Let the challenges begin...

So I have been having a lot of fun recently in the Tribesport community http://tribesports.com/users/abigailh. and have completed a number of challenges. This has been great because although I feel I am making progress with the pilates sessions, walking (up to 13km now) and the physio on my ankle, I am still depressed about not being able to get back to running yet until both my ankle sprain is better as well as the disk injury in my lower back.

But last week saw the completion of a couple of challenges at least that seemed much easier when I signed up for them than while I was actually doing them :p

100 crunches a day for seven days
25 squats a day for seven days
Hold a 2 minute wall squat every day for seven days (thought it would be a doddle, was a killer!)
20 push ups 7 times over two weeks (nearly did me in on day one!)

With that I felt very pleased with myself, and while I concentrated on increasing my walking effort to 13km, I was so pleased I forgot to take any more challenges as I waited for a number of books to arrive (yes, even reading is a challenge - well, not literally ;)

So tomorrow begins round number two of challenges including holding the plank pose for 30 seconds, more crunches, push ups, sit ups and balances... I'm going to nail standing on 1 leg for 60 seconds with my eyes closed if it's the last thing I do :) Assuming of course I don't fall over while doing it and injure another part of my anatomy!

Meanwhile, it's off to bed to read more about Lisa Tamati. She's already my hero and she hasn't even started running seriously yet, let alone across Death Valley.

Join the Tribe

Last week I stumbled across a website called Tribesport. It was advertised down the right side of my Facebook page. Being in advertising myself and having created a few hundred Facebook ads in my time I often disregard the advertising... especially as the hot favourite targetting me seems to be about body fat at the moment. I am incensed!

But the Tribesport ad was funky and begged me to click on it. So I did and ended up at the most incredible website. It's a community for like-minded people wanting to be and get fit. There's a lot of hard core fitness people on there and where once that would have been intimidating for me I am finding it inspirational. Especially since everyone there is positive and encouraging.

So, I have now signed up for five challenges - the easier one's while I am still nursing injuries. But they're a start - beginning with squats, crunches and improved balance (which my physio will approve of!). I'll let you know how I go. Wish me luck!

Fashion is Pain

So last week my back and my ankle were pretty sore. The physio session started it off, which is not unusual. But the jeans finished them off. For most people the act of pulling on and off your pants is no big deal. But in my case it's hazardous to my health. Okay, it was about 20 pairs of jeans I was trying on. And they were skinny jeans. And I couldn't breath very well in them (let alone eat all night!). But damn it, that store dummy looked hot in them and I wanted to too!

Okay, lesson learnt. I'm not 20 any more. And the act of breathing is kinda essential to my fitness plan moving forward. Plus confessing to my physio the reason for my sore back was kind of embarrassing. I laughed. I'm not sure he thought it was as funny as I did.

So, anyone want a pair of skinny jeans? Really, don't be deterred by the breathing thing.

Just one more thing...

So last night it was mentioned again that I have a curve in my spine. Not from the side which is normal, but from the back. I knew about it but it keeps getting mentioned and came up recently in an MRI as well. But I don't know what to do about it, or even if it's worth worrying about. So I did the only sensible thing and Googled it. Of course. But after looking at numerous medical sites and reading pages of information about it I decided to stop as I was being advised that it could mean as little as nothing to extensive degenerative issues. Plus there are really gross pictures of pus and parasites on medical sites. So it was best I stop. And continue to ponder what this means.

So, with a slipped disk which is on the mend, I think. An ankle sprain, which isn't improving, and may involve another MRI. A dodgy curve in my back. And the inability to run anytime soon, my happiness levels have declined drastically. Even new running pants from Lululemon (awaiting my return to running) last week didn't improve my happiness levels.

There is only one thing for it... retail therapy at lunchtime!

A Bucket of Ice

So things should be on the up and up by now. Right? It's been eight months since my back injury which was recovering nicely. And I should be back on track. Until the overexcitement of my new computer caused a lack of concentration while lifting the mothership downstairs and the disk went again in January. An MRI confirmed compression of the nerve. And just because I have to be a bit different a bunch of Tarpov cysts were discovered on the nerve roots. Although apparently that's not causing the problem. It was just interesting that I had to show up something strange.

