<p>Two weeks of company = only one trip to the pool + too much food. Oy!</p>
<p>I’ve started swimming again and am once again gardening (read: weeding), so that’s good but, wow, two weeks off set me back way farther than I thought it would.</p>
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<p>I spent over 8 weeks last summer with NO running. There is not one medical practitioner or article about this problem that says rest helps it. Today the doc said it is better for it to run than not to run. When I HAD to stop running, it was because the hamstring was so irritated that I could not run and it needed to settle down. Now the remaining problem is a nerve, and no amount of rest will help it. I could be in bed (lying down is actually one of the things that causes some discomfort) for 3 months and there would be no improvement in this particular injury.</p>
<p>So- I can run with almost no discomfort at all and no worsening of symptoms after running. The strengthening exercises bother it more than running, but I still need to do them. I’m slow and I suspect high mileage would lead to other problems since I am operating on one normal leg and one weak one. But I’m not doing high mileage!</p>
<p>Bottom line- this is not even a sports injury at this point. The nerve impingement led to the hamstring issues due to running, and I have done a lot of work on correcting imbalances through PT, strengthening etc., but the nerve problem doesn’t correct easily and certainly doesn’t correct by not running.</p>
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<p>Well, that sucks. What do they think is causing the inflammation pressing on the nerve? Bulging disk? Muscle inflamation?</p>
<p>He xrayed and, fortunately, the disks all look OK. Last summer when I did the shots they said this kind of nerve thing can just “happen”. It doesn’t hurt in the back, and I didn’t realize I had the weakness in the hamstring from it, so the ongoing running gradually caused the hamstring to give out and get inflamed. I’m hoping that the steroid injections will be more effective this time around since the hamstring isn’t nearly as sore/inflamed so I’ll be able to tell if the leg gets stronger. I thought it was really strange that with all the stuff I was doing- the ball curls, presses, one-legged balances in yoga etc that I STILL had so much weakness.<br>
I’m not hysterical about it (shockingly). I’m glad to know that I wasn’t just crazy (or that much slower just to age or conditioning). It was a strange feeling to be putting out a race pace effort and have it be training pace! I just need to see what all I can do for it.</p>
<p>I am scheduled to have my hip bursas injected on Friday. This will be my first time having it done. H thinks I should cancel since I am flying out of town on Monday. I don’t want to be sore but on the other hand I am going to be doing a lot of walking and I am hoping the injection will help.
I can’t remember who on this thread has had this done and my CC search function seems to be not working this afternoon.
I am still playing tennis, walking and going to PT two times a week. Slow progress but moving somewhat forward. It is close to 70 degrees outside today. My bulbs are all in bloom. A good day to get out and walk in the sunshine and enjoy the ocean views. Soem days I get so intent on walking and how far I am going that I forget to look around me.</p>
<p>Just ridiculously raw and cold here again today.</p>
<p>*New Rules of Lifting for Abs *workout again. Same weights I used on Friday for this workout, which are more than enough. I actually wish they would get a little easier to lift.</p>
<p>I continue to be stunned by the difficulty of mountain climbers with hands on (and squeezing) a stability ball. It makes my abs burn in no time flat, and that’s after a year of plank.</p>
<p>I’m doing 3-pt bent over rows (two feet on ground, one on bench) with a 50 lb dumbbell. That’s obviously working the arm, shoulder and back, but I also feel it big time in my oblique (love handle area), I guess from the challenge of trying to keep the core stable with that kind of weight on just one side.</p>
<p>Split squats with 60 pounds, eight on each side, are just plain hard. The last rep on each leg are a bear.</p>
<p>Just did bench press 3x5 @135# tonight. Wanted to do cleans tonight, but there was a lady doing some work with a kettlebell in that area. I’m a little bit sore from last night’s workout, but not bad…</p>
<p>My bench was two 35lb DBs, head and shoulders only on a stability ball, alternating left and right while holding the non-working arm fully extended. 8 reps per arm in each set. Four sets. My arms were literally trembling on the 7th and 8th reps of the last set.</p>
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<p>Darn. It seems like the ol’ (formerly) fat guy and the CrossFitter are the only two here who are not nursing some kind of injury. Go figure.</p>
<p>Everybody needs to heal up quick!</p>
<p>mom60, I have not had the procedure because my hip pain mysteriously went away. If I were in your shoes, I’d go ahead with the procedure.</p>
<p>MOfWC, did your doctor do an MRI or EMG? I do not think xray would show anything conclusive when it comes to intervertebral discs (been there with my poor dog who had IVDD surgery). Xrays are only good for bony tissue. I’m so sorry that you have to go through this. What a pain, literally! I’m optimistic that you will get better soon.</p>
<p>I printed a half-marathon training schedule off some website (still not sure if I want to sign up for one), and according to it, I had to run 5 miles today, which I did: 5.2 miles in 45 min with 520 calories burn. I earned my dinner tonight! 
