Tag Archives: running injuries

Waiving the White Flag

I’m sitting here on my couch, hamstrings wrapped tightly with ice packs, watching TV. This is what I’ve done all weekend when I wasn’t at a meeting or my friend Abbey’s baby shower.

No running. No biking. No Yoga. No nothing. Even standing at work for more than 10-15 minutes at a time hurts. I surrender. I’m waiving the white flag. I’m going to do whatever I need to do to make this injury get better. So far, that has been a lot of this:

IMG_2192

I’m getting depressed. I feel helpless, incapable, and broken. I’m not looking for a bunch of sympathy, I am just venting because I am really frustrated. It’s so easy to take health for granted. To take something as simple as running, or being able to run, for granted. It’s kinda crazy how you realize all of the functions your hamstrings serve when they are broken! Even driving hurts. Pointing the toe for an extended period of time (on the worse of the two legs of course) eventually causes pain.

My only hope now to stay in shape is swimming. Once I start feeling a little bit less pain, I want to try it out. I haven’t been able to get myself motivated to do it yet. I will soon, though, and when I do I’ll let you know how it went Smile.

On a happier note, Ms. Tater had her teeth cleaned and a couple of suspicious bumps removed from her neck on Friday. She is doing great! Her puppy breath has gone from stinky back to puppy breath, and I couldn’t be happier! Dr. Iverson will be letting me know what the bumps turned out to be and if she got everything when she removed them (if they turned out to be something bad, that is.) I’ll keep ya’ll posted on that, as well. Look how stinkin’ cute my baby is!!

IMG_2276

This is her thinking if she hides under the chair, maybe she’ll be safe!

IMG_2282

This is her right after surgery. She was just a little stoned, that’s all!

IMG_2285

IMG_2289

I don’t have a whole lot else to write about, since I spent most of my weekend in bed or on the couch. Devin and I watched Safe Haven, and it was good! Poor guy had to suffer through a chic flick, and no complaints! What a good guy Smile.

Now I am going to watch the season finale of Revenge. Word on the street (a.k.a. Facebook) is that it leaves quite the good cliffhanger. I hope everyone has a great week!

‘Til next time….

Happy Trails!

Stacey

Rest of the week randomness

All in all, I had a great week! After I got home Tuesday, I went by Pomegranate Café and got their Wild West Tacos. They are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!

IMG_2129

Ali apparently thinks so, too….she got a couple of pieces of sweet potato. She loves sp’s! Whenever I cut them up to make fries, I always give her the small pieces on the end. She eats them raw! Glad they’re good for her!

Then I took like a 5 hour nap because I got like zero sleep the night before, and I was exhausted.

Later that evening, I decided to try my luck at finding spaghetti squash again. I called Safeway for shits and giggles, and they had just gotten some in that morning!! Woo hoo! Spaghetti squash boats for dinner it is!!

IMG_2132

Never in my life have I been so excited over a vegetable. Compared to the typical human being, I don’t really even like vegetables. I don’t like cucumbers, celery, brussel sprouts, or raw tomatoes that aren’t chopped small like you chop food for a toddler. I only like green beans from a can, and I don’t like raw broccoli, cauliflower or carrots (only steamed.) I know, I know….at least I eat them, though!

IMG_2138

Thunderous, yes it was.

Currently, it hurts to walk. I have to get up from sitting to standing with my weight evenly distributed between both feet, and even yoga poses where you have to balance on one leg hurt. Yet, look what I want to do!!

IMG_2140

Look at this elevation profile!!! When I get healthy, I am going to PR here!!

IMG_2150

Right now, my injury is really humbling me. I switched my avenue of healing to Dr. Ackerson by recommendation of my coach, who happens to have recovered from the same injury as me. Did I tell you guys that my hamstring issue is ischial tendonosis with degenerative tendinopathy (In both legs)? According to Sports Injury Clinic.net, here is the definition:

Hamstring Origin Tendonitis

Hamstring tendinitis is inflammation of the hamstring tendon as it attaches to the Ischial Tuberosity at the top of the back of the thigh.

Symptoms of Hamstring Tendonitis

  • Pain and tenderness at the ischial tuberosity.
  • Pain when stretching the hamstring muscles.
  • Pain when bending the knee against resistance.
  • A gradual onset of pain following a sprinting session.


