I hesitate to put this in writing, but today my leg feels better than it has all week. This is particularly surprising because I had a rough day with it yesterday. After feeling the pain all day, I went to the gym after work to try to get some cardio in. I first went to the elliptical machine and stayed on it for a whopping 15 minutes. But I could feel some mild pain even with that. So I then moved to the stationary bike and managed another 15 minutes (I hate doing stationary things). I then did a circuit of three weight machines, went to a treadmill to power walk for 10 minutes, and did the circuit once more. I left feeling very frustrated that this "low-impact" workout took so much effort (partly because I didn't know what to do), and I still felt like my leg was bothered by it. When I got home, I ate dinner and then drew a hot bath with a lot of Epsom salt poured in and just soaked in it for as long as I could take the heat. I then applied my ice pack for about 30 mi...

I realize today that I'm not taking my rehab as seriously as I've taken my training. While I know the various reasons for this, I'd rather not delve into those and instead would like to make a list of actions I should be seriously focusing on to help my recovery. My hope is that publicly declaring these actions will help keep me accountable during a time when I'm really having to dig deep to stay motivated. Ice 3x per day Do strengthening exercises given by PT 1x per day Stretch 2x per day Incorporate elliptical or speed walking 2x per week Take epsom salt baths 2x per week Bike longer than I think I can Go to bed earlier to get appropriate sleep Listen to my body; if it hurts, don't do it Be grateful for what I can do Practice yoga--for well-being of both body and soul If anyone would like to help keep me accountable, I welcome your efforts!

Week 13 This past week was my first full training week without running (mostly) or CrossBoot. It was definitely challenging to find activities that could replicate the levels of intensity I achieved in those two things. I had one bad and one good experience on the bike, and I did a lot of yoga . I also did a couple of things that I should have known better than to do. For example, on Saturday afternoon, I attended a lindy-in-the-park event, put on by a group of swing dancers who have recently begun organizing new events. (As a side note, I originally moved to Tampa because of swing dancing, and I used to be heavily involved in it; but as the local dance scene changed, my interest began to wane .) I haven't danced in over a year, and I was excited enough to want to go and see some old friends and try my dance legs out. But dancing on concrete in rubber-soled shoes was just about the last thing I should have done. Swing dancing-- lindy hop , specifically--can involve a lot of...

After another day of worrying about my injury and whether it will heal in time for me to run MCM, I was feeling defeated. I left work thinking that all I really felt like doing was going home and lying down for the whole night. And eating. Lying down and eating. My other option, since I'm still not ready to go back to CrossBoot, was to go to a yoga class. But even that seemed like work, and I just felt like giving up. I thought about how I'd feel if I chose my first option, and I knew that would potentially make me feel even worse than I already did. So, while stopped at a traffic light (of course), I used my phone to register for the yoga class at my studio, Bella Prana  (there's now an app for that!). I knew that if I registered, I wouldn't back out. So I arrived home in time to change and get to class a bit early. I hadn't taken a class from this particular instructor, Greg Hass, so I wasn't sure what to expect. The class was a Flow Level 2 class, which was...

*Originally written for and published in the CrossBoot Newsletter . While we all know the benefits of a professional massage (relaxation, stress relief, muscle health, pain relief, etc.), most of us don't have the time or money to get a massage as often as we'd like. So this week, we explore the various options of self-massage therapy. We look at the foam roller and other apparatuses we can use at home to help alleviate pain associated with muscle tension and trigger points.    Probably most familiar to athletes of all genres is the foam roller, or, for more extreme types, plain old PVC pipe (ouch!). Newer versions of the foam roller also contain special "fingers" and knobs to better reach trigger points, and are made of dense foam surrounding a solid plastic cylinder. The basic foam roller is easily found at sporting goods stores and even at superstores like Target; more technical rollers can often be found at running specialty stores or online. Foam rollers can...