Wednesday Weigh In / Rehab Run

     We got two inches or so of snow this morning and when I let Jedi out to go potty that was the last thing on his mind.  He seems to love playing in the snow so I went out to join him.  Now two inches of snow doesn't sound like a lot, but when you are a chihuahua dachshund mix and your legs are only like two inches long, that is a hell of a lot of snow.  Anyway I snapped this pic of him and had to share it because he looked so stinking cute.

     I was excited to get to my PT appointment because I really wanted to get some new things to work on because the static stretches I have been doing three times a day, every day was getting a little old.  Well I still have to continue the stretches, but got some new stuff to work on including yoga.  Yep that's right I said yoga.  I will give this yoga the old college try, especially because if I do I can skip two of my stretching sessions.  Today she also gave me a variation of a single leg squat to build strength and promote good running form.  Basically I do a single leg squat on an elevated platform and swing the opposite leg in a running motion.  It was quite difficult at first, but I was getting the hang of it by the end.

     Since this week we concentrated mostly on my running form to try and correct my issues that have been adding to my IT Band related pain, Alisha had me on the treadmill for most of the session.  While working on my cadence, she noticed that my left leg form seemed to be really good, but the right leg, the problem leg, isn't extending enough in the push off and isn't bending enough when I bring it back forward.  This is causing my leg to kind of swing out to the side to help clear the ground.  She had me get off the treadmill and do a few static movements that will aid in the muscle memory for proper form.  My form improved quite a bit after just a few minutes of drills.  Alisha then had me hop back on the treadmill and try it again.  It is amazing how much better you feel when you are running with proper form.  

     We finished with all the running drills, I cooled down and we talked about a few thing and scheduled my next appointment.  When we were all done with this session I hoped on the treadmill and banged out another 2.5 mile run, since I hadn't run since Sunday.  I concentrated on my form trying to keep my right leg in the proper position.  Now this may be due to being on the treadmill versus the road and after my therapy treatment, but I managed to only get a small amount of light tightness and pain for a short time around two and a quarter miles in.  I don't want to get my hopes up to much yet, but I came away from today's visit and run feeling very optimistic.  I would say I am right on track for starting my training for the Owens Corning Half Marathon at the Glass City Marathon in April!  

     Since it is Wednesday I need to post my current weigh in to hold myself accountable.  Sorry I skipped last weeks post, I just ran out of time.

1/21/15 official weigh in

176.5 lbs

Change: +1 lbs

Total loss from heaviest:  141.5 lbs

Current BMI:  27.6 (overweight)

Change: +.1

It hurts when I laugh

     While I was in San Diego I came to the realization that I need to incorporate some additional training in my routine.  Over the last year I dabbled in a little bit of strength training at the gym but ended up dropping it to concentrate on my running.  I have limited time in the early mornings to run before work and I felt like it was more important to get that extra mile or two in vs. lifting weights.  I wanted to challenge myself at Ragnar so I volunteered for the 2^nd highest total mileage (22.7 miles).  I put in a lot of work over those few months leading up to the event so I could cover the distance of the three legs and do it as quickly as possible. 

     
      Now the best part of Ragnar is the team aspect and all the fun that 6 of the the 12 team members stuck in a van can have.  Extreme laughing is a buy product of all that fun and by the time I reached the end boy did it hurt to laugh!  It amazed me how much of my “core” muscles are used while running.  Well I thought to myself, if my abs are this sore after Ragnar, how would I feel 20-23 miles in during my first marathon, and the answer I came up with is not that good.

     

     I have spent the last couple of weeks trying to decide what to do and how to do it.  After all kinds of research on the internet I have boiled it down to this: 2 Days of Core workouts, 2 Days of upper body and 1 Day of lower body.  I have had an app on my phone for a while now that I never had gotten around to using called the Gorilla Workout.  In a nutshell, this app has several workout plans using only your body weight for your resistance.  Each plan has 4 stages of roughly 9 workouts in each that get progressively harder the further into the program you go.

 Core workout days will consist of:

Gorilla App – 200 Sit Ups

(Works you from 0-200 sit ups)

Standard Plank

Left & Right Side Plank

Superman/Bananas

(you start out doing the superman pose on the floor and then attempt to roll over onto your back and make a banana shape without letting your arms and legs hit the ground.)

Upper Body workout days will consist of:

Gorilla App – 200 Push Up

(Works you from 0-200 push ups)

Supine Holds

Lower Back Extensions

Opposite Arm & Leg raises

Lower Body workout days will consist of:

Gorilla App – 200 Squats
(Works you from 0-200 squats)

Fire Hydrants

(Think of a dog & a fire hydrant) LOL

Here is what my weekly schedule will look like
(Click on the schedule for a blown up view)

          I am going to keep this routine pretty fluid and make adjustments based on how my body feels.  I don’t officially start my Marathon training until June 1^st and I am still sorting that plan as well but I wanted to get this going ASAP so it would become routine during marathon training and I think the only way to get me going and make me accountable is post it here for all to see!