For some reason the second to last post (before this one) showed up on February 18th instead of the beginning of March, when I indeed wrote it. So some of the information may seemingly be a little bit out of order and not connected to anything, but it is.
I also promised some links to hip exercises and stretches. Most of my information is taken from Runnersworld.com which anyone can go to and search and find some great running tips. If there are other websites you swear by as I swear by this one, let me know.
Hip strengthening exercises. (Just click)
Hope that they help!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
I think we need to take a break...
2010 Jerusalem Half Marathon! Woohoo! Let's do it! Are you ready???
I was so pumped and full of energy the day of the race. I had cancelled my registration 2 days before as a precaution so that I couldn't officially run. The day of the race I made sure not to wear the right running shoes nor a sports bra. I was still so pumped. I went to pick up Danielle and I was definitely more pumped than she was, it took her most of the walk to the start of the race to get excited. I made sure that we had everything, or at least that Danielle had everything she needed. I was going to be spending the 2hrs waiting for her to come back studying for my test the next day. The only thing I forgot was sunscreen, it was raining for christ's sake that morning, who would have thought I would get to school looking like a tomatoe! On the way we stopped for coffee, which helped a little to wake Danielle up. We walked part of the race to get to the start, so that helped some more in getting the adrenaline flowing. We got stuck in a downpour but kept on going, getting even more pumped. We got to the stadium where the race was starting and there was a lot going on. Danielle took advantage of the port-a-potties and in the process almost got accosted by some idiot who didn't understand that red meant there was someone inside and that the door was locked for a reason. The funny thing about that was that the same guy took our picture later on with Shneller before the race started, reinforcing my original assessment of his idiocy. I was not the one to ask him to take the picture, that was Shneller.
After Danielle got all the things she needed, I have to say that the schwag was a little on the shvach side, we put on our shirts that I had made the day before. The story behind the shirts is a funny one. Our really good friend, Noa, has been fighting lymphoma for the past 6 months and we are happy to say that she is all better, her hair is growing back, slowly and ever so blonder making her look like a punk (I wasn't going to say the L word) and we were so proud of her making it through this really trying time that we wanted to support her and run the half marathon in her honor. So I took up the idea with Danielle about making the shirts and obviously her answer was "helz yeah!". We just needed the right line for the shirts...The shirt read on the front: "Our friend got cancer and all we did was run a marathon." On the back it said: "Hanley & Koenigson for Buchman" with a running decal beneath: (minus the Hebrew)
The part of the story that can be found amusing is that we didn't tell Noa we were running with the shirts, it was a suprise. Then I got really nervous that she would be mad at us for making the shirts in the first place, its not like we didn't have one for her, but maybe she would be offended by what we chose to write on them... When we were all dressed we got many compliments on our endeavor, people didn't seem to think that it was offensive, or at least they didn't tell us to our faces. We took pictures, obviously, and I will post them as soon as I get them. Then Shneller wanted to get pictures with us, but that made me even more anxious, "she's going to tell Noa before we get a chance to!" so we told her that she had to keep the shirts a secret. So we have everything on file and I was so nervous about letting Noa know that we said we would ask her mom if she thought that we should tell her about the shirts. I don't think it got around to that, since Danielle told Noa that night and Noa just laughed in her face. So, phew. All that pressure and being nervous, for nothing. We will gladly and proudly wear the shirts in each race that we participate in in 2010.
The next race for us will be the Tel Aviv Half Marathon in May. In the meantime, getting to the title of this entry, I think its time for me to cut back on the mileage and let my hip flexor heal. I think I diagnosed what seems to be the problem with my hip. A tight iliopsoas muscle that has caused some sort of tendonitis/bursitis in that area. I do believe that might be the origin of my back problem since the tight muscle in my back is exactly where the psoas muscle originates from. Yes, you can call me a nerd, everyone else does... Anyway, it would be smart to lay off the running until it heals, which will be extremely hard for me, harder than not running on Thursday. I will try, I can't promise I will succeed but I will stop running if it gets worse and just try and ice the area and do lots and lots of stretching and strengthening of the iliopsoas muscle.
Now for some pictures from our trip to Pro:Sport:
Photographer: Noa Buchman
Rolling up my sleeves to start the analysis... Danielle's Feet!
Sporting my fuel belt...
We all came out happy!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
You may be right, I may be crazy...
