Happy Saturday!

We are getting a quick workout in this morning and then we will start our drive down to North Carolina. I am so excited to see family and spend a week relaxing.

 

I have spent the past two days furiously getting ready to head out of town after we figured out our plans. Even though I knew it was coming I was completely unprepared.

I finished up the Christmas shopping, wrapped almost all of the presents and baked like crazy.

 
I decided to make:

Peanut Butter White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

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Oreo Rice Krispie Treats with White Chocolate and Cinnamon Toast Crunch Topping (whew! – I made these up)

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Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

This is my father-in-law and Wes’ favorite cake so I thought it would be perfect to bring down for Christmas.

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None of these are low calorie or healthy in any way but that’s what the holidays are for right!?

 

I thought today would be a good time to do an update on my stress fracture recovery.

We are now 14 weeks in from when it all began.  It has been a long road and I am thankful that I am progressing. It may not always been as quickly as I would want, but it is in the right direction.

 

Running Progress

As you probably know if you are a frequent reader, at 14 weeks I am slowly running again.

Around week 10 I started slowly incorporating running intervals back into my workout routine.  I ran 3 days a week for a few weeks and then attempted to take it up to 4. After on week of four running days I felt like my body was starting to give me warning signs. I ignored it for a few days, but they weren’t going away.

Last week I backed down my running to two days per week. It has been tough because I just want to keep progressing but I knew it was what my body was needing.

I will be continuing the two days per week until we are back in town after Christmas. A lot of healing can take place during two weeks so I am hoping that at that point I will be ready to start upping it slowly again.

It is a slow and steady progress but I know if I keep at it I will come back.

 

Cross Training

I have been continuing my cross training. I have turned my focus to primarily spinning at this time. While there is a lot of benefit I could get out of swimming as well there are two reasons my focus has changed:

1. It is cold. Honestly, my body is just not really looking forward to getting in a cold pool when it is so cold outside.

2. I need to focus on cross training that helps build my leg muscles up. Swimming is great but due to the injury I have to float my legs and that really isn’t helping much.

I have found that spinning helps to keep my endurance up and I have already started to notice a difference and improvements in how my body is responding.

 

Currently I am averaging about 5 cross training days a week. I will also cross train on my “running” days but for shorter times.

I take 1-2 rest days a week and normally just go off how my body is feeling. I will sometimes use a rest day for a slow walk or something that doesn’t take my effort.

 

Diet

If I get nothing else out of this injury I will always be able to thank it for what it has taught me about my diet.

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A few weeks ago I mentioned that I used to be in a crazy cycle of disordered eating. It wasn’t good for my body, my future, or my running and after some tough love from my husband I realized it was time to make a change.

I have turned my diet around completely. Is it perfect? No. I have learned that diet is more than just food it is about keeping my body strong and healthy and about making smart and nutritious choices for my life.  There is a time and place for things that aren’t good for you, and in my opinion everything can be enjoyed. 

I have found what works for me. I can tell a huge degree of change not only in my moods but also my workouts. I feel better, my skin is better, and I finally don’t feel like I am suffering through day to day.

 

Running Changes

Over the past week my husband and I have begun to discuss what my running will look like when I am back. Even though I know I have a ways left go in my recovery I think realistic expectations are very important when I do start running again.

I have learned the hard way that high mileage every single day is not going to work for me.  No matter the stress in my life, how bad I want to run, it just isn’t worth the risk of injury.  There has to be some changes made.

We have decided that I will be lowering my mileage substantially. I will do two “longer days” (not yet determined the amount but less than 8 miles) throughout the week and then two “shorter days” (less than 5). On the days when I am doing shorter days I will also incorporate some sort of cross training. Of course, I can still have my long run on Saturday or whatever day it ends up being but the important thing is managing the weekly running.

The big change I am making is continuing cross training at least 3 days a week. It will be no where near the amount that I am doing now, but it needs to be continue to be a part of my weekly workouts.  I truly believe that my body needs this to keep it from getting injured.

Again, I have a ways to go and everything can change but I wanted to make sure I knew realistically what I can do and where I need to be. I have to stop taking the “easy way out” and skipping the important things: cross training, stretching, and weight training. Those all have to be an important part of my routine.

 

There you have it! That pretty much summarizes where I am at week 14 of my stress fracture recovery. It has been what seems like a long road and it is not over yet, but I am progressing and learning a lot of very valuable lessons!

 

Have you ever had an injury that kept you from running at all?

What do you think your body needs to keep it from getting injured?

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