I guess my workout on Sunday was better than I had thought. My muscles were soooo sore yesterday and they still are today. It's a good soreness, I guess, but I still look funny when I move around! The main sore muscles are in my legs. I assume this is due to the squats and the step-ups not due to the running.
The good news is I don't feel soreness in my knee. I babied it yesterday with ice then wore the brace all day.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
New shoes
Forgot to mention that I visited a running store in a city about 40 minutes away from home. Very nice store called Fitness Sports. The guy who helped me was genuinely helpful and interested in my "newbie" runner discussion. It seems like the shoes I've been wearing are the right ones. I tried on what had to be 10 different shoes. He was the one bringing out all the shoes, I wasn't really requesting them. So, I didn't feel bad about taking up that extra time. (Except that my husband and kids were waiting in the car!) I picked out the Brooks Defyance, which happened to be on sale. They are in a strip mall. Behind the store, there is a hallway that runs between all the stores. There, you can run back and forth to try the shoes out. That helped a lot.
Back on the treadmill
Last night I got back on the treadmill after three weeks rest. My knee is still not 100% better, though. I wasn't feeling it much from day to day, though. Last week, I did feel a sharp pain, so I knew it wasn't over. I was standing up after sitting on the floor and angled it just right. Most of the time, it's been ok, though. I'll be in the water twice per week starting tomorrow, however I will be walking rather than swimming. Hopefully that doesn't aggravate it. (I will be taking my daughter to "swimming" lessons.)
The run last night went well. I did 2 miles at 5.0-5.2 miles per hour. After that, I did Stage 1 workout A3 of the New Rules of Lifting for Women. That went very well. I can definitely see that using the heavy weights and short rests helps get my heart rate up. I was up in the 150's a few times when it was intense. I had to lengthen a couple rests a bit to bring my heart rate back down.
This time I did the step-ups on a weight bench. My footing wasn't as firm due to the padding, but that just increased the intensity a bit. It was a much better height than that little 8 inch box I had used before. This time, using 10lb bells in each hand had me at my limit, while before 25lb bells only maxed out my hand strength!
For the squats, I was able to get a lot lower, but still not quite as low as I wanted. I realized that if I slant my toes out slightly rather than having my feet be parallel, I could squat a lot lower.
For the cable row, this time there was a bench already situated under the cable machine, so I used that. Much nicer than sitting on the floor!
I did the push-ups at 45degrees using the Smith machine. They went pretty well and had me at my limit by the time I reached 12 reps, so I think for now, that is the right setting. When the reps are lowered, I guess I can lower the Smith bar accordingly. Maybe to 30degrees.
The prone jackknives are still kicking my butt, but I got through them ok. The stability ball really kicks that one up several notches!
I iced my knee when I went to bed and I'm wearing a compression brace today. If this soreness comes back like it was and doesn't go away, I'm going to have to go to the doctor. :(
Last night I forgot my water bottle. Very bad. The water at the gym is HORRIBLE! It is very bad. They must not be on city water, even though they are really close to town. I hope they get added some time, because that is just soooo nasty. The toilets and water fountain are stained from the water and the place isn't that old. It leaves a icky, long lasting aftertaste. They do sell bottled water there. I will be tempted to buy one next time I forget my own water.
The run last night went well. I did 2 miles at 5.0-5.2 miles per hour. After that, I did Stage 1 workout A3 of the New Rules of Lifting for Women. That went very well. I can definitely see that using the heavy weights and short rests helps get my heart rate up. I was up in the 150's a few times when it was intense. I had to lengthen a couple rests a bit to bring my heart rate back down.
This time I did the step-ups on a weight bench. My footing wasn't as firm due to the padding, but that just increased the intensity a bit. It was a much better height than that little 8 inch box I had used before. This time, using 10lb bells in each hand had me at my limit, while before 25lb bells only maxed out my hand strength!
For the squats, I was able to get a lot lower, but still not quite as low as I wanted. I realized that if I slant my toes out slightly rather than having my feet be parallel, I could squat a lot lower.
For the cable row, this time there was a bench already situated under the cable machine, so I used that. Much nicer than sitting on the floor!
I did the push-ups at 45degrees using the Smith machine. They went pretty well and had me at my limit by the time I reached 12 reps, so I think for now, that is the right setting. When the reps are lowered, I guess I can lower the Smith bar accordingly. Maybe to 30degrees.
The prone jackknives are still kicking my butt, but I got through them ok. The stability ball really kicks that one up several notches!
I iced my knee when I went to bed and I'm wearing a compression brace today. If this soreness comes back like it was and doesn't go away, I'm going to have to go to the doctor. :(
Last night I forgot my water bottle. Very bad. The water at the gym is HORRIBLE! It is very bad. They must not be on city water, even though they are really close to town. I hope they get added some time, because that is just soooo nasty. The toilets and water fountain are stained from the water and the place isn't that old. It leaves a icky, long lasting aftertaste. They do sell bottled water there. I will be tempted to buy one next time I forget my own water.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
A little healing break
Since my knee continues to be sore, I'm taking a little break from running and lifting. I think it may just continue being sore if I don't stop stressing it. Hopefully it will only be a week or so more.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Swimming
Due to bad weather and my sore knee, I skipped a few workouts. Last night, I stayed in the town where I work to avoid traveling in the blowing snow in the morning. So, this morning I got up and swam instead of my usual workout. There were a few things I noticed. I used my HRM and noticed since you swim in a prone position, my heart rate isn't as high until I stand up. In general, I didn't get my heart rate up very high, since I found that kicking in the water hurt my knee. It hurt a lot more than running and lifting due to the lateral motion. So, instead of swimming the whole time, I walked back and forth in the water and also did some laps just swimming with my arms. Not the most intense workout, but it was a nice change-up. I hope to get back to normal workouts soon, though.
I really need to focus on my eating. I've been doing very poorly lately. I really need to drink a lot more water, especially.
I really need to focus on my eating. I've been doing very poorly lately. I really need to drink a lot more water, especially.
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