Hip and Knee Update!

As you know I have been experiencing some hip pain for the past month. I took a week off from running, started running for about a week and the hip flared up again and I had to take more time off. Then I ran my half marathon (took it slow and easy) and the hip was tight but didn't feel any worse...but then my knee started hurting after the race. So I was super frustrated!

I finally decided it was time to see my favorite sports chiropractor Dr. Justin. He helped me tremendously when I had a knee injury last year before the Disney Marathon. So I knew he could help with this recurring hip pain and the knee pain. So I made the appointment with him last week and saw him yesterday.

I was a little nervous going into the appointment because you never know what the diagnosis may be. I didn't think I had anything seriously wrong. I truly felt that it was an overuse injury due to increasing my training. I felt like my hip was misaligned. And I knew that my quad and IT Band were super super tight. But I also knew that my methods weren't working all the way.

I've been icing. I've been stretching. I've been rolling. And it helped a little...but not all the way. I needed help.

The first thing Dr. Justin did was have me lay on my stomach. He did a test to see if my legs went together correctly. And they did not! That told him right away that my hip was not aligned correctly. He said that was causing the hip pain which in turn caused the knee pain.

He also said my quad, IT Band, and hip flexor were super tight.

He used two treatments: Active Release Technique (ART) and Fascial Distortion Model (FDM). To me...it was just like a deep tissue massage of the sore muscles with some movement of my leg with it. Of course there is a better definition for both of the methods lol!

The good news....he told me to RUN! He wants to see how well I feel after I run. And I have to continue to roll, stretch, and ice. He thinks that it will only take 3-4 visits to have me pain free again! Yay!!!

So I know these pains are probably overuse. But I also asked him about my shoes. I've worn Asics for the past 3 years. I got some Saucony running shoes through my blog a few months ago. When it was time for new shoes a few months ago I decided to try the Saucony shoes instead of buying another pair of Asics. They were free....I wanted to make them work!!! Dr. Justin said the different brand of shoes most likely aided in the hip and knee pain too because the shoes changed my gait.

I already had an idea that maybe the Saucony shoes weren't working for me. So the week before my half marathon I went and bought another pair of Asics (although of course I didn't wear them for the half).

You may remember me posting these pictures on Instagram!

Even Cullen approved of the Asics!

Dr. Justin said to run in the Asics. And I go back and see him tomorrow for more treatment. I'm sooo glad this was nothing serious! And I'm so glad I have that peace of mind knowing it's going to get better. And...did I say that I can RUN??? This is one happy girl!!!!

So hopefully...today's run is awesome! :-)

QOTD: Do you see a chiropractor for injuries?

The Weekly Chase #44!

Happy Monday!!! This weekend was great! We had some cooler weather and it felt amazing! I ran/walked the Turkey Trot fun run with my family and then I spent the rest of the weekend with my best friend Rhonda. Rhonda and I even walked 5 miles! It was a great weekend!

This afternoon I am going to see my sports chiropractor Dr. Justin about my knee and hip. Both are feeling much better after all the rest I have taken from running. But I still want to get them checked out since I have so many races on the horizon. I'll tell you all about my appointment later!

It's time for the Weekly Chase! I'm ready to tell you all about my goals this week! I hope you will link up your own goals with us too!

Here are my goals from last week!

• Goal #1: Rest and recover from my half marathon. Yes! I didn't run at all last week except for the little bit I ran during the 1 mile fun run with the family on Saturday. I was pretty sore from the half on Monday and Tuesday but then all was good except for the knee pain.
• Goal #2: Roll and stretch daily. Yes! 
• Goal #3: Cook dinner at home 3-4 times this week. Yes! It was nice having some homecooked meals this week instead of eating out so much!
• Goal #4: Get my race recap written and posted on the blog this week. Done! If you missed my race recap you can read it HERE! ;-)

Here are the goals I will be working on this week!

Goal #1: Follow what ever directions Dr. Justin gives me concerning my knee and hip. I'm hoping he will let me run this week. There's a 10K race on Saturday that I'd really like to do but I will have to wait and see what he says.

Goal #2: Roll and stretch daily. An ongoing goal!

Goal #3: Help make Halloween fun for my boys. I love Halloween! I hope I can make it a fun time for the boys! I know we will be going trick or treating for sure!

Goal #4: Happy Birthday fun! Thursday (also Halloween) is my hubby's birthday! He's very hard to shop for so I have no clue what to get him for his birthday. But I hope I can make it special for him! It's hard since it's also Halloween and the boys are focused on trick or treating. Then..my birthday is the next day...on Friday!!! :-)

So that's the plan for the week! I'm really hoping I get great news today about my knee and hip!! Fingers crossed! This girl just wants to run!!!

QOTD: What are your goals this week? Any suggestions on how to make my hubby's birthday special?

Azalea Trail Run 2013!

