Trails for Two

I've avoided doing wet runs, so far.  Although running in 70 degree weather is better than running in 50's, when it's wet and ONLY when it's wet.

ounce wrote:I've avoided doing wet runs, so far.  Although running in 70 degree weather is better than running in 50's, when it's wet and ONLY when it's wet.

Rain in the 50s? That's refreshing!

Congrats on your Astos. That was a long time coming, and it came at just the right time for Houston.

Alita was feeling under the weather, so we delayed our 4 a.m. run today. Which meant I had no excuse to not to strength.

Soo...

1) Arabesques, 3 x15 each leg (I'll be happy when I develop a sense of balance...)
2) Side lunges, 3 x 20 each side
3) Clamshells, 3 x  50 each side
4) Swiss curls on ball, 3 x 30 
5) Hands and knees leg lift, 3 x 50 each side. 
6) Side leg lifts, 3 x 50 each side
7) Eccentric calf exercises 3 x 15 each side. (I graduated to 3x, and was able to do it! Woot!)

Rehab Run with Alita: 2.53 miles

Weather: Overcast, cool, showery. 46° Gear: Topos, shorts, long-sleeved T, jacket, hat, gloves (shed)

Alita caught that nasty cold that's been going around, so we missed a couple of runs this week. We decided to start this week's progression all over again and continue it on though next week. This level is 10 minutes walking, 6 minutes running, 1 minute walking, etc. We did three sets, with a two minute walk after the second set, since we were cruising along at a 10:37 pace and Alita was feeling it. Oops!

My knee let me know it wasn't fond about the lowered activity level this week, but it still didn't qualify as pain, so I think that's okay.

Yesterday, 
1) Arabesques, 3 x15 each leg 
2) Side lunges, 3 x 20 each side
3) Clamshells, 3 x  50 each side
4) Swiss curls on ball, 3 x 30 
5) Hands and knees leg lift, 3 x 50 each side. 
6) Side leg lifts, 3 x 50 each side
7) Eccentric calf exercises 3 x 15 each side. 

---

This morning:


Rehab Run with Alita: 2.87 miles

Weather: Overcast, chilly. 38° Gear: Topos, tights, T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves (shed)

Back to it, staying at Level 4 (10 minute walking warmup, 6 minutes running, 1 minute walking), up to four sets. It's starting to feel like real running now, with each running segment taking a little more than a half mile, so I switched my Garmin over to monitor pace. Alita was sucking wind a lot last time when we were running in the 10s, so I slowed us to an average in the mid-11s. She said it as notably easier, and she had enough juice to push the pace a little at the end, when we got into the mid-9s.

1) Arabesques, 3 x15 each leg (felt more coordinated today, especially on the right leg. hopeful.)
2) Side lunges, 3 x 20 each side
3) Clamshells, 3 x  50 each side
4) Swiss curls on ball, 3 x 30 
5) Hands and knees leg lift, 3 x 50 each side. 
6) Side leg lifts, 3 x 50 each side
7) Eccentric one-legged calf exercises 3 x 15 each side. 


I've tried doing one-legged lifts, and I still can't manage them to full extension without a little help. My PT will accept nothing but full extension. She's tough!

Mark B wrote:1) Arabesques, 3 x15 each leg (felt more coordinated today, especially on the right leg. hopeful.)
2) Side lunges, 3 x 20 each side
3) Clamshells, 3 x  50 each side
4) Swiss curls on ball, 3 x 30 
5) Hands and knees leg lift, 3 x 50 each side. 
6) Side leg lifts, 3 x 50 each side
7) Eccentric one-legged calf exercises 3 x 15 each side. 


I've tried doing one-legged lifts, and I still can't manage them to full extension without a little help. My PT will accept nothing but full extension. She's tough!

 I like the way your PT thinks!

When you figure your running days are over, you should start a CrossPT or CrossCore company that only does PT exercises and competitions of same.

Make your unique foot an example of doing core incorrectly.  

ounce wrote:When you figure your running days are over, you should start a CrossPT or CrossCore company that only does PT exercises and competitions of same.

Make your unique foot an example of doing core incorrectly.  

