I hope your Monday is off to a great start! Recently, I’ve been all about committing to starting my week with a positive attitude. Instead of looking for things to dread about Monday and the work week, I focus on all the fun and exciting things I get to do. These things can be as simple as classes that I love to take and teach or tasty dinners that we have planned. Take today for example, I admit that I am really tired and a little bummed about a nagging injury (more about that later in the post) but it’s a beautiful day and there are so many good things to channel my energy towards!
So there’s my little Monday kick in the butt. Go have an AMAZING week. Do good things!
Okay…now for something that I’ve been putting off sharing on my blog in hopes that it would just resolve itself. Injury. I’ve been dealing with a hamstring injury on and off since last September (yes, I know…ugh). I thought that it finally healed during yoga teacher training but in the past couple of weeks it has come back and is more painful than it’s been in many months. After consultation with my amazing chiropractor (who is not only an Iron Man but also the husband of the lovely Jen at Runner’s Trials) and my yoga teacher, the immediate course of action was to totally stop running since the pain returned when I upped my mileage again. I’m also backing off of my yoga practice a bit for the next couple of weeks.
With the pain that I’m experiencing, I don’t even think that elliptical or cycling is an option for cardio.
Enter the pool. I can’t believe it but this is the first time that I’ve blogged about swimming since I started Peanut Butter Runner. Swimming has always been my go to activity when dealing with running injuries. I used to swim quite regularly but since we moved to Charlotte I have kind of fallen out of the habit. I did swim several times during our vacation a couple of months ago but didn’t blog about it.
I went to the Y yesterday and knocked out 1500 meters (just shy of a mile). 1000 miles of freestyle and 500 breast stroke. It felt really good to be in the pool. I find swimming to be very meditative much in the way yoga is – linking movement with breath. I’m looking forward to more swimming while I rehab this hamstring. So again, finding the positive here. Yes, I’m sad that I cannot run but rediscovering my love for swimming is a silver lining!
I subbed a yoga class last night from 7:30-8:30 p.m. so it kind of made dinner planning a little difficult. Luckily, I have the most supportive husband ever and he took care of dinner while I taught. Before class I made a batch of White Bean Dip to snack on.
I used basil and lemon thyme in place of the parsley that the original recipe called for. Yum!
I came home from class and dinner was waiting.
Brandon did a beer can chicken on his Big Green Egg and we had baked beans and roasted broccoli on the side. A very summery dinner!
What is something that you have to be excited about this week!?
I had my boyfriend (an Iron Man too!) try to teach me how to do a real “free style” swim in the pool on our vacation. I know I could learn how to swim, but I’m just not sure if I would be into it. I also was in a bikini and had my hair down so it was all in my face. I should probably give it another go sometime!
haha – love this story! you totally could get it down – practice, practice!
luckily, my mom had me freestylin’ when i was young so i’ve been swimming for as long as i can remember. i’m just really on and off with it. such a process to get to the pool, swim, shower, etc.
Hope it was a great Monday! The note you left on the computer for morning has remained throughout me whole shift and I swear its made the day better. Thanks!
amy – this totally made my day! so glad you guys enjoyed my little note! 🙂
I love your positivity, it’s contagious. I hope you are having a fabulous day!
YAY! thanks!
you have a fabulous day too! 😛
ugh. I have been struggling with hamstring problems too. Wish I had a pool to swim at!! GOOD luck! I am excited for a bbq on Thursday and a fun day saturday!
oh hannah, sorry that you are dealing with a hamstring injury too! i hope yours gets better soon!
Sorry to hear about your hamstring. When I got in a biking accident last summer, I was so bummed at first…but then I decided to visualize it healing and healed and it really helped. It wants to heal. You want it to heal. And PBR readers want it to heal 🙂
i LOVE the visualization idea. sending tons of positive vibes to my hamstring….
Injuries are so incredibly frustrating! However, it’s great that you have other activities to keep you moving while it heals! I am currently dealing with a strained muscle in my lower back. After straining a muscle in my upper back weight training I must have overcompensated, most likely while lifting my son, and in the process strained my lower back. It’s going on 2.5 weeks now and still tight and sore. Not working out hard and the way I like is killing me.
erin – i am so sorry to hear about your back injury. back pain is the worst!!! have you had any massage or chiropractic care? i hope you feel better SOON!
I hate that you’re still injured! But great pool workout! I need to get back into the pool so badly! Hearing that you enjoyed your workout is making me more excited to take the plunge 🙂
This week is my first official week of marathon training… started off by a speedwork session this morning!! Humidity was brutal but I just keep telling myself that it’s only going to make me stronger! Focusing on the positive 🙂
Side note: Since you did the post way back on foam rolling I am using it religiously to avoid injury.
