Wednesday, February 8, 2012

The Week That Was(n't)...January 29 - February 4, 2012

On some runs, I forget to bring my GPS watch. Looking back on a weeks when this happened, I regularly have a hard time remembering what I did on a given day.  No problem with that issue this week.

No runs this week.  

Got in a good 1.5-hour yoga session Sunday morning with JP.  Both kids came to the class with us. That was a lot of fun. So great to see the three of them lined up beside me (the family that sweats together, stays together...).

On Thursday, I went and saw Josh Shadle over at All Sports Recovery Club in Boulder for some deep tissue abuse massage. I had quite a few moments where I had to laugh out loud at the pain. It was either that or yell. Not sure how I got this tight, but it seems clear that with everything all bound up in my hips/glutes/lower back, it's no wonder my IT band is getting jacked.

The All Sports Recovery Club is an interesting idea. Essentially, you can become a member for a monthly fee and use their collection of recovery equipment, from cold lasers and ice baths to compression boots and a vast quiver of foam rollers. Interesting concept, and definitely one of those "only in Boulder" things.

So, I'm doing daily hip mobility and glute strengthening exercises, along with a lot of time with my two new best friends. A new (hard) foam roller and a lacrosse ball.

Nope, not a tall glass of Guinness.
I'm using the foam roller to roll out my IT band and lower back. The lacrosse ball is for rolling around on and working to loosen up the gluteus maximus and gluteus medias muscles.

Tested the IT band out last night (Tuesday) on the rec center treadmill. Did a half-mile walking warm-up, then a half-mile at 10:00 pace and then 3.3 miles at a whopping 9:00 pace. Shut it down at 4.3 when I started to feel a hint of IT ache in the right knee.

So tempted to just go out and run hard. A big part of me just wants to say f*** it and get out and keep building on the fitness that was really starting to come around. Fortunately, for now, I'm able to tamp down that desire and stay focused on getting the ITBS under control so I can do what I want to do this summer.

Traffic jam, Evergreen style:


3 comments:

  1. Had a foam roller for a couple of years now (in the longer length) and love it. Amazing how much tension and pain is hiding in there.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love is such a utilitarian word.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey Jim - saw your comment - small world I guess... If Mrs. P is up for some questions, I'm sure there are some wandering through Mrs. HT's mind. happytrails88@q.com

    Now for this all sports recovery outfit - do you just get to walk up to that kind of equipment and go to town?? Definitely a novel concept, but probably stays pretty busy.

    ReplyDelete