injuries can suck it

During the marathon, my right hip flexor got fairly sore.  The hills were tough and I definitely had not done enough hill training to make it an enjoyable experience.

I “rested” (ummm – was completely lazy) for two weeks following the marathon and figured this would be enough to get me all healed up and ready to run again.  I ran twice last week and hey, guess what?  Not totally healed.  I ran the 1/2 marathon on Saturday anyway and as I mentioned, it was a hilly course.  I was definitely sore when I finished up  and by Sunday evening I was limping pretty good.

I found this on a random blog – it’s the elevation chart from Tyranena

Oh hey, no wonder I was sore!  So, what am I doing about it?

I took Sunday, yesterday and today off from running

I’ve been icing every night and tonight I will probably try to ice twice

Looked up some internet exercises that can strengthen my hip flexors and they are really easy – this link had some great exercises!

For some reason, I didn’t realize foam rolling would help but I found info on another site that said it would so hey, guess what?  Bruce and I will be reunited!

let’s hope Bruce can work some magic

And Kim let me know that Warrior pose will also really stretch my hip out

I’m not taking significant time off from running.  I will probably go to the indoor track during the week for a few weeks so I have a softer terrain to run on but I can’t imagine getting 15 miles done inside (or my longer runs in general).  It sounds terrible!  Hopefully, I’ll see some progress – decrease in pain and increase in mobility!

Totally unrelated to injuries…

I got home today and was watching Dr. Oz.  They were sharing some “miracles” that ranged from helping to sleep better to weight loss.  Here were 3 of them that I am going to look into:

1.  Chia seeds – I have used these before to beef up my oats but this episode suggested putting 2 tablespoons in a glass of water (they didn’t give an amount but looked to be 6 to 8 oz) and drink it down.  The chia seeds absorb large amounts of water and make you feel full longer.  I am going to try this in the afternoons and after dinner.  Both of these are my major snacking times.

these look less appetizing than they really are!

2.  BB cream – have you seen commercials for this?  I have and really had no idea what was up with it.  It’s Beauty Balm and supposedly can really help balance out your skin.  During late fall and winter my skin riots.  I’m thinking this might be a decent solution to otherwise some very uneven skin tone – boo!

the prices range and I know there are a bunch of different brands out there – look for one that fits your skin’s needs!

3.  Coconut oil – I have heard bits and pieces about coconut oil but I try to be a bit careful about jumping on weight loss bandwagons because let’s face it – there is ALWAYS a “new” thing.  It seems pointless and a waste of money.  However, I am going to look into this a bit more.  It can be used for cooking and baking and supposedly speeds up your metabolism.  Since I feel like my metabolism has slowed in the last year and half (age is a bitch!)

Off to ice!