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?

Weekend Shenanigans & Taco Dip

Despite being sick this weekend, Dave and I still had some fun.  He had tickets to the Flyers game on Saturday afternooon, so we cancelled our Friday night plans to stay in and get some rest.  Saturday morning we got up and took the train into the city and for some strange reason, we got to ride the regional rail for free both ways, win!

The game was a bummer because the refs were awful and the Flyers were not playing well.  We left at the end of the second period when the Flyers were losing 0-6.  But of course after we left they scored 4 goals and the refs actually let them fight.  Womp for us!  To drown our sorrows we headed over to Nodding Head Brewery to grab a drink with one of my friends from work.  It was a pretty cute place and the beer was tasty.  And omg, the fried mac and cheese!

The rest of Saturday we did some more bumming around because we were prepping for our Super Bowl Party... aka my family of Giants fans yelling in the living room.  Even though our little shindig wasn't anything too fancy, we had a great spread: wings, pizza, and some taco dip!  It's so easy to make that you don't even need a recipe but you're in luck, I'm giving you one anyway!

Taco Dip

Ingredients:
- Cream cheese
- Queso
- Salsa
- Mexican blend cheese
- Chopped lettuce (I used a prechopped bag because I am lazy)
- Tomatoes (I used canned, fire roasted - make sure your drain them!)

Directions:
1. Spread the cream cheese on the bottom of your pan.  You can use sour cream but the dip can end up watery.

2.  Lay all ingredients as you wish.

I tend to add some random layers of cheese throughout.  You can't go wrong with cheesy layers!

3.  Enjoy with whatever chips you like.  I recommend some Scoops, we love the whole grain version!

This recipe is so great because there are so many possibilities.  You could add some refried beans mixed with some taco seasoning, black olives, some guacamole, some avocado chunks, maybe some onions and peppers, whatever you want!  I love making things that you can't mess up.

And now it's Tuesday, I'm still relishing in the Giants' win and I'm not sick anymore!  Well I'm still friends with the tissue box, but I'm feeling a lot better!  I even made it to the gym last night and went for a run tonight, woot!  I hope your week is starting off on the right foot :)

Did you do anything fun this weekend?  Did you watch the game?  What's your favorite party food?