How do you start blogging again after almost a month off? It feels so strange, like where do I begin? I figured I would at least check in today and do sort of a “catching up” post to share some updates. Even though I don’t think I’ll be back to posting as often as I was before, I wanted to check in and get back into the routine of blogging!
Workouts
I haven’t been running, but I’ve still be getting in my workouts. If you recall when I left off in mid-July I had just joined a gym. My thoughts on that deserve a completely separate post. I’ve been going to the gym 2-3 days per week and mostly using the elliptical.
I did spend some time in the pool, but it’s really shallow and not ideal for pool running. I’ve been able to make it work (sort of). Also, if I go to the gym and just swim then I tend to skip out on core work, mobility, etc. Honestly, I find both the elliptical and pool running boring but at least on the elliptical I can watch TV and use my phone.
I continued my strength training program with Drew and Tina beyond the 6 weeks that I had initially done as a “beta tester”. This seems like the perfect set up for me right now. I can do my strength training at home, but still get so much support from Drew. This strength training program also deserves its own post, if I ever get around to it!
On days where I don’t want to go to the gym but want to do cardio I’ve either been riding my indoor spin bike or walking. My gym is about 15-20 minutes from where I live, but right across the street from where I work. It’s hard to justify driving there on the weekends unless I’m heading into the office for a few hours. So the spin bike has worked out well for weekend workouts.
Injury Update
I’ve been about 5 weeks now since I’ve stopped running. I got a call last week that my orthotics were in, but I haven’t picked them up yet. Part of me just isn’t quite ready to start running again yet, mostly out of fear I think. Therefore, I just wasn’t motivated to deal with the orthotics, but I plan to pick them up this week so I can get used to them before I start running again.
Overall, I can’t really tell if the time off has helped my foot/ankle at all. Initially it was feeling great (at the end of July) and I was anxious to start planning my comeback. Then, there was a day during the first week in August where I was sitting in a meeting for about 30 minutes, and when I stood up to walk out my ankle had completely tightened up. When I talked to Drew about it I described it as feeling like the joint was restricted, like I couldn’t move it through its full range of motion. He pointed me towards some ankle mobilizations and recommended to try to move it around as much as possible in all directions. After a day or two it improved and I’ve been more mindful about mobilizing it regularly.
I’m thinking once I have the orthotics, IF they feel ok, I’ll start walking more in them, then transition to run/walk intervals on the treadmill. I think that makes more sense than running outside because I will be less tempted to overdo it. I’m hoping to start that process in a week or so, if everything is feeling ok.
I also talked to a colleague at a conference a few weeks ago who recently had ankle surgery, and she was able to recommend a local orthopedist who specializes in foot and ankle injuries. If I continue to have issues I’ll make an appointment to get another opinion.
Life
This summer has continued to be so busy and time is really flying by. Work is busy and stressful but I can’t complain because I really like it. It just makes it hard to do much of anything else. I think things will slow down a bit in a month or so.
We had my sister’s bridal shower at the end of July, and lots of family/friends visited for that. Now we are gearing up for her bachelorette weekend in September!
And, it’s finally vacation time! Rob and I are heading to Charleston from Wednesday to Sunday this week. It’s our first real vacation with just the two of us since our honeymoon almost 5 years ago. Now I am feeling like we will need more than 5 days (because really Wednesday and Sunday are travel days) but it’s definitely better than nothing!
That being said, it will be hard to get back to a regular blogging schedule until after we get back. Hopefully by then I will be starting my return to running!
What’s new with you? What have I missed over the past month?!
If you have a gym membership, how often do you go?
What’s the longest you have taken off for an injury?
Have you gone on vacation this summer?
Hey Lisa! Glad you decided to do a catch up post. Last night Adam asked me, “how long has it been since you went to the gym?” I signed up for a membership a couple of weeks ago but I’ve only gone once. It’s been hard to wrap my head around just doing the elliptical but I think I need to get resigned to it. Like you mentioned at least we can use our phones to watch videos or something. I hope the orthotics help. Keep us updated on how it goes with them!
