Achy But Not Giving Up

  
A few weeks back I stepped up the intensity in my workouts!  I was feeling it!  I was sore for sure, but I was loving it!    I was doing great!   And then it happened!  My leg started to ache!  My foot started to ache!  I was utterly miserable!  Yet, I continued pushing forward with my exercises.  I was on a roll, and nothing was going to stop me!  Famous last words that I should probably never utter again because every time I say that something happens to throw me off track!   (Here is an example from many years back). 

I wasn't going to let my streak of exercising and being on track with my health goals derail me.  So I continued onward, ignoring the pain.   But the pain kept getting worse.  The pain was mostly at the back of my knee.  But weirdly, the pain would radiate down through my calf and sometimes up through my thigh.  My Tarsal tunnel nerve started to bother me. (Yes, I've had problems with that in the past also).  Literally my left side from my thigh down just hurt!   I had Jason look at my leg and his concern was immediate.  He could see some swelling and a knot in the area where I was saying I was hurting the most.  Lovely!

I agreed that if it didn't clear up within a few days that I would go to the doctor/Urgent care!.   I was really crossing my fingers because I do not like to go to the doctor!   I also stubbornly didn't want to stop exercising.  I am in a routine with exercise.  I don't want to do it, but it is part of my morning routine, and I am doing well.  I knew that if I stopped, I would struggle to pick back up that routine!   I also am part of a step challenge that is taking place in the month of March. If I gave up my exercise, I would most decidedly fail on that step challenge!  Last but not least I am also doing my Project 50!  I didn't want to call it quits so soon!  Not when I am filled with this much determination!   So with some trepidation I continued to work out!  I did NOT push myself.  I have been choosing easier workouts.  I am doing exercise videos that don't push me quite as hard.   BUT, I am still working out!  I may not be as sweaty as before, but I am still up and moving!  I am proud of me!

SO how has the leg been?  I can definitely feel it during the workouts.  But throughout the day it seems to be a lot better.  I was talking to Jason last night and my remark was that "my leg just feels so tired".  It wasn't achy last night....just tired.  Which is honestly a really odd feeling to have one side of your body so tired and the other side ready to run a marathon (ok, maybe not thaat good but you get the idea!)  Jason looked at my leg and said that the swelling/bump has diminished.  It isn't gone totally....but it is looking better!

So, I am set to continue my lighter exercise routine!  Someday I'll get back to the higher intensity...in the meantime, I am just super proud that I am not giving up and that I am continuing with the easier exercise DVD's and Youtube videos.  I am also walking the dog a LOT.  Zoey and I are out there at 5AM and are out there a bunch of times a day.  I try to walk the whole time and if she is in a sniffy mood and just poking along I walk in place beside her!  I even sometimes run a bit with her! (Which she LOVES!)  Here is a 5AM picture of me!  Way too early to be outside I know!

Two steps forward two steps.....

This weight thing for me seems to be two steps forward then two steps back.     For the month of march I stayed pretty close to 238.4 for my official weigh ins.  I would show progress during the week but then on my official weigh in I would go right back to the 238.4....I referred to this as my boomerang weight  I was frustrated but still pushed forward. Then for my official weigh in on April 5th I had a break through and I was down to 237!   Woohoo!   But on April 12th I was back up and even higher...I was up to 239!    Let me tell you, utterly frustrating!!!!   

I made a vow last week to make some changes.   I have been trying to and I even did good at the beach this past weekend.  I was happy to see the numbers on scale on Monday ( 236.4) and Tuesday.  (236).    I was thinking great things for today's weigh in.  

I woke up thirsty and knew it wasn't going to be all that great even though my eating was pretty good yesterday.    I was right.   237.0 

Soooo.....take we will take this weigh in however the mood strikes ...but here are the options...

*** Up a pound from yesterday

*** Down two pounds from last week 

*** Maintain from two weeks ago

I ran yesterday morning.  And it went well.  It still isn't fabulous but I'm enjoying it a whole lot more than a few weeks ago.   It's amazing what a little soul searching does!!!!

