So much to tell you!

Altra Running sneakers:

I’ll backtrack to a couple of weekends ago when Mr. SOTSS and I took a trip to Road Runner Sports so he could buy a new pair of running sneakers. I have been so curious about Altra Running brand sneakers with both their foot shaped toe box and zero drop. With my toe injury I’ve found that the more space my toes have the better it feels. I normally go for sneaker brands that run wider (Asics are my favorite) and sometimes buy a wide width because of my wide forefoot but these are created to be not just wider but also more closely aligned with how the foot is shaped. And with my string of injuries over the years I also was intrigued by the zero drop theory of a softer stride. So I bought a pair (I bought the Altra Escalante) and have been wearing them for walking only the last 2 weeks.

Escalante

Altra Running Escalante sneakers and a cute dog to enhance the photo 🙂

I LOVE THEM! I felt a little calf soreness the first day or two as my body adjusted but boy oh boy I love them so. I wear them almost daily now and can’t wait to try running in them. The only thing I hate is the laces. They just can’t stay tied….even double knots fall out! Geez. But hey, small price to pay and easily fixable.

Yoga classes 4 and 5:

I went to my 4th yoga class on Saturday and was so proud to hold a crow pose for a few seconds at least.

yoga pose or doga pose

Asked Duncan if he wanted to take a quick selfie before I headed out to yoga and this was the outcome. He doesn’t always follow direction.

And then last night I went again. With each class I’m feeling more and more comfortable with the poses. I still struggle with squaring my hips and aligning my knees, flexing my feet and so many of the things that you just don’t automatically remember but it’s been a real eye hip opener for sure! And my tight hips are loving the attention. On the way home from yoga I had the bright idea to try running again. I felt nice and warmed up and it was a gorgeous evening weather-wise.

recovering runner

Pure happiness and optimisim after this mile and a half

I went 1 1/2 miles and even a little bit faster than my last attempt last week. But the biggest improvement was how I felt afterward. I didn’t feel the need to limp at all. Slow and steady….unfortunately the Brooklyn Half this Saturday is looking more and more confirmed to be a DNS. But my silver lining? I signed up for the Spring Lake 5 miler the weekend after and that actually seems like it will be doable!!!! Hoping I can salvage at least one of my 4 spring races.

So that’s my update.

What’s your update?

Tell me 3 things going on with you.

Ever tried a zero drop shoe like Altra

First mile in 7 weeks and 3rd yoga class: I’m all about numbers today with my blog post title. Funny how I spelled out first but put 3rd and not third. I’m so inconsistent.

Anyhoo,

I went to yoga Monday night for my 3rd time and I’m really liking it and learning a lot, even new hip opening poses which my hips are in need for.

I learned the frog pose which apparently Duncan has mastered

I learned the frog pose which apparently Duncan has mastered

My balance leaves a lot to be desired, my flexibility leaves a lot to be desired, but, my optimism about the potential improvement and positive impact this will have on my running is keeping me engaged!! And I’m really excited about all the core work that gets accomplished throughout class.

With all transparency I’ve had a few “class setting” demons re-appear. The room has mirrors which means at times I’m forced to look at myself and I don’t necessarily like what I see. And sometimes the anxiety of feeling silly because I’m not sure I’m doing the pose right or I can’t actually get my feet to sit flat on the mat etc kicks in. But I’m working on that. 🙂 I’ll work on that just as much as I’ll work on loosening up my hips and hammies!  #ProgressNOTPerfection 

I woke up yesterday morning and my foot felt fantastic! I literally darted down 3 flights of stairs when taking the dog out in the morning. (3 level townhouses are basically Stairmasters with carpet) The universe was telling me I should try a run. So I decided to just go for a mile.

First mile in 7 weeks

First mile in 7 weeks

Woah. I literally felt lightheaded when I stopped. I had aches and pains popping up left and right as the body started moving. 7 weeks of not running or doing anything that was high-impact left me at square 1. But the toe felt ok for that mile. I did however feel some tingling and when I stopped to walk back home I felt very apprehensive about pushing off that toe. So the good news is no pain. The bad news is my entire body is really starting over. A few hours later the toe ached a bit and this morning still feels a bit sore. Oh, and the rest of my body feels like I just ran a marathon! I can’t remember the last time my quads burned so much. Crazy! One simple 13 minute mile. Square 1 for sure. But I’m not limping so I know that’s a good sign.

I’m really glad that I sort of benchmarked where I’m at. This is all really scary for me. I  wish I knew if I was doing this right. I’m reminded of the day last week I tried walking a little bit more briskly than I had been walking and the toe started to hurt and set me back a few days. But then I rebounded so hopefully this will be the trend until the setbacks are gone and I only bound forward.

Tonight I’m going to join my hiking group for a few miles and I’ll probably hit yoga on Saturday. In between I’ll keep doing those easy 3 mile walks and when I’m darting down the stairs again I’ll try for a 2 mile run! Slow progress is still progress. This is now my new chant.

In other news I got a desk for my living room! IMG_9638I love that  can stand at it or sit. I’ve spent way too long freelancing from my sofa and I’m fairly certain that’s the main reason my hamstrings got ruined.

