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Motion Is Life Return to Running 2012


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Hi!

My name is Charlotte. I am a Family Medicine Resident, CrossFitter, and vegan triathlete. I adopted a vegetarian diet as a first year medical student, when I discovered the link between diet and exercise and health. Throughout the course of my graduate education, I gradually transitioned to a high raw vegan diet. It's been 3 years and I've never felt better!

 

While I don't have any interest in bodybuilding per se, I am enamored with the human form and in pursuit of my own best physical fitness. I love to train. Nearly 5 years ago, I signed up for my first marathon and subsequently fell in love with running. Sadly, 10 weeks prior to race day (and only 1 week before my wedding), I was sidelined with a femoral neck stress fracture and later learned I had osteopenia. After 6 long months, I began to return to running, but it took me until just a few months ago (nearly 4.5 years post injury) to return to full form. I started CrossFit at a local gym to help build my bone density through functional strength movement, found a coach, set a new PR for the 5K and the 1 mile, and signed up for another marathon to take care of unfinished business.

 

8 weeks into my marathon training, I had a glorious 8 mile run on a snowy trail under the light of the full moon. I returned home high on endorphins, only to develop that all too familiar pain in my opposite hip as the day went on. X-ray is negative for injury (as it often is in acute stress reactions) and MRI won't take place until next week. Until then, my sports doc is assuming the worst and has me strict non-weight bearing on a fancy new set of crutches. Marathon attempt #2 - failed.

 

I refuse to give up on the sport I love. And I refuse to allow this setback to hold me back for another 4 years. My goal for 2012 is to return to my pre-injury level of running through aggressive physical therapy, continued mobilization, strength through CrossFit, and a very carefully planned, conservative running plan. I'll get started just as soon as I have the MRI results, so that I know exactly what I'm dealing with. Given my history, I may not have a marathon in my future, but I can still run.

 

Charlotte

http://www.motion-is-life.org

Edited by Motionislife
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  • 2 weeks later...

After a week of non-weight bearing rest and recovery in the woods of Northern Michigan, I returned home for my MRI arthrogram last week. Great news - no stress fracture!!! I do however, have a labral tear. I was cleared to abandon the crutches (yay!) and set up to meet with a orthopedic hip specialist in 3 weeks time.

 

I've now been back on my feet for 2 days, with no pain other than a slight discomfort in the joint this morning. On Friday morning I was the pool, testing it out with 50m sprints. Yesterday I set up my tri bike on my indoor trainer for some pedaling drills and a few 1/4 mile repeats. No pain, and no pain.

 

I am dying to get back out and run, but given than I'm having some low level discomfort this morning, I'm going to play it safe and get started on my physical therapy program instead. Back when I damaged my right hip in 2007, I had a nagging pain that lasted for months - that turned out to be a labral tear. I was given the option of surgical repair vs a conservative approach of core and glute strengthening. I went for the aggressive PT and after a year or so (yup, it's a long road) the pain eventually went away. This time, I will exhaust my conservative options before I even begin to consider surgery.

 

So here's to kicking off 2012 on my way to a resolution for a strong(er) butt and core and pain-free hips! Happy New Year

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Wow, Charlotte! You have been through a lot. And you are so positive given your physical setbacks. That's a great attitude to keep. I admire your tenacity and drive to continue to be the fittest and healthiest you can be. Keep up the great work!

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I'm happy to report I'm running again less than 4 weeks off - had a great run through the WMU campus under the lights tonight with no pain!

 

Workout #1

CrossFit strength & conditioning WOD

30 min as 1 min on, 1 min off:

5 GI Janes

5 KB swings (0.75 pood)

 

Workout #2

Run

30 min HR zone 2

 

Sore shoulders and tight calves. So good to be back!

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3 days of CrossFit after nearly 3 weeks off - I am so incredibly sore! Oh, how I've missed that feeling! Regardless, I'm really looking forward to a nice easy run with my dog tomorrow morning.

