In case you missed it, I came off the injured DL last week, was released from my Dr. and made a triumphant….no wait…make that a careful, fearful return to running.
Monday: Run+walk at incline 1.35 miles
Tuesday: Walk at incline 10 minutes (I wanted 20 or 30 but my knee did not) + strength/core
Wednesday: Run+walk at incline 2.5 miles
Thursday: Yoga
Friday: Run+walk at incline 3.2 miles
Saturday: CrossFit
Sunday: Rest/blog field trip (stay tuned)
While I started with 30 second run intervals, I worked up to 6 minute run intervals and felt like I could’ve kept running. On the first 2 runs, my knee was mildly achy to start but gradually warmed up and felt better as I went. The initial dull pain made me question whether I should be running at all. Since I was able to walk/hike uphill painlessly on vacation, I figured walking at incline the day after I ran would be a great way to burn calories. Alas the knee was not having that. In hindsight, I should have done hill intervals alternating with flat. Oh well.
Injuries Tell a Story
There’s always something to learn from adversity, and injuries are no different. Leading up to this one, I’d been training (marginally) for the Gasparilla Amber Challenge, 3 races totaling 25.5 miles over the course of 2 days. I know my body is fragile in the days following a long race. This is nothing new. Even my balance is off at yoga after a high miles.
While my knee injury manifested itself in the first couple miles of a run, the origin of the injury occurred at CrossFit. You may know I’m not shy about throwing around some weights. I rarely share how much I left because it’s inconsequential to everyone other than me, but to give you an idea of what I’m talking about let’s just say I don’t bat an eye at 200 lb squats. On the day of the knee injury, I was lifting easier/lighter than normal, knowing darn well my body was tired/fragile from Gasparilla. However, while doing weighted step ups, I stepped down “wrong” and sort of lost my balance, jamming my knee backward. I made nothing of it at the time, but that’s what came back to haunt me when I ran, in the form of a strained muscle.
We’re “supposed” to believe in no limits, continuous improvement etc. and this is my fear talking right now, but I’m questioning the amount of weight I’ve been lifting. It’s always good to challenge yourself and certainly Coach Lucifer encourages this but could the weight I’ve been lifting be excessive? Is it necessary? Is it beneficial to me? Is it worth the risk? When is enough enough? I don’t have answers right now but I do know I have nothing to prove: To myself and certainly not to others. Although I won’t guarantee I’ll never run further, my running “limit” is 26.2. Do I need CrossFit limits? I suppose it’s natural to feel gun shy at this point.
Do you set limits? Does injury make you question what you were/were not doing?
Let’s move on to the Hot List
Bao Cultured Liquid Pickle Boosts. I am all about a happy gut. This is precisely why I became a kombucha lover. Made with a lacto-fermentation process that’s been around for 7000 years, Bao Probiotic Shots are daily, organic doses of the good stuff your gut needs. The acidity and electrolytes found in lactobacillus are said to help alleviate muscle strain. Choose from Green (green tea, chlorella, spirulina algae), Purple (green tea, elderberry, licorice root), Red Ginger (green tea, Vitamin C, hibiscus, ginger), Turmeric (green tea, turmeric, dandelion root), and Hot (green tea, spices and chili peppers) or go for the variety case and try them all.
Zoom Spring Clean Challenge. Last week we focused on added sugars. If you eat processed food, chances are good you’re taking in more than you think. While I blew the first 2 days, no thanks to PB M&Ms, I really buckled down for the remainder of the week. Remember that vacation weight I was lamenting? It’s gone. The focus will change this week but I’m going to keep the sugar-free train rolling.
How was your week? Did you race? Are you a fan of probiotics?
No on probiotics but they work for a lot of people.
I can’t help yo on the weights since I have never lifted one.
Glad to hear that yo are on the mend. Hope you stay healthy and can get back to running and racing well.
Actually skipped a week of racing but don’t worry, I have a race next weekend and all the weekends that follow, I think until the end of May.
I would certainly be one to question the whole “No Limits” or “push your limits” frame of thought. But than again I had that stinkin IT band injury for 18 months and never want that to return again so I am more cautious and listen to my body. I think we have to be as we get older!
-M
I am so glad you have been back to running, I feel like injuries really make us question everything. I definitely think there are limits, its just about recognizing what they are. Maybe those limits can even change over time. To me, anything non-running related isn’t worth doing in a way that could potentially risk a running injury.
You are so freaking strong! Sometimes I think about the weight thing when Sammy Jo is pushing me higher. I wonder if there is a limit for me too. I’m glad she’s throwing in more conditioning now–I’m finding more benefits with the mix of strength and conditioning.
Glad you are feeling better!
Great questions! I am nowhere near any limits with weights, but I do draw limits on running. Like at Orange Theory I won’t go faster than 8.0 mph on the TM even if my heart rate won’t get into the “orange” zone. My heart may be stronger than my plantar fasciitis, piriformis, and ITB. 😉 I hope you continue to be able to get back to where you want to be — wherever that is. 😉
I take a daily probiotic called Sound Probiotics that is specially formulated for runners/athletes to get them to the starting line healthy. I think it works!
Strong work, great variety of workouts!
I’ve been drinking probiotics since my last stomach bug. If it’s supposed to help my stomach, then I’ll try it.
It’s great to see you running again, no matter how cautiously. Interesting thought on the hill intervals vs. the constant incline….that could be applied to treadmill work in general. I tend to set the incline on 2 or 3 and just leave it (and hope to get the heck off of it ASAP), switching the incline would mimic “natural terrain” a bit more closely. I should explore the probiotics again. My surgeon had me taking them for a couple months following my surgery last summer.
