1. Elliptical – My podiatrist likes to say, “let pain be your guide.” I was surprised when my achilles was hurting after walking a couple of miles this weekend so I’m not sure about the elliptical. I’ll give it a shot and if it hurts, stop. Duh.
2. Bike – I am missing the gene that makes people good at biking. Traffic makes me nervous, I lose my balance easy, and I want to look at the scenery rather than concentrating on my path. All things considered, I’m much better (safer!) on the stationary bike at the gym. The longest I’ve gone is 20 miles and that was probably a year ago. I think I can challenge myself on the bike, just don’t look for me outdoors, for now anyway.
3. Strength Train – I’m getting seriously buff. Ok, not really, but I’m working on it. Strength training by myself at 5 am kind of bores me, but challenging myself to increase the weight a little at a time is very cool. I’m starting to work with a trainer once a week too, which is not the part that is boring at all. I started on my own about 5 weeks ago and I can see a difference in my strength. Results = Continued Motivation!
4. Be a Timer at the Track – My running group meets at the track every Wednesday night. As a pace leader, I got to run along side my group. Timing is not nearly as fun, but at least I’m staying involved.
5. Volunteer at an Event – I’m not sure what event I will volunteer for. This might actually depend on how long I’m not able to run. It seems like I have things going on every weekend for the next couple of months. Eventually, I’d like to help man a water station. I’ve had many other volunteer positions, but I haven’t been the life saver handing out Dixie cups of water or Gatorade yet.
6. Learn More About Nutrition – I’ve been a fat free, low fat, and light die-hard for years now. Imagine my surprise to learn that those foods contain a ton of crap in them. I hope I’m not the last to find out. I’ve thrown out some foods, but am struggling with loosening the grip on others. This will definitely be a transition.
7. Physical Therapy – I admit, I complain about going to physical therapy every week. It’s time consuming and expensive, but apparently I need to keep going. It may seem like it hasn’t done much for me considering I can’t run right now. However, I’ve been able to run long distances and although painfully, I just ran a half marathon. A few months ago, I couldn’t walk for hours after running 5 miles. That sounds like success in my book.
8. Get Re-Fitted for Running Shoes – I wanted to make sure I am still wearing the very best running shoe for me. Things change and if you haven’t been professionally fitted in a while, it’s a good idea to give it a whirl. Turns out I shouldn’t change a thing, but I’m glad I went to the pro’s to confirm.
9. Organize Running Clothes – How many race t-shirts are at the back of your closet? Have any running shorts that you never seem to wear because you’re always wearing the shorts you really love? I have a ton of running clothing that I don’t wear anymore. I’ve never even worn some of the race tees. Now is my chance. I’m going to purge, out with the running skirt with the torn pocket, out with the technical tee with arm pit stains, and definitely out with the bright turquoise cotton t-shirt from the walk/run two summers ago.
10. Cheer on Friends – Many of my friends in my running group are running in events. It’s fall – Tis the season! Just because I won’t be running with them doesn’t mean I can’t haul my butt out of bed to go cheer my friends on. It’s weird to go to those events in jeans rather than gearing up to run. I guess I’ll manage though. I’ll be the one with a Starbucks coffee at the finish line.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
If you don’t want to ride a bike outside, take a spin class. That’s wat I did when I was injured and I LOVED it. It’s an awesome workout and you burn TONS of calories.