Road to Recovery Week 2 Recap

Is it me or does it finally feel like summer is coming to an end?  The temperature is finally starting to cool off – now can we just get rid of the rain?!

It’s the start of a new week and my recovery from plantar fasciitis continues.  I have been in physical therapy and doing tons of exercises, hoping that I can get rid of my heel pain for good!  Sharing these recaps helps keep me accountable, and it also keeps me motivated to keep blogging!  I hope you enjoy following my progress.

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=”Check out my birthday and workout recap in the latest #weeklywrap! ” username=”Janelle_RWNR”]

Weekly Wrap: My Birthday!

This past Saturday was birthday #32.  I’m getting old!  It was a really busy few days.  On Thursday I hosted a birthday Happy Hour with friends and coworkers at a local brewery that’s new to the neighborhood.  About 15-20 people came out so it was really nice.  As usual, I forgot to take pictures.  The food and cocktails were really good, but I wasn’t a huge fan of their beers.  But it was great to catch up with friends that I hadn’t seen in a while.  It seemed like everyone had a nice time!

Over the weekend, Bret and I went to New York City.  Bret’s nephew was born just the week before so it would be our first time meeting him.  He is absolutely adorable and so big!  And I could tell that Bret immediately fell in love.  It was great seeing the two of them together.  Fortunately, the new mom and dad are doing very well.

We ended up doing what we usually do on a mini-vacation – get some good eats and drinks.  On Saturday morning we had a really nice brunch at a French place – I had lemon ricotta blueberry pancakes with bacon and it was just amazing!  After visiting Bret’s sister again and bringing them bagels, I had a taste of my Oreo birthday cake (yum!).  For dinner, we ended up at a Polish restaurant in Brooklyn – too much food to eat!  And we hit a couple of really nice bars in between.  NYC is always so overwhelming, and since the trip was suddenly planned due to the birth of the baby, we just had to wing it.  If Bret didn’t know already, he should definitely believe me now when I say I’m not good at being spontaneous!  But overall, we had a really nice time.

Joining MyFitnessPal

On another note, I wanted to mention that I joined MyFitnessPal a couple of weeks ago to keep myself accountable when it comes to healthy eating.  I signed up for it years ago when I first started seeing my dietitian, but I just couldn’t keep up with it.  Now, I’ve really become committed.  It’s eye-opening to see all of that data in one place and it really is shaping my eating habits in a positive way.  But I will confess that I’m avoiding putting in all of my birthday calories!  If you have an account, let me know – I’d love to connect!

PT Exercises and Workouts for the Week

Monday 8/13:  Found a little time in the gym at work.  I did a quick soleus stretch (2 sets of 20 seconds) then about 21 minutes on the rowing machine with a couple of brief breaks.  It’s a really good workout, though I could feel it in my lower back.  I also did some toe yoga at my desk.  In the evening I had my PT session:  10 minute elliptical warmup, calf and soleus stretch (20 seconds, 5 times), 10 second single-leg balance on the Bosu ball (flat side) which was really TOUGH, 3 minutes of rolling with a golf ball on each side, clamshells (3 sets of 15), and single leg bridges (3 sets of 10).  I wore both of my night splints.

Tuesday 8/14:  My feet were pretty sore the next morning – no thanks to the night splints, plus I did do a lot of work on Monday.  I had another PT session with all the previous day’s workouts plus 3 sets of 15 clamshells.  Since my feet were hurting, I used ice at the end of the day and did NOT wear the night splints.

Wednesday 8/15: PT exercises at home:  calf stretch on the steps (20 seconds, 5 times), soleus stretch (20 seconds, 5 times), clamshells (3 sets of 20), leg raises (3 sets of 15), toe yoga and stretch.  I did wear the night splints.

Thursday 8/16:  I didn’t do much, just a little toe yoga.  I got a pair of compression socks in the mail so I wore them to bed.  This was the first night I tried to alternate my night splints.  Remember, I have one that the podiatrist gave me, and 2 that I got from my primary care’s recommendation.  I wore the lighter splint on my left foot and the heavier splint on the right.  Everything was miserable and I had to take off the left compression sock…it was just way too tight.

Friday 8/17: Very little done again, more toe stretches.  Feet did not feel good in the morning.  I had a busy day at work and took the Bolt Bus to NYC…not a lot of room to stretch.  That night, I repeated the night splint configuration.  Somehow, I was able to get a much better nights’ sleep.

Saturday 8/18:  Minor foot pain first thing in the morning, not as bad as earlier in the week (thank goodness).  Before starting the day I was able to do leg raises, clamshells, and toe yoga.  Then I walked all over Manhatten and Brooklyn – my feet were miserable!  I did not wear the night splints.

Sunday 8/19:  Headed back home!  Felt that usual foot pain in the morning due to not wearing any overnight support.  I did the toe yoga, calf stretches on the steps (20 seconds, 5 times) and that was pretty intense!  I also did leg raises, hamstring stretch, and toe stretch before bed.  I only wore the lighter night splint on my right foot.

Week 2 Report Card

Week 2 of recovery was pretty intense.  I had a lot more foot pain this week and I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I wasn’t concerned. The night splints have really been a nuisance and I’m worried that they are doing more harm than good.  I’m going to bring them into my next PT appointment and try to figure out what I’m doing wrong.

Despite the pain, I think I did a pretty good job of keeping up some form of exercise each day.  I wish I spent more time in the gym, but it was a ridiculously busy week.  Fortunately, I’ve been diligent about tracking my activities in my Believe Training Journal.   So I am going to give Week 2 of recovery a B+.  Let’s hope I can feel better this week!

How was your week of working out?  What do you like to do when visiting NYC?