So, no 2010 Jerusalem Half Marathon for me. I made the right decision and pulled out of the race. My back is alot better but not fit for 2.5 hrs of pounding. I will run a half marathon in a month from now, in a race or on my own, it doesn't really matter. I don't have to prove anything to anyone, especially not to myself when it would mean being in danger of causing more harm to my body. I'd rather sit this one out inorder to be able to run another 100 races.
That said, I have some exciting news. This is where you might think that I am slightly insane. Since I was getting a bit depressed about not being able to run the race tomorrow and the fact that I most probably won't be running the NYC Marathon in November, I decided to look for races in which I was guaranteed entrance, outside of Israel. I stumbled on the Venice Marathon, which is in October. I thought, that's cool, I always wanted to go to Italy and this is a perfect opportunity to have a little fun. Then I saw that its the 25th Annual Venice Marathon and it falls out on my 25th birthday! There is no way I'm missing out on that one. So I have paid and received confirmation on my entrance and now I have to start planning. So many questions! What's the weather like then? Where should I sleep? Where the hell is the race? Who am I going to go with? How long will I go for? Granted I have like, 6 months to figure this all out, but I think that my body is just wired wth energy from not having trained hard this passed week that all the thoughts are racing back and forth inside my head. I have been doing the elliptical and bike and trying to swim. I think that I have mentioned that I got more massages in the past week than in all my years in school. So I am feeling much better but I'm not running and nothing tires me more than the hills in this city. So, I have the adrenaline to run 3 marathons tomorrow, but it aint happenin'. My time will come, I just have to be patient, right? I say this as my leg is shaking so much it will probably fall off.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish lots of luck to those who are running the Jerusalem 1/2 Marathon tomorrow. I will be in the bleachers running vicariously through you all and studying for my final on Friday. I will also be armed with snacks for the finish line. If my back is feeling up to it, maybe I'll join the rest of the Reidman students in the massage tent for after the race. Ugh, sweat...
Good Luck!
Peace out.
Next year at the 1st International Jerusalem Marathon!
That said, I have some exciting news. This is where you might think that I am slightly insane. Since I was getting a bit depressed about not being able to run the race tomorrow and the fact that I most probably won't be running the NYC Marathon in November, I decided to look for races in which I was guaranteed entrance, outside of Israel. I stumbled on the Venice Marathon, which is in October. I thought, that's cool, I always wanted to go to Italy and this is a perfect opportunity to have a little fun. Then I saw that its the 25th Annual Venice Marathon and it falls out on my 25th birthday! There is no way I'm missing out on that one. So I have paid and received confirmation on my entrance and now I have to start planning. So many questions! What's the weather like then? Where should I sleep? Where the hell is the race? Who am I going to go with? How long will I go for? Granted I have like, 6 months to figure this all out, but I think that my body is just wired wth energy from not having trained hard this passed week that all the thoughts are racing back and forth inside my head. I have been doing the elliptical and bike and trying to swim. I think that I have mentioned that I got more massages in the past week than in all my years in school. So I am feeling much better but I'm not running and nothing tires me more than the hills in this city. So, I have the adrenaline to run 3 marathons tomorrow, but it aint happenin'. My time will come, I just have to be patient, right? I say this as my leg is shaking so much it will probably fall off.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish lots of luck to those who are running the Jerusalem 1/2 Marathon tomorrow. I will be in the bleachers running vicariously through you all and studying for my final on Friday. I will also be armed with snacks for the finish line. If my back is feeling up to it, maybe I'll join the rest of the Reidman students in the massage tent for after the race. Ugh, sweat...
Good Luck!
Peace out.
Next year at the 1st International Jerusalem Marathon!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Houston we have a problem...
Its like, deja vu, all over again.
