If I had to draw a picture of how my hamstring recovery is coming along, I would say that the scale is based on a ruler. Zero is where I started and 12” is full recovery. I am at about 3/4 of an inch right now. That doesn’t sound like a lot, and it’s really not, but considering I had only been getting worse for so long, I am grateful to see any improvement whatsoever!

I still hurts to stand or drive after so long, but not as quickly as it did two weeks ago. Instead of it hurting after 10-15 minutes, I can last 20-30 minutes now on a good day.

This whole healing process is a roller coaster of emotions and of improvement vs. plateau. Last Tuesday, I felt like I had improved to the point where I might be able to try the Elliptigo for 10-15 minutes for exercise. That night, I was experiencing pain again. Apparently, this is normal. It’s good to have someone like Nicole to tell me what is normal and what is not. It’s also good to have someone tell me yes or no, definitively, when I ask if I can try the Elliptigo or whatever I am thinking about trying!

If you guys don’t know what an Elliptigo is, here is a picture:

Coach Susan trained with it for the 2012 Olympic Trials when she had the same injury I have. She has offered to let me borrow one of hers when I am ready, and I am so excited!! It is basically a mobile elliptical that you can ride around town. It’s great for cross-training and for coming back from injuries, because it is very low impact. I am going to work on the whole walking without pain thing, though, before I get too excited .

So that’s where I am at. Very slow progress. I knew this was the case when I finally surrendered to my injury, and I just have to keep working on my patience and positivity. Thanks to everyone for their support and kind words of encouragement. It means the world to me, and helps me get through my days without going completely insane.

Have a great rest of your week! Stay cool and drink lots of water if you’re in AZ! It’ll be 111 on Friday .

Happy Trails!

Stacey