The elliptical feels like the closest thing to running right now! When Im on there I try to think about how the motion is really similar and it will hopefully help me to prepare for getting back to running.
Hey thanks for popping in with the updates! I don’t go to the gym a lot but I do like it as a back up. I hope you guys have fun on Vacation! We went to California in July for a week and it was awesome.
If my gym was a little cheaper I would feel ok just using it as a back up. I feel like as long as I go twice a week I can justify the cost. Im just not sure how long I will want to keep it up after Im eventually back to running!
I’m so sorry that this continues to plague you, but I”m glad that you are finding activity and fitness regardless and also just living life. I hope these orthotics help, and/or that the ortho can give you some answers. I can’t imagine how frustrated you are. You look beautiful at the bridal shower! I
Thank you! I am starting to feel optimistic about getting back to it, but definitely still nervous that all this time off didnt help!
Wow you’ve been super busy! I am glad to hear that you are enjoying your gym workouts and finding many ways to stay active through injury.
I hope that you enjoy your vacation this week!
Thanks! It definitely helps to get through time off of running by keeping busy and staying active.
Great to “see” you! Sorry to hear you’re not running but I totally get the fear to start again. I have to say I feel the same way about my recent tendon injury. What if I can’t return to running? Sigh. Half of the outdoor pool at my gym is deep enough for pool running. Once that closes after Labor Day the indoor pool is too shallow. Sigh. Hopefully I won’t need it by then. Charleston is a beautiful city. You and your hubby will have so much fun!
It’s very annoying that the gym pool is not deep. It wasn’t even something I considered when joining the gym! I guess I just assumed all gym pools had a deep end.
has it really been a month already since your last post? wow. this summer flew. I hope you have a great vacation and that when you get your orthotics things start to fall into place again.
The summer really is flying by! It definitely didnt feel like I month since I posted, but when I looked back it had been 4 weeks!
You know what your running injury kinda reminds me of? I remember after having my first baby (17 years ago… WHAAAAT?!?) I was super traumatized “down there” and scared out of my mind to ever have sex again. It was so hard to let down my guard, so my doctor suggested some wine first, which helped of course, but then, ya, I guess this doesn’t sound romantic at all but I just had to “get through” it for the first couple of times. It sounds terrible, and I hope people don’t go all women’s rights on me for saying this but I’m just being honest because at the end of the day, I really do like sex. So it’s not like I’m doing something that I hate–I’m doing it for the purpose of enjoying it later. How does this even relate to running? Well, once you get your orthotics, you’re going to feel scared, which is normal, and disappointed and frustrated, but maybe you just gotta plow through. If only you could drink wine first. 😉
If all else fails I may just have to try drinking wine before I run. Its the one thing I haven’t tried yet!
I really hope once you get your orthotics that you can ease into using them and the ankle issues can resolve once and for all! It’s nice you can remain so active; however! I don’t have a gym membership. I have a punch pass at our rec center for my swimming days and then I did invest in quite a bit of weight equipment for my gym (it was super pricey but totally worth it because then I can just come in from a run or bike ride and do my weights). Have a WONDERFUL trip! Would love a blog post about it 🙂
I love having a home gym, and Im still been lifting weights at home. Im hoping eventually I won’t need the gym membership anymore!
So far I’ve been making it to the gym 3 times a week. Once the weather becomes more predictable, and better running temps, that’ll decrease since I’ll be running outside. The gym is more my backup when the weather is good, and there’s that one-off bad weather day.
That works out well! Its nice to be able to run mostly outside and just use the gym as necessary.
Glad to read from you… I was wondering how your ankle was doing (as you remember, I had ankle problems a couple of weeks ago, too, but luckily they resolved themselves). I am glad you’re getting other exercise in, but I can relate to the feeling of being ‘scared’ to give running a try again… I do hope the orthotics will work for you.
I have a gym membership and I got about 3x per week. I love having access to different workout machines and classes and it’s perfect for me to work out in the early mornings before work (when it is still dark outside). My work also reimburses me for part of the gym fees, so it’s a no-brainer for me.
Im glad your ankle cleared up quickly! It was smart of you to rest it right away.
