This year, through a mind-shift towards exercise and my health which I have tried to write about but it becomes tedious and long-winded quickly, I managed to continue my run routine for the entire non-snow season.
Usually I give up due to either a joint problem or a flare up of my skin autoimmune disorder. But a different scheduling technique and daily supportive stretching got me past July, then August, then September…
I knew I wanted to keep going through winter. I’m a slow runner and starting over every March for 4 years has been torture. I wanted off that hamsters wheel. So I bought myself…a hamster wheel.
OK, a treadmill.
I bought a nice, new, rather expensive treadmill. After researching, I purchased a Sole F80 because it has a wider belt by 2 inches than the other models I was considering. I figured I am not exactly an um, un-wide?, person and not exactly a champion runner, so giving myself as much space as possible on a treadmill will help keep my stride and gait more natural. I also want to be able to do a lazy, watching-TV walks without stepping off into the abyss.
I GREATLY prefer to exercise outdoors, but I also prefer to exercise first thing in the morning. Even though we did not have snow yet, it was too dark to safely run outside on my rural, curvy road. So I pretty much started using the treadmill pretty soon after it arrived in November.
I’ve never run on a treadmill before. So the first shock to my system was that it is so. much. harder. Setting a speed anywhere close to my averages from recent outdoor runs were right out the window.
I adjusted. I used a week or so to feel things out. Then came up with a new plan of gradually increasing my time at a doable pace.
And here is where I experienced my first true injury of my 2020 running – hip pain.
It actually is pain radiating up and down my right side from neck to mid-calf. But it is centered in my hip.
Because I play a doctor on TV, I did some quick googling. I’m pretty confident given my short stature, my desire to go faster on the treadmill, and my desire to keep at a steady pace for as long as possible, have resulting in my over-striding and injuring my hip flexor muscles.
I gotta admit. This pain has been a downright PAIN. It’s affected my daily routine and ability to concentrate at work. But I am determined to conquer this. That treadmill was to be an (expensive) shining light in the darkness that is Wisconsin winters. And I will make it so!
For now though, I’m switching things up with some weight training and l-i-g-h-t treadmill walking.
And, on my days off when it’s bright/safe enough, running in the snow.
The county plow guy was highly amused.
In Progress Jess 