Road to Recovery Week 1 Recap

Here we are at the start of another week!  Have you had endless rain like we have in Philly?  I’m so over it!

I’m linking up with HoHo and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap! I’m also linking up with Marcia, Patty, and Erika for Tuesdays on the Run,  Debbie, Lora, and Rachel for the Running Coaches Corner and Annmarie and Nicole for Wild Workout Wednesday!

[bctt tweet=”Sharing my first week of legit physical therapy on the blog! #runchat #sweatpink ” username=”Janelle_RWNR”]

Weekly Wrap: Burning the Candle at Both Ends

I have to say that this past week was the beginning of a feeling of having a bit too much on my plate.  My workload is increasing since we’re in the last few weeks of the fiscal year.  My main project is moving along fine but meeting frequency is starting to increase.  Another project that I’m involved with – drafting six feasibility studies by 8/31 – is in the works, but still needs a lot of work from my fellow teammates and me.  And I’ve got a few RFP’s that I need to get on the street over the next few months.

In addition to my job, I’m going to physical therapy as many nights a week as I can and signed up to join the company’s band for our upcoming Employee Recognition Awards.  Practicing the clarinet is low on my priority list right now, but I need to find time to practice and learn all of these songs with no sheet music!  I’m definitely nervous about that, even though we have several weeks to rehearse as a group.  When my evening time gets cut short and I only have a couple of hours to myself before going to bed, I tend to get stressed out.

And oh yeah, I’m getting married in a couple of months!  This past week I planned to send out invitations but when I finally sat down and opened the package, someone else’s order was mixed in with mine!  I couldn’t believe it!  I have the address labels, invitations, and envelopes, but no information card that actually has the wedding website and RSVP deadline.  I was SO upset, but thankfully Zazzle is going to expedite my order.  Fingers crossed that I get it before the end of this week and with no errors!

Managing my stress is going to be really challenging over the next couple of weeks.  I really wish that I had running as an outlet, but I have to find other ways to cope.  Do you have any recommendations?  What works for you?

PT Exercises and Workouts for the Week:

Monday 8/6:  Went to the gym at work to knock out some of my PT exercises:  piriformis stretch (20 seconds, 5 times), hip abduction (2 sets of 15, 1 set of 10 on both sides), unilateral isometric hip flexion (5 seconds, 3 sets of 10).  Just those workouts took forever, so I could only spend about 5 minutes on the rowing machine.  Surprisingly it was pretty good cardio!

Tuesday 8/7:  First full session of physical therapy.  After 10 minutes warmup on the elliptical, I did the calf stretch and soleus stretch on an steep incline (20 seconds, 5 times for each), hamstring stretch (20 seconds, 5 times), clamshells (10 seconds, 3 times), leg raises against the wall (3 sets of 15), towel crunches and yoga toes (3 sets of 10, 5 seconds), and toe stretch (20 seconds, 5 times).

Wednesday 8/8:  Knocked out some more PT exercises:  calf stretch with a towel (20 seconds, 5 times), hamstring stretch, toe stretch, toe yoga.

Thursday 8/9:  My second session of PT for the week:  10 minute warmup on the elliptical, calf stretch and soleus stretch again, hamstring stretch, clamshells (3 sets of 20 with green band wrapped around knees), same toe exercises as last time.  For the leg raises against the wall I had to do 3 sets on each side to exhaustion; I ended up with 24, 15, and 10 on the right, and 33, 20, and 11 on the left.

Friday 8/10:  I ended up not doing any workouts.  But what I did do was finally get the proper night splints at the Hangar Clinic on my day off.  They were able to squeeze me in for a walk-in and I was able to get fitted with my new bedtime footwear…I’ll share a picture soon, but they are extremely bulky and a challenge to sleep in.

Saturday 8/11:  Yoga class!  It was so great to be back and see some of the regulars there.  It was a great workout and I felt really strong.  PT exercises: hamstring stretch, clamshells, foot exercises, heel drops on the steps.  Another night wearing the splints…still rough.

Sunday 8/12:  Various PT exercises throughout the day including clamshells, leg raises, foot exercises.  In the afternoon, my sister and I went to a golf outing with the local chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers.  We were able to get instruction from a golf pro on proper form, posture, and swinging technique.  It was definitely awkward at first but then it was a lot of fun!  There is a LOT to learn about golf, lol.  I’d love to be invited to go with co-workers someday, so it’s good to start learning about it now!

Physical Therapy Report Card

If you’ve followed my weekly training recaps in the past, you know that I like to give myself a grade for each week.  It has helped tremendously with accountability, so I thought I should do the same with my road to recovery.

This was my first week of really getting back into physical therapy.  While I definitely could have done more exercises on my non-session days, I’m very pleased with how much I have been doing, as described above.  I have been much more diligent with my exercises than I have in previous injury cycles, so I hope that it will aid in a speedier recovery.

I’m relieved that I finally have the proper night splints that I should have had all along, but they are VERY uncomfortable.   I have had to readjust the straps in the middle of the night because they were way too tight on my feet to the point of pain.  Other times, it doesn’t feel tight enough…sigh.  My first steps of the day do not feel as pain-free as they did when wearing a single night splint, so I need to really work on finding the right fit.

I will give Week 1 of physical therapy an A-.  Hopefully, I can continue to get stronger and get rid of this plantar fasciitis once and for all!  I really, really, really miss running right now!

How was your week of working out?  Do you play golf?  Any tips on how to keep it up as a beginner?