Back to the Blog

Well, I have been thinking a lot about this blog lately and after some deliberation I have come to the conclusion that I want to start posting regularly again.  I’m not making this choice on a whim that will dissolve in the coming weeks but truly have thought about it and want to commit to it.  

I find myself in a great position to start blogging again as I’m just coming back from an injury and have goals that I’m setting for myself. It would be wonderful to be able to blog about my goals’ progress as I get myself back into a fit-minded lifestyle and back into the best shape of my life again.  I have a marathon coming up that I will be running with Team in Training this January and feel that throughout my journey I will have stories to share and progress to talk about.

As well, I know that when I blog about my journey, I am able to appreciate it more and stay consistent.  Even if no one ends up reading my posts, at least I’ll know that I was able to do something for myself and take time out of my day to help myself reach my goals.

 

INSANITY Update

It’s a sad, sad day when at the tender age of twenty a girl finds out she has bum knees…

And that’s the reality that was brought to my attention at my recent doctor’s appointment.  Since as long as I can remember I’ve had an extra bump just below my knee.  Some of you may be familiar with this, it’s called Osgood-Schlatter disease.  It was a result of my extreme hockey conditioning I endured in my younger years and has lasted with me into my twenties.  Osgood-Schlatter’s pain can stay dormant for years if it’s not irritated.  Unfortunately, jumping, squatting, and high impact moves trigger the knee pain and intensify it.

The verdict? My doctor suggests I step away from INSANITY as it will only continue to worsen my knee pain and warned that if I keep it up, my running will become jeopardized.  

So with a heavy heart I write that I am abandoning my INSANITY journey… BUT my journey does NOT end here.  As per my doctor’s advice, I have swapped INSANITY with a gym membership and am going to start lifting!  I am aiming to incorporate 3 days of lifting with 5 days of running to make up my summer fitness regime (gains will be evaluated in September and a new plan formulated to fit the needs of the time).

I hope y’all continue to follow and read my blog as I will be posting my daily workouts and fitness adventures. I will continue to take my measurements and post them as well.

Rest Day

After yesterday’s unplanned rest day, today I feel ready to go!  Mind you I’m currently sitting in a  desk chair and have been for 4 hours now so I have a lot of energy stored up!

Also, because I’m sitting in my desk chair without piles of work to be done, and have been for the entire morning, I have had a lot of time to think.  Where does my mind wander? To my INSANITY  journey of course.  And what does this wandering produce? A burning desire, yes a desire, to do an INSANITY workout.  As I sit here and think about my INSANITY program and what I committed to, I feel so terrible that I’m “resting” (my mind substitutes “skipping” here) for two days.  But is there anything I can do about it?

I have this unwritten rule that the day before a race is a rest day, but depending on the week, may include a sloooooooow 3-5km jog; the length depends on the length of the race the next day.  Unfortunately, I don’t think an INSANITY workout would be equal to a slow twenty minute jog…

So where does this leave me?

I am writing to ask for some feedback.  In my heart of hearts I know that an INSANITY workout would be pretty intense to do the day before a race.  But… my race tomorrow isn’t a goal race. So, should I continue with my INSANITY plan? If I do does that mean I am more concerned about my overall fitness and not just my running? Is that a bad thing? But then what about my knee? It doesn’t hurt right now but I’m also not even standing on my feet.  What would happen if I start jumping around?  Should I give INSANITY a try and if my knee acts up then stop? Should I keep with my rest plan and skip INSANITY?

Please offer your opinions as otherwise I will just be left to my own mind wandering for the entire afternoon as I sit glued to my office chair.

Okay ya’ll… I have some bad news.

Okay ya’ll… I have some bad news.

Last night I was supposed to do the Cardio Circuit.  After work when I got home, I had a very large dinner so instead of doing my INSANITY right afterwards, I went for a walk in the beautiful spring weather to help digestion.  Long, boring story short, it was after 8:30 before I got in the INSANITY mindset.  

Now, as I’ve brought up numerous times, I have a race this Saturday.  Even though this is not my goal race (a race that I’ve specifically been focussing on to achieve a personal best), I still take race days seriously and want to perform to the best of my ability.  So why do I bring this up again?

As I started to warm-up for my INSANITY workout, I felt a pain in my right knee.  It was on the inside at the base of my knee cap.  Being a runner, I’m very familiar with aches and pains but this didn’t feel like the typical soreness that comes with pushing your body to excel in a sport.  

To describe the sensation, it felt like someone was stabbing a knitting needle into that area.

Not good, not good at all.  My mind went on high alert and sent out loud warning signals.  Because I have a race this Saturday and because I want to be able to continue with my running schedule and INSANITY for the duration of the summer without worrying about a pesky injury, I decided it was best to take an extra rest day.

It was a tough decision to make, knowing that this would throw me two days off of my INSANITY schedule, but sometimes you need to listen to your body and the signals it’s transmitting to you.  I’m really hoping that this situation can heal up in the two days that I’m giving it off and I’m praying that it doesn’t come flaring up during the race.

I’ll let ya’ll know how it goes from here and you can be sure that I’ll be back to my INSANITY regime on Saturday after my race.