What is Hamstring Tendonitis / Tendinopathy?

Hamstring tendinitis is inflammation of the hamstring tendon as it attaches to the Ischial Tuberosity at the top of the back of the thigh. It can follow a tear of the hamstring tendon which is poorly treated or more often is an overuse injury.


 

 
  • Biceps femoris muscle - the largest of the three hamstrings

So I am completely sidelined from running right now. I agreed to take 4 weeks off from running completely, and only to do workouts that don’t aggravate my injury. Even strength training on the hammy aggravates it right now. I did some on Wednesday, and since then, it has hurt to walk. I may be taking even longer than 4 weeks off. We’ll have to see. I just know that I am kind of depressed right now that everything I do hurts, and I need this to heal. Completely. There is a Zero Gravity type of treadmill thing I found out about in my neighborhood that I am thinking about trying if it doesn’t hurt. I just have to get in some form of exercise, and I am still trying to convince myself to try swimming.

Anyway, on a happier note, I finally got a new trash can/ Kleenex box holder for my car! It was $15 at the car wash and worth every penny. Look!

IMG_2147

Yes, I finally got my car washed. It IS indeed black, and not brown, lol! While I was at it, I enjoyed one of these:

IMG_2146

and I got some of these for the car:

IMG_2142

I discovered a really good new healthy snack! Tara actually let me try one of these crackers at Ragnar, and I finally found them at AJ’s!

IMG_2164

I got the hummus at Sprouts, and with the Almond crackers, it is perfect!

I also cooked some great healthy stuff this week. I am going to blog about one of the recipes soon. Here’s a sneak preview:

IMG_2169

Right now, though, I need to be doing this:

IMG_2161

I have an early day tomorrow, so I’m hittin’ the sack. I hope everyone, including myself, kicks Monday in the face!!

‘Til next time….

Happy Trails!

Stacey

Kentucky Derby Festival Mini-Marathon Recap

I got up at the crack of dawn (middle of the night Phoenix time) this morning to run 13.1 in my hometown!

 photo null_zps31985405.jpg

Here was the finish line being put up this morning

 photo null_zpse27be6a7.jpg

(source: KDF Facebook page)

 photo null_zpsc2076448.jpg

Starting line potties!

 photo null_zps4ed5a549.jpg

 photo null_zps1e3af12a.jpg

This was my tribute to Boston this race Smile

 photo null_zpsd4043bb5.jpg

These ladies had awesome shirts that they had made for their Boston tribute!

 photo null_zps055f409d.jpg

(source: KDF Facebook page)

 photo null_zpsdae5bc16.jpg

(source: KDF Facebook page)

 photo null_zps1f15a3ce.jpg

Corral C where I started

 photo null_zpse02e508c.jpg

 photo null_zps6f8203ef.jpg

Lots of spectators at the starting line! Great way to get pumped up!

 photo null_zps001a4119.jpg

My picture of the starting line. May not look like it, but it was perfect weather for a race!

 photo null_zps0386d0f3.jpg

We got to run down Main St past the Yum Center!! (Where U of L BBall plays!)

 photo 2BFB6AA8-DBFB-4F18-AA90-3C6AF72490FE-1087-0000005CCE3A11EF_zpsa0e61d21.jpg

This girl’s sign said she “is getting hitched on Derby Day!” How cute!!

 photo null_zpsd715736b.jpg

There’s the girl running with the American flag-too cool!!

 photo null_zpsf5abceb1.jpg

I liked his shirt Smile

 photo null_zps40e2c800.jpg

Mile 3!!!

 photo null_zpsc79c9bb4.jpg

Running through Old Louisville was beautiful!! So much green, I loved it!

 photo null_zps3e565138.jpg

 photo null_zps4330907c.jpg

 photo null_zps2677d8c2.jpg

 photo null_zps64d35c9a.jpg

 photo null_zps41c2310b.jpg

 photo null_zps103a5e41.jpg

 photo null_zps6126d1d7.jpg

Heading into Churchill Downs through the tunnel

 photo null_zpsfd3ac90c.jpg

 photo null_zpsd5fbccce.jpg

The World Famous Twin Spires!!

 photo null_zpscb6593b0.jpg

The grandstands

 photo null_zpsc8679e56.jpg

Horses running on the track practicing for the Derby!!

 photo null_zpsf7f9488b.jpg

 photo null_zpsbd6e794c.jpg

The split off of the marathon and the mini marathon-I’ve never been so glad in my life to take a left!!!

 photo null_zpsaf46b6ff.jpg

 photo null_zps7aef4c9d.jpg

Kevin Ware’s cardboard cutout was hanging out on the side of the road!

