This Week in Fitness

Monday 5/16: Ran 5 miles

Tuesday 5/17: Walked 3.3 miles (took about an hour) + 21 Day Total Body Makeover Workout (I went through all the exercises only one time)

Wednesday 5/18: Ran 3 miles + Leg Slimmer and Toner (from Exercise OnDemand) + Total Body Pilates (from Exercise OnDemand)

Thursday 5/19: Less is More Cardio (from Exercise OnDemand) + Bikini Body Workout (from Exercise OnDemand)

Friday 5/20: Walked 3.5 miles (in 55 minutes) + 30 Day Shred Level 2

Saturday 5/21: Rest Day

Sunday 5/22: Ran 3 miles

I officially started training for a 10K last week, but forgot to mention it. I created a training plan through Smart Coach. It was super easy to do and very customizable based on your level/goals/etc. You input things like your current race time, goal race distance, race date, and so on and it automatically comes up with a plan for you.

I don't actually have a 10K planned, so I arbitrarily set my training end date for June 26th because I felt like that was enough time. I searched around for 10K's in my area and there are NONE in June/July so it seems I'm out of luck for now. But the self-satisfaction of being able to get out there and run a 10K should be enough for now. :)

Here's a look at my training schedule (sorry it's small print):

Unfortunately, my training plan has already had a bit of a setback due to an injury that flared up this week. After seeing a doctor and doing some research on my own, it appears I'm dealing with Posterior Tibial Tendonitis in my right foot/ankle. It's a tendonitis that flares up whenever I go for runs now and the cause is usually some sort of overpronation (or running on the insides of your feet instead of the middle).

I obviously don't want to stop running completely right now, so I'm trying to treat it as best I can while still staying as close as possible to my training plan. A couple things I'm doing to help treat it are:

-Icing the area a few times a day

-Not pushing myself too hard if it starts to hurt. On the day I ran 5 miles, I actually had to stop and walk for about 3 minutes in the middle because my ankle was flaring up pretty badly.

-Getting professionally fitted for running shoes. I was wearing a minimalist style shoe (Nike Free Runs) and I had a feeling that lack of support could be contributing to my pain. So this weekend I went to Tucson and got fitted for running shoes. The employee suspects I am dealing with several issues that are causing the pain (overpronation, flat feet/fallen arches, one foot a size larger than the other, one leg longer than the other, inverted knees, etc.). It was a little discouraging to to hear all those factors that are working against me, but I'm hoping that by taking the appropriate measures I can still keep up with running. Anyway, I ended up purchasing a pair of Brooks Ravenna 2's and the employee also suggested using orthotic inserts for extra support. I was a little shell-shocked at the price of the shoes + inserts, so I just went with the shoes for now. I may go back and purchase the inserts later if I feel like I need them. I went for my first 3 mile run yesterday with the new shoes, and they felt good BUT the tendonitis still flared up. :(

So that's what I'm up against right now. It's a big bummer for me because I felt like I was finally hitting my running stride, so to speak. We'll see how things unfold over the next couple of weeks.

Have you ever dealt with a fitness-related injury before? I'd love to hear any tips for how you recovered!