My first big running race was 2 years ago, March 2008, the Jerusalem Half Marathon. I was running the race to raise money for Sderot victims. At the time I was working in Givat Shaul for Tikva and I would run home from work 2-3 times a week while I was training, thru most of the course. I was also playing flag football for some fun since I wasn't really that busy after 5pm. One day after practice I had to get home pretty quickly so I ran with a messenger bag that I had, on my back. It wasn't the smartest of ideas, I know that now and I am sure that I knew it at the time but there wasn't that much I could do about it. Anyway, the bag kept on swinging and my body kept on compensating for the weight on one side by contracting on the other side and I had a stiff back. I also needed to start practicing squats for school and I decided what better time to do it than that weekend. With no weights on my back, just in a living room, I squatted down, I felt a "pop" in my back and I couldn't really stand up. I was in pain. It wasn't so bad starting off but then I tried to walk. Very awkwardly, I made it to my friend's for lunch. Let's just say the whole day was very painful, standing up, sitting down, walking up and down stairs. I went home, took some painkillers, made an appointment to see the doctor the next day and went to sleep. There is a reason that I have taken up the field of alternative medicine. My experience the next day at the doctor was just a reinforcement. I took a cab, just thinking of walking to the bus gave me a panic attack, to the doctor, sat and waited for him (peeve #1) and after he checked me out, he told me that I tore a muscle in my back and that it would take a long time to heal. That was the last thing I wanted to hear. I had a half marathon in a month that I needed to be healthy enough to run and did not need a tear in my back. I was not a happy person and I went to the physical therapist who told me something else entirely. Not that what he told me should have made me happier, I just understood him much better. I had pulled my left posterior sacroiliac joint (yes I'm an anatomy geek) out of place since the muscle was so tight. I didn't tear anything, just dislocated a hip joint. He told me that he could put it back in place and would work on the healing process and that I could run the race in a month. I did end up running the race, not as fast as I had hoped and with lots of walking breaks due to pain and not eating enough throughout the race, lots of rookie mistakes.
I thought that this time would be different. I am older, wiser, more experienced when it comes to fitness and races and preparation. I guess I was wrong and that's not easy to say. What did I do this week, the week before the 2010 Jerusalem Half Marathon? I decided to do some squats with a barbell on my back. Just 20 kilo, nothing my legs couldn't handle. I thought that I was stronger and prepared for such a big step. I haven't touched a barbell to my back in a long time though and I should have known that a week before the race was not the best time to revisit old habits. Yet alas, I did it anyway. Did it feel ok the 1st and 2nd rep? Yes it did. Even the 3rd went well. On the 4th, apparently I went too low and boy, did I feel it. There was no "pop" this time, just a painful stretch in my lower back, the sacral area. I got up, slowly, put the bar back and walked around a bit. It wasn't that bad and I asked one of the massuers to stretch my lower back for me and it helped a bit. As the time went on, it got worse. I went to school the next day and had them work on my lower back in massage class. That didn't really help. I couldn't really sit for long. I was antsy and in pain. Thursday was even worse. I had at least 4 different people massage my lower back in the different techniques they know. In acupuncture class, they used me as a guinea pig to teach us something new in pain management. I went to the clinic that night for another treatment and in every class, I lied down on the side on a mattress with my feet up. Friday I was a bit better, still couldn't sit but I could walk around. I had a massage that afternoon and was pretty much horizontal all shabbat.
I can't stand not being active and lying around. I can walk pretty much pain free and the little jogging I tried didn't hurt at all but I think that I am going to take it easy. Last time I ran because I was running for a cause and made a commitment. This year is dedicated to me and not running would probably be the smart thing to do. I will see what the physical therapist says tomorrow and how I feel on Wednesday. I was going to run this race for a cause, if I end up doing it, you will see pictures. If not, I will just run the distance another time, on my own or in a different race giving me the opportunity to see another city.
Lesson learned? Do not repeat past mistakes, especially not before big races. I hope.
Oh, and a secured entrance to the NYC Marathon is a lot of money... Is it worth it? I haven't decided yet. I will let you know when I do.