I'm having problems with pain on the  top of my foot.  A doctor once told me it was a nerve issue.   It has come and gone for a few years.   Late last week it came.    I meant to tape my foot (KT tape has helped some in the past....) on Saturday because I knew we would be out and walking all day. (We ended up putting more than 11 miles on our feet that day!). But I forgot.  And I paid the price.  By the end of the day the pain was really kicking!!!   Believe me, I remembered to tape it on Sunday!!!  The foot still twinges on Sunday but it was a whole lot more bearable!!! (And we didn't walk quite as much since we had to factor in the 4 hour drive home.).    I forgot to tape it on my run on Tuesday...and it bothered me.    Gotta get more tape....gotta keep it taped for a few days....because I want this pain GONE!  It can come back another day never!!!

Just as a side note...I have hit my 10k steps goal 9 out of the last 10 days!    I'm making some great progress toward my mileage goal.

The good, the bad and the ugly

A year ago my foot started to hurt.  I brushed it aside, laid off the exercise for a while (reading between the lines, I quit exercise for a while) and let it heal on it's own.  No need to go see a doctor!  It was just great.  Fast forward to this year.  To last week.   Tuesday I felt a twinge of an ache in my food.  I paid attention to it and within about 50 hours had admitted defeat. I admitted that I had an issue.   I panicked about taking a break from exercise.  I didn't want to stop.  I did lay off the exercise but I immediately made a doctors appointment.  I had to figure out for sure what I was dealing with.  I had to get better so I could get back out there and move.     Will it ever cease to amaze me that I'm actually liking and WANT to exercise????  What  different a year and a whole different mental attitude makes!  It's a good thing (oh heavens, I sound like Martha Stewart now...yes, you my shoot me as soon as I'm done this post!)

Now for the bad.  I did go to the doctor.  He was amused at my coming in so soon. He knows that I typically wait until it's unbearable.  He knows that I typically 'self heal'.  He's ok with that, so he knew that there was a difference in me to come in at the first twinge of an issue.  I sat there and told him my symptoms....including the symptoms from last years issues, which I thought was behind me but have kicked in full force in the last week.   He listened and then moved forward.  He held my foot in his hand and pressed his finger into the side of my heel.  I think I raised about 2 feet off the chair!  He did it a few more times with me yelping louder each time.  He grinned  (I think sadistically at my pain) and said "Oh yeah, that's definitely plantar fasciitis" . He then turned my foot to the side and ran his finger down and area on my foot.  My foot tingled and burned at the contact.  Yeah, he had found the source of the other pain. "That's Tarsal Tunnel".   Tarsal tunnel?   Yeah, it's just like carpal tunnel.....only it's in your foot.  Lucky me.  So the verdict?    Basically we have to get the plantar fasciitis under control.  He believes that the tarsal tunnel was only acting up again due to my weird gait with this plantar fasciitis thing (I haven't really had any issues with the tarsal tunnel pain in quite a few months...other than a twinge here and there).  To get the plantar fasciitis under control he recommends an arch support to take the pressure off that heel...or more specifically the tendon.  He also recommends no high impact (goodbye running and zumba) and severely limiting the low impact stuff.  He said that the typical person recovers in about 4-6 weeks.  I'm already about a week into the 'no high impact routine"  So HOPEFULLY!    What does this mean for me?   He recommended swimming.  I don't have a pool at my fingertips, so I asked about biking and got the 'that would be great" and then I brought up the elliptical at the gym.  He agreed that that would also be a great exercise for me in the interim.    So 4-6 weeks of limited activity.  That puts me RIGHT at my next scheduled 5K.  I have already registered for the donut alley rally.   The race that I've been planning on doing for quite some time.  Hmmmmm

And now for the ugly.   I could expound on the things I ate yesterday.  But lets just say that it was a BAD day.  I knowingly at a higher caloric lunch.  I was ok with that decision.  However, I was planning on eating a very low calorie (heavy on fruits and veggies) dinner.  I got involved in a household project and when 9PM rolled around and I hadn't eaten dinner yet, I didn't do well and just gorged on food.   Grilled cheese, cottage cheese and apple butter, strawberry shortcake and baked doritos.  Not bad in the grand scheme of things, but bad when you couple that with Mexican (ohhh yummy Mexican food) it wasn't a pretty picture!     Not a failure....just a day. Moving onward!