 

CROSSFIT

10 min AMRAP:

15 power snatch (35 lbs)

90 single-unders

 

3 rounds, 11 power snatch

 

I scaled from 30 double-unders - trying to go somewhat easy on my hip - and probably used a bit too much weight for me on the snatch. My upper body strength definitely could use a little work.

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Easy 30 min run with my yellow lab Trek this morning. It's been quite some time since we ran together, and it felt great just to be out there sharing in the pleasure of an early morning run. Followed by a huge "Super Duper" smoothie using Vega Sport Protein (recipe from Kristen's Raw), it was a great start to the day!

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1st long run this weekend - how appropriate that it was on the same snowy trail again under the light of the full moon. A little bit of intermittent pain, and some post-run discomfort that I've been babying this afternoon with Epsom salt soaks, ice, and some PT. I've been slacking on the PT this week, need to get better about it!

 

SATURDAY

1 hr Yoga for Triathletes

 

SUNDAY

1 hr trail run, HR zone 2

30 min PT

Foam roller

 

Before I got hurt, I was training CrossFit 4-5 days per week with 3 days running (1 easy, 1 speed, 1 long). I decided to change things up a bit going forward, with less CrossFit, more yoga, cross training, and smarter running. I'll train on a 14-day schedule that will look something like this:

 

1

MON. Run

TUES. CrossFit, optional swim

WED. CrossFit, Run

THURS. CrossFit, optional bike

FRI. Run

SAT. Yoga, optional swim

SUN. Run

2

MON. optional bike

TUES. CrossFit, Run

WED. CrossFit, optional swim

THURS. CrossFit, Run

FRI. optional bike

SAT. Long Run

SUN. Yoga

 

Of course, I'll have to make adjustments as I go, for example I'll be starting week 2 tomorrow, but have to work 8-8 on Tuesday. If I abide by the 3 hours recovery between workouts rule (which I like to do so that I can make each workout count), I'd be running at 8:30pm, and up at 4 the next morning for CrossFit. There's nothing smart about sacrificing that much sleep for a workout. I'll be running W, F, Sunday instead. (I also NEVER run on back-to-back days, not with my injury history). We'll see how it goes!

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You are one dedicated woman. Two workouts in a day! You're my hero!

 

Looks like you've got a great, well thought out plan set for yourself. Keep doing the strength training. Good for strong bones. Love CrossFit!

 

I'll send you a recipe for building strong bones. It's called Super-Calc Tea from Kal Sellers. I've made it lots of times for myself. Maybe you'll find it helpful.

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TUESDAY AM

CrossFit

 

Strength:

Shoulder Press

3,3,3,3,3

Results: 45, 55, 65(fail), 55, 60lbs

 

L-sit max hold

16 sec on parallels

 

WOD:

6 min AMRAP:

6 wall balls (14),

6 burpees

Results: 7 RNDS, 6 WBs, 2 burpees

 

I HATE BURPEES! I spent a few minutes on the ground gasping for breath after this one, and the next hour coughing like crazy. It's been awhile since I pushed myself like that. Need to work on that L-sit though...

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WEDNESDAY AM

CrossFit

 

WOD:

Tabata intervals x2 (8 min total)

Med ball cleans (14 lbs)

Box jumps (20")

 

Bonus WOD:

10 rounds:

25 yd sprint

5 kb swings (12 kg)

30 sec rest

 

I went easy on the sprints, but still had pain in my left hip. Of course I went ahead with my afternoon workout as planned (it's that type A thing...)

 

WEDNESDAY PM

Run

30 min HR zone 2

 

Started with pain, got better, and then got worse and peaked after allowing my hip flexors to tighten up driving home from my run. After refueling and a little PT, I got after those tight muscles with a lacrosse ball. Looking forward to my next massage and really working the kinks out!

