After a couple of weeks of cutting way back on my running due to a wonky sciatic nerve, I woke Monday ready to take on the world and thought perhaps I could resume normal running during the week. While working out, I sat on the Swiss ball to roll out and make a bridge for doing a chest press; however, I made the mistake of starting on the tile floor instead of the rubber gym floor. In the bridge position, my chest press went fine, and it wasn’t until I rolled back almost into the seated position on the tile floor that the ball flew out from under me and rolled almost into the bathroom. The two twenty-five pound dumbbells jerked my arms backward so my tailbone and both elbows hit the floor hard. Stunned and almost crying from pain, I rolled to my side, got my wits together, and slowly got back to my feet. Surprisingly, once the initial pain went away, I felt pretty good – catastrophe averted. As my husband says, I really am my own worst enemy…
Convinced that I wouldn’t be able to move from the force I put on my back when I hit the floor, I didn’t bother to set my alarm for an early enough wakeup to run before work on Tuesday. When I still felt great mid-day, I headed out for an easy run and was pleasantly surprised to get in four comfortable miles, bookended with an additional three miles of walking.
Tuesday evening I pulled out the wok and made a delicious dinner of chicken, broccoli, snow peas, mushrooms, and water chestnuts tossed in a gingery Chinese sauce. Both the wok and recipe were a wedding gift from my college roommate. Later this week I’ll share the stir-fry recipe and add it to my healthy recipes tab.
Thursday continued to tease us that spring is here, and shortly after taking this picture I had to circle back home and change into shorts and a tank. The crisp air looked cooler than it was and I overdressed, something I’m rarely accused of doing!
After lifting on Friday, I decided to play around in my gym with some yoga poses that aren’t in my regular routines. I’m ready to move it up a notch and without continued challenges, I won’t see increases in my strength and balance. Rather than jumping into more advanced yoga DVD’s, I’m focusing on bringing in new and more challenging poses while creating my own simple routines.
Looking ahead to this week, we’re under a winter storm warning from 7 PM Monday to 2 PM Tuesday (6-10 inches of snow), so my cardio routine for Tuesday might be shoveling snow – something I haven’t done all winter. Normally I’m a huge snow lover, but all those little teases of spring have spoiled me and I’m so ready for winter to be behind us…
On the blog this week, I plan to do a post on my favorite yoga poses for runners, not that I’m a yoga expert, but I do know what areas of my body get consistently tight from running. I’ll also share the chicken recipe I mentioned above. I’ve also been playing around with a post on how aging affects muscle mass loss, and hope to get it wrapped up and ready by next week.
Back to my workouts, here’s how the week went down…
Fitness tools beyond the equipment in my gym that I used during the week included:
- Rodney Yee’s Complete Yoga For Beginners (affiliate link)
- Rodney Yee’s Intermediate Yoga (affiliate link)
- Rodney Yee’s Yoga Conditioning For Athletes (affiliate link)
- Tony Horton’s Ten Minute Trainer (affiliate link)
- Teeter Hang Ups Inversion (affiliate link)
Cameras used for blog photography include:
- GoPro Hero 4 (affiliate link)
- Canon Power Shot Elph (affiliate link)
- iPhone 6S (affiliate link)
- And the occasional picture taken by Bill
- Questions:
- Have you fallen or hurt yourself working out or running?
- Do you cook in a wok? If so, what do you like to make?
- Did you race this weekend?
Have a great week!
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links which means if you click on the blue product link and then make a purchase, I will receive a commission for referring you. You will pay no more or less for the product; however, Amazon will show their gratitude for my referral by paying me.
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I’m linking up with Holly at HoHo Runs and Tricia from MissSippiPiddlin for their Weekly Wrap. Be sure to check out not only the hosts, but the other great bloggers joining in on the fun!
Ouch! Glad you recovered from that fall. Sounds like something I would do. Today at the pond, I attempted a handstand, but fell onto the hard sand, right on my knee. When I got home, I had a big abrasion on my knee. Glad I didn’t go for another handstand and land on my head!
Wendy@Taking the Long Way Home recently posted…The Arthritis Runner
Ouch, hope your knee heals quickly! There’s a really cool elevated water pipe cover on a little mound that I run by regularly and every time I see it I think that it would be a great place to take a really cool yoga picture looking upward toward the sky. I’d love to do a headstand on it, but I’m sure I’d fall and break my neck!
Holy OUCH! I have fallen a couple times (due to my natural finesse of clumsiness) on ice and trails…and bruised my ribs. Those take forever to heal LOL
Kimberly Hatting recently posted…Back in the fleece…..
Ouch! I once did something to my ribs while coughing when I had pneumonia and they took six months to stop hurting, so I feel your pain!
I rarely fall running, but I did exactly that today on my long run. I was very lucky (again!) and really aside from some bruised knees, nothing really damaged.
Spring? What’s that? This won’t be the first time we’ve shoveled this winter, although I really needed one more day so I could’ve gotten my tempo run in outside rather than the treadmill. Damn!
Glad you weren’t seriously injured & hope you can stay pain free!
Judy @ Chocolaterunsjudy recently posted…Roaring in: 3/6-12 Weekly Wrap
Yikes! I hope your knees are gonna be okay!
Oh my gosh, that sounds really painful! Glad you didn’t hurt yourself! I have fallen a few times while running. The worst fall I had ended up with a broken finger and scraped up knee…but I was glad it wasn’t worse.
Lisa @ Mile by Mile recently posted…Trying New Things and HRM Comparison
Oh wow, that’s awful!