That was the last picture I took during the race because it was at around mile 10, and it was time to focus and dig deep.

The race was in general really great! I enjoyed it so much and plan to continue making it a yearly event! Hopefully making 26.2 miles happen next year!

My hamstring behaved for the most part the whole time. I was told by Devin that he would kick my ass if I looked at my Garmin during the race! He was concerned that I would push myself too hard if I kept looking at my pace. That’s what happened during PF Changs. I did look at my Garmin, but I didn’t let it dictate my pace. I tried to adjust it based on how my hamstrings were feeling. I was able to keep it around a 10 minute mile the entire time! I purposely pulled back several times because I started to notice that my right hamstring didn’t like me very much. It helped! I struggled once I got to around miles 9-10, because I started feeling the fact that I hadn’t run more than 4 miles at a time for like 2 months! I was able to pick up my pace once I hit mile 12. I held it at around 9:30-9:40 until I rounded the corner to the finish line, then I finished really strong. My pace on my Garmin when I crossed the finish line was a 7:41.

 photo null_zpse37b9051.jpg

It didn’t hurt then, but I am pretty sore now. It felt so good, though! After the race, I got my mylar (thought they only gave those out at fulls!?) and my medal, and found Mom and Dad.

 photo null_zps94f575e1.jpg

Before I found Mom and Dad, though, I saw a cutie that I just had to get a picture of! His name is Rafa! What an adorable Corgi! I took this pic to send to a special someone-you know who you are Winking smile

 photo null_zpsf5e872c2.jpg

Nice braids, Stace’!

 photo null_zpse949b4aa.jpg

Love the Riverfront! Planning on a nice recovery run there tomorrow.

 photo null_zpsd098078f.jpg

How cute are they!! Front and back of their Team Stacey shirts they made!

Great job on the color and the design Mel! Great idea guys, I loved them!

I’m going to end with my new favorite race picture, taken by my sister:

 photo null_zpsbae667bc.jpg

This shows how truly happy I was to have my amazing family there today to support me. I have never had family at a race before, and it felt so awesome and made me SO happy!! It just felt right today. Running in my hometown with my family there to support me, and actually pulling off a 2:19:30 to boot!! Wow what a day!

Now, I’m sore and my body hurts, so I am going to bed. It was all worth it, though. Hopefully, the next race recap I do will be a PR and I will be nursed back to health finally!

Thanks so much to my Mom and Dad and Mel and Johnnie for coming and cheering for me! Best race ever!! I love you all!!

Happy Trails!

Stacey

The Mind is a Powerful Thing

I finally got a decent run in last night after being nervous all weekend to run on this damn hamstring. I went out for an 8 mile long run, and ended up finishing 5. I did run on a hilly route, though, and I’m not in the best running shape ever. It was rough! Getting back into shape and coming off of/still nursing an injury together is not fun. It felt great to get more miles under my belt than I have in awhile, though.

I seriously sulked during the afternoon yesterday until I just sucked it up and went out and ran. It is amazing what the mind will do to you. I was almost depressed because it feels like I have been injured forever! I know things could be worse, but this is the slowest injury to heal. One little overuse episode will set you back half of the time you have already spend trying to heal. I’ve realized that running is a part of me now. When I can’t do it, I feel like I don’t have control over my fitness and health. It sounds dramatic, but when you find something you love that has done so much for you, losing it (even temporarily) is tough!