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My hip felt no better when I woke this morning. Since I am not one to rest, I decided to just do my best to keep the impact low. And since I had a rare day off from work, I managed to complete both CrossFit and bike intervals... and to reward myself for all that hard work with a glass of organic wine and a piece of my favorite raw chocolate!

 

THURSDAY

5 AM CROSSFIT

Strength:

pull-up practice

(finally figured out the Kipping pull-up! band-assisted, but still my 1st pull-up without jumping off a box to get over the bar-yay!)

WOD:

For time:

800m C2 rower

50 toes-to-bar (T2B)

400m C2

35 T2B

200m C2

20 T2B

Total = 19:48 (and some pretty torn up hands...ouch)

 

4 PM BIKE

(Tri bike set up on a Kinetic trainer)

Short intervals (from the CrossFit Endurance website):

6 x 1/4 mile with 1:1 recovery, hold within 2-3 sec

 

And of course stretching and PT - after which my hip is feeling like new!

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"Happiness is running the quiet streets in freshly fallen snow."

- from my local running shop

 

Woke up this morning with mild hip pain, and decided to go out in the falling snow with my dog anyways. Amazingly, my pain actually improved as I ran! 2h post-run, I have no pain.

 

AM RUN

30 min easy, with some technique & drill work

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Saturday morning yoga: Althlete's Guide to Yoga with Sage Roundtree

 

As much as I love yoga studio yoga, I just can't bring myself to pay $15-20 a class - especially when I already have memberships to CrossFit and a local athletic club (for the pool). Yoga in my home gym is almost as good!

 

7am - green powder supplement

7:45am - big bowl of my favorite raw cereal (pummelo, dried figs, banana, ground flax, hemp protein, sprouted buckwheat, goji berries, and homemade raw vanilla almond milk), white tea

8:30am - banana

10:30am - YOGA

12pm - humongous salad (with mixed greens, daikon radish, fresh garlic, ground sesame seeds & nooch, pine nuts, olive oil & balsamic vinegar), 1/2 bottle Kombucha, piece of raw chocolate

Dinner - THRIVE black-eyed pea & quinoa pizza, topped with red pepper hemp pesto, sweet potato, beets, red onion, cauliflower & red pepper, plus arame seaweed salad - yum!!

 

I have to work the overnight shift tonight on L&D - hopefully delivering lots of healthy babies so I have something to smile about on tomorrow morning's long run!

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No babies, but all the sleep I got instead set me up for a great morning run. When I work the overnight shift, I like to head out for my morning run straight from the hospital - after which I usually head home to shower, refuel, and sleep all day! No excuses.

 

5:30a: Vega Endurance bar, fresh berries, Yerba mate

8:30a: LONG RUN, 70 minutes HR zone 2

9:45a: Vega Recovery Accelerator

10:30a: Smoothie (Vega Sport Protein, maca, goji berries, cacao, strawberries, blueberries, banana, & spinach)

1:30p: Massaged Kale Salad with avocado and lemon, 1/2 piece raw chocolate, blueberries

 

Early dinner of local squash and greens, likely with a nice glass of wine (and maybe a little more chocolate...)

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I've been thinking a lot lately about redefining my goals. My original goal for 2012 was to run the Kalamazoo marathon on May 6. Given my recent injury, trying to get into marathon shape now would be nothing short of stupid. Luckily for me, the race festival includes a half-marathon - perfect! I'll downgrade to the half in May, take a brief bit of time to recover and refocus, and then continue to build for a late summer marathon. By that time, I should have a good strong base to build upon.

 

My long term goal in all of this is to run an ultra. Ever since my first reading of Dean Karnazes' "UltraMarathon Man" and cheering my husband on at the Vermont 50 Mountain Bike race (which has a coinciding 50 mile ultra), I've dreamed of someday running one myself. I even bought a t-shirt recently depicting the progression: 5k, 8k, 10k, 13.2, 25k, 26.2, Ultra!