I could see that.

Look, ladies and gentlemen, but not too closely if you have a weak constitution, and BEHOLD the wages of PT sin! My feet were as straight as lodgepole pines until I began cheating on my PT exercises. And YEA, the consequences were dire, DIRE I say!

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:When you figure your running days are over, you should start a CrossPT or CrossCore company that only does PT exercises and competitions of same.

Make your unique foot an example of doing core incorrectly.  

I could see that.

Look, ladies and gentlemen, but not too closely if you have a weak constitution, and BEHOLD the wages of PT sin! My feet were as straight as lodgepole pines until I began cheating on my PT exercises. And YEA, the consequences were dire, DIRE I say!

(I'm going to think on this to make it something good. )

Speaking of "dire," I was entertained last night with a massive charley horse in an internal foot muscle. Ow ow ow! It was sore enough this morning that we opted out of our run, just to let everything settle down a bit. 

I'd just done a series of eccentric calf exercises, and part of me suspects I did them wrong and was using too many foot muscles and not enough calf muscles to do the work. Gotta figure out how to get that calf to get mooving!

1) Arabesques, 3 x15 each leg (less coordinated today, sheesh)
2) Side lunges, 3 x 20 each side
3) Clamshells, 3 x  50 each side
4) Swiss curls on ball, 3 x 30 
5) Hands and knees leg lift, 3 x 50 each side. 
6) Side leg lifts, 3 x 50 each side

Put the calf work off until later, once I'm sure my charley horse has left the barn.

I went to my first ballet earlier this week...it's on my "60 things to do before I'm 60" list.  It was awesome.  I had never thought of it as an athletically demanding activity but I've changed my mind.  I mention it because that's what I thought of when you mentioned your less coordinated arabesques...

Yeah, it's demanding.  I've seen enough commercials for The Nutcracker, this time of year for that.  I've wanted to learn tap dance, but never had enough other things done to make way for it.

Mark's always wanted a horse or a llama. Now that he's got one, he's trying to get rid of it?

nkrichards wrote:I went to my first ballet earlier this week...it's on my "60 things to do before I'm 60" list.  It was awesome.  I had never thought of it as an athletically demanding activity but I've changed my mind.  I mention it because that's what I thought of when you mentioned your less coordinated arabesques...

Ballet, athletically demanding? Oh yeah. The strength it takes to do and hold those poses is mind boggling. 

ounce wrote:Yeah, it's demanding.  I've seen enough commercials for The Nutcracker, this time of year for that.  I've wanted to learn tap dance, but never had enough other things done to make way for it.

Mark's always wanted a horse or a llama. Now that he's got one, he's trying to get rid of it?

I know. I'm fickle that way.



Sorry, Charley...


(I tried very hard to come up with a better joke to "enhance" my response, but I've got nothing.)

Rehab Run with Alita: 3.18 miles

Weather: Rainy and cool. 43° Gear: Topos, pants, T, pullover, jacket, hat, gloves

Alita was off for Veterans Day, so we were able to sleep in until the decadent hour of 6 a.m. before starting! It was cool and rainy, and we discovered that Alita's shoes (Nike Free RN Distance 2) are absolutely HORRIBLE on wet pavement, especially if there are rotting leaves on it. She slipped once and tweaked her knee slightly, so we did a little extra walking and cut the last set of 6-minute run, 1-minute walk short. 

Yes, we're getting her new road shoes this weekend. 

We did the normal 10-minute walking warm up.

Mark B wrote:

nkrichards wrote:I went to my first ballet earlier this week...it's on my "60 things to do before I'm 60" list.  It was awesome.  I had never thought of it as an athletically demanding activity but I've changed my mind.  I mention it because that's what I thought of when you mentioned your less coordinated arabesques...

Ballet, athletically demanding? Oh yeah. The strength it takes to do and hold those poses is mind boggling. 

ounce wrote:Yeah, it's demanding.  I've seen enough commercials for The Nutcracker, this time of year for that.  I've wanted to learn tap dance, but never had enough other things done to make way for it.

Mark's always wanted a horse or a llama. Now that he's got one, he's trying to get rid of it?