I am so sorry to hear that you are still struggling with this injury! I once didn’t run much for about six months or so due to an ankle injury, but then once the problem was fixed, it only ached here and there for a year (and I was able to run) and then went away completely. I hope the orthotics help! It’s so good to hear from you!
Thanks! Its good to know that eventually your ankle was able to feel completely better. I feel like the mobility stuff has helped so fingers crossed Im on the right track now.
Not gonna lie, girl. I missed your posts!! I’m sorry your ankle is still giving you hell. You must be so frustrated. You’re doing the right thing by staying active, though, so keep at it until you get more answers. Hopefully the orthotics will help. Hang in there. Have an awesome vaca!
Thanks so much! I really missed posting and reading blogs but I definitely needed the break. Im hoping when I get back from vacation Ill be completely refreshed and ready to get back to everything!
How exciting your sister’s bridal shower and then bachelorette party next month. Going anywhere fun? Hope you two have a great time in Charleston. One last trip before the summer winds down. This summer went too fast.
The summer really did go too fast! We will be in DC for her bachelorette. It will be nice to get away but Im glad we’re not going anywhere too far!
Have so much fun in Charleston – one of my fave cities. And I’d love to see a post about that strength training!
Im determined to actually take pictures while I am away and put together a post about the trip!
Ditto on the gym membership for me! Mine is a 15 min drive from home, but only 6 mins from work. It seems soooooo far to drive from home so I like to only go on my lunch hour. My current training plan has several days of cross training, so I’m going to need to get over there more! Walking around my neighborhood always seems like the easiest XT idea though. The eliptical would probably be a little more cardio for me, which wouldn’t be bad!
Have fun on vacation! We went to Mexico recently.
I should really do more walking, but I get bored so easily and just want to run! The elliptical seems like pretty good cross training and makes me feel (sort of) like Im running.
I remember feeling afraid to run again after my stress fracture a few years back. The great thing about running is that it will always be there for you when you are ready. Have you tried lap swimming instead of pool running? Might be a nice change of pace for you? Have a fantastic vacation nice to hear from you
Glad I found your blog – and glad you’re back! Hope you have a great time in Charleston, I love that city 🙂
I am currently dealing with a broken foot injury, and just got my boot off (I broke it about 7 weeks ago). I am slowly getting back into things but have been focusing on lower-impact workouts at the gym, like the bike and the elliptical.
And I am going to Spain in two weeks – woohoo!
I’m so sorry about your foot, but thats great that the boot is off! I hope you can get back to all your regular activities quickly. And have an amazing time on your trip to Spain!
Thanks so much, Lisa! <3
Long time no chatter!! Glad to see you again 😉 I’m late in finally getting around to reading this….sorry the ankle is STILL a bother. My knee (rather, the suture site by my knee) is my issue right now…although it’s healing, it feels so tight at times that I’m afraid to bend my knee. I know that’s all normal, but so frustrating it can’t heal over night, right? I”m doing tons of walking, and I’m gonna scale some of that back for fear I may be overdoing things. Thinking of you…hoping your ankle feels happy again 😉
Thank you! Its awesome how much fitness you are still getting in despite the knee still giving you some trouble. I hope its completely healed soon!
It’s nice to hear from you, I’ve definitely missed your posts. It looks like you’re getting in a great variety of workouts despite not running. I totally understand your fear of jumping back in. Walking with the new orthotics for a while and transitioning on the treadmill sounds like a smart move!
I hope you have a wonderful time in Charleston! I went around this time 2(?) years ago for my birthday with my boyfriend and it was amazing. The food and drinks are incredible!
Charleston was great- especially the food and drinks! And yes, its good to be back to blogging and I am hoping to be back to running soon!
Glad to see you back at it, but sorry that you haven’t been able to run. You know I had a rough time with my Big Sur training–I was off the road for most of that. I kept busy with my alternative activities though and once my foot calmed down, I was able to run again. You’ll get it figured out. Just keep moving.
Yes keeping moving is key! It’s really helped to stay active and makes the time without running pass a bit faster.