New Running Friends and Update on my Hip

The last part of April and beginning of May, I decided to start moving up to 6 miles for my weekend long runs. My weekday 5Ks were getting a tad bit slower, from averaging in the 29 minutes to now back to the 30 minute range. It's getting hotter so I wasn't too worried.

During this time, I ran many 2012 PRs (thus far):
6.2 miles at 01:04:32
4 miles at 38:34
(non-race) 3.1 miles at 29:06
and 1 mile at 8:40 (listed below as 8:35, but it was also short according to my watch, so we will go with 8:40)

Hip Update:
During my last 4.25 mile run, I seriously felt pain after the 4 mile mark - it was supposed to be a 6+ mile run, but I had to end it early. I guess all the running on the bum hip caught up with me and it just flared up on me at that point. It sucked. I had to walk back home.

I went to an orthopedist the week before who referred me to a Physical Therapist who told me that my hip injury was due to a tweak during a treadmill run... I knew those things were EVIL!! He recommended rest and very light, non-repetitive activity (including running and even elliptical) for 2 weeks. It would probably need a full 4-6 weeks to heal. He wasn't able to pinpoint exactly what was causing my strain, and also told me take Ibuprofen twice a day for 2 weeks - which sounded crazy. So at the advice of my new friend Jennifer (read on below), I went to see another trusted PT, who runs marathons. He told me that it was my IT band. He pretty much said to take it easy, do other forms of cardio in the meantime, but it would take about a month to heal. He told me to use a foam roller on it, which we have, and to do a few of the same stretches that the other PT told me to do. I also got a chance to try out the Alter-G treadmill which takes off some/most of your body weight so it doesn't impact your joints when you run. It was awesome.

So for now, I'm going to try to give it a rest for maybe a week or two more and slowly get back into running. I want to join the RnR Half training group soon!!!

Let me tell you, it SUCKS not being able to run, especially after I meet some new awesome running buddies!!

My first new friend I met through Dailymile.com. Cori lives quite a way from me, but luckily she was willing to drive 40+ minutes to meet me at Tom Triplett Park one morning to do a 5 miler. It was nice to have someone to run with that is around my pace. Chatting away while running makes the time go faster and more enjoyable! She has a blog, Workin' on my Fitness, which I will be adding to a blog list on the side of this blog soon...

Cori then introduced me to a Savannah Mothers Running group on FB (momsrunthistown.com Savannah Chapter), where I met a few more awesome potential running buddies. Hope to have another meetup again soon!

Jennifer and I after the Savannah Mile

Through this group, I met Jennifer, who just so happens to be my 2 doors down NEIGHBOR!! LOL She has a 12 year old who runs as well - and is quite FAST! We did the Savannah Mile on Saturday, and I hope to do some runs with her as soon as my hip is healed. She has a blog too: Running, Our Way.

So even though I can't or shouldn't run for a while, I really can't wait to get back into it. These girls are really motivating and supportive. I just wish I could get out there dammit!

For now, I am going to try to work on my strength (full body), make my hips stronger, continue to go to Bikram (just have to save up for another month session) and MAYBE start working on my diet... I also need to break out the rowing machine at some point. Just have to clean out that damn garage first!!! :)

Happy belated Memorial Day!

Gulfstream 5k: sub-30 5k GOAL!

I have not updated in a while. I have lots of running logs to update/post but, if you really want to see my progress, just check out my dailymile.com profile: here

I've been out of town a lot in the past 2 weeks so keeping up with my running and Bikram has been tough. I've been tried and drained. What I did manage to do while I was away was OK. My first Bikram class after over a week was TOUGH. I felt like collapsing ON THE FIRST POSE. A simple side bend. OMG. I was dizzy and lightheaded and close to blacking out for the first half of the class (the standing poses). I managed to not keel over, at least. The Savasana pose (corpse/relaxation pose) was my savior. The 2nd half of the class (floor poses) was fine. I am going back tomorrow night.