I had a good talk with Coach Susan today about what is going on, and she encouraged me to continue being patient. She’s been where I am and completely understands where I am coming from. Believe it or not, a month ago, I wanted to try and PR at the KY Derby Half. Today, I intelligently decided that wasn’t a realistic goal for me at this point. I will be lucky just to run it and not completely crumble. I do know, though, that I am perfectly capable of running a decent half marathon even if I don’t PR. The key is to have a plan, and to listen to my coach. It should be an amazing time getting to run in my hometown among old and new friends alike. The race goes through Churchill Downs! I can’t wait!

Tonight, I got in a decent strength workout, which is way more than I can usually say for the night between two 12 hour shifts at work. Here’s what I did:

2X

10 bicep curls (8lb dumbbells)

10 push-ups (8lb dumbbells)

10 hammer curls (8lb dumbbells)

10 chest flys (8lb dumbbells)

20 tricep dips

10 forward shoulder raises (5lb dumbbells)

10 lateral shoulder raises (5lb dumbbells)

Then, (1X) 25 sit-ups, and 15 squats, 15 dead lifts, and 20 kettle bell swings with 15lb kettle bell.

I miss going to yoga! I was starting to really notice a change in my upper body strength. I haven’t been since I re-tweaked the injury, so I’ve been a little bit apprehensive about it. The key is to slow down even more when I’m tired so I don’t go off balance and get sloppy like I did in that last class. I have a three day weekend coming up, so I plan on hitting the mat again for sure!

Anyway, I am tired and heading off to bed. I am not spell checking this because I am tired, so my apologies in advance for grammar and/or spelling errors. Happy Thursday (“Friday” for me!!!) and I’ll talk to you all very soon Smile

Happy Trails!

Stacey

@#!*&#!^$

I ran 2 miles on the treadmill tonight.

IMG_1490

(my gym has a thigh master, lol!!)

I know, right? Not a treadmill fan, but thought it would be less impact on my injury. I was wrong. I had a goal of 3-4 miles, but had to stop at 2. I am SO #$^&#@ sick of being injured!! I am going to need to take up swimming or something so I don’t go insane! I love to swim, don’t get me wrong. I’m a good swimmer, too, but really am not a fan of swimming for exercise! I would rather be in my bikini cooling off from the sun or frolicking in the water, lol! Maybe I will just suck it up and give it a try sometime.

I finally did some juicing today for the rest of the week and the weekend. I have been wanting to, but just haven’t honestly felt like going to the trouble. I made a fruity juice and a green juice. Here’s the green one:

IMG_1488

It has kale, spinach, parsley, apple, orange, blood orange, and carrot.

IMG_1493

IMG_1489

Here’s the fruity one. It has apple, orange, blood orange, carrot, strawberry, blueberry, beet and fresh ginger.

I am also baking zucchini chips right now. I saw them on Pinterest. You thinly slice zucchinis, and place them on a baking sheet. Spray EVOO on them and sprinkle them with salt and pepper, then bake for 2-2.5 hours at 225 degrees until they are crispy. I’ll let you know how they turn out!

IMG_1487

Another thing I made tonight is a Blueberry Banana Baked Oatmeal:

IMG_1502

This is another Pinterest find. I will do a post on the recipe for this one. It turned out excellent! I can’t wait for breakfast tomorrow!

For dinner tonight, I had a Portobello Chicken Artichoke pasta. I used quinoa spaghetti for it. It turned out great!! I’ll post this recipe, as well.

IMG_1500

Do you guys ever look at DogShaming.com? I could play on there for hours and not stop laughing! Here’s a nice example:

IMG_1484

What a little shit, huh? No pun intended haha! Ali’s not too bad in the dog fart department….thank God! They’re stinky, but they dissipate quickly.  Our pups are so cute, though, that who cares, right? Smile

I am a tired chica, so I am going to bed. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday! Stay tuned for recipes coming soon!!

Happy Trails!

Stacey

 

Happy Trails Again

I got back to the trails yesterday after at least a year of not doing them. I remember now why I used to love to hike so much! I ran about 6.5 miles through South Mountain. Of course there were parts that I had to just hike because they were so steep. I probably ran about 80% of it. I gained about 959 feet in elevation, so my quads and calves were really feeling it today! Here’s a picture from my car of the trail I ran. It was a beautiful afternoon!!

IMG_1392

Here is a map I doodled on showing the trails I ran. I took Javelina to Mormon Loop to National, back to Mormon Loop and back down Javelina.

South MountainMap

Today after PT, I did hot yoga at Sumits Yoga in Chandler. It was way hotter than I was used to, and very intense because of that. I felt my hamstring complain down the back of my leg during one of the poses. I was hoping it was just a little aggravation, but after my run tonight, I’m really not sure. I am going to take the next two work days to rest it and ice/heat it to hopefully rest it enough for my long run this weekend. Hamstring injuries are SO frustrating because any little aggravation could potentially put you back to where you were weeks ago. Back to yoga-it was a great class!! I have 9 more, and can’t wait to do it again! I just have to be conscious of the poses that push my hamstrings the wrong way.

I have a stack of printed recipes that I need to go through so I can continue to broaden my variety of meals I make for myself, and so I can post more recipes on here! The salads I have been making are really good, but they are getting old. My friend Kat put medium rare steak slices, dried cranberries, and quinoa on the salad she made for me, so I might get some flank steak this weekend and try that.

Do any of you do Pinterest? Do you find that you pin all sorts of awesome stuff, and never go back and look through it? I need to go through my Pinterest recipes, as well. You should find me and follow me! I’ll follow you, too.

Anyway, that’s what’s up with me today. Sorry I didn’t take more pics on my trail run! I was working so hard with the hills and trying not to eat dirt and fall on my face that pictures were the last thing on my mind! I promise to take more next time Smile.

I only have 24 hours of work in two days between me and my weekend! I hope you all have a great rest of your week!!

Happy Trails!

Stacey

Cr-AZ-y Weather

I woke up this morning, and it was raining and cold outside. I also had a headache, so my morning plans were scrapped. I went to Sole Sports to pick up out shirts for Ragnar and brought them to Jen who is doing the printing for us. I can’t wait to show you guys the shirts! They are going to be SO awesome!

I planned on going to CrossFit again tonight, but my hamstring is really tender from running on it the other night. I seriously only ran a half-mile. I am pretty nervous for how this weekend is going to go. I just decided to give my body another rest day since that’s what it was telling me it needed.

Instead of CrossFit, I got FroYo and shopped at a cute little clothing boutique I discovered here in Ahwatukee.

I got two really cute new dresses that I look forward to showing you soon. The lady next door at the alterations place is altering one of them because it was too long. She is awesome! If you ever need a quick alteration, she’s your lady! Thank God I wasn’t up north, because this is what it apparently looked like today on the 101 in Scottsdale!! I can only imagine what kind of insane road stupidity this caused considering what sprinkles of rain do to people out here! SMH…..

After I finished there, I came home, ate dinner, and packed for Ragnar. I will try and blog a little bit about the packing and necessities tomorrow. I am exhausted and want to get to bed early so I can have a productive day tomorrow. Hopefully no headaches for this one again!!

Have a great night and I hope you have a great day tomorrow!

Happy Trails!

Stacey

Off On A Government Holiday? Seriously?

Yes kids, I am off today. Is it because I have the kind of awesome job that lets their people off on President’s Day? No….it’s because I have the kind of awesome job that gives me vacation days and lets me take them Smile. I had plans for this weekend, but they didn’t end up happening….so here I am with a four day weekend. I just did yoga three days in a row, and I intend to make it four! I really want to go hiking, too. It has been SO long since I’ve hit the trails. I think part of what scares me is that I always end up trail running parts of every hike, and I am not running right now. It would be really tempting to lightly jog on the flat part of Telegraph Pass, but it may aggravate my hammy before Ragnar-which by the way is in 5 days!!!

Team Dessert had one final meeting yesterday to discuss our plan of attack, and I’m starting to get really pumped up about it! I went out to Sole Sports and Walmart to get some stuff to prepare:

IMG_0891

Cooler, tarp to lay on, and a sleeping bag. They didn’t have purple…Sad smile.

IMG_0889

Ali says she wants to go, too, so she can be our mascot and lay on my cool new sleeping bag. She tends to steal warm things from me, such as blankets. Every soft, warm new blanket I get, she steals. The nerve….

IMG_0892

Here are my vest and headlamp (it’s pink!!). There are very strict safety regulations for this race since it goes on 24/7 and half of the legs of the race are run in the dark. You also need a flashing L.E.D. light, which I already own. It appears that my second leg is going to be around 3 or 4 in the morning, so these items will be a necessity.

