PT Week 3 Update

Well, I'm almost done! I only have one week of physical therapy left. The good news is that I was able to run this week! I did ten minutes on Monday and fifteen yesterday. The hammy still doesn't feel 100%, but it felt better the longer I ran so I'm happy with that progress. I have been wearing a neoprene knee sleeve and it seems like it helps keep me from overextending my leg when I run or walk.

I was instructed to walk the Hot Chocolate 15k tomorrow. I plan on doing that, but if I feel good, I might sneak a couple short run breaks in there too. I'm actually a little worried about keeping up with the time limit (which is a foreign feeling to me thankfully), but I got placed in one of the earlier corrals so I think that I should be okay.

I have a half day at work today and we are leaving for Philly as soon as I get done, so I'm counting down the minutes even more than usual! I can't wait to hang out with my best friend all weekend and eat absurd amounts of chocolate tomorrow! ;) I'll be back sometime next week with a recap of the race!

PT Week 2 Update

The good news is that I'm feeling better. The bad news is that I'm still not in running condition. During my appointment on Wednesday, I warmed up on the bike and elliptical (neither bother me at all) and then tried running on the treadmill. Within two minutes, the stiffness in my knee returned and I had to stop for fear of making it worse. However, apparently my mobility is improving and my therapists are now fairly confident that this is a hamstring strain and not a medial meniscus tear.

I'll be going to PT for two more weeks so I'm hoping to see big improvements in the next fourteen days. As it looks right now, I'll be walking the entire 9.3 miles at the Hot Chocolate 15k in Philadelphia next weekend which hopefully won't be as boring as it sounds. I'm being optimistic and thinking that I may be able to do run/walk intervals for the Scranton Half in two weeks. We'll see.

PT Week 1 Update

It's hard to really say whether I'm feeling optimistic or not right now. My leg has felt totally fine while walking the past two days, so that's an improvement, but I can still tell that there is something off with it. When I went to PT on Monday, we did an evaluation, massage, stim, and ice. On Wednesday and Thursday, I started a strengthening program involving lots of balance work and kettlebells (!!!). I love the shit out of kettlebell work outs.

 

I got to use the stationary bike to warm up and I LOVED it. I was excited to be able to bike outside, but since it's currently precipitating white stuff, I don't think I'll be able to get out there this weekend. I'm also nervous that the hills nearby won't get along with my leg, but I suppose I won't know until I try.

 

I'm generally a little sore from the new exercises the past two days, but I do think I'm seeing an improvement. My therapist said he would like for me to try a short run next week when I go in, so hopefully that will end well and with no pain. I'm excited to see what next week brings and I'm remaining hopeful that I'll be able to run (or run/walk, or even just walk, I don't care!) the Hot Chocolate 15k in Philly in two weekends.