Final 4 weeks...

Sunday 25 April
ANZAC Day
Run 10k
A quiet morning paying respect to the diggers, then a busy day of painting again.  It's actually a really good workout for the arms and back!  I was pretty sore actually after another 3 rooms nearly finished :)
Afternoon was a very slow 10k just to get back into the swing of things then I'll be stretching and drinking lots of water before catching up with more friends tonight I think.  Tomorrow as it is a public holiday I'll go out for a 28k long run if all is well.


Saturday 24 April
Spin class & abs/stretch at gym
Had a nice sleep in this morning then up to participate in my first spin class since I finished teaching.  I met Hayley at the gym a bit before the 8.30am class and then off we went.  The room was really quite stuffy, but other than that I loved it!  That's the first class I've been a participant in for probably over 18 months.  Afterwards I did about half hour of abs and stretching before heading to a lovely lunch with Lees and Carol.


Friday 23 April
Ride to work 4.5k (AM)
Run 10k (AM)
Ride from work 4.5k (PM)
I feel like I'm back!  YAY!  I had no pain in the hip this morning, just a little tightness but nothing out of the ordinary or anything to worry about.  I'm very happy that the 10k felt easy and I'm on the mend.  I'll stretch today as much as I can and drink lots of water, then ride home tonight after work.
Great :)
23 days to go...

Thursday 22 April
Ride to work 4.5k
Gym weights
Ride from work 4.5k
Quite a "tired fella" at the end of the day and had to be home early to meet a friend for dinner so AGAIN I put of the run until tomorrow.  Can happily say that I am about to head to be early so that I will get up in the morning and do 10k or more.  Am really looking forward to it cos the legs feel really refreshed!
Had a great catch up with a old work colleague tonight for dinner, thanks Mary :)

Wednesday 21 April
Gym - cardio 30min bike, 15min stepper, 15min XT, abs and stretch (AM)
Bike home from work (PM)
Had a great session in the gym this morning on the cardio machines, heaps of stretching and then ride home from work.  Really wanted to run home because I didn't feel any pain in the hip at all today but it's best that I give it another day rest then I'll go out tomorrow morning.  Fingers crossed!

Tuesday 20 April
Gym - cardio 40min, abs and stretch (AM)
Pump and run home from work 4.5k (PM)
Yes I ran home from work, even though it is 4.5k (that's only 10% of the big run oh god...hehe) and am happy to say that once I started shortening my stride I didn't feel much pain in the hip at all.  Still not sure why it hurts heaps when I stop walking though...maybe because I straighten the leg out more.  Anyway, today it felt so much better during the day with no pain at all and lots more range of movement.  I took it easy in pump class and then ran home.  This morning I was in the gym as well doing cardio on the machines instead of outside - bike for half hour then the stepper for 10min which stretched out the calf.
I've iced the leg already and am about to go for the second lot of ice then more stretching.  Will rest it tomorrow morning, possibly go for a short run again in the afternoon but will play it by ear.
26 days to go!!!  I have a countdown on my whiteboard at work now!

Monday 19 April
Ride to work 4.5k 
Weights at Gym 1hr
This morning the hip hurt even when I was riding the  bike - that was the first time.  BUT I got to the gym and did weights which actually felt really good (and strong).  I stretched after weights and did a lot of ab work.  It was great to do weights again, I've missed not having a gym! 
After work I had physio, so with a bit of a walk to get there I went straight in and didn't come out of the room for about 40minutes.  Luckily he didn't have any patients after me so he was quite happy to do some extra work.  Lucky for me I've done the right thing by keeping off it over the last week and haven't done any major damage.  It is all related to really tight hip flexor muscles on my left side, which is giving me the ITB pain and also tight inner calf makes me feel like I am starting to get shin splints but again LUCKY for me it isn't...just tightness!  SO...out came the needles.  I've had great relief from him in the past because he actually wiggles the needles around and makes sure they are in the right place before putting them in - i.e. into the tightest areas.  First I had about 10 in my left hip and glute area then while I was lying there he also did the ITB just above the knee and they gave some major twitches!  Which is a good thing...sore but good!  I was starting to get happier already knowing that the muscles were loosening up.  So after that it was the groin area which is where I've been feeling the catching.  THEN the physio massaged and worked on the areas where he couldn't needle e.g. hip flexor really deep and the inner calf. 
I've booked in for weekly check ups with him for the next three Wednesday's before the run so I'm hoping it will keep the tightness away.  I felt a lot better afterwards and could stretch a fair bit further than I had been able to.  I'll do the bike in the morning then give it til tomorrow night to run home from work nice and steady - hopefully with a lot less pain.