15 weeks to Marathon (lost track of hip surgery numerals)

Well we are on the flip side - the first leg of my recovery was, well, recovering and the second side - over the brow of the hill with only one goal in sight is the training up part for the Connemarathon.

Went out for a snowy run round a reservoir on Christmas morning, nice and gentle - beautiful! and thoroughly enjoyable - will post a pic. Especially of my friend Adelle's snow angel which had big wings and a pea head.





Went out again on Sunday to run and ran for a good hour through uneven ground, slidey slush and mud and we had chosen a good route which didn't have any ice. Again round a reservoir, the snow was starting to melt away but it was still beautiful.
I adore running round the reservoirs and now that marathon training IS A GO! we will be spending most weekends up there builing up to 3-4 hours of run time pre-taper.

I had a bit of an enforced break the couple of weeks leading up to christmas as we were moving house and I got extraordinarily involved in closing the deal so that we could move before christmas. We moved on the 21st Dec and I feel like I have been living here forever. Our new home is beautiful. We are going to start some builing works in Jan/Feb and convert the large garage into a gym and therapy room. I'm soooo excited. I just want to jump up and down every day :)

Getting stronger :)

Have done 3 runs now and built up to 30mins - 4mins run, 1min walk on Sunday. Next run planned for Wed and going to do 30mins without walking. Can't believe how quickly its building up again. I'd planned to run/walk for 2 weeks but my hip is not reacting at all to the running, althoug my leg muscles are feeling well worked.
Had a personal training session today with a chap from the gym - I traded with him cos his lovely lovely girlfriend needed her shoulder sorting out.

I really enjoyed the training it was so cool being the client and being tweaked and corrected and pushed! I did 1 leg squats, 1 leg lunges, 1 leg kettlebell deadlifts and my balance was pretty good (especially since I'd done 7 clients already myself by 3.30pm and was pretty fatigued) I was so surprised that I could do all the exercises. With each one I tested it out carefully but it was all great. I'll just have to see how I am when I wake up tomorrow morning! :)

Up & Running! 9 weeks post op

I ran for the first time yesterday. Just 20mins of 1min run, 1 min walk. Then today I did 20mins 2min run, 1min walk. It felt amazing, I am ecstatic!! I felt much more even than I did before and I have a whole new quadrant that my leg moves in now that I can put it into extension properly.
19 weeks on Sunday until Marathon Day :)

Bring it on

Yay! Sleep caught back up now - fatigue levels down and back to normal progress again. That will learn me. Top priorities for optimum recovery are definitely quality sleep and quality nutrition. Have started to reduce my starchy carbs and increase heavy proteins in line with the cold winter setting in, in line with my seasonal change in my metabolic type and feeling the benefit.

Went swimming this morning and had a great session. I felt much better that the previous week which was my first time back. Its amazing how much more even I am in the water now.
I can really feel the difference from before the op. I can actually kick properly with my right leg, without it unbalancing me. Hoping its gonna be the same with my running :)

Also started to include some short adductor strength work on the machine in the gym, low weight and combined with some contract relax work to get progressively more range of motion. That has really made a difference too.

Going to take my bike out this weekend for the first time (if the weather is kind) and then see Mr Schilders on Wed next week. And all plans are to start my run/walk program from the following weekend if he gives me the nod. - So excited!!! Will have 18 weeks to train for my marathon.

Back on track

Finally had enough rest to go back into the gym and get some stretching done.
I was so tightened up. I stretched my adductor and psoas from the hip end, but the most effective stretch was to do a series of backbends to release my upper abs, upper psoas attachments and across my chest.
Have been feeling lots of pain and pinching and catching in the groin and these stretches really helped.
My resolution to ensure I do a stationary cycle plus some rehab and stretching every single day is full on!

7weeks post op and feeling the pinch :(

My rehab was going brilliantly and I was dedicating quality time to it everyday. Then I was on a week long course last week with homework and and hours drive either way. Rehab took a backseat and my hip really stiffened up.

This past week I did presentation on Wednesday on Adrenal Fatigue and chronic stress. I'd squeezed in some clients on the Saturday and then worked the whole rest of the weekend on the presentation. I did make the time to train/rehab on Sunday but by Monday I was feeling pretty tired from having no time off. This week at work has been totally full on (it always is after having a week off) There are people queuing up for massages from me and I had just lost all moderation when I'd been booking folks in.

The result - a very tired, grumpy, crisp craving mess. Whose hip is complaining about all the standing up and lifing of people's heavy legs of missing out on my proper rehab routine and of generally being very fatigued. The irony was not lost on me as I delivered my presentation on Wednesday wondering if anyone would mind if I had a lie down at the end :)

So I am under self-imposed orders to chill out tonight and tomorrow and rest rest rest with a touch of gentle rehab for good measure. Lesson learned - less working - say NO I'm sorry I can't fit in another 10 appointments this week, or even 1, and more rest and rehab.

Pretty sure I'm not going to hit my target of starting running at 8weeks post op. Heres to having 2 quality weeks of all the right things and making my first run the weekend of week 9. Fingers - toes and all that matters crossed :)

30 days post op

Apart from my energy being quite low and having a flickering eyelid for nearly a week (the stress of preparing my accounts for the accountant I think) I am doing well. I did my rehab yesterday and felt good although I had a go on the cross trainer and today my hip is slightly irritated so I think its probably too early and I need to leave that for a while.

Other than that I did lots of hip opening work and lower ab stabilisation. I can more fully extend my leg now while lying on my back without it pulling on the hip flexor so its nice to feel the improvement. Stabilisation wise its a bit easy for me though so I lay on foam roller length wise, crossed my arms over my chest and did the same exercise which was much better.

Looking forward as always to a hydrotherapy session today. My favourite exercise is doing like an arabesque in the water with opposite arm and leg extended and holding for 2 mins. It just feels brilliant.