My first big running race was 2 years ago, March 2008, the Jerusalem Half Marathon. I was running the race to raise money for Sderot victims. At the time I was working in Givat Shaul for Tikva and I would run home from work 2-3 times a week while I was training, thru most of the course. I was also playing flag football for some fun since I wasn't really that busy after 5pm. One day after practice I had to get home pretty quickly so I ran with a messenger bag that I had, on my back. It wasn't the smartest of ideas, I know that now and I am sure that I knew it at the time but there wasn't that much I could do about it. Anyway, the bag kept on swinging and my body kept on compensating for the weight on one side by contracting on the other side and I had a stiff back. I also needed to start practicing squats for school and I decided what better time to do it than that weekend. With no weights on my back, just in a living room, I squatted down, I felt a "pop" in my back and I couldn't really stand up. I was in pain. It wasn't so bad starting off but then I tried to walk. Very awkwardly, I made it to my friend's for lunch. Let's just say the whole day was very painful, standing up, sitting down, walking up and down stairs. I went home, took some painkillers, made an appointment to see the doctor the next day and went to sleep. There is a reason that I have taken up the field of alternative medicine. My experience the next day at the doctor was just a reinforcement. I took a cab, just thinking of walking to the bus gave me a panic attack, to the doctor, sat and waited for him (peeve #1) and after he checked me out, he told me that I tore a muscle in my back and that it would take a long time to heal. That was the last thing I wanted to hear. I had a half marathon in a month that I needed to be healthy enough to run and did not need a tear in my back. I was not a happy person and I went to the physical therapist who told me something else entirely. Not that what he told me should have made me happier, I just understood him much better. I had pulled my left posterior sacroiliac joint (yes I'm an anatomy geek) out of place since the muscle was so tight. I didn't tear anything, just dislocated a hip joint. He told me that he could put it back in place and would work on the healing process and that I could run the race in a month. I did end up running the race, not as fast as I had hoped and with lots of walking breaks due to pain and not eating enough throughout the race, lots of rookie mistakes.
I thought that this time would be different. I am older, wiser, more experienced when it comes to fitness and races and preparation. I guess I was wrong and that's not easy to say. What did I do this week, the week before the 2010 Jerusalem Half Marathon? I decided to do some squats with a barbell on my back. Just 20 kilo, nothing my legs couldn't handle. I thought that I was stronger and prepared for such a big step. I haven't touched a barbell to my back in a long time though and I should have known that a week before the race was not the best time to revisit old habits. Yet alas, I did it anyway. Did it feel ok the 1st and 2nd rep? Yes it did. Even the 3rd went well. On the 4th, apparently I went too low and boy, did I feel it. There was no "pop" this time, just a painful stretch in my lower back, the sacral area. I got up, slowly, put the bar back and walked around a bit. It wasn't that bad and I asked one of the massuers to stretch my lower back for me and it helped a bit. As the time went on, it got worse. I went to school the next day and had them work on my lower back in massage class. That didn't really help. I couldn't really sit for long. I was antsy and in pain. Thursday was even worse. I had at least 4 different people massage my lower back in the different techniques they know. In acupuncture class, they used me as a guinea pig to teach us something new in pain management. I went to the clinic that night for another treatment and in every class, I lied down on the side on a mattress with my feet up. Friday I was a bit better, still couldn't sit but I could walk around. I had a massage that afternoon and was pretty much horizontal all shabbat.
I can't stand not being active and lying around. I can walk pretty much pain free and the little jogging I tried didn't hurt at all but I think that I am going to take it easy. Last time I ran because I was running for a cause and made a commitment. This year is dedicated to me and not running would probably be the smart thing to do. I will see what the physical therapist says tomorrow and how I feel on Wednesday. I was going to run this race for a cause, if I end up doing it, you will see pictures. If not, I will just run the distance another time, on my own or in a different race giving me the opportunity to see another city.
Lesson learned? Do not repeat past mistakes, especially not before big races. I hope.
Oh, and a secured entrance to the NYC Marathon is a lot of money... Is it worth it? I haven't decided yet. I will let you know when I do.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Just one more hill...