I know. I'm fickle that way.



Sorry, Charley...


(I tried very hard to come up with a better joke to "enhance" my response, but I've got nothing.)

(Yeah, I feel ya.  Can't always hit a homer...or even bunt.)

A bit tardy posting my last PT session, but I hope it's worth the wait. 

I had my eighth (of what will probably be nine) PT sessions on Friday, and things are changing up for me. 

Good news: I've gotten to the point to where I don't need to keep doing a bazillion clamshells, leg lifts, etc. 

Better (?) news:I'm ready for the advanced stuff.

Gulp.

advanced (adj)

1:far on in time or course  
a man advanced in years  

2a :being beyond others in progress or ideas  
tastes a bit too advanced for the times  

b :being beyond the elementary or introductory  
advanced chemistry 

c :greatly developed beyond an initial stage  
the most advanced scientific methods, advanced weapons systems  

d :much evolved from an early ancestral type 
bees and other advanced insects advanced traits 

So what does that mean for me? 

Well, it means...

I keep doing swiss curls on a ball -- on one leg.
I keep doing arabesques, one leg at a time.
I keep doing calf exercises, one leg at a time, TWO TO THREE TIMES A DAY, EVERY DAY, while making sure to clench my butt and lock out my knee.
I start doing side planks, hitching my hip up as high as I can and holding it there with my upper leg extended and off the floor.

"But I HATE doing isometric work!" I complained to her.

"Of course you do," she said. "That's because every muscle in your body wants to MOVE. That's how your body compensates for everything. Imagine how much better it'd be if you have those muscles and ALSO have the ability to hold still?

Ugh. I hate it when she's right.

She's also right about this, though I didn't realize it until later: There's a shocking difference in strength between my left gluteals (stronger) and the right (weaker). Hence the focus on single leg stance exercises. And if I'm weaker on one side, well that obviously means I need to do MORE reps on that side! Sigh.

That is, if it's possible.

Case in point: I did the single leg swiss curls on Saturday. I did two sets of 10 on the right side, wobbling like crazy and barely holding on. On the right side? I couldn't budge. My hamstrings and glutes are supposed to pull my leg in and allow me to elevate my hip changing the angle of my bridge from about 15° to about 45° - I could pull the ball in, but the whole hip elevation just didn't happen. Geez, and I thought I was doing well! 

This bilateral imbalance is also making me crazy on the calf exercises. Imagine grabbing your butt and making sure your knee is fully locked - - which in my case means hyperextended ("for you, hyperextension IS full extension") to make sure it's my gastroc and glutes doing the work, not the soleus and other "cheater" muscles. And ideally be able to hold your single foot at full extension before lowering it, rather than have it immediately shift out of full extension when the assist from the other foot is withdrawn. It's crazy difficult. But. I. Will. Not. Give. Up.

The side planks aren't as bad as I feared, though I need some padding for my knee, since it doesn't like being ground into the rug. Ouchie. 

Here's what I did Saturday:

1) Arabesques, 3 x 15 (still wobbly as all get-out, but at least I understand what muscles to use)
2) Swiss curls, single legged: 2 x 10 very sloppy on the left. 0x0 on the right. Whaa???
3) Side planks, each side: 3 x 60 seconds. Not so bad, except for the knee grinding into the floor.
4) Calf exercises, each side: 3 x 15, though I've started doing 25 on the last set on my weaker side. 

Oh, I also found out something interesting about the arabesques: I seemed more stable on the right than the left, but that didn't make any sense given the strength difference. So she watched me try. She noticed that my right foot, which is more curved than the left, was actually cupping the floor, grabbing on for stability. Which means my glutes didn't have to do the work. 

We talked about my feet briefly. She said she's only seen one other case of skewfoot in her career, and the other was far less pronounced. Woot! She doesn't like to call it a "deformity," though I don't know if I could get her to call it a "mutant superpower."  (That might be my way to adapt to all the oddities of my body and keep going.)

So the adventure continues...

Rehab run with Alita: 2.88 miles

Weather: Rainy, windy, 49° Gear: Topos, pants, long-sleeved T, jacket, hat.