Coffee in hand and ready to be productive

Coffee in hand and ready to be productive

So hopefully this new way of working will help me. I kinda sorta want to pat myself on the back for all that I’m doing to help myself heal here. #patselfonback

My weekend was spent enjoying the some outdoors with my guys…

Morning "business" means coffee consumption for me and, well, Duncan's doing his "business" too :)

Morning “business” means coffee consumption for me and, well, Duncan’s doing his “business” too 🙂

Just a selfie for selfie's sake

Just a selfie for selfie’s sake

exercising our dogs...

exercising our dogs…

IMG_9656

I also made us pancakes and thought it was interesting that I saw a horse in my pancake considering the Kentucky Derby was happening. Do you see the horse head? Profile view.

I also made us pancakes and thought it was interesting that I saw a horse in my pancake considering the Kentucky Derby was happening. Do you see the horse head? Profile view.

We also saw Mr. SOTSS’s oldest daughter sing with her choir group for their final performance and his younger daughter compete in her states gymnastics meet. Last year they were on the same day and we couldn’t be in 2 places at once so this year we were happy to get to attend both.

And Duncan discovered the back window of Mr. SOTSS' truck

And Duncan discovered the back window of Mr. SOTSS’ truck

What kudos do you want to give to yourself?

How do you know if you’re returning to running correctly after recovering from an injury?

Bad news or good news first?

OK let’s start with the bad news. I’m not running the New Jersey half marathon on Sunday.IMG_9455

This will be the second half marathon I’ve had to DNS this year. I wasn’t able to run the Philly Love Run last month due to this toe injury (and I also wasn’t able to run the 3rd of the trail run series meaning I’ll only have 2/3 of my interlocking medal. )

How sad....2/3 of an interlocking medal

How sad….2/3 of an interlocking medal.

Good news….I can walk 3 straight miles before my toe starts to hurt.

walkin'

walk 3 miles once a day

IMG_9461This is progress. Unfortunately my entire body lost fitness and all my muscles are so sore, achy and tight. My “good” side has been bearing extra pounding while I limped for the last 5 weeks that everything is angry. My knee hurts, my foot hurts, my glutes hurt, my hamstrings hurt. Sigh! This is going to be a LONG recovery process. I’m actually wondering if I’ll even be able to run the Brooklyn Half in 3 weeks.

More good news. I’m going to be at the start and the finish line to cheer Mr. SOTSS on. Last time I was at one of his races he set a PR so hopefully I’ll have the same effect on him.

I saw a clip on Rachel Ray this morning with Bob Harper, the coach from the Biggest Loser who recently had an almost fatal heart attack. His story resonated with me because he spoke about his fear of returning to the very thing that is his passion….the gym/working out. I’m feeling similar about running.

So, with a stiff upper lip I accompanied Mr. SOTSS to the expo. This wasn’t the first time I went to an expo for a race I couldn’t run. Ah, Brooklyn 2015.

I’m truly excited for him and to be able to see him cross the finish line but I’d be lying if I said I’m not crushed that I won’t be able to run. Figures….good weather forecast too.

So until further notice my prescription for recovery will be to walk 3 miles once a day….with meals of course. 😉

And of course taking lots of cute photos of Duncan always cheers me up.

IMG_9440 IMG_9465 IMG_9466

Have a great weekend!

No more limp. I really can’t believe it.

Almost 5 weeks to the day since I hurt my toe, I woke up on Saturday morning and realized as I was walking the dog that I wasn’t limping anymore!

This is Duncan's "YAY, no more limp" pose

This is Duncan’s “YAY, no more limp” pose

I couldn’t have predicted it would take so long but I’m just so happy I’ve made it through the hardest part. It definitely got hairy there for a bit. I’m not a graceful injured runner.

So now I’ve got to move into the next phase of getting my strength and balance back and to get rid of the residual stiffness that seems to have set in not only on the foot that had the toe injury but my other foot as well (most likely from spending so long compensating for the bad foot). I’m massaging my feet a few times a day (maybe I should propose to myself! LOL!) and stretching and foam rolling my calves a lot as well.

This coming weekend is the New Jersey Half Marathon that both Mr. SOTSS and I am registered for. He’s on schedule with his training and will definitely be running. I’m most likely going to have to DNS this one. Even if I try and run a mile or two at some point this week does it make sense to try and run 13.1 miles and risk sending myself back into the dreaded injured runner status? I will hold out a small glimmer and not make the call until the day of.

This leaves me with one more Spring half marathon that I registered for that hopefully I can pull off….the Brooklyn Half on May 20th. Stay tuned!

In other news, since my foot can now handle walking Mr. SOTSS and I went to the New York Auto Show in the city. It’s held every year at the Javits Center….the same place that the NYC Marathon Expo is held. It’s HUGE. I’ve been going since I was a little girl and I just love the tradition. As soon as you enter the exhibit hall you are overcome by the delicious new car smell! It didn’t hurt that most of the car brands had super padded carpeting where there cars were displayed. My foot said thank you!

Fiddling with the options

Fiddling with the options

I miss being a Jeep owner

I miss being a Jeep owner

This weekend we walked into town for root beer floats.

Wondering if I might share that float. (The answer is no. Sorry pal.)

Wondering if I might share that float. (The answer is no. Sorry pal.)

Root Beer Floats!

Root Beer Floats!

IMG_9391

Just strolling around town on a beautiful Spring day with no limp!

With the weather so nice yesterday we spent some time hanging out on the deck with the pooches too.

Just lounging

Just lounging

Wonder what they're thinking

Wonder what they’re thinking

How was your weekend? Do anything fun?