Ouch! Glad that you didn’t get seriously hurt. As I read it, I could totally picture it happening. I have hardwood floors in my home gym and always use a ball, but I do moves like that with the ball on a yoga mat because I’m also prone to crazy things like that happening. I’m with you–normally I don’t mind the cold and snow, but after spring weather for so long, well, I’m ready for spring! Have a good week.
That’s really smart to use a yoga mat, and something I used to do before I got the rubber floor. Now I’ve just got to make sure I keep the ball on it…
Whew! Crisis averted. I’m glad you weren’t injured. Other than falling in Chicago (go BIG or go home!) I haven’t fallen while running or working out. But, I’m the worst at getting banged up doing little everyday stuff. I did race this weekend, although it was not the distance planned — but it was fun. Thanks for linking, Deb!
Oh yeah, Chicago… I’ve fallen at least three times on training runs, but I don’t remember falling in a race except for a trail race where I tripped on a totally flat section where there were no roots, rocks, or slippery leaves. 🙁
I must say your wok dinner looks amazing!! I am looking forward to the recipe!
Gina recently posted…Grandma’s Marathon Training – Week 5
I hope to post the recipe on Tuesday. Stay tuned!
i have a wok and I bet I haven’t used it more than 5 times in the 12 years i have had it… never really sure how to use it right, so i would love to see your recipe.. that looks really good! Glad you weren’t seriously hurt when the ball shot out from underneath you..scary!
Christy @ My Dirt Road Anthem recently posted…Weekly Wrap: The week of will I or won’t I
I’m planning to post the recipe on Tuesday. Pop back over then!
I do not own a wok but I made a chicken and broccoli dish similar to yours and I too hope to have the recipe up this month. I think I’ll post it for one of the Friday 5 posts when the theme is food.
I’m racing this weekend so I hope all the winter weather goes away by then!
Yes, I’m hoping the snow will melt very quickly since it’s so late in the season! Have fun at your race!
Those fitness balls can be dangerous if they get away from you! I’m just starting to be able to do crow for a few minutes. I don’t think it would look that good in pictures yet though.
Coco recently posted…Gearing Up For The NYC Half
Wow, that’s impressive. I don’t think I could hold the crow position for a few minutes – I don’t think my wrists could handle it that long.
Ouchie. Sorry to hear about that fall.
I look forward to your recipe for the meal you cooked in the Wok. I have a wok but don’t use it as often as I should!
Stop back by on Tuesday; I plan to post it then!
ooh that sounds like a painful little fall! Glad you are feeling better. I escaped DC and I am in Mass w my mom and daughter at a fitness retreat all week. I think we are getting 2 feet of snow up here!
Deborah @ Confessions of a mother runner recently posted…5 Steps To A Better Night’s Sleep + Sleep Swag Giveaway
Yikes, I hope everything is on one campus at the fitness retreat. Stay safe and take lots of beautiful pictures of the snow!
Crisis averted indeed! Looking forward to the post on yoga poses for runners!
I’m hoping to have the yoga for runners post up on Thursday or Friday, so be sure to check back then!
Deb, Deb, Deb …I must say that you are ‘on a roll’ lately, aren’t you! 🙂 Glad it wasn’t as serious as it certainly could have been and all of your runs went well with no ill affects! P.S. that wok entree looks delicious!
Teresa recently posted…This Week’s Gallivantin’: March Madness
Sadly, you’re right that I’ve been on a roll, and not the best kind! I’m ready for spring and a clean slate! 😉
Check back tomorrow for the chicken recipe!
oh my gosh, that would totally be me as well, shooting the ball out from under me and hurting myself. only I’d be in a gym surrounded by a bunch of people staring down at me wondering what the heck I was doing.
I’m really glad you weren’t hurt and you were able to go for a good run. I hurt myself all the time it seems. I’m clumsy and I have a lot of muscle instability. When I’m hurt it’s because I’m really actually giving it my all. So I need to learn technique and get some better stability.
we cook in our wok all the time, really just throwing things together and not following much of a recipe.
I did not race last weekend but this weekend I have a 10K on the books!
Good point about being in a gym surrounded by people – I suppose I can consider myself lucky that no one witnessed me falling off the Swiss ball.
Good luck at your 10K this coming weekend! Have fun!
Oh my word lady! I was on the edge of my seat reading about that incident with the ball and weights! No way I wouldn’t be sore from it!
I do have a wok….somewhere, it’s been awhile since I’ve used it actually. Maybe that is an idea for supper this week! I do like stir fry but no mushrooms for me.
I did race this past weekend and if you ask me that same question the next 3 weeks, they will all have the same answer. 🙂
You know I’m having a ball though! As always, thanks for joining us Deb!
My stir-fry recipe was on the blog yesterday, so if you want to give it a try…
You’re racing four weekends in a row? I love it! You’re a beast!
Oh owe! Sciatic nerve pain is awful. I’m glad the fall you took this week wasn’t too bad in the end. I’m dealing with back issues right now, too (old non-running injury that tweaks every once in a while) and it’s no fun to be sidelined from running. I do not have a wok, but I need one because I love a good stir fry. Your stir fry look delicious!
Ow* I meant ow not owe. Sigh. I’m tired!
I had no idea how intense sciatic nerve pain could be until about five years ago. I ended up having to have three synthetic steroid shots into my spine to reduce the swelling that was putting pressure on my nerve. Thankfully those shots did the trick and now I only occasionally have minor flareups which I manage by taking it easy for a week or so. I hope you can get your issues figured out quickly so you can be back on the running trail soon!