This is one of my favorite local races! It also holds a very special place in my heart because it was my first ever 5K! I remember that day so well! I also remember being so inspired by the runners who ran the 10K and thinking that I would never be able to run that far! Well...this was my 4th year running this race...and 3 out of those 4 times I have run the 10K!!!! :-)

(Thanks to my friend Dana for this picture!)

The day before the race I headed to Mobile to pick up my race packet.

The expo is held in the Civic Center. There aren't a ton of vendors but it's still a fun expo to attend.

I got to visit with Dr. Justin some (I haven't seen him since he released me from my knee injury).

My boys visited the Publix booth and got free bananas (they were super excited about this)!

I got to visit with Missy from Running Wild Fairhope...one of my favorite running stores.

Even Swiftwick was there!!! I was super excited about that since they are my favorite socks to run in! And the Swiftwick vendors were super nice and even gave my boys a Swiftwick wristband!

Another local running store, Sports 'N More, was there too and they had tons of running clothes on sale...and each item was only $9.99! It was a steal!!! I bought a red Asics hoody jacket...for $9.99!!! It normally retails for $58.00!!! I love it!!!

While shopping I ran into Robbie from Run 4 It! Robbie and I have been Facebook and runner friends for years...but we have yet to meet! She recognized my boys first and then found me! I was sooo excited to finally meet her! She is such an inspiration and one of my best encouragers! 

That night I of course posted my gear picture on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!

Cullen approved! ;-)

I got tons of comments about my outfit! I was dressing up as Wonder Woman for this race. In fact, all of my Sole2Soul Sisters were dressing as superheroes for this race. Why? Because this race benefits the Superhero Foundation of Mobile, AL. This organization is all about fighting child abuse.

Race morning we all met up early to take pictures and carpool to the race. We had a ton of Sole2Soul Sisters dress up!!! (And this picture doesn't even include some of them)

And here's my picture with Paigey (if we are running a race together we always take a picture of just the two of us...it's become a tradition)!

After pictures we headed to the race. After a bathroom stop and a few more pictures we finally made it to the start line!

Me and Laura...as Wonder Woman!

Me and Stephanie!

And I am always so flattered when I have people come up to me and tell me that they read my blog! I met two readers right before the race...Andrea and Leigh (who I got a picture with)!!! It was awesome to meet them AND to realize that people really do read this! 

We finally lined up at the start line...and I saw several people I know on the way! I just love races...it's like a big reunion of people you may not have seen in awhile! Here's the last picture before the start...Paige, me, and Suzanne! (Thanks to Suzanne for the picture!)

Finally the race started! I had been watching the weather all week long...they had been predicting a 60% chance of rain and we were all just hoping the rain held off until we finished the race. But because rain was moving in it meant it was hot and we had to deal with 100% humidity. None of us were used to the humidity...we had been running in cooler temperatures. And my outfit was hot! My shirt was 100% cotton plus I had a cape on the back! So half a mile in I was already breaking a sweat! I knew I could deal with it for 6 miles though so I kept on pushing. Luckily my pace partner Holly from Running and Baking Oh My had decided last minute to run the race. I also run better when she's there to push me! 

Because of the humidity Holly and I stopped at every water station but the last one. I was super thirsty (although I made sure to hydrate well the entire week) and didn't want to get dehydrated. I really didn't have a goal time for this race...I was in it for the fun and costume! It was so motivating to hear all the spectators cheer "Go Wonder Woman!" Like always, Holly and I would keep trying to slow ourselves down. We didn't want to run too fast and too hard and not have enough energy to get us to the end. But we struggled with our pace like normal and one time I looked down and we were running in the late 8's! We knew we'd never make it at that pace! 

The first 4 miles were hard for me like they always are. I feel like I say that for every race! But I just don't get warmed up until then. So around mile 4 I was feeling great and I downed a Huma Gel and could really feel it when it kicked in! 

They reversed the course this year so it made the race feel totally different than in the years past. We could see the finish line from about mile 5 so it made it feel like we would never get there. But finally we got close and I kicked it into high gear and started sprinting! 

Thanks to my Sole2Soul Sister Bonita for this picture of me racing to the finish line!

I finally made it! My official time was 1:05:26! (Yes..it took me almost a minute to cross the start line...there were about 6000 runners there!) It wasn't a PR but it was faster than last year's time at this race so I was happy!

After finishing I headed to find some water and food. They had bottled water, bananas, apples, and muffins to choose from. Holly and I grabbed our goodies and headed back to the finish line to see the rest of our Sole2Soul Sisters finish. 

Me and Holly waiting at the finish line!

I was so excited to see Stephanie finish! It was her first 10K and she did awesome!!!

After all our sisters had finished we took a few more pictures to celebrate and then headed for the after party!

Wonder Women!!!

Only after a race will you ever see a garbage can piled this high with bananas lol!

On our walk to the party a random guy came up to me and Paige and asked if he could take a picture with us. He kept saying our costumes were awesome. We agreed to take a picture lol!