That picked stuff looks awful- do you only need to drink a shot glass worth everyday to benefit? Glad to hear you are back on the run, slow and easy! Belinda and I ran a 12K this past weekend, nothing to speedy but consistent! The shorter distances are fun right now as things are heating up in sunny Florida!
So the question of whether you should is something that my trainer and I have talked about a lot over the years. I feel this pressure sometimes to do it all bc I know I “can”. I have also learned the hard way that is the way to get injured and over trained. Hard to hold back though isn’t it?
While I don’t do crossfit, I do train with weights. Whenever I am doing any type of lower body work with weights (squats, lunges, etc) I tend to hold less weights in my hands. I know that my knees will “talk to me” if I use too much weight so I’ve tried to be careful, well as careful as possible!
Interesting thoughts. It’s all about progression though, so if you just stop at a certain weight, progress could be halted unless you added some other kind of stimulus (more reps, faster, power). And you could have stepped wrong holding half the weight.
Yeah for getting off the injured list! I feel like I’m always on it and always trying hard to get off this list! No races for me this last weekend but I did get a 10k treadmill run in!
So glad to see you running again! I bet it feels great to be back! Yes I believe in limits. I know what I can and can’t do. As much as I would love to run ALL the races, my body just won’t let me. I did race last weekend, but took it slow running with a friend. It hasn’t been long since my marathon and if I keep going at this rate, I will end up hurt. I hope you have a great week!
Glad to see you’re running again. Hopefully you’re able to keep going in the right direction in terms of healing! I know my limits due to injuries but it’s also from mistakes that I made. I agree that just because we can doesn’t mean we should. I’m a firm believer in taking the ego out of training and really listen to what your body is saying!
I did write a whole post on just because you can, should you? a while back. It’s not always easy to listen to what our bodies are telling us, and frankly, sometimes things just happen, and that’s just the way it is.
You have the smarts to get back to where you want to be & I’ve no doubt that you will.
Oh gosh. Testing limits vs. being cautious, and especially as we get older. I think it’s something only you can decide. For me, I take risks that relate to the core athletic activity that I most want to do, but not ones that can be avoided or seem peripheral. For example I don’t ski because I don’t want to take the chance of messing up my knees. I haven’t hang-glided because I feared a hard landing might hurt my ankle. The problem would be that I might then be unable to skate. I’ll take the chances within skating itself (to a degree) but not for activities I don’t love as much. And even within skating I’ve modified things. I haven’t competed in freestyle since my back surgery, though I might go back to it. And I don’t plan on trying to learn any new jumps.
I’d always say that listen to your body. Coaches are great to push you to rediscover limits, but only you know how your body will respond. I was always the loner in my crossfit class being cautious. I’d lift heavier than before yes, but not to the point of collapse like CF says. If there’s a bit of me left to grow into beast mode, then so be it.
I do think we have limits, and I also think we have to honor them. To me “no limits” means more to push yourself outside your comfort zone. It doesn’t necessarily mean throw all caution to the wind and do whatever you want regardless of the cost. Our bodies are designed to take a beating, but that doesn’t mean we SHOULD beat them beyond all reason.
Take your time, be cautious, and listen to your body. It’s the smart way to continue moving forward.
Injuries definitely make me question things. I injured my back twice in the last two months and now every time I feel a slight pain I get freaked out that I’m going to injure it again. I’m in PT now which is helping and can’t wait to not feel so overly cautious again.
I’m glad you have been cleared to start running again! Unfortunately, I know too that fear all too well. I don’t lift weights but I managed to do something to my calf/shin last summer while cycling and water skiing (and purposefully running low mileage) that still haunts me occasionally. Even with the best prehab strategies, I think sometimes injuries happen without rhyme or reason — which make them even more frustrating. All we can do is get back on the horse. I predict you’ll be galloping in no time! Thanks for linking.
So glad that you are off the injured list and back to running. I think you’ve raised an interesting question. I know that dealing with a long-term injury has made me somewhat cautious and I’m always wondering when to push harder and is it not worth the risk. I think the best thing is to keep listening to your body and you will know when and where to draw the line.
i’m all about a probiotic and I’d love to try something other than a capsule! This is interesting. So glad you’re back to running and have no doubt you’ll be back to your ‘normal’ in no time!
You definitely know your body and if you aren’t ready to jump back in 100% from your injury you have to do what you’re comfortable with. I love a lot of things about CrossFit, but I don’t like that militant attitude they instill in people — pushing through injury, etc. Trust yourself!
Personally, I think that runners SHOULD have limits when it comes to lifting. But that’s my opinion and I’m not an expert in any way. My thoughts are this: your “main” sport is running. You want to enhance and strengthen the muscles you use for your sport. Overexertion can and often DOES lead to injury. I could understand heavy lifting when that is your thing, but as a runner I believe it’s better strengthen and not push too far. Where is the line though and how do you find it before you hurt yourself? It’s tough.
probiotics – I usually (when I remember) take capsule form. I think they are definitely good for us 🙂
I am huge fan of probiotics 🙂
I am asking myself the same questions about limits. We know we need muscle but I also need to save the parts. I know I have changed how i feel about really pushing myself when I run, but I am still trying to figure out the weight lifting thing. I had to scale back a handful of months because I tweaked my shoulder again. I feel more fragile these days as well. Glad you are making healing process.
200 squats are pretty bad ass friend 🙂
So happy to see that you’re slowly getting back to running! Sorry that your injury was due to CF…ugh! That’s what scares me about lifting, I think that I’ll injure myself somehow!
I’ve only tried kombucha once. It was a little weird but not bad, lol! I know it’s really good for you.
I’m glad to hear that you’ve been cleared and are able to run again. Like you said, listen to your body and recognize your own limits. Slow and steady is better than overdoing it and risking reinjuring yourself.