New Shoes and Workout Routine!

Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope you all have had a great start to the week. I woke up this morning certain it was either Wednesday or Thursday, but no, it's only Tuesday (sigh). Oh well! 

I thought I'd write this post as an update to my hip/knee injury journey. I was lucky enough to have my cousin Jimmy, who is a Certified Athletic Trainer, come and take a look at me yesterday to try and figure out why I have been experiencing these aches and pains lately. We went to a running store near my house, where I learned that I should have changed by shoes once I hit the 300 mile mark, which was a while back since I have ran at least 650-700 miles in my current running shoes! This could definitely have contributed to my aches and pains! I tried on a variety of running shoes and finally picked one that seemed to work for me (more on this later). After we got the shoes, Jimmy did a few tests on me and realized that I am incredibly tight. I have very little flexibility in my hamstrings, quads, and hips, which contributes to an increased risk of the injuries I have been experiencing. So here is confession time:

I am a horrible stretcher. As in, I NEVER stretch. Once I'm done with my run, I get lazy and just decide to head home. I've tried to get myself to stretch in the past, but my motivation only lasts about 2-3 days, and then I get back into my old, harmful, injury-provoking habits. Talking with Jimmy last night helped me realize how VITAL stretching is to my fitness and health, and how important it is to incorporate it into my daily routine if I want to run the mileage and distances that I am used to.

SO! Jimmy gave me 3-5 stretches to do each day to help loosen up my muscles and get me back to running form soon. I am also going to lay off the elliptical for the next couple weeks and just do some easy walking in order to loosen my muscles and not put any added stress on my already tight joints. I started my new "routine" this morning, and it went pretty well! I laced up my new running shoes and had a banana and some nuts before heading to the gym:

I bought a pair of New Balance running shoes that are light and easy to walk in. At the running store, we learned that my usual Brooke's were over correcting my feet. They are made for those that pronate, and, even though I slightly pronate, I don't pronate nearly enough to use the Brooke's shoes. I decided on the New Balance because they didn't hurt my hip while I was walking around the store, and are made for those with regular, "medium" arches, which is me! I was excited to break these in this morning, even if it was for a short and light walk.

I walked 2 miles on the treadmill, on a 3.5-3.7 mph (NO incline!), which took about 35 minutes. Walking was a little painful at the beginning, but once my body loosened up, it felt great! I followed my walk with about 15-20 minutes of stretching, which is a HUGE accomplishment for me! I was so proud of myself for being able to stretch for this long and really be patient with the process. After stretching, I did the TIU Short and Sweet Shoulder routine, which has grown to be my favorite shoulder workout! 

Overall, I had a great morning and a great workout. I am currently icing all my hurting parts and snacking on some strawberries and a peanut butter wrap.

Side note: I tried cutting out the inflammatory foods for a few days, but it kinda made me cranky and didn't help the pain. So I decided to go back to my "a little bit of everything, what works for me, I love healthy food" mindset! :)

I am hoping this process of walking, stretching, and icing will help correct my tightness and help me get back to the level of running I want to be at, while being more balanced, flexible, and not hurting myself in the process! :)

Have a great Tuesday everyone!