Another side note.. I was at SouthPark over the weekend and stopped in at lulemon..beautiful photo of you!! 🙂
yay whitney! i am just a little jealous that you are marathon training! so exciting! i am happy to hear that you’ve been foam rolling. i’ve been doing tons of self-release on my hamstring.
and thanks for the lulu shout out! 😛
Boo for the hamstring, yay for the pool! Swimming is SO great for you and a nice break for your bones 🙂
agreed – with all the pounding i put my body through, it could use some aqua therapy! 😉
love the positivity in this post! optimism in the face of a nagging injury is so hard, but you seem to be rocking it. there is so much to be thankful for 🙂 have a great week!
thanks marian! honestly, i think yoga has helped my attitude towards this sort of thing so much. have a great week – hugs! xoxo
I have been a fan of your blog for a while but this is my first time commenting! Anyway, I’m in my third trimester of pregnancy and have been depending on swimming as my main form of exercise. I’m excited to see swimming in your blog now :).
emily – thank you so much for commenting! it’s great to hear from you! i have heard that swimming is an incredible form of exercise during pregnancy. it’s great to hear that it’s working well for you! so YES more swimming coming at ya!
I love swimming and just got back into it! I am heading to the pool tonight and can’t wait. A great way to start the week off 🙂
YES for positivity!! So sorry to hear about your injury, but honestly a positive outlook has helped me with mine SO much!! You will heal fast I’m sure 🙂
I’m excited about leaving for a music tour in less than two days!! 😀
Knee surgery tomorrow for a torn meniscus. I’m nervous, I don’t know why. It really isn’t a big deal. In fact I think I tore it running – I live on a rock road and I may have stumbled on a large piece of gravel. I almost feel like I am over reacting, having found out how many people are walking around out there with the same injury and not having surgery. Oh well! really love your blog, it is inspiring.
Love your positive outlook of finding an exercise that works for you, rather than focusing on what you should back off of. It’s very encouraging, as all my exercising is a bit different nowadays! Hope you hamstring makes a full recovery sooner than later 🙂
What about water running? I did it to rehabilitate a back injury that stopped me from running, and it was surprisingly pleasant–sure, I missed the running high, but it was a fun way to be in the water to complement swimming laps!
Here’s hoping you heal soon!
Sorry to hear about your injury. Wishing you a speedy recovery!
Love love LOVE swimming! It’s a workout I do whenever I have enough time. Good for you finding the positive!
I hope your hamstring gets better! I really need to start swimming as exercise. There’s a pool at my gym; I just need to get a new suit. Reason to go shopping! 😉
I’ve been super super busy over the last two weeks and the next two weeks will be busy too. I’m looking forward to relaxing on Wednesday night (a night I won’t be working).
Injury SUCKS! Had I not been so stupid about my hamstring injury, who knows where I’d be with my running now. During the 2 years it took to finally heal, I kept reminding myself that I’d rather take the time off than never be able to run again. I know that taking time off is mentally and emotionally excruciating. But not doing so and thus, damaging myself to an irreversible point is something I’ll always regret. Please let yourself heal! I’m sending you healing vibes! xo
Poor thing! Hope the pool helps your hamstring and that all of the pain goes away as quickly as possible and that it really and truly heals this time! Injuries are no fun at all!! May 10th, I sprained my ankle (level 3) and still haven’t been able to run 🙁 Finally starting to walk 2 miles a day on Saturday at a slow pace but running will likely have to wait another 2-3 weeks! While it has been a challenge and struggle, I’ve been trying to keep the positive mentality myself — being able to spend more time with significant others, friends, and family, journaling, reading, building upper body strength, laying out, scrapbooking, etc.
Like a few others mentioned — reminding myself that taking a few weeks or a few months off of training is much better than not being able to work-out for years. Listening to our bodies can be hard, but they are pretty smart 🙂 Sending positive thoughts and prayers your way!
MC
I’m sorry that your hamstring isn’t feeling 100%. It’s great that you can swim while resting that muscle and healing up.
I am sorry to hear about your injury but I think you are doing the right thing by focusing on the positive things! I too am mostly swimming vs. running this summer because it is so dang hot here in florida. Swimming is a TOTAL BODY workout and will make you stronger! 🙂
On another note, I have a question for you. You are a champ at getting up for early morning workouts – do you have any secrets/tips for how to GET UP in the mornings to workout? I am always happy when I workout in the early morning before work but most days I hit the snooze button :/
I am so sorry you are dealing with this! I had the same problem (tore my hamstring in yoga) and I couldn’t run for a while. I still did yoga but barely stretched on the side of the injured hamstring. Swimming is WONDERFUL cross-training. When I ran competitively I had to spend 2 months in the pool and I didn’t lose any fitness. I even gained arm strength and lung capacity. Relax and heal and enjoy!
xoxo