Then just as I was settling into a  morose mindset that this up and down disk injury would determine how I led the rest of my life (tentatively) my original physio suggested I see a different physio who could strengthen my core and back with one-on-one exercise sessions to help me recover.

Of course just as I was being tortured into someone who didn't have to spend the rest of my life bending gingerly and walking as exercise, I fell backwards down a set of stairs and tore my anterior tibiofibular ligament. So my back program has been set back (no pun intended) and I have spent the last three days with my ankle strapped in place and performing ice baths on my right ankle. And in order to get to ice on the affected area I've had to do that in a bucket.

So today as I was thinking what exciting things have I been up to that I could status update and I realised that my life has been reduced to simple physio exercises, slow walking and a green bucket. And 4 to 6 weeks recovery. There are many worse things in life than the inside of that big green bucket but I sure wish the road to recovery hadn't had so many obstacles of late.

I'm back (no pun intended)...

I got a Garmin Forerunner 610 for Christmas and I'm excited as a jar full of jumping beans!

It's been five months since my back injury and despite my couple of previous posts that seemed positive about my recovery I was far too optimistic. At each and every visit to the physio for two months she continued to shake her head at the mere hint of running and in the end I even stopped mentioning it. Until my last physio session. She always looks very pleased for me when I reach the last session after an injury, like I've just graduated or something. I guess I have. After months of core strengthening and increasing the difficulty of those exercises along with increased walking sessions until we were up to a brisk 8km, she finally said she could do no more for me and sent me out into the world with a recovery plan to start running again.

That was about 2 months ago. The plan goes like this...

During our usual 5-8km walk run for a short distance ie 20-50 metres.
Continue walking till the end.
Take a rest day.
If the injury area doesn't inflame or cause pain, rinse repeat.
If the injury area does inflame discontinue running until it is better.
Week 2 rinse repeat 1 through 4 and increase run period to 50-100 metres.
Rinse repeat until we're back on track with our usual run distance... and by that calculation this is going to take a while.

Except... the two runs I've tried have both resulted in several weeks of recovery time in between.
/sigh

So the run recovery program is on hold until Jan. During each and every walk I spend the entire time trying not to run. I feel good when I'm out and now I just have to train the injured area not to remember the run on the day I injured it and it doesn't need to spasm and protect my back every time I run anymore. That's easier said than done apparently but I'm hopeful this Jan is it.

I'm raring to go, and so it my Garmin!

Swim, walk, stablise

I have been banned from running. This has not put me in a happy place. And I am actually surprised how much I miss it. The ban is until my back is better and then there will be rules surrounding my return to running (like no hills). But I have to stay active. Fortunately this time it's not a full blown prolapsed disk but it's in the danger zone and discomfort/pain extends down my legs depending on what I've been doing all day. Sitting at my desk at work is the worst.

So this holiday is actually well timed. Although it interrupted our plans which was to run 5km every day we tried to remain positive after my JP also injured his back (yes, gardening like me!) and we decided instead to use the holiday to build our strength again and start with a stabilising and strength regime to rebuild.

The best thing has been that we have not been putting our backs under stress by sitting all day. And we have been walking, and doing our stretching and stabilising, and walking, and swimming. The swimming was nearly a no-show when the wind whipped up and I got in the pool up to my knees and started to seize up from the cold. However the fact that an old lady and her two toddler grandchildren were splashing around in the pool meant I couldn't chicken out. So in I got and did deep water running and laps. I even saved a ladybird from drowning.

We followed the swim with an interval session. My JP and my young adult nephews took off on a 5km run. Our teenage nephew taking the lead with a running stride I am quite envious of... but 20 year ago maybe I could have done the same. Well, in my imagination anyway. My bro and I took it easier - he's a cyclist so it new to this running caper - and we eased into the interval session for day 2. So far so good. Movement is the key after all.

And after day 2 my back, I say tentatively lest I jinx it, is doing well. And, here it is... I agreed with my bro that I would add that I slowed him down today. Tomorrow it's on.