This week's work

This afternoon I'll be seeing the sports dr for the follow-up on the last test (the bone scan). I can't help but think that the results will be good, because I'm almost certain my family dr (who also received the results) would have contacted me if he'd had concern. But. Won't know for sure until this afternoon.

Depending on the results, I hope to have a better idea of when I might be able to return to running. Or perhaps more precisely how.

Meantime, I've been plugging away at the alternatives available to me, and feeling pretty good about it on the whole.

- I went for a 6km walk on Friday night. Unfortunately, I wore my heavy winter boots which apparently were not fully broken in, because by 3km they were causing blistering on my heels. And then I had walk all the way back again. Ouch. Next time I will wear my running shoes, regardless of the weather.

- Hot yoga class on Saturday afternoon. I can go to that class now that I'm not doing my long runs. It felt too easy, but there are some good elements to it; some stretching, some strength-work.

- Went for a short walk on Sunday afternoon. It was a beautiful sunny day, and in fact the forest trails were deep with mud. I wore my rainboots, the only footwear that didn't chafe the blisters (still wearing them, actually). I only went about 2km; mostly took photos and just enjoyed being outside. I also ran about 100m without pain, but then the pain started up again ... but those 100m were 100m of pure bliss. Reminded me what I'm waiting for. I hope I'll remember and appreciate the joy when the opportunity to run comes again.

- Tried to swim on Monday morning, but there was a problem with the chlorine which the early-morning lifeguards couldn't fix. Went home and straight back to bed. That made Monday's evening's hot yoga class feel easier than usual. Lots of downward dog flows which really work the core and upper body. I felt strong and at ease. Nice.

- Spin class yesterday morning. My legs were going super-fast. I felt strong throughout. Maybe my body likes resting.

- Swim this morning. 2500m. I did the first 2000m in 42 minutes, or slightly less. But I was tired by that point. I finished the last 500m on principle only and did not push myself too hard, just swam it out. Slowly. That last 500m took me 12 minutes. I aim for 10, and probably do most splits in about 10.5. My goal is get faster and finish my 2000m in under forty minutes. Which would still be slow, but would show some improvement. I haven't really gotten any faster in the last six months. All I seem able to do is improve endurance rather than speed. I just swim, however. Well, I guess that's basically how I trained when I ran, too. I just ran--as fast and as far as I could.

- Tomorrow morning I am going to try out a spin/strength class at a facility I've never been to before. It's not too far from my house. The price is comparable to the spin class I'm currently taking BUT it's only 45 minutes, which sounds short. I'm doing a free trial. We shall see.

- Also doing a free trial at a different gym on Friday morning. This is especially short, only half an hour, but it's a strength class. I've never done strength or resistance training, and my sense is that's where I'm headed with this injury -- working to create balance in the muscle groups, stability in my core. This gym is very nearby, which is why I'm trying it, though all of its classes are short, no more than half an hour. I could do strength/resistance training on my own -- my husband is a kin and he has weights and exercise ideas and etc. -- but would I? Would I really go to the basement and work out by myself? Would I push myself? My sense is: no. Not for the static work. I need the motivation of a group and a leader.

Next week I'd like to try out the new Y. They also offer a free trial. They have early morning classes, but these only run for 45 minutes. Still, the monthly general membership is relatively inexpensive. It seems worth checking out.

I'm juggling a lot of factors, like price, location, and the appropriateness of the classes offered -- do they fit with my goals? Kind of interesting, actually. I'm interested to see where this all leads.