The 5 Stages of Injury

This post contains affiliate links. Please see my Privacy Policy

The first step is admitting you're injured.

Ok, maybe it's closer to the last step, like the stages of grief.

Stage 1: Denial

Is that a twinge I feel? No, I'm sure it's fine. It will be fine. I'll just keep on running.

Stage 2: Anger

What the hell? I've been running too well to be injured now!

Stage 3: Bargaining

I'm going to stretch and foam roll, then I'll totally be able to run. And I will ice, and wear compression. And, ok, I'll cut back on my mileage. That will totally work.

Stage 4: Depression

I guess I'm never running again. I'll just eat this giant bowl of ice cream.

Stage 5: Acceptance 

Ok, fine, I'll call the chiropractor.

I've never been to a chiropractor before but both Tom and his mom have had good experiences and thought it would help me out.

I went on Friday and the chiropractor was surprised I wasn't in more pain. He worked on my lower back and hips and did my adjustment, which is a really strange feeling if you haven't had one before. I'm already feeling a lot better, but I was so locked up that I'm going back this week to make sure things keep improving.

I was responsible and just took Buddy for a walk on Friday, and did a little slow jog/walk interval on Saturday.

I took a rest day today, mostly because I really wanted to finish reading Wicked. I never really got into it, but I can't just not finish a book.

Then I started reading The Plum Tree, which I am already way more invested in.

Read any good books lately?

Apples!

So, I think my leg is improving. I want it to magically just be better, but I know that isn't likely to happen.

I switched to the one pair of "support" style shoe that I have (and never ever wear because they're really heavy) for my run today, and it did seem to help a bit. I initially got super frustrated and angry and almost turned around in the first quarter mile, but I made myself keep going and ended up running 3 miles.

They weren't my best 3 miles ever, but they were a major improvement on what I've been able to run lately.

I (re)started doing the Lunge Matrix before my runs this week. I'm also trying to get back to doing the Myrtl routine post-run. I was really good about it for a while last year and I figure a little strength/mobility work can't hurt.

We went to a plant sale over the weekend. Apparently all the crazy plant people were there before we were, because it was pretty picked over by the time we got there. We ended up getting a few tomato plants.

We also got a little apple tree (not at the plant sale though)! It's going to have 3 other apple trees to keep it company pretty soon. If you need any apples, we're going to have more than we can ever use once they start producing fruit.

It's going to be fun to have them grow into our own mini orchard!

#SproutVoxBox

I haven't gotten anything fun from Influenster in a while. The last box they sent to me was lost in the mail, so I was pretty excited when I got the email that the Sprout Vox Box was on its way to me.

I love getting try out different products (for free!)

Here are the goodies I got:

Hair Food shampoo and conditioner - they smelled amazing and made my hair really shiny. I would definitely buy these if I saw them in the store. I know Target has them, but I don't get there very often these days.

Ecos laundry detergent - it cleaned our clothes, and didn't bug our skin, which is really all I want from laundry detergent. We usually buy the dye and fragrance free types because we both have annoyingly sensitive skin.

Curate snack bar - I have already bought another flavor of this bar, they're all really odd sounding flavor combinations, but very tasty. They are chewy and crunchy, which I'm a big fan of.

Vichy Liftactiv Supreme face cream - Fancy French face cream that is supposed to smooth out fine lines and hydrate skin. It smells like being at a spa, and is really rich without being too heavy. If it weren't so expensive I would definitely buy more of it.

Orgain Organic Plant Based Protein Powder - I received the vanilla bean flavor. It has a really light flavor (not too sweet), which I really enjoyed. Some protein powders are sickeningly sweet, which isn't really what I want to drink after a hard run. I recently won some protein powder from another blog, so I don't need any at the moment, but I will definitely look for it in stores the next time I need protein.

EatSmart Garlic Hummus Tortilla Chips - I don't know that I have met a chip I didn't like, but these didn't disappoint. They were tasty on their own, they have enough seasoning that they don't need dip, but they would be good with salsa too.

You can check out more about any of the products I received by checking out my #SproutVoxBox list on Influenster.

Unbalanced

I went and got a massage today. There was a good deal through Groupon the other day and I figured it couldn't hurt what with my random injury. And, really, I'm not one to turn down a massage.

Apparently the right side of my hip was higher than the left, which might be causing some of my issues. Hopefully that means I'll be back out on the road again soon.

I sat down yesterday and sorted out my training plan for Steamtown this fall. I had been debating getting a coach for this training cycle, but decided to see how things go on my own. Mostly because I know myself and my tendency to not listen well when people tell me what to do - even if I'm asking them for their help.

I'm going to use the Hal Higdon Intermediate 2 plan this year. I used Intermediate 1 last year and it worked out really well.

There's nothing more fun than harassing Buddy by taking pictures of him.

Silly dog.

A Really Annoying Mystery

I've been happily living in denial for about the last week. Turns out that's not the best method when it comes to injury prevention.

It's weird though, there is no swelling, no hot spots when I foam roll, nothing that hurts when I'm walking around. But when I run, the first 20-30 steps turn into a ridiculous hobble-run where I have pain from the back of my right heel all the way up to the back of my thigh. If I push through those awkward first steps (because distance runners are like that), I have been able to run a decent amount without pain.

I have been stretching and rolling (foam roller and stick roller) and it mostly feels better...sometimes. I had a perfectly decent 4 miler on Monday and then barely finished a miserable 2 miles today.

The problem is that I don't know what this is. It's not a problem I've had before, and anytime you mention heel pain online all that comes up is plantar fasciitis (which this is not). I'm starting to think that it's something to do with my achilles, but it isn't swollen, tight or painful to the touch.

Mystery.

Really annoying mystery.

I don't have a race until the middle of June, and after that I will be switching over to marathon training, so I would rather take some time off to sort this out now.

In house news: we got the hardwood flooring that is going to be in the master bedroom and the new hallway in the addition. It's currently acclimating to the house so it behaves itself (no buckling!) when it's installed.

We have also been looking at tile for the new bathrooms, but we haven't found anything yet.

Buddy is no help at all, but he sure is cute. I swear he doesn't sleep all day.

Sometimes he stares sadly out the window because Tom is outside without him.

Any idea what my mystery injury might be?

Painting Madness and New Shoes

I've been on a mission to get the rest of the addition painted this week. I painted the master bathroom and ALL the white in the last few days.

Today I taped and painted the accent wall in our new bedroom. It still needs another coat, but it's starting to look really nice!

I decided it probably wasn't the smartest thing in the world to be teaching classes in my retired running shoes. My calves/shins have been unhappy with me lately, even with my zero week, so I'm wondering if that's a contributing factor. I ordered a new pair of work shoes while I was stuck on the couch last week.

I also got new running shoes and promptly realized that my pink Saucony Zealots might be on their last leg, even though they only have about 300 miles on them. Comparing the new ones to the old ones really shows how much they've broken down.

New shoes are so pretty!

And because no post is complete without Buddy: