Pain and Pilates

Okay, so I thought pilates was kind of like an intense form of yoga or something. I went to Monday morning class, did everything the instructor did and paid for it with intensely sore abs through Thursday. Ouch. Well, I've been slacking a bit on my core work, so it wasn't a huge surprise. So I went again Friday morning and we did some of the same moves, plus some others we hadn't done Monday. This time I backed off a bit and didn't try to do all the more advanced moves. I thought I was being conservative.

Instead, pain and stiffness started settling in around early evening, in spite of my having gotten a massage, an adjustment and some Fun With Electrodes therapy. By bedtime I was so stiff I could barely stretch and was hoping desperately that I would feel better in the morning.

I didn't. But I finished my workout anyway. I had wanted to go a little longer, but managed to suffer through the same workout I did last weekend. It would have to be enough. With the Tour de Doughnut on my Sunday schedule, I couldn't afford to run myself into hopelessly intractable knots. Just about everyone with a bike in my little circle is going to be riding on Sunday and I don't want to get dropped, no matter how good my excuse.

I babied my legs after my run and they seem to have responded well to all the ice, stretching and massage. We'll see how the morning bike ride goes. I have a feeling it's not going to be one of my easier rides, but I've been looking forward to this one for awhile and it's the next to last local ride before winter, so I'm going and if it's a sufferfest, so be it.

My treatments are coming along nicely, although I haven't been able to schedule all of it yet-- there's two parts to my plan and only so many hours in a day. I've been completely slammed at work, so badly that I'm going to have to do some time at the office after my Sunday ride, so when am I supposed to find time for extra treatments? But I'm also not sure that I can even pay for all of this. $30 co-pays add up fast. I was only a couple months from having my credit card paid off, too. Isn't that always the way of it? Just when you think you're about to finally get in the clear, something happens.

But there is hope! I've noticed that the place I've been going offers gift cards. I'm torn. Ask my parents for a gift card for Christmas and hope they don't screw it up? Knowing them, they'll just buy me a new comforter or something. Or should I lie in wait outside the establishment, jump people and take their gift cards? Hm. Decisions, decisions….

But seriously, I'm going to do whatever I need to do and if this fixes things once and for all, it will have been worth it. You can't put a price on a healthy body. It's crazy what even a couple of weeks can accomplish in repairing biomechanics. I can feel the difference when I run, but the change is most noticeable on the bike. My right knee used to drift in toward my top tube, no matter what I did. Now I get equal power from both legs without even trying.

Yes, once my body gets used to all these changes, I think I'll get a little free speed. But the real benefit will be long term. I refuse to grow up to be one of those old ladies who can barely totter around the house. Whatever I have to do now will be worth it.

Recent Workouts

Monday: Pilates, 45 minute elliptical
Tuesday: Speedwork, 10 x 400
Wednesday: Bike, Spinervals 2.0 Time Trial Special
Thursday: 4 mile run
Friday: Pilates (ouch!)
Saturday: 1 hour elliptical, 9 mile run