A Bump in the Road
In last week’s RunDown, I mentioned how great it felt to finally be back to a place where my workouts left me feeling tired and sweaty. On Tuesday’s blog post, I discussed my plan for following the principles of overload and adaptation to reign myself in from doing too much too quickly during my comeback.
On Tuesday morning I went out early for an amazing walk/run and it felt so good to be starting my day again like I have for so many years. I was pumped and couldn’t wait for Thursday run.
On Wednesday afternoon, I sat on my evil office chair…
I’ll spare you the play-by-play of my whining timeline, but suffice it to say that my poor husband had to listen to me complain as I walked bent over, unable to stand up straight on Thursday and Friday. My back felt so locked up that I couldn’t even lift my chest off the floor while attempting to do my McKenzie press-ups. Yesterday I felt much better and today is the first day I’ve felt back to almost normal since Wednesday evening.
The Common Denominator
The only common denominator that I can come up with from the last three times I’ve aggravated my spine to the point of not being able to stand up straight is sitting in my office chair. I’ve long realized that I can’t sit on soft sofas or chairs without pain, but it’s gotten much worse in the last year. When I purchased this chair, I liked it because the seat wasn’t as soft as some other chairs I looked at and its back fits snuggly against my spine. My husband has the exact same chair at his desk and has no problem sitting in it all day while working from home. In the future, I’ll carry a kitchen chair into my office if I want to use my desk. Because of the chair situation, I do 99% of my blogging at the kitchen table.
More Positive Vibes with Flower Pics
As I mentioned last week, I’ve tried to keep a positive flow of pictures of pretty flowers on my Instagram and blog this spring, but it appears that the blooms on our spring flowers are slowly fading. I think distractions from our current situation can work wonders on cheering us up so here’s my weekly dose of flowers for you to enjoy.
Lilac…
Dogwood…
Columbine…
Clematis…
And Now on to a RunDown of this Past Week’s Workouts…
Running
Tuesday’s walk/run felt amazingly good for many reasons. It was the first time I’d ventured out pre-dawn in months and I loved once again having the world to myself as I watched the sun rise on another glorious day. My walk portions were at a strong and steady pace and my run intervals felt easy. I listened to the advice that I would give to any of my clients and stopped after four miles as planned rather than continuing on even though I felt so good. Sadly, it was my only walk/run of the week.
Assuming my back continues to feel back to normal, I’ll walk again on Tuesday and might throw in some run intervals on Thursday. By the way, this morning Bill and I took an easy one-mile walk and I felt quite good.
Walking
As planned, I kept my Tuesday walk at a steady clip and right around where I’d leveled out the last couple of weeks.
Biking
I’d planned to bike on Friday or Saturday, but skipped it based on how my back was feeling.
Strength Training
I got in two strength training sessions and two physical therapy homework sessions before my back started bothering me.
Yoga
I did a few yoga poses on Sunday and Tuesday; nothing huge, but a start.
It’s on the Blog
In case you skipped checking in on my blog this past week, here’s what you missed…
- Sunday – Running Intervals: a Great Start to my Comeback
- Tuesday – Respecting the Principles of Overload and Adaptation
- Friday – Catching Up Over Coffee: Virtual Happy Hours, Yummy Lunches, and Sewing Masks
In addition to the workouts I mentioned above, here’s a complete rundown of my workouts from this past week (completed either outside or in our home gym)…
Questions:
- • What type of chair do you prefer to sit on?
- • How is spring looking in your neck of the woods? ~ It’s 80° and sunny here today.
- • Did you run in a virtual race this weekend?
And that’s my rundown… Have a great week!
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I’m linking up with Deborah at Confessions of a Mother Runner and Kim from Running on the Fly for their Weekly Run Down. Be sure to check out not only the hosts’ posts, but those of the other great bloggers joining in on the fun!
We’re not having much of a spring at all, which is why I really appreciate seeing your flowers in IG. Some nice weather here and there but not much in the way of pretty stuff. Congrats on the running! And boo to the chair.