The post race party was being held in the Civic Center. The vendors from the expo were all still there so you could do more shopping if you wanted. They had beer, cokes, cheese grits and sausage. Yum! We also saw tons of people with Chick Fil A sandwiches and it took us forever to find them. But finally we did. They were outside the Civic Center and only had a few more left so we quickly got in line! They shot the sandwiches out of the side of the truck...it was fun to watch! And that chicken sandwich had never tasted so good!!!

I am so glad the weather held up for us. Around 1:00 that afternoon the skies let loose and we even had some hail! I'm so glad that didn't happen while we were running...ouch!!!

Many of you asked where I got my costume. The shirt and socks I got online but I can't remember where. I just googled "Wonder Woman shirt and socks" and found them. The skirt came from Team Sparkle. It was my first time running in a Team Sparkle skirt...and I was super impressed! It never bothered me once during the run and it didn't ride up or chafe! I will definitely be investing in some more of these skirts! The headband is a Sweaty Band that I bought at the Walt Disney World Marathon Expo to wear with my Snow White costume. 

It was a fun race...like always! If you ever get a chance to run a race in Mobile, AL...this one is a blast! I highly recommend it! 

QOTD: Do you have a local race that you run every year?

Knee Check!

So after all of your wonderful advice about my knee yesterday (can I just say I have the BEST readers ever!!!), I made an appointment to get it checked out. Several of my runner friends recommended the same doctor...a chiropractor that specializes in sports related injuries. So I called Eastern Shore Chiropractic and Sports Clinic to discuss my problem and make an appointment. The only appointment they had for yesterday was at 2:30 and I was subbing until 3:00. So that didn't work. They didn't have any more appointments until Monday at 2:15. I went ahead and booked the appointment but asked if they had any cancellations for yesterday or today to please call me. Well it must have been my lucky day because about 15 minutes later they called me back and said they were going to work me in at 4:00 that day!!! Awesome customer service for sure!!!

I pulled up to the office and immediately got super nervous. And when I get nervous I get weepy. So I prayed that I wouldn't cry in front of the doctor...because I normally do and I hate that! It's so embarrassing! And I prayed that I would get good news.

The office was super nice on the outside! And the inside was just as nice! I loved it from the moment I walked in! And the receptionist automatically knew who I was before I told her! That made me feel so welcome!

I only waited about two minutes in the waiting room before they called me back. They took me to a room and the nurse asked me a few questions about my injury and how it happened and my pain scale. Then the doctor came in...Dr. Justin Southall. He introduced himself as Dr. Justin! I thought that was pretty cool! He asked me more questions about the fall I had and looked at my knee. He decided he wanted to take a few x-rays. He took me into the x-ray room and administered the x-rays himself. Then I went back into the patient room and it took about 30 seconds and my x-rays appeared on the computer screen!!! I just LOVE technology!!!

He said my knees looked great and were identical. That was music to my ears!!! No fracture!!! But he did say that sometimes it takes fractures three weeks so show up...and it has only been 12 days since I fell in New Orleans. But he didn't seem to think that would be my case since the fall wasn't a huge trauma.

After looking at the x-rays he took me into another room and started moving and rotating my knee. You could hear the patella bone seeming to get stuck when he was bending my knee. He adjusted it somehow and it stopped doing that! He said my patella seemed to be a little out of alignment which could be causing some of the pain.

Then we went to a different room and he hooked me up to a machine called E-stim. Basically it sends electrical currents through electrodes to your muscles to make them contract. It felt like the muscles were pulling and pushing. He put a heat pad on top and I got to lay there and relax for about 15 minutes that way!

After the E-stim, I went back into another room and he taped my knee with KT Tape (he apologized for not having any pink tape!). He wants me to keep the tape on for a few days but it was already peeling off by the time I left. He said it was probably coming off because of lotion on my legs. But my awesome friends Paige and Andrea use KT Tape all the time so I may see if they will retape me...on non lotion legs!

Dr. Justin doesn't want me to run this weekend. He says he thinks I should be able to run in about a week. And my half marathon for next weekend is a GO!!!!

In the meantime, I have to go see him two times next week. He also offered to tape my knee for the race. I also have to take a 15 minute Epsom salt bath and then ice the knee for 15 minutes each day. And he wants me to apply Biofreeze two times each day. And of course.....stretch! Dr. Justin also said I could cross train on the bike or anything that doesn't hurt the knee.

So that's my road to recovery...and I am pretty pleased with the route! I am so thankful that this isn't a serious injury!!! Thank you so much for all your prayers...please keep them coming just in case! I won't really know how well the knee is until I run on it again.

So for now I am going to be using a lot of this:

And doing a lot of this:

And let's not forget the Biofreeze!

 

I want to say a special thank you to Dr. Justin for making me feel so welcome! I really liked his office and staff and feel like I am in good hands! Dr. Justin understood my situation as a runner and that made it much easier! Here's to hoping my knee recovers quickly!

QOTD: Have you ever seen a Chiropractor for an injury?