Stage Five! That means 10 minutes walking, then 8 minutes running, 1 minute walking. We did three sets.

The weather was a bit windy with some light blowing rain. Not too bad, though. I dressed a little warmer than I would have for the conditions because of that 10 minute walking warm up period.

The run was fine. I felt my knee a little at first, and I could feel the road camber when I experimented with different sides of the street, but it didn't hurt. Alita was wearing her new Topos today -- they have much more traction -- and seemed to like them, though we'll have to adjust the lacing to counteract some heel slippage. These shoes aren't as flexible as Frees.

Mark B wrote:A bit tardy posting my last PT session, but I hope it's worth the wait. 

I had my eighth (of what will probably be nine) PT sessions on Friday, and things are changing up for me. 

Good news: I've gotten to the point to where I don't need to keep doing a bazillion clamshells, leg lifts, etc. 

Better (?) news:I'm ready for the advanced stuff.

Gulp.

advanced (adj)

1:far on in time or course  
a man advanced in years  

2a :being beyond others in progress or ideas  
tastes a bit too advanced for the times  

b :being beyond the elementary or introductory  
advanced chemistry 

c :greatly developed beyond an initial stage  
the most advanced scientific methods, advanced weapons systems  

d :much evolved from an early ancestral type 
bees and other advanced insects advanced traits 

So what does that mean for me? 

Well, it means...

I keep doing swiss curls on a ball -- on one leg.
I keep doing arabesques, one leg at a time.
I keep doing calf exercises, one leg at a time, TWO TO THREE TIMES A DAY, EVERY DAY, while making sure to clench my butt and lock out my knee.
I start doing side planks, hitching my hip up as high as I can and holding it there with my upper leg extended and off the floor.

"But I HATE doing isometric work!" I complained to her.

"Of course you do," she said. "That's because every muscle in your body wants to MOVE. That's how your body compensates for everything. Imagine how much better it'd be if you have those muscles and ALSO have the ability to hold still?

Ugh. I hate it when she's right.

She's also right about this, though I didn't realize it until later: There's a shocking difference in strength between my left gluteals (stronger) and the right (weaker). Hence the focus on single leg stance exercises. And if I'm weaker on one side, well that obviously means I need to do MORE reps on that side! Sigh.

That is, if it's possible.

Case in point: I did the single leg swiss curls on Saturday. I did two sets of 10 on the right side, wobbling like crazy and barely holding on. On the right side? I couldn't budge. My hamstrings and glutes are supposed to pull my leg in and allow me to elevate my hip changing the angle of my bridge from about 15° to about 45° - I could pull the ball in, but the whole hip elevation just didn't happen. Geez, and I thought I was doing well! 

This bilateral imbalance is also making me crazy on the calf exercises. Imagine grabbing your butt and making sure your knee is fully locked - - which in my case means hyperextended ("for you, hyperextension IS full extension") to make sure it's my gastroc and glutes doing the work, not the soleus and other "cheater" muscles. And ideally be able to hold your single foot at full extension before lowering it, rather than have it immediately shift out of full extension when the assist from the other foot is withdrawn. It's crazy difficult. But. I. Will. Not. Give. Up.

The side planks aren't as bad as I feared, though I need some padding for my knee, since it doesn't like being ground into the rug. Ouchie. 

Here's what I did Saturday:

1) Arabesques, 3 x 15 (still wobbly as all get-out, but at least I understand what muscles to use)
2) Swiss curls, single legged: 2 x 10 very sloppy on the left. 0x0 on the right. Whaa???
3) Side planks, each side: 3 x 60 seconds. Not so bad, except for the knee grinding into the floor.
4) Calf exercises, each side: 3 x 15, though I've started doing 25 on the last set on my weaker side. 

Oh, I also found out something interesting about the arabesques: I seemed more stable on the right than the left, but that didn't make any sense given the strength difference. So she watched me try. She noticed that my right foot, which is more curved than the left, was actually cupping the floor, grabbing on for stability. Which means my glutes didn't have to do the work. 

