Grumpy minor Saturday workout

I think I'm just ready to be at home and back in regimen of nutritional soundness and regular exercise - I feel like I weigh one MILLION pounds, I need to start weightlifting again. Couldn't settle in at anything - the treadmill I was on (the only vacant one out of about 30 - it's a huge fitness center!) was slightly broken in a way that meant I couldn't easily do my usual preferred run-walk intervals, and when I did first faster minute on the bike my right hamstring was twinging. Anyway, better something than nothing I suppose, but I am determined to figure out what's going on with that hamstring bit - the back problem I understand and can counter if I am responsible about it, and the hip was a local minor thing that is already much better, but this has been bugging me for a long time now. PT thinks it's possible nerve pain from some disc impingement and suggests stretching back, but I am not sure that's the only thing going on.

15 mins treadmill
15 mins back PT
15 mins bike

Friday yoga

A better class this morning, I thought. Did some PT stretching beforehand. 50-minute class.

Yoga!

Unfortunately the good teacher has gone on vacation! Today's class was a perfectly serviceable vinyasa sequence, I thoroughly enjoyed it and sweated a bit as well as getting a good stretch, but I hate seeing a teacher not really explain things properly - it was a class of mostly newbies and there was no mention of squaring the hips or many other bread-and-butter essentials that I think would have been worth spending the time on! My two cents - I think there's an 11am tomorrow taught by a different teacher, I'll give that one a go. I'm not really complaining, it's a fantastic luxury to have yoga classes offered in the hotel!

1hr yoga

Yoga!

Must have forgotten to log it earlier, but another lovely hour this morning of yin yoga. Otherwise today has been a write-off - too tired to do anything other than lie in bed!

1hr yin yoga

I'm back!

Ah, I can't even say it's been an ordeal not exercising - I haven't particularly enjoyed it, sure, and I don't like the feeling of not exercising, but I've been so busy that it was relatively OK. Medical appointment and PT Thursday gave some resolution and clearance to get started again, with caution: doctor's verdict is that I have hip bursitis, no arthritis in hips and some arthritis in spine (not great, but OTOH imaging often shows things that don't really affect day-to-day life, so I'm not too worried). Basically he says that for weightlifting longevity (you can do it till you're 90 if you're smart), less running and more yoga will pretty certainly be in order. I take that to mean short daily running being better than major endurance stuff, though I am optimistic that I should be able to have the amount of running I consider optimal without undue pain (i.e. run most days, 30-60 usually and once a week 90 - it would be hard to claim it is one's right to do more than that!). MORE YOGA!

Thereafter had a good midday session with Jason at Fusion and am determined to get back to proper PT routine, though I didn't do well in subsequent days: dawn-to-dusk conference at Columbia Friday, 5am pickup the next morning for flight to Vegas, friends picked me up and fed me and took me on wonderful trip to Zion National Park! We walked a bit early evening Saturday and did a longer hike (nothing crazy) Sunday. Monday I got to the Bellagio late afternoon and did a short version of back stretches, but had no vim to exercise. But this morning I woke up feeling very happy that it was time to get back at it!

GLORIOUSLY for me (seriously, I was overwhelmed with the feeling of what a fortunate life I'm leading) there is an 11am "yin yoga" (sort of like a deep stretch class - the yin yoga in Cayman i s more like meditation + restorative) that is PERFECTLY suited to my back/hip/hamstring needs. Did that class (will do it again tomorrow, though I don't think it's an option Thurs. or Fri., did a few more stretches after and then did 35 minutes on the treadmill.

:35 as 10:00 warmup @ 4.5, 5 x 2:00 @ 5.5, 1:00 walking recovery, 3 x :40 @ 7.5, 1:20 walking recovery

Bike!