In running news, I FINALLY did a 5k in under 30 minutes! It was the Gulfstream 5k. It was one of the coolest courses I've ever run! For those that don't know, Gulfstream is one of the largest companies in the area - they make business/luxury jets. Joel's dad and bro work there, as well as a few of our friends. The 5k was pretty much an employee and family ONLY race. Joel's dad decided not to run this year, so we had to pretend to be "cousins" with one of our friends to get registered into this super-VIP 5k race.

The first part of the race was ON A RUNWAY!! A plane actually took off while we were running (in the next runway over)! So awesome! Then the course weaved through parts of the huge campus and the last yards before the finish line took us though a hanger where people were working on planes... a pretty cool way to end the run (and it was closed off from the sun, haha).

As I got near the finish line, I was so STOKED to see the clock say 28:XX... it certainly motivated me to kick harder on those last few strides. I completed the race in 29:05 (according to my watch)!!! Go me!!

My previous fastest 5k time this year was 30:05 (Shamrock Run)... a full minute faster!

Up and At 'em

So I'm getting back into somewhat of a groove of getting my fitness on! I've got 2 different types of yoga (fusion yoga and Bikram) in addition to my running, so I am feeling great about that!!!

photo from http://bikramyogasavannah.com/

I started my Bikram yoga classes (26 yoga poses and 2 breathing exercises in a 105 degree room), on a whim... it was mentioned in one of my fusion yoga classes and the idea of it just got me interested. The Bikram studio here in Savannah offers a $25 ten-day unlimited introductory period and I went 4 times in my intro span. The first 3 classes were awesome and I felt great --- thinking  "hey, this isn't so bad! I could do this multiple times a week if I had the time!"), but the 4th class last night was very challenging. I don't know whether it was my first PM class (the first 3 - I went in the morning) and had a kind of heavy lunch... or what. Because I was getting dizzy, almost to the point of blacking out, and felt just plain WIPED OUT! I really wanted to leave at one point, but they are really against leaving the room in the middle of the hour and a half class, so I fought through and tried to focus and do the poses to the best of my ability. I am glad I did.

The heat isn't so bad, but the sweat is the gross part. What I like about hot yoga is that because you are sweating, it feels like your body is working really hard. Also, I've had noticeably decreased body aches since I started.

Anyway, other than that, I've been running as well. Instead of listing my progress like I have done in the past, I will just post this screencap from my garminconnect.com profile which pretty much sums up the last number of runs since I last updated. My DailyMile.com profile has the FULL fitness training log.

The starred run is my 5K PR for this year so far - 30:12. I hope to break 30 minutes on March 9th. I signed up for the Savannah Shamrock 5K Run. I've run it a couple times before - it's a flat easy course, so I should be able to do it! I also just signed up for another 5K at the end of March. Woohoo!

3.1 - Newport, and starting a new class tonight

Newport
January 13, 2012, Friday
12:41pm
3.1 miles
32:23

This last run was about one minute faster than the last time(s)! I was more aware of my pace, though, so I think that helped. I tried not to let it go under 11! I also had a few knee issues the night after, but I am fine now.


I am starting a class called "FitWit Flow", which is a combo of yoga and pilates moves. I was looking for a yoga class around here and this was the closest thing. I hope it's good. I tried yoga with a guy friend of mine waaay back in the day (before Liam) and I could not take it seriously (mainly because I was laughing at my friend trying the positions and "impressing" the older women in the class). So, I didn't go back. But I think I am at a good point in my life where I could definitely benefit from it - the breathing and the stretching techniques. I have to face it, my body is pretty much effed and I need to take care of it a little better these days. Plus I need some me-time. Joel has his nights at JuJitsu, so I wanted to do a class too.

I also joined a site called dailymile.com, which is a Facebook type site for exercising. I've been looking for something like this. Thanks to my blogging mommy friend Christina for introducing it to me! It synchs up to my Garmin uploads and imports them into my dailymile profile. Although... they don't use seconds when reporting times! :( Every second counts! Don't they know? haha They rounded up my time for latest run (as shown in the widget to the right)!