Injuries & laziness

Gah! So, you know that I started going to the massage therapist AND you know that I was sick. Well, it wasn't food poisoning, it was some viral something, and it's not totally gone. Grrrrr...
In sum, I haven't run in over 2 weeks. Yesterday, I swam, which is really the first aerobic activity I've done in that time, other than walking around SF.

I have a knee brace and I'm wearing my compressions sleeves a lot. The massages are really helping, and I believe that he enforced rest will be good for me, though it is quite frustrating.

Yesterday I went to the gym where I ran in the pool & swam for about 35 minutes. It was quite boring- I wish I had a waterproof MP3 player. But I did that, my 150 crunches, and stretched and tortured myself with the foam roller for about 25 minutes. I should go again right now, but I'm making myself go do homework at the library.

I'm not afraid. I know that my race will still be good. I don't know if I'm going to be able to get in the miles that I need for my long runs, but I'll be fine. And I will take a good amount of time off.

She is my new best friend

I visited the massage therapist yesterday, and it was the bomb-diggity.
First of all, she herself has compartment syndrome, so knows exactly what I've been dealing with these years. She is also short w/big ol' legs, so she understands my body.

After going to doctors, PT, and chiropractor, I was starting to lose hope, until Eleanor started working on my legs. She knew right away where my trouble spots were, because she could feel them. "Oh, is this the painful area? It's all lumpy." "Oh, this spot is weird. And deep!" I know! I know! I was surprised that I wasn't crying when she was pressing on my torture spots, but it was great.

We talked for a long time first, and I realized that I have had leg issues all of my life. Truly. I was born w/my feet all jacked up & they put casts on my legs before my mom got to hold me for the first time. So, it's likely that my supination & pain are mechanical from the way I was formed.
I kept remembering times I had injured my legs or they hurt or something, and it started to come together that all this isn't new.

So, she worked for a long time and I felt wonderful right away. The pain wasn't totally gone, but it moved up a little to a different spot. My horrible areas felt much more loose & free. I'm going to see her once a week for the next month, then we'll see what I may need.

I also realize that I cannot keep pretending that I'm going to do a track workout on Tues & Thurs. That's just too close together for my body. I want to keep running & I want to do the race I have scheduled, so I can't keep pushing it at the beginning of the week, only to have to recover the rest of the week. So, until my legs are in shape, I need to come up with a new schedule.

I'm actually thinking that I need to only run twice a week, and even cut back on the walking a bit. For example: the wonderful, strong training I did on Tuesday with my friends? I thought that all was well, then I walked a whopping 1.8 miles with another friend before youth on Wednesday night, and I could barely smile and untense my shoulders until the ibuprofen kicked in after that. WTH?

So, I'm going to work on getting to the gym more & bike or swim. Joy. Today, I'm battling food poisoning for the 3rd day in a row, so I haven't done anything since that Wednesday walk. I hate that. But I won't freak out or get scared.

Tomorrow is a wedding, so hopefully I'll dance my booty off a bit!