On a Roll

Yesterday I bought this!

I did a bit of rolling when I got home.  It hurts when I roll my hips, but it's like when you get a massage and it hurts... but it hurts so good.  From what I've read, I believe this just confirms that I will definitely benefit from the rolling.  I'm thinking it will also inspire me to clean the kitchen floor more often, because for some weird reason sliding my body along the floor yesterday was a little less than desirable!

And tonight I did some yoga.  I went into the fitness menu in Xfinity On Demand and found a yoga for athletes video and a yoga for all video.  I did all 17 minutes of the yoga for athletes workout and then I sort of did a pick and choose method with the 20 minute yoga for all video since it had a lot of repeat poses and my hamstrings were over it.  I liked the videos and will definitely be trying them again.

I'd like to think I'm pretty fit and more flexible than most, but yoga is so humbling.  I am a beginner!  I love that there's so much room for improvement, but I just need to stick with it.  There are so many videos on youtube, I need to find some that I like so I can master them!  One of the hardest things for me is just to remember to breathe during the poses, but practice makes perfect.

Tomorrow is Friday!  Get excited!  We are getting some days in the 50s, I love it.  Happy Weekend to you, my friends :)

Do you like yoga?  What's your favorite pose?  Any online yoga video suggestions?

Half Marathon Training: Week 6

Week 6:

- Monday, 7 mi on the bike in 40 min, 30 push-ups, 100 mountain climbers, lots of stretching
- Tuesday, 2 mi around my neighborhood, 23 min

- Saturday, 30 minute dog walk, 10 minute treadmill walk, mixed interval workouts
- Total Mileage = 2 mi

What a bummer!  As I mentioned, I am currently taking some time to let my hip rest and hopefully avoid a serious injury.  I will be so disappointed if this hip thing stops me from running the half, but I'm hoping it won't come to that and I'm going to think positive!  It's still so far away so I can't worry yet.

Yesterday Dave and I had a full to-do list, so we decided to fit in a better than nothing workout.  I did a bunch of different things, alternating between two moves for some interval sets.

Alternating Interval Workout

Push-ups 3 sets of 10
Mountain climbers 3 sets of 30

Assisted dips 3 sets of 10
Calf raises 3 sets of 30

Alternating sides bicep curls 3 sets of 20 (10 on each side)
High knees 3 sets of 30

Straight arm raises alternating between in front and out to the sides 3 sets of 20 (10 each way)
Planks 3 sets of 30 seconds

My calves are so sore today!  And guess what I found at Dave's gym... a foam roller!  I did some rolling on my hips, legs, and lower back and it was awesome.  The roller was a lot harder than I expected it to be, which makes sense, because if it was soft I guess it wouldn't be very effective!

My goals for this week are to not be a lazy bum and still workout at least three times this week.  I also want to buy a foam roller, learn more about rolling, and put that baby into action on my body.  My last goal is to stretch at least four times and do some type of yoga.

Do you like interval workouts?  What are your favorite things to do in intervals?

Say It Ain't So

So I think I'm injured.  Womp!  About two weeks ago, I started having some pain in my hip.  At first I though it was only some muscle soreness, but then it hurt at lot and I figured it was probably time to actually go spend some money on shoes.  I ran twice last week in my new shoes, the first time with no pain and then I felt a little pain at the end of my second run, which was the 5 miler.  Then I didn't run for the rest of the week because I was sick but I did feel some hip pain on Saturday night after our day in Philly.  Tuesday night I ran 2 miles and I started out with a little pain in my hip, but then it went away once I warmed up and I felt perfectly fine that night and the next morning.  But halfway through my workday on Wednesday, my hip started to seriously hurt, like I was limping around work.  I was so upset.  I decided to skip my group run (which was cancelled anyway due to snow) and head to the chiropractor.  There I received some massage, an extended stretching session, and an adjustment.  Now it's two days later and my hip is still in some pain.

As of right now my plan is to take two weeks off from running and then see how I feel.  I'm so frustrated!  I thought I could get away with running in the shoes I already had for the first month of my training, I wasn't going that far, I was only running three times a week.  I guess I learned my lesson, proper running shoes are mega important.  I'm not really sure what my injury is exactly.  The pain is concentrated on the outside of my right leg where my thigh meets my tush, so from my internet reseach I believe it could be one of two things:

Hip Bursitis
Hip bursitis is a common problem that causes pain over the outside of the upper thigh. A bursa is a fluid filled sac that allows smooth motion between two uneven surfaces. For example, in the hip, a bursa rests between the bony prominence over the outside of the hip (the greater trochanter) and the firm tendon that passed over this bone. When the bursal sac becomes inflamed, each time the tendon has to move over the bone, pain results.
(source)

or

IT Band Syndrome
Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) occurs when there is irritation to this band of fibrous tissue. The irritation usually occurs over the outside of the knee joint, at the lateral epicondyle--the end of the femur (thigh) bone. The iliotibial band crosses bone and muscle at this point; between these structures is a bursa which should facilitate a smooth gliding motion. However, when inflamed, the iliotibial band does not glide easily, and pain associated with movement is the result.
(source)

Either way right now I believe the magical formula is some good old RICE - rest, ice, compression, and elevation.  I'm considering buying a foam roller too, I've heard great things about them and they're cheap!

(source)

I guess if the pain is still there in two weeks, I'll be headed to the doctor!

Have you ever had a hip injury?  Any suggestions?  Do you foam roll?