I’m worried that the plan calls for me to run 10 miles this Saturday, but I’m going to be out of town. I have to map out a course near my hotel, or I’ll have to spend 1.5 hours on a dreadmill at the Sheraton :eek:</p>
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<p>Maybe they need to schedule workouts like we have… ;)</p>
<p>Unfortunately, injuries like everyone is nursing are a fact of life for us geezers. It’s like NFL players in their 30s. They would still be good if they weren’t hurt so often, but that’s why NFL players are done in their 30s.</p>
<p>I feel very fortunate to have not hurt myself with all this exercise stuff. I do think that getting in better shape and the kind of exercise I’ve been doing has helped resolve some of my ol’ geezer aches and pains. Strength and mobility do seem to make a difference.</p>
<p>I don’t know if anyone is interested, but my iPod nazi guy just released one of his Treadmill Trainer iPod workouts that is entirely based around walking on a treadmill. No running. No Jogging. No outdoors. Just walking (on varying inclines) on a treadmill. He says that it is specifically intended for complete beginners (this is for the lurkers). He also uses it for his advanced runners as a non-running recovery day by having them wear a back pack with 10 or 20 pounds in it. This all came from helping someone get ready to hike up Mt. Kilamanjaro.</p>
<p>Anyway, here’s the link to the workout:</p>
<p>[Incline</a> Treadmill Walking Workout | Hill Trekker](<a href=“http://www.mytreadmilltrainer.com/hill-trekker.html]Incline”>http://www.mytreadmilltrainer.com/hill-trekker.html)</p>
<p>It’s $15 until midnight tonight. I just bought it for my daughter.</p>
<p>Basically, you just put it on your iPod, hit play, and start walking. He guides you through the entire workout. There’s a five minute warmup, then three repetitions of a 10 minute sequence, then a killer 9 minute segment at the end, followed by a 5 minute cooldown. Each section is a separate album track, so you could easily do as much or as little as you like. Start with the warmup, one 9 minute segment, and the cool down for a 20 minute workout. Or do the whole thing for 49 minutes:</p>
<p>Track 1
5:58 Warm-Up
We start off with a progressive 5-minute warm-up at the Talk Test Pace. The last 1-2 minutes should see you increasing your incline slightly to get ready for the upcoming Sierra Hill Challenge.</p>
<p>Track 2
29:57:00 Sierra Hill Challenge
This is progressive challenge involves 3 repeats of the following sequence: 4 minutes @ 60% speed, 6% incline; 3 minutes @ 65% speed, 10% incline; 2 minutes @ 70% speed, 14% incilne, and a 1-minute recovery at 2% incline. This 30-minute section should remind you of those hiking through the beautiful Sierra hills or at least prepare you to do so.</p>
<p>Track 3
8:12 Kilamanjaro Challenge
The final hill challenge in this workout features a constant incline of 15% with increasing speeds each minute for 3 minutes, and culminates in a 5-minute brisk walk at your peak walking speed.</p>
<p>Track 4
4:57 Cool Down
You’re going to need a nice and relaxed cool down after this workout. No incline for this one, just some nice easy walking for 5 minutes (or longer) to flush out the muscles.</p>
<p>TOTAL 49:03:00</p>
<p>Here’s a graphic:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.mytreadmilltrainer.com/hilltrek-structure.pdf[/url]”>http://www.mytreadmilltrainer.com/hilltrek-structure.pdf</a></p>
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<p>Anyway, I thought this was something that might be of some interest among my fellow geezers. If I were doing treadmill walking instead of my outdoor hilly route or my Airdyne bike, I’d be all over this.</p>
<p>BB- I had 2 MRIs last summer when all this started. This xray was just to check on things. </p>