One of my favorite stories about Ragnar comes from a blogger whose blog I read regularly. She ran Ragnar from Miami to Key West last year, and had the surprise of her life at the finish line! It’s Meghann from Meals and Miles!

Her recap is a three part series:

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Seriously read these if you haven’t already.I just read them again, and it’s the best story!

Believe In the Run has great recap called What is the Ragnar. There’s a really great video on there that you should watch, as well.

That’s it for today! Have a great Monday!

Happy Trails,

Stacey

I love Running

I did 22 minutes of intervals on my new bike trainer after I got home from work today.

IMG_0788

This is about how I feel about that. I will treasure running THIS MUCH more after I can run again. I just get so bored on the trainer. I don’t mind riding outside where there are beautiful things to see and places to go. I don’t even like running on the treadmill that much, but I think I would like even that better than this. I will never take a healthy body for granted again!

Now I am going to shower and relax tonight with my new candle burning. Have you guys ever smelled this candle from Target?

IMG_0785

IMG_0786

It is absolute heaven! Just one whiff of it and it relaxes me. See that thumbnail? These nails are one day old:

IMG_0787

See the chipping? Now you see why I always have the intention to paint my nails but never end up doing it. This is what always happens after one day. I put on two coats with an Essie topcoat. I am open for suggestions if anyone has a trick to get nail polish to stay on stubborn nails. I think I am just cursed with oily and slick nail beds….

Ok, so this post seems whiny. I am sorry about that. I am just going through life stuff and have no good outlet (running!!) and had to work all weekend. Eating chocolate might help for 5 minutes, but then I’d feel like a fatass and wish I could run even more. I’ll just stick to my salad and maybe some FroYo after I’m done with it. FroYo has nutritional benefits, did you know? I’ll take a picture of the poster at Yoasis for you and post it next time so you can feel better about yourself when you eat it like I do Winking smile. I make the best run-on sentences.

How was your Saturday?

How do you decompress from stress that is not related to exercise (or drinking alcohol, lol!)?

Favorite kind of salad? (healthy salad….no fried chicken, etc-cause that’d actually be yummy!!)

Happy Trails!

Stacey

Super Duper Healthy Pizza!

I had this amazing pizza at my friend Kat’s last night:

IMG_0772

This inspired me to make one of my own tonight for dinner!

I got the herbed pizza dough from Trader Joes and also got a pizza stone to bake on. I sprinkled some whole wheat flour on a clean counter, and rolled the dough out to about a 12” X 12” “square.” I sprinkled the stone with garlic salt, and then placed the dough on it.

I added pizza sauce, shredded chicken, artichoke hearts, black olives, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and fat free feta cheese. I also added fresh rosemary and some Italian seasoning.

IMG_0780

Then I baked it on the stone for 10 minutes at 450* and wa lah!

IMG_0781

I had three pieces….in other words, half of the pizza….I had to really convince myself not to feel guilty, because it is so healthy! It has so many veggies and some shredded rotisserie chicken-skin and fat removed. I am taking the other half to work tomorrow for lunch and part of dinner. This is my weekend to work, joy to the world.

I have made pizza on pre-baked crust before, but never on fresh dough like this. It was amazing!! The dough added such a nice flavor and cooked perfectly just the way I cooked it. I didn’t realize how easy this was to do! Now I have added another method to my arsenal. Smile Thanks Kat for your inspiration! Now I need to go to AJ’s and get this dressing you used, because it is incredible!

IMG_0771

I’m not sure what it is made with, but it is so good that it makes me want to eat a salad. That means it’s REALLY good. It’s not too bad on the calories and fat either if I remember correctly.

This whole not running thing is killing me. I did do hot yoga tonight, though, so that definitely helped. I didn’t ride my bike today….I am going to try and get up a half-an- hour early tomorrow and ride it while watching the news. Pray for me on this one for I am the worst person for getting up early on the face of the planet!

What are you doing this weekend?

Do you work weekends?

What do you like to do for cardio that isn’t running?

Happy Trails and a Happy Weekend to You!!

Stacey