Day two of physical therapy exercises seems to be going pretty well. I'm starting out with 10 minutes in the morning and stretching at night in the hopes that I won't overdo it. So far, so good. If my daily walks go well and I'm still feeling good by Friday, I might try a gentle interval run (my inner runner just clapped her hands with glee).
So if the inner runner is clapping her hands and the outer runner can't run - what do you do? Well, being the nerd that I am, I make lists and plans. I have a Project Planner notebook that is full of lists and plans for everything from weight loss to school schedules and home improvement plans. It is delightfully random and gives me a lot of joy. So, of course there is a page for the project "Return to Running." The list looks something like this:
- Morning PT exercises: Do 10-15 minutes of PT exercises in the morning and 10-15 minutes of stretching at night.
- Daily walks: Continue to walk at work during breaks (1 hour total per work day).
- Add treadmill: After 2 weeks of steady PT exercises and stretching, add 15 minutes of treadmill time in the morning. Walk if necessary, but slowly add gentle running intervals.
- Transition out of PT: Use the 10-15 minutes reserved for PT to do ab exercises, planks, and push ups.
- Increase treadmill time: After 2 weeks of 15 minute workouts, increase treadmill time to 30 minutes, slowly increasing running intervals until you can run 2 miles nonstop consitantly.
- Start running for distance: Slowly increase distance to 3-4 miles per day with a long run of 6-8 on the weekends.
Under the "Next Steps" section, I have listed my goal to run a marathon by next September (or the first week in October if I have to use my backup race), so I will need to start training by mid May or early June.Making a plan always makes me feel better about things. It helps remind me that even though I'm not where I want to be right now, I am headed in that direction... however slowly. Fortunately, slow and steady is kind of my jam.
I will leave you with a photo from the weekend that I forgot to post yesterday:
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| S with his Auntie Erin |
I think you are working on a good plan and you have plenty of time for a race next year. Make sure you avoid my mistake, I feel good and want to results NOW. Its a slow process and takes time to return to running. Stick with your plan and you will be good to go.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! I struggle with not rushing things as well - it's hard. I really miss just being able to go for a run when I need to vent anxiety and frustration. Patience, right? In the mean time, I'll just keep stalking fellow bloggers.
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet baby picture!! I think everything needs to be listed, and organized so I love your plan. Goals seem so much more achievable when you can cross off the steps along the way!
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