<p>Ran 6.3 on the dreadmill after work yesterday and will try to run outside after work today. It is bone-chilling cold (for here) and damp, but I think I would rather dress warm and be outside than stay in again. Tomorrow will be a rest day (the 2nd this week) since I have to go early in the morning for the stupid injection and there are no other opportunities in my day tomorrow since I don’t think they like you to go right out and exercise after the epidural. (who would DO such a thing?)</p>
<p>Played two sets of tennis today and won 6-0, 6-0. Opponent wasn’t hitting as hard as he usually does and wasn’t moving me around. I can hit clean winners if given enough time for a shot.</p>
<p>I really haven’t done anything else this week. Work has been a bear and I was working until 2:00 AM this morning and didn’t even feel like playing tennis today. I am hoping to have some time for weights Friday and maybe Saturday. I have a bunch of work to do Saturday night that hopefully won’t take up Sunday.</p>
<p>Well, it’s not often that I wimp out on a workout, but I had to call a time out today.</p>
<p>My plan was </p>
<p>30 sec: dumbbell swings
30 sec: rest
30 sec: burpees
30 sec: rest</p>
<p>Repeat three more times for a total of 8 rounds in 8 minutes - 48 swings and 20 burpees. Then rest 2 minutes, and do a second identical 8 minute set.</p>
<p>The fly in the ointment is that I bumped the dumbbell I was swinging up from 30 pounds to 35 pounds and that changed the ballgame. I was above 90% heart rate on the first set and never recovering below 80% from the jump.</p>
<p>I stayed on schedule for the entire first set, the two minute rest, and half of the second set. Halfway thru the second set, I knew I was in trouble as I was still above 90% heart rate as I was supposed to start the next round of swings. I hit the pause button on the GYMBOSS, bent over, and panted like a dog for two minutes. Then finished up the rest of the set: two more rounds of swings and two more rounds of burpees.</p>
<p>30 minutes including an easy warmup (well, I did try the Valslide reverse lunges and side lunges!). Average heart rate of 78%. Peak heart rate of 100%. Sheesh.</p>
My ping-pong balls arrived from Paddle Palace so I hit in the office for about 45 minutes. The ping-pong room is enclosed and there was no ventilation (I think that they turn it off after 5:00 PM). So I was dripping sweat all over the place (it felt like 80 degrees in the room). A decent aerobic workout. I usually don’t do tennis and ping-pong on the same day as they can both kill your knees but the tennis workout wasn’t enough.
<p>I found that tennis totally destroyed my ability to play ping pong. I kept trying to hit the ping pong ball with these big full-windup Bjorn Borg topspin forehands and that just does not work – at least with my reflexes.</p>
<p>I used to switch between racquetball, squash, ping-pong and tennis back in college - depending on which courts or tables were in use in the recreation complex. All of these sports have different targets. In squash, it’s above the tin; racquetball, just above the floor, tennis, the net and table-tennis, the net. I had to adjust to more wristy and shorter strokes for ping-pong and the different feel for the ball. Also - timing.</p>
<p>There was a contest of squash, tennis, table-tennis, racquetball and maybe badminton stars many years ago. The tennis player won because it was a lot easier to go from a heavy racquet to a much lighter one than the other way around. It was also easier to go from power shots using the whole body to wristy shots.</p>
<p>I played squash in law school, because I was so cool and all. It was really HARD!!! Then racquetball sort of took over and ruined squash.</p>