Good News, Bad News, and Horrible News Regarding my Ankle

The GOOD NEWS is that it IS getting better, and I've been able to swim nearly pain-free. Biking is OK too (clipping out isn't the best, but it's fine). I'm trying to do a little more of those 2 things at the moment.

The BAD NEWS is that running still isn't happening. I tried running a week ago (Sunday, May 11), and I walked/ran for a half mile (total of 0.25 of running and 0.25 of walking done as roughly 0.15 running, 0.15 walking, 0.1 running, 0.1 walking). I could "force" myself to relax and run with a normal stride, but it hurt a little. I didn't think I over-did it with just 0.25 of running.

The HORRIBLE NEWS is that my hip injury from last August was apparently flared up on that short run. My hip got slowly achier later that night. The next day, I wrote this in my training log: "AFRAID I HAVE THE SAME HIP THING AS I DID IN AUGUST LAST YEAR. Deep right hip has some sharp pain when moving at times. Feels like it needs a deep massage to get it out." I foam rolled the hell out of it, and even started icing it. If you remember, that hip injury was never fully figured out (after seeing all kinds of docs, sports med docs, specialists, and chiropractors while getting x-rays and MRIs), but the best guess was that it was something sacral. And it started after I had a quick/small foot injury that had me limping for about a week. After getting injured in August, I didn't start running until December. I slowly worked my way up, and I was up to 47 minute runs about 5.5 weeks ago when I hurt my ankle. If that injury really is back, then it could mean no running all summer. Fuck.

I really don't think that the same injury is back, but I think walking gingerly on my sprained ankle for the last 5.5 weeks angered it a little once I tried to run. (I was worried about this from my moment I hurt my ankle - I knew walking "funny" could be bad for my constantly injured body.) I'm still doing all my leg exercises, and I won't try running again for another 2 weeks (3 weeks from my last attempted run). I may need to start back slowly, but hopefully not as slowly as I did last winter. I'm cautiously optimistic right now.

I noticed at the gym the other day, that even after MONTHS of lots of strength work for my lower body, that I'm still a bit unbalanced. This gif doesn't show it as much as I was feeling it, but I notice my right leg (weak leg) bows in a lot when I try to stand only on that one:

Gotta still be doing those leg exercises! I will be saying that the rest of my life.

Anyway, here are some happy photos of my week old Charlie getting his first bath at home last night to end this post on a happy note:

I'm holding, Pharmie's washing.


He liked it!

Back soon with more about some recent workouts. Happy weekend!