We talked about my feet briefly. She said she's only seen one other case of skewfoot in her career, and the other was far less pronounced. Woot! She doesn't like to call it a "deformity," though I don't know if I could get her to call it a "mutant superpower."  (That might be my way to adapt to all the oddities of my body and keep going.)

So the adventure continues...

And what an adventure it is!

I couldn't help but smile as I read your post.  I would have loved to be inside your brain...and hers...to know what you were both really thinking.  Sounds like you have a great PT and are well deserving of the promotion to the advanced stuff.  I think the hardest thing about PT is figuring out what to do and then how to do it correctly!  Looks like you've got that figured out with her help.

I expect that you'll be flying by the time I get back from Nepal...

Heck, I can tell you how your 'skewfoot' occurred.  The OB/GYN used skewers.

Thank you.  Thankyouverymuch.

nkrichards wrote:And what an adventure it is!

I couldn't help but smile as I read your post.  I would have loved to be inside your brain...and hers...to know what you were both really thinking.  Sounds like you have a great PT and are well deserving of the promotion to the advanced stuff.  I think the hardest thing about PT is figuring out what to do and then how to do it correctly!  Looks like you've got that figured out with her help.

I expect that you'll be flying by the time I get back from Nepal...

If you could look inside both our brains at the time, I think you would have found a combination of fascination and horror.  

It helps that I'm interested in anatomy and physiology, so we can talk in more detail about what's going on and why. And my body's tendency to find a way to do something, whether it's the "right" way or not, seems to be a constant source of amusement for her.

Flying would be interesting. And the next step in the PT regimen, probably. "Okay, start flapping your arms..."

Enjoy Nepal! When do you leave?

ounce wrote:Heck, I can tell you how your 'skewfoot' occurred.  The OB/GYN used skewers.

Thank you.  Thankyouverymuch.

Owie!

You may be closer to the point (get it, point?) than you think. I found a pair of baby shoes that have holes by the big toes and laces connecting them. I believe I was told by my parents that my feet stuck out funny when I was little, so my pediatrician suggested that approach. (Which, as far as I can tell, is NOT the way to deal with that sort of thing - they normally use casting.) If that's true, it bent all my metatarsals inward in a very pronounced way. Podiatrists are skeptical of that explanation -- they say it usually happens in the womb -- but who knows?

Progress in the advanced PT work!

1) Swiss curls, single legged: 3 x 10 slightly sloppy on the left. 3x 10 very sloppy on the right. I can do it!
2) Arabesques, 3 x 25 (upping the difficulty)
3) Side planks, each side: 3 x 60 seconds. I found some extra cushion for the downside knee, which helps.
4) Calf exercises, each side: 3 x 15, first of three sets today.

I followed up with going up to full extension on my toes with both feet, then lifting up one foot and holding the other at full extension for about 5 seconds, alternating back and forth. Got to train my body to be able to hold at full extension, not just collapse once weight is applied.

Rehab Run with Alita: 3.61 miles

Weather: Windy and rainy, 53° Gear: Topos, pants, T, jacket, hat,

A bit of wild weather this morning, with gusty winds and blowing rain. At least the rain wasn't heavy.

Our paces varied quite a lot -- Alita wasn't feeling it this morning -- but we finished strong. After the 10 minute walking warmup, we did four sets of 8 minutes running, 1 minute walking. Definitely actual running now. And due to the extra time we're taking, we got up *before* 4 a.m. to get it done. A whole different way of breaking into the 3s! ;-)

Mark B wrote:Rehab Run with Alita: 3.61 miles

Weather: Windy and rainy, 53° Gear: Topos, pants, T, jacket, hat,

A bit of wild weather this morning, with gusty winds and blowing rain. At least the rain wasn't heavy.

Our paces varied quite a lot -- Alita wasn't feeling it this morning -- but we finished strong. After the 10 minute walking warmup, we did four sets of 8 minutes running, 1 minute walking. Definitely actual running now. And due to the extra time we're taking, we got up *before* 4 a.m. to get it done. A whole different way of breaking into the 3s! ;-)

At least you didn't have to worry about getting overheated with the conditions.

Ah, yes, I remember those days of getting to sleep in to 4 a.m. before a run.  Good times!

Gratz on actually running.