Since I last had a chance or the strength to write, a lot has happened. I can't say that I've gotten a lot of sleep in the last 2 weeks or so but, I have gotten a lot of studying done, a lot of running done and a lot of resturant feasting done. Like I said on the 14th, I have had finals these last 2 weeks. I studied my brains out for the 1st one, it was super easy and I did well but it left me with hardly any energy to study for the rest of my exams. After my run to Mivaseret, I was a bit sore in the hips but nothing I wasnt expecting, it was a hard run on much different terrain than what I am used to. That next day my mom came for a 9 day visit. She brought me my new running shoes (!!) which are super comfortable and I can now know how far I've gone after an hour and a half of running. That Monday after sleeping again only 5 hours for no apparent reason, I ran an easy 3.2km (2 miles) to loosen up a bit and try out the new shoes. Tuesday was cross training day and full body workout. I did an hour of the elliptical and the basic weight training exercises and ab work. We went to Brian's school for lunch that day and the food he cooked for us was just heavenly. Better than some restaurants that we went to over the course of the week. Wednesday was speed work which consisted of 2 minute sprints with 1 minute slow running in between and a core bosu workout. (I got compliments at the end of my workout from one of the hotel guests who was inspired by seeing me to get a personal trainer when he got back home!) Wednesday afternoon was my second final, it went well considering the little effort I put into studying for it. We then went to Japanika for dinner which seems to be winning the sushi restaurant of the year with the frequency in which I go there for dinner. Thursday was pretty simple, no school but I did work so I went swimming in the afternoon for 25 minutes. Friday I ran outside for an hour at a nice pace but I was in a bit of pain in the usual areas. Along with the running shoes my mom brought me my Runner's World magazine which had some great new warmup exercises instead of plain static stretching so I have been doing the whole routine and I (knock on wood) have been feeling a lot better in the hip area. Of course after my run I did weights and ab work. You would think by now that I have abs of steel. I just have to run off all the food I consumed this week and they will hopefully be visible. Shabbas is my day of rest as well from running so aside from walking to and from lunch there wasn't much in terms of exercise done then. Sunday I did a 15km run around through most of the marathon route. It took me about 3kms to get over my nausea but in the end I think I did a pretty ok job at the run, there was a lot of walking though...
We were off to the Dead Sea Spa Club for a day and a half. I scheduled a deep tissue massage for that afternoon and I was extremely unimpressed, I even came out of the massage more stressed then when I went in. I could have done such a better job. When my mom was sitting by the pool, I was studying. When my mom was out shopping, I was studying. I spent most of the "vacation" studying for a test that was totally a waste of my effort since no one else knew what was going on either. So, if everyone fails, does that mean we all pass? Monday morning we went to the gym in the Spa bright and early at 8. I ran again 2 miles and tried to use the weight machines that were there and then went to breakfast. I scheduled a reflexology treatment for that morning which was much much better than the previous day's experience. Once that was over, we were on our way back to cold Jerusalem. That night we went out to eat at Selina with Brian. It was really good and I'm not such a fan of meat. Its always nice to get together with Brian so I think that wherever we would have gone we would have had a good time. Tuesday my mom went home but first went to see where my bro is living and gave me the morning to study. When she left I did about 2.5 hours at the gym. 1.5 hours cross training (bike for an hour and elliptical for the rest) plus an hour of weights and ab work. Wednesday morning was my test. After it went extremely horrible, I ran sprints at the gym. 30*20 sec intervals with 20 sec stops in between, starting at 13kmh up to 16kmh increasing .5 each 5 reps. It was hard but exactly what I need. Today I ran a fast fast 2 km and did some new ab exercises that I found, I didn't have much time.
Tomorrow is my last final and I will finally be able to live again. These 2 weeks have taken so much out of me. Depending on the weather, I will be running either outside or at the gym but no matter where, it will be a 10k and weight training, mostly leg exercises.
Wish me luck for my last final!
Stay tuned for some interesting topics of discussion in addition to my workouts...
Peace out.
We were off to the Dead Sea Spa Club for a day and a half. I scheduled a deep tissue massage for that afternoon and I was extremely unimpressed, I even came out of the massage more stressed then when I went in. I could have done such a better job. When my mom was sitting by the pool, I was studying. When my mom was out shopping, I was studying. I spent most of the "vacation" studying for a test that was totally a waste of my effort since no one else knew what was going on either. So, if everyone fails, does that mean we all pass? Monday morning we went to the gym in the Spa bright and early at 8. I ran again 2 miles and tried to use the weight machines that were there and then went to breakfast. I scheduled a reflexology treatment for that morning which was much much better than the previous day's experience. Once that was over, we were on our way back to cold Jerusalem. That night we went out to eat at Selina with Brian. It was really good and I'm not such a fan of meat. Its always nice to get together with Brian so I think that wherever we would have gone we would have had a good time. Tuesday my mom went home but first went to see where my bro is living and gave me the morning to study. When she left I did about 2.5 hours at the gym. 1.5 hours cross training (bike for an hour and elliptical for the rest) plus an hour of weights and ab work. Wednesday morning was my test. After it went extremely horrible, I ran sprints at the gym. 30*20 sec intervals with 20 sec stops in between, starting at 13kmh up to 16kmh increasing .5 each 5 reps. It was hard but exactly what I need. Today I ran a fast fast 2 km and did some new ab exercises that I found, I didn't have much time.
