Week 8: Doc visits and vacations
Exploring new places
It’s the end of Week 8, meaning I am officially halfway done with my NYC Marathon training. Like Week 4, this week was another down one. I took two days totally off while on a houseboat in Lake Shasta — well, except for swimming and SUPing with friends and dogs. It was perfect.
Although I elliptical’d less this week, I spent more time trying to figure out what is wrong. That took me to both my chiropractor and an orthopedist, the latter of which I will share more about below. This edition will be relatively short — because down weeks and vacations call for ease. Let’s [gently] jump in!
📋 Total miles: 0*
Monday: 40 minutes (easy, elliptical)
Tuesday: 50 minutes (15 minute warm up, 6 x 5 minutes hard, 5 minute cool down, elliptical)
Wednesday: 60 minutes (steady, elliptical)
Thursday: 45 minutes (easy, elliptical)
Friday: 1 hour and 40 minutes (included 3 x 20 minutes hard, 5 minutes easy)
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Rest
*With similar math as last time (approximating 1 mile = 9 minutes on the elliptical), I “ran” 33.9 miles this week.
🩺 Doctor’s visit
On Thursday I had an appointment at the UCSF Sports Medicine clinic. Although I have been running nearly year-round since I was 15, I realized that I have never had to see an orthopedist for any injury.
UCSF lets you check in online early. I love forms, so I happily took them up on this offer. The final check-in screen shares the name of your doctor. I went straight from the form to Google — please let me know if this is abnormal behavior — and saw that my doc was a fellow Rice grad. I decided I’d wear some college gear to my appointment — no need to tell me, I already know this is weird. (FYI it worked like a charm — we had instant rapport as Owls.)
When I first arrived at the clinic, they took me in for X-rays of my pelvis and thigh on the left side. Maybe it’s that I am not familiar with these types of appointments, but I was pleasantly surprised to get imaging from the jump. I hadn’t expected it. Then I had a gait and strength assessment followed by a consultation. In short, nothing is evidently wrong from the X-rays. Sounds great, right? Unfortunately, though, X-rays are apparently very bad at registering stress fractures and reactions, so my results were inconclusive. I now have an MRI tomorrow to get a complete picture.
The doctor, who was super understanding of how much I want to get back into training, implored me to not run until we have the MRI results. He said that if there’s a stress reaction and I run too soon, I can undo all of the goodness I’ve done by only using the elliptical. He really doesn’t want me to have to restart the clock (and nor do I). For now, I’ll wait for the MRI results because nothing would be more frustrating than having elliptical’d for two weeks in vain. That said, I am feeling immeasurably better than I was last week. I am hopeful I will be back on land soon.
🧳 Odds n’ ends
Delighted by: No cell service. I didn’t know much of what house-boating would entail, but I certainly hadn’t considered that we’d be out of cell phone range for the vast majority of the weekend — and what a gift! I haven’t been totally disconnected for a long time and I loved it.
Experimenting with: Apple Watch custom workouts. I’ve been pre-programming intervals into my Apple Watch and it’s made it easier for me to not obsess about the time on the elliptical. Instead of having to stare at the screen, my watch beeps and vibrates when it’s time for me to move into the next part of my planned workout.
Relieved (but also bummed) about: The 5th Avenue Mile weather cancellation. I had signed up months ago to participate in a 1-mile race this weekend in NYC. When my partner Bill organized the houseboat excursion, I let any plan to race it go. Today when I got cell service, I got a series of texts from NYRR saying that the race had been delayed then canceled. I am glad I didn’t fly to NYC and not race, but also I am sad for those who were excited to participate who didn’t get to run.
And with that, another week is wrapped. I am excited to report back on my MRI next week — keep your fingers crossed for some good news. Speaking of, we’re so close to hitting my fundraising goal for #CSforAll. If you’re interested in joining the team, I’d love the help getting over the finish line.
Until next Sunday!
Tell us more about swimming with the puppies!❤️🥳
Re: Abnormal behavior. In my book, if above-baseline school spirit is the price I have to pay to have students show up to class (1) having done their reading, (2) having done their forms, and (3) ready to jump right into the lesson (or X-ray machine, as the case may be), then I'd take that deal.
Re: No cell service. In the right context, it is a gift indeed. I find it empowering to feel I am controlling, rather than being controlled by, my devices. Tools to ends. Tech breaks can serve to remind us of, and be intentional about, those ends.
I was stoked to read that you're "feeling immeasurably better". I hope the MRI helps to solidify your diagnosis and next steps (no pun intended).
Carry on!