Beckett @ Birchwood Pie recently posted…Weekly Sweats: Have I Gotten Faster?
Thanks! It’s crazy how such a little thing can have such a huge impact on my body. I’m hoping that I’ve correctly narrowed it down to the chair and that by avoiding it and similar chairs can help me stay healthy. Fingers crossed!
Glad you’re enjoying the pictures of flowers that I’ve been posting!
oh no sorry to hear about the setback! I hope the chair is the culprit and that is an easy fix. have a great week ahead
Thanks, Deborah, me, too!
Sorry to hear about your back! Have you tried one of the ergonomic desk chairs that they have at places like Staples? Some of those chairs are pretty amazing! (Says the girl who regularly irritates her upper hamstring sitting on the dining room chairs while working.)
Thanks, Erika! I’ll look into it.
Sorry to hear about your back. I had to get a new chair once WFH became long term. I think the real difference maker for me was being able to tuck in under the desk
I love the built ins next to your desk. Sorry total book nerd.
I love your flower IDs. Nearly 80 here today too, and tomorrow low of 40. Bananas.
Cari recently posted…A Very Productive Week
Thanks, that’s our library/office and the whole wall is book shelves.
I’m so over my string of injuries, but trying to keep a positive attitude.
Oh wow. How amazing. I had built ins in my first apartment and even though I’m a reader I didn’t quite appreciate how rare/amazing that was. I’ve been chasing them since.
We’ll get through this. Eventually.
Cari recently posted…A Very Productive Week
Oh no!!!! I can’t imagine how frustrating that was for your back to be so out of whack…from the chair? And it looks so comfy. I hope things feel better this week ((hugs))
Thanks, Kim! My back no longer likes comfy chairs. It likes hard and rigid seats – go figure.
I hope you start feeling better. I bought a portable standing desk and it has pretty much gotten rid of my sciatica. I also feel more productive working while standing.
No spring here in Arizona. Already in the 100’s. Looking like a long hot summer here.
No virtual races this weekend. Did I get in an 11 mile run this morning.
Thanks! I realized that I’m sitting much more now that I’m seeing clients virtually so I’ve started standing during sessions. I didn’t start that until Saturday, so we’ll see if that makes a difference. Hope so!
Stay safe in that heat!
Would you believe it almost hit 80 here yesterday, too?
So sorry about your back. Looking at that chair it does look as though it might now be enough support for someone with back issues — I’m glad you at least figured out what’s behind those. Fingers crossed that you’re pain free going forward!
Your flower photos are amazing.
Thanks, Judy!
Wow, 80° this time of year up there is pretty warm, right?
Oh, you poor thing!
Before I broke my leg, I used to stand at my kitchen counter to work. Now, I sit in the big, comfy armchair in my living room. It’s easy for me to adjust position there, in case my leg starts feeling wonky.
I convinced my husband to get a big yoga ball to sit on for his office. His back was always bothering him, and this helped a lot. Not sure if it would do the trick for you, but it’s an option.
Thanks, Jenn! I sat on one of my Swiss balls while training my clients virtually the first couple of weeks we were home and I had a similar back episode on Easter weekend. I decided part of it could have been from having zero back support while sitting on the ball. To remedy that, I took a kitchen chair down to my basement gym to sit on instead of the ball. Now I’m wondering if I’m just sitting too much (I never sat down when training clients in person). On Saturday and today I stood while working – I think what’s most important is that I move around which is what I was doing while working with clients in person.
Oh no! So sorry to hear that the darn chair is the cause of so much pain for you 🙁 Thankfully you have now identified the culprit!
Weather wise, it almost hit 80 degrees here yesterday in CT. I’m not a huge fan of the summer heat so I wasn’t too pleased – give me 60-70 degrees and I’m happy!
Thanks, Kim!
I’m with you, 80° is getting a little too warm for me. Saturday was perfect – in the mid-70’s.
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