effort!
Thanks! I am hoping to get to a point where its a part of my routine and doesn’t feel so hard. I think its always going to feel annoying to go to the specific gyms with pools and have to wear a bathing suit! Running clothes are so much more comfortable!
Looking forward to ditching the gloves and winter gear finally. For not running 3 weeks that mile was actually quite fast! Hope it’s all uphill from here for you, I have a good feeling about it 🙂
I actually have no idea if me GPS was correct…I didm look at the map and I know alot of times after I don’t use my watch for a while it goes a bit crazy…there was also a nice downhill in there:)
You have a LOT going on this month. I’m sorry that the running isn’t where you want it to, but I think you have a great attitude about it, despite it being frustrating and that is the one thing that will carry you through this!! Hope you have a wonderful weekend Lisa!
Thank you! Hope you have a great weekend too!
April is going to be a wonderful month for you – so exciting!! Enjoy your break from work!
In April I’m looking forward to two half marathons and finishing up clinic work for the semester!
Sounds like a fun month for you as well!
Sounds like you’re going to have a great April! Lots to look forward to! We actually don’t have a ton on our calendar this month which is really nice for a change. Looking forward to hopefully getting some work done in our back yard and fun local events.
I love when I have months that I know will be quieter. Traveling and doing stuff can be fun but its nice to just relax at home too!
YAY reading! I hope you love the book. 🙂
I’m right there with you on the keeping active thing. I took a rest day yesterday and actually feel worse today after NOT moving yesterday. Ugh. I just wish neither of us had to deal with any kind of pain at all.
I think April is going to be spectacular for you and you are my inspiration for trying my hand at swimming. If I stick with it, maybe I’ll like it. Right?
That’s what I keep telling myself about swimming! It hasn’t happened yet:) But its definitely a great cross training activity for so many injuries.
Wow, sounds like April is a busy month for you! I’m looking forward to a trip to San Francisco, and finishing my dissertation!!! I’m also looking forward to Easter chocolate this weekend… 🙂
What an exciting month for you!! I would love to go back to San Francisco at some point!
And Easter chocolate…yummm!
I’m looking forward to warmer weather in April as well! Keep at it and you’ll be back to normal in no time…and enjoy NY! It’s awesome in the spring.
I am also excited for warmer weather! I hope the weather cooperates when I am in NY:)
It always seems to me like whenever something feels iffy or sore, that if I don’t run on it then it gets worse. SO weird. I feel really bad for you that you’re still dealing with this hip issue. I hope it becomes less intrusive in a hot hurry so you can get back to logging those miles in the Spring sunshine!
That’s really weird! I just feel like when you sit around it can easily make you feel worse- mentally and physically.
I hope to be back out there for good soon!
Sigh. Sometimes even the best laid plans fall apart. You’re doing so great focusing on answers and doing what you CAN do. So glad you gave pool running a try and are enjoying swimming!
Thanks! It’s definitely been a good thing to have cross training options, even if they were so scary to me at first!
You have a busy month ahead!! Can’t wait to see more about your new house 🙂
Thanks! I think it will be one of those months that flies by.
April is going to be such a fun and exciting month for you! My April has my spring half marathon, apartment searching, and visiting friends before we move!
Fun stuff for you too! I can’t wait to hear how your half goes!
Awesome that swimming is getting better, and I think buying a house is a pretty big accomplishment too! So cool. March and April are both just about slowly building up my fitness as far as running goes. In real life, I’m looking forward to wedding stuff for my little bro and a good friend in April!
As we talked about on your blog we are definitely approaching wedding season! And this seems like the perfect time to build up running fitness.
Wow, for not having run in 3 weeks, your pace was GREAT!! I think you are going to have an awesome April! I am most looking forward to the Boston Marathon and then having a designer at our house on the 28th to start working on the inside of our house!
Oh wow that sounds like so much fun! I would love to have a designer take care of everything in our house..I have no idea what Im doing:)
Wow you do have a lot to look forward to in April! I hope you continue to see improvements in your body as well – I feel like you’ve gone through enough already. I don’t have a mileage goal for this year either. While it would be wonderful to run 2000 miles, I’m content trying to stay healthier and not pushing myself past the breaking point just to reach some arbitrary number.
Have a great weekend!
Exactly! I set that goal when I thought I would be running 30-50 miles per week regularly anyway….it was just fun to try to get to a certain number. But at this point there are way more important things to worry about rather than yearly miles.
I’m with you on giving up mileage goals for the year – staying healthy and strong is way more important. March was not my greatest month either but I am excited to be finally back to normal. And in April I get to go and watch the Boston marathon and explore New England for a week!
Yep at this point I know there is no reason to work towards a certain mileage for the year. It would have been fun if I was healthy all year, but things have changed alot!
Yay, it sounds like you have so much awesomeness happening in April! I bet you’re excited to move into your new house! April is kind of that mid-month for me- I love it because the weather is getting nicer, and it’s right before May which is going to be a CRAZY busy month for us. I’m excited to Easter this weekend, possible race next weekend (short- 5k with the kids or 10k with just myself lol), then husband’s bday, then huge garage sale…just a lot of good things 🙂
Sounds like you have a busy spring too! All fun stuff though!
This time off and the work you’re doing to get better will pay off in the long run! I know it’s hard, but I’m impressed with your patience and commitment. April will be a really exciting month!!! And busy 🙂
Thanks! I know you are right…it can be hard to see it when you are started at the beginning but i know its all for the best!
My heart goes out to you, Lisa. The only thing you can do is keep being smart and focus on getting healthy and strong. It’s more than okay if your goals had to shift for this year if that means more years of running healthy. You have so many things to look forward to in April! I look forward to hearing all about them 🙂
Thanks Hailey! I definitely agree that its ok to shift goals. When I set those goals I obviously was intoning to be running healthy all year. I knew going into the year that things had the potential to change, so I am definitely ok with focusing on getting/staying healthy instead!