Getting an MRI and the Ensuing Results

On Wednesday I had an MRI and x-ray to see if they could figure out what’s going on with my back. Of course, these past few days my back has felt better than it has in weeks… go figure.

Friday morning I met with my spine doctor to go over my results. Amazingly my previously bulged disc looked better positioned, probably due to strengthened core muscles from physical therapy. I do; however, continue to have an ugly mess of degenerative discs – age and heredity will do that to you. I was given three options, one of which, surgery, was not recommended. Whew! My two remaining options are to go back to my pain management doctor for another shot and/or resume physical therapy. I opted for more sessions of PT so I can add more exercises to my toolbox of things to do to keep my back pain at bay.

My goal is to stay as active as possible without risking my spine health. It’s kind of like three steps forward for cardio health and one step backward in regards to my spine health. It’s good to know that I have the option to see my pain doctor if necessary, but I want to treat my issues with the least invasive therapy possible.

 

And Now on to a RunDown of this Past Week’s Workouts…

 

Sunday

Sunday’s workouts were limited to running up and down the basement and deck stairs as we set up for a barbecue with the kids, and then playing with Pablo in the back yard.

 

Monday

While the rest of the house slept in, I got up early to lift and do my PT homework before seeing my first client at 8AM. I had clients back-to-back until noon, but since I was seeing them virtually, I made sure each got to say hi to Pablo. My son snapped this picture of me holding my MacBook down to Pablo’s eye level. 😀

 

Tuesday

It was 77° when I headed out at around 10:15 AM for my 5-mile walk. I kept my pace a little slower (16:14) and felt no residual stiffness the following day. Even at 77° I could feel the heat slowing me down so I was happy that I hadn’t planned to push the pace.

 

Wednesday

I got up super early and lifted and did my PT homework before seeing my morning clients. Later in the afternoon I took Zephyr out for a quick 2-mile spin around the neighborhood to make sure I remembered how to change gears, clip in and out, etc. I hadn’t ridden since late October and I needed a confidence booster before my riding date on Thursday.

 

Thursday

I woke up super excited for my ride, hopeful it would be the first of many with my neighbor Betsy who I didn’t even realize was a cyclist. She just happened to be heading out for her ride as I walked past her house on Tuesday and she slowed long enough to ask if I wanted to join her for a ride sometime. We rode 2 miles along the parkway to and from the W&OD Trail which affected our overall pace as we slowed at each road crossing. It was breezy and only 66° when we left for our ride, but the rain caught up with us and we rode in drizzle for several miles. It felt good to be back on the saddle for 15 miles!

 

Friday

On Friday’s I teach a balance and stretching class (these days on Facebook Live) so it’s guaranteed that I’ll stretch for at least 15 minutes one day a week – the class is 15 minutes each of bodyweight strengthening exercises, balance drills, and stretching. I had a light work day and lifted weights between my early morning client and teaching the class. After class I did my physical therapy homework before going to my doctor to get the results of my MRI. Later in the evening Bill and I went for a short walk.

 

Saturday

I had the Virtual Freihofer’s Run for Women 5K yesterday morning with Darlene, Kim, and Cari – I won an entry from Darlene who was one of the race ambassadors.  I headed outside around 8 AM into the delightful 66°/low humidity for my race. After I completed walking my 5K, I enjoyed a relaxing morning before Bill and I took off on a 4.25-mile walk. A couple of hours of late afternoon gardening capped my very active day.

With a little photoshop help from my husband, the girls and I managed to get some fun pics of our virtual high fives…

 

… and an epic jump shot!

 

Overview of the Week

In addition to the workouts I mentioned above, here’s a complete rundown from this past week (completed either outside or in our home gym)…

 

It’s on the Blog

In case you skipped checking in on my blog this past week, here’s what you missed…

 

Questions:
  • • What cross training do you enjoy, but don’t do as often as you would like?
  • • Do you bike?
  • • 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!