Pity party

For one?  Right over here.

I haven't had any more bouts of flu/cold-like symptoms since I last posted (ages ago, it seems).  So that's good news.  And I was really starting to feel better.  Not just physically, but I seemed to be getting my positive energy back, despite work being crazy busy. And when I say crazy busy I don't mean *extremely* busy, I mean busy in a crazy, "are you kidding me", do everything three times just for kicks and giggles kind of way.  "Oh, one more data point came in, can we (read: you) rerun all the programs?"  Yeah, super fun.  But I digress.

So, workouts felt like they were starting to come back around and build some momentum.  I even had a swim lesson with (another) new instructor.  I really liked the last one, but evidently she's not teaching at "my" pool anymore.  So I had a 1/2 hour lesson with the new instructor just to see if I was making any progress towards my stroke changes.  Turns out the she has had shoulder problems like mine.  And after watching me swim a bit said she was not surprised that I had problems, but was more surprised that I didn't have problems with *both* shoulders.   A few tweaks to my hand entry and my pull would be required.  Not an easy task when the muscles have been memorizing the current pattern for quite a while.  But I'm working on it. Slowly but surely I'll get it there.

Although I had been frustrated of late with my biking progress (or perceived lack thereof), I think it may have more to do with my mentality than physicality.  Just like building up the biking muscles, I need to work my biking brain too.  When it starts to get *really* tough on the bike my legs say STOP and my brain hasn't figured out how to override them.  I feel like I'm making a little progress here, but it's slow going.

The run.  This is where I feel like I've made some significant progress so far this year.  I had another 5k a little over a week ago.  And despite coming at the end of a 3 week build in training, I *just* missed a PR.  Which gives me the thought that my goal is within reach if I had rested legs and a good day......a flat course couldn't hurt either. 

Just prior to that 5k I started to feel some small twinges in my right hip.  Nothing major, just something a little off.  It didn't bother me during the 5k though, and seemed to be loosening up, so I thought no more of it.  Until a little too much dancing, or maybe too much time in heels, or both,  at a wedding last weekend had me waking up Sunday with seriously tight, sore calves and a right hip that smacked me every time I moved.  Or touched it.  Or tried to lay on the right side.  On Monday it was feeling a bit better.  I decided to run and although it felt a little achy, it wasn't too bad.  After the run I spun my legs out on my bike and then plopped myself in a tub full of cold water.  And then dumped in ice.  And sat there until my toes were about frozen.  On Tuesday I woke up and thought, "Wow, I probably shouldn't have run on that hip." 

Luckily I had an appointment already scheduled for today with my PT.  Again with the "ugh" and "eww" as he watched my gait and poked and prodded my sore hip.  An uncomfortable hour later I had some relief, although not total, some homework and 2 instructions.  1) Come back early next week and 2) no running.  I had gone to the appointment dressed in my running gear and had planned to hit a nice trail by work after my appointment.  Sooo, I guess *not* then.  I clarified...."No running today, or ????"  Then I get "the look".  No running until at least after my next appointment.  A small bit of good news is that he thinks he can get me back to 'normal' after the next visit.  But I really need to work on changing my posture and gait.  Again...easier said than done.  Especially when the body alignment he is looking for feels totally unnatural to me.  My head says "that can't possibly be right".  More hard work to change years of ingrained muscle memory.

On the one hand...it could be worse, right?  And if I can get things fixed now, I could hopefully prevent more problems in the future.  On the other hand, my first "A" race of the year is in just over 3 weeks.  And I have camp a week from Saturday.  This is *no* time to be injured.  I will try to maintain some positivity.  There are much worse things that not being able to run for a few days.  *Much* worse.  It's just that as soon as I hear 'You can't' or 'You shouldn't' then I want to do that thing even more.  I even started thinking...I could just go for a short run after work.  I'm feeling a bit better now.  Yeah, I'm just that way.  But I will do my best to be a good patient. And hope that I can be right as rain before next weekend.  Keep your fingers crossed for me, would ya?