Monday Minute 9/7/20
It was a fun week for Run 4 the Hills! On Tuesday, one of my workout group members came over to work out with me in person instead of over the video meeting. While I love the versatility/availability of online workouts, it is so much more fun to work out with people in person! Since all 3 members of my Tuesday class are local, I’m hoping we will be able to get together once in awhile, all together, in person. It’s such a different dynamic than when we are each in our own houses, watching me on a screen.
On Wednesday, I had my first “group” run for the Running 101 program that I just started. So far, there’s only 1 in the group, but 1 is better than none! I’m excited to help her reach her goal of being able to run a 5k, and since it’s just her, I will be able to offer her more individualized training and accountability.
On Thursday I convinced all my local athletes to come out for a track workout, along with a prospective athlete. We kept it light & “fun” with 12x200 and an agility ladder drill during the 200 recovery. And then I rewarded them all with homemade cookies.
Physical therapy continues to go well, my hip muscles are definitely a lot stronger than they were when I started! Greg has had me on the treadmill every time I go now (except for Friday when I begged to be allowed to run outside instead 😂. I get so sweaty and gross on the treadmill, and then I have to drip all over the place while trying to do my post-run strengthening exercises…I hate it! (Not to mention the fact that it is way harder to do balance exercises when the floor gets all sweaty and slippery…) After running 4x800 on the dreadmill on Wednesday, it felt really good to hit the road & Creeper Trail for Friday’s 5 mile (warm up, 3 tempo, cooldown). Besides the fact that there was a nice breeze outside, I also could take off my shirt while running so that it wouldn’t get quite so soaking wet. Before I left on Friday, I got permission to add hills back into my runs! I’m sure they won’t feel great after all this time with no hills, but I am excited to take another step towards getting back to running as usual.
In addition to the PT run on Friday, I went for a bike ride with Hubs in the afternoon. I had my fingers crossed that I wasn’t overdoing it, and since I woke up Saturday with zero back pain, I’d say I’m in the clear!
Sunday I had permission to FINALLY add hills back into my runs, so I enjoyed a nice 6 miler around town without having to bypass all my normal hills. My HR was through the roof, but I ignored it, and really enjoyed the run! I was pushing the pace a bit, but it felt good, and I noticed that I am much stronger on the flats than I used to be. I guess a month of shorter, faster, and flatter runs will do that! My hill legs need some improvement and my lungs are definitely weaker, but overall I felt pretty good and hopefully will get all my fitness back quickly.
