What Not Running Looks Like
When I decided to stop running for a few weeks to let my foot completely heal, I knew it would be an adventure in patience. But sometimes, not running can simply be an adventure, including soaking in some extra time and new ways to move. It was far from a normal week of training, but last week was a special week. Here is a glimpse of what not running has looked like for me so far.
Not running means …
Taking in sights along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Hanging out with bears instead of runners at Grandfather Mountain.
Short hikes (2 miles or less) with Mr. rUnladylike in the North Carolina mountains.
More time on the elliptical machine and less time on the pavement. I’ve logged about 15 miles on this lovely machine during the past week.
More time to take awesome yoga and strength training classes through my ClassPass membership. I did 60 {assisted} pull-ups and one million bicep exercises at Bodyssey last week with Mr. rUnladylike … and my arms nearly fell off. I could barely raise them for three days. If you’re ever in Largo, Florida, you MUST try this gym. It’s hardcore and awesome. I also took a new 75-minute restorative yoga class on Friday morning where the instructor played the guitar at the end.
Sleeping later on Saturday mornings and going to early college football games with life-long friends instead of 5 a.m. long runs.
See, it’s not so bad, is it? My foot is doing pretty well. As I’ve shared before, I don’t have any pain while running, but the only way to fix it for good was to take an extended rest period. I’m doing PT exercises each day to strengthen my glutes (specifically my right one), which I’ll share more about in the coming weeks. I hope to start running on the anti-gravity treadmill in a week and plan to be back at it very soon. Until then, you can find me strength training, spinning, doing yoga and looking like a hamster on the elliptical on Instagram and Facebook. Happy running and cross training!
P.S. Congrats to Jeffrey L. for winning my SKINS compression recovery tights giveaway, and thanks to all of you who entered!
How did your week of training go last week? Please tell me about your epic, fall-weather runs so I can live vicariously through you!
Comments
I’ve been battling PF for about 2 months. I had been training for my first full marathon but had to switch back to the half. Now that race is done, I am taking a full month off running. I’d appreciate any tips for healing and future injury prevention when I try again for a full.
Hi Jen! I’m so very sorry to hear about your PF. I’ve been very lucky that mine is very minor, but I know how terribly so many runners suffer from it. Here are a few tips/posts to check out.
This article outlines what I have done and would recommend to help combat PF: http://www.runladylike.com/2015/09/07/how-to-treat-plantar-faciitis. I will be posting some strength exercises in the next two weeks that will help you treat and prevent PF as well.
You can see all my articles on injury prevention by going to my running and triathlon tip section here: http://www.runladylike.com/running-tips-triathlon-tips. Scroll down to the injury prevention category and you’ll find a lot on preventing injury.
I’d also strongly recommend the book Running Strong. It’s written by a sports medicine doc and endurance athlete Dr. Jordan Metzl. I really love it and he gives great advice. I reviewed it here: http://www.runladylike.com/2015/05/14/running-strong-review.
Best of luck as you get healthy and continue training! xoxo
Thanks!
Not bad at all!! I have also logged tons of miles on the elliptical so I feel your pain. I’m actually really looking forward to post-marathon training which will include a lot more yoga and weights! Too bad we can’t do those things together… 🙁
I know!!!! That would be so fun! Good luck with the last two weeks of training! You are going to rock NYC!
Oh no…not the glutes! (Why is it always the glutes!) Glad you’re having a nice time away from running and happy healing!
Best wishes for your recovery with the PF !! I ran a ten miler on Sunday at 7:57, which is the first time I did a training run that far under 8:00. Going for a new PR in the Indy Half Marathon in 2 1/2 weeks. Shooting for 1:45. It was the first time since early spring I did a long run with the temps below 50, and the run seemed easier as a result. One of my IT Bands had been acting up, but a bunch of side planks have been the cure. BTW, some very nice fall photography too.
Hi Mike! Your 10-miler is a great indication that you will likely crush your 1:45 goal. Nice job! Sorry to hear about the pesky IT. I find holding pigeon pose or double pigeon for 3-5 minutes and doing a lot of foam rolling can also help nip that in the bud quickly. Good luck, and let me know how the race goes!
I have a love/hate relationship with upper body workouts….I hate them because they’re hard…they’re hard because I don’t do them…but I feel like a BEAST afterwards. Blowing out your hair is always a challenge, haha!
Beautiful photos, I’m glad you’re finding ways to enjoy the fall weather!
Thanks for setting a great example of taking care of nagging issues 🙂 Looking forward to you being back to running, though!
I ran my first marathon – Hartford! – 10 days ago and have been cross-training (pool running & bike) ever since to hopefully give my PF a chance to heal. Iced my foot for a few days to reduce inflammation, then switched to heat to promote blood flow. I also wear a strassburg sock at night. I’m really hoping to be back to running in a week or so. It’s hard not to get discouraged when I hear about people battling PF for months or years! 🙁
it sounds like you’re making the best of the time off ! It’s a little easier when you don’t have a big goal race – pregnancy is the first time in 5 years that I haven’t had a goal race to work toward and it has made me appreciate fitness outside of running more! Running will always be my true love of course!
Love your positive attitude! I am building mileage following ankle surgery and I am a bit jealous of your warm Florida weather- it’s getting cold in the North East. Best wishes for a speedy recovery!
Hope you have recovered from your surgery Kelly! I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for you for strong running post-surgery 🙂 Do you want to switch weather? I’m a cold weather running junkie who lives in the hottest place 🙂 LOL Thankfully it has started to cool off a tad this week and has been really lovely. Now, if I could just get a tiny bit of snow. LOL xo
Those photos are beautiful! I especially like the ones of the cute bears. I’m getting back into easy runs and longer hikes after recovering and cross-training after the Portland Marathon and just enjoying being out in the fall weather. Plus, now that marathon training is done, it’s time to start lifting weights again. I’m pretty sure that class you took would completely make my arms fall off!
I took a week off of running for my calf, and I seriously had the best run this morning. Pain free!!!!!! I have not run pain free in over a year. Made my heart so happy when I got home and saw how fast I was. I still spin three times a week as well. I am glad you took the break to enjoy life.
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