Tomorrow is my last final and I will finally be able to live again. These 2 weeks have taken so much out of me. Depending on the weather, I will be running either outside or at the gym but no matter where, it will be a 10k and weight training, mostly leg exercises.
Wish me luck for my last final!
Stay tuned for some interesting topics of discussion in addition to my workouts...
Peace out.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
I have been running...
I just haven't had the time to write about it. Sorry!
This Friday will be the end of my hibernation (ie: end of my finals) and there will be a long recap of the past 2 weeks.
Speak soon.
Keep on keepin' on.
This Friday will be the end of my hibernation (ie: end of my finals) and there will be a long recap of the past 2 weeks.
Speak soon.
Keep on keepin' on.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
So hip, it hurts.
I thought I'd take this time to talk about running injuries. I have come across lots of people, especially in my field of work, who believe that running is the worst possible activity one could do. In my opinion its one of the best forms of exercise one can take on. However, I think that if it ends with running off a clif, then running can be extremely detrimental to your health. I do believe that certain cautions should be taken when one decides to run. Its not a smart idea to go from couch potato to running a marathon in one day and I don't believe that anyone out there would dream of such a thing or make it thru to the end of the 26.2 miles alive and breathing to talk about it. Didn't that guy who ran to marathon keel over and die once his message was delivered? I believe his name was Pheidippides... Anyway, the point is that running is great for you as long as you do it properly and safely and listen to what your body tells you.
In my many years of experience as a runner, there have been lots of times in which I should have listened to what my body was telling me. I should have taken a few days off when my shin splints came, that fateful first week of running the hills of Jerusalem. Or that time that I ran with a bag on my right hip (it wasn't on purpose, I was in a hurry) and the muscle on my left side got so tight that instead of stretching when I bent down it pulled my ilium out of place a month before the Jerusalem Half Marathon in 2008. I do believe that that has attributed to all my other ailments, since they all are on my left side, but when that all happened, I could hardly walk and I did go for physical therapy, which helped a lot. I probably should not have ran the 1/2 marathon, but I was raising money for Sderot, so there was no way I was backing out because I hurt my back, there were people who were under daily attacks who needed my help. Truth is, I don't know if there would be a time in which I would sit out of a race in which I was planning on doing, it would be like a failure to me and I don't know how I would handle that. Now that is something I have to work on. Since I know that missing out on one race to heal would mean that I could race in future events as opposed to racing once while injured and causing damage that could stop me from running altogether.
I am very stubborn and it is something that I am working on, listening to my body. In the meantime I am trying to prevent further injuries with different hip strengthening exercises. For some reason, I asked to workout this Wednesday with my boss, the head trainer at the KD. It was time for something new in my routine. Since this week was Purim, my whole running schedule was thrown off, so instead of my long run being on Sunday morning, it was Tuesday afternoon. I ran 18km. It was hard. I was tired. I told the trainer that I was tired in my legs especially. What did we work on? My whole body, yes, but it might has well been just my legs. Squats, jumps, lunges, all with the bench press bar, all dynamic and static and insane. I am still unable to walk normally or sit down on a chair like a normal human being without being in agony. Thursday was definitely brutal. I went for a run with Danielle in the morning, if it wasn't for the set time I would never had gotten out of bed. It was good to get my legs moving and let the lactic acid build up disperse itself but I was in so much pain I could hardly move forward. Thursday was my day off from school and I went to Tel Aviv with Danielle and Noa (yay!!) so that we could have a little fun, get lunch at my favorite bakery in Tel Aviv, Lechamim and analyze their feet so that we could buy running gear. Danielle bought new Brooks running shoes. I finally bought a fuel belt for my long runs and Noa bought an amazingly green fleece. (I love going to Pro:Sport, even thought I haven't worked there in 3 years, I am always welcome and feel right at home. If I lived back in Tel Aviv, I would definitely work there again.) Going up and down stairs took me forever, it was embarrasing. Friday was a little better. I was able to sit down a bit easier and stretch my legs without crying out in pain. I did speed work at the gym. The speed work loosened up my legs a lot more, but not 100%. I did 2 minutes slow running, 1 minute a bit faster, but not all out, 11.5kmh, for a total of 5 reps. I then amped it up to 1 minute moderate 30 seconds sprint for 8 reps and then I ran out the last 5 minutes with upping the speed each minute by .5kmh. I also went for a run right before shabbas and my legs were much better. I think that my muscles being so achy has taken the focus off of my left hip, which is a good thing, but tomorrow I will know for sure. No pain no gain, right?