The nice thing about this week was that B. was here! (He left this morning, but I'll see him again in a week and a half in Vegas and then for a proper long Cayman visit in May.) The 2 bad things about this week were sore back/hip and decision to write off the May race and instead pursue diagnosis and treatment in order to FIX what has really been an ongoing set of problems; and an also ongoing close family member's health crisis. It is best when this sort of thing is going on to be maniacally busy with work, but unfortunately in this regard I am currently on sabbatical! So yes, it was pretty much a week of languishing, can't remember the last time I was so pointlessly unproductive, but I guess I am ready to un-languish and get on with the next round of stuff. Doctor appointment Thursday, I will consider starting up short runs again based on what he says, but in the meantime I am playing it very cautiously (I think I understand the dimensions of the sore back, but I really am a little worried that the hip might be a stress reaction or similar). Coach David has written up bike workouts - I rode my actual bike down to Chelsea Piers (hahaha, should have pumped tires first, that was more strenuous than it should have been!), then did :40 on a spin bike with 10 x (1:00 easy @ 90rpm, 1:00 fast @ 110rpm). Had nice chats with sometime swim lanemates and 2 of my best powerlifting buddies, so that was good too.

10mi rt bike
:40 spin bike intervals

Long run

My second 20-miler, completed only in order to keep options open but in unwelcome knowledge that really everything is too sore for it to make sense for me to keep doing this right now! About 80% sure by halfway through that I am going to bail on the May event - will give myself a week to think about it (and see if daily major stretching improves back/hip/thigh issues), but I think really I've been ignoring the reality of the situation...

20 VERY SLOW miles (last couple included a lot of walking)

Sunday run

It really was a rather inauspicious week for running, though other nice things are happening (B. got here yesterday and we went to see Hamilton!). Sore back/hip/hamstring; massive seasonal allergies, ugh; bad weather for most of the week. Hoping to make the week and a half between now and departure for my week in Las Vegas really count...

1hr easy

Took yesterday as a zero - it was raining so hard in the early evening that I couldn't even face notional plan of going and running on a treadmill at the gym, I was at my grandfather's and I just got on the subway and came straight home and collapsed! Low energy today, and weather not at all springlike - I huddled in bed and made minor forays into horrible backlog of paperwork - but I did finally get my act together to get out the door.

1hr very slow

Compromise "long" run

It was totally unrealistic to think I'd have it in me to do a long run today, I have just been traveling too much. Was worried about sore back, it was OK (good heating pad session last night) but glute-hamstring tendonitis thing was really sore and I have to admit I've just overloaded on everything, need to pull back where I can and NO DEADLIFTING till after my race is over, that is really what activates it so intensely. Just did the full CP loop and have rescheduled the 20-miler for Monday - gonna try and calm down and have more quiet time at home between now and then, insofar as it is possible!

just under 2hr, just over 8mi

Bench/run

Nice session at the gym with the team, then jogged partway home (walked the rest once I'd done sufficient time - running long tomorrow, but also back/right hamstring/right lower calf all very tight and rather sore). Good way of doing it.

(1) DB floor press x 50 (27.5? can't remember)
(2) bench set (FAST): 10 x 3 @ 65
(3) single-arm rows: 6 x 8 @ 37.5
(4) 50 kettlebell skullcrusher
(5) 100 triceps pulldown

:45 upper body
:40 jog
:40 walk

DL!

Finally got myself back to the gym! Feeling exhausted, but it has been too long - I fell into a taxi (really it's the getting there that's been the obstacle, not the thought of the workout itself) and will continue to get there that way as needed. It has always been the one bad thing about Chelsea Piers that it's time-consuming to get to by public transit, and the weather hasn't quite reached cycling range (actually today it would have been OK).

Workout took about :40 minutes - I am only going to lift pretty light till after my endurance event is over, and no squatting I think.

Deadlift work set: 3 x 10 @ 121
Shrugs: 100 @ 27.5 (have lost all calluses and grip feels horribly weak!)
Bulgarian split squat: 3 x 6 (no weight) with 3-second pause at bottom
Back hyperextension (can't remember exact name): 30

And some stretching. I forgot how much I like lifting weights - definitelyl need either weights, yoga or both to complement running, very slow running is not in itself sufficient even if you are doing a lot of it!

Placeholder :30

An hour on the schedule, but my lungs are really tender/raw as a consequence of rather overdoing it Saturday (legs are OK, bit tight but nothing out of the ordinary) - didn't run yesterday and cut today's hour in half. Gotta be really careful with this, it will be extremely challenging if I get sick just now!

:30 very slow

Glorious trail run!

About 13 miles total, 3:10 or so. Most beautiful weather! Hahaha, I may have slightly overdone it, I am going to be pretty sore tomorrow...