 

For a little extra motivation, I'll do my best to cross the distances off one-by-one in my own 2012 progression. And I think I found the perfect marathon: Michigan's North Country Trail Run. The event includes a half, full marathon, and 50 mile ultra. And supposedly a pretty sweet post-race party Sounds so much more fun than a crowded road marathon. Trail marathon here I come!!

 

And since I need super strong legs to get there:

 

MONDAY 1/16

CROSSFIT

 

STRENGTH:

Back Squat

3,3,3,3,3

-> 85,95,105,110,115 (tied my previous 3RM)

 

WOD:

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Wall Ball

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 Box Jump

-> 6:55 (14/14") (still a little hesitant to put to much impact on my hip, stuck to a low box)

 

Chocolate [Nut] Milk:

5-4-3-2-1

Deadlift

Box Jump

-> 1:56 (95/20" step up) (again, the hip)

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TUESDAY 1/17

RUN

30 min HR zone 2

2.55 miles

 

After being up most of the night with moms-to-be, new moms, and new babies, I attempted a post-call run straight from the hospital. I felt tired, weak, uncoordinated, and my HR was at least 10 bpm lower at any given point that I would have expected based on my RPE. Oh, and it was raining. What did I expect? I was operating on a couple of very poor quality 1-1.5 hr naps, and the adrenaline of being on the labor & delivery floor had faded. I've had some truly great post-call morning runs in the past (followed by some truly great naps), but today it just wasn't in the cards.

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WEDNESDAY 1/18

CrossFit

 

Strength:

Muscle up practice

 

WOD:

21-15-9

SDHP (73)

KB swing (35)

Results: 10:41

 

After 9 solid hours of sleep last night, today was a much better day. I even picked my highest weights to date for both the sumo deadlift high pull and the KB swing. I expect I'll be sore tomorrow!

 

Today's food was 100% raw, with the exception of my favorite vega products:

4:40a Vega Sport pre-workout energizer

6:15a Vega Sport recovery accelerator

7:15a giant smoothie with Vega Sport protein, berries, bananas, spinach, and chia

8:00a banana

12p massaged kale salad with avocado, lemon, & hemp seeds; kombucha; piece of raw chocolate

1p fresh blueberries

4p apple

6p Thrive almond flax burger with hemp pesto on a giant bed of greens, 1/2 grapefruit

8p Sunfood raw chocolate protein shake w/ added glutamine

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Two-a-Day Thursday!!

Day off work, so it was easy to fit in both planned workouts, plus a little recovery time, AND date night with my husband tonight!!

 

5am CROSSFIT

Strength:

Deadlift 3,3,3,3,3

-> 95,105,115,125,135

 

WOD:

15 min AMRAP:

3 GI Janes,

5 Pushups,

7 Ball Slams (20 lbs)

-> 10 rounds

 

Fuel: Vega Sport Pre-workout Energizer, post-workout Recovery Accelerator, giant blueberry super duper smoothie with Vega Smoothie Infusion

 

11am BIKE

From CrossFit Endurance:

5 x 3:00, spin/rest 3:00, hold highest average distance possible across all

Tri bike set up on kinetic trainer

-> 0.8, 0.81, 0.8, 0.8, 0.81; 55 min total

 

Fuel: Coconut water, post-workout Recovery Accelerator, giant blueberry super duper smoothie with 2 scoops chocolate Vega Sport Protein

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FRiDaY 1/20

RUN

30 min HR zone 2 + drill work -> 2.3 miles

 

It was a mere 6 degrees F in SW Michigan this morning, too cold to bring my dog along, but not so cold I had to resort to the dreaded treadmill. My hip was a bit angry from the get-go, but didn't get any worse over the course of the run. I see the orthopedic surgeon Monday. I do NOT want surgery, but I do want to run without pain. And that's exactly why I am signing off to do my PT before I go to bed, despite the fact that I am completely exhausted and would love nothing more than to lie on my butt and eat raw chocolates. Happy weekend everyone!

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