Last year, Ryan and I really got into biking. Over the course of the summer we biked 1,000 miles. We brought our bikes on our vacation to Connecticut and rode around Mystic. We even bought new fancy bikes on a vacation in Maine with a stop in New Hampshire.
Then our awesome friends, who have both finished two ironmans a piece, encouraged us to do triathlons. So we started running. After a 10 week intro to running program, we competed in our first 5K EVER in early November.
We ran our second 5K on Thanksgiving morning a few weeks later. Then the pain started. Every time I would run, I would be faster, but I hurt. For days my hip would ache. It would go away. I would run. Then it would hurt again.
So I stopped running and Ryan did too. We gave it time but the ache wouldn't go away. It was ever present in the background, ready to pop up when I would do the easiest of things. The doctor suggested physical therapy and I started right before Christmas.
It turns out that my butt (as large as it is) was weak and the muscles supporting my hip weren't sturdy enough for the activity I was hammering on my body. Six weeks through PT and I'm making tremendous progress. Some days it still aches, but if I stretch it out, my hip feels much better. I can actually do my daily stretches with little to no pain. I'll just feel a good burn from it.
I'm not allowed to run yet, but I'm working up to it slowly. I'm itching to though. My physical therapists, Beth and Don, have cleared me for moderate cycling and full blown swimming, since that doesn't aggravate the pain.
Since Ryan and I are still set on completing triathlons this year, we've focused our efforts on swimming while I'm healing. While we both love swimming and hanging out in the pool each summer, it's definitely our weakest part of the triathlon.
When we joined the local YMCA, we got in the pool right away. After talking more and more with other swimmers, they suggested taking the adult swim stroke class to help tweak our technique. After our first class this past Sunday, I can honestly say that I'm going to love it. Our instructor is helpful and insightful with her directions. I can't wait to see the difference at the end of the lessons.
For now, our training schedule is busy. We're trying to keep our muscles engaged and in shape for each of the three events. Here's what I did this past week:
Ryan's schedule looks a little bit different, you know, since he's not broken. On the days I do physical therapy, he does a bicycle trainer workout. When I workout before our swims, he runs on the treadmill.
By the time May comes around and brings with it our first triathlon, we're going to be BEASTS. Full on triathlon machines. At least I hope.
A girl can hope, right?
So I stopped running and Ryan did too. We gave it time but the ache wouldn't go away. It was ever present in the background, ready to pop up when I would do the easiest of things. The doctor suggested physical therapy and I started right before Christmas.
It turns out that my butt (as large as it is) was weak and the muscles supporting my hip weren't sturdy enough for the activity I was hammering on my body. Six weeks through PT and I'm making tremendous progress. Some days it still aches, but if I stretch it out, my hip feels much better. I can actually do my daily stretches with little to no pain. I'll just feel a good burn from it.
I'm not allowed to run yet, but I'm working up to it slowly. I'm itching to though. My physical therapists, Beth and Don, have cleared me for moderate cycling and full blown swimming, since that doesn't aggravate the pain.
Since Ryan and I are still set on completing triathlons this year, we've focused our efforts on swimming while I'm healing. While we both love swimming and hanging out in the pool each summer, it's definitely our weakest part of the triathlon.
When we joined the local YMCA, we got in the pool right away. After talking more and more with other swimmers, they suggested taking the adult swim stroke class to help tweak our technique. After our first class this past Sunday, I can honestly say that I'm going to love it. Our instructor is helpful and insightful with her directions. I can't wait to see the difference at the end of the lessons.
For now, our training schedule is busy. We're trying to keep our muscles engaged and in shape for each of the three events. Here's what I did this past week:
By the time May comes around and brings with it our first triathlon, we're going to be BEASTS. Full on triathlon machines. At least I hope.
A girl can hope, right?
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