Tag Archives: Recovery

Getting Poked

Posted by hellyontherun in Running and tagged with , ,

I mentioned in my previous post that I’d been having an achy right foot…nothing major, but I could feel it. I had a friend who last year ruptured her plantar and the image of her foot is forever ingrained in my memory; so, when I started to feel this little niggle, I decided to take care of it right away.

At my coach’s suggestion, I visited a sports doctor on Monday who said that it was good I was catching this early. Then he said, “I can tell you what I want to do, and I can tell you what your other options are.”

Uh, oh.

I told him to give it to me straight.

Dry needling.

WHAT?!?

I’ve heard about it from other runner friends but I didn’t really know what it was. Basically, they poke you with a needle and then push the needle as far as they can until you say STOP.

He said that I could turn on my stomach so I didn’t see, but I told him that I did want to see. And I also wanted to see the needle. He showed it to me and even let me hold it. I became one with the needle.

I had 3 needles poked in the arch of my right foot. Each time he pushed it in deep until I couldn’t anymore. Then, once in, he would twist the needle.

He asked if I was okay with him inserting one on my shin. I figured, might as well…

What I thought when he poked me in the shin

Let me just say, that I’m actually very good with needles. I was thankful for this random gift as I have no idea how those NOT good with needles would handle this procedure.

He taped me up and said that I should feel better the next day. The next day?!? But it was true. I felt relief the very next morning. I was advised to rest though and not run for 4-5 days. I could cross train, which I did on Tuesday and Wednesday and on Friday, I went for my first run.

I’d have to say, I’m a believer in this dry needling business. It hurt, but it was effective and really, that’s all that matters to me. I’ll take the pain to make the pain go away.

–Have you ever done dry needling?

–Are you good with needles?

 

Somewhere in the middle of caring and not caring

Posted by hellyontherun in Running and tagged with , ,

March has been interesting. It’s the first month where I’ve not been actively training for something. NYC Marathon training started last July and I’ve pretty much been going non-stop since.

I knew after Phoenix Marathon last month though, I was ready for a break.

At the same time, I’m super excited to get started on BQ training, so I was hesitant to do absolutely nothing during my recovery month.

Some days, I’ve been motivated to run and strength train but honestly, most days other days I’ve simply eaten all the things.

I’m surprised I even reached 50 miles this month. Most have been “easy” and some have been an attempt to run fast, lol. I have a half marathon at the end of April that for a moment, I contemplated attempting a PR (it’s flat, super local, and a fun race) but my heart isn’t into training for that. I have Boston Qualifying on the brain.

So that’s why I don’t care so much about not caring. I was due a stress-free month, and I needed this little break to prep for my BQ attempt at St. George. It’s funny that the first day of April is registration, though. Once March is over, the fun begins again. 😀

–How long, if at all, do you take breaks from running?

–What do you do to maintain fitness on your running breaks?

The Coldest 3 Minutes of My Life–Cryotherapy and other fun stuff from my weekend

Posted by hellyontherun in Running and tagged with , , ,

It was an eventful weekend in HellyLand, 😀 !!

Friday , my Moms Run This Town chapter hosted an event at our local Athleta store. Discounted prices for the win!! I didn’t walk out with anything (so proud of my self-control), but it was so much fun to meet up with friends for a girl’s night.

Saturday morning I went to my very first cryotherapy session! So what is it and why does it matter?? According to the website—

What is Cryotherapy?

Whole Body Cryotherapy is a technique involving exposure to extreme temperatures ranging from -200° F to -250° F for two to three minutes. Extensive research on Cryotherapy has determined that it is a dynamic source for pain relief and reduction of inflammation, ideal for athletes and those with active lifestyles that seek rapid recovery treatments.

Potential Benefits

  • Release of endorphins, the mood-enhancing hormone, which makes you feel energized
  • Reduction in muscle pain and inflammation caused by medical conditions, injuries, or exercise
  • Decreases recovery time from injury and fatigue.
  • Pain relief for chronic conditions such as arthritis, fibromyalgia osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, ankylosing spondylitis, and more.
  • Alleviates symptoms of mood disorders, such as depression, anxiety, insomnia and more.
  • Improves immune system functions, muscle strength, and joint functions.

I’m in the “I’ll try anything once” camp so when the opportunity came to try cryotherapy for a discounted price, I was on it. Even though I hate the cold, lol!

The place I went to, Self Cryo, had two very friendly people leading the way. A group of us had signed up, and the two employees were very knowledgable about the process and assured us first timers that we’d be okay. We were told to keep our underwear on, we had gloves for our hands, and socks and UGG boots for our feet. Once inside the machine, we would take off the robe provided.

When it was my turn, I asked one of them to keep chatting as to distract me and he did, asking me questions and making the 3 minutes fly by.

#brrr

I was instructed to turn in a slow circle inside the machine so that my entire body would feel the cold temperature (it was like dry ice blowing from a vent kinda). I could feel my legs start to burn from the cold, but I kept moving. I did let out a “Holy fuck” and one of the girls in line told me, “Just think about the BQ.” And of course then I was fine 😉

Before I knew it, it was over. I wasn’t sure what I expected to feel exactly. My legs were cold but the rest of me was okay. Now, two days later, I don’t really feel anything different. I guess it was more of a relaxing thing?? I did sleep very well that night, lol!

Later that afternoon, I went for a little run. It was funny because while I experienced freezing temps earlier, it was 90 degrees outside when I went out!

After my run, I showered and then went to see Eddie Money in concert!!!

I do love me some oldie’s music!

So while I did sleep very well that night, it could’ve been the cryotherapy session or just the busy day I had, lol!

Sunday morning I got in 5 easy miles and then in the afternoon we took the kids to our local Ostrich Festival for some fun rides.

I’ve been trying to keep myself active and am going back and forth on trying to snag a PR on a half coming up soon. A part of me wants to chill before BQ training and a part of me wants to take advantage of the flat course, lol! We shall see 😀

–How was your weekend?

–Have you tried cryotherapy before?

–What’s the last concert you’ve been to?