Tomorrow I will be running with Danielle our last long run, since the 1/2 marathon is in 11 days (!!) We hopefully will be doing around 15-16 km. It all depends on how much time we have and how we are feeling. These next runs will be us tapering down and focusing on saving our energy for the big day. Keep us in your prayers, I just want to make the 2.5 hrs cut.
I will hopefully put up a link to the hip exercises in the next few days.
Have a great week!
Peace out.
In my many years of experience as a runner, there have been lots of times in which I should have listened to what my body was telling me. I should have taken a few days off when my shin splints came, that fateful first week of running the hills of Jerusalem. Or that time that I ran with a bag on my right hip (it wasn't on purpose, I was in a hurry) and the muscle on my left side got so tight that instead of stretching when I bent down it pulled my ilium out of place a month before the Jerusalem Half Marathon in 2008. I do believe that that has attributed to all my other ailments, since they all are on my left side, but when that all happened, I could hardly walk and I did go for physical therapy, which helped a lot. I probably should not have ran the 1/2 marathon, but I was raising money for Sderot, so there was no way I was backing out because I hurt my back, there were people who were under daily attacks who needed my help. Truth is, I don't know if there would be a time in which I would sit out of a race in which I was planning on doing, it would be like a failure to me and I don't know how I would handle that. Now that is something I have to work on. Since I know that missing out on one race to heal would mean that I could race in future events as opposed to racing once while injured and causing damage that could stop me from running altogether.
I am very stubborn and it is something that I am working on, listening to my body. In the meantime I am trying to prevent further injuries with different hip strengthening exercises. For some reason, I asked to workout this Wednesday with my boss, the head trainer at the KD. It was time for something new in my routine. Since this week was Purim, my whole running schedule was thrown off, so instead of my long run being on Sunday morning, it was Tuesday afternoon. I ran 18km. It was hard. I was tired. I told the trainer that I was tired in my legs especially. What did we work on? My whole body, yes, but it might has well been just my legs. Squats, jumps, lunges, all with the bench press bar, all dynamic and static and insane. I am still unable to walk normally or sit down on a chair like a normal human being without being in agony. Thursday was definitely brutal. I went for a run with Danielle in the morning, if it wasn't for the set time I would never had gotten out of bed. It was good to get my legs moving and let the lactic acid build up disperse itself but I was in so much pain I could hardly move forward. Thursday was my day off from school and I went to Tel Aviv with Danielle and Noa (yay!!) so that we could have a little fun, get lunch at my favorite bakery in Tel Aviv, Lechamim and analyze their feet so that we could buy running gear. Danielle bought new Brooks running shoes. I finally bought a fuel belt for my long runs and Noa bought an amazingly green fleece. (I love going to Pro:Sport, even thought I haven't worked there in 3 years, I am always welcome and feel right at home. If I lived back in Tel Aviv, I would definitely work there again.) Going up and down stairs took me forever, it was embarrasing. Friday was a little better. I was able to sit down a bit easier and stretch my legs without crying out in pain. I did speed work at the gym. The speed work loosened up my legs a lot more, but not 100%. I did 2 minutes slow running, 1 minute a bit faster, but not all out, 11.5kmh, for a total of 5 reps. I then amped it up to 1 minute moderate 30 seconds sprint for 8 reps and then I ran out the last 5 minutes with upping the speed each minute by .5kmh. I also went for a run right before shabbas and my legs were much better. I think that my muscles being so achy has taken the focus off of my left hip, which is a good thing, but tomorrow I will know for sure. No pain no gain, right?
Tomorrow I will be running with Danielle our last long run, since the 1/2 marathon is in 11 days (!!) We hopefully will be doing around 15-16 km. It all depends on how much time we have and how we are feeling. These next runs will be us tapering down and focusing on saving our energy for the big day. Keep us in your prayers, I just want to make the 2.5 hrs cut.
I will hopefully put up a link to the hip exercises in the next few days.
Have a great week!
Peace out.
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