Thursday, January 21, 2010

Tight Muscles

I wonder if some people are just more prone to tighter muscles than other. If this is true, than I am definitely one of them. I've never taken my warm-up/cool-downs or stretching seriously. I suppose I'm learning this the hard way.

I haven't ran since the disasterous long run on Saturday morning. I knew it was a simple case of "too much too soon." I'm airing on the side of cautioun and waiting to run until next weekend. This week has been full of my old friend, the bike. I don't mind it when it comes to a spin class, but when you're just on the stationary and counting the minutes, it can be even more hellish than the treadmill! I've also been getting back into weights and today finally stepped on the elliptical. I felt great, but still stopped myself at 20 minutes and hopped on the bike to finish up.

Not running is killing me, but running and getting hurt again tomorrow would be worse.

I'm trying to focus on what I CAN do to help my leg.

First up, and probably the best thing ever, the foam roller!






(By the way, that's not me). After using this bad boy for just a few minutes, my calves felt so loose and relaxed. A far cry from after yesterday's bike/weight workout where I felt as if I had rocks in my legs.

Second, I'm icing at night. It makes me feel like I'm actually doing something productive while watching my favorite bad boy on TV. On a side note, 24 rocks this season!





Third, thanks to a coworker of mine, I bought this soothing, anti-inflammatory gel which is supposed to work wonders. Even the gentleman who helped me find it at Whole Foods raved about it.



I've found myself gazing longfully at other runners, wondering how they're doing it. I'm jealous. I want to be out there too. Patience is a virtue I have NEVER possessed. I'm trying real hard.

I'm considering an endurance bike ride on a stationary this weekend. I realize that won't help my running endurance, but it might help my mental sanity and make me feel in the game. I also want to make sure I don't do more damage by crosstraining. I hear water running is excellent for injuries, but I don't have a nifty aqua belt. Anyone want to lend me there's???

4 comments:

  1. Hi Heather,

    I just stumbled on to your blog when you mentioned your calf injury on another comments section. I am also registered for Boston 2010 and struggling with calf aggravations. I've had something wrong with my calf since Christmas, and I think I'm saying goodbye to Boston this year. I have no base mileage, and it's 11 weeks until the race:( I hope your injury heals quickly. I bought a Zensah compression sleeve for calf strains, and it actually feels pretty good. It's worth the $19.99 if you want a bit of a safety net when you resume running.

    and usually pools have aqua belts for members to use. I find water running to aggravate calf strains, though, so be careful. Biking seems to be the best exercise for me right now, along with regular 'ole lap swimming. Oh well, I'll be triathlon ready come summer!

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  2. Thanks so much for the recommendation. I will definitely check that out! I'm waiting until this weekend to give running a try, but only for a mini run. I'm hoping the pain stays away and I've given it enough time to heal, however I still have a lot of tightness in the muscle and feel doubtful. What a bummer!

    Did you have a number for the race? Are you committed to raising money for charity still? I'd send you an email but your blog profile is blocked.

    Thanks again!

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  3. oh, I'm not running for charity but qualified based on my time. I can defer my qualifying time until next year, but I'm also hoping to put in another good race in the fall. we'll see.

    I'm headed to an orthopod this morning. I suspect something more serious than a calf strain in both my legs.

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  4. Best of luck!! Since you can defer, it's probably a good idea. Then you can really enjoy and focus more on the training next year instead of